Episode 577: Return of the Demon Sect
All eyes were on Yeon Woo-kyung.
The same thought crossed everyone’s mind.
“He actually said it… The official name… With such a straight face!”
Maeng Ga-sook let out a shallow sigh and muttered, “Well, that’s it. You guys can fight it out. Just hearing that cringeworthy name made me lose all my strength.”
“Exactly. I can’t believe he actually said that cheesy name out loud,” Bang Gak grumbled, and Seok Tan-gang nodded in agreement.
“It’s hard to understand the minds of those righteous sect folks.”
Gok Bo-ok, who had been listening quietly, clenched his fists and spoke up. “Hey, don’t generalize all of us in the righteous sect like that. We don’t exactly love the name either.”
“But it’s true that hearing it drained our energy and morale,” Jo Mun-tak murmured, hanging his head low.
Gok Bo-ok shrugged, scratching the back of his head as if he couldn’t argue with that.
Meanwhile, Lucidal watched the warriors banter in front of him, twitching his cheek in irritation.
“Are these fools mocking me?”
In a situation where every second counted, these small fry kept appearing, blocking his path in ridiculous ways, and it was getting on his nerves.
“What are you waiting for? Wipe them out!”
“Yes, sir!”
The guardians and demon knights charged at the warriors.
In response, the warriors led by the Celestial Annihilation Squad and the Newborn Division shouted their battle cries and clashed with the demon knights.
“Come on!”
“I’ll obliterate your very souls, you filthy demons!”
Chaos erupted as the battle spread.
Hundreds of demon knights and thousands of archers from the summoning grounds clashed in a chaotic melee.
Lucidal, after swiftly cutting down a warrior who dared to charge at him, turned away.
This trivial skirmish was best left to his subordinates. He wasn’t foolish enough to waste time on such provocations.
“I’ll repay this humiliation someday.”
Sssssss!
His form dissolved into smoke once more as he attempted to leave the battlefield.
Whoooooosh!
Suddenly, a fierce wind blew in, so strong that it was impossible to move forward.
Especially in his smoke form, he was even more vulnerable to such a gale.
“Ugh!”
Forced to reveal himself, Lucidal drew upon his magic, planting his feet firmly on the ground.
As the wind subsided, a woman wielding a mace appeared in his path.
It was Neung So-so, holding the Azure Staff.
Lucidal noticed the blue falcon perched on her shoulder.
“A spirit summoner?”
His eyes widened in disbelief.
A spirit summoner in the Central Plains? What kind of place was this Demon Annihilation Palace?
Lucidal twisted his lips into a sneer.
“A mere woman dares to show off her tricks.”
Two women stepped forward to stand beside Neung So-so.
They were Mok Dan-hwa and Seol Seo-rin.
Seol Seo-rin shouted indignantly, “Who are you calling a mere woman, you demon scum? Are you looking down on us because we’re women?”
Lucidal chuckled.
“Women? I only look down on humans. Though, if they’re female, even more so…”
At that moment, Mok Dan-hwa stepped forward, shouting, “What did you just say, you filthy creature? You think you can look down on women? Do you even know the terror of a woman? You pathetic demon, flapping your mouth like that. If I cut off your pride, you’d be crying in no time. I’ll slice it thin and turn it into jerky.”
”…”
Her rapid-fire words left a silence in their wake.
Seol Seo-rin looked at Mok Dan-hwa, bewildered.
“Wow. That was intense…”
“Well, hanging around with a bad influence has changed my language.”
“Am I the bad influence?”
“Who else would it be?”
“I’m not that bad…”
“Stop pretending to be innocent, you annoying girl.”
“What? Did you just say everything you wanted to say?”
“Yes, I did! If it weren’t for Brother Su-min’s last words, you’d be my lackey by now.”
“What are you talking about? And who said Brother Su-min is yours? He’s my brother!”
“Who said otherwise?”
“You little…!”
As the two bickered, Lucidal watched them, dumbfounded, before lowering his head.
“Heh. Hahaha!”
His sudden laughter made the two women stop and turn to him, frowning.
“Why is he laughing? Has he lost it?”
“Seems like it.”
In the next moment, Lucidal’s expression turned cold as he murmured, “I must have seemed too easy to you. Your provocation worked. Come, I’ll show you the difference in our existence.”
Mok Dan-hwa’s expression faltered.
She glanced at Seol Seo-rin and said, “That was kind of cool.”
“Yeah, proving the difference in existence… It has a nice ring to it.”
“Sigh, I used to speak so elegantly. How did I end up tangled with a crazy girl like you?”
“Who’s crazy?”
“Who else? You…”
In a flash,
“Pathetic creatures!”
Lucidal shouted, transforming into a dark ash cloud and rushing toward the two women.
“Silestine!”
At Neung So-so’s command, the blue falcon split into dozens, colliding with the ash cloud.
Pop!
But Lucidal, appearing right in front of them, drew his sword and slashed diagonally.
“Finish your chatter in the afterlife!”
Swoosh!
In that instant,
Bang!
Seol Seo-rin kicked off the ground, leaping back.
Then,
Whoosh!
Makan’s tail whipped through the air, striking.
Crash!
Makan’s tail wrapped around the sword, igniting in flames.
“Now!”
At Seol Seo-rin’s shout, Mok Dan-hwa launched herself forward.
She moved faster than an arrow.
Their swift response was thanks to Neung So-so using Silestine to aid their movements.
Mok Dan-hwa, flying like a shot, unleashed her deadly needles.
Whizz!
Her attack was as fierce as a viper striking its prey.
Thud! Thud!
The needles struck Lucidal’s body, but each time, his form dissipated like smoke.
Whoosh!
Finally, Lucidal, fully transformed into smoke, shifted aside and reappeared.
In a split second,
“I’ve been waiting!”
Gok Bo-ok roared, launching himself like a cannonball.
Boom!
His fist slammed into the ground.
Once again, Lucidal turned to smoke, passing through Gok Bo-ok.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Jo Mun-tak shouted, sending a swarm of black bees at him.
Buzz!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The swarm pierced through Lucidal’s smoky form.
Following that, Maeng Ga-sook’s nine-section staff, Seok Tan-gang’s chain sickle, and Yoo Song-ryeong’s giant sword attacked.
But each time, Lucidal turned to smoke, rendering their attacks futile.
Finally, the Celestial Annihilation Squad and the Newborn Division surrounded him, launching relentless attacks.
But it was like swinging at air.
After a while,
“Looks like all the moths have gathered.”
Lucidal sneered, then suddenly shouted.
“Haa!”
In an instant, his entire body turned crimson.
Boom!
His body exploded, scattering in all directions.
Anyone unfamiliar with his demonic powers might have thought he swallowed explosives.
“Aaagh!”
“Ugh!”
The Celestial Annihilation Squad and the Newborn Division were swept away by the massive explosion, falling like autumn leaves.
The blast was so powerful it devastated everything within a hundred yards.
“Ugh…”
“Damn it…”
Yeom Ja-ryang, his body charred black, tried to stand but collapsed again.
As Lucidal’s scattered form reassembled into a complete shape, five guardians flew to his side.
Two seemed to have perished in battle.
“Let’s go. We have no time to waste.”
“Yes, sir!”
Though he wanted to kill all the fallen warriors, it wasn’t worth the effort.
With that, Lucidal and his subordinates disappeared into the dense forest.
In a corner, Gok Bo-ok groaned as he got to his feet.
“That guy’s insanely strong… I almost died.”
Bang Gak, spitting out a mouthful of blood, replied.
“Damn it! Even with all of us, we can’t handle this.”
“If that guy had been fighting seriously, we’d all be dead by now.”
Meng Gasuk glanced around as he spoke.
The spot where Lucidal had stood was now a deep crater, as if a meteor had struck.
Jo Muntak, his eyes swollen, managed a weak smile.
Having exhausted much of his energy using the black hive, his injuries were particularly severe.
“Still… we did our best, didn’t we?”
Seol Seorin nodded in agreement.
“Now, my husband will take care of the rest.”
“Again with this nonsense. Who’s your husband?” Mok Danhwa snapped.
Seol Seorin bristled and shot back, “You said you’d let me have him! You agreed to be the concubine!”
“When did I ever pretend to be fine? You’re the one spouting nonsense.”
“Why are you acting all innocent now?”
“I’ve always been fine, thank you very much.”
“No, you’re just as crazy as I am!”
“What did you say?”
As the two women raised their voices, Jo Muntak shook his head in exasperation.
“There they go again.”
**
“Where are you rushing off to?”
A voice, unfamiliar and commanding.
Lucidal’s hurried steps came to an abrupt halt.
A man stood before him, arms crossed, exuding an aura that was anything but ordinary.
Could there really be a human who made him feel this tense?
It was clear who this was.
The infamous Sabigang, no doubt.
Sabigang approached with deliberate steps.
“It’s been a while, Lucidal.”
“You know me?”
Lucidal frowned, and Sabigang chuckled.
“I know everything. Especially about you, who used to try so hard to impress me.”
“What?”
Lucidal’s expression twisted in irritation.
But Sabigang wasn’t done provoking him.
“Why don’t you kneel and beg? Maybe I’ll change my mind and spare you. Or perhaps, like Helmut, I’ll take you under my wing.”
“You insane bastard…!”
In the next instant,
A fierce energy surged from Sabigang’s sword, Vertas, like a dragon awakening.
“If you’re not interested, then come at me.”
Lucidal clenched his teeth and slowly retreated.
This wasn’t the place for a fight, and the aura Sabigang exuded was formidable.
It was wiser not to waste energy on a pointless provocation.
“I’ll deal with your taunts later.”
Just as he turned to leave,
“And what about my provocation?”
A familiar voice.
Lucidal’s brow furrowed as he recognized the newcomer.
“Baritan!”
“Never thought I’d end up fighting you here, so far from the demon realm.”
“You’ve betrayed His Majesty…”
“Why act surprised? You never trusted me from the start.”
Lucidal’s face contorted with frustration.
Caught between a rock and a hard place.
He regretted not holding out longer in the summoning zone. Perhaps the gate would have been restored by now.
Baritan addressed Sabigang, who stood behind Lucidal.
“I’ll handle Duke Lucidal. You can go elsewhere.”
“I don’t trust you demons. You might conspire together, so I’ll stay and fight here.”
Sabigang replied with a twisted smile, and Baritan responded with a cold laugh.
“Suit yourself.”
In a flash,
“Don’t underestimate me!”
Lucidal roared, charging forward.
His target was Sabigang.