Episode 625: Return to the Demonic Fortress
Rumble…!
The Black Fortress was collapsing at an alarming speed.
Crash!
“Whoa!”
Churyang let out a scream and jumped back as a massive boulder crashed down right in front of him.
Looking up, he saw a cascade of rocks tumbling down.
The demonic tree, now devoid of life, was as hard as steel.
Boom! Thud! Crash! Rumble!
“Commander! This way!”
Churyang shouted to Maesulan.
The two of them sprinted after Banmyeo, using every ounce of their energy to move as swiftly as possible.
But with internal injuries and depleted strength, they couldn’t run as fast as usual.
If it weren’t for Banmyeo’s support, they would have been crushed under the collapsing fortress long ago.
Then, suddenly—
Banmyeo let out a fierce roar and leaped towards Churyang.
‘Banmyeo…?’
Churyang stared in confusion.
Crash!
Banmyeo collided with a falling boulder, shattering it into pieces. Thanks to this, Churyang and Maesulan were unharmed, but Banmyeo coughed up blood and limped.
“Banmyeo!”
Both Maesulan and Churyang shouted as they rushed over.
Whoosh!
Banmyeo shrank down to the size of a cat, and Churyang quickly scooped him up, cradling him in his arms.
“You did well. From now on, I’ll protect you.”
“Let’s go!”
Maesulan urged, pulling Churyang to his feet.
Rumble!
They ran with all their might.
Finally, when they barely escaped the grounds of the Black Fortress—
Rumble…!
The massive structure collapsed completely, kicking up a cloud of dust.
“Cough, cough!”
“Ugh!”
They coughed and struggled to stand, brushing off the dust.
“Phew, we barely made it. Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. But what about the others?”
Maesulan’s voice was filled with concern as Churyang waved away the dust, trying to see ahead.
When they finally reached the top of the hill, the battlefield lay bare before them.
Fortunately, the Great Demon was crumbling.
Indeed, given its immense size, “crumbling” seemed more fitting than “dying.”
“Looks like… it’s finally over, Commander.”
Maesulan nodded silently.
A rare, peaceful smile appeared on both their faces.
Their gaze naturally shifted to where Sabigang had been fighting.
That area seemed to have calmed down as well, with no more signs of conflict.
“Let’s go!”
“Yes, Commander!”
Without needing to say who would lead, they both moved forward simultaneously.
Seeing the demons fall, it felt as if their strength was returning.
As the lava cooled and solidified, a large, dark sphere came into view beyond the hardened ground.
“Is that…?”
Maesulan and Churyang could guess what the dark sphere was.
It was similar to what they had seen when Sabigang fought Jonya.
Even if they hadn’t seen it directly, they had heard about it.
“It must be the final battle.”
Maesulan approached the dark sphere, nodding silently.
Strangely, she felt at peace.
Was it faith in Sabigang, trust in the soldiers who had led them this far, or belief in everyone?
She sat on a nearby rock.
“Let’s wait. Until he resolves everything.”
“Then I’ll head to the battlefield. Even if it’s just a little, I want to help until the end.”
Churyang tactfully excused himself, and Maesulan smiled warmly.
“Thank you.”
“Haha! No need to thank me!”
With that, Churyang leaped away.
Maesulan watched him go for a moment before turning her gaze back to the dark sphere.
‘I’ll wait. Until you return.’
**
Adler handed something to the boy, whispered a few words, and walked away.
Watching quietly from a distance was Sabigang.
He immediately recognized this place as the world when Tarrant was still human.
He was witnessing Tarrant’s origin.
He already knew what would happen next.
This was Tarrant’s posthumous consciousness—a stage set for his own trial.
As Tarrant had said, no matter what he did here, Tarrant wouldn’t come back to life, but his own future could change.
Sabigang approached the boy standing alone.
Step, step…!
The boy looked up, meeting Sabigang’s gaze.
The boy stared at Sabigang, puzzled by his unusual attire.
But perhaps due to an animalistic instinct, the boy quickly shifted to a defensive stance, glaring fiercely.
“Don’t… interfere with me!”
“Tarrant.”
“What…?”
The unfamiliar name made the boy frown.
Sabigang stood before him.
Hum…!
A small amount of energy gathered in his hand.
Now…!
The young boy looked up at Sabigang with a bewildered expression.
He seemed a bit frightened.
The boy hesitated, stepping back.
Sabigang advanced, step by step, as if to corner him.
Now, he could end this child and prevent the disaster that would befall the world.
The birth of evil.
In hindsight, wasn’t it simple?
Isn’t humanity’s greatest weapon “empathy”?
A child who had never received empathy could become a monstrous being.
While Sabigang was lost in thought—
“Yah!”
The boy struck Sabigang and took off running.
He was faster than expected.
No, astonishingly fast.
Adler must have done something to him with magic.
But even so, it was difficult to escape Sabigang, who had reached the pinnacle of martial arts.
Sabigang pursued the boy.
The boy ran for a long time until he stopped at the edge of a hill overlooking the kingdom.
There was nowhere left to run.
The boy couldn’t understand the man chasing him.
People had always ignored and scorned him, but no one had ever pursued him with such relentless intent to kill.
They merely tormented him when he was in sight.
But this man, with his strange appearance and attire, was persistently sending murderous intent his way.
And he had chased him all the way here.
The boy’s back hit the railing as he retreated.
Turning around, he saw the kingdom’s nightscape spread out before him.
Smoke rose from every house, and lights flickered throughout the kingdom, giving it a warm and cozy appearance.
“Did you want sympathy from me, Tarrant?”
The man who had caught up to him asked with a stern expression.
The boy couldn’t understand what the man was saying.
Sabigang looked at the boy with a calm gaze and asked,
“Do you know what you’re about to do?”
The boy flinched and looked at Sabigang.
It was the expression of a child caught doing something wrong.
As the boy hesitated, lowering his gaze, Sabigang’s voice reached him.
“I have no choice but to stop you.”
Then—
“What exactly is wrong?”
”…”
“They and I are different by nature! If everyone despises me, then I’ll despise them back! I’ll crush and destroy them, just like my life has been!”
The boy’s voice was almost a scream as he shouted, lifting his head.
Sabigang watched the boy silently.
Why was it?
Jonya had been like this, and so had Neungwoonpa.
Whenever he dealt with absolute evil, he thought it would feel exhilarating.
But the deeper he delved into the abyss of evil, the more it felt like observing a reflection of humanity.
Was it just his imagination?
Sabigang took a step closer.
The boy instinctively stepped back, his back hitting the railing, and quickly reached into his pocket.
Sabigang frowned as he saw what the boy pulled out.
A pouch from Ragel.
‘So Adler did give it to him?’
The boy took out a Devil Fire from Ragel’s pouch.
“Don’t come any closer! I’ll blow this up.”
Sabigang stopped and looked at the boy.
In his eyes were deep loneliness, sadness, alienation, despair—all sorts of dark emotions.
The boy’s only hope was the annihilation of humanity.
Sabigang continued in a calm voice.
“I’ve met many people on my journey here. Those who, at the brink of despair, sacrificed their own people for revenge, those who killed their comrades for personal desires and pride, and a girl like you, isolated by everyone, who hated the world and caused chaos. Indeed, all these events stem from the seven emotions and desires of humans. But it’s a double-edged sword. How you wield that sword of emotion is up to you. And right now, you’re wielding it wrong. It’s not your weapon, but a tool for self-harm.”
“Haha. Hahaha!”
The boy suddenly burst into laughter.
The next moment—
“Don’t make me laugh! Sabigang! Is it because you’re an instructor? Trying to guide me until the end! But that’s your downfall! Now, it’s my victory!”
It was Tarrant’s voice.
The boy, with a crazed smile, raised Ragel’s pouch high.
In the next moment, as he turned to scatter the contents, countless Devil Fires would rain down from the sky.
Dash!
Sabigang lunged forward.
Whoosh!
As Sabigang closed in, the boy’s lips curled into a smirk.
“Go ahead, kill me, Sabikang!”
But in the next moment—
”…!”
The boy holding Ragel’s pouch froze, his eyes wide and hollow.
He stood there, unable to move, like a statue.
“What…?”
Sabikang had wrapped the boy in a fierce embrace.
“You’ve been through so much. I’m sorry I didn’t see it sooner.”
Sabikang’s heavy, firm voice pierced the boy’s heart.
The boy’s pupils trembled violently.
His expression crumpled in an instant.
“What are you doing? I told you to kill me! Sabikang!”
But Sabikang only tightened his hold on the boy.
With all his heart.
Thud…!
The pouch and the Devil’s Fire slipped from the boy’s hands, rolling away.
Sabikang looked at the child.
“The reason I can’t give up on you… is because, believe it or not, I’m your instructor.”
A faint smile appeared on Sabikang’s lips.
The boy’s eyes welled up, and he finally broke into tears.
Like a child.
“I told you… to kill me…”
He sobbed bitterly.
Until his throat was dry.
And then, at last—
Whoosh!
The boy’s body crumbled into ash, scattering in the wind.
The otherworldly landscape around them faded away, disappearing into nothingness.
Sabikang stood there, unmoving.
**
When he lifted his head, Maesellan was standing there.
He couldn’t tell how long she’d been there.
But it felt as if she’d been there all along, a comforting presence.
“Maesellan…”
At his call, she smiled gently.
“Is it… over now?”
Sabikang nodded with a faint smile.
“It’s over.”
“You did well.”
“You too.”
The two of them slowly moved closer, embracing each other.
They stayed like that for a long time.
In the distance, the faint cheers of victory could be heard.