Tasha quickly said hello and then looked herself over, sporting an odd expression.

How long had it been since she'd breathed the outside air?

"What's... going on?" Tasha asked.

"I became a Master Demonic Swordsman, and created a secret move that allows me to release you from the demon swords," Kang Oh said.

"How long can I stay out here? No, how often can I come out? Can I just stay like this?" Tasha asked question after question, her eyes gleaming.

"You can just stay like this." Kang Oh answered her final question first.

There was no price for using Demon's Descent. There was no set duration time, cooldown, or MP cost either. Thus, Tasha could remain in the outside world for however long she wanted.

Of course, Demon's Descent wasn't without its downsides; although using it didn't cost him anything, there was always a risk that the demons would run free.

When released from their prison, the demons may run away from him or even try to kill him. However, Kang Oh planned on letting Tasha stay outside, despite the inherent risks involved.

"Really?" Tasha asked.

"Yeah." Kang Oh nodded his head.

"Why? What if I were to run away or try to stab you in the back..."

Half of the blood that ran through her veins was demonic. She had descended from a wicked demon. 'So how can you trust me?'

"But you're not going to." Kang Oh smiled.

He trusted Tasha. Even if she tried to run or kill him (and that's a big if), he was confident that he could deal with her.

"Hmph. Are you sure?" Tasha pointed her sharp nails at him. However, Kang Oh didn't feel threatened by them at all.

"If you wanted to run away or attack me from behind, then you wouldn't have told me beforehand. You would've just gone through with it," Kang Oh said.

"That's... true I guess," Tasha agreed.

"Fight with me. Ah, but if I need Demon Sword Blood, then you'll return to being a sword. When the battle's over, I'll summon you again," Kang Oh said, and Tasha slowly nodded her head.

"Sure."

"Let's work together."

Kang Oh grinned and extended his hand. Tasha took it with her clean white hand, and the two shook hands.

* * *

Bone Dragon Akite, who'd been watching their interaction, said, "Are you finished?"

"Not yet," Kang Oh said curtly.

"He's..." Tasha looked at Akite warily. She'd only just noticed him.

"He's a bodyguard," Kang Oh said.

"So he's not an enemy?"

"No."

"Alright." Tasha lost all interest in Akite.

"I'm going to summon another demon," Kang Oh said.

Intermediate-Rank Demon's Descent allowed him to summon up to two demons at once.

"But I'm not sure if I'll be able to control this one."

"Ubist?"

"Yeah."

"Don't. He's a beast. An untamable beast," Tasha warned.

"But I want to try taming him."

"Do what you want," Tasha said, and calmly prepared for battle. Her white hands were surrounded by red energy.

"I'm going!" Kang Oh pulled out the jet-black greatsword, Demon Sword Ubist.

Demon's Descent!

Darkness enveloped the sword, forming a black cocoon around it.

A short while later...

The cocoon shattered, revealing a jet-black beast. Its fur was darker than the deepest abyss. It had sharp fangs, red glowing eyes, a beautiful tail, and four long, robust legs.

This was Ubist, who was known as the Abyss Predator and King of Demonic Beasts.

Kuhaaahk!

It roared and dashed towards Akite.

'I'm hungry! I'll eat you all!'

That was its mentality right now. It charged headfirst into the largest prey here.

"Restrain him!" Kang Oh yelled.

Ubist wouldn't listen to him, so he decided to train it instead!

Bone Dragon Akite was the first to react. It was a dragon; a dragon called the 'Incarnation of Magic'!

Of course, becoming a Bone Dragon had reduced its ability to use magic, but it was still a dragon!

Nine Stars!

Twinkling stars floated around Akite.

Whir!

The stars unleashed powerful rays of light, which struck Ubist head-on.

Bam!

This resulted in an explosion.

Grr!

Ubist staggered, but Bone Dragon Akite's magic bombardment wasn't done.

Relentless Fire Burst!

Blade Wind's Dance!

Fire and wind great magic came flying at Ubist. The two elements naturally mixed together, creating a giant whirlwind of fire.

Ubist opened its mouth wide, and absorbed the fiery whirlwind!

At that moment...

Tasha stepped forward. She was once called the Great Forest's Demon, Blood!

Just a short while ago, she had absorbed Vladi's power, which further increased her abilities.

Tasha pointed her fingers at Ubist.

Red Spear of Judgment!

This was a skill that Vladi, a member of the Red Moon race, had used against him.

Blood spears appeared over Ubist's head, which then fell like rain.

Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab!

Red spears pierced Ubist's back.

Tasha crossed her hands. Then, red thorny vines burst from underneath Ubist's feet and bound it.

Annihilating Thorn!

Vladi had used this against him too. It was likewise a Red Moon race skill.

Tasha raised her right hand and then forcefully swung it.

Fresh Blood Wave!

This was one of Blood's original attacks. The red energy rushed forward like a tsunami.

At the same time...!

Akite cast another spell.

Glacial Ring!

A giant ring of ice formed in the air, shooting ice fragments everywhere.

Ubist opened its mouth.

It unleashed unfathomably deep jet-black darkness from it.

This happened in the blink of an eye. Ubist was covered in darkness as if it were dyed in squid ink. The Fresh Blood Wave and Glacial Ring were absorbed by the darkness.

Nothing had happened.

Ubist couldn't be found anywhere, and Akite and Tasha just waited for it to reappear.

All of a sudden, Ubist reappeared behind Akite.

Abyss Transfer!

Kuhaaa!

Ubist bit Akite's rib bone.

"You pup!" Akite grabbed Ubist's neck with its bony arm, and wrapped its tail around its body.

The two giant beasts were fighting hand to hand.

Akite and Ubist, both tangled together, rolled onto the floor.

Rumble!

Akite's giant nest shook, and dust fell from the ceiling as if it'd collapse at any moment.

At some point, Akite threw Ubist away. Ubist righted itself in midair and then landed on its feet. However, there was a giant rib bone in its mouth.

Crack! Crack!

Then, Ubist ate the bone.

With Sarahoff in his hand, Kang Oh dashed towards Ubist's side.

Ubist swung its front paw. It was as though a black comet was flying through the sky.

Its attack possessed great power and speed. However, this was Kang Oh we were talking about. In terms of 'evasion', he was superior to even Dukeram.

He easily dodged Ubist's paw and swung his sword.

Slash!

He left behind a lengthy scar on Ubist's body, and shards of light burst out.

Kuhahk!

Ubist unleashed a fierce roar and tried to devour Kang Oh in a single bite.

'Not today!'

Kang Oh threw himself to the side and dodged Ubist's attack. Then, he bounced forward like a spring and counterattacked.

Bam!

Sarahoff cleaved through Ubist's leg. Huge shards of light fell from the wound.

After that, Kang Oh and Ubist clashed several times. However, Kang Oh was winning one-sidedly.

More and more sword scars appeared on Ubist's body. On the other hand, Kang Oh was completely unscathed. He didn't even have a scratch on him.

'My mind, body, and sword are all light!'

Was it because he'd become a Master? Probably.

Kang Oh felt a lot looser than before. Even if he swung his blade softly, there was plenty of force behind the blow.

It was like he was using Gluttony.

'This is why I lost to Dukeram.'

A Master and a non-Master were completely different beings.

Kang Oh attacked with even greater ferocity. Tasha and Akite backed him up.

Ubist could absorb Akite's spells, but they definitely served as a good distraction. After all, they were all on the level of grand magic.

Kang Oh and Tasha seized those opportunities, and easily landed hits on Ubist.

Ubist desperately struggled against them, sweeping through Akite's nest with its abyss energy.

However...

It was up against Predator Kang Oh, the Great Forest's Demon, and Bone Dragon Akite! Even Ubist was no match for all three of them at once.

In the end, Ubist fell to the floor.

Kang Oh slowly approached it, and just as slowly took a look at it. The intensity in its gaze hadn't gone down at all.

'I'm an untamable beast!' That's what its eyes were conveying to him.

"Hmm."

Kang Oh was disappointed. He thought he'd be able to tame it if he brought it down a peg. At that time, he would treat it with kindness and give it some snacks too.

The carrot and the stick!

However, this particular method wouldn't work on Ubist.

Ubist was unyielding in the face of defeat. The stick hadn't worked at all.

"Return to the sword."

Ultimately, Kang Oh canceled Ubist's summon.

Grr!

Ubist snarled for one last time.

Its giant body transformed into smoke, and in its place lay Demon Sword Ubist embedded in the ground.

"Is that all of them?" Akite asked.

'Please tell me that's everything!' His body language made it clear that this activity was particularly bothersome.

"No, I have one more." Kang Oh raised Sarahoff into the air. The purple longsword, which expelled blue energy, glowed.

* * *

Ice Queen Saila, who possessed the power of the Ice Soul, was trapped within Demon Sword Sarahoff.

Saila was Yuki-Onna Sara's formal name. Like Tasha, Sara had an alternate name.

Kang Oh stabbed Demon Sword Sarahoff into the ground.

Demon's Descent!

The sword radiated chilling energy, and an ice flower sprouted. Although it didn't smell like anything, it was an incredibly beautiful flower nonetheless.

Sara appeared from within this flower.

She possessed a graceful face. However, her eyes were pupiless, so she also looked frightening at the same time.

Sara had short black hair that went down to her nape, and she wore white fur clothes. She wore a blue muffler, which was adorned with a purple morning glory flower pattern.

Her hands were covered with black gloves, and she wore brown boots over her feet.

"Hoo. Hoo."

Whenever she exhaled, she would let out a white mist of air.

"Hi," Kang Oh said.

In the previous battle, Kang Oh and Sara had talked for the first time.

Sara said nothing. She just looked on vacantly.

"Sara?" Kang Oh repeated.

Only then did Sara's expression change. It looked like she had gotten a hold of herself.

She looked over herself and her surroundings. "How?" It was as if she were saying, 'How was I released from the demon sword?'.

"I used a secret move to summon you from the demon sword," Kang Oh said.

"Can I stay like this from now on?" she asked.

"If you're willing to cooperate with me. Of course, if I need Demon Sword Sarahoff, then you'll have to return to being a sword..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Sara sharply yelled, "No!" At the same time, she gathered cold energy.

Ice Wall!

A frozen wall stood in between Kang Oh and Sara.

Kang Oh pulled Ubist from the ground and forcefully swung it.

Tempest Tiger!

The mighty aura instantly crushed the wall. Then, he saw Sara running for the exit.

'As expected.'

Kang Oh knew that Sara would try running away when he summoned her.

Why, you ask?

Her dream was to explore the continent. Being released from the sword gave her an opportunity to explore the world on her own. Thus, he knew she would try to run away no matter what!

Of course, he couldn't just let her go.

She was a being that contained the Ice Soul's power. And there was a chance that she could transform into the Ice Queen again. The same Ice Queen that had the power to freeze half of the continent!

Plus, he couldn't afford to lose Demon Sword Sarahoff.

"Akite," Kang Oh said.

His intentions were clear.

Bone Dragon Akite cast another spell.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The only exit was blocked by a ton of bones.

Sara looked at the blocked exit and bit her lip.

Then, Kang Oh approached her. "I think it's time we talked."