Having cut down General Dokang, Goi passed through the northern gate and took in the chaos within Sohyun Castle.
What he saw was worse than anything outside.
The battle within the walls was a massacre.
Roughly ten sea monsters, each one garbed in the uniform of Sohyun's defenders and marked with red bands on their left shoulders, tore through the castle's actual guards with terrifying precision.
Goi advanced with his steel blade.
A seahorse demon, its body semi-transparent, twisted into view with a cruel grin, darting at him like a predator who had spotted prey.
But by the time its weapon reached where Goi had stood, he was no longer there. Its massive axe rebounded off empty air and slipped from its grasp.
The seahorse's pallid face grew even paler.
In a flash, Goi reappeared behind it. His blade came down once. The creature split in two, its pieces collapsing to the blood-slicked stones.
The nearby guards of Sohyun, stunned, stepped back in fear.
A commanding voice thundered from deeper within the stronghold.
"Hold the line! Maintain formation, now!"
It was the young lieutenant—the one guarding the inner gate.
Just then, an anglerfish demon swung a massive iron club at the lieutenant. With calm force, the young man raised his shield and caught the blow. Behind him, the guards lunged with their spears, striking the creature's sides. The angler reeled back, hissing.
Goi gave a silent nod, then dashed toward the shark demon who was rampaging unchecked on the right flank. With three swift strokes, he cut the beast down.
Its dying shriek echoed through the fortress like a gong, halting every movement—man and monster alike.
The lieutenant didn't waste the moment.
"Now! Take down the octopus demon!" he shouted.
At his command, the soldiers charged. Their spears pierced the creature's rubbery hide, but it retaliated viciously with weapons in each of its many arms.
The lieutenant raised his shield again and held firm, absorbing the onslaught while his men regrouped behind him, maintaining their formation.
Another wail filled the courtyard—the octopus demon's death cry.
Not missing a beat, Goi turned and sprinted behind a hatchetfish demon, slicing it cleanly in half before it could react.
With four monsters slain in the blink of an eye, a roar of courage surged through the guards of Sohyun.
The remaining six demons hesitated.
Goi turned his gaze on a triggerfish demon, which was already backing away nervously.
The lieutenant's voice rang out again.
"Warrior! The inner gate—it's more urgent! The Castellan of Sohyun is still inside!"
Goi paused, glancing at the young lieutenant.
Sensing an opening, the triggerfish demon grinned and charged with a barbed harpoon in hand.
But in the very next instant, Goi vanished.
And then, impossibly, he was right before it.
The fish landed hard on the ground, only to realize it was already sliding. Its feet dug in, but the stone floor rushed up to meet it—Goi had cut straight through before it even understood.
With the triggerfish fallen, the guards gave another cry and surged forward, formation tight, pressing the remaining demons.
Somewhere in that chaos, Goi had already slain the angler demon, leaving only a trail of silence in his wake.
He approached the lieutenant, who stood tall and resolute despite his injuries.
"My name is Odami," the young man said. "We'll hold the line here. Please… find the castellan."
Goi nodded with a faint smile.
As Odami turned back to rally his troops and engaged the stone bream demon, Goi lingered for a moment, watching him with quiet curiosity.
"…Well," he murmured. "I suppose you've got your reasons."
Then, with deliberate steps, he passed through the gate toward the inner sanctum of Sohyun.
Within the inner chambers of Sohyun Castle, three turtle demons, clad in the uniforms of the castle's defenders, pressed their assault against the wounded castellan.
One of them lunged from the left, its massive claw slicing down. The castellan managed to parry—but only barely. His strength gave out, and he dropped to one knee.
The demons cackled, circling in for the kill.
The castellan swung his sword in a wide arc, forcing them to step back. But they merely laughed again, easily dodging the sluggish strike.
Then, without warning—
The demon closest to him collapsed forward, a clean slash splitting its neck from behind.
Its severed head rolled across the floor and stopped at the castellan's feet.
Standing behind it was Goi, his steel blade gleaming.
The two remaining turtle demons roared in fury and launched a coordinated strike.
Goi dodged with measured steps, never losing his rhythm. As he slipped between their attacks, he gestured with one hand—pointing to the castellan's thigh.
Understanding instantly, the castellan gave him a grateful nod and began applying pressure to the bleeding wound, performing quick battlefield triage.
Goi, having confirmed this, shifted his stance.
Until now, he had only evaded—but now he struck. His blade flashed, aimed cleanly for the neck of one demon.
But the turtle's head retracted into its shell just in time. Goi's blade sliced air.
The second demon took the opening and brought down a flurry of strikes with a spiked club. Goi sprang backward—once, twice, then ten full paces—before landing in silence.
He smiled, then sheathed his steel blade.
The demons laughed, mistaking the gesture for surrender.
"Giving up already?" one hissed. "Too late, human! You're our next meal!"
"You're meat now!" sneered the other.
Goi slowly drew his bronze gladius.
"Really? That looked like surrender to you?" he said with a lopsided grin. "Nah. I was just thinking… what's the right cut for turtle stew tonight?"
Enraged, the demons charged.
Golden light erupted from Goi's blade, flooding the chamber.
He dashed between them, a blazing arc of radiant gladius trailing in his wake.
"Cleansed!"