Episode 412: Return to the Demon Sect
Cha Jae-kang quickly assessed the situation while maintaining the Heavenly Thunder Formation and issued a command.
“It’s big, which makes it an easy target! Attack!”
“Yes, sir!”
The disciples of the Heavenly Dao Sect responded in unison, their voices filled with determination as they charged toward the beast.
The Heavenly Thunder Formation was arranged with three warriors at each of the eight cardinal points. The remaining members stood ready to replace any injured fighters at a moment’s notice.
“Haaah!”
“Take this!”
The eight warriors at the forefront simultaneously unleashed their energy, rushing toward the creature.
Swish! Slash! Shing!
As the blue energy blades flew in from all directions, the beast twisted its body and let out a deafening roar. The sound was so intense that the warriors had to channel their inner strength to protect their hearing.
Once the first wave of attacks subsided, the second group of warriors moved in, continuing the assault.
Whoosh, slash!
Flashes of light streaked toward the beast from all sides, creating a chaotic scene. The creature reared its head and roared again, this time with such force that debris fell from the ceiling and the ground shook as if an earthquake had struck.
“Don’t stop! Initiate the Heavenly Flash Blade!”
“Yes, sir!”
With that command, the warriors in the Heavenly Thunder Formation launched a relentless attack on the beast, their movements like erratic flashes of light slicing through the air.
The beast retaliated, swinging its nine tails fiercely.
“Watch out!”
But the Heavenly Thunder Formation was as solid as the Heavenly Dao Sect’s reputation. The coordinated attacks finally brought the beast to its knees.
Thud!
“Yeah!”
“It’s down!”
“Stay focused!”
Shing! Slash! Shing! Slash!
The formation was perfect for dealing with such a massive creature. While it might not be efficient against a single opponent, it was incredibly effective against large beasts like this one.
The combination of cooperative techniques and rotational tactics left the beast no time to recover.
Eventually, the beast toppled over, raising a cloud of dust as it hit the ground.
Thud!
“We did it!”
“Haha! That wasn’t so tough!”
“The Heavenly Thunder Formation is unbeatable against monsters!”
“Yeah!”
The warriors cheered triumphantly.
‘Well, what do you think? Surely, we’re capable of handling high-level summoning scrolls now, right?’
Cha Jae-kang glanced at Sa Bi-gang, who stood with his arms crossed, unmoved.
‘Hmph! Doesn’t want to admit it, huh?’
Just then,
“Watch out!”
Jang Gi-tak’s voice rang out urgently.
Cha Jae-kang turned to see one of the warriors being flung away by the beast’s horn.
The beast, which had been struggling to rise, suddenly transformed, its head turning pitch black and grotesquely distorted.
‘It’s not over yet?’
Cha Jae-kang furrowed his brow and shouted to his disciples.
“Maintain the formation! Don’t rush in recklessly!”
The warriors quickly reformed the Heavenly Thunder Formation, channeling their energy.
Meanwhile, the beast’s face morphed into something entirely different.
“What is that…?”
“A demon…!”
The once docile-looking beast now had the head of a fearsome demon. Its large eyes on its back glowed blood-red, and its white feathers were marked with sinister black stripes.
The warriors felt a chill run down their spines at the sight of the grotesque transformation.
Sensing the danger, Cha Jae-kang shouted,
“Damn it! Initiate the Heavenly Thunder Blade and Heavenly Flash Blade in sequence!”
“Yes, sir!”
The Heavenly Thunder Blade involved three warriors at each point simultaneously attacking the beast with energy blades, aiming to inflict irreparable damage.
Then, the rotational tactic of the Heavenly Flash Blade would confuse and exhaust the enemy.
Tat-tat-tat!
Shing-shing-shing!
All twenty-four warriors launched themselves at the beast, unleashing a barrage of energy.
At that moment,
The beast roared again, swinging its nine tails and stomping its front paws.
Boom! Crash! Thud!
“Ugh!”
“Aaah!”
The air was filled with the sound of heavy impacts and cries of pain. The warriors, caught in the beast’s furious assault, were thrown about like ragdolls.
Rip!
“Aaagh!”
Before the Heavenly Thunder Blade could take full effect, the beast rampaged, its massive form moving with surprising speed.
Some warriors were crushed under its paws, dying instantly, while others were slammed into walls by its tails, suffering internal injuries.
It was a scene of utter chaos, a hellish battlefield dominated by the monstrous creature.
“Damn it…!”
Cha Jae-kang wiped the blood from his mouth, taking in the devastation around him.
The master of this stone chamber was no ordinary beast.
But still…
“I won’t just sit here and do nothing!”
With a fierce shout, Cha Jae-kang launched himself forward.
Shing!
His blade cut through the air, a blue arc of energy trailing behind it.
In that instant, the beast roared and swung its paw.
Clang!
The clash of energy and claw echoed loudly.
The beast, its paw cut, staggered back, while Cha Jae-kang was sent flying, landing in a heap at Sa Bi-gang’s feet.
“Ugh!”
Coughing up dark blood, Cha Jae-kang struggled to rise.
“Damn it! Damn it all!”
He cursed as he tried to stand, only to collapse again, his insides burning from the internal injuries.
The last strike had been the final move of his Thunderous Sky Blade technique, a near-fatal attack that, if failed, left the user to bear the brunt of their own power.
Meanwhile, the beast, only slightly wounded, continued its rampage, slaughtering the warriors who dared approach.
Unable to watch any longer, Cha Jae-kang turned to Sa Bi-gang and shouted,
“Damn it! What are you doing just standing there? Are you frozen with fear?”
Sa Bi-gang shrugged.
“I was helping by staying out of the way.”
Cha Jae-kang blinked in confusion.
“You…!”
“Oh, am I still in the way? Then I’ll step back a bit more.”
As Sa Bi-gang moved back, Cha Jae-kang gritted his teeth and lowered his head, swallowing his pride.
Now was not the time for ego or anger.
“Please, help us. The disciples… they’re dying!”
Sa Bi-gang looked at Cha Jae-kang with calm, steady eyes before speaking.
“Then stay out of the way.”
“What…?”
Cha Jae-kang started to protest but stopped, sensing the change in Sa Bi-gang’s demeanor.
‘His presence… it’s completely different!’
Sa Bi-gang’s gaze was sharper than ever.
He narrowed his eyes slightly and spoke again.
“Didn’t you hear me? Stay out of the way.”
It was a clear command, but the aura emanating from Sa Bi-gang was so overwhelming that Cha Jae-kang barely registered the slight.
His body moved instinctively, stepping back as if compelled by an unseen force.
As Sabigang walked past, Dan Lijeong and the rest of the suppression squad followed closely behind.
Soon, Sabigang issued a command.
“Deploy the Murangcho Formation.”
“Yes, sir!”
With a swift rustle, the squad dispersed and formed their positions.
Unlike the circular formation of the Cheondo Sect, the Myolma Temple’s suppression squad arranged themselves in a fan shape.
Leading the charge was the defense team, ten strong, under the command of Gok Bo-ok.
Behind them were the attack team led by Ong Giseung and the long-range attack team led by Dan Lijeong, also ten in number.
Finally, the healing team, led by Deung Jakyung, consisted of five members.
At first glance, it seemed like a simple strategy.
Cha Jaegang couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
“We’re doomed here. There’s no hope with this lot.”
The martial artists of the Cheondo Sect shared his sentiment.
The very idea of publicizing such a simplistic formation as a standard in the martial world was beyond comprehension.
Regardless, Gok Bo-ok let out a thunderous shout and charged at the beast.
“Bring it on!”
The defense team, led by Gok Bo-ok, rushed forward, launching their attack.
The beast roared, slamming its paw down on Gok Bo-ok.
But he had trained his body to be tougher than steel for this very moment.
Crash!
Even as his ankles sank into the ground, Gok Bo-ok stood firm, holding up the beast’s paw with both hands.
Amazingly, the other students were also holding their ground against the beast’s attacks.
They might not have been able to inflict a fatal wound, but they weren’t easily defeated either.
Most of them, like Gok Bo-ok, had exceptionally strong bodies or were skilled in evasion techniques.
“Hey, you sleepyheads! What are you doing? Attack already!”
With that, Ong Giseung led the five-member close combat team in a charge at the beast.
Swish! Swish! Slash!
Swords and blades flew, slashing at the beast’s underbelly.
However, one of them failed to block an attack and was knocked back.
The defense team couldn’t intervene in time.
Quickly, Deung Jakyung’s healing team moved in to extract the injured.
Meanwhile, Dan Lijeong gave orders to the long-range attack team.
“Aim for the eyes!”
“Yes!”
Arrows and daggers flew through the air.
Watching this unfold, Cha Jaegang clicked his tongue in disbelief.
“This simple tactic can’t possibly work. We’ll be lucky if they aren’t all wiped out…”
But he couldn’t finish his thought.
Amazingly, the seemingly simple tactic was working!
No, upon closer inspection, it was anything but simple.