Episode 288: Return to the Demon Sect
The distance was close enough that a simple Wind Fist spell should have sufficed.
I had no intention of killing him, as there were too many questions I needed answered. That’s why I opted for a lower-tier spell.
But to think he would block it with a shield.
If he had tried to block it with martial arts alone, he wouldn’t have stood a chance.
Yet, since a shield is easier to deploy than martial arts, he managed to react quickly and block it.
Even though Wind Fist is a lower-tier spell, at this range, it would have been strong enough to shatter the bones of even a seasoned fighter.
But a shield… I didn’t see that coming.
This brings a new possibility to mind.
Could this masked man be connected to those who kidnapped Seolbaek?
“It seems my decision to interrogate rather than kill was the right one. But perhaps I should have used a spell with a bit more force?”
“Ma…gic?”
The masked man furrowed his brow, muttering to himself, while Sabikang shrugged.
“Ah, so you don’t even have a concept for that?”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
“Never mind. I have no reason to educate you. From now on, I’ll be the one asking questions.”
“Hmph! Arrogant fool! Whatever you are, let’s see if you can keep that mouth running when you’re a corpse!”
With a flash, the masked man vanished from sight, only to reappear right in front of Sabikang.
“Die!”
He swung his sword with lethal intent.
‘Oh, even Trice?’
Sabikang’s eyes gleamed with curiosity.
‘If he can use magic like this and doesn’t even know it’s magic… does he just think it’s some kind of demonic art?’
A thought flitted through Sabikang’s mind.
‘Wait, could these be remnants of the Demon Sect? If the Celestial Sect is just a front…’
The thoughts were quick, but they came in a flash.
Whoosh!
Swish!
Sabikang suddenly disappeared, and the masked man’s sword sliced through empty air.
“Tch!”
The masked man turned around in surprise, only to find Sabikang standing right in front of him.
“This is how you use magic.”
“What? What are you…!”
Sabikang thrust his hand toward the masked man’s face.
In the next moment,
Boom!
A fierce gust of wind erupted, sending the masked man flying backward.
His upper garment was shredded, revealing a muscular torso that seemed out of place for his age.
If he had been a moment slower in deploying his shield, his head would have been crushed.
Meanwhile, Maesulan watched the battle between Sabikang and the masked man, utterly entranced.
The first question that came to her mind was…
‘Why are you here?’
When she first saw Sabikang, she almost thought she was under an illusion spell. It was that surprising and welcome.
“Lord! Are you alright?”
The first to rush over was Danrijung.
He quickly took off his long coat and draped it over Maesulan.
Her clothes had been torn in the battle, exposing her skin.
Churyang also approached and greeted her.
“It’s been a while, Lord.”
“What’s going on? Why are you and the former lord here…?”
“Well… it’s a long story. But first, shouldn’t we find a safer place?”
“Ah, yes. Wait…!”
Maesulan suddenly remembered something and stopped in her tracks.
She turned to look at Sabikang and the masked man, who were still locked in combat.
It was clear that Sabikang was holding back, likely intending to capture the masked man alive.
‘This isn’t the time to be standing around!’
Maesulan recalled the terrifying creature she had seen in the underground.
If it was buried down there, all the better, but if it emerged, it would be a disaster.
“Lord?”
Danrijung called out urgently.
Maesulan looked at the others and spoke.
“Everyone, get to safety first. I need to talk to that man.”
“What? But right now, we should…”
“I’m fine, just go! And Danri, make sure to withdraw all the infiltrators from the Celestial Sect grounds!”
Churyang approached and asked.
“What’s going on, Lord? If we pull back the infiltrators now, we won’t be able to annihilate the Celestial Sect…”
“That’s not the issue right now.”
“What?”
“We don’t have time to explain. Just go!”
“Hmm, understood. But I can’t order a full retreat just yet. I’ll make sure we’re ready to pull back at a moment’s notice.”
Churyang leapt away.
Danrijung also took Maesulan’s orders and ran off somewhere.
Meanwhile, Maesulan bit her lip and watched Sabikang.
The fight between Sabikang and the masked man was reaching its climax.
The masked man’s face was filled with disbelief as time went on.
‘How is this bastard able to attack like this…!’
It was clear that Sabikang was far stronger than him.
Moreover, Sabikang was deliberately holding back to capture him alive.
Sabikang didn’t even try to hide this fact.
“Ugh! How do you know our sect’s Suramagong?”
“Suramagong…?”
“Hmph! Playing dumb, are we?”
With a flash, the masked man used Trice again, appearing behind Sabikang.
As he swung his sword diagonally,
Whoosh!
Sabikang seemed to step sideways, and suddenly, dozens of him surrounded the masked man.
“What!”
It was a mirror image spell.
The masked man scanned the Sabikangs and bit his lip.
His surprise was akin to ‘You can use this too?’
In the next moment, he tapped several pressure points on his body and shouted.
“Mirror Form!”
Astonishingly, his body split into dozens, each one appearing in front of a Sabikang.
“Oh? You can use mirror images too? The reasons to capture you just keep piling up.”
The dozens of Sabikangs spoke in unison, their voices echoing through the air.
“Shut up!”
The dozens of masked men shouted back, swinging their swords.
Slash! Slice! Slash!
The rapid attacks at such close range felled many of the Sabikangs.
But among them, one remained.
“Amazing. Truly amazing.”
“You… you bastard…!”
The real Sabikang had caught the masked man’s sword with his fingers.
Without hesitation, Sabikang swung his Berthas.
Swoosh! Slice!
The masked man’s head flew into the air.
But it was just another fake among the many masked men.
As the masked men flinched and prepared to charge at Sabikang,
Rumble…!
The ground shook violently once more, the epicenter much closer this time, causing both the masked men and Sabikang to pause and look toward the Celestial Hall.
‘What is that…?’
The masked man’s face turned pale, as if he knew the source of the sound, and he looked panicked.
Just then, Maesulan shouted.
“There’s a monster underground! Ah! The masked man is escaping!”
No sooner had she spoken than the dozens of masked men charged at Sabikang.
Sabikang swung his Berthas, cutting down the advancing masked men without mercy.
No longer holding back, Sabikang was like a demon.
Slice! Slash! Thud! Thud!
As the masked men fell like straw dummies, the real masked man, who had been fleeing, turned back with a pale face.
He alternated between using Trice and lightfoot techniques to escape as far as possible.
But just as he used Trice to move,
“You’re in quite a hurry.”
“Gah!”
Sabikang appeared like a ghost right in front of him, delivering a powerful kick.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
The masked man was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing back toward the Celestial Hall.
And then it happened.
Boom!
The Celestial Hall exploded, and a bizarre creature emerged.
It had a slimy, sticky body like a snail, with tentacles resembling squid arms, and a form reminiscent of a human brain.
“Ahhh!”
The masked man screamed as he flew toward the Celestial Hall.
But his scream was cut short.
Crunch!
The brain-like creature opened what seemed to be its mouth and swallowed the masked man whole.
The sound of bones crunching was audible even from outside.
Meanwhile, Maesulan, who had witnessed the scene from right in front of the Celestial Hall, felt her legs give way.
‘This can’t be happening…!’
The grotesque creature was much larger than when she had first seen it.
Its color had also turned a blood-red hue.
“What… what is this?”
As she muttered in disbelief, the creature turned its attention toward her.
Though she couldn’t tell if it had eyes, she felt it was staring right at her.
In the next instant,
Whoosh!
One of its writhing tentacles shot toward Maesulan with terrifying speed.
“Gasp!”
Maesulan couldn’t even think to deploy her martial arts, frozen in place.
In that split second,
Slash!
The tentacle was severed, and Berthas was driven into the ground.
Sabigang stepped in front of Maesullan, blocking her path.
“Sullan, get a grip.”
“Instructor Sa…! What on earth is that…?”
“It’s called ‘Baold.’”
“What did you say?”
“It’s a bit of a nuisance right now because it’s in a foul mood, but it’s not as tough to handle as it seems.”
“What are you talking about?”
“If I explain, it’ll take too long. For now, take the Celestial Extermination Squad and get out of here. When I give the signal, tell Danlijung to shoot an arrow at it.”
“But if you stay here alone…”
“I told you, it’s not that difficult. Once you know its weakness, it’s easy to deal with.”
Even as they spoke, Baold was retreating, wary of Sabigang’s sudden appearance. The severed tentacles flailed like snakes burned by fire, then slowly melted into a dark, viscous pool.
Maesullan steadied herself and stood up.
“Alright. Please be careful.”
“Don’t worry.”
With a nod, Maesullan swiftly moved away.
Sabigang spoke into the air, “Heukgui, get the infiltration team to retreat.”
“Understood.”
With that response, the presence vanished.
Left alone, Sabigang looked up at Baold and smirked.
“What’s the rush? Showing up so early just to meet your end.”
Did Baold sense the deadly aura emanating from Sabigang? It raised several tentacles, poised to strike at any moment.
Sabigang sneered.
“First, I’ll drag you around to clean up this place. Then I’ll make sure those who summoned you get what’s coming to them.”