Seongwan-gu District, as evening approached.
Three figures stood atop a high-rise building. Two of them were already familiar.
A silver-haired young man sat on the edge of the roof, gazing down at one of the Nightwatch outposts. He wore a black Nightwatch uniform—one he'd taken during the last assault.
Beside him stood the Crimson Reaper, his arm fully regenerated after the previous battle with Reina.
"We still haven't found that Lee Ki-hyun," the red-haired one muttered. "At this rate, we'll never catch him unless we hurry."
"You're all getting way too obsessed with him. What do you even need him for?" Seojun replied casually.
"You say that, but didn't you fight him yourself? Don't you want revenge?"
"Nope. I wasn't beaten by him—I lost to the King of Humans. But I doubt he's involved in their operations. If he were, their moves would be far more decisive."
The Crimson Reaper shot him a disapproving glare. The other added with a smirk:
"You've been different lately. Ever since you lost your arm, you've been dying to face that girl again. Did she crush your ego that badly?"
"Shut it, punk."
"Oh? Don't tell that was your first ti tasting defeat? Must've stung, nearly dying to a girl."
"I said shut up. Or you'll regret it."
Their eyes locked in a silent, sharp standoff—tension sparking between them.
"Alright, enough!" ca a cheerful voice from the third figure. "No fighting, guys! We're all on the sa team. Friendship is everything!"
He had curly hair, childish brown eyes, and a wiry fra that buzzed with manic energy. His over-the-top personality always made him seem eccentric, if not outright unhinged.
"Don't you start, clown. No one even takes you seriously," Seojun snapped.
"Oh co on, big bro Seojun! That hurts my feelings..."
"Don't call that."
"Five minutes left," the Crimson Reaper cut in. "Don't forget—our mission is to capture the SSS-rank hunter. All of Umbra has two days."
"I know," Seojun said proudly, rising to his feet. "And I'll be the one to find him."
"Seojun! Under no circumstances are you to transform into a demon."
Seojun glanced sideways at the red-haired one but said nothing.
His mind wandered—two hours earlier, to a conversation with Umbra's leader.
He had arrived at a room deep underground. Damp air clung to the maze of rusted pipes and cracked concrete. It was a long-abandoned sewer system, untouched by human feet for decades.
"You've co, Death Icon?" a calm, male voice echoed from the far end.
A shadowed figure sat casually against the wall. Only his legs were visible. Despite the voice's gentleness, Seojun sensed danger—an unnatural bloodlust radiated from that direction, chillingly similar to that of the Dukes.
"Yes. I ca at your request."
"I'm pleased you joined Umbra. Your strength will serve us well in protecting the Dukes."
"I'm honored to help."
Even without nace in his tone, the leader's presence bled killing intent. It was palpable, like standing next to a sleeping dragon.
"You failed to capture the SSS-rank last ti," the leader continued, "but killing two of Seoul's strongest hunters is comndable, if still not enough. As you said, the wonder child isn't yet powerful. His control over the demon blood is unstable."
"Yes... that's true..."
"Then we must capture him as soon as possible. If we're too late, the Taurus Demon will rise again. That wretch vanished from our radars 25 years ago, and now it reappears in another form."
"If it escapes into the world... humanity will suffer catastrophic losses."
"That's why, tonight, all Umbra cells will attack every Nightwatch unit."
The shadow stepped forward. Slowly, a tall man erged from the darkness, jet-black hair framing his face.
His gleaming erald eyes seared themselves into Seojun's mory. He had never seen such eyes, as if they had been bestowed by the supre being.
His thoughts were cut short by the Crimson Reaper's voice.
"Seojun? Are you listening?"
"Huh? Yeah..."
"Jaemin, you got all that?"
"Oh yeah!" the curly-haired one grinned, eyes wide. "I can't wait to turn them into a bloody feast! Just thinking about gutting them makes my stomach growl. The banquet begins!"
"A true lunatic," muttered the Reaper. "But we're ready. Let the feast begin."
All three leapt from the rooftop and crashed to the ground below.
anwhile, at our base, a deep rumble echoed in the distance.
Taehwan quickly scanned the periter, alert. Our entire unit tensed.
A low, guttural hum filled the streets—it was the sound of demons, signaling each other, preparing to strike in unison.
"Demons incoming!" Taehwan shouted, transforming his arm into a long Kenketsu blade.
I reinforced my limbs. I wasn't trained in weapon combat yet, so barehanded defense ca easier.
Three soldiers, including Dolphin, took positions on ledges, rifles at the ready.
"Glaz! Hawk! What do you see?!"
Harin was stationed atop a high-rise nearby. Through the scope of her sniper rifle, she tracked demons pouring out of buildings and alleyways.
"They're everywhere. We're surrounded."
She was right. From all directions, demons erged—so running on all fours, others vaguely humanoid. But they all shared one thing: claws.
"We're under attack too!" Minjae's voice ca through the comm. He was patrolling with Snake-1 and Shark-2.
The stench of rotting flesh filled the air. Taehwan froze for a second, shocked by the number of enemies. I snapped him back:
"What's the plan?! There's too many of them, and only five of us!"
"Hold the formation! Stick to the plan! Prodigy—why haven't you drawn your Kenketsu?!"
"I-I don't have one."
"I see. So the report was right. You'll fight barehanded?"
"Yes!"
"Interesting... I didn't expect that. Then fight however you must!"
"Y-yes, sir!"
Dolphin and Snake-1 opened fire. I noticed the demons fell after just a few shots—nothing compared to the Death Icon. These were barely stronger than B-rank monsters.
But sothing bothered ...
Why are those bipedal ones so fast?!
So of the humanoid demons, though clumsy, moved faster than normal humans. They climbed our barbed-wire fences and infiltrated the base.
Taehwan took point, shielding the soldiers. His massive Kenketsu tore through demon flesh, wide sweeping strikes ideal against hordes.
One demon dropped from the fence, staggering but still charging at . Before I could even blink, a sniper round ripped through it, exploding it into pieces.
The shot echoed through the night. I looked up—it was Harin, calm, eyes scanning for her next target.
Everyone was fighting for survival. I couldn't just stand still.
Suddenly, Harin's voice crackled through the comms:
"Oh no...! Elephant, do you copy?!"
"Report. What is it?"
"I checked the radar. We're not the only ones under attack. All Nightwatch units are being hit!"
"What?!" Dolphin exclaid.
"This can't be... On the second night of our mission, these scums planned all this!"
Taehwan's voice trembled with fury. He leapt into the horde, his blade dancing with rage.
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