SSS-Ranked Demon Hunter: The Prodigy
Chapter 68: The Green Zone Incident, Part 8

Chapter 68: The Green Zone Incident, Part 8

A hundred demons from Umbra. A hundred defenders of the nation.

Before me stood a crowd of soldiers, drained of will by the presence of Lee Yeonho.

Should I still call him father? No... he’s not my father. I’ve come to terms with that.

My father would never do these things. He was the face of heroism—the embodiment of justice itself.

Then who the hell are you? How dare you wear his face? I’ll kill you...

My face twisted with fury. Teeth clenched. My breath was ragged.

A garrison commander shouted:

"Move the wounded! Get them to safety!"

Immediately, several soldiers rushed to carry away my team, including me. But I resisted. I didn’t want to run. Not like this. Not with empty hands...

That’s when Lee Yeonho’s cold voice echoed through the square:

"Don’t move. One more step—and I’ll kill you all."

The soldiers froze. Their throats dry. Minho stood bare, without his blood-forged armor. Twin axes in hand—but even that wasn’t enough against someone like him.

What do we do now..? Are we doomed?

Even if our numbers matched theirs, just one man—this man—crushed our will with his presence alone.

Minho’s mind raced. Some soldiers had already radioed for backup.

We couldn’t win this without Park Jisun.

Minho drew a sharp breath:

"All units, charge! Don’t let them near the Association!"

The roar snapped everyone to life. Shooters fired in waves, while hunters lunged forward into battle.

Reina and Sora rushed to intercept Seojun. Chanwook launched himself from above at Altair.

Minho stayed behind—to face the leader himself.

"What a shame," Chanwook smirked, driving Altair back with an unrelenting onslaught. "Looks like the girls nabbed the big fish. Guess I’m stuck with you, swordsman."

"Hmph. Picky, aren’t you," Crimson Reaper growled, barely holding off the barrage. "Did no one teach you manners as a child?"

"And you’re the epitome of civility, huh?"

Altair’s arms trembled as he parried with his katana. Against Chanwook, of all opponents, he had no margin for error. Gritting his teeth, he summoned a second blade. Dual wield or die.

From where I sat, slumped against a ruined wall, I could barely believe what I was seeing. Chanwook—wings of Kuroen, sharpened instincts, overwhelming pressure.

Was he... also a half-demon? No. That couldn’t be.

Me? I was only alive because of a miracle. But Chanwook... an S-rank Hunter, and somehow he’d mastered something he couldn’t even fathom. Zeno’s words echoed in my skull.

But how? He was supposed to be a goner. The doctors had all but signed his death warrant.

Minho and others others must feel the same. Like they’re drowning in something too vast to understand.

And me? Helpless. Paralyzed. Move, damn you! Fight! Everyone else is bleeding for you, giving their lives for peace, and you’re just lying here...

You pathetic bastard—get up! Come on, get up already! Why is it so damn hard to pull myself together?!

A faint set of footsteps brought me back. Harin laid Yeonghee down beside me, while her team dragged Ming and Ryu to safety.

"Harin..."

"Stay calm, Sir Lee. You can’t give up now. It’s safer here than in the open. I’m placing her beside you so you can protect her. She’s unconscious... but I know you can keep her safe."

"...Harin, you’re really with the garrison."

"Yes, Sir Lee. Right now, my top priority is to protect you. Trust me—I will repay the help you once gave me, no matter what it takes!"

She gave me a small salute, then vanished to the rooftop with her sniper rifle.

Even Harin is still fighting... And I’m still just lying here.

Yeonghee’s unconscious body rested against my side. Her limp form and scattered breaths were all the reminder I needed: we were nearing the end.

How were we supposed to survive this?

All across the battlefield, cloaked demons clashed with the garrison soldiers, while military support laid down cover fire. The thunder of grenades shook the air, and helicopters roared into the fray.

"Hold them off... stall for time," Minho thought grimly, exchanging blows with Lee Yeonho. "I just need to survive... if I can buy even a few more minutes, maybe—just maybe—the helicopters can intervene."

Suddenly, a brutal punch to the gut sent Minho staggering.

"What are you thinking about, Hunter?"

Minho launched himself backward, unlocking his Kuroen armor mid-air. The full weight of battle crashed down on him—this was survival now, nothing else.

He gripped his axes and lunged. The green-eyed demon swayed aside effortlessly, but Minho twisted, letting the swing carry through in a brutal arc.

Lee Yeonho vanished—then reappeared meters away, safely out of reach. Hands in pockets, he gave a crooked smile.

"Defenders of freedom... at a time like this? Please. You look like a champion of valor, a righteous icon. But I see it in your eyes—you’re not. So tell me, Ghost. What do you really fight for? Don’t tell me it’s just to die looking noble in someone else’s eyes."

Minho trembled, jaw clenched. The demon went on:

"Thirty years old, still swinging your blades with pride. But for what? For the upper class who feast while you bleed? The world no longer remembers why it needs you. Hunters became marketing icons, not saviors. Look around you. None of this would’ve happened if the government hadn’t played god with demon extermination."

Minho gave a bitter smile:

"What would I know? I’m just a dumb Hunter doing his job. You really think your philosophy’s going to rattle me?"

"Oh, I’m not trying to rattle you," the green-eyed man said softly. "I’m trying to wake you up. This world is a comedy. The war on demons? A bedtime story to turn children into soldiers. You’re livestock for the elite’s banquet."

Minho didn’t flinch.

"Sure, I won’t argue with that. It is the sad truth of our world. But what I can’t wrap my head around is — why the hell are you telling me all this? To be or not to be? I couldn’t care less. Right now, I’ve got only one goal — to take you down."

He bared his teeth, ready to charge.

Lee Yeonho sighed.

"I see. Then I’ll show you with force."

A dagger of blood curved into shape in his hand. In the blink of an eye, he vanished—and reappeared in front of Minho, blade swinging.

Fast. No teleportation—just sheer speed.

The dagger grazed Minho’s torso, but his armor held. Minho countered with a violent kick, but Yeonho merely left a drop of blood in his place and surged forward again, relentless.

Minho was on the defensive, parrying strike after lightning-fast strike.

Elsewhere, Harin and her unit were tasked with pinning down Zhuan Ren from a distance. The demon’s body exuded poison, making close combat suicidal.

High-caliber napalm rounds lit up the street, halting his advance. Zhuan Ren wasn’t a powerhouse, but a spreader of contamination—each step left venom in the air.

Meanwhile, Reina and Sora flanked Death Icon, keeping him surrounded. Military snipers supported them, ready to suppress him if his wings moved.

Their combat was like choreography—deadly, elegant. Reina’s strikes were powerful but labored. Sora’s greatsword did the real damage.

Then Reina called out during a fight:

"Death Icon! I have a question."

"I don’t take questions from brats," the demon growled, blocking with his wings.

"Why didn’t you attack us... back then?"

Sora knew instantly what she meant. During the attack at the ceremony—Death Icon had cut down dozens but left the two of them untouched.

"Why did you walk past us? Did you think women weren’t worth your blade?"

"Huh?" Seojun scoffed. "What a joke. I was at my limit. I had one goal—kidnap Lee Kihyun. Why waste time on trash like you?"

Reina’s eyes widened. It hadn’t been mercy. It was dismissal. She was livid.

Her aura ignited, blood-red power coiling around her.

Sora looked startled. She hadn’t seen Reina use this technique before.

Seojun tensed. He realized they were no longer just obstacles—they were threats.

Meanwhile, helicopters arrived on the scene, their chainguns locked onto the battlefield. They hovered in deadly formation, waiting only for the go-ahead. But one problem remained—the mass of allied soldiers still tangled in the melee near the enemy.

General Vincent Hwan had given strict orders: no fire until authorized.

And that authorization had yet to come. For the last thirty minutes, Sashi Heiwa had remained silent over the command line.

What was she thinking? What was her plan? No one could guess.

Then—he arrived.

The one they had all been waiting for.

The one whose strength was hailed as divine, whose name was whispered like a prayer.

The Child of Heaven. The King of Humans.

He stepped onto the battlefield, not alone—but with a forgotten companion, whose deeds still lived in legend.

"Hunters Park Jisun and Ren have arrived!!"

A soldier’s voice broke through the chaos. Heads turned. The fighting slowed, as awe rippled across the front lines.

The two advanced, unwavering.

Park Jisun, now walking tall again on two legs, radiated a presence that froze demons and lifted human hearts.

"This time, I’m not alone, my friends," he smirked, pointing toward Rin. "With me is an old comrade—one they used to call the Blood Mage in certain circles. Well then, demons—how do you like that?"

His gaze met Lee Yeonho’s. For a brief second, they spoke without words. ’Do you realize what comes next?’

"Well, what a surprise," Yeonho said, breaking the silence. "Or at least, that’s what I’d say if I were actually surprised. You never die, do you? I’ve heard plenty about you. No matter the danger, somehow you survive when entire squads fall. A true hero... or just a damned lucky bastard?"

Jisun gave a wide, bewildered grin:

"Tell me something instead—how the hell did I survive? I was in a coma, left for dead. And then, I got a second chance. Some kind of regeneration... and the worst part? It feels like that power was inside me all along."

"So that’s what it is."

Minho interrupted, confused and shaken. "Jisun, what the hell is going on? None of this makes any sense anymore..."

"Calm down, Minho. Focus on yourself first."

Lee Yeonho’s tone turned curious:

"Curious," Lee Yeonho added, "how does it feel now, living in the eye of the storm? I’ll admit—were I in your shoes, my mind would’ve snapped by now. You’ve uncovered your true nature, and your comrades... they’ve suddenly grown wings on their backs. Surely by now, you’ve realized the truth, haven’t you? The life you thought you knew was nothing more than a lie, hidden behind a carefully crafted mask."

Jisun’s eyes flicked to Chanwook’s wings. His voice wavered.

"I suspected. Secrets always get revealed eventually. All it needed was a catalyst—Lee Kihyun, right? Otherwise, why would you attack now? Tell us the truth, Lee Yeonho. What did you see in your ’son’ that started all this? Or should I call you the fake Yeonho?"

The green-eyed figure smirked, a shadow of frost in his gaze.

"So be it. Perhaps I am merely pretending to be the King of Chaos—but that doesn’t change the truth. I’ll tell you this: Lee Kihyun carries a secret within him... one that even the Dukes themselves are desperate to seal away."

Gasps echoed across the Association as his words hit the comms.

"Alas, my goal isn’t terror. I only wish to savor its final fruits... to indulge in what’s left, while the moment still lingers. Though really—what does it matter anymore?"

His eyes darkened as he raised his palm, as if to catch a snowflake that wasn’t there.

"Soon, this place will be consumed by an ashen rain. And nothing will stop it."

"You’re such a romantic," Jisun scoffed. "Dreaming of chaos like it’s some kind of poetry. What happened—did your parents forget to hug you as a child?"

"Not at all. You understand me better than most. In my search for freedom, I renounced human life. After all, true beauty lies far from violence."

"So you were human once? How funny."

"Who I was doesn’t matter. Demon blood is truth—it awakened me. Humanity is a dead end. We’ve reached our ceiling. But demons... they are evolution incarnate. Understand this, Park Jisun—once demons inherit the strengths of mankind, they will reshape reality. That’s why our power is absolute! We don’t kill our own for amusement. We don’t wage war on each other. Those who spread violence to this world... are humans."

"That’s enough out of you, chatterbox. You’re a charming philosopher, sure—but I’ve had my fill of your sermons. Wouldn’t it be better to skip to the fight already, huh?"

"...You’re a terrible liar, Park Jisun. Admit it—you’re barely standing. All your strength is being drained by your regeneration, isn’t it? I’m right, aren’t I?"

Jisun paused. Then gave a lopsided grin.

"Right on the money."

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