[An entire squad was slaughtered by unknown assailants!]
[Could the wounds on the bodies from yesterday's massacre have been inflicted by a demon?]
[It's now dangerous to go out at night in the Orange Zone — Nightwatch hunters will shoot on sight.]
Hundreds of such headlines flooded the net that morning alone. Public opinion erupted across social dia, and doubt began to spread about the validity of the Nightwatch operation.
Junho sent the location, and an hour later we t at a café in the heart of the city. The mont I saw his cheerful face, a sense of peace washed over .
My friend hadn't changed. That sa warm smile still lit up his expression.
"How's it going, superstar?"
"Don't call that. It's flattering, but no."
"But you really are one now! Do a few interviews, and people won't stop talking about you."
"I'm rejecting every offer."
We sat at a free table and ordered lunch. The tidy little café had a holy vibe to it, and for a mont, I stopped overthinking everything.
It was as if the weight on my shoulders had slipped away.
"Seriously though, I'm happy for you, Kihyun. The son of a legendary demon hunter has surpassed his father. That headline was everywhere."
"I haven't surpassed anyone."
Junho, with his light hair and simple clothes, smiled gently.
"So, how do you feel about this job now? I know you never dread of it. Has your opinion changed?"
When I rembered the sight of my comrades dying in front of , my eyes fell bitterly to the table. The old would've probably thrown up from mories like that.
"You just have to get used to the fact that the people around you... aren't permanent."
"Yeah, I get that. You've probably seen a lot of death already. too. I see piles of bodies almost daily—holess people, mostly. Our main job is researching disease in their corpses."
"You're still working in the Orange Zone, right? Is your lab there too?"
"No, it's right on the edge of the Green Zone. But they make us scientists assist during body collections."
I always admired Junho's motivation. How could he still smile after seeing so much?
"You said you had news?"
"Ah, right... There was a report. Last night, a Nightwatch squad and the holess they were protecting were all brutally murdered. The killers are presud to be demons. They left a ssage on the wall: 'Umbra was here.' Whatever that ans... people are scared. They think it might be a demon organization."
Umbra... dead soldiers... It looked like a declaration of war. These demons had to be intelligent.
"But let's not dwell on the dark stuff. By the way, Kihyun—"
"Hm? What is it?"
"You didn't happen to pick up a girlfriend, did you? Co on, spill it!"
"What?! No!"
"Don't lie. There are so many beautiful, single won in the Association. They're always too busy with work to date."
As he teased , my mind involuntarily recalled the faces of the clingy Hizumi, the graceful Sora, and the mysterious Reina.
"...Yeah, maybe."
"For real?! Damn, lucky guy. Hope you win her over—unless you're planning to get all three."
"What are you even talking about?"
Our spontaneous get-together, where we could talk about anything and everything, felt like therapy.
Ti slipped by unnoticed, and over a cup of tea, we talked about everything we'd been bottling up.
That evening, Seongwan-gu District, Orange Zone.
The two neighborhoods in this district were under the supervision of Reina and Yushin. Once a second urban center, Seongwan-gu had been designated a "potential danger zone" since the demon outbreak.
Still, people lived in every sector, long accustod to the lurking threat of demons.
In the first neighborhood, guarded by Reina's unit, it was eerily quiet. So soldiers even looked bored. No threats hid in the residential buildings, and the streets were disturbingly empty.
The Red Fox unit — consisting of two A-rank hunters, three B-rankers, and four regular soldiers — watched every alley with precision, moving thodically from block to block.
A red-haired female hunter was patrolling with her partner when her sharp green eyes caught a glimpse of a small girl darting away into an alley.
Gasping, she followed her quietly.
"Red Fox, what is it?" her partner in the black suit asked.
"Did you see that? Follow ."
Two more comrades nearby also spotted the girl's shadow. She ran beneath a streetlight and vanished again into the dark.
"Wait!" one of them exclaid.
"You saw it too? Should we report it?"
"Let's check first."
"Am I just imagining things...?"
Elsewhere in the neighborhood, the little girl erged from an alley, teary-eyed. Two soldiers froze in place.
"Girl, state your na!" one soldier called out, pointing his rifle at her.
"Stop!" the second said, raising his hand. "Don't point your weapon at a civilian."
The girl cried harder.
"Mommy... where's my mommy...?"
"When did you last see her?"
Four hunters, including Red Fox, ca running from behind.
"Report! What's going on?"
"She's lost, can't find her ho!"
One soldier gently approached her, offering his hand.
"Don't touch her! She might be a demon!"
"Don't point a gun at a defenseless child!" the other yelled. "Are you insane?! What will her parents say if they find out?"
The girl clumsily wiped her tears and shakily reached for the soldier's hand.
"Bear-2, I'm telling you as squad commander—don't touch her!"
"Where are your parents, sweetheart?"
"M-my mom... She disappeared... A man grabbed her and—"
"It's okay, don't cry. We'll take you ho. Can you tell us where that is?"
"I don't know..."
"That's fine. Co with . We'll find it together."
"Bear-2..."
Reina felt sorry for the soldier, but she understood him. There was no evidence the child was a demon.
The soldier took a step with the girl, another soldier following behind.
Then, a wall beside them exploded. A humanoid figure with clawed, fang-like arms launched out. His claws tore the soldier into shreds.
"No! Bear-2!"
The squad leader stood frozen. Half of Bear-2's torso landed at his feet, the other half buried under rubble.
Reina instantly summoned her Kenketsu — two elegant rapiers gleaming like before.
She locked eyes with the attacker: twisted claw-arms, black mask, armored vest. Was that a Kenketsu too?
No... those were real limbs, the kind only demons could transform.
"That's a demon!" the commander shouted. "Open fire!"
Bullets flew, but they did nothing.
"Damn! Only Bear-2 had armor-piercing rounds..."
Spotting the fallen rifle, the commander sprinted for it. The demon locked eyes with him alone, ignoring Reina and the others.
As the demon lunged, the commander rolled and grabbed the rifle, firing a volley. The demon leapt away, landing on a wall.
One bullet hit — Reina dashed forward and severed one of his arms with a wide sweep.
The demon retaliated, slashing off the commander's arms.
The weapon dropped. The man scread, his agony echoing through the district.
The remaining four soldiers heard his scream and raced toward them.
Furious, Reina shifted to a precise grip and lunged again — this ti, a vertical stab. The blade struck true, leaving a bloody gash beneath the demon's vest.
The demon snarled, eyes turning to the commander. He lunged.
Three hunters readied themselves, reinforcing their suits with demonic blood.
In midair, the demon's shoulder shifted, signaling a wide slash.
"NO! Howl-1!"
He landed — a blinding, sweeping slash.
One hunter froze. Then, his Kenketsu shattered.
His head rolled away.
The remaining two attacked in sync — one severed the demon's legs, the other his neck.
The demon fell. His lifeless body was vengeance made flesh.
Reina rushed in.
"Are you alright?"
"The demon's dead. But he took three of ours..."
"Three? What do you an?!"
She looked at the armless soldier — his eyes were empty. He had died from shock.
"No... No way... That thing killed two soldiers and a B-rank hunter that fast?! Zeus-1, what now?!"
Then, a child's voice ca from the rubble.
"Help ... It hurts! Mommy!"
The commander stepped forward to search.
"Zeus-1! She could be dangerous!"
"I don't care. I'm not leaving another kid behind."
Suddenly, massive tendrils of at lashed out from the debris, slamming him into pulp. Only his legs remained.
A red, fleshy mass rose from the rubble — Reina cut it apart with a single blow.
"Red Fox! Stick close! It's just us now!"
"Goddamn it!"
Her eyes t a dark figure on a rooftop. Those piercing eyes gave them both chills.
They saw his white suit, short crimson hair, and a black mask.
"Well," he said in a cold, clear voice, "Only two left? Is Seongwan-gu really worth all this?"
"Who are you?! Identify yourself!"
"Not worth the ti. I'll finish you in five minutes."
A long katana appeared in his hands.
"A Kenketsu? No... wait, is he a hunter?!"
He pointed the katana at Reina. His calm eyes knocked the breath from her lungs.
"Behold true power, re hunters."
Reviews
All reviews (0)