Episode 491: The Return of the Demon Instructor
As Sang Pil-ji stepped forward, Cassis let out a chuckle.
“You think you alone can stop me?”
“Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut?”
Sang Pil-ji’s voice was rough, but his smile was sharp.
Cassis shook his head, amused.
“I’ve always known humans to be reckless, but this is just foolish. I’ll give you a chance before you regret it. Anyone else want to join in?”
“I can handle this alone…”
“If that’s the case, I’ll join too!”
A sudden voice interrupted.
Everyone turned to see who it was.
Soaring through the air with a swift movement technique was none other than Cheon Sae-myung.
He knelt before Eun Gi-ryung and shouted, “Cheon Sae-myung, at your service, my lord!”
“Cheon Instructor. You’ve returned.”
“The situation is urgent, so I’ll explain later.”
With that, Cheon Sae-myung turned swiftly, drawing his sword.
“I’ll teach you demons the dignity of humanity!”
Cassis smirked.
“Let me show you what true dignity looks like.”
In the next moment,
“Huh?”
“What the—!”
Sang Pil-ji and Cheon Sae-myung gasped as Cassis’s form dissolved into smoke and vanished.
The two men looked around, bewildered by the strange sight.
“Where did he go?”
Just then,
“Behind you!”
Yeoyoung, watching from the sidelines, screamed.
Sang Pil-ji and Cheon Sae-myung spun around, swinging their swords.
Clang!
Sparks flew as Cassis was pushed back.
Astonishingly, he had emerged from their shadows.
Moments later,
Whoosh!
Cassis’s form scattered like smoke once more.
Sang Pil-ji and Cheon Sae-myung stood back-to-back, scanning their surroundings with heightened senses.
In a flash,
“Below!”
Without a moment’s hesitation, they both shouted and leaped into the air.
Whoosh!
Cassis shot up like a whirlwind from their shadows.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Sparks erupted, and a powerful shockwave hit the two men.
As the skirmish ended, Cassis vanished into smoke again.
He continued to hide and reappear from shadows, as if every shadow in the world was his personal gateway.
“There he is!”
Clang!
“Damn it! He disappeared again!”
“Over here this time!”
Clang!
Sang Pil-ji and Cheon Sae-myung were frantically trying to fend off Cassis’s sudden attacks.
How long did this tense exchange last?
Finally, Cassis revealed himself fully before them.
He wore a relaxed expression.
“You’re holding up well. But how about this?”
He had no reason to rush. After all, they were just here to entertain him.
Cassis spread his arms wide and began to mutter something.
For a moment, he spoke in the language of the demon realm, leaving Sang Pil-ji and Cheon Sae-myung unable to understand a word.
When the muttering stopped,
Sssss…
The two men widened their eyes.
“The shadows…!”
Incredibly, Cassis’s shadow split into multiple sharp tendrils.
The sharpened shadows shot towards them at high speed.
Whoosh!
The shadows sliced through the air.
‘These aren’t just shadows; they’re real!’
Sang Pil-ji and Cheon Sae-myung were startled, stepping back and swinging their swords.
Clang! Clang!
Sure enough, the shadows clashed with their blades, snapping and bouncing off.
Who would have thought they’d end up fighting shadows?
Unbeknownst to them, the demon god protecting Cassis was the “Hidden Shadow” deity.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Dozens of shadow tendrils relentlessly attacked the two men.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
To an observer, it might have looked like they were performing a sword dance in mid-air.
“How long can you last?”
A smile played on Cassis’s lips.
There were only two ways to dispel this shadow attack.
Either flood the area with light so intense that shadows couldn’t form, or let complete darkness take over.
But such conditions were rare in the human world.
At least, until now.
Then…
Whoosh!
A gust of black wind swept through.
In an instant, Cassis, Sang Pil-ji, and Cheon Sae-myung were engulfed in pitch-black mist.
Even an owl perched on a distant branch watched the scene unfold.
**
“So, he survived after all.”
Baritan murmured as he gazed into a large orb.
Through the orb, connected to the owl’s eyes, he observed everything happening at Yongcheon Hall.
He immediately recognized the Black Ghost.
He hadn’t confirmed the Black Ghost’s death when he fell from the cliff that day.
Jonya asked, “Will Baron Cassis eliminate him?”
“Hmm. It’s hard to say.”
Surprisingly, Baritan’s response was cautious.
He had claimed not to care about the Black Ghost’s fate.
He believed the demons would surely kill him.
But now, he hesitated to make a judgment.
Sensing Jonya’s curiosity, Baritan continued.
“Baron Cassis and that man’s guardian demon are of the same type and rank. But the man’s demon is slightly stronger.”
“But isn’t it possessing a human body? There must be limits.”
Baritan smiled at Jonya.
That smile was so enchanting that Jonya felt almost faint.
“You, too, look down on humans despite being one.”
“Isn’t that true for you, my lord?”
“Of course, I find humans insignificant. But not all of them. For instance, someone like Sabi Kang is a force to be reckoned with.”
Baritan never thought he’d come to this realization.
But after spending so much time in Jonya’s body, he understood.
Humans are not weak.
They are as tenacious as cockroaches.
That’s why he sent Aranius this time.
The outcome didn’t matter to him.
He had nothing to lose.
“If that man defeats Baron Cassis, what happens?”
“Since they’re of the same type, his demon might consume Cassis’s demon. That could elevate the demon’s rank.”
“So, the man would become stronger.”
“Yes. But there’s no need to worry. No matter how strong he becomes, he won’t stand a chance against a demon of count rank or higher.”
“Of course.”
Jonya bowed deeply in respect.
Baritan gazed into the darkness outside, murmuring contentedly.
“Let’s watch and greet Duke Aranius when the time comes.”
“When will you inform His Majesty about Sabi Kang?”
“When the time is right.”
A sly smile lingered on Baritan’s lips.
**
Cassis was taken aback.
He had never seen such perfect darkness.
A rough voice echoed in the darkness.
“What? Who are you?”
Cassis was certain the voice’s owner wasn’t human.
Sensing danger, he quickly cast a spell.
“Light!”
A bright light burst from his fingertips, pushing back the surrounding darkness.
Whoosh!
As the darkness receded, Cassis found himself standing in the courtyard of the main hall.
Sang Pil-ji and Cheon Sae-myung looked bewildered by the sudden appearance and disappearance of the darkness.
At first, they thought Cassis was behind it.
But now, it was clear that Cassis was just as surprised as they were.
Then Cheon Sae-myung shouted in alarm.
“Look! The Black Ghost!”
The warriors, including Eun Gi-ryung, followed Cheon Sae-myung’s gaze.
There stood a man, shackled by chains, glaring at Cassis with hollow eyes.
Meanwhile, someone else was watching him with interest.
‘What is that?’
Aranius furrowed his brow, staring at the Black Ghost.
A human who had made a pact with a demon god?
Indeed, the man called “Black Ghost” exuded the aura of a demon god.
Of course, compared to the demons protecting him, it was a much lower rank.
But…
“Cassis. Step back now.”
“Duke! I’m fine!”
“That man might be too much for you. He’s no ordinary human.”
“I know. I can sense the demon within him. But look, he’s just a human whose soul is completely dominated by a demon. I have a chance. Let me take him.”
Cassis didn’t want to miss this opportunity.
Aranius understood what Cassis desired.
The demon protecting him was the Hidden Shadow demon.
A lower-ranked demon.
But if demons fought and one devoured the other, it could evolve into a mid or high-ranked demon.
Of course, it wasn’t as easy as it sounded.
No demon wanted their guardian demon to be consumed by another.
But a demon within a human?
That was worth a try.
The man was just a shell, unable to coexist with the demon, wandering aimlessly.
Of course, the real reason the Black Ghost couldn’t maintain his sanity was different, but they couldn’t know that.
In any case, the odds seemed favorable.
It would take at least a day for Sabigang to arrive, after all.
Waiting around was tedious, and if Cassis could wrest the dark spirit from that man, it wouldn’t be a bad outcome.
The dark spirit was useless to Aranius anyway.
He already had the highest-ranking dark spirits protecting him, and there was no room for more.
Finally, Aranius nodded.
“Very well, I grant you permission. But make no mistakes.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
Cassis walked forward with an unusually serious expression.
“Rrrr…!”
The black demon and Cassis faced each other, sharpening their auras.
Cassis remained vigilant.
Though the dark spirit resided in a human, he could sense it was stronger than the spirits protecting him.
However, the vessel was a mere human.
He couldn’t afford to be careless, but it was worth a try.
With a swift motion, Cassis launched himself off the ground.
His shadow split into dozens of strands, shooting toward the black demon.
Whoosh!
Cassis’s sword and the shadows rising from the floor hurtled toward the demon with terrifying speed.
In an instant, darkness enveloped everything.
Cassis’s sword sliced through the air.
Yet he didn’t panic.
Instead, he quickly extended his other hand, casting a prepared spell.
“Light!”
With a flash, the shadows reappeared.
But then…
“What?”
Cassis flinched, glancing around.
The opponent was nowhere to be seen.