Episode 396: Return of the Demon Instructor
“Kill that ravenous bastard!”
As soon as the masked man shouted,
Whoosh!
A sudden burst of flames erupted.
In the blink of an eye, Sabikang appeared like a ghost, extending his palm forward.
Then,
Boom!
“Aaaaargh!”
The masked man, his face engulfed in flames, screamed and plunged his head into the lake.
Splash, hiss!
Smoke billowed up with a sizzling sound.
“You crazy bastard!”
“Just die already!”
Two more attackers lunged at Sabikang simultaneously.
But they should have been more cautious.
With the restrictions lifted, Sabikang was now far stronger than before.
In an instant, Sabikang vanished and reappeared in front of one of them, driving his sword, Veritas, into the man’s throat.
Thud!
“Gah!”
“Damn it!”
Another attacker charged from behind, but Sabikang swiftly withdrew Veritas and plunged it into the attacker’s abdomen.
“Ugh!”
As the man clutched his stomach and screamed, Sabikang slashed sideways, decapitating a third attacker who had been rushing in.
Slash, thud!
The third man died instantly, unable to even cry out.
“You damn monster!”
The last attacker cursed, leaping into the air.
Whoosh!
But Veritas, released from Sabikang’s hand, was faster than the falling man.
Swish! Thud!
“Gah!”
Veritas pierced the man’s heart, circled back, and returned to Sabikang’s grasp.
The man fell, blood spraying, and sank beneath the lake’s surface.
“Rrrrgh…!”
Sabikang, breathing heavily, turned his gaze to the last remaining opponent.
“Eek!”
The man collapsed in fear.
He couldn’t believe the carnage before his eyes.
He had reached a level of mastery that every martial artist dreams of at least once before they die.
He had always believed he could protect his own life anywhere in the world.
He thought there was nothing left in this world to fear.
But now…
“That… that thing… is a monster!”
Aside from the cult leader and the grandmaster, he had never encountered anyone who instilled such fear in him.
Facing such an overwhelming presence, he couldn’t think of anything.
Not of fighting back, nor of fleeing.
Sabikang, surrounded by a red aura, raised his hand with a detached expression.
In the next moment, a sonic vibration spell formed in front of his palm.
Vrrrrr!
“What… what is that?”
Having been part of the Demon Sect, he had seen and learned many spells under the guise of “demonic arts.”
But the high-level magic Sabikang was now wielding was beyond his knowledge.
As the unbearable sound filled the air and the distorted space seemed to rush toward him,
Slash!
The man lost his life without even realizing how he died.
The only one who witnessed his demise was the masked man.
He saw the man’s body being torn to shreds, scattering like mere pieces of meat.
His eyes widened in shock.
In that moment, he sprang to his feet, ready to attack. Or so he thought.
He realized that now was the only chance to strike.
But he couldn’t move a single step.
“When did this…?”
To his astonishment, the entire lake had frozen solid, trapping his feet in place.
The cold seeping up from his ankles chilled him to the bone.
It was Sabikang’s Ice Field spell, but the masked man didn’t even have time to comprehend that.
“Rrrrgh…!”
Sabikang, exhaling like a beast, glared at the masked man.
With a fiery aura enveloping him, Sabikang looked like a demon lord freshly risen from hell.
The masked man ground his teeth.
He silently cursed the cult leader and the grandmaster.
“How could they expect me to defeat someone like this…?”
But he couldn’t just die a dog’s death.
He had to find a way to survive, even if it meant a desperate struggle.
And that chance was…
“The Sword of Victory!”
As soon as he finished his thought,
Whoosh!
A sword shot from the masked man’s hand like a beam of light.
But he saw it.
Veritas, released from Sabikang’s hand, collided with his sword, shattering it to pieces.
And Veritas flew straight toward his head.
Thud!
The masked man looked up at Veritas embedded deep in his forehead.
Even as he crumbled, he had the absurd thought, “Did this sword pierce through to the back of my head?”
Thud!
He fell onto the ice, never to move again.
Step, step.
Sabikang approached indifferently, extending his hand to retrieve Veritas from the man’s forehead.
With eyes blazing, he glared at the fallen man and then bent his waist, roaring.
“My meeeaaaal!”
Boom!
An immense energy exploded around him, shooting up into the night sky.
**
“I should’ve eaten a hearty meal before coming.”
Churyang grumbled as he trudged along.
The forest was deeper and the terrain more rugged than he had anticipated.
Occasionally, they encountered wild beasts.
Most of the time, they cautiously avoided them, but if a beast bared its teeth and charged, they had no choice but to fight.
The man walking beside him, Heukgwi, spoke nonchalantly.
“Train your inner strength more.”
“Hey, you shouldn’t be telling your senior what to do. Besides, for a martial artist, it’s all about the strength from a good meal.”
Heukgwi gave Churyang an incredulous look before shaking his head.
The two continued climbing the mountain for some time.
At some point, they noticed a red aura rising in the distance.
“What is that?”
“An incredible energy!”
Heukgwi and Churyang quickly used their movement techniques to leap into the trees.
Like squirrels, they reached the treetops and peered out.
Though not clearly visible, the energy seemed to originate from near the summit.
The aura felt similar to Sabikang’s, yet rougher and more domineering.
“It must be Master!”
“We’re almost there!”
“Did something happen? Let’s hurry!”
As soon as Churyang finished speaking, he kicked off the tree and dashed forward.
Heukgwi also began running through the forest like a flying squirrel.
After pushing through the forest and climbing the mountain for quite some time, they came upon a clearing where trees had been mercilessly cut down, as if a typhoon had swept through.
At the edge of the clearing was a lake, and in the distance, a picturesque cabin stood.
The red aura from the opposite lakeshore was turning the sky crimson.
“It’s Master!”
“The entire lake is frozen.”
Though the weather was chilly near the mountain’s peak, it wasn’t cold enough to freeze the lake.
This led the two to suspect that this, too, might be Sabikang’s doing.
Churyang hesitated, his lips twitching as he stepped back.
The aura emanating from the opposite lakeshore was undoubtedly domineering and extremely rough.
“This… this could be dangerous.”
“Are you going to stay here after seeing our lord? I’m going.”
With that, Heukgwi glided across the ice.
Churyang chased after him, shouting.
“Hmph! Don’t get cocky, subordinate! I’m just advising you to be cautious as your superior!”
As the two ran across the ice,
Crack… crack…!
The ice began to split and break.
The effects of the Ice Field spell were gradually wearing off.
Crash!
Finally, with a sharp sound, the thin layer of ice on the water shattered completely.
As the ice melted away, the two immediately used their water-walking techniques to continue forward.
When they were almost across, Heukgwi leaped and landed safely on a large rock.
In contrast, Churyang, whose lightness skill was relatively weaker, began to tire and eventually found himself splashing into the water up to his ankles.
Soon, he was fully submerged, but he swam to the lakeshore.
Glaring at Heukgwi, who had arrived first, he shouted.
“Can’t you help your senior a bit?”
“A senior should help their junior.”
“That’s the kind of rigid thinking that stunts your growth. Be more flexible. A junior can help a senior too.”
“Then be flexible and become my junior.”
“You… you…! Now you’re openly committing insubordination!”
Heukgwi, instead of responding, scanned the lakeshore with a somber gaze.
Churyang, trudging through the shallow water to join him, stopped and looked around.
“What… what is this…?”
Corpses with pierced abdomens, decapitated bodies, and those with pierced foreheads and hearts…
The area was stained with red blood.
It was a truly gruesome scene.
Sabikang was nowhere to be seen, having disappeared during their crossing.
Just then, Churyang spotted an old man in the shallow water and rushed over.
“Sir! Are you alright?”
Churyang pulled the old man from the water and slung him over his shoulder.
The two had already been briefed on the old man’s appearance through Murang.
By the water’s edge, Churyang quickly laid Onghaein down, and Heukgwi approached, channeling a stream of energy into him.
“Ah! Cough, cough!”
Onghaein’s eyes flew open as he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Even to Churyang, who knew nothing of medicine, Onghaein’s condition was dire. It was a miracle he wasn’t dead already.
Heukgwi’s voice cut through the air sharply. “Quick, the potion!”
“Oh…!”
Startled, Churyang fumbled to retrieve a healing potion from his belongings and poured it into Onghaein’s mouth.
Though he emptied the entire bottle, Onghaein’s chances of survival seemed slim. It was merely a temporary reprieve from death.
Such was the severity of Onghaein’s state.
“Ugh… Who are you…?”
“We’re from the Myeolma Temple. Master Murang sent us.”
“So it was you…”
Onghaein struggled to speak, his words punctuated by violent coughing fits. Churyang quickly supported him.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m ashamed… Cough! Your master… went into the forest… Cough! But… he won’t get far…”
Onghaein’s words came in halting gasps. He was on the brink of death, yet his years of cultivation allowed him to hold on.
Fortunately, unlike the restrictive barrier, the formation that prevented leaving a certain area didn’t drain Onghaein’s energy. Thus, Sabigang wouldn’t vanish without a trace.
“Let’s get you inside,” Churyang suggested, attempting to lift him, but Onghaein waved him off.
“It’s too late for me. You must… go inside… Cough, cough! Ugh!”
Onghaein spat out another mouthful of blood. He panted heavily, then managed to steady himself enough to continue.
“You must… cook.”
“What?”
“No time… to explain… Hurry!”
“Cook? Now?”
Just then, a rustling sound came from behind the hut.
Churyang and Heukgwi tensed, looking up sharply.
Sabigang emerged from behind the hut, stopping abruptly when he saw them. His entire body radiated a formidable aura.
Sabigang’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Grrr…!”
“Master!”
With a shallow sigh, Onghaein closed his eyes.
“This is bad.”