SSS-Ranked Demon Hunter: The Prodigy
Chapter 28: My Squad Encourages Me to Fight!

Chapter 28: My Squad Encourages Me to Fight!

"Come out, Ki-hyun~" he kept calling for me.

I was furious. My teeth were grinding, fists clenched tight. Umbra... If it weren’t for them, Minjae would still be alive!

Damn demons... standing in my way. I’ll wipe you all out!

The rage in my eyes was unyielding. I straightened my back, just about ready to step out.

Screw it. I’ll kill you!

But then, Taehwan grabbed my shoulders. His firm gaze calmed me.

"We do this together."

Surprised, I nodded.

Pressing his radio, he gave a command to the squad:

"We’re going out. Our comrade is in danger."

Salez was sitting nearby, clutching his sniper rifle tightly.

"Wait! You’re really going out there? That’s suicide..."

"And what choice do we have, Glaz? Sit here and wait for them to find us and butcher us?"

"I... I can’t take it anymore. Is this weapon in my hands the only thing that’ll remain of me? To hell with it! I’m not going out there!"

"Fine by us," Taehwan replied, and we exited the building.

The rest of the soldiers hiding inside sat in silence, as if awaiting their deaths.

One by one, nearly all our teammates emerged from other buildings. The last to appear was Harin—unarmed, yet burning with resolve to face the enemy.

She picked up a rifle lying beside a fallen comrade.

"You won’t need this anymore," she said. "Whoever you were... now you can rest."

Their brave emergence stunned the remaining troops—and even touched the enemy.

The Mad Jester standing in the middle of the street broke into a mock sob.

His maniacal eyes twisted my insides—I wanted to beat the life out of him.

"Oh no! The valiant soldiers throw themselves into the flames to save humanity! So tragic. Such stern faces... do you all hate me that much?"

His words were cut short by Taehwan’s loud and resolute voice:

"Everyone within earshot, LISTEN UP! Right now, a heavy burden lies on our shoulders! Before us stands a demon who wants us dead. If we let him win, our lives will mean nothing! Grab your weapons and fight! Die if you must, give everything—but we must win!"

After his rallying speech, a heavy silence fell.

"Looks like," Jaemin chuckled, "no one’s coming to help. Everyone listening! Yes, I’m that Mad Jester, the one who leaves no survivors. Run, hide—it won’t matter. I’ll devour you all."

He summoned Kenketsu into his hands—a long, scythe-like weapon that sliced the air with its sharpness.

"And you—will be my first victims."

We braced for battle!

Taehwan mutated his arms into blades and lunged at the enemy first. His swings were mighty—trying to take the demon down with sheer force.

The Jester dodged and blocked with ease, his movements fluid and mocking. It angered the hunter.

Then came a woman’s voice from behind:

"Taehwan, move!"

Harin sprinted in from the side, unleashing a full volley from her rifle. She didn’t spare a single bullet, aiming straight at the enemy.

Taehwan leapt away. The Jester, caught under fire, deflected some bullets with his scythe, but several pierced his torso.

The demon didn’t flinch—on the contrary, a dark smile crept across his face.

"You monster!" shouted Shark-2, aiming his grenade launcher.

Both grenadiers launched a fiery barrage at the Jester. He anticipated the attack—but couldn’t dodge in time.

An explosion rocked the street. Normally, a blast like that would reduce any demon to ashes. Gunpowder is toxic to their essence, burning them in agonizing fire.

But this one was different.

When the smoke cleared, he stood there—his body glowing red.

Before the blast hit, he’d reinforced his entire form and shielded himself with Kenketsu. The scythe’s defensive power kept him from being blown apart.

We were stunned—but there was no time to hesitate.

Taehwan surged forward again, his blades sharper than ever. The Jester met his charge.

Their weapons clashed, sparks flying with every strike. Finally, the demon kicked the hunter back and—before we could react—pounced on the Shark unit.

"You’re first to go," he said coldly, swinging his massive scythe. The blade cleaved through our comrades’ torsos, cutting them clean in half.

Before we could intervene, they were dead.

"You freaking bastard!" I yelled, fortifying my arms with blood. Veins bulged on my face with fury.

The Jester crouched, and just then, Dolphin appeared before him—pressing his rifle barrel right to the demon’s face.

He opened fire. Each bullet was a requiem for the fallen—comrades he’d served alongside for ten years.

"Shark, Snake, you hear that? The sound of gunfire we love so much. This is a rhapsody for you two. It’s not our fault you died—we were born in a world where nothing is sacred!"

When his magazine emptied and the smoke cleared, we saw the masterpiece Dolphin had painted in the name of justice.

Where the Jester’s face had been was now mangled flesh—only a single eyeball remained distinguishable amid the mess.

The demon slowly turned his head toward me and stood.

Dolphin reloaded—but Jaemin struck him with full force, sending him flying.

The soldier was knocked out cold—no longer able to fight.

"Dolphin!" shouted Taehwan. He snapped—charging back into the fray.

His blade-arms sliced with merciless fury—striking again and again.

For every comrade, for the children, for the elders.

His wrath was boundless.

"Impressive!" said the Jester, barely dodging one of the blows. "You’re out of breath already. That’s what fascinates me about humans. No matter what, you keep standing... crawling toward hope!"

As the maniac leapt back, I emerged behind him—my fists glowing red with rage. He dodged again, but this time, my punch landed straight into his chest.

I felt my knuckles shatter his bones—striking his heart directly.

Jaemin’s face began regenerating—his flesh reforming cell by cell.

As his skin started to restore, Taehwan found his moment—and delivered a slicing blow.

His blade slashed into the demon’s side, aiming to cut him in half.

But the monster grabbed his arms—and kicked him away with such force that Taehwan’s arms tore off completely.

Rolling across the ground, the armless hunter let out a warrior’s cry.

That cry echoed through the entire district.

And then—from every window and door—our soldiers appeared, weapons in hand. Charging up, they began shooting at the demon, leaving it no chance.

When their magazines ran dry, they reloaded and kept firing.

From every crack and corner came bursts of gunfire—shouting back at Taehwan’s scream, answering his cry for hope.

"W-what are you doing?!" the Jester stammered, realizing every bullet was tearing him apart. "H-hey, stop! If this keeps up, I’ll die! Please, don’t kill—"

He never finished his sentence.

A single sniper round pierced his head—shattering it into a thousand pieces, ending his life.

The shot was fired by Salez—the same soldier who once trembled in fear... now delivering the final blow.

"I killed him..."

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