Chapter 328: Return to the Demonic Sect
The only saving grace was that Sabi Kang was currently wearing the Infi Mask, so Jang An-mun didn’t immediately recognize him.
Jang An-mun hesitated for a moment, then realized who he was speaking to and addressed him.
“Ah, you’re just in time. Everything alright?”
In a place as secretive as the Myungri Pavilion, it was a perfunctory question, as if anything could ever happen there.
Sabi Kang merely nodded slightly, choosing not to respond verbally. In a situation where he couldn’t use a voice mimicry device, speaking could give away his identity.
Jang An-mun nodded slowly and walked past him. Sabi Kang, maintaining his composure, moved past him as well.
The moment they brushed past each other felt like an eternity.
As Jang An-mun fully entered the corridor of the Myungri Pavilion, his brow furrowed slightly.
‘Something’s off…’
Something was different. The feeling was different. Though it was dim, the face was undoubtedly that of Injo Heum. But what was this strange sense of unease?
The smell of… blood?
It took only a fraction of a second for these thoughts to form.
Just as Jang An-mun stopped and began to turn,
Swoosh!
His eyes widened in shock.
Sabi Kang, moving with ghostly precision, turned and struck Jang An-mun’s neck.
Thud!
“Gah!”
Thud, thud! Thud, thud!
Sabi Kang withdrew the dagger from Jang An-mun’s neck and swiftly stabbed his heart, solar plexus, and lower abdomen in succession.
It all happened in an instant.
“Ugh…!”
Jang An-mun, fatally wounded, coughed up blood and collapsed to his knees.
Sabi Kang quickly supported him, carefully laying him down to avoid making any noise.
The entire process was executed with remarkable stealth and speed.
It was an agility that belied someone supposedly poisoned.
Yet, Sabi Kang was suppressing a rising wave of nausea. He desperately wanted to vomit blood but held it back, knowing that once he started, he might not be able to stop.
Staggering, Sabi Kang turned and exited through the outer gate.
The guards stationed on either side of the gate remained as still as statues.
Once he was outside, the gate closed with a grinding sound.
Meanwhile, one of the guards on the right side of the main gate caught a whiff of something metallic as Sabi Kang passed by.
He turned his head slightly to look at Sabi Kang.
‘Blood…?’
There was a bloodstain on Sabi Kang’s sleeve, fresh by the looks of it.
Normally, he wouldn’t have said anything. But today, something compelled him to speak to the enigmatic figure.
“Are you alright?”
Sabi Kang raised a hand in response, but even that gesture seemed off.
As he took a step forward,
Swoosh!
Once again, Sabi Kang’s hand moved like the wind.
Thud! Thud!
A dagger embedded itself in the guard’s neck and chest.
“Gah!”
The guard on the left gasped and reached for his sword. Or at least, he tried to.
But Sabi Kang had already turned, drawing his sword, Berthas, and slashed at the guard’s neck.
Slash!
Thud, roll…
It was a lightning-fast draw.
As Berthas was unsheathed, the left guard’s head rolled across the ground.
“Damn it…!”
Sabi Kang glanced around with bleary eyes.
So much for a quiet exit.
His vision blurred as he stumbled forward.
By the time he reached the center of the Myungri Pavilion courtyard,
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!
Elite guards descended like a downpour, surrounding him.
Clang!
They drew their swords in unison, pointing them at Sabi Kang.
“This is getting tiresome.”
Sabi Kang spat on the ground and gripped Berthas tightly.
In the next moment,
He hurled Berthas with all his might.
Whoosh!
The guards flinched, following the sword’s trajectory.
It was aimed at the roof of the Myungri Pavilion.
There, a guard was about to launch a signal flare into the sky.
Thud!
“Gah!”
The guard collapsed, unable to send the flare, and tumbled off the roof.
Thud!
“Damn it…!”
The leader of the guards scowled at Sabi Kang.
As he exuded a murderous aura,
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh…!
Shadows emerged silently behind the guards, as if rising from the ground.
They appeared like grim reapers, their black uniforms emblazoned with the word “Kill” in dark script.
The leader froze, recognizing the threat behind his subordinate.
‘The Assassins…! Why are they here…?’
That was his last thought.
Slash, slash, slash!
The assassins, appearing like phantoms, swung their blades, decapitating the surrounding guards.
In an instant, dozens of heads fell around Sabi Kang.
Finally, Sabi Kang let out a faint chuckle and collapsed.
“What a spectacle…”
“Damn it…! What the hell is going on here?”
The leader of the assassins, Ak Cheon-gwe, rushed over to support Sabi Kang.
“Bad luck.”
“Get a grip! Damn it, this is serious!”
Ak Cheon-gwe’s expression twisted with concern.
Sabi Kang’s poisoning was more severe than anticipated.
“Cough! Gah!”
Sabi Kang coughed violently, spitting out another mouthful of blood.
“Damn it! What kind of poison did you get hit with?”
Sabi Kang managed a weak smile.
“Sorry. Looks like I’m done for.”
“Like hell you are! Who said you could die on me?”
“Anyone would think you actually care.”
“Crazy…! You can joke at a time like this?”
“If I start crying now, I’d lose face.”
“This is unbelievable. Does anyone have a Universal Antidote Pill?”
At Ak Cheon-gwe’s sharp command, one of the assassins hurriedly produced a pill from his pocket.
“Take this for now. It might not do much, but it’ll buy us some time.”
“How touching.”
“Stop talking like it’s someone else’s problem!”
Ak Cheon-gwe snapped irritably.
Sabi Kang chuckled and swallowed the antidote.
The Universal Antidote Pill was a remedy for various poisons, but it was only a temporary measure.
Meanwhile, Ak Cheon-gwe was anxious.
‘Damn it! If you die, I die too!’
Sabi Kang had placed a curse on him and the other assassins, one they’d never encountered before.
If Sabi Kang died, Ak Cheon-gwe and the others would also perish, their bodies exploding.
Sabi Kang, regaining some composure, spoke.
“Take me… to the Tang Clan’s main branch.”
“Fine, but don’t you dare die on me.”
“Old man… watch your mouth. Keep this up, and I’ll really die on you.”
“Whatever. We’re all in this together, aren’t we?”
“And this. Deliver it to the Tang Clan leader immediately.”
Sabi Kang handed over a small wooden box from his pocket.
It contained the most suspicious item he’d found in the Myungri Pavilion’s storeroom.
“Enough talking. The poison’s spreading.”
Ak Cheon-gwe finished speaking sharply and called for the three fastest assassins.
“You, use the fastest carrier hawk to send this to Tang Yi-hyeop of the Shadow Division. You two, come with me to move the instructor to the Tang Clan’s main branch!”
“Understood!”
Ak Cheon-gwe turned to Sabi Kang.
“Three days. Just hold on for three days. We’ll get you to the main branch somehow.”
But Sabi Kang was already unconscious, offering no response.
Ak Cheon-gwe retrieved Berthas with a deft hand, wrapping it in cloth.
He knew it was a sword not to be handled lightly.
He instructed the fastest subordinate to carry Sabi Kang.
Then, with two others, he leaped into action, issuing orders to the remaining assassins.
“Clean up this mess! Il-sal, you’re in charge! Disguise yourselves as the guards and take their posts!”
“Understood!”
The remaining assassins swiftly began disposing of the bodies and crafting Infi Masks.
Fortunately, most of the guards had left for Tangyang, leaving the Heavenly Palace nearly empty.
**
Three days after Hyeol Sa-ryeon arrived in Tangyang.
“Finally, all the martial artists from the Justice Alliance have arrived at the Tangyang branch.”
Ryu Yeo-jung reported with a gleam in his eyes.
Alliance Leader Heo Mu-geuk nodded.
The time had come.
“What about the Demonic Sect’s response?”
“No issues. We’re ready to proceed. However…”
“However?”
“I’m concerned that Instructor Sabi Kang hasn’t shown up yet.”
“Hmm. No word from the Heavenly Palace either?”
He was referring to the Heavenly Palace.
Ryu Yeo-jung nodded.
“That’s correct. Everything is proceeding smoothly so far.”
“Then, let’s proceed.”
The decision had already been made.
Sabi Kang was always unpredictable, wasn’t he?
There was a lingering sense of unease, but what difference would it make now if Sabigang suddenly appeared?
Both Heo Muguk and Ryu Yeojoong shared the same thought.
“Understood. Then, we’ll summon the Black Hound and begin at the first hour of the Ox, just past midnight.”
“Very well. It would be wise to coordinate with the leader of the Cheongpung faction of the Justice Alliance to gather our forces at the foot of Mount Jaeryeong around that time.”
“Indeed. I’ll also send word to the Demon Sect.”
“Do so.”
Ryu Yeojoong bowed and withdrew.
Left alone, a cold glint flickered in Heo Muguk’s eyes.
“The end is in sight. Yes, this is it. No regrets.”
**
“What on earth is going on here?”
Dang Ihyeop shouted, his anger uncharacteristically intense.
Ak Cheongoe glared back, his eyes blazing.
“Why are you yelling at me? All I did was rush here like a madman trying to save him! If he dies, I’m in trouble too!”
Dang Ihyeop stopped pressing and turned his attention to Sabigang’s condition, his expression hardening.
Sabigang’s body was a wreck.
His face was a chaotic mix of red, blue, white, and yellow.
It was hard to believe a person’s complexion could be so erratic.
Blisters had formed on his hands, arms, and legs.
“My lord! Please, wake up! My lord!”
He tried to rouse him by channeling his energy, but Sabigang didn’t budge.
“This is serious…!”
He quickly turned to his subordinates and shouted.
“Fetch the Universal Antidote immediately!”
No sooner had he spoken than the shadowy operatives sprang into action.
Dang Ihyeop bit his lip.
Ak Cheongoe, watching him closely, asked cautiously.
“Is there any hope? Can he be treated…?”
“It’s difficult.”
“What? Aren’t you from the Dang family, renowned for your expertise in poisons?”
“It’s not that simple. The timing is too late… In any case, I can’t guarantee treatment right now.”
“Damn it! What are you saying? You have to save him somehow!”
Ak Cheongoe was frantic.
After all, if Sabigang died, his own life was at stake.
Meanwhile, Dang Ihyeop looked at Sabigang with a grim expression and murmured.
“Even if by some miracle he recovers, it will take at least two weeks for him to regain consciousness.”
“Oh, my God…”
Ak Cheongoe’s mouth hung open.
By then, the conflict between the allied forces and the Demon Sect would have reached its conclusion.
For the first time since becoming the leader of the Salmak, he wondered if he had backed the wrong side.
“Not that I had much choice in the matter to begin with…”