Episode 586: Return to the Demonic Cult
“A teleportation scroll?”
Baritan let out a cold, mocking laugh.
“Know this. I’m not using this because of someone like you.”
“Hmph! If you’re so proud, why not face me head-on from the start?”
With a swift motion, Neung Unpa launched himself like a bolt of lightning.
Dark energy surged from his entire body, his sword striking at Baritan with relentless force.
In a split second—
Rip!
Without hesitation, Baritan tore the scroll apart.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As the energy and sword strikes exploded, a thick cloud of dust rose into the air.
When the dust finally settled, the space where Baritan had stood was empty.
“Slippery as an eel…”
Neung Unpa ground his teeth, staring at the vacant spot.
He narrowed his eyes.
‘Where could he have gone?’
**
“Huff, huff, huff…!”
Baritan staggered forward, each step up the low hill a struggle.
He had expended a significant amount of his magical power, converting it into internal energy, and his injuries were severe.
If it hadn’t been for the teleportation scroll he had taken when Il-Sal invaded his room, today’s outcome might have been very different.
Neung Unpa, fully rested, had killed Haunt and absorbed the evil spirit.
In contrast, Baritan had been deeply wounded fighting Beheaders and had depleted much of his power.
Even as he tore the teleportation scroll, he hesitated about where to go.
Returning to the summoning site wasn’t safe; the demon king’s minions could be lying in wait.
Returning to the Black Castle was out of the question.
The first place that came to mind was here, the safe zone Sabi-Gang had mentioned.
In a moment of crisis, the most recent location he’d heard of surfaced in his mind.
He later recalled the flower field where Jonya had stayed, but it was too late by then.
“Cough, cough!”
Baritan bent over, spitting out blood mixed with green fluid.
He finally reached the top of the hill, where a pavilion stood before a dense bamboo grove.
The place where he had once met with Sabi-Gang.
As he trudged forward, memories of long ago resurfaced.
Yes, that day too, he had dragged his weary body here.
The day he buried the cold body of Walter in the snow.
The day he annihilated his pursuers in a trance, despite being heavily injured.
In truth, he should have died that day.
But somehow, he survived.
Perhaps it was the spirits of his father and Walter watching over him.
For three thousand years, he had bided his time, plotting rebellion.
It was revenge for his father, who had been executed as a traitor for his loyalty to the previous demon king.
His father had told him to forget about revenge, but he couldn’t.
It wasn’t just about avenging his father.
It was about avenging the life that had been ruined.
But he hadn’t succeeded.
That day, he sensed death approaching.
He had dared to defy the demon king, and execution was a likely outcome.
Yet, for some reason, the demon king didn’t kill him immediately.
Instead, he was given another chance, imprisoned and offered the opportunity to fall into another world through the Soul Bead.
The odds were slim.
But spending an eternity in prison was worse than taking a chance, however small.
Baritan bet his fate on that slim chance.
He sealed his soul in the Soul Bead, leaving his body behind.
And so, he lived again.
His incarnation was Jonya.
It was a fateful meeting.
Looking back, Jonya’s life was remarkably similar to his own.
Chased by everyone for reasons unknown since childhood.
Perhaps that’s why they worked so well together.
Everything proceeded according to plan.
It was a feeling he hadn’t experienced in a long time.
Not since he had plotted rebellion, or even before, when he had worked as a mercenary to get close to the demon king.
Baritan liked Jonya.
But he used her thoroughly.
To the very end.
To Baritan, humans were merely useful tools.
Yet, despite that…
“Here I am again…”
Baritan bit his lip and lay sprawled on the pavilion floor.
Blood oozed from his wounds, but he didn’t want to move a finger.
‘Am I tired…?’
Baritan let out a small, bitter laugh.
Well, he had every reason to be.
It was exhausting.
But…
‘Once again, I’ve survived.’
How many times had he faced the brink of annihilation and survived?
He was likely the only one who had defied the demon king and lived this long.
From the day he buried Walter’s body, to the day he rebelled, to this very moment.
‘Yes, I will survive at all costs. I will fight and fight until everything is under my control!’
Baritan bit his lip firmly.
He had rested enough.
It was time to move again.
With a groan, Baritan stood and staunched the bleeding from his wounds.
Then, sensing a presence, she looked up.
Someone was climbing the hill.
A familiar aura.
Baritan smirked.
“It’s as if you were waiting for me.”
Her voice was as cold as ice, and the figure climbing the hill responded with a faint smile.
“I was.”
It was Sabi-Gang.
Baritan could see the determination in Sabi-Gang’s eyes as he looked at her.
Baritan let out a light sigh and asked,
“Did you anticipate this? That the demon king would come after me?”
Sabi-Gang nodded.
Baritan chuckled softly.
Humans, he thought, were a species that could never be underestimated.
As much as he hated to admit it, he had to.
Baritan steadied his breathing and asked,
“How did you know?”
“We have a rather capable strategist.”
“You mean that young one. But he’s with Neung Unpa now, isn’t he?”
“Yes, with Neung Unpa.”
“Then how…?”
“That’s how I knew. Neung Unpa received orders from the demon king to eliminate you.”
“Even so…”
“How did you get here?”
“Ah…!”
Baritan finally understood.
Sabi-Gang smiled faintly.
“Yes, that’s how it happened.”
Even Sabi-Gang had to admit he was impressed by Gu-Yun’s strategy.
When he first decided to rescue him and make him a strategist, he hadn’t expected this level of success.
Yet, everything was unfolding according to Gu-Yun’s plan.
Before meeting Neung Unpa, Gu-Yun had approached him.
“Could you give me a teleportation scroll?”
“A scroll?”
“It would be the most efficient way for me to report to you while staying close to the leader.”
It made sense.
So Sabi-Gang handed the teleportation scroll to Gu-Yun without question.
And a few days ago, Gu-Yun used the scroll to appear at the Demonic Palace.
Experiencing teleportation for the first time, he looked around in wonder and muttered,
“Truly, this is a remarkable artifact.”
Then he shared crucial information with Sabi-Gang.
“Soon, the leader will target Baritan. The plan is to eliminate Baritan with Beheaders.”
“Things are moving faster than expected.”
“With Duke Lucidal’s death, the Black Castle couldn’t just sit idly by.”
“So what should we do now?”
“Meet with Baritan. Stall for time and tell him about the safe house.”
“The safe house?”
“The pavilion where you once had a secret meeting with Baritan. It would be ideal if Master Mu-Rang could use his magic to prevent others from approaching.”
“Wouldn’t that prevent Baritan from entering as well?”
Gu-Yun shook his head.
“Have you forgotten?”
“Forgotten what?”
“When you possessed Il-Sal’s body, you took a teleportation scroll with you.”
“Ah…!”
Sabi-Gang nodded in understanding.
Il-Sal had died there, and only his soul had returned, leaving the teleportation scroll in Baritan’s room.
So it was likely that Baritan had it.
Gu-Yun continued,
“Baritan has been there once before. He’ll use the teleportation scroll to get there. I’ll ensure that Neung Unpa moves on the day Baritan meets you. It would be best if Beheaders also had solid evidence before making a move.”
“What if Neung Unpa decisively eliminates Baritan?”
Gu-Yun thought for a moment before speaking.
“That won’t be easy.”
“Why not?”
“As you suspect, the leader plans to absorb Baritan’s evil spirit. He wouldn’t want Baritan to die at Beheaders’ hands. So, ultimately…”
“It’ll be a tricky fight. A gap will open…”
“And Baritan won’t miss that chance. Once he moves to the safe zone, you’ll need to deal with him.”
“Of course.”
That day, Sabi-Gang had nodded in admiration of Gu-Yun’s cunning plan.
And now, here was Baritan, just as predicted.
Sabi-Gang casually remarked,
“I didn’t expect you to be a woman.”
“Does it matter?”
Baritan slowly stood up.
She realized there was no escaping this battle.
Now, it was truly a matter of life and death.
For thousands of years, she had clung to life with remarkable tenacity.
In moments of crisis, she always managed to slip through the eye of the needle.
And now.
“I will pierce through that tiny opening once more,” Baritan murmured softly.
Sabi River gave a cold smile. “One of the most common delusions humans have is thinking that if coincidences repeat, they become inevitable. They forget how precious that final chance really is.”
Baritan narrowed her eyes. “That’s because they’re human. But I am not human—I am a demon!”
In an instant, her form shot forward like lightning.
Shiiing, clang!
The clash of two swords erupted with a tremendous metallic sound.
At the same time, the force of the impact sent a shockwave rippling outward, causing the bamboo leaves to fall and rustle in protest.
Swoooosh!
The swirling leaves danced between Sabi River and Baritan.
Baritan let the memories of bygone years drift away with the scattering leaves.
Their eyes locked for a brief moment.
Swish, swish, swish!
The blades moved with incredible speed, engaging in a fierce exchange.
What was remarkable was that despite the chaotic mingling of swords, there was no sound of friction.
Instead, only the leaves around them were being sliced into countless tiny pieces.
The reason for the absence of metallic clangs was simple.
When one aimed for a vital point, the other would meet the attack with a defensive maneuver.
But the attacker would twist their blade to target another vital point.
The defender would then adjust their blade to either preemptively strike or parry again.
This cycle repeated, resulting in a silent storm of lethal strikes without the swords ever clashing.
A battle of foresight and anticipation.
Swoooosh!
The wind-tossed leaves continued to be shredded into fine fragments.
Baritan poured her entire spirit into this soundless dance of attack and defense.
Sabi River was no easy opponent. No, he was indeed a formidable adversary.
As the leaves, like fragments of memory, scattered into dust.
Shiiing!
A change came in Sabi River’s attack.
His sword flew toward Baritan’s vital point.