Episode 590: Return of the Demon Commander
Gu Yoon stood at the edge of the cliff, looking down at the horde of demon soldiers below with a heavy heart.
These were the people he was supposed to protect.
Now, they had lost their minds and turned into monsters.
They were once someone’s husband, someone’s son, someone’s father.
There were wives among them, daughters, mothers too.
But now, they were consumed by a singular desire for power, a hunger to crush the weak.
It was during such a moment of conflicted emotions that Gu Yoon found himself being addressed.
“Do you pity them?” asked Neung Un-pa abruptly.
Gu Yoon responded with a wry smile.
“More than pity, I feel… regret.”
“Hmph! Useless sentiment.”
“Perhaps it’s useless to you, a demon lord, but as a human, it’s a natural feeling.”
“Let me tell you, neither you nor I made them this way. Not even the demons. It was their own doing. Their hidden desires simply surfaced.”
“So you’re saying it’s the evil desires within humans that led to this?”
“Exactly.”
“I can’t accept that.”
Neung Un-pa narrowed his eyes, turning to face Gu Yoon.
“Why not?”
“Every human has the potential for evil. But is that alone a crime? Controlling those impulses and desires is a lifelong challenge. That’s why humans help and check each other, to keep those impulses in check. But the demons exploited those human weaknesses to create these soldiers. What I can’t forgive is not the evil desires themselves, but the act of exploiting them.”
Neung Un-pa studied Gu Yoon silently, prompting him to continue.
“Not everyone can be a saint. But at least we shouldn’t throw cold water on those who try.”
“There are plenty who don’t even try. And many who delude themselves into thinking they have.”
Gu Yoon shook his head quietly, choosing to remain silent. Continuing the conversation would only widen the gap between their views.
Neung Un-pa, after all, was a demon who had lost his empathy. His decisions were made solely on his own terms.
Just then, a commotion from below snapped Gu Yoon out of his thoughts.
Some of the demon soldiers had started fighting among themselves. It was a brutal fight, far from a mere scuffle.
The fight only ended when one soldier tore another limb from limb.
They were no better than beasts.
Feeling even more troubled, Gu Yoon turned away and headed towards the old house in the forest.
It was where Neung Un-pa had been staying temporarily.
Neung Un-pa had been gone for two days, off with the Beheaders to eliminate Baritan.
By now, things should have reached a conclusion.
Hopefully, everything had gone according to plan.
As Gu Yoon entered the house, he sensed a presence and looked up.
“Watching the soldiers again?”
It was Neung Un-pa.
His clothes were slightly disheveled, as if he’d been through a fierce battle.
Gu Yoon bowed respectfully and replied.
“Yes, I just needed some fresh air.”
“When will you rid yourself of those useless sentiments?”
“I’m sorry if I caused you concern. Did everything go well?”
“What do you think?”
From Neung Un-pa’s expression and tone, Gu Yoon could already guess the answer.
He felt relieved but kept his composure as he replied.
“You didn’t manage to absorb Baritan’s evil spirit.”
“He vanished.”
“Vanished…?”
When Gu Yoon feigned ignorance, Neung Un-pa scowled.
“He used a teleportation scroll.”
“A teleportation scroll…?”
“It means he teleported.”
“Ah…!”
Neung Un-pa eyed Gu Yoon suspiciously.
“Having spent time with Sabigang, you should have heard of it. Yet you seem clueless.”
“I’m still unfamiliar with many demonic tools.”
“Even a strategist has things they don’t know.”
Gu Yoon forced a smile and replied.
“Don’t be too disheartened. Once we find Baritan…”
“How do you propose we find someone whose whereabouts are unknown? The moment he was injured was our only chance.”
“What about the Beheaders?”
“They were annihilated.”
“Ah…”
Gu Yoon nodded quietly.
Everything was going as expected.
Then, Neung Un-pa fixed his gaze on Gu Yoon and asked.
“You don’t seem surprised.”
“I expected Baritan to be that formidable.”
“Is that so? But you didn’t seem surprised when I said Baritan vanished either.”
A cold sweat trickled down Gu Yoon’s back.
Neung Un-pa was clearly suspicious of him.
In that moment, Gu Yoon hesitated.
One wrong move, and Neung Un-pa could kill him on the spot.
After all, Neung Un-pa’s entire being radiated a murderous intent that was impossible to hide.
Gu Yoon forced himself to remain calm as he answered.
“I just thought Baritan would have prepared for such an eventuality.”
“Is that so? You once said something, didn’t you?”
“What…?”
“A strategist doesn’t act on assumptions. Only on certainty based on solid evidence.”
”…”
Gu Yoon’s expression darkened.
Neung Un-pa knew too much about him.
Neung Un-pa narrowed his eyes.
“But today, you’re making a lot of assumptions. Quite unlike you.”
”…”
“Since you’re guessing, where do you think Baritan might be? Your guesses seem accurate, so maybe you’ll get it right this time too.”
A dark energy formed and dissipated repeatedly in Neung Un-pa’s palm, ready to strike at any moment.
Gu Yoon swallowed dryly and was about to speak when,
“My lord! I have a report!”
A voice suddenly called out, and a shadow dropped beside Gu Yoon.
Gu Yoon recognized him easily.
It was Lee Ja-jun, the leader of the Changshin Clan.
“We’ve found Baritan’s whereabouts. However…”
“What is it?”
Neung Un-pa asked coldly, and Lee Ja-jun bowed his head as he replied.
“Baritan was defeated by Sabigang.”
Neung Un-pa’s expression hardened instantly.
His face betrayed the anger of losing his prey.
He turned to Gu Yoon with a stony expression.
”…What do you think, strategist?”
Feigning ignorance, Gu Yoon asked.
“Was Lady Sabigang there?”
”…”
Neung Un-pa simply watched, as if daring him to continue.
Gu Yoon spoke again.
“How could Lady Sabigang possibly…?”
In a flash.
“Are you mocking me?!”
Bang!
Neung Un-pa slammed his fist down, shattering the table into pieces.
Before Gu Yoon knew it, he was lifted off the ground, pulled by an invisible force.
Crack!
“Ugh!”
Neung Un-pa’s fingers dug into Gu Yoon’s throat.
Gu Yoon felt the terror of impending death, as if his neck would be pierced any moment.
“Ugh… Ugh! Lord…!”
“I said I’d trust you one last time. But once again, you disappoint me.”
“Ugh…!”
“Are you going to deny your involvement?”
Gu Yoon realized that excuses and lies would no longer work.
Neung Un-pa’s eyes were not those of a human.
“Ugh…! I’ll tell you the truth…!”
With a whoosh and a crash, Gu Yoon was flung to the corner, smashing into the furniture.
“Ugh…! Cough, cough! Gasp!”
Gu Yoon clutched his throat, coughing violently.
Blood mixed with his spit.
Breathing was difficult with his swollen throat.
He quickly channeled his inner energy to reduce the swelling as much as possible.
Though not a master, he could manage such first aid.
Neung Un-pa sat back down, his gaze icy as he looked at Gu Yoon.
“Speak.”
His voice was devoid of any emotion.
Gu Yoon steadied his breathing and slowly stood up.
This was the final stage.
If his plan didn’t work now…
‘I’ll have no choice but to die.’
Gu Yoon took a deep breath and met Neung Un-pa’s gaze.
Despite having been on the brink of death moments ago, his eyes were sharp and alive.
“I’ll be honest. It was my plan.”
A dark aura surged around Neung Un-pa, his anger manifesting as raw power.
“Continue.”
“To move to the final stage, Baritan had to be eliminated. And it had to be Lady Sabigang who did it.”
“Why?”
“Because you need to kill Lady Sabigang.”
“I kill Sabigang?”
“By now, the Demon King might suspect you, don’t you think?”
“Indeed.”
Neung Un-pa nodded.
That was his main concern.
With Duke Lucidal and now the Beheaders dead, and Baritan killed by Sabigang, there was enough reason for the Demon King to suspect his betrayal.
“But what if you returned to the Black Castle with Lady Sabigang’s body?”
Neung Un-pa narrowed his eyes.
Sensing his interest, Gu Yoon quickly continued.
“Of course, I don’t mean to actually kill Lady Sabigang. It’s all a ruse.”
“If we were to use a disguise?”
“The Lady of Sabigang possesses a potion called ‘Saryeonghwan.’ Once ingested, it renders one indistinguishable from a corpse.”
“Go on.”
“If we were to present the Lady of Sabigang’s ‘body,’ it could serve as proof of your loyalty and simultaneously catch the Dark Lord off guard.”
“It’s worth a try. Though I doubt the Dark Lord will be easily deceived.”
“The demons know little about the elixirs of the Central Plains. Even they aren’t all-knowing, as you well know.”
“True.”
Neung Unpa nodded slightly.
Indeed, the demons aren’t omniscient.
Perhaps Saryeonghwan might just work.
Goo Yoon’s eyes gleamed with a spark of hope.
“Besides, whether the Dark Lord is fooled or not, he will at least inspect the body. It’s the safest way to approach him without interference.”
Goo Yoon swallowed hard, his throat dry.
Now, he truly had to entrust his fate to the heavens.
Or rather, to Neung Unpa.
If, after all this, Neung Unpa decided to kill him, he would meet his end here and now.
Neung Unpa’s gaze, devoid of any emotion, cut through Goo Yoon like a blade.
How long did that suffocating silence stretch on?
Finally, the aura of power emanating from Neung Unpa began to fade, and he spoke.
“There must be no more secrets.”
“Of course.”
Goo Yoon exhaled a breath of relief and continued calmly.
“All I ask is one promise from you, my lord. If we succeed in ambushing the Dark Lord with the Lady of Sabigang, you must leave the Central Plains for good.”
Neung Unpa replied with the same impassive expression.
“Didn’t I already promise that? So, when will the next phase of the plan commence?”
“Just a little longer. We’ll receive word from the Demon’s Palace soon.”