The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 485

The Great War (14)

“Death won’t tear us apart, So-sang. I’ll never let you go.”

“How do you plan to do that?”

Sa Jong-ak grinned grotesquely.

“I heard there’s something called myrrh.”

Sa Jong-ak’s madness was condensed with obsession.

Facing him, Tak Yeo-sang felt another chill run down her spine.

A corpse embalmed in myrrh would not decay.

“You’re completely insane, aren’t you?”

“I don’t care if that’s the only way I can keep you by my side. It’s better than losing you. Of course, I’ll miss your noisy chirping sometimes.”

Tak Yeo-sang was horrified by Sa Jong-ak’s eyes as he casually uttered such gruesome words.

The thought of being dragged around and humiliated by him even after death was suffocating, leaving her unable to collect herself.

However, she struggled to regain her composure.

To put an end to this terrible and bitter relationship, she needed to maintain a colder mind than ever before.

‘Your madness ends here.’

Hiding the animosity buried deep within her heart, Tak Yeo-sang deliberately changed the subject.

“By the way, why are you here right now? Weren’t you in the middle of a fight?”

“Ah, I realized there’s no reason for me to suffer for those useless fools.”

“I pity those who revered such a petty person as their leader.”

Sa Jong-ak chuckled, unfazed by Tak Yeo-sang’s insult.

“Speaking of which, you don’t have anyone left around you either.”

“Patients who have finished their treatment usually return to where they belong.”

“So, is that why you’re so confident? Because there are no hostages to exploit as weaknesses?”

Sa Jong-ak stared at Tak Yeo-sang with a pitiful gaze.

“Don’t you understand yet? In the end, they’re only human. No matter how much grace you bestow upon them, they’re too busy trying to save their own lives. Admit it. In the end, the only person who will remain by your side is me.”

“Nonsense.”

“Let’s go. We don’t have time to argue like this.”

“Go? Where to?”

“To a new beginning.”

Sa Jong-ak smiled eerily.

“I will become the greatest person under the heavens. And you will have to watch it all happen by my side.”

“You’re in no shape to be saying such things.”

Sa Jong-ak’s eyebrows twitched, his pride wounded.

The sight of Tak Yeo-sang looking at him with disdain made his painful wounds ache even more.

It was then that unexpected words flowed from Tak Yeo-sang’s lips.

“Alright. Come this way.”

Confusion settled over Sa Jong-ak’s eyes.

“What kind of trick are you plotting this time?”

“If we’re going to go, we should at least treat your wounds first.”

The moment he inadvertently took a step toward Tak Yeo-sang.

Crack.

The stone slab beneath Sa Jong-ak’s feet gave way weakly.

At that moment.

Thud.

There was a hand that firmly grabbed Sa Jong-ak’s shoulder.

It was Jwa Ja.

Tak Yeo-sang’s face was filled with bewilderment as she discovered the man who had appeared behind Sa Jong-ak.

She sensed that her intended plan was falling apart due to his appearance.

As expected.

“It’s a trap.”

“What?”

Sa Jong-ak, who had been questioning, was startled by Jwa Ja’s words.

“The energy in this area is unusual. It seems that a powerful formation has been set up here.”

Sa Jong-ak looked at Tak Yeo-sang with surprised eyes.

“Is it true?”

Tak Yeo-sang sighed softly.

The plan to confine Sa Jong-ak, which she had put so much effort into.

She was only one step away from imprisoning him within the Isolation Formation.

Although she felt regret and resentment, Tak Yeo-sang smiled brightly.

“Yes. It’s as he says. So, come and get me.”

“You…”

“If you have the courage to do so.”

Tak Yeo-sang cast a mocking gaze at Sa Jong-ak, who was hesitating and contemplating.

“What, you’re the same as them.”

“What?”

“You said you would stay by my side until the very end, didn’t you? Where did that person who made such a bold statement just now disappear to?”

Sa Jong-ak flinched at Tak Yeo-sang’s provocation.

“It’s a pity that I couldn’t take you with me…”

Tak Yeo-sang paused, then ridiculed Sa Jong-ak to her heart’s content.

“But it doesn’t matter.”

With those words, Tak Yeo-sang took a step back.

For a moment, the space seemed to ripple, and her figure disappeared from their sight.

In fact, the formation had already been activated from the moment Sa Jong-ak stepped on the stone slab.

Disappointment settled in Sa Jong-ak’s eyes as he missed Tak Yeo-sang right before his eyes.

It was then that a clear, ringing voice flew towards him.

“Things won’t go your way.”

Was it because of the formation?

It was a voice with a strange echo, like a sound reverberating within a cave.

But the owner of that voice was definitely Tak Yeo-sang.

That was the last time her voice was heard.

Sa Jong-ak gritted his teeth so hard they felt like they would shatter.

“How dare you!”

Jwa Ja grabbed Sa Jong-ak once again as he tried to step into the formation.

“Let go!”

“Please, just wait a moment.”

Jwa Ja, who had been trying to dissuade Sa Jong-ak, picked up a stone rolling on the ground.

Then, he threw it with all his might towards the palace where the formation was set up.

Then, at some point, the stone was swallowed into the air and disappeared without a trace.

Not even the sound of it falling could be heard.

“As you can see, once you enter, it is a formation from which you can never escape.”

A formation that even sound cannot escape.

Jwa Ja had never seen a formation with such powerful force before.

But one thing was clear.

“There is no ‘living gate’ inside [a specific point in a formation that allows passage].”

“Then I’ll break the formation…”

“In your current state?”

“…!”

“It would be difficult even if you were in perfect condition. Not to mention in your current state.”

“I clearly said, I can’t leave her here.”

Jwa Ja smiled bitterly at Sa Jong-ak, who was spitting out words as if growling.

“Let’s plan for the future. First of all, getting out of here is the most urgent thing.”

Bang!

It was then that a loud explosion was heard in the distance, from the direction of the main gate of the Waterway Fortress.

At that moment, Sa Jong-ak shook off Jwa Ja’s hand.

He was about to take a step towards the palace.

Thwack, thwack.

Almost simultaneously, unexpected gusts of wind struck Sa Jong-ak’s entire body, targeting vital pressure points.

“Ugh.”

Jwa Ja supported Sa Jong-ak, who groaned and slumped.

“Tsk. Foolish…”

There was no more time to argue.

The explosion, which had been gradually approaching, was already close at hand.

Thus, Jwa Ja, who had simultaneously sealed Sa Jong-ak’s blood points and soul points, hurriedly left the place.

* * *

The pirates belonging to the Waterway Alliance, trapped and unable to move on the frozen river, collapsed helplessly without even being able to exert their strength properly.

Crack!

With a roar that shook the surroundings, the last remaining ship of the Waterway Alliance was completely shattered.

Amidst the scattered pieces of wood and the hail of ice chunks.

Bum Gye-wi, who walked out calmly, frowned.

“What? Is it already over?”

He smacked his lips as if disappointed, looking around.

“It’s too boring like this… Why doesn’t that Sa Jong-ak or whatever show his face until the end?”

On the other hand, Dan Ak-seon sighed softly after assessing the situation.

Fortunately, the Waterway Alliance subjugation operation ended with an overwhelming victory for their side.

Still, the corpses strewn everywhere and the scent of blood lingering in the area never became familiar, no matter how many times she experienced it.

In the distance, she could see the pirates scattering in search of a way to survive and the warriors belonging to the Gwangjeong Association chasing after them.

Now, there was only one thing left.

Dan Ak-seon flew towards the Gwangseong Fortress.

“Oh? Doctor Dan, let’s go together!”

Bum Gye-wi, who hurriedly followed behind Dan Ak-seon, scowled.

It was because he had found Cho Ak-ryang and Han Seol-hwa running side by side with him.

“Seriously! Stop following me around.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m not following you.”

“Witch, you too! You’ve used too much strength, so you should rest!”

“This isn’t enough to be considered strenuous.”

Bum Gye-wi was inwardly displeased with the two people who didn’t give in at all.

But what could he do?

As long as the two were on one side, he had to avoid direct conflict as much as possible until he obtained a helper comparable to them.

No matter how reckless he was, he wasn’t foolish enough to put his pride ahead in a battle where the outcome was already determined.

But soon, he was lost in thought.

Where could he find a master comparable to them?

Moreover, he couldn’t guarantee that they would willingly side with him.

Then suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind.

‘Wait a minute?’

Come to think of it, there was one person.

It was like being blind to what’s under your nose; he had overlooked a master who met all the conditions in the closest place.

‘Doctor Dan will side with me, right?’

Bum Gye-wi firmly believed that he was the closest person to Dan Ak-seon among the three.

It was then.

“It’s not easy to catch up anymore.”

Bum Gye-wi, who tilted his head at Cho Ak-ryang’s words from the side, realized the meaning of Han Seol-hwa’s words that followed.

“Doctor Dan hasn’t been wasting her time either.”

Only then was Bum Gye-wi surprised by the fact that the distance between Dan Ak-seon, who was far ahead, had not narrowed much.

‘I have to win over Doctor Dan!’

So, he would definitely put these two people’s noses out of joint!

Cho Ak-ryang and Han Seol-hwa, who had no idea what he was thinking, looked at Bum Gye-wi, who was grinning to himself, with strange expressions.

Meanwhile, Dan Ak-seon arrived in front of Gwangseong Fortress.

Unlike the other fortresses that were fortified with thick wooden fences covered with iron plates, this Gwangseong Fortress was particularly large and well-prepared.

There was also a deeply dug moat, and even the high walls, made by stacking rocks and filling them with plaster, resembled a small castle.

Swish, swish, swish.

It was then that a rain of arrows poured down from the fortress walls.

However, the arrows were deflected in all directions as if they had hit an invisible wall, barely reaching the group.

It was because of the protective energy that had naturally manifested.

It was then that Dan Ak-seon quietly opened her mouth.

“Sa Jong-ak, we must find him no matter what.”

As long as he, the culprit of all this, was alive, this subjugation would not be over even if they won.

Above all, the Northern Profound Divine Art that he had mastered was a great danger to the Jianghu [the martial arts world].

Amidst the pouring rain of arrows, Dan Ak-seon continued to speak.

“But just in case, be careful. Since they were preparing for a final battle, there is a high probability that hidden weapons and mechanisms are buried everywhere. There is also the possibility that an unexpected master is ambushing somewhere.”

Bum Gye-wi smiled at Dan Ak-seon’s words.

He wouldn’t miss the opportunity to look good to Dan Ak-seon.

“Don’t worry and just follow me, Doctor Dan.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Bum Gye-wi kicked the wall in front of him with all his might.

Bang!

A roar that shook the heavens and the earth erupted, as if dozens of cannons had been fired simultaneously.

At the same time, the fortress wall, which had been so thick, collapsed with a crash.

Bum Gye-wi, who threw himself into the rubble, grabbed the collar of a man struggling in the pouring debris.

“Where is Sa Jong-ak?”

There were only a handful of people in the entire Jianghu who could properly withstand the blatant killing intent that Bum Gye-wi had unleashed.

Naturally, the pirate turned pale and hurriedly replied.

“He, he went to the residence of the Heavenly One.”