Chapter 553: Return of the Demon Sect Leader

Nung Un-pa gazed down at his hands, now as black as obsidian. His entire body had transformed—hands, arms, legs—all were now a deep, solid black. He reached up to touch the two horns that had sprouted from his forehead, curving gracefully back over his head. When he spread the wings folded against his back, they were large enough to envelop his entire body.

“A perfect being… a transcendent existence!” he thought, his hands trembling with excitement. At last, he had achieved the power he had longed for.

“Heh, hahahahaha!” He threw back his head and laughed, the sound echoing like thunder across the sky.

Just then, he sensed a murderous intent directed at him and turned his head. Approaching through the air was Akcheon-gwe, his eyes narrowing into a charming smile. Despite his youthful appearance, Nung Un-pa exuded an aura of ancient power.

“Pathetic,” he muttered, watching Akcheon-gwe’s slow approach. The man’s sluggish movements seemed almost pitiable.

“Shall I make a move?” Nung Un-pa mused, cracking his neck. In an instant, he appeared right in front of Akcheon-gwe, whose eyes widened in shock.

“You…!” Akcheon-gwe snarled, launching a close-range attack with clawed hands. His technique was swift, faster than any sword or spear, perfect for close combat. Nung Un-pa’s sudden appearance seemed like a grave mistake.

But then, with a swift movement, Nung Un-pa vanished, leaving Akcheon-gwe’s attack to slice through empty air. The force of his strike tore through the sky, but it hit nothing.

Suddenly, Akcheon-gwe felt a heavy blow to his back, sending him crashing to the ground like a cannonball.

“Ugh…!” he groaned, struggling to his feet and coughing up blood. His back throbbed with pain. Around him lay countless eggs, their sticky surfaces oozing black liquid.

“Damn it…!” he cursed, slashing at one of the giant eggs in frustration. But the egg merely shuddered, showing no further reaction.

Nung Un-pa descended gracefully to the ground. “Aren’t they beautiful?” he asked, his voice filled with affection as he gazed at the eggs. “They are in the process of being reborn. How about you? Would you like to be reborn?”

Akcheon-gwe laughed bitterly. “I was always a monster. You lot just hide your true nature, pretending to be righteous!”

“Is that so?” Nung Un-pa replied, unfazed.

“Of course!” Akcheon-gwe shouted, charging at Nung Un-pa with renewed fury, his hands slashing through the air with deadly intent.

But once again, Nung Un-pa vanished, leaving Akcheon-gwe’s attacks to tear through the air in vain. Frustrated, Akcheon-gwe swung wildly, his attacks shredding the sky but hitting nothing.

Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine. He spun around, teeth gritted, and prepared to unleash his final attack. But just as he was about to strike, Nung Un-pa appeared, effortlessly catching Akcheon-gwe’s wrist.

This was no ordinary grip. Akcheon-gwe’s technique, the Ghost Claw, turned his arm into a weapon. Yet Nung Un-pa had caught it barehanded, as if it were nothing.

“You seem proud of this hand,” Nung Un-pa remarked, tightening his grip. His blackened hand bulged with power, his nails growing into sharp talons, more formidable than Akcheon-gwe’s own.

“Curse you…!” Akcheon-gwe spat, sweat pouring down his face.

With a swift motion, Nung Un-pa tore Akcheon-gwe’s arm from his body, tossing it aside like refuse.

“Pathetic,” he said, watching as Akcheon-gwe clutched his wound, trying to staunch the bleeding.

Ignoring Akcheon-gwe’s cries, Nung Un-pa turned away, his eyes on the distant figures of Gu-yun, Bi-ryeong, and the others climbing the hill.

“Don’t ignore me, Nung Leader!” Akcheon-gwe shouted, forcing himself to his feet despite his injuries.

But Nung Un-pa did not respond. Instead, he watched as Akcheon-gwe, driven by desperation, charged at him once more.

Just as Akcheon-gwe was about to strike, a shadow appeared behind Nung Un-pa. It was Lee Ja-jun, the Spear Master, who had been waiting for the right moment to attack. With a swift thrust, he impaled Akcheon-gwe with his spear, absorbing his energy and extinguishing his final attack.

“Damn it…!” Akcheon-gwe cursed, his body collapsing as his strength left him.

Lee Ja-jun turned to follow Nung Un-pa, leaving Akcheon-gwe to his fate.

“Ha… ha…” Akcheon-gwe laughed weakly, drawing the attention of Nung Un-pa and Lee Ja-jun.

“Why do you laugh?” Nung Un-pa asked.

“Because… you’ll never stop them. They’ll escape this place alive,” Akcheon-gwe replied, a defiant smile on his lips.

“You’re certain?” Nung Un-pa inquired, intrigued.

“Absolutely,” Akcheon-gwe said. “No matter how strong you become, there’s a wall you can’t surpass.”

“A wall?” Nung Un-pa echoed, curious.

“Yes… a name that will haunt you forever. Sa Bi-gang.”

For a moment, Nung Un-pa’s expression faltered, but he quickly regained his composure, a hint of excitement in his eyes.

“Sa Bi-gang… I had almost forgotten that name. Now I find myself eager to meet them again.”

“You’ll meet them sooner than you think,” Akcheon-gwe promised.

“How soon?” Nung Un-pa asked.

“Soon,” Akcheon-gwe replied, his voice fading. “I sent a message last night. The Ten Thousand Mile Hawk will deliver it.”

The Ten Thousand Mile Hawk, a legendary creature capable of flying vast distances in a single day, was the fastest messenger in the world.

“Interesting. But it will take time for Sa Bi-gang to arrive,” Nung Un-pa mused.

“Yet somehow… I believe they’ll perform a miracle,” Akcheon-gwe said, his voice filled with conviction.

“Humans are foolish, placing their fate in such fantasies,” Nung Un-pa remarked, turning away. “It was an entertaining conversation. May your death be as spectacular.”

With that, Nung Un-pa and Lee Ja-jun continued on their path, leaving Akcheon-gwe behind.

After finishing his speech, Neung Un-pa turned with a gentle smile.

In the next moment, wings unfurled majestically from his back.

Whoosh!

With a single powerful flap, he soared into the sky in an instant.

Neung Un-pa murmured to himself with a satisfied smile.

“Even without these wings, I can fly just fine… but they do look impressive.”

With a smirk, he flew towards the distant figures of Gu Yoon and his companions.

Following closely behind was Lee Ja-jun.

Left alone, Ak Cheon-gwe stood frozen, gasping for breath.

“Sabi-gang…! Please, come…! I have no hope left. I pray… you won’t be too late.”

Just then, a strange change began to unfold around him.

Crack…! Crackle…!

The black sphere, as solid as an egg, started to fracture.

Finally,

Craaaack! Snap!

One of the large eggs split cleanly in half, and a sticky liquid oozed out.

From within the tangled web of liquid, a dark figure emerged, striding forward.

Ak Cheon-gwe’s eyes widened in shock as he took in the sight.

Its skin was pitch black, with multiple tentacles writhing on one shoulder, and a massive, claw-like appendage resembling a lobster’s pincer on the other.

“Is that… a demon soldier?”

But it seemed far more powerful than that.

Then, suddenly,

Crack…! Crackle…!

Snap…! Crackle…!

The surrounding black eggs began to fracture and tremble, splitting open one by one.

Thousands of eggs were hatching.

One of the creatures, noticing Ak Cheon-gwe slumped on his knees, spoke in a halting, awkward voice.

“Human…! Inferior… human…! Crush… kill.”

“Human… insect… kill.”

A bitter smile flickered across Ak Cheon-gwe’s face.

“Damn… so much for a glorious death.”