Episode 303: Return of the Demon Instructor
At last, the incantation was complete.
The once violently struggling Ong Gi-seung now stood eerily still, as if he had drawn his last breath.
He remained motionless, chains that had bound his limbs slipping away with a metallic clatter, returning to the eight black-clad warriors.
“Is it finally over?” Gu Gang-ryong murmured, eyeing the statue-like figure of Ong Gi-seung.
The masked man nodded. “Yes. He is now trapped in an eternal nightmare, floundering…”
Suddenly, a deafening roar shook the heavens and the earth, causing even the masked man and Gu Gang-ryong to nearly lose their footing. Some of the black-clad figures who had been casting spells in the courtyard stumbled and fell.
It wasn’t just the tremor of the ground. It was the resonance of an immense, turbulent energy.
A scorching heat surged upwards, reaching the upper fortress.
‘What on earth is happening?’
The heat was so intense that the mask worn by the masked man began to melt. Annoyed, he tore it off, revealing a face painted entirely black, with cold, piercing eyes.
“That suits you much better,” Gu Gang-ryong remarked with a mocking smile.
The masked man snorted. “If you’ve deceived us…”
“How could I? Your men filled the lower and middle fortresses, didn’t they? Maybe there’s been some infighting?”
Gu Gang-ryong’s nonchalant tone made the masked man grit his teeth. He turned to the eight warriors holding the chains. “Secure the Seoncheon Demon Vessel and find out what’s happening below!”
“Yes, sir!”
The eight warriors quickly bound Ong Gi-seung with chains, though there was no fear of him escaping, as he was sealed within the illusionary prison. Meanwhile, the sixteen spellcasters rushed towards the entrance of the upper fortress.
As they reached the gate, thick black smoke billowed out. The lava that had erupted from the middle fortress had already hardened into a steep basalt slope.
They plunged into the smoke, racing down the stairs. But moments later—
Boom! Crash!
Screams echoed as several black-clad figures were flung back, tumbling across the courtyard.
The masked man glared at the open gate, from which only smoke poured out.
Sensing something amiss, he glanced sideways.
‘Is he… smiling?’
Indeed, Gu Gang-ryong wore a faint, enigmatic smile.
The masked man, realizing his suspicions were correct, shouted, “Have you betrayed us?”
“What are you talking about? Betrayal is something the weak do against the strong.”
“What…?”
“In other words, why would someone as strong as me betray weaklings like you? I simply used you and discarded you.”
“What!”
“Did you really think I’d hand him over to you for nothing?”
“What are you planning?”
“He was a nuisance. I couldn’t handle him recklessly. Then I found you and decided to use you.”
“Use us…?”
“I told you, I used you and discarded you.”
“How dare you!”
“As you know, he was born with the Seoncheon Demon Energy. I figured only you could seal his potential before it went wild.”
“You scoundrel! Do you think we’ll dance to your tune?”
The masked man leaped forward, enraged.
Gu Gang-ryong smirked, drawing his sword in a flash.
“Pathetic! You bark after being played!”
He swung his sword, and the masked man thrust his palms forward.
“Barrier!”
A translucent shield appeared, shattering as Gu Gang-ryong’s blade grazed the masked man’s shoulder.
”…!”
Gu Gang-ryong’s brow furrowed.
‘What is this? It’s not like any protective energy I’ve seen…!’
While he hesitated, the masked man retreated, extending a hand.
“Ice Sphere!”
A blue ice ball formed and shot towards Gu Gang-ryong.
“What kind of trickery is this!”
Gu Gang-ryong shouted, smashing the ice ball, which shattered into fragments. But a chilling sensation crept up his sword, numbing his wrist.
In that instant—
“How dare you betray our order!”
The masked man charged, aiming his sword at Gu Gang-ryong’s abdomen.
“Ugh!”
Gu Gang-ryong twisted his body, narrowly avoiding a deep cut as the blade grazed his side.
Blood spattered, but the wound wasn’t severe.
As the chill dissipated, Gu Gang-ryong regained his agility, spinning to slash diagonally.
Clang!
Their swords clashed, and both men leapt back, glaring at each other as they caught their breath.
Meanwhile—
Footsteps echoed as a shadow approached the entrance of the upper fortress.
The masked man frowned, turning to look, while Gu Gang-ryong glanced at the gate with a faint smile.
“Why are you so late? I’ve been waiting.”
“Oh, you were waiting for me?”
“Of course. I was worried you wouldn’t make it in time… huh?”
Gu Gang-ryong’s expression shifted as he realized something was off. He stared intently at the figure emerging from the smoke.
Finally, Sa Bi-gang stepped through, a smirk on his face.
“Waiting for me? That’s unexpected. But why wait here instead of attending class? What’s your game?”
“Who… who are you?”
Gu Gang-ryong’s face twisted in confusion.
The masked man also looked puzzled.
‘What’s going on here?’
Hadn’t Gu Gang-ryong been waiting for someone? Yet he seemed surprised by this arrival.
Did this mean things weren’t going according to his plan?
Should he be pleased or not?
Meanwhile, Sa Bi-gang frowned, asking, “Who am I? You said you were waiting, yet you don’t know me?”
“I wasn’t waiting for the likes of you! Who are you?”
“Hmm. So you were expecting someone else?”
“Enough! Why are you here? What is…!”
In a blink—
“What…?”
Gu Gang-ryong, and even the masked man standing at a distance, widened their eyes in shock.
Wasn’t he just in the middle of the courtyard?
Yet in the blink of an eye, Sa Bi-gang stood right before Gu Gang-ryong.
Gu Gang-ryong stood frozen, eyes wide, as Sa Bi-gang coldly muttered, “Seems like I need to teach you some manners.”
With that, he threw a punch.
Boom!
“Ugh!”
Gu Gang-ryong flew like a cannonball, crashing through the pavilion in the rear garden.
Sa Bi-gang dusted off his hands, speaking in a bored tone, “Not even recognizing your instructor. But…”
His gaze shifted to the masked man.
“And who might you be?”
”…!”
The masked man felt as if he had turned to ice.
‘What kind of eyes…!’
Sa Bi-gang’s eyes were filled with a deadly aura, reminiscent of his days in the demon realm.
His gaze was too cold, too inhuman.
Step by step, Sa Bi-gang approached the masked man.
‘Damn…! I can’t move!’
Like a prey frozen before a predator, the masked man was paralyzed with fear.
In the face of extreme terror, a prey animal might lose control and wet itself. That was exactly how the masked man felt at this moment.
With each step Sabikang took, the masked man felt as if his very soul was being shaken to its core by an overwhelming fear.
“This… this is…!”
The difference in power was staggering, almost insurmountable.
When was the last time he felt such fear? Ah, yes, it was when he first encountered the demon spirit.
Finally, Sabikang’s hand landed on the masked man’s shoulder.
The masked man flinched and looked up at Sabikang, cold sweat pouring down his body like rain.
It was just a hand on his shoulder, yet it felt as if a massive beast was licking his bare skin with a rough tongue.
Sabikang had reached the level where he could manifest his will into tangible force.
At that moment, a shout rang out.
“You scoundrel! Stand down!”
“Die!”
The black-clad men who had been guarding Ongiseung suddenly launched themselves at Sabikang.
In a split second, the masked man snapped back to his senses and shouted.
“No! Fall back…!”
“Too late. Sonic Vibration.”
Sabikang’s voice was icy as he spread his hands.
In the next instant,
A chilling sound filled the air as sixteen black-clad men were torn apart mid-air, their bodies shredded before they could even scream.
The gruesome sight of blood and flesh scattering passed slowly before the masked man’s eyes.
Sabikang murmured in a detached voice, “It’s a spell that shreds the body with the speed of sound.”
“Hic.”
The masked man hiccupped, all pretense of dignity gone.
“This man… he’s a monster!”
His mind felt as if it had turned to stone from the sheer terror.
Sabikang slowly raised his hand and grasped the masked man’s head.
Even then, the masked man could do nothing but tremble, hoping only for mercy, for his life to be spared.
But then,
“You bastard! I’ll kill you if you mess with me!”
A voice roared as someone leaped into the fray.
It was Gugangryong, who had been knocked down earlier, now soaring through the air once more.