Episode 395: Return of the Demon Instructor
Swoosh, thud!
“Gah!”
Ilma’s eyes widened in shock as he glared at Sabigang.
It all happened in an instant.
Sabigang, standing firm, had reached out and grabbed Ilma by the throat.
A sense of impending doom loomed over him, as if a slight increase in Sabigang’s grip would pierce through his neck.
At that moment,
“Get him!”
Thud! Thud!
Ima and Samma charged at Sabigang from both sides with incredible speed.
Swoosh!
Even though they could only use a fraction of their true power, their original strength was formidable enough to rival top-tier martial artists.
They moved so fast that an ordinary person would struggle to follow them with their eyes.
But then,
Bang!
Sabigang hurled Ilma at Ima and dashed towards Samma, swinging his sword, Veritas, horizontally.
Clang!
Samma barely managed to block Veritas, retreating with a grimace.
“Ugh…!”
His palm, arm, and shoulder tingled with pain, sending a chill down his spine.
‘How is he this strong…?’
Meanwhile, Dongmyeonin approached swiftly, unleashing a water-based attack.
Swoosh!
He slashed his sword upward, sending droplets of water, hardened by sword energy, hurtling towards Sabigang.
These weren’t ordinary droplets. Infused with sword energy, they could pierce through if not carefully avoided.
Whoosh!
In an instant, a shield appeared around Sabigang.
Thud! Thud!
The water droplets collided with the shield, creating a cacophony of noise.
As the droplets burst spectacularly, Dongmyeonin’s eyebrows twitched in surprise.
“So the rumors were true. He can use our sect’s demonic arts.”
But there was no time for admiration.
Flash!
Sabigang appeared before Dongmyeonin, swinging Veritas at his neck.
Clang!
Dongmyeonin’s sword clashed with Veritas, sending ripples across the water’s surface.
Splash!
The impact was so great that the lakebed was momentarily exposed.
Sabigang kicked off the lakebed, launching himself at Dongmyeonin.
Swoosh!
“Tch! Annoying!”
Dongmyeonin clicked his tongue, spinning defensively like a top.
Clang! Clang!
Another wave of energy rippled out, pushing the surrounding water back like a tide.
Splash!
Clang! Thud!
In a short span, dozens of exchanges occurred between the two.
Each time their limbs intertwined, the water would surge and recede.
Though the lakebed was muddy, it posed no problem for the two, who moved as if fighting on solid ground.
Yet, the mud could also be a strategic weapon.
Splash!
Dongmyeonin spun his foot across the ground, sending a fan of mud flying at Sabigang’s face.
Thud! Thud!
Instinctively, Sabigang raised a shield, avoiding a direct hit, but the brief distraction gave Dongmyeonin a chance for a decisive strike.
Flash!
Swoosh!
Golden sword energy slashed at Sabigang’s body.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
But Sabigang’s form vanished, reappearing behind Dongmyeonin.
Swoosh, clang!
Water surged outward again.
Splash!
Dongmyeonin, having blocked Veritas, felt his arm tremble and coughed up blood.
“Ugh!”
This fight was proving more difficult than anticipated.
Sabigang seemed to instinctively understand the limits of the suppression field.
He must have learned these limits during his time here, allowing him to maintain his power just below the threshold.
Meanwhile, Dongmyeonin and the other demons had to use much less power, wary of losing consciousness if they exceeded the limit.
Watching from the sidelines, Hyeolsuoma began to refill the exposed lakebed with water.
Splash!
As torrents of water poured in, Sabigang and Dongmyeonin leapt onto the surface.
Their aerial maneuvers, stepping on the cascading water, were nothing short of miraculous.
Flash!
As Sabigang soared into the air, Hyeolsuoma launched himself at him.
“Die!”
Swoosh!
Five streams of sword energy shot up at Sabigang with deadly speed.
Sabigang flipped upside down, spinning rapidly as he descended.
Thud! Thud!
He deflected the five streams and repelled Hyeolsuoma’s upward attack.
“Argh!”
“Ahhh!”
Splash! Splash!
Hyeolsuoma screamed as he plunged into the water.
Landing on the surface, Sabigang sprinted across the lake, diving into the water.
Splash!
Underwater, Sabigang quickly scanned his surroundings.
In the murky depths, he spotted Onghaein, unconscious and floating.
”……!”
Using his inner strength, he swam swiftly towards Onghaein.
Moments later,
Splash!
Sabigang emerged, carrying Onghaein to the shore.
He quickly pressed Onghaein’s pressure points.
Tap, tap, tap!
All of this was done instinctively.
Driven by a singular desire to eat more!
“Cough! Gah!”
Onghaein, regaining consciousness, doubled over and spat out a mouthful of blood.
The dark color indicated it was poisoned blood.
Sabigang’s actions were merely basic first aid.
The poison within Onghaein wasn’t fully neutralized.
Onghaein, with half-open eyes, looked up at Sabigang, panting.
“You… saved me.”
”…Food.”
At Sabigang’s single word, Onghaein’s expression turned blank before he burst into laughter.
“Indeed… one must remain true to oneself.”
“Food… give.”
“Alright, alright. Huh?”
Mid-sentence, Onghaein noticed something and quickly pushed Sabigang away.
Boom!
As Sabigang was suddenly attacked and sent flying,
Swoosh, swoosh!
Thud! Thud!
“Gah!”
Onghaein glared at Dongmyeonin and Ilma.
They had seized the moment when Sabigang was distracted to attack from behind.
But Onghaein’s quick thinking had diverted their aim.
Instead, their swords pierced Onghaein’s chest.
“Tch!”
“Damn it!”
The two clicked their tongues, withdrawing their swords.
“Ugh!”
Critically wounded, Onghaein collapsed.
Crimson blood spread across the shallow lake water.
Meanwhile, Sabigang, having rolled across the shore, stood up in a rage, eyes wide as he saw Onghaein fall.
“The old man is as good as dead.”
“Now it’s just you.”
At their words, Sabigang’s eyes trembled with fury.
Onghaein, suppressing his pain, reached out a hand.
“No…”
“Stay down, old man.”
Samma, having approached unnoticed, stomped on Onghaein’s head.
In that moment, Sabigang arched his back and roared.
“Fooooood!”
“Ugh!”
The power in his voice made Dongmyeonin and Hyeolsuoma wince, exchanging glances.
They couldn’t understand what Sabigang was saying.
But it didn’t matter.
The only thing that mattered was eliminating Sabigang!
Thud!
Dongmyeonin launched himself at Sabigang.
Simultaneously, Sabigang charged at Dongmyeonin with terrifying speed.
Thud!
Just as they were about to collide,
Flash!
Sabigang’s form slipped past Dongmyeonin with a hair’s breadth to spare.
‘What? Where is he going…?’
Dongmyeonin, having sliced through empty air, turned in surprise to see Sabigang heading straight for Onghaein, pinned under Samma’s foot.
Realizing this, Samma smirked and kicked Onghaein away.
“Not a chance!”
Thud!
“Gah!”
Onghaein flew and crashed into a distant rock, collapsing.
Sabigang, who had rushed forward, stopped abruptly, eyes wide.
Roar…!
A red aura began to emanate from his entire body.
Dongmyeonin and Hyeolsuoma, who had surrounded Sabigang, smirked as they watched.
“Let’s see how far he can push it.”
“He’s surpassed three levels.”
“At this rate, he might even reach four.”
Hyeolsuoma watched with amusement.
“Shall we just watch for now?”
The best outcome would be if Sabigang, consumed by rage, pushed his power beyond its limits and broke the barrier.
If that happened, it would be as easy as putting a spoon in a bowl of rice to finish him off.
Slitting the throat of an unconscious Sabigang would be easier than falling off a log.
Whether Sabigang was aware of the Dormant One’s intentions or not, he gritted his teeth and continued to draw upon his power.
Meanwhile, from a distance, Onghaein watched with half-closed eyes and muttered to himself.
“You’ve… made a big mistake… This barrier is tied to my energy… At this rate, the barrier will… cough!”
Onghaein coughed up another mouthful of blood.
He was now at the point where even speaking a single word was a struggle.
In the meantime, Sabigang’s power continued to rise.
The expression of Blood Demon, who had been watching with ease, began to harden.
Then, in an instant, something changed.
It was hard to describe, but the very quality of the space felt different.
“Master, just now…!”
“I know. The barrier’s broken.”
The Dormant One replied to the Three Demons, glancing at Onghaein, who lay collapsed in front of the rock.
He murmured softly, “It seems the barrier woven with the formation is linked to that old man’s energy. No matter. It’s actually to our advantage. Without knowing the barrier’s limits, it’s better to push our power to the maximum…”
“Master of the Dormant Ones!”
Ilma called out urgently.
Only then did the Dormant One realize that the energy emanating from Sabigang was anything but ordinary.
“Oh, oh, it’s surpassed five cycles!”
Imma exclaimed in shock.
“What, what is this? The rate of power increase is accelerating! This is insane…!”
“Six cycles…! Seven cycles! Eight… nine! Ten cycles! My God! What on earth…!”
As Ilma screamed, Sabigang suddenly let out a roar.
“Raaaaaah!”
The sky and earth trembled, and the surface of the lake resonated, creating violent ripples.
In that moment, the six demons clearly saw it.
A demon, ravenous with hunger.
A demon consumed by rage, insatiable by any means.
Flames of red energy engulfed Sabigang’s entire body, burning fiercely.
In the next moment, his eyes slashed open like a ghost’s.
“My raaaaaage!”