SSS-Ranked Demon Hunter: The Prodigy
Chapter 29: Seojun vs Kihyun

Chapter 29: Seojun vs Kihyun

The gunpowder smoke slowly dissipated.

Before us lay the remains of the demon—no longer a body, but a mass of mangled flesh, riddled with bullets from all sides.

I placed my helmet back on and cautiously approached the corpse, nudging it with the toe of my boot.

Only after making sure there was no sign of regeneration did I raise my hand high into the air.

It was the signal—the enemy had been defeated.

The soldiers, who had been hiding inside nearby houses, burst out into the open, shouting with joy. They too cheered, jumping and laughing, a brief and precious victory.

But this didn’t mean the battle was over. The other squads were still out there, fighting for their lives.

Suddenly, something fell from the sky—a figure, crashing into the ground with a heavy thud. The stranger, ignoring all the stunned faces around him, immediately sought out mine.

At once, every gun in the vicinity swiveled towards him.

"Who are you, warrior?!" one soldier barked.

"That’s Silverhead!!" another cried out. "He’s one of the demons too!"

"A demon! Give us one good reason why we shouldn’t shoot you down right here and now!"

The silver-haired figure raised a single finger to his lips in a soft, almost imperceptible gesture.

It was not a request—it was an order.

The air froze.

"Shhh. Silence," he whispered.

Then he lifted his finger, pointing toward the rooftops above.

Following his gaze, we spotted dozens of cloaked figures lurking atop the buildings. Through their shrouded forms, their crimson, hellish eyes glinted menacingly.

"Demons don’t like noise," Seojun spoke, his voice calm and even. "To avoid a massacre, I’ll give you one condition. Hand over the SSS-rank hunter. Do that, and I promise to let the rest of you walk away alive."

"Yeah, right!" one soldier scoffed, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You expect us to fall for that, spawn? We’re not giving you anyone!"

"This is war, not a game," Seojun replied coldly. "Tell me—are you truly willing to risk all your lives for one man? Your families are praying for your safe return. Hand him over, and you might just see them again."

A heavy silence fell over the soldiers. They wavered. Doubt gnawed at them.

"He’s right," one soldier murmured.

"Why should we die for just one guy?"

"Fools!" another shouted. "We have our orders! Disobey them, and we’re traitors!"

"So what?! If that SSS-rank hunter is so strong, why doesn’t he fight and protect us instead?!"

"Yeah! Let him prove his worth!"

The soldiers began to fracture, splitting into two sides.

I stood frozen, unable to move—because deep inside, I too wondered.

Why was I worth all this? If not for me, they wouldn’t have been forced into this cruel choice...

I turned my gaze toward the silver-haired youth. Impatience flickered in his eyes.

What was he thinking?

"Enough!" Seojun barked. "No more bickering! Tell me now—which one of you is Lee Ki-hyun?!"

The demon was growing tired of waiting.

Wait a second... How did he even know I was here?

Demons shouldn’t have known my exact position...

Unless...

Without hesitation, I stepped forward.

All eyes locked onto me. The crowd parted, and Harin, her face pale with shock, whispered:

"Sir Lee... why...?"

Slowly, I removed my helmet and revealed my face to them all.

Seojun’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"Well, look at that. It’s really you."

One of the soldiers behind me stammered:

"B-but sir... why?"

"Don’t worry," I said firmly, my voice calm and unwavering.

Everyone could see it—the resolve burning in my eyes.

"Alright then, Mister SSS-rank," Seojun smirked. "Come with me."

"Wait. Before I go, I have a question."

"Huh? What?"

"You came here for me. That means... what about the others?"

"Hah," Seojun chuckled. "Like I’d waste my time on worthless trash."

He casually ran a hand through his silver hair.

"I’m here for you and you alone. I still don’t get why the boss is so obsessed with you, though. If it were up to me, I’d have killed you by now."

"Why am I so important to you?!"

Seojun grinned darkly.

"Isn’t it obvious?"

His words caught me off guard. I remembered the Death Icon’s last words... how he called me Taurus Demon...

Was the voice in my head... his?

"You possess power," Seojun continued, "that surpasses the limits of human understanding.Inside you—"

"Enough!!" I roared, cutting him off. "I don’t want to hear another word of your lies, demon!"

I spoke with such fierce pride that it silenced him completely.

Remembering how fiercely Hizumi from the Association had deflected suspicion from me, I decided to follow her example.

I believe I made the right choice.

"You’re a strange one," Seojun muttered, scratching his head. "You beg for answers, then reject them. Whatever. Time’s ticking. Move."

"One more thing."

"Ugh. What now?!"

His irritation showed—a true adolescent demon, impulsive and easy to rile, just like the reports had said.

"Why did you come alone?"

"Alone?" he sneered. "Open your damn eyes. There are as many demons on the roofs as there are humans here."

"That’s not what I meant. Silverhead, Mad Jester, Crimson Reaper—you three always move together."

"He’s waiting for us," Seojun said with a grin. "We’re meeting him on the other side. Now enough questions. Move, before we drag you by force."

"But if he’s waiting... then explain this: why did our team already manage to set up an ambush?"

"What?"

Seojun whipped his head around.

His eyes widened in horror.

The cloaked demons on the rooftops were being held at knifepoint, their weapons at their throats.

"Shit! They’re here already?! How did they get here so fast? If that’s true... then Crimson Reaper—"

"Exactly," a grim voice answered behind him.

From the shadows of a long alley emerged a towering figure clad in pitch-black armor of Kuroen—an ominous set of spiked plates seemed to grow from his chest like roots from an ancient tree.

Only a single eerie smile was visible beneath the blackened helm.

In each hand, he wielded massive, cruel axes.

It was Min-ho—the S-rank hunter known as The Ghost.

"The Crimson Reaper has fallen," Min-ho said darkly. "You’re next."

His twin axes scraped along the ground, the grating sound growing louder with every step.

Seojun felt a cold wave of terror wash over him.

In his mind, he cursed:

"They told him not to pick a fight with The Ghost... I’ve been strictly forbidden from taking my true form... Does this mean... we’ve already lost? Even with our numbers? Just how powerful is this Ghost, to take down the Crimson Reaper?!"

A spark of desperation flashed through his mind. And then... an idea.

A wicked idea.

Guns once again pointed at him from all sides.

And that’s when Seojun moved.

He lunged straight at me—moving so fast that everyone in his path was torn apart before they could even blink.

Soldiers were reduced to scraps of flesh in an instant.

He grabbed me by the throat—and bolted.

He was fast. Unnaturally fast.

I had seen this speed before.

Exactly the same way Death Icon moved.

Then... could it be...

They were the same person?