Episode 384: Return to the Demon Temple
Sabikang spun like a top, slicing horizontally at Veritas.
Clang!
Once again, the clash of the blood spear and Veritas sent a resonant tremor through the air.
The woman was indeed formidable, strong enough to fend off ten top-tier masters at once.
Of course, the environment of the stone chamber, where the boss monster resided, played a significant role in her advantage.
Everything was set up to favor her.
On the other hand, Sabikang felt his mana depleting rapidly as time passed.
The only silver lining was that there were no major restrictions on using his inner energy.
Perhaps because the dungeon was summoned from the demon realm, it seemed to react primarily to mana.
‘Even so… not being able to figure out who this woman is, that’s definitely a problem.’
Throughout the fight, he racked his brain, but he had never seen or heard of such an opponent.
‘A woman whose clothes turn into wings, obsessed with a child…’
Moreover, this wasn’t just a boss monster with a bit of intelligence.
She seemed almost human in her intellect.
The more he thought about it, the more puzzling it became.
A monster neither seen nor heard of in the demon realm.
Or was it even right to call her a monster?
Regardless, she was the master of this stone chamber.
How did they summon such a woman?
And if she wasn’t summoned…?
‘Where on earth did she come from?’
Even as his thoughts spiraled, the woman continued her relentless assault with the blood spear.
Whoosh, clang!
Once more, sparks flew as the woman pressed her attack.
Sabikang parried her blood spear while retreating, conserving mana by refraining from using magic.
He fought by converting his inner energy to replenish his mana when it was sufficiently depleted.
Meanwhile, the cadets watching from the sidelines were so captivated by the battle that they momentarily forgot their own predicament.
“Amazing.”
“Is that even humanly possible?”
“At this rate, we can’t even learn anything from watching.”
At one point, the blood spear grazed Sabikang’s chest, while Veritas severed the woman’s arm.
“Yes!”
“Don’t let your guard down yet!”
As Pyo Harim cheered, Pung Geomjin shouted a warning, heightening their vigilance.
Sure enough, whenever the woman was wounded, she would immerse herself in a pool of blood and emerge fully healed.
As time went on, Sabikang accumulated more injuries, while the woman fought tirelessly.
There was no helping it.
This was the boss’s chamber.
All conditions favored her.
Clang!
With a metallic ring, Sabikang was sent flying backward.
Screech!
Sliding to a stop on the carpet, Sabikang caught his breath and glared at the woman.
‘She’s no pushover.’
He thought that if he eliminated the bandits and outlaws she called her children, she might lose her composure, creating an opening.
But contrary to his expectations, she remained calm.
No, she was clearly angry, but she didn’t lose her composure.
Instead, her anger seemed to make her stronger.
It reminded him of the nightmare of fighting the Yellow-Faced Man.
The problem was that this woman was far more powerful than the Yellow-Faced Man, and the environment was heavily against Sabikang.
Thus, it was difficult to employ the same tactics he used against the Yellow-Faced Man.
Then it happened.
Vrrrr.
Veritas emitted a faint vibration.
As if displeased.
Sabikang clicked his tongue.
“I know. I don’t like this damn situation either.”
Vrrrr.
Veritas vibrated again, as if in response.
Sabikang ignored it.
He never imagined he’d be stuck struggling against a mere dungeon boss monster like this.
At least he had summoned Natas to deal with the dead, which was a relief.
It meant he could fight freely without worrying about the cadets.
However, it was unfortunate that he couldn’t use high-level magic that affected a wide area, mindful of the cadets.
‘Damn it! Who summoned this unheard-of dungeon…!’
As Sabikang clicked his tongue in frustration, the woman approached, swaying.
“Impressive, child. The more I see, the more I hesitate to kill you. I’m torn between taking you in or just ending you…”
“Even if you’re going mad, do it gracefully.”
Sabikang furrowed his brow and immediately cast a blink spell, teleporting above the woman’s head.
“Haaah!”
With a shout, he brought Veritas down vertically.
Clang!
Once again, Veritas was blocked by the blood spear the woman raised, sparks flying.
In that brief moment, Sabikang saw something.
‘Is that…?’
Vrrrr!
As if responding to Sabikang’s realization, Veritas vibrated more violently.
A faint smile appeared on Sabikang’s face.
The woman narrowed her eyes and asked mockingly.
“Child, are you losing your mind?”
“Being called crazy by a lunatic is quite the feeling.”
Sabikang grinned and slowly steadied his sword.
Vrrr. Vrrrr.
Veritas trembled as if thrilled that its master understood its intent.
“……?”
The woman furrowed her brow slightly, looking at Veritas.
Vrrr. Vrrrr. Vrrr!
Veritas’s blade glowed red, then returned to its original color repeatedly.
Sensing something ominous, the woman opened her mouth to speak,
“What the…”
Whoosh!
Sabikang shot forward like a bolt of light, charging at the woman.
Swoosh!
Veritas, imbued with sword energy, pierced toward the woman’s chest.
“Futile!”
The woman sneered, spinning and extending her blood spear.
Whoosh, clang!
Once more, Veritas and the blood spear clashed, sparks flying.
In that moment, Sabikang saw it clearly.
Amidst the erupting sparks, Veritas glowed red and then returned to its original color!
‘No doubt about it!’
As Sabikang felt a surge of certainty, Veritas’s vibrations grew more intense than ever.
Vrrr, Vrrrrr!
“I know, I know. Just wait.”
Sabikang murmured with a cold smile.
He finally understood Veritas’s intent.
Until now, he thought it was merely expressing frustration at not being able to use mana freely.
But that wasn’t why Veritas was vibrating.
Just then, the woman lunged at Sabikang with her blood spear once more.
Whoosh!
Sabikang quickly raised his protective energy.
Clang!
The protective energy shattered, and the blood spear pierced his side.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
A groan escaped him.
The woman swung her blood spear, slicing into Sabikang’s body.
Whirl, splash!
Sabikang spun through the air and fell into a pool of blood.
Sizzle, sizzle!
Blood splattered everywhere, making a sizzling sound.
“Ah, Master!”
“No way!”
The cadets watching let out cries of alarm.
The woman smiled coldly.
“So arrogant, yet in the end, you’re nothing. Don’t worry, I’ll deal with him completely and then turn you into my strongest children.”
At that moment,
Splash!
Sabikang burst out of the pool, glaring at the woman with a smirk.
“Who said you could? I told you, I’m the one raising them.”
“Still clinging to…”
Whoosh…!
The woman flinched mid-sentence, looking at Sabikang.
Sabikang’s lips twisted into a ghostly grin.
“Veritas. Feast to your heart’s content. I finally understand your grievance.”
Realizing something was terribly wrong, the woman shouted sharply.
“What are you doing?”
Sabikang chuckled.
“It’s always darkest under the lamp. Sometimes the solution is so simple you overlook it. There’s someone else who loves blood as much as you do.”
“What…!”
The woman looked at Sabikang in shock.
No, to be precise, her gaze was fixed on Veritas in Sabikang’s hand.
Whoosh…!
Veritas’s blade, now blood-red.
Veritas was absorbing all the blood pooled around them.
Whoosh…!
“Stop, stop! What are you doing?”
The woman screamed, flying at Sabikang.
Whoosh!
Sabikang quickly retreated, swinging Veritas.
Whoosh, clang!
Swoosh!
“Gah!”
The woman’s eyes widened again.
Sabikang deliberately didn’t deflect the blow, using his inner energy to keep Veritas and the blood spear locked together.
Veritas began to absorb the energy from the blood spear bit by bit.
To Veritas, which thrived on blood, the woman’s blood spear was nothing more than a delicious meal.
“Y-you…!”
The woman quickly withdrew her blood spear, but Sabikang followed, keeping Veritas pressed against it.
“Such a leech!”
The woman shrieked sharply, her nails raking across Sabigang’s chest.
Rip!
Though his shirt tore open, Sabigang remained unfazed.
It wasn’t until she flapped her wings and retreated that Sabigang finally fell.
But to him, it was just another opportunity.
Without hesitation, Sabigang plunged Berthas deep into the pool of blood.
Sssssss!
Perhaps it was the taste of blood that spurred it on?
Berthas began to absorb the blood at an even faster pace than before.
Vroooom!
The weapon vibrated intensely, as if in ecstasy, resonating throughout the stone chamber.
“Can’t you stop this madness?”
The woman darted towards him once more.
In an instant,
Swoosh!
Berthas shot up vertically, slicing the woman cleanly in half.
Slash!
Without even a scream, she fell into the blood pool, split in two.
Splash! Splash!
“Huff, huff, huff!”
Sabigang panted heavily, gripping the handle with both hands.
His eyes were bloodshot, a wild frenzy lurking within them.
As Berthas absorbed the massive amount of blood, Sabigang’s consciousness was slowly being consumed.
Sssssss!
The woman reappeared above the blood, seemingly unharmed, though slightly smaller than before.
She screamed, almost in desperation.
“No, no! Stop!”
She flew at Sabigang again.
Sabigang, now almost in a trance, instinctively moved to meet her.
His eyes were so bloodshot that his pupils had turned a deep crimson.
His body moved on its own, driven by instinct—or perhaps by the will of the bloodthirsty Berthas.
Sssssss!
Even as it absorbed blood, Berthas glided over the surface like a skater.
Slash!
This time, the woman was quicker.
Her nails extended, tearing into Sabigang’s shoulder.
“Ugh!”
Sabigang grunted, spinning around to hurl Berthas.
Whoosh!
It was a deadly dance.
The woman summoned a blood spear in response.
But then,
Crash!
Berthas shattered the spear and embedded itself in her heart.
Thud!
“Aaaah!”
Now saturated with blood, Berthas was more formidable than ever.
Thud, thud, thud!
Sabigang dashed across the blood’s surface, closing the distance.
Finally, he reached the woman, grabbing the handle of Berthas lodged in her chest.
In that moment, his eyes glowed redder than blood, tearing open like a specter.
“You…!”
The woman couldn’t finish her sentence.
Slash!
Berthas sliced her body cleanly in half.
Sabigang let Berthas hang loosely, continuing to absorb the blood.
“Huff, huff, huff.”
His ragged breaths escaped his lips.
A crimson aura rose from his entire body.
The onlookers, cadets, held their breath, swallowing dryly as they watched Sabigang.
The pool was nearly drained.
Sssssss!
“Stop…!”
The woman resurrected once more from the dwindling pool.
But her skin began to crack like a parched field, crumbling into dust.
“No…!”
Swoosh!
Finally, having absorbed all the blood in the chamber, Berthas let out a triumphant, resonant vibration.
Vroooom!