SSS-Ranked Demon Hunter: The Prodigy
Chapter 65: The Green Zone Incident, Part 5

Chapter 65: The Green Zone Incident, Part 5

Meanwhile, Reina, Sora, and Minho had regrouped and were locked in battle against the demons.

Their objective was clear: not let the enemy get anywhere near Osiris, while Team Kusanagi fought him directly.

"Black Cat, help evacuate the civilians!" Minho shouted.

Without hesitation, Sora obeyed, leaping across rooftops like a shadow.

"Red Fox, you stay. Looks like it’s just the two of us holding this line."

"R-Roger!"

Minho summoned his twin great axes and launched a devastating counterattack as demons began leaping from every direction.

They swarmed the berserker, but he met them with wide, sweeping strikes.

"Ghoooost..." the quadruped demons growled in eerie unison, moving in coordination.Their behavior was unsettling. They weren’t just here to wreak havoc—they had a plan.

"Damn it... how do they know my callsign? Red Fox, I think they crawled out of the abandoned sewer systems. The government’s ignored those places for years.

But the real question is—how the hell did Umbra learn to control quadrupeds? Those things are dumber than bricks!"

"No idea!" Reina responded, parrying a demon that resembled a hound. "There’s just too many of them. Are they trying to overrun the city with sheer numbers?!"

"Clearly!" Minho growled, gripping his axes tighter. "Hey, you mindless freaks—you’re facing Ghost! So come at me! Let’s see what you’ve got!"

The demons began tightening the circle around them. And then—they struck, all at once.

Minho’s axes tore through multiple enemies with each swing.

Reina, wielding her twin rapiers, delivered pinpoint strikes—slicing cleanly through lines of foes with elegant, deadly precision. Her movements were like a ballet of shadows, graceful and calculated, dancing between walls like a phantom ballerina.

Minho, though strong and armored, lacked Reina’s agility. His bulky frame made him an easy target as demons latched onto him, clawing and gnashing. Even with the thick Kuroen armor, the berserker struggled to shake them off.

That’s when Reina leapt in, slicing through the air itself to dislodge the enemies clinging to his back.

"Thanks... I think they figured out I’m more of a rhino than a tiger."

"We need to stick together," she replied.

"Yeah... you’re right."

Minho glanced toward the distant battlefield, heart heavy with uncertainty. Was Osiris still alive? Had their team managed to take him down?

Meanwhile, on another street, Sora was helping civilians flee. Her greatsword was ideal for crowd control—every swing cut down multiple quadrupeds in a single blow.

Black Cat wasn’t as nimble as Reina, but her brute approach worked. She charged straight at the demons, drawing them in and cleaving them down in one devastating sweep.

Her controlled, efficient movements revealed a past life where she had served as the tank in combat units.

After clearing the area, Sora escorted the defenseless to safe zones, lifted the elderly, carried injured on her back, and reunited children with their parents.

Despite her delicate appearance, she was a force of spirit when others were in need.But inside... something was crumbling.

Quietly, she realized the terrifying truth:

She didn’t care anymore. Whether these people lived or died—it didn’t move her.

Suddenly—a thunderous boom. Helicopters spiraling out of control crashed from the sky.

Buildings shook violently. An explosion erupted on a nearby street.

A skyscraper blew apart, its windows shattering in a wave of glass, cutting into everything below.

"What the hell?!" Minho turned toward the fire erupting from the business tower.

Figures appeared in the windows—hundreds of pale, corpse-like humans, standing motionless, hollow-eyed. They looked dead. But they stood.

Minho’s stomach dropped.

Then, all at once — the people leapt from the windows. In midair, their bodies violently mutated into bipedal demons.

"Holy shit...! They were human... right? What is this?!"

Hitting the ground, the transformed creatures scattered in every direction, lunging at unsuspecting survivors and tearing them apart.

Whatever humanity they once had—was gone. They moved with a hunger born of pure instinct and bloodlust.

Minho glanced up—more of those hollow ones stared down from nearby rooftops.

"Red Fox—stay sharp! Don’t take your eyes off those people! Something’s not right!"

The hollow ones wore the clothes of vagrants. Some were young, others old. But all... were watching him.

And then Minho realized:

"...No way... those are the missing homeless from the outer camps."

"W-what...?" Reina started to ask, but never finished.

The hollow ones shattered glass and jumped, transforming midair into bloodthirsty demons.

"No doubt about it... These are victims of the Demonic Flu. Red Fox—show no mercy!"

"Got it!"

They attacked immediately, claws flashing. They no longer cared who or what they faced—only that they killed.

Minho gritted his teeth. He wasn’t used to killing former humans. But he hardened his heart and gave himself over to the fight.

Reina, on the other hand, still hesitated. She had fought enemies like this before. And every time—it shook her.

They used to be people...

"Don’t freeze!" Minho shouted. "Shut your thoughts down! Let your fury take over! Doesn’t matter who they were—they’re trying to kill you now!"

Reina’s eyes sharpened.

Yes... her life was on the line. She had once vowed to trust no one but herself—so why was she hesitating?

What mattered now was survival—hers and her comrade’s—against a world dragging them into hell.

"I won’t be dead weight anymore!" she shouted, slashing her rapiers. "I don’t care how long it takes—if this is the only way to survive in this cursed world, then I’ll take control of my fate! I will survive... I will live!"

Her rapiers blurred into red arcs. Every strike cleaved air and flesh alike.

The speed of her movement stunned even Minho. He could almost see a crimson aura radiating from her like evaporating blood.

"This girl... she’s awakened something new..."

Driven by sheer will to live, Reina unlocked a deeper bond with her demonic blood. Not just armor. Not just weapons. But a new form—a red energy swirling like fire and blood.

This awakened ability enhanced her endurance and combat flow, keeping her body moving like a storm.

The demons fell like wheat under a scythe. Minho stood frozen in awe.

"I’ve never seen anything like this..."

A breeze passed, carrying an unfamiliar voice.

"Tch. And here I thought turning pathetic humans into demons was beneath me. I deserve a bonus for this kind of work."

A tall, slender man stepped from the smoke. Long blue hair. An unsettling smile. A narrow frame. Everything about him screamed unnatural.

There was no doubt — he was a demon in human form.

"My masterpieces... all reduced by the hands of fools. Don’t tell me you’re jealous of my art?"

"You..." Minho growled, "you’re the one mutating the infected. Your ’art’ makes me sick."

Reina joined him, blades drawn.

"It is not for you to judge what kind of art strikes me," the demon spat. "They say you can recognize the character of a creature by learning what its aesthetics are. You don’t seem to like being turned into a pile of brainless meat. I don’t understand, I’m a demon. And to me, turning people into demons is a much more refined art!"

The man opened his wide mouth, releasing a cloud of white vapor—a toxic mist spreading across the battlefield.

"Fall back!" Minho shouted.

They leapt away, but from above, the sound of wings filled the air.

Death Icon descended, blocking their escape.

"Death Icon..." Minho clenched his fists. "So that’s what happened to the choppers..."

They were trapped.

On the rooftop of a burning skyscraper, the boss of Umbra stood watching the chaos.Beside him, the Crimson Reaper waited in silence, ready to strike down any incoming backup.

Among the smoke, death, and crumbling order—only Lee Yeonho wore a satisfied smile.

Taking in the moment, he whispered:

"The hunt... has only just begun."