Episode 366: Return to the Demonic Sect
Thud!
“Aaaargh!”
A martial artist was sent flying by Gok Bo-ok’s punch, screaming in pain.
Crash!
The unfortunate fighter smashed into a wall and collapsed, unconscious.
“Huff, huff, huff!”
Gok Bo-ok bent over, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.
“Ugh, these damn bastards!”
He spat on the ground in frustration and straightened up, only to see another martial artist rounding the corner. The newcomer shouted upon spotting him.
“There he is!”
“Over there! Let’s get him!”
The shouts of more martial artists echoed as they charged forward.
“Damn it!”
Gok Bo-ok cursed under his breath and took off running again, the sounds of pursuit hot on his heels.
He darted through the alleyways, but soon found himself at a dead end. A tall stone wall loomed before him, and he quickly turned around.
The martial artists chasing him had already blocked his escape, closing in with menacing intent.
“Why don’t you just give up?”
“You’re like a rat trapped in a cage.”
The martial artists from the Sinwol Sect sneered, inching closer with gritted teeth.
Gok Bo-ok backed up until his back hit the wall, letting out a resigned sigh.
“I knew hanging out with that pig would get me into trouble.”
He shifted his stance, extending his left foot forward and gathering his energy. The air around him seemed to sharpen and thicken, causing the approaching martial artists to hesitate.
Just then, Nam Wi-seong and Nam Hwa-yeon arrived on the scene.
Nam Wi-seong clicked his tongue in disapproval.
“Why escalate things like this? All for a bunch of lowlifes. We just wanted an apology from that guy.”
“Even if your mouth is crooked, speak the truth. You’re the ones who blew this out of proportion. Sure, he’s a lowlife, but he’s the one who should apologize.”
“Tsk… I can’t understand why someone like you, a righteous person, would associate with those scoundrels. Have you forgotten how they betrayed and backstabbed our main sect?”
“We’ve already dealt with that. That’s why the Blood Alliance is now under our main sect’s control, isn’t it?”
Nam Wi-seong’s eyes reddened with anger, his voice dripping with venom.
“Would you say the same if one of your family members had been killed by them?”
Gok Bo-ok frowned slightly at the unexpected reaction.
‘So they had a grudge from the start?’
It seemed too persistent to be mere hatred. Perhaps confronting Baek Gong-bo was part of a plan all along, a scheme to create a big incident and undermine the Demonic Sect’s activities.
As he pondered this, a twinge of regret crept in. But then again…
‘That boar of a man would never have apologized first…’
It was bound to happen anyway.
Gok Bo-ok looked Nam Wi-seong in the eye and spoke.
“Can’t you separate personal feelings from duty? Is that why you picked a fight with him first?”
Nam Hwa-yeon burst out indignantly.
“Fight? What are you talking about? He touched my chest and tried to push me over…!”
“See, this is why lying is a bad idea. It just keeps snowballing. First, it was pushing, then it was touching your chest, and now it’s both? Even as a joke, that’s too much, don’t you think?”
“Brother! He’s definitely in cahoots with that guy! How could he…!”
“Calm down, Yeon. I’ll handle this.”
Nam Wi-seong glared at Gok Bo-ok with a steely gaze.
“I didn’t want to push this far, but you’ve left us no choice. You’ve caused too much damage to our sect. If we let this slide, we’ll be a laughingstock.”
“Playing the victim to the end, I see.”
“If you come quietly now, we won’t hurt you any further.”
Gok Bo-ok chuckled, rolling up his already tattered sleeves, and assumed a fighting stance.
“Let me make a counteroffer. If you don’t want to get hurt, back off.”
“It seems words won’t work.”
Nam Wi-seong sighed and signaled with his hand.
Ten martial artists stepped forward, ready to attack.
In an instant,
“Haah!”
One of them shouted, and all ten charged at Gok Bo-ok simultaneously.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
In a flash, Gok Bo-ok extended his arms and shouted.
“Shield!”
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The incoming weapons bounced off an invisible barrier, and Gok Bo-ok moved swiftly, striking his opponents.
Thud! Thud!
Whoosh, thud!
His movements were astonishingly fast, and his power was beyond imagination.
Thanks to the iron gauntlets gifted by Sabi-gang long ago, he was holding his own.
Crash!
Bang! Bang!
The martial artists were flung into walls, collapsing one by one.
‘He still has that much strength left…!’
Even Nam Wi-seong and the others were taken aback by Gok Bo-ok’s prowess.
Nam Wi-seong shouted irritably.
“Attack all at once!”
Gwak Myeong-shin, the leader of the Red Tiger Squad, stepped forward with thirty members, their intent now murderous.
Gok Bo-ok muttered to himself.
‘Damn… I can’t handle this…’
Just then,
“Is ganging up on one person the righteous way?”
A clear voice rang out from the rooftop of a building to the right.
Everyone turned to look.
Standing there, arms crossed, was Bang Gak of the Newborn Division.
Meng Ga-suk approached with his hands behind his back and spoke.
“Seems like it’s the trend these days. Surrounding one person with dozens and exuding murderous intent.”
“Then I guess we’ll never be considered righteous.”
“Well, at least there are many of them now, so we won’t be criticized.”
No sooner had he finished speaking,
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.
Shadows appeared densely on the rooftop.
They were members of the Newborn Division.
As they unleashed their killing intent, the atmosphere in the alley became suffocatingly tense.
“You bastards!”
Gwak Myeong-shin gritted his teeth and shouted,
“Stop. If you take one step closer to that pig, I won’t let it slide.”
Meng Ga-suk glared coldly at him.
Gok Bo-ok, who had been cornered, chuckled.
“Damn… trying to act cool.”
Just then, a commotion erupted behind the crowd, and someone shouted.
“Look! It’s the Cheonung Squad from the Sinwol Sect!”
“Oh no. With the Cheonung Squad here, this is getting serious.”
The crowd buzzed with excitement.
Gok Bo-ok and the Newborn Division members frowned and looked toward the back of the crowd.
A group of martial artists in black uniforms was approaching.
Nam Wi-seong smirked.
“It seems you’re relying on numbers, but if it’s a numbers game, we have the advantage.”
Leading fifty martial artists, Song Ha-seong, the leader of the Cheonung Squad, approached Nam Wi-seong and bowed respectfully.
“Are you alright, sir?”
“Well, for now. But it’s not pleasant to see these lowlifes causing trouble in our clean and pleasant city.”
With that, Song Ha-seong and the Cheonung Squad unleashed their killing intent, glaring at the Newborn Division.
The Newborn Division members couldn’t help but feel a bit tense.
At that moment,
“Is Nam Gong-ja bad with numbers? From what I see, we’re not outnumbered.”
A clear voice came from the rooftop on the left, and another figure appeared.
Everyone turned to look.
Standing there, bow in hand, was Dan Ri-jeong.
Soon, the members of the Cheonmyeol Squad appeared behind him.
“You scoundrels! Are you trying to start a war?”
“Well, that’s not a bad idea. It’s become our daily routine.”
Nam Wi-seong clenched his fists in frustration.
He had intended to teach a lesson to a few lowlifes and undermine the Demonic Sect’s position, but things had escalated beyond his expectations.
Just then,
“Move aside. What’s going on here?”
A dignified voice came from behind the crowd.
As people murmured and stepped aside, an elderly martial artist in a long robe strode forward.
The crowd buzzed with recognition.
“It’s the Sinwol Sect Leader!”
“Wow. This has really blown up. We’ve got a real spectacle now.”
The man walking through the crowd was none other than Nam Un-pyeong, the leader of the Sinwol Sect.
Beside him was an even older man, a guest from the main sect, Elder Sim Ji-hwang.
Sim Ji-hwang was particularly close to Uk Cheong-pung and had come to subtly monitor the Demonic Sect, only to find himself in the midst of this unfolding drama.
As the master of the Moonlit Gate appeared, Dan Lijeong decided it was time to defuse the situation. He leapt down into the alley and offered a respectful bow.
“I am Dan Lijeong, the leader of the Celestial Destruction Division of the Myeolma Sect. It seems there has been a misunderstanding. If any offense was taken, I ask for your forgiveness.”
However, Nam Unpyeong’s expression remained stern.
“A misunderstanding, you say? And yet things have escalated to this point?”
At this, Gok Bo-ok couldn’t hold back and shouted, “It was your side that blew things out of proportion first!”
Nam Unpyeong’s gaze shifted to Nam Wi-seong and Nam Hwa-yeon, silently demanding an explanation.
Nam Hwa-yeon immediately burst into tears, her voice trembling. “Father, it’s so unfair. I was just walking along when… that man groped me and pushed me down, trying to assault me… sob!”
Tears streamed down her face, and the onlookers began to side with her. After all, wasn’t Baek Gong-bo, the man she pointed to, known to be a rogue martial artist?
Nam Unpyeong’s eyes, filled with a dangerous glint, turned to Baek Gong-bo, who stood on the roof.
“Care to explain yourself?”
Baek Gong-bo jumped down into the alley, scoffing. “You expect me to explain based on your daughter’s lies? I was merely walking when she ran into me.”
“Do you have any witnesses?” Nam Unpyeong asked.
Gok Bo-ok stepped forward confidently. “I am a witness.”
But Nam Unpyeong’s face twisted into a cold sneer. “A witness from your own group? Hardly credible.”
“Our own group?” At this point, Maeng Ga-sook leapt down and interjected, “If you knew how much these people are at each other’s throats, you wouldn’t be talking about ‘groups’ or ‘sides.’”
“That’s none of my concern,” Nam Unpyeong retorted.
Dan Lijeong cautiously spoke up again. “Isn’t it the responsibility of the accuser to provide evidence? Neither side seems to have any proof or witnesses.”
Some of the crowd nodded in agreement at his logical rebuttal.
Just then, a clear voice rang out from the rooftop behind them. “Since neither side can be trusted, perhaps it’s best to end this here.”
The voice belonged to Maeseollan, her tone sharp and decisive.