Episode 231: Return to the Demon Sect
Clang!
As the fiery dragon and the water dragon clashed, a thick, acrid smoke filled the air.
Thud!
Sabikang quickly dodged, but the fiery dragon pursued him relentlessly.
In the next moment,
Whoosh!
Sabikang kicked off the ground and soared into the air.
Crash!
The enraged fiery dragon twisted its body vertically, chasing after him.
‘Now’s my chance!’
Swoosh!
With a swift motion, Sabikang brought down his ice-infused sword, Vertas, onto the dragon’s head.
Sizzle!
The dragon let out a burning sound as it plummeted to the ground.
Boom!
The impact left a crater, sending debris flying in all directions.
Nearby, Seol Sumin was hit by the flying debris and let out a cry of pain.
“Ugh!”
The flames of the fiery dragon, having lost its target, flared up even more fiercely.
Perched on a tree branch, Sabikang allowed himself a slight smile.
‘No doubt about it.’
With newfound confidence, he spoke up.
“Let’s take it easy.”
“Hehehe.”
Whether she understood or not, Seol Seorin let out her usual ghostly laugh.
Her hair began to rise, strand by strand, into the air.
“Yee-haw!”
In an instant, Seol Seorin charged forward, swinging the tail of Makan.
Crash!
This time, she was engulfed in even fiercer flames as she charged at high speed.
Thud!
Sabikang kicked off the branch and ran.
He didn’t use Blink.
The fight had dragged on long enough that conserving mana was necessary, and he had a plan in mind.
Boom!
The fiery dragon collided with a tree, setting it ablaze in an instant.
Crash!
The creature, seemingly more enraged, charged after Sabikang.
Finally, Sabikang reached Seol Sumin.
He grabbed her hair and lifted her up.
“Ugh! What are you doing…?”
“Borrowing you for a bit.”
Sabikang thrust Seol Sumin forward like a shield.
The fiery dragon, charging fiercely, hesitated upon seeing her.
‘As expected!’
There was a slight hesitation.
Despite repeated attacks, the dragon had minimized damage to Seol Sumin.
It must be Seol Seorin’s subconscious at work.
That’s enough.
He never expected the berserk Seol Seorin to recognize her sister and stop attacking.
But this fleeting moment could create a golden opportunity.
In that brief hesitation of the fiery dragon!
Sabikang tossed Seol Sumin aside and activated Blink.
Whoosh!
In an instant, he was in front of Seol Seorin, thrusting Vertas with force.
Thud!
“Aaah!”
Seol Seorin’s sharp scream pierced the sky.
“Rina!”
Seol Sumin, collapsed in a corner, reached out with a desperate cry.
Makan’s tail flailed wildly, as if sharing the pain.
Seol Sumin shouted in anguish.
“What have you done to Rina!”
“If you want to save your sister, stay quiet!”
Before Sabikang’s words even finished,
“Splurt!”
A fountain of red blood erupted from Seol Seorin’s mouth.
She opened her eyes weakly.
‘It’s… hot…!’
She felt nothing.
It was like being trapped in a nightmare.
But now, her senses were slowly returning.
Yet…
‘Who is this… Sabikang…?’
The man staring at her with intense eyes.
Yes, he was the instructor, Sabikang.
But what had happened?
Had she lost consciousness again?
His sword had pierced her abdomen.
And yet…
‘I feel… at peace.’
There was no pain.
It was a warm feeling, but compared to the nightmare, it was infinitely calming.
‘Did he… pull me out of the nightmare?’
Her heart pounded for no reason.
Was it because she was on the brink of death, or because of the man’s intense gaze?
At that moment,
Swoosh!
Vertas, deeply embedded in Seol Seorin’s abdomen, was pulled out.
Tap. Tap. Tap!
Sabikang quickly pressed on Seol Seorin’s pressure points.
He blocked her vital points to immobilize her and sealed several points to prevent her from channeling her inner energy.
“Ah…!”
Seol Seorin’s strength seemed to drain from her body.
In an instant,
Whip!
Makan’s tail, as if alive, coiled around Sabikang, tightening its grip.
“Ugh!”
Sabikang, still holding Vertas, exerted his strength, but Makan’s tail only tightened further.
If he held on, Vertas would cut into his chest!
Crack…!
The fiery dragon coiled around Sabikang, refusing to let go.
Sabikang infused as much cold energy as he could to protect himself.
Sizzle!
The burning sound and thick smoke enveloped him.
‘Damn it, Vertas… is this all you’ve got?’
As Sabikang exerted force with both hands,
Bang!
Makan’s tail, pushed by Vertas, fell to the ground, flailing wildly.
After thrashing for a while, Makan’s tail gradually calmed down and returned to its original whip form.
“Huff, phew.”
Sabikang took a deep breath and surveyed his surroundings.
White smoke rose from his entire body.
“Damn, it’s hot.”
Meanwhile, Seol Sumin, who had been sitting in a daze, finally came to his senses and jumped up.
“Rina…!”
Seol Seorin, with her abdomen pierced, lay motionless, as if dead.
Seol Sumin, using the last of his inner energy, rushed at Sabikang, grabbing him by the collar.
“You did this to Rina!”
Sabikang responded by punching Seol Sumin in the face.
Thud!
Seol Sumin flew back and lost consciousness.
“Tsk… I’m exhausted.”
Sabikang muttered in an annoyed tone and walked over.
He lifted Seol Seorin’s shoulder and pulled out a healing potion from his pocket.
After administering some first aid, Sabikang looked around once more.
Even the conscious team members seemed to have fainted from exhaustion.
Only Maeng Gasook’s group remained, huddled in a corner, watching nervously.
Sabikang suddenly spoke.
“Come out.”
Who was he addressing?
In the next moment,
Whoosh.
Black shadows appeared from all directions.
Maeng Gasook’s group swallowed hard.
The black insignia on their chests was unmistakable.
It signified the infamous Assassins’ Guild.
“Gasp! It’s really the Assassins’ Guild! Damn…!”
While Maeng Gasook muttered in disbelief, Il-Sal approached Sabikang and bowed.
“You called for us?”
“We need to move these people.”
“Understood.”
The assassins swiftly picked up the team members and disappeared.
Sabikang’s gaze fell on Maeng Gasook’s group in the corner.
“What are you doing? Get moving.”
In an instant, Maeng Gasook’s group scrambled to their feet and began carrying the team members.
**
“The Seol siblings were defeated?”
This time, even Ryu Yeojoong looked genuinely surprised.
“Are you sure?”
Dokgo Jin, who had reported the news, shook his head in disbelief.
“Absolutely. The injured team members are currently being treated at his quarters.”
“He moved them all?”
“Well, Maeng Gasook claims to have seen the Assassins’ Guild and that they moved the team members, but… it’s nonsense.”
“Of course. The Assassins’ Guild wouldn’t bother with such trivial tasks. Sabikang must have used some trick to mimic a similar organization.”
“Haha. He’s truly fearless. What if he becomes a target of the real Assassins’ Guild…?”
“The quickest way to die in the martial world is to be fearless, isn’t it?”
An old saying in the martial world.
Regardless, Ryu Yeojoong couldn’t hide his astonishment.
Defeating Seol Sumin was one thing, but to overcome Seol Seorin as well?
Once she lost her senses, even the most skilled masters struggled to handle her.
And yet, he had subdued Seol Seorin?
But…
“Will the Seol siblings easily follow him now?”
“Absolutely not. They’re not the type to be swayed by common sense.”
Dokgo Jin smirked slyly.
Ryu Yeojoong nodded faintly.
Winning with martial arts and winning over hearts are two different matters.
Even if Sabikang had overpowered the Seol siblings with martial arts, would they truly follow him?
Ryu Yeojoong shook his head.
‘Winning their hearts will be a challenge, Instructor Sabikang.’
**
“Marry me.”
All eyes in the underground training room turned to one spot.
As soon as Seol Seorin regained consciousness, she looked at Sabikang and uttered those words.
Churyang spat out the water he was drinking, choking in surprise.
Her eyes sparkled with determination.
Sabikang frowned deeply.
“You must still be out of your mind.”
“Instructor! Marry me!”
Not only Churyang but all the other team members gaped at Seol Seorin in disbelief.
With a look of deep longing, she gazed at Sabigang, her expression sincere.
Seol Sumin gently placed a hand on Seol Serin’s shoulder.
“Serin, what’s gotten into you all of a sudden?”
“Brother, I can’t forget the look in his eyes. Just thinking about that intense gaze makes my heart…”
Race like mad.
“I’ve fallen for him. I want to marry Instructor Sabigang!”
This was getting more absurd by the minute.
Churyang could only watch this bizarre scene unfold with wide eyes.
Is she really saying she wants to marry the man who stabbed her?
Well, she didn’t seem quite right in the head when I first met her, but this is too much.
‘She’s impossible to figure out.’
Meanwhile, Seol Serin spoke again.
“Brother, you know, right? I always said if I found someone who could pull me out of my nightmares, I’d give them everything.”
Her expression grew even more earnest.
Seol Sumin looked at her for a long time, unable to speak.
Finally, he opened his mouth.
“I… give my blessing.”
Pfffft!
Churyang spat out his drink again.
He hadn’t expected the brother to respond like that!
Coughing, Churyang shouted, “Hey! What kind of irresponsible talk is that? When your sister’s being irrational, you should stop her!”
“Why should I stop her?”
“Because…”
“Is love a bad thing?”
“Well…”
“I won’t stop Serin’s love. I give my blessing to this marriage…”
Bang!
Out of nowhere, Sabigang’s fist struck the back of Seol Sumin’s head.
Seol Sumin collapsed, unconscious for a while.
Sabigang turned to Seol Serin with a dismissive tone.
“It’s not for someone like you to give or withhold permission.”
“Do you… not like me?” Seol Serin looked up at Sabigang with tear-filled eyes.
“No.”
Sabigang’s expression was firm.
Seol Serin looked as if her world had crumbled.
“Oh, you cruel man! Why won’t you accept my love?”
“I have someone else.”
“In that case…”
Seol Serin hung her head, her shoulders trembling as she sobbed.
This was a new kind of thrill.
He was the first person to pull her from her nightmares and the first to reject her confession.
Her heart raced wildly.
In the next moment,
Swish!
She pulled a dagger from her chest and threw it.
Clang!
Sabigang flicked his fingers, deflecting the flying dagger.
He furrowed his brow.
“What are you doing?”
“If I can’t have you, I’ll destroy you.”
Whoosh!
Seol Serin lunged at him.
In an instant, Sabigang unleashed a gust of wind.
Whoosh! Thud!
The wind struck Seol Serin in the chest, and she crumpled to the ground.
“You’re… strong,” she murmured faintly before losing consciousness.
Sabigang shrugged.
“Good attitude. That’s the spirit you need to challenge me.”
He turned and walked up the stairs.
Churyang and the other cadets could only watch this strange relationship unfold with bewildered expressions.