Episode 452: Return of the Demon Instructor
“Ha!”
Mok Dan-hwa gasped, quickly thrusting her hand forward.
“Fireball!”
Whoosh, boom!
The fireball shot out, causing the demon horseman to stagger.
“You witch!”
The demon horseman scowled, ready to strike again with his sword when—
Whoosh!
This time, fiery insects suddenly emerged, piercing his abdomen.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
The demon horseman recoiled, eyes wide with shock.
“Curse you, wretched women…!”
He spat out a mouthful of blood, glaring furiously.
He wanted nothing more than to snatch Seol Seo-rin’s whip and lash out in a frenzy, but his body wouldn’t obey.
He had underestimated these mere instructors, and now his life was in danger!
Just then—
“Still struggling, are we?”
A voice, dripping with indifference.
The demon horseman turned, his face paling.
A large man approached, his expression unreadable.
It was Samshinma.
“I-I apologize.”
The demon horseman quickly bowed in apology.
Samshinma glanced at the wound on the demon horseman’s abdomen.
“You’re injured.”
“It’s nothing serious.”
“Doesn’t look that way. You won’t be able to fight like that.”
“N-no! I’m fine!”
The demon horseman protested, visibly anxious.
But Samshinma remained cold and detached.
“If you’re not useful, you might as well rest.”
“But…!”
With a flick of his finger, Samshinma sent a burst of energy.
Whizz!
Thud!
The demon horseman fell, a hole in his forehead, unable to protest further.
As he collapsed, Mok Dan-hwa and Seol Seo-rin exchanged nervous glances, swallowing hard.
This man who had just appeared—he was the one the demon horseman had been so deferential to. His presence alone was overwhelming.
For the first time, a sly smile crept onto Samshinma’s face.
“So, it was just two women causing all this trouble. No wonder the demon horseman struggled.”
His gaze flicked to the fallen demon horseman before returning.
If they hadn’t been women, the demon horseman wouldn’t have held back, and the outcome might have been different.
Crack.
He cracked his neck, then looked at Mok Dan-hwa and Seol Seo-rin, pointing a finger at each in turn.
“Which one should I kill first? Let’s decide.”
His finger stopped on Mok Dan-hwa.
She flinched, gripping her weapon tightly.
‘Stay calm… Wait, what?’
In an instant, her eyes widened in shock.
Samshinma was suddenly right in front of her.
‘When did he…?’
Before she could process it—
Swish!
Samshinma’s hand sliced through the air toward her.
“Ugh!”
Mok Dan-hwa gritted her teeth, pushing off the ground with all her might.
Whoosh!
Samshinma’s hand narrowly missed her shoulder.
“Oh?”
Samshinma looked at her with interest, seemingly surprised.
Mok Dan-hwa, her jaw clenched, charged at him fiercely.
“Don’t underestimate me!”
Swish!
She unleashed the second form of her sword technique, aiming to cleave Samshinma in two.
“Haha! This is fun!”
Samshinma laughed heartily, extending his hands.
Boom!
Her attack lost its momentum, and from behind, a fiery tail whipped toward him.
Whoosh!
Samshinma caught the tail with his hand, the sound of burning flesh filling the air, yet his expression remained relaxed.
“Playing with interesting toys, are we?”
“Shut up!”
In that moment, the tattoo on Seol Seo-rin’s cheek glowed red, and the tail transformed into sharp spikes.
Thud, thud, thud!
The spikes pierced Samshinma’s body—or so it seemed.
They barely penetrated his skin.
“How…?”
Seol Seo-rin’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Whoosh!
“Ah!”
Samshinma yanked the whip, pulling Seol Seo-rin toward him.
As he prepared to strike—
“Die!”
Mok Dan-hwa leaped, slashing at Samshinma’s neck.
But—
Clang!
The sound was like metal striking metal, echoing through the air.
Though Samshinma released the tail, he remained unscathed.
Instead, he grabbed Mok Dan-hwa by the collar.
“Ugh! Let… go…!”
“You’re quite the nuisance, woman.”
“Let… go…!”
“The game’s over.”
Samshinma lifted her effortlessly.
Sensing her impending death, Mok Dan-hwa squeezed her eyes shut.
Just as he was about to slam her into the ground—
Beep! Beep! Beep!
A sharp sound pierced the air, and suddenly—
Thud, thud, thud!
Blood spurted from Samshinma’s body, momentarily immobilizing him.
Freed from his grip, Mok Dan-hwa clutched her side, gasping for breath.
“Huff, huff, huff…!”
Meanwhile, Samshinma, bound by invisible threads, growled, his expression finally showing anger.
“Why do you keep interfering? Come at me all at once!”
He spread his arms wide, and—
Snap, snap!
The sound of breaking threads filled the air as he regained his freedom.
Then, once more—
Beep!
A sharp sound!
But this time, Samshinma was ready.
Swish, thud!
He caught a flying dagger, yanking it hard, pulling a man from the rooftop to the ground.
Thud!
It was Seol Su-min.
“Rat!”
Samshinma roared, charging at him, but Seol Su-min didn’t flee. Instead, he hurled his weapon, meeting Samshinma head-on.
As they clashed—
Boom!
A deafening explosion sent both flying.
“Brother!”
Seol Seo-rin screamed, rushing over.
Seol Su-min lay in a corner, covered in blood.
Samshinma, too, wasn’t unscathed, lying amidst the rubble, motionless.
But Seol Su-min’s injuries were severe.
“Huff, huff, huff…! Run, Rin.”
“Brother! No! I can’t leave you!”
“There’s no time! He’s not dead yet! I’ll buy you time, so run!”
“No! I’d rather leave her behind! Brother! Let’s go together!”
‘This is too much.’
Mok Dan-hwa thought, swallowing her emotions.
Seol Su-min glanced at her, signaling her to take Seol Seo-rin and leave.
Though Samshinma seemed down, he wouldn’t be defeated so easily.
She had felt it during their last exchange.
He wasn’t someone who would die so easily.
They needed to escape now.
Understanding his intent, Mok Dan-hwa struck Seol Seo-rin’s pressure points.
Tap. Tap tap.
“Huh…! You…!”
Seol Seo-rin couldn’t finish her sentence, her eyes filled with resentment before she fell unconscious.
Mok Dan-hwa bowed to Seol Su-min.
“Thank you for saving me. I owe you my life. And… I’m sorry.”
“It’s nothing. It was my decision.”
Seol Su-min glanced at his fallen sister, then continued.
“She’s been lonely all her life. It was nice to see her have a friend.”
“A friend…?”
“Yes, you two were truly good friends. Please take care of her. Tell her I’m sorry I couldn’t do more as her brother.”
“Why… why did you do it?”
Tears welled in Mok Dan-hwa’s eyes.
She knew.
In that final strike, Seol Su-min had been prepared to sacrifice himself.
Seol Sumin’s response was as expected, almost inevitable.
“If I hadn’t intervened… I wouldn’t have been able to save you all. If I hadn’t stepped in back then… both you and Lina would have been killed by that monster… cough!”
Just then, a rustling sound broke the tense silence.
The fallen Samsinma began to stir, trying to rise from the debris of shattered wood.
Seol Sumin pulled out another meteor hammer from his robe.
“I still have one last move left. If luck is on our side, I might be able to hold him off a bit longer. Go now. Be a good friend to Lina.”
Mok Danhwa nodded silently, hoisting Seol Seorin onto her shoulder.
“I won’t forget this.”
With that, Mok Danhwa turned and began to sprint away, her steps light and swift.
Watching her retreating figure, Seol Sumin allowed himself a faint smile.
“Father, Mother… have I failed as a brother? Please, don’t hate me too much. I had no other choice.”
Muttering to himself, Seol Sumin struggled to his feet.
Rumble…!
At that moment, Samsinma, having freed himself from the wreckage, began to advance with a terrifying expression.
“Who said you could leave?!”
In a flash, he vanished, reappearing in front of Mok Danhwa, who was running across the rooftops.
With Seol Seorin on her back, Mok Danhwa had no chance to evade.
Just as she thought it was the end,
Boom!
A powerful force struck Samsinma’s back, sending him flying like a cannonball, crashing through another pavilion.
“Are you two alright?”
The timely arrival of Wigumjong was nothing short of miraculous.
“Yes, but Seol Sumin…”
Mok Danhwa’s voice trailed off as Wigumjong’s gaze shifted to Seol Sumin, who lay some distance away.
Seol Sumin shouted, “Don’t worry about me! Please, take care of the children!”
Assessing the situation with a calm mind, Wigumjong nodded and took Seol Seorin from Mok Danhwa.
“Run!”
“Yes!”
As the three of them made their escape,
Crash!
The debris of the collapsed pavilion exploded outward as Samsinma rose once more.
“Raaaargh!”
He roared like a beast, his eyes burning as he scanned the surroundings.
Seol Sumin smirked coldly.
“All that bravado, and look at you now.”
“You bastard… I’ll kill you.”
“Fine, let’s die together.”
“You scum!”
Whistle!
The meteor hammer sliced through the air.
In an instant, Seol Sumin’s eyes widened.
The hammer was still flying, but Samsinma had already appeared right in front of him, pressing a finger to his forehead.
Thud!
A hole pierced through his forehead, and the fight ended in a heartbeat.
**
“This, this can’t be…!”
Gugangryong couldn’t believe what he was witnessing.
He had reached the pinnacle of martial arts.
Yet, even he would have to risk his life against dozens of top-tier masters.
But Ong Giseung was different.
He swept through the enemies with ease.
It wasn’t the Sleep Technique.
A colossal presence loomed behind Ong Giseung.
It was undoubtedly the Demon Spirit.
To see the Demon Spirit fighting against the Demon Sect…
Anyone would dismiss it as nonsense.
But it was happening right before his eyes.
“Can you really control the Demon Spirit?”
Gugangryong asked, his voice filled with awe.
Ong Giseung shrugged. “Well, it seems that way. It’s not perfect yet, though.”
“That’s… incredible.”
“Let’s go, brother. It seems there are no more isolated ones.”
“Yes, let’s.”
Even as he replied, Gugangryong couldn’t tear his eyes away from the massive presence behind Ong Giseung.
As they took a few steps, he asked, “But won’t it disappear?”
“Oh, it will.”
As Ong Giseung relaxed, the Demon Spirit behind him dissolved into the air, vanishing like mist.
**
“Alright! Let’s head back to the inner quarters!”
At Murang Dosha’s command, the students who had been training in Murang Hall quickly tidied up and moved out.
Gazing at the northern gate of the inner quarters, Murang Dosha thought to himself,
‘Now we just need to focus on defending the south!’