Episode 456: Return of the Demon Instructor
Clang!
A deafening metallic sound echoed as a powerful wave of energy swept through the area.
Caught off guard, Gu-yun stumbled backward, losing his balance.
“Ah!”
As he teetered on the edge, a sheer cliff loomed in his vision.
‘No!’
He couldn’t die like this.
Standing at the brink of death, a fierce will to live surged within him.
Desperately, he flailed his arms, grasping for anything to hold onto.
By sheer luck, his hand caught a branch jutting out from the cliffside.
Dangling precariously, Gu-yun prayed silently.
‘Damn it! Just let me survive this! I’ll live stronger!’
Meanwhile, Jonya, who had attacked Gu-yun, narrowed her eyes at the shadow blocking her path.
It was none other than Black Ghost.
With Sabikang joining the rescue mission, Black Ghost had been tasked with protecting Gu-yun.
Blessed by a minor dark deity, Black Ghost could withstand some of Jonya’s attacks.
However, Jonya’s body was possessed by the Marquis of Baritan, who was blessed by five dark deities.
For Black Ghost, with only a single minor deity’s blessing, it was a daunting challenge.
Jonya regarded Black Ghost with a curious gaze.
“You… you smell like one of us.”
“I do tend to carry a bit of a stench,” Black Ghost replied with a cold smile, causing Jonya’s eyebrow to twitch.
“Arrogant…”
“Haaah!”
Clang!
With a battle cry, Black Ghost leaped back, pulling Gu-yun up from the cliff with a swift motion.
He then drove his sword into the cliffside, using the momentum to propel himself upward.
Fortunately, Gu-yun, who had been thrown to safety, seemed uninjured.
Jonya smirked faintly.
“Do you think a pact with a dark deity makes you my equal? You’re just a mere human.”
“And isn’t the body you inhabit just a mere human’s as well? Why does someone so ‘great’ need to leech off a human body?”
“Such insolence.”
“I learned it from someone I respect.”
Jonya’s lips twitched with irritation.
Meanwhile, as Jonya and Black Ghost faced off, Bi-ryeong approached the fallen Gu-yun.
“Commander! Are you alright?”
“Ryeong… I’m fine. But you should… ugh…!”
As Gu-yun tried to stand, he collapsed back down.
“Commander!”
“Truly pathetic. A ‘chief commander’ who not only failed the mission but also got captured by the enemy.”
Gu-yun bit his lip, glancing at his swollen ankle.
It seemed he might have fractured it.
“Get on my back.”
“What are you planning?”
“What else? We need to get out of here!”
“What about Black Ghost…?”
“Our mission is to protect you, Commander. In an emergency, he’s agreed to take our place.”
“Even so…”
“Commander! You need to see the bigger picture! Didn’t you see it too? Through that frozen mirror, how dire the situation is for our martial allies!”
Gu-yun’s expression wavered.
He had momentarily forgotten in his despair.
How foolish and pathetic was he?
Just moments ago, when his life was on the line, he vowed to live stronger if he survived.
How quickly had he become weak again?
Gu-yun’s face hardened with renewed determination.
“Ryeong, thank you.”
“Get on.”
“Please.”
Gu-yun climbed onto Bi-ryeong’s back.
Her shoulders were smaller than he had imagined.
‘I’ve been relying on these small shoulders.’
But he knew well.
To him, her back was broader than anyone else’s.
‘I must become a support for someone too.’
Resolute, Gu-yun whispered to Bi-ryeong.
“Let’s head to the nearest safe point!”
“Understood!”
Just then,
“Who said you could leave?”
A booming voice rang out as Jonya suddenly appeared behind Bi-ryeong.
But then,
“Your opponent is me!”
With a thunderous shout, Black Ghost unleashed a powerful energy wave.
Whoosh!
Boom!
As Jonya met the attack with her own, a massive explosion reduced the surrounding trees to ash.
Crackle…!
In the chaos, Bi-ryeong, with Gu-yun on her back, sprinted away with all her might.
“You wretches…!”
As Jonya prepared to give chase, Black Ghost intercepted her with blinding speed, swinging his sword.
His agility was unmatched, even faster than Sabikang’s.
“Annoying…!”
“Hah!”
Clang!
Once more, a metallic clash erupted, sending shockwaves in all directions.
Rumble…!
Crack…!
The repeated powerful impacts made the cliff tremble as if an earthquake had struck.
Swish, thud!
With a swift spin, Black Ghost blocked Bi-ryeong’s path, brandishing his sword.
“You won’t pass without my permission.”
Jonya stared incredulously before letting out a derisive laugh.
“Humans, so proud even in the face of death.”
“Think what you will.”
“I’ll tear you limb from limb!”
In a flash, Jonya vanished, reappearing behind Black Ghost.
Slash!
“Agh!”
With a swipe of her hand, a diagonal wound appeared on Black Ghost’s back, blood gushing forth.
As he staggered back, Jonya conjured a sharp ice spear in her hand.
“Take this.”
Whoosh!
Bang!
Countless ice spears flew at him, but Black Ghost deftly shattered them with swift movements.
Though he managed to fend them off, he felt like he was walking a tightrope over a chasm.
A tightrope with no end in sight.
One misstep, and he would plummet into the abyss.
Meanwhile, Bi-ryeong, carrying Gu-yun, was on high alert, ears pricked at the sounds of battle behind them.
Though she was fleeing with Gu-yun, she couldn’t help but feel guilty about leaving Black Ghost behind.
“Is it bothering you?”
“No.”
Gu-yun gave a wry smile at her response.
“Even if it does, keep running.”
”…!”
Bi-ryeong was taken aback by his unexpected words.
She had thought he might tell her to put him down and go back to help Black Ghost.
But Gu-yun seemed to have truly steeled his resolve.
“He’ll manage. Your duty is to protect and save me. Focus on your mission.”
Bi-ryeong’s expression hardened with determination.
“Understood!”
The two of them quickly distanced themselves from the cliff.
Boom!
Bang!
Slash!
The sounds of clashing and tearing continued to echo from the cliff.
Occasionally, cries and shouts could be heard, all belonging to Black Ghost.
Indeed, Black Ghost was fighting with all his might at the edge of death.
“Huff, huff, huff…!”
Bloodied and battered, Black Ghost glared at Jonya with half-closed eyes.
Amazingly, Jonya remained unscathed, a smug smile on her lips.
“Did you think a dark deity’s blessing would make you invincible? Do you see the difference between us now?”
“Huff… huff… Screw… you…! Or do you lack the equipment?”
Jonya’s brow twitched again.
“Vulgar…”
“Huff… huff… If my lord were here… you’d be nothing but a handful.”
“Your lord…? You mean that Sabikang?”
“Yes.”
“Is he that impressive? But he ended up aiding my cause, so it’s my victory.”
“You’re the one… full of arrogance…”
“Hahaha! Just as ants can’t call humans arrogant, you humans can’t call a demon like me arrogant.”
“Fool… huff, huff… Humans don’t even talk to ants.”
“Hmm. Let’s end this.”
“As you wish.”
“I’ll kill you and then hunt down those wretches. Die in despair.”
“You’ll never kill me.”
“Still so arrogant!”
In a flash, Jonya vanished again, reappearing behind Black Ghost with her hand raised to strike.
She intended to finish him in one blow.
Even if Black Ghost realized her tactic, her speed would outmatch his reaction.
But then,
“Think I’d fall for that again?”
With a roar, Black Ghost spread his arms wide.
Suddenly,
Whoosh!
Complete darkness enveloped both Jonya and Black Ghost.
Momentarily disoriented, Jonya quickly regained her composure and shouted.
“Pathetic! Is this your last trick?”
She thrust her hand forward, calling out.
“Blaze Tempest!”
In the pitch-black darkness, a fierce column of fire suddenly erupted, sweeping through the surroundings like a raging storm.
Crack! Crash!
The sound of something shattering was followed by the disappearance of the complete darkness.
At that moment!
Whoosh, thud!
“Hmm?”
Jonya felt something wrap tightly around her waist.
Before she knew it, the dark specter had appeared behind her, clutching her waist and sprinting at an incredible speed.
“You scoundrel!”
Jonya grabbed the specter’s wrist, applying pressure.
Crack!
“Ugh!”
But the specter only groaned, refusing to release its grip.
Then, suddenly,
Whoosh!
They were airborne, suspended in the void.
The specter had leaped off the cliff, holding Jonya tightly.
Simultaneously, it unleashed all its energy with a fierce shout.
“Ahhhhh!”
The tattoos etched across its body glowed intensely against its skin.
Jonya was startled as unfamiliar energy surged into her, swirling chaotically.
This was the way of the martial artists of the Central Plains, fighting with their inner strength.
As a demon from Baritan, this method was foreign to her.
‘I will entrust my body to you.’
‘Understood.’
As Baritan’s spirit receded, the rejuvenated demon spirit took control of the body.
Yet, even she found it difficult to repel the overwhelming force the specter was channeling into her.
All the while, their endless descent continued.
“We’ll die together!”
The specter shouted one last time, pouring all its energy into Jonya.
**
Rumble…!
Sabigang looked up at the towering fortress that had risen at the descent site.
The structure, now fully formed, seemed to reach for the sky.
Its hardened trunk resembled a massive rock, like a fossilized tree.
Though it had grown like a plant, Sabigang knew well that the surface of this demonic fortress was harder than most rocks or metals.
The Demon King’s Castle.
All seven stages of terraforming had been completed.
Now, the descent of the Demon King was merely a matter of time.
Within a day, perhaps even within an hour, the Demon King would arrive.
With terraforming complete, there was no longer any way to prevent the descent.
Crack…!
Finally, the golem barrier began to crack and crumble with a heavy sound.
The barrier had fulfilled its purpose until the completion of terraforming.
The golems had exhausted all their mana, offering the deathly energy of countless sacrifices to the demons.
Sabigang quickly surveyed the surroundings.
The martial artists were still being sacrificed amidst the horrific scene.
Humans, consumed by the seven deadly sins, were either becoming prey to the monsters or destroying each other in their greed.
It was time to end the sacrifices.
He had to save as many as possible.
“Listen, everyone! The barrier has fallen, so we must attempt to escape now! Get as far away from here as you can!”
They had failed to stop the Demon King’s descent.
But they couldn’t just sit and be annihilated.
Sabigang’s eyes turned cold and resolute.
“Come on, show yourselves, you wretched creatures.”
The monsters that would emerge now would possess full intelligence.
Swoosh!
A sharp aura formed around Vertas.