Episode 446: Return to the Demon Sect
Bang!
As a flare burst in the dark sky, the five thousand warriors of the Justice Alliance surrounding the descent site let out a thunderous roar and charged forward like a tidal wave.
“Uwaaaaaa!”
Their battle cries, infused with inner strength, shook the heavens and the earth, causing parts of the pavilion to tremble and crumble.
“Enemies!”
“Damn it! Weren’t they stationed in the northwest?”
“How did they get here so quickly?”
The cultists of the Demon Sect, caught off guard, hurriedly grabbed their weapons to confront the oncoming assault.
But they were no match for the determined warriors of the Justice Alliance.
“You vile scum! Face the judgment of justice!”
“Heh! You rotten bastards! You’ve messed with the wrong people!”
The warriors of the righteous and the unorthodox sects showed their distinct colors in both words and actions.
A fierce battle ensued, and the outcome leaned heavily in favor of the Justice Alliance.
They pushed relentlessly toward the heart of the descent site.
At this rate, it seemed they could completely subdue the area within an hour.
Swoosh! Thud!
Wook Cheong-pung swiftly decapitated an enemy with a single strike, then crushed another’s head with his fist.
Glancing around, he spoke to Neung Un-pa beside him.
“At this pace, we should face no major difficulties. The Grand Strategist’s plan seems to be working perfectly. They never expected us to lead five thousand warriors right to their doorstep.”
“Hmm. But we must remain vigilant. These are cunning foes. They might have more tricks up their sleeves.”
“Even if they do, it would likely involve taking hostages. But since we’ve secured the kill zone, there’s little to worry about, right?”
Wook Cheong-pung waved off the concern dismissively.
As a senior member of the Justice Alliance, he handled the cultists with ease.
Though not quite at Neung Un-pa’s level, he was a formidable master in his own right, showcasing impressive martial prowess.
“You insignificant wretches! How dare you scorn humanity and defy the natural order! Prepare to face divine retribution!”
Wook Cheong-pung bellowed as he charged through the enemy ranks.
Meanwhile, Neung Un-pa quietly dealt with his opponents.
In the distance, a long wall came into view.
He recalled Gu Yoon’s briefing.
“There are four walls suspected to surround this descent site. For convenience, we’ll call the outermost wall the ‘Fourth Wall,’ the next one the ‘Third Wall,’ followed by the ‘Second Wall,’ and finally the ‘First Wall.’”
The Fourth Wall.
“We’ve reached the Fourth Wall already.”
Neung Un-pa murmured as he sprinted toward the wall.
Gu Yoon had mentioned that breaching the Third Wall would make it significantly easier to rescue the captives.
As they moved inward, the area would narrow, reducing the number of enemies, and the rescue team could meet them between the Second and Third Walls.
If things got tough, they could push through to the Second Wall.
But that seemed unlikely.
“Once the Fourth Wall falls, the Demon Sect will likely reinforce from within, making the Third Wall harder to breach. However, the rescue team will find it easier to maneuver, making it simpler to exit beyond the Second Wall.”
By then, the Justice Alliance would have likely breached the Third Wall.
Just then, Wook Cheong-pung raised his sword and shouted.
“We’ve reached the Fourth Wall! Sweep them away without mercy!”
“Uwaaaaaa!”
Once more, a wave of battle cries surged forth.
The warriors of the Justice Alliance charged with renewed vigor, resembling a massive tidal wave.
At that moment,
“Archers!”
A cultist from the Demon Sect shouted from somewhere along the Fourth Wall.
Suddenly,
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Archers clad in black appeared along the wall, drawing their bows taut.
“Fire!”
At the command,
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Thousands of arrows darkened the sky, raining down like a torrential storm.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
“Aaargh!”
“Ugh!”
Clang! Ting!
Some warriors of the Justice Alliance fell, struck by arrows, while others deflected them with protective energy or weapons.
Neung Un-pa gritted his teeth and shouted.
“Clear the way!”
The warriors parted like the sea, making way for him.
Neung Un-pa stepped forward, then dashed forward with incredible speed.
Leap!
“Hyaaaah!”
He soared into the air, descending in a graceful arc.
His ascent was light, but his descent was as swift and heavy as a hawk snatching its prey.
Swoosh!
A brilliant blue energy shot vertically, connecting the ground and sky, striking the center of the Fourth Wall.
Boom!
With a tremendous explosion, the Fourth Wall was cleaved in two, and the archers stationed there screamed as they fell.
It was a terrifying display of power.
The Falling Star Sword Technique.
One of the unique skills mastered by Neung Un-pa, its destructive force was beyond imagination.
It could obliterate an entire pavilion without a trace.
As a section of the Fourth Wall crumbled, the cultists of the Demon Sect were visibly shaken.
“Let’s go!”
Neung Un-pa’s shout sent the warriors’ morale soaring.
But then,
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
The ground shook, and something began to emerge from the hillside behind them.
Neung Un-pa and the warriors turned in surprise.
“What is that…?”
Wook Cheong-pung furrowed his brow, glaring at the creatures emerging from the hillside.
“Roar!”
“Growl!”
All manner of demonic creatures, previously seen and heard of, burst from the ground, charging at the warriors.
From slime-like creatures to demon soldiers and Balrogs, a variety of demons swarmed.
But that wasn’t all.
Rumble!
The earth trembled as a massive stone figure rose from the hilltop.
“What is that? Some kind of mechanism?”
“It looks like a statue of a person.”
The warriors squinted at the stone figures surrounding the hill.
In truth, these were known as ‘Golems’ in the demon realm, but the people of the Central Plains had no knowledge of such things.
The golems, crouched like rocks, remained motionless.
For now, the warriors were more concerned with the demons charging at them.
“Roar!”
“Growl!”
From Baold to demon soldiers, and even high-level demons like Balrogs.
“Damn it! Take them down first!”
“Hyaaaah!”
The warriors swung their swords, clashing with the demons.
**
On a cliff overlooking the descent site.
Gu Yoon, observing through a telescope, furrowed his brow.
“What is that?”
Suddenly, massive stone figures emerged from the hilltop.
But the statues remained motionless, as if frozen in place.
“A new mechanism? But for what purpose?”
Pondering, he raised the telescope again to confirm.
Some injured warriors were climbing the hill.
As they passed the statues,
“Gasp!”
Gu Yoon involuntarily sucked in a breath.
To his shock, the statues, previously immobile, suddenly sprang to life, crushing the warriors.
Those trying to escape the descent site were all crushed to death by the massive statues.
After dealing with the warriors, the statues returned to their original positions, as if nothing had happened.
Gu Yoon swallowed hard and muttered.
“Could that be… the Fifth Wall?”
A sudden realization struck him.
“Could it be… the Fifth Wall is meant to prevent escape, not entry?”
**
Hovering in the air with a flight spell, Sa Bi-gang looked down at the scene below.
The warriors of the Justice Alliance were locked in fierce combat outside the Fourth Wall.
But an unexpected Fifth Wall had appeared.
Sa Bi-gang immediately recognized them as ‘Golems,’ not mere walls.
“What are they planning? To trap us here and annihilate us?”
If that’s the case…
“They’ve underestimated us.”
Sa Bi-gang smirked coldly, raising his hand slowly.
With the captives secured, he had no intention of slipping away quietly.
While the Justice Alliance clashed at the Fourth Wall, Sa Bi-gang had already planned to break through to the Third Wall.
And now, he was on the verge of executing that plan.
Finally, Sa Bi-gang extended his hand and murmured.
“Blaze Tempest.”
In the next moment,
Whoosh!
A massive storm of flames erupted, sweeping across the surroundings with a deafening roar.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
“What the—?! What is this?!”
“Ahhh!”
“Damn it! Fire! It’s fire!”
The sudden onslaught of fiery winds sent the cultists of the Demon Sect scattering in panic.
Fiery rain poured from the sky, setting everything ablaze and making it nearly impossible to maintain any sense of composure.
Sabi Kang sent a mental message to Akcheon Goe.
[Move out.]
[Hmm. Alright.]
Watching Sabi Kang’s magic from the safety of Soongma Pavilion, Akcheon Goe couldn’t help but be impressed.
“Unbelievable. I actually thought I could outsmart a monster like that.”
He ordered his subordinates to start moving, each assassin carefully helping the injured as they retreated.
Meanwhile, as Sabi Kang descended onto the fortress wall, the surrounding cultists rushed at him in terror.
“You! Where did you come from?!”
“Who are you?!”
“Kill him!”
The cultists charged all at once.
But Sabi Kang didn’t flinch. Instead, he spread his arms wide and shouted once more.
“Hellfire!”
WHOOSH!
In an instant, searing heat blasted in all directions.
“Agh! Aaaah!”
“It’s so hot!”
Agonized screams filled the air.
Sabi Kang continued to unleash high-level magic without pause.
“Volcano!”
RUMBLE! BOOM!
CRACK!
The ground split open, spewing pillars of fire and erupting with molten lava.
“Ahh! Nooo!”
“Please, spare me!”
It was nothing short of a hellscape.
As if the fiery onslaught wasn’t enough, now the earth was splitting and lava was bursting forth!
The cultists couldn’t believe the nightmare unfolding before them.
Sabi Kang unleashed his high-level magic with relentless fury.
“When something feels off, it’s best to deal with it quickly.”
He cut down a cultist charging at him with his sword, Berthas, and continued to stride forward.
Jonya’s lips curled into a sly smile.
She shivered with excitement.
Clearly, she was thrilled.
She clenched her small fist in triumph.
“Yes! As expected… that guy was worth it! To wield an 8th-circle spell so effortlessly! Ha ha ha!”
She had seen it once before, but witnessing it again only made her more pleased.
“Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha!”
Her clear laughter rang through the forest like a bell.