Episode 427: Return of the Demon Instructor
“What did you say?”
Neung Un-pa furrowed his brows, glaring at the First Division Leader.
It was then—
BOOM!
Suddenly, a building exploded, sending a wave of scorching heat outward.
And then—
Thud! Thud! Thud!
With a series of heavy footsteps, a fiery demon emerged from the wreckage.
Each step it took made the ground tremble as if an earthquake had struck.
Neung Un-pa’s eyes widened at the sight of the creature, something he had never seen before.
“What… is that…?”
“Heh heh… What else could it be? It’s here to send the Lord to the afterlife… Gah!”
The First Division Leader, who had been running his mouth, was abruptly silenced as the Lord snapped his neck.
Thud!
The Lord tossed the lifeless body aside and straightened his back.
Behind him, twelve members of the Seung Ryong Corps approached cautiously, their eyes fixed on the demon.
“My Lord, this looks dangerous.”
The demon was as large as a building, its entire body engulfed in flames, wielding a spiked iron club in each hand.
Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.
It was a Balruk, one of the higher-tier demons from the demon realm.
But neither the Lord nor the Seung Ryong Corps had any knowledge of Balruks.
In the next moment—
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Ratatatatat!
“Watch out!”
“Block it!”
Instinctively, the Lord and the Seung Ryong Corps raised their swords, channeling their protective energy.
Spikes shot out from the Balruk’s club, hurtling towards them.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
“Ugh!”
The Lord was pushed back several yards, slamming into a building wall.
As he quickly surveyed the scene, he saw that half of the Seung Ryong Corps had been fatally struck by the sudden barrage of iron spikes.
But before he could even process his anger, the Balruk leaped into the air, aiming to crush Neung Un-pa beneath it.
Crash!
“Argh!”
Neung Un-pa raised his sword, channeling his protective energy to its limit to block the club.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
More spikes began to grow from the club.
Just as they were about to be launched again—
“Tch!”
Neung Un-pa clicked his tongue and rolled out of the way.
Ratatatatat!
Once more, iron spikes flew through the air.
Neung Un-pa swung his sword, deflecting them with his protective energy.
The Balruk, undeterred, charged forward, swinging its club mercilessly.
Bang! Clang! Clang!
Its attacks were relentless.
Neung Un-pa struggled to keep his focus amidst the onslaught.
‘A demon engulfed in flames…!’
He gritted his teeth, swinging his sword with all his might.
Suddenly, he recalled something Sa Bi-gang had once said.
“With the Lord’s profound power, there are few demons you cannot face. The challenge lies in their unfamiliar combat styles. Do not be startled by their appearance or thrown off by their tactics.”
Yet here he was, startled by the appearance and thrown off by the tactics.
Despite his experiences in the Great Battle of Seo-hwa Plain, these demons were always a challenge to adapt to.
Clang!
Lost in thought, Neung Un-pa barely managed to block another strike from the club.
Spikes began to grow again from the club.
At that moment—
“How dare a mere demon! Get away from the Lord!”
Three members of the Seung Ryong Corps leaped into action.
“No!”
Neung Un-pa shouted, but it was too late.
Ratatatatat!
The iron spikes pierced the hearts of the charging Seung Ryong Corps members.
“Ugh!”
“Argh!”
As they fell lifeless to the ground, Neung Un-pa’s eyes blazed with fury.
“You bastard!”
His power surged explosively, causing the Balruk to recoil.
But then—
Thunk!
“Argh!”
The demon suddenly twisted in agony, letting out a scream.
Neung Un-pa’s eyes widened in shock.
A hand, sharp as a hawk’s talon, had burst through the Balruk’s chest.
Moments later—
Squish!
With a sickening sound, the hand withdrew, and the Balruk collapsed forward with a groan.
Thud!
Standing atop the fallen demon was none other than Ak Cheon-gwe.
In his hand, he held a still-burning heart, smoke rising from it.
Sizzle…!
Despite the searing heat, Ak Cheon-gwe merely furrowed his brow slightly.
“Thought I was going to burn to death.”
He casually tossed the heart aside, and Neung Un-pa frowned deeply.
“Could it be… the Vermilion Bird?”
As Neung Un-pa muttered the nickname etched in his memory, Ak Cheon-gwe responded with a nonchalant expression.
“Long time no see, Lord.”
“Vermilion Bird! It really is you! But how? I thought you were dead…”
“Let’s just pretend you didn’t see anything. After all, I did lend a hand. Not that it was entirely my intention. Anyway.”
“What on earth are you talking about…?”
Just then, a group of assassins from the Salmak appeared behind Ak Cheon-gwe.
Seeing the word ‘Sal’ on their uniforms, Neung Un-pa’s expression twisted even more.
“What is going on here? Salmak? Don’t tell me you’re…?”
At that moment—
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ground shook as if the world itself was convulsing, and all the surrounding buildings exploded.
From the wreckage, more Balruks, engulfed in flames, emerged.
The Lord furrowed his brow, muttering in a pained voice.
“The Fire Spirit Demons again…!”
“It seems this isn’t the time for idle chatter, Lord. Looks like it’s going to be a fiery night.”
With that, Ak Cheon-gwe spread his fingers wide, surveying the fiery demons surrounding them.
**
At some point, the noise had vanished.
The demons that had occasionally appeared, wielding their blades, were nowhere to be seen.
It seemed to have started from the base of the hill.
Though buildings lined the hill, there was no sign of life.
‘A formation, perhaps?’
But that didn’t seem right, as the pavilion atop the hill was steadily drawing closer.
As Sa Bi-gang reached the midpoint of the hill—
Clatter, clatter, clatter!
A group of demons clad in golden armor appeared, blocking the path.
“Charge!”
With a fierce cry, they rushed forward like a tidal wave.
“Uwaaaaaa!”
The golden wave cascaded down the hill like a waterfall.
Sa Bi-gang narrowed his eyes at the ferocious sight.
“What a pointless effort.”
He extended his hand, muttering with a bored expression.
“Volcano.”
In the next instant—
Rumble!
With a tremendous quake, the hill split open, spewing lava.
BOOM!
“Ahhhh!”
“Ughhhh!”
It was a scene straight out of hell.
The demons were swallowed by the lava in an instant.
Against such a vast catastrophe, there was little the demons could do.
Sa Bi-gang used a flight spell to soar above the hellscape, observing the chaos below as he ascended the hill.
Meanwhile, a figure in a golden mask watched from the pavilion, eyes narrowing.
“Impressive. Truly remarkable. I didn’t expect this level of power. But… you won’t be able to defeat the Hunma.”
Muttering to himself, the masked figure tapped the ground with his foot.
Whirrrr.
A mechanism activated, revealing a spiral staircase beneath the pavilion.
Once the masked figure disappeared below, Sa Bi-gang arrived and followed the spiral staircase down.
The descent seemed endless.
Eventually, he reached a vast cavern.
At the bottom, he spotted the masked figure standing in the distance.
‘So the hill was artificially constructed to create this cavern?’
Just then, the masked figure did something, and the ceiling closed with a heavy thud.
The masked figure spoke.
“Sa Bi-gang. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“I doubt we’re here for pleasantries.”
“Haha. True. But you’ve come all this way to see me, despite not taking the bait.”
“I’m here to incinerate some unrecyclable trash.”
“You’re as amusing as the rumors say. But following me here was a mistake.”
“Maybe. I’ve made plenty of mistakes in my life.”
“Hmph! Let’s see how long you can keep that confidence!”
With that, the masked figure sent a gust of wind somewhere.
Whoosh!
Then—
Clank, clank, clank!
A mechanism activated, raising the bars on one side of the cavern.
Sa Bi-gang turned to see a woman, her expression vacant, stepping out.
The masked figure smiled.
“Underestimate this, and you’ll regret it. Your arrogance has led you to your death today.”
Sa Bi-gang narrowed his eyes, watching the woman.
The masked figure continued.
“That is a ‘Hunma,’ a creature we’ve painstakingly crafted. I knew defeating you would be difficult, so I prepared this.”
“And?”
“What? Ha! I suppose it’s easy to underestimate him, given his scrawny appearance. No need for long speeches. Honma! Kill him!”
The voice of the masked man rang out sharply.
In an instant,
Screeeeech!
A bizarre sound of friction was followed by hundreds of arthropods sprouting from the woman’s body.
The sight of these centipede-like creatures emerging from the slender woman was nothing short of grotesque.
Sabikang quickly leaped back, swinging his sword, Veritas.
Whoosh!
As the blade sliced through the air like a rainbow, the swarming arthropods shattered into pieces, scattering in all directions.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Sizzle!
The insects’ fluids hit the ground, making a sizzling sound as they burned.
‘So, they’ve created a chimera,’ Sabikang thought, furrowing his brow.
“Kyaaaah!”
The woman let out a piercing scream, her mouth wide open, as dozens more arthropods erupted from her throat, flying towards Sabikang.
Not only that, but hundreds more extended from her back, threatening him.
The masked man pointed a finger, bursting into maniacal laughter.
“Hahaha! Feeling a bit of danger now, are you? You’ve always been a thorn in my side! Even if I can’t defeat you myself, that thing is more than strong enough to finish you off. And it obeys my every command without fail…!”
His crazed shouting abruptly stopped, and he froze in place.
Just moments ago, Sabikang had been standing far away, but now he had vanished without a trace.
Meanwhile, the arthropods that had been flying towards Sabikang crashed into the walls and floor, unable to stop their momentum, creating a deafening noise.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The masked man slowly turned around, stiff as a board.
Sabikang was already behind him, a sly grin on his face.
“You must not know… I only focus on one target.”
Swish!
Veritas sliced through the air.
Slice!
In the same moment, the masked man’s head floated into the air.
Even then, he thought to himself.
‘Why is the world spinning? Oh… is that my body…?’
Thud, roll, roll…
Splat!
The headless body of the masked man spewed a fountain of blood before collapsing with a thud.
Sabikang’s eyes were cold as ice.
“Referring to people as ‘things’ or ‘monsters’… that’s just not right.”