Capítulo 152: 152
Whoosh—
A chill wind blew by, ruffling my hair as it passed.
Various buildings stood in rows like trees in a forest, but most of them were empty. Vines clung to their walls, giving them a desolate appearance.
Abandoned cars with shattered windows lined the roads, and broken chunks of concrete lay scattered everywhere. Despite the passage of time, the scars of violence inflicted by the monsters were still evident in the landscape.
We were currently in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do.
It was one of the ghost towns that had yet to recover from the aftermath of the initial emergence of the Gates.
Seoul, where I usually operated, had witnessed significant advancements in civilization and technology compared to the pre-Gate era. However, ghost towns like this one were common just outside the city.
In other words, it was an ideal environment for Demons and criminals to hide.
It was said that even in such places, there were a few unrecorded civilians who had not managed to escape, and the Demons targeted them for abduction.
Ghost towns were usually designated as restricted areas by the government, so Lim Ga-eul and Sophia, who were seeing one for the first time, couldn't help but express their dismay.
"There's no life here at all."
"Yeah, it's like a dead city."
Baek Seol-hee, who had been silently observing the scene from the rooftop of our target building, turned to us and said, "Let's proceed with the plan."
We nodded tensely in response.
The operation was simple.
I would draw the enemies' attention by infiltrating their base alone. Meanwhile, Baek Seol-hee, Lim Ga-eul, and Sophia would rescue the hostages.
In a hostage rescue operation, the top priority was to ensure that the enemies didn't have leverage over us by holding the hostages' lives at stake. Therefore, it was only natural that Baek Seol-hee, with her exceptional physical abilities, would be part of the rescue team. Sophia and Lim Ga-eul were also included in the team to ensure the safety of the hostages.
"Acceleration—!!!"
Lim Ga-eul held a magic stone in one hand and cast a buff on all party members at maximum output.
Even Baek Seol-hee, known for her physical prowess, seemed impressed by the 10% boost to her already formidable abilities, letting out a soft exclamation.
"Not bad."
Her ambiguous comment made Lim Ga-eul give her a questioning expression.
'That's high praise from you. I guess the 10% increase would feel different at your level, Instructor Baek.'
I nodded in agreement inwardly.
Baek Seol-hee, her face set in a determined expression, clenched and unclenched her fists a few more times to ensure she was ready. Then, in a crisp voice, she gave the order.
"Jin Yuha. Proceed."
"Yes."
As soon as I received her command, I jumped off the rooftop and descended toward the ground.
Whoosh—
The wind rushed past my ears.
Two Demons stood guard at the entrance, their heads initially appearing as tiny dots but growing larger as I approached.
Swoosh—
When I was close enough, I drew Moonlight from my waist.
Thud!
Thud!
"Ugh!"
"Ack!"
As I fell, I slashed my sword diagonally across the necks of the two Demons, silencing them before they could even utter a cry.
Thud.
I flipped my body in mid-air, using my stealth steps to land silently. I carefully lowered the two Demons to the ground as they fell backward.
Holding my breath, I activated my sense ability to scan the auras of those inside the building.
"What the hell are they doing with these kids?"
"Fuck, I know. Every time I stand guard in the underground prison, their whining drives me nuts."
"Why don't we just kill them? Let's torture them or something. Or at least let us have some fun with them! Goddammit, if we can't do this or that, why the hell did we bring them here in the first place?"
"Hey, watch your mouth. Do you want to lose your head? The Demon Society isn't something to mess with."
"Ugh, fuck. Ever since that bitch Emperor appeared, everything's gone to shit. Why the hell do we have to deal with this crap—!"
I assessed their level with a calm gaze.
'Their individual skills seem similar to the Demons we fought during the mid-term evaluation… But why are there so many of them?'
Each of them didn't seem to be any more skilled than the ones we had faced during the evaluation. However, there were about a hundred of them gathered in the hall, and there could be more in the building.
I pressed the earphone in my ear and spoke softly.
"I sense a total of one hundred and two individuals. There may be more. The hostages are confirmed to be held in the underground prison."
[ Confirmed. Proceed with the operation immediately. ]
I gazed at the massive iron door before me, then enveloped my sword in mana and slashed it diagonally.
Screech—
The thick iron door was sliced like tofu. I kicked the severed door panel, sending it crashing inward.
Squeaaak—
Thud!
The Demons inside, startled by the sudden commotion, turned to look at the entrance.
"What the hell?! Who are you?!"
"Who's there?! Show yourself!"
"Hey, isn't that a guy?!
"I know that face from somewhere…"
I quickly scanned the surroundings, taking in the whitewashed walls, old hospital equipment, and cracked marble floor. This place seemed to have been a hospital at some point.
'Let's start with the most annoying-looking one.'
With that thought, I swung my sword horizontally.
My first target was a short-haired woman with curly hair sitting at the reception desk, looking dumbfounded.
Single Strike.
Ssssssssssssssssssshick!
The sharp sword energy sliced through the air, aimed at the woman.
Screech!
"Ugh?!"
She noticed the sword coming for her and tried to dodge by rolling to the side, but she couldn't escape the range of the technique, and more than half of her body was sliced off.
"Ughhhhhh…"
Her face contorted as her intestines spilled out, and she collapsed to the floor. She was still twitching, but her end was near.
"Deputy Commander!
"What the fuck!"
"Who the hell are you?! What are you doing?!"
Boom!
I ignored their exclamations and kicked off the ground.
The sword flashed, and a moment later, one of the Demons' heads went flying.
Whoosh!
A fountain of red blood spurted from the headless body.
"You crazy son of a bitch!"
The Demon standing next to the decapitated one, his expression hardening, spun on his heel and threw a punch at me with his spiked knuckles.
"Dieeeeee!!!!"
The spiked knuckles came dangerously close to my face, but I calmly ducked under the blow.
Thud!
In that position, I thrust my sword upward.
"...., fuck."
The sword pierced through the Demon's chin and exited from the back of his head. His eyes rolled back, and he went limp.
Another Demon was sneaking up on me from behind. As I pulled the sword out of the chin of the first Demon, I simultaneously kicked backward.
Thud.
"Ugh!"
The Demon who had been kicked in the stomach grimaced and took a step back.
I spun around and thrust my sword into the heart of the first Demon, then pushed him forward, impaling the second Demon as well.
"Ughhhhhh…"
Thud!
As I withdrew my sword,
Thud.
Thud.
The Demons fell to the ground.
"...."
A black-haired boy had suddenly appeared and taken down five Demons in the blink of an eye. The Demons struggled to make sense of what was happening, but it was too much for their minds to comprehend.
"...., monster."
One of the Demons pointed at me and called me a monster, but I was unfazed.
It was a slaughter similar to the one during the mid-term evaluation.
However, my mindset was different this time.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
My heart beat slowly, and my head felt cold and clear.
I felt no guilt for taking lives.
In this world, becoming a Demon meant embracing the capacity to kill humans solely because they existed. They were human in appearance but not in nature.
Suddenly, one of the Demons shouted in a terrified voice.
"...., Jin Yuha!"
"What?"
"Jin Yuha! Jin Yuha! What's that crazy bastard doing here!!!"
"Jin Yuha? The Utopia guy?!"
"The one who killed Rebecca?!"
The Demons, now aware of my identity, tensed up even more and aimed their weapons at me, but they hesitated to rush me. Perhaps the video of me killing Rebecca and the swiftness with which I had taken down the five Demons had given them pause.
In that moment of hesitation, I curled my lips into a smile.
'If you give me that opening, I'll gladly take it.'
I had created an opportunity to wreak havoc.
'Since I'm drawing their attention anyway, might as well make it count. Especially with Instructor Baek, Lim Ga-eul, and Sophia here.'
I raised my sword and brought it down with full force on the dirty marble floor.
Kwaaaaaaaaang!
The impact sent a cloud of dust and debris flying into the air.
[ Rescue team, initiating entry. ]
With that signal, Baek Seol-hee's voice rang out.
﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌
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