Episode 568: Return of the Demon Instructor
“You still don’t get it, do you?”
A chorus of voices erupted from dozens of faces.
But Sabikang merely smirked, a sly grin playing on his lips.
“Let’s see who’s really clueless here!”
With that, he launched himself off the ground, darting forward like an arrow.
“Not so fast!”
The faces embedded in Jakart’s body shouted in unison, unleashing a forest of tendrils.
Whirr! Clang!
Sabikang’s sword danced through the air, slicing through the oncoming tendrils with ease.
In the blink of an eye, he was upon Jakart, unleashing a powerful battle cry.
“Haaah!”
His sword energy surged forth, but something was different this time.
Normally, sword energy shoots straight like a blade. But this time, it writhed and twisted, as if alive, spiraling upward like a dragon ascending to the heavens.
Roar!
The crimson energy tore through Jakart’s body, threatening to rend the sky itself.
Slash!
Jakart’s torso split open, thick fluid oozing from the wound, congealing as if to swallow Sabikang whole.
The faces screamed again.
“I told you, it’s useless!”
At that moment, Sabikang shouted, “Now!”
His voice, infused with inner power, thundered across the village like a storm, even making Jakart flinch.
In that brief instant,
Bang!
Sabikang executed a rapid retreat, using a technique unfamiliar to Jakart, who had adapted well to magic in battle. He avoided using Blink, knowing Jakart could track his movements almost instantly.
Simultaneously,
Whoosh!
Three arrows sliced through the air, aiming for Jakart’s gaping wound.
True to his predatory nature, Jakart swallowed the arrows whole with his elongated maw.
Squirm…
The wound sealed, writhing as it closed.
“Heh. Pointless…”
The faces sneered, but then,
“Urgh!”
Suddenly, their expressions twisted in pain, and Jakart’s body began to glow a fiery red.
The faces writhed in agony, screaming.
“What have you done to me?!”
Sabikang tapped the back of his neck mockingly.
“See? Eating anything without thinking gives you a stomachache.”
“You wretch!”
Jakart roared, sending a thousand tendrils lashing out.
But before they could reach Sabikang,
“Argh!”
“Nooo!”
“Aaagh!”
The faces cried out in torment, Jakart’s body swelling ominously.
Boom!
A muffled explosion echoed from within, his body turning a deep crimson.
Then,
Rip!
Jakart’s body split open, spewing grotesque creatures and viscous fluid.
“Ugh! Blegh!”
The creatures, expelled from the wound, flailed helplessly before collapsing.
As Jakart returned to his original form, Sabikang approached him.
“You look much better like this.”
“Curse you!”
Enraged, Jakart lunged at Sabikang, jaws wide.
Just as his snake-like mouth was about to snap shut on Sabikang’s head,
“Shut that stinking mouth.”
Sabikang’s icy words were followed by a punch to Jakart’s face.
Boom!
The force sent Jakart flying, crashing through the pavilion.
Crash!
The estate lay in ruins from their battle.
Jakart staggered to his feet, disbelief etched on his face.
How could a mere human be so powerful?
Realizing he had no chance of victory, he gathered the last of his core magic.
All demons kept a reserve for emergencies.
“Hyah!”
With a strange cry, Jakart unleashed a freezing wave, turning the surroundings white with frost.
The cold was so intense that even the moisture in the air crystallized and fell like snow.
Sabikang, about to charge, found himself caught in the icy blast.
Freeze!
In an instant, he was encased in ice.
Jakart used Blink to escape, racing through the forest behind the estate.
Core magic was far stronger than regular magic, but once depleted, a demon’s power was nearly gone.
Frost marked Jakart’s path, freezing everything in his wake.
‘He’s no ordinary human!’
Even with core magic, Sabikang would soon break free.
Jakart hadn’t attacked, knowing he couldn’t defeat Sabikang in one blow.
He ran, fearing failure would mean his death.
How long he ran, he didn’t know, until he reached a valley with a waterfall.
There, a shadow stood.
“Who…?”
Jakart recognized the figure as Marquis Baritan.
Under normal circumstances, he would have questioned why Baritan was there.
But in his desperate state, he felt relief at seeing a fellow demon.
Perhaps he saw him as an ally.
Jakart rushed to Baritan, shouting for help.
“Marquis! Help me! Sabikang is leading an attack…!”
Thunk!
Jakart’s eyes widened in shock.
He looked down to see Baritan’s hand, transformed into a spike, piercing his heart.
Baritan smiled gently.
“Seems you’ve overexerted yourself. Your heart’s racing.”
“Why… Baritan…?”
“To achieve great things, one must use any means necessary. Isn’t that our demon way?”
“Your great ambition… still dreaming of rebellion…?”
“A dream… Sadly, you won’t even have that. Dreams are for the living.”
“You’ll fail… You don’t know how terrifying the Emperor is…”
“Shh… Rest now. You’ve endured enough for 2,300 years.”
Rip!
“Argh!”
Baritan tore out Jakart’s heart, and he collapsed with a scream.
Baritan gazed at the heart, pulsating with dark and red energy.
“Thank you.”
He murmured, crushing the heart to ash, inhaling it like a breeze.
Whoosh!
As he absorbed the ashes, his eyes flickered through colors before settling.
“Ah, excellent.”
He flexed his hands, satisfied.
A gust of wind heralded Sabikang’s arrival.
He glanced at Jakart’s fallen form, then at Baritan.
“They took out the heart, huh?”
Baritan shrugged nonchalantly. “Yep. If I were to give you a tip, it’s that demons are most likely to die instantly when their heart is destroyed.”
“Is that so?”
Sabi Kang feigned ignorance, though he already knew this. Baritan nodded in confirmation.
“Yes. Humans can die just from having their heads cut off, but many demons can regenerate from that.”
“I see. But I don’t see the heart you pulled out. Where is it?”
Baritan shrugged again, glancing at the stream. “No point in holding onto something useless, right? I tossed it.”
“I see. You tossed it.”
Sabi Kang looked at Baritan intently, their gazes locking in the air, as if trying to peer into each other’s souls.
Finally, Sabi Kang let out a small chuckle and turned away. Showing his back to Baritan was a calculated move, a subtle sign of trust.
With his back turned, Sabi Kang spoke. “But you’re a bit late this time. I thought you’d join me in attacking Jakart.”
“You know his name well.”
“Underestimate human intelligence at your own peril.”
“True enough. But don’t get me wrong. I held back because I didn’t want to interfere in your fight with Jakart. After all, it’s crucial to strike at the decisive moment, isn’t it? Besides, my subordinates are already making their mark in that village.”
“Interfere, huh…”
Sabi Kang muttered under his breath, a wry smile playing on his lips. He didn’t believe Baritan for a second.
‘No, it’s more likely he’s scheming to absorb Jakart’s dark power.’
That’s probably why he took out the heart. But Baritan would never guess that Sabi Kang had deliberately let Jakart go.
Sabi Kang recalled his conversation with Gu Yoon before coming here.
“You must not eliminate Jakart yourself, my lord.”
“Then what?”
“Let Baritan do it.”
“But if that happens, he might absorb Jakart’s dark power. He won’t pass up such a feast.”
“That’s exactly what I want.”
“Why?”
“To catch a big fish, you need to sharpen your knife first, don’t you?”
“But we might get cut by that knife.”
“There’s no point in wielding a dull blade. It’s more important to master the use of that knife.”
For this reason, Sabi Kang fully embraced Gu Yoon’s strategy.
‘The knife is sharpened. Now it’s up to you to aim it at the demon king.’
Just as Sabi Kang was about to move, Baritan’s voice stopped him.
“So, what’s the next plan?”
Sabi Kang paused, then replied, “We’ve made our move, so they’ll respond. We asked the question first; now we wait for the answer.”
With that, Sabi Kang unleashed his celestial technique and swiftly took to the skies.