Star Instructor, Master Baek-Chapter 400: In Conclusion

"...I hadn't planned on meeting you like this." Skykiller sighed softly as he raised both hands and slowly turned around.
CRACK! CRACK!
The muscles in Kwak Duyong's face contorted as his features began to transform into those of someone else. His Face-Shifting Art was so fast that by the time his eyes met Baek Suryong's, Jin Euihyeop's face had replaced Kwak Duyong's.
Skykiller smiled benevolently. "It's been a while, Mr. Baek Suryong."
Baek Suryong's expression turned frigid. "That's not your real face, either, is it?"
"I'm sorry, but I've forgotten my original face. I changed it so many times that at some point, I forgot which one was mine."
As Skykiller told this bizarre story with casual indifference, he kneaded his face with both hands like it was dough. His features shifted endlessly, taking on the appearance of people of different genders and ages, resembling a mesmerizing mask-swapping performance.
"If I had a handsome face like yours, I would've remembered it better, but mine was just ordinary."
The final face Skykiller assumed was Baek Suryong's. Standing face-to-face like a living mirror, he grinned broadly. "How does it feel? Seeing your own face?"
"Not as good as the original."
"Should I change it a little? It might be fun to mix it with Mr. Namgung Su's..."
SWISH!
Skykiller tilted his head back, but sharp sword qi still snipped off several strands of his hair. For some reason, he seemed to find the near miss immensely amusing, and his shoulders shook with laughter.
Baek Suryong narrowed his eyes, chilling killing intent dripping from his voice as he remarked, "So it was true that you're a crazy bastard."
"Personally, I prefer being referred to as an eccentric. Would you mind calling me that instead?"
"No, you crazy bastard."
"Hahaha! As expected, you're not like the others, Mr. Baek," Skykiller chuckled, utterly unfazed even though his identity had been made public.
"It's a shame. I wanted to visit you in person and give you a proper surprise, but oh well. As they say, life is full of variables." He shrugged with exaggerated theatricality, then glanced at Noh Goonsang. "I never expected the Principal to be the one to expose me. I dismissed you as a washed-up old fart, and I paid the price for my arrogance."
"...There's no point in trying to provoke me so clumsily. As you know, old men are patient."
Although killing intent blazed in his eyes, Noh Goonsang refrained from attacking recklessly. Striking first would only create opportunities for Skykiller to escape.
[Don't attack rashly, Mr. Baek. Please stall him a little longer. The other instructors will arrive soon.]
Baek Suryong nodded imperceptibly and asked Skykiller, "What did you do to Kwak Duyong?"
"Don't worry, I didn't kill him."
"......" Baek Suryong raised an eyebrow skeptically.
Skykiller protested indignantly, "As the Principal well knows, I don't kill just anyone. I only kill when absolutely necessary, when the target is worth the effort, or when someone displeases me. Mr. Kwak Duyong didn't fall into any of those categories, so..."
Baek Suryong rolled his eyes. Although Skykiller spoke as though he had high standards, he was essentially someone who killed on a whim.
Kwak Duyong is one lucky bastard...
Skykiller smirked as he reached into his robes and took out a bloodstained Azure Dragon Emblem. He seethed, looking genuinely enraged. "I explained the situation and simply asked to borrow his sword and Azure Dragon Emblem, but Mr. Kwak got angrier than I expected. He even tried to kill me!"
Baek Suryong, of course, recognized the entire performance as an act.
"I was so disappointed. To think our friendship meant so little. He was the person I grew closest to after arriving at Azure Dragon Academy. Was this emblem really worth getting so angry over?" Skykiller sighed deeply, as if genuinely puzzled, and tucked Kwak Duyong's Azure Dragon Emblem back into his robes. "Still, I plan to keep this as a souvenir. It's filled with countless memories from Azure Dragon Academy."
"Where are you planning to take it? The afterlife?" Baek Suryong replied sarcastically, though he felt relieved inwardly.
Kwak Duyong was alive. Skykiller had no reason to lie in this situation, so he was likely telling the truth. In that case, perhaps...
"Is Jin Euihyeop alive, too?"
Skykiller shook his head firmly. "No, I killed him. We weren't close, and leaving him alive would have created complications. I killed him and erased all traces of the body..."
Skykiller's voice trailed off. Sensing a killing intent so intense it made his skin tingle with alarm, he looked back.
"You will never leave this place alive," Noh Goonsang growled, glowering at him with murderous eyes and radiating killing intent.
However, Skykiller simply smirked with Baek Suryong's face. "Excellent. Let's all do our best in our respective positions."
"...Why does my face look so damn annoying when smirking?" Baek Suryong grumbled as he drew his sword. He had loaned his father the Divine Azure Dragon Sword, but the spare weapon he now wielded was still one of Wiji Yeol's finest creations. "I have a lot of questions, but I guess I'll have to beat you up first."
"Before that, just hear me out." Skykiller held out a hand to stop Baek Suryong. "I've answered your questions faithfully, so to be fair, may I ask you one question as well?"
"You're free to ask."
Skykiller nodded and voiced the question that had intrigued him most during his month-long observation of Baek Suryong. "Have you, by any chance, ever practiced any demonic or unorthodox martial arts?"
"What is the meaning of this?" Baek Suryong roared, masking his inner turmoil behind a mask of bewilderment.
Skykiller tilted his head thoughtfully, unable to read anything from that carefully controlled facade. "Doesn't it seem strange no matter how you think about it? For someone who was practically a newcomer to the jianghu to become strong enough to be recognized as one of the murim's Ten Supremes in less than a year... Even accounting for miraculous encounters, your rapid rise through the ranks is unfathomable unless the martial arts you learned is special. No matter how I analyze it..."
Baek Suryong's eye twitched.
Is this how the Elders of the Blood Cult felt when they fought me?
Skykiller's eyes gleamed with shrewd intelligence. "You seem better suited to our side than to the orthodox sects, Mr. Baek Suryong. Are you certain you haven't learned a demonic art?"
"Want to confirm that for yourself?" Baek Suryong sneered disdainfully, then raised his sword and pointed it at Skykiller. "Let's see how great the world's number one assassin really is. Is everyone ready?"
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Ak Yeonho, Myeong Il'oh, and Jaegal Soyeong descended from above, surrounding Skykiller in a tight formation.
They weren't the only reinforcements.
"You damn mutt! Can't you move faster? If my grandson gets so much as a scratch from that assassin, will you take responsibility?!
"...He's my son too, you know?"
Baek Muheun sighed heavily as he hobbled over, carrying his nagging father-in-law, Mae Geuklyom, on his back.
RUMBLE!
Far away, atop a tall building, Namgung Su revealed his presence, his eyes fixed intently on the confrontation below.
"Haha..." Skykiller marveled at the sight of those who had surrounded him. "It seems I made a critical miscalculation when I decided that the only person I needed to be wary of was the Azure Dragon Hero."
Skykiller could tell that the aura each individual here emanated was extraordinary. The information Deathshroud had gathered was completely obsolete. Every single person present was strong enough to make a big name for themselves in the murim right now.
Did Azure Dragon Academy not regain its former glory with the Azure Dragon Hero's appearance, but rather, were there already hidden dragons sleeping here all along?
Skykiller asked Baek Suryong, "Isn't a pincer attack a tad excessive coming from one of the Ten Supremes?"
"I am a humble man who doesn't let fame go to my head," Baek Suryong boasted, taking a step forward.
His peers simultaneously tightened the encirclement with practiced coordination.
"Suryong! Catch!"
WHOOSH!
Baek Muheun tossed the Divine Azure Dragon Sword into the air, and the hilt landed perfectly in Baek Suryong's hand.
[Your father respects a sword much more than you do... ]
Letting the Divine Azure Dragon Sword's strangely disappointed voice fall on deaf ears, Baek Suryong addressed the visibly exhausted Baek Muheun and Mae Geuklyom. "You two should stand back."
"We were planning to."
"We'll be watching from the rear."
Baek Suryong glanced sideways to confirm that the pair had retreated to safety, before focusing his attention back on Skykiller's every movement.
He's strong.
A sensation like spiders crawling across his skin alerted him to imminent danger. Skykiller was at least equal to, if not stronger than, the Blood Cult elders he had killed previously.
I see now. He isn't dangerous because he's an assassin, but because he's a powerful martial artist in his own right. If that wasn't disgusting enough, he's learned sorcery, too.
[I can feel a powerful sorcerous aura, but there's something weirdly unsettling about it... ]
If even the Divine Azure Dragon Sword said so, then assuming that Skykiller was one of the world's greatest sorcerers seemed reasonable.
Extracting information from him will be impossible, even with torture.
Baek Suryong hadn't tried it yet, but he instinctively knew that the Blood Demon Eyes wouldn't work on Skykiller. In conclusion, killing him was the best option.
He sent a telepathic message to his allies. [We absolutely cannot let him escape. We must kill him here and now.]
The Azure Dragon instructors drew their weapons in perfect unison, while Noh Goonsang began to draw on his inner qi.
RUMBLE!
From his distant position, Namgung Su prepared his lightning qi, ready to thwart any attempt by Skykiller to escape.
Skykiller smiled with genuine appreciation.
Not even the Murim Alliance Chairman or the Night Emperor can escape from this encirclement.
"Mr. Baek Suryong, the more I learn about you, the more interesting and surprising you become. For the past few days, the thought of killing you has thrilled and excited me so much that I couldn't sleep a wink."
A growing feeling of unease washed over Baek Suryong.
Why is he so calm?
"I kept wondering, what would be the best way to torture you before killing you? Should I kill the students before your eyes? Or burn down Azure Dragon Academy and build a hill of corpses?"
He's about to try something strange.
Gripped by a terrible sense of foreboding, Baek Suryong moved in for the kill against Skykiller.
"Die."
His sword grazed Skykiller's neck, leaving a thin red line, but failing to cut all the way into the flesh.
Skykiller retreated to dodge the follow-up attack and resumed his monologue. "No, things like that would only fuel your desire for revenge. They wouldn't be enough to break your resilient spirit."
Ak Yeonho, Myeong Il'oh, and Jaegal Soyeong attacked simultaneously while Noh Goonsang aimed a palm strike for Skykiller's exposed back.
SHIIING! SPURT! BOOM!
Attacks raged from all sides with devastating force, and more and more wounds appeared on Skykiller's body.
Despite this onslaught, Skykiller didn't stop talking. Even as blood poured from his wounds, he appeared to feel no pain. Instead, a smile began to form on his lips. "I thought and thought about it endlessly. The conclusion I reached was..."
The Divine Azure Dragon Sword screamed inside Baek Suryong's mind. [This sorcery is...!]
The blood-soaked Skykiller's eyes glowed red, and a wicked smile spread across his lips. Since he was still wearing Baek Suryong's face, he reminded Baek Suryong of his past self.
"What if I made you kill your family, friends, and students with your own hands?"
"...What?"
A chill ran down Baek Suryong's spine.
FWHOOOOOSH!
The sorcery that Skykiller had been preparing finally activated.