Episode 352: Return of the Demon Instructor
Boom!
A thunderous explosion echoed as Sabigang and the Yellow-Faced Woman were thrown apart.
Sabigang crashed through a tree trunk, spat on the ground, and emerged from the forest. Somehow, the battle had pushed them from the plains to the edge of the woods.
The Yellow-Faced Woman was no easy opponent. Sabigang had sensed it the moment she appeared.
“She’s not someone to be taken lightly.”
He was confident he wouldn’t lose. Even though he had used half of his mana to summon Natas, he still had enough strength to fight. Besides, wasn’t he now immune to all poisons?
And yet…
He couldn’t shake the feeling that he might not win. It was a contradictory thought, but it was there nonetheless.
From the first moment he saw her, he wondered, “How do I defeat that?”
Finding a weakness was nearly impossible. Since his return, he hadn’t faced many life-threatening situations. Sure, infiltrating the Myungri Pavilion had been dangerous, but that was just bad luck. He’d never thought he might die in a fight.
But today, for the first time, he felt he might not be able to win.
Wiping the blood from his mouth with his sleeve, Sabigang watched as the Yellow-Faced Woman landed a few yards away. Unlike him, covered in wounds, she looked as pristine as ever.
Sabigang chuckled, meeting her dark eyes. “You’ve really come back as a monster.”
“It was your arrogant mistake to send me away.”
Surprisingly, the Yellow-Faced Woman retained her sanity and memories. As if reading his thoughts, she spoke.
“I was surprised too. To keep my memories and sanity in this form… Though my appearance isn’t exactly normal, I quite like it.”
She grinned, a ghostly, unsettling smile.
Sabigang shrugged. “Well, if a mother becomes this strong, her son in the afterlife would be proud.”
“Silence!”
For the first time, the Yellow-Faced Woman’s anger flared as she charged, swords swinging wildly.
Clang! Clang!
Sabigang quickly raised his sword, Berthas, to block the onslaught of blades. After dozens of exchanges, he found an opening and slashed diagonally.
Slash!
“Aaah!”
The Yellow-Faced Woman screamed, retreating as her left arm was severed, causing her to stumble.
Sabigang seized the moment, rushing forward. “Die!”
With a fierce shout, he swung Berthas, the blade slicing through her neck.
Thud, roll…
Her headless body collapsed, the yellow-painted head rolling to his feet.
“Phew…”
Sabigang steadied himself, taking a deep breath. “The provocation worked to some extent.”
He muttered to himself, resuming a defensive stance. Anyone watching might have been puzzled. The Yellow-Faced Woman seemed incapable of fighting—she’d lost an arm and her head, after all.
So who was Sabigang preparing to fight?
Then, something astonishing happened.
Sizzle!
The Yellow-Faced Woman’s head began to decay in the wind, turning to ash. Her body twitched, and her neck and left arm started to regenerate.
Finally,
Squelch! Squelch!
With a sickening sound, her head reformed, and her left arm grew back, as if nothing had happened.
It was a horrifying sight.
The Yellow-Faced Woman dusted herself off, grinning. “That’s six times now. Or is it the second time I’ve lost my head?”
Sabigang didn’t smile. This was why he thought he couldn’t win. Initially, he hadn’t known this, but fighting her made it clear—she couldn’t be killed easily.
No matter where he struck, she regenerated. The fifth time he killed her, he used Berthas and a sonic buster spell to tear her apart. Yet she revived as if it were a lie. Burning her, submerging her in lava—her melted body reformed. Even freezing her with ice magic didn’t work; she thawed and returned to normal.
It was maddening. Truly indestructible.
As the fight dragged on, Sabigang felt his energy and mana depleting.
“Despair, just as that child did. Despair and die.”
“How amusing.”
The Yellow-Faced Woman’s brow furrowed at his words. “What’s so amusing?”
“The one who seems most desperate here is you, old woman.”
“How dare you pretend to read me?”
“No, you’ve forgotten. You’re no longer human. Just a monster that once was. I can’t read people. Human minds are too complex. How could they be like a mere monster?”
“Hmph, if you’re trying to provoke me, it’s useless!”
She shouted, swinging her sword.
Clang!
Metal clashed, sparks flying. Sabigang leaped back, shouting, “We’ll see if it’s useless. If I can’t break your body, what about your mind?”
With that, he sheathed Berthas and vanished with a ‘pop,’ using blink magic to dash to the center of the Seohwa Plains.
The Yellow-Faced Woman pursued him closely.
Reaching the plains, Sabigang used fly magic to soar, scanning the area until he spotted a staggering undead. He dove toward it.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
The Yellow-Faced Woman’s sharp voice rang out as she chased him.
Sabigang grabbed the undead’s head. It was a martial artist from the Justice Alliance, burned by fireballs from the demon cultists and raised by Natas.
The undead, unable to resist Sabigang, moved like a creaky puppet.
“Stop right there!”
The Yellow-Faced Woman arrived, slashing diagonally with her sword.
In a split second, Sabigang spun, holding the undead’s head.
Swoosh!
The sword halted mid-air, as if by magic. The Yellow-Faced Woman’s eyes widened, her dark pupils deepening.
“You… you…!”
Her body trembled, the sight of the undead reminding her of the Red-Faced Man.
A face disfigured by burns.
“You… you…!”
She recoiled, startled. Though she retained her sanity through the transformation, it wasn’t the same as before. Her body, constantly regenerating, couldn’t maintain a stable mind.
Sabigang exploited this, knowing she became agitated at the mention of the Red-Faced Man.
It worked, fortunately.
Now came the real challenge.
The Yellow-Faced Woman’s eyes, black as night, widened as she trembled.
“Let go of that child.”
“No.”
“Release him at once…”
“I said no.”
With that, Sabigang unsheathed Berthas and mercilessly slashed the undead’s neck.
Slash!
The headless body crumpled to the ground. Sabigang tossed the head aside, laughing wickedly.
“How does it feel to watch your child die twice?”
If anyone had been there, they would have shuddered at Sabigang. He looked every bit the demon.
The Yellow-Faced Woman trembled violently, then screamed.
“Aaaah!”
She clutched her head, wailing. “My child! My child! Sob! My child!”
Suddenly, she raised her eyebrows, shouting.
“What a foolish woman! How is that your child? Your child died long ago!”
She clutched her head again, screaming. It was a moment of split personality.
“No! This child was my only comfort! Why wouldn’t I be attached?”
“Foolish woman! That child deserved to die! He’s your enemy’s offspring!”
“But the parents did me no wrong!”
“Their ancestors did.”
“But this child is innocent!”
Her internal struggle spilled out, her voice echoing. She alternated between wailing and laughing maniacally, then raging as if to destroy everything.
Then, suddenly,
“I can’t stay with this foolish woman any longer!”
“I can’t stay with you either!”
“I can’t be with any of you!”
“Neither can I!”
Suddenly, another head popped out from beside the Yellow-Faced Man’s head, as if it had been hiding there all along.
Then, like dough being pulled apart, his body split into two, then three, and finally four separate figures.
Sabikang, caught off guard by this unexpected reaction, took a step back, his expression a mix of surprise and confusion.
The Yellow-Faced Man continued to divide until there were twelve of him standing there.
“You fools! All this chaos over one kid?” the Angry Yellow-Faced Man shouted, his face flushed with rage.
The Sad Yellow-Faced Man, tears streaming down his face, cried out, “How can you be so heartless? That child relied on me alone!”
“Maybe when he was young,” the Cold Yellow-Faced Man interjected, “but he grew up knowing he had nowhere to turn. That’s why he acted so distant.”
“Ha! Why bother thinking so deeply about a life that passes like a dream?” the Pleasure-Seeking Yellow-Faced Man laughed, only to be met with another outburst from the Angry one.
“Shut up! You’re going to ruin everything!”
The Yellow-Faced Men began pointing fingers at each other, and soon they were tangled in a chaotic brawl.
Sabikang considered attacking amidst the confusion but decided to wait and see how things unfolded.
The Angry Yellow-Faced Man was the first to pounce, grabbing the Sad one by the face and seemingly draining his energy through his fingers.
The Cold one followed suit, eliminating the Pleasure-Seeking one in the same manner.
This bizarre spectacle continued for some time.
Unable to watch any longer, Sabikang attacked one of the Yellow-Faced Men, but no matter how many times he severed a limb, it regenerated instantly.
Realizing the futility, Sabikang stepped back, deciding it was wiser to conserve his energy and think of a strategy while the Yellow-Faced Men were preoccupied.
He pulled a mana potion from his pouch and drank it, pausing to observe the scene.
Only the Angry and Affectionate Yellow-Faced Men remained.
Sabikang’s eyes gleamed with a sudden realization.
“Could it be…?”
The two remaining figures were locked in a fierce battle, seemingly oblivious to Sabikang’s presence.
Finally, the Angry one drove his fingers deep into the Affectionate one’s face.
Drained of energy, the Affectionate Yellow-Faced Man collapsed, his body withering away, while the Angry one grew larger and more formidable.
She was now more stable and powerful than before, yet further removed from any semblance of humanity.
Cracking her neck, she turned to Sabikang and spoke.
“Now that that’s settled, shall we continue our conversation?”
Her voice had transformed, resonating with an eerie quality that was neither male nor female.