SSS-Ranked Demon Hunter: The Prodigy
Chapter 72: The Embodiment of Evil

Chapter 72: The Embodiment of Evil

Taurus Demon stood before them, ready to strike at any moment.

His main opponents were Lee Yeonho, Zhuan Ren, and Death Icon.

Without hesitation, the leader barked:

"Zhuan Ren, run! You can’t afford to die here."

Nodding, Zhuan Ren stepped back and bolted away.

From above, helicopter turrets opened fire. Taurus Demon charged forward, galloping on all fours like a beast. He slashed with claws and snapped with his fangs, radiating unstoppable fury.

Lee Yeonho’s dagger was laughable against a three-meter monster, so he conjured a blood-forged sword. Seojun, unable to summon blood weapons, had to fight with bare claws.

As bullets rained down, their battle spilled into nearby buildings, tearing through walls until they crashed into a shopping mall. Civilians screamed and leapt from windows in panic. Some huddled in corners, trembling, praying for mercy.

Taurus Demon lunged again and again, teleporting at times, then blitzing with sheer speed. His strikes were ferocious—every slash left new wounds across the beast’s massive body.

And then, standing upright, the horned demon summoned the Godslayer Swordspear once more.

Seojun swooped down from above, striking with full force. The ground split, windows exploded, and people covered their ears in terror. Children sprinted through corridors, separated from their parents.

"No, kids!" a mother cried, chasing after them. "It’s dangerous! Stay back!"

But curiosity overrode fear—they wanted to see demons fight with their own eyes.

Suddenly, Taurus Demon swatted Seojun away. The winged demon crashed into the woman, crushing her.

"M-Mom..." the children stared, paralyzed. Her legs remained, but nothing more. "Mom! No..."

The mall groaned with every clash. Taurus Demon tore through walls with savage sweeps of his blade, keeping his enemies at bay. After kicking Seojun aside, he slammed into Yeonho with his full weight.

But the green-eyed demon kept teleporting—untouched after every assault. He seemed invincible. Until Taurus Demon pulled out his hidden trump card.

With a roar, he leapt at Yeonho again and summoned a second Swordspear into his free hand. With both weapons, he slashed horizontally, collapsing an entire wing of the building. The ceilings caved in, burying dozens.

Yeonho crawled out from under the rubble and leapt away, panting. But the Duke didn’t let up.

"Seojun!" he shouted. "Go get Altair. We can’t let him die!"

The horned demon roared and lunged again. Death Icon didn’t wait—he shot outside and landed beside Altair’s broken form.

"You look like hell," he muttered, noting Altair’s missing arm and gaping wound. "Honestly, I don’t like you. I’d let you die—but we still need you."

Scooping him up, Seojun vanished into a dark alley, hiding from aerial eyes.

Meanwhile, Yeonho fled the crumbling mall and leapt onto a highway bridge swarming with traffic. The Duke followed close behind. Cars screeched and swerved away, desperate to avoid them.

"They won’t shoot us here," Yeonho muttered, tightening his grip. "Come, beast from the cage. Show me your fury."

With a grunt, Taurus Demon charged, his twin blades carving through cars. He hurled wreckage at his foe, turning the bridge into a graveyard of twisted metal.

But Yeonho ran straight at him, using wrecked cars to leap from one level to another. Sliding beneath the monster, he drove his blade deep into Taurus’s gut and sliced upwards.

The beast responded with a devastating kick, collapsing the bridge. As he landed below, he searched—but Yeonho had already vanished.

Panting, Taurus Demon bounded toward the bloody street. His wounds closed instantly.

"Your regeneration is a gift from me," the demon’s voice echoed. "But do you know why it failed you before? Why you couldn’t stand after that fight? I control your regeneration. I can suppress or twist it however I see fit."

Taurus Demon landed to the street. The blood-slick street was a graveyard—bodies, buildings, everything lay broken.

"Look around," he said. "Isn’t it beautiful? To kill demons, I sacrificed some humans. But most of the corpses here? Former soldiers who turned into monsters."

Taurus Demon’s form faded. And in his place—I returned. My body was new, my clothes shredded, but it was unmistakably me.

Opening my eyes, I recoiled.

Mountains of corpses. Ruined buildings. Blood dripping from rooftops.

Dust filled the air, the mall lay in ruins.

I collapsed to my knees. My stomach twisted. I did this?

I slammed my head against the asphalt, fists shaking. Idiot! What have I done?!

Fool... scum... monster...

All it took was a single moment of inattention—and everything collapsed. Everything we built for decades, gone.

I hated myself. I didn’t want to fight anymore.

At the Association building, employees were frozen in shock. They couldn’t believe what they’d seen—that the Taurus Demon emerged from my body.

"He’s a shapeshifter!" some screamed.

"We can’t protect him anymore!" others roared.

"Lady Sashi, what are your orders? Lee Kihyun’s the one who brought chaos to the Green Zone."

Sashi stared at the aerial footage. I stood in the center of the destruction, unarmed.

With a heavy heart, she gave her order:

"Kill him. Immediately."

As I sat trembling in the wreckage, helicopters loomed overhead. Their turrets locked onto me.

Yes... maybe it’s better this way. I can’t even trust myself anymore.

From a nearby alley, a female figure leapt out. Cloaked in blue, she grabbed me and dove into a sewer grate, sealing it behind her.

Who...? Why would anyone save me now?

"Lady Sashi!" a soldier shouted. "Lee Kihyun escaped! He has an accomplice."

"Scour the Green Zone!" Sashi barked. "Search every corner. Kill any remaining demons—no exceptions."

"Understood!"

Helicopters dispersed. Soldiers spilled into streets and rooftops, chasing shadows.

But they weren’t just hunting me. The question of Osiris and the remaining Umbra loomed larger still.

Meanwhile, I lay slung over the woman’s shoulders, flying through a labyrinth of underground tunnels.

"Where are we?" I asked weakly.

"Beneath the city," she answered—her voice hauntingly familiar.

She pulled back her hood, revealing long chestnut hair.

"H-Hizumi?!"

"Yes, darling. I came to save you."

We raced through the tunnels. Despite the weight she carried, she didn’t falter. When we finally stopped, I stood on my own legs.

"You saw everything?"

"...Yes," she said softly. "I saw it all."

"Tell me the truth... was that really me? Did I kill even my allies?"

Hizumi nodded.

"Technically, it wasn’t you. But the demon that emerged from your body—that was the embodiment of your buried rage."

I lowered my eyes.

"I don’t want to fight anymore. What happened today was too much."

She smiled gently.

"Good."

"You must hate me now..."

"Not at all. That’s exactly what I hoped for. You’ve sacrificed enough. It’s time you found peace. I don’t want you to destroy yourself in these battles anymore."

"Hizumi..."

I embraced her from behind. Her warmth calmed the storm inside me. The scent of her hair made me feel... alive.

"I missed you. I’m so glad you’re alive."

She held my hand and whispered:

"I came back. I told you—I’d steal you away when the time was right. And now... no one will stop us. I’m so happy... you can’t imagine. Finally, you’re mine."

"Yes. Let’s go wherever you planned. I trust you."

"I found a house. No one will find us there. But we have to move fast—before the soldiers catch up."

I nodded, and we ran.

Back at the Association, a crash echoed through the infirmary. Lee Yeonho had broken in, fleeing through a shattered window.

Hunters and helicopters were hot on his trail. But he dove into a sewer grate and vanished into the underground.

"He’s in the tunnels! Follow him! Don’t let him escape. All squads, converge on the sewer exits!"

"Yes, sir!"

At the same time, Sashi gathered the remaining S-rank hunters—everyone except Jisun. They entered Dr. Shin Kyungsoo’s office, only to find him dead in his chair.

"What the hell happened here?" Reina gasped.

Sashi scowled.

"We’re too late. I had a feeling. After today’s incident, I knew this doctor wouldn’t survive. Lee Yeonho killed him to silence something."

"What do you mean, Lady Sashi?"

"I suspect Shin Kyungsoo knew something about Umbra. That’s why he was silenced. Damn it... if only I had questioned him sooner."

One hour earlier.

Jisun had entered that same office.

Opening the door, he saw the doctor sitting quietly—waiting for death.

"What’s up, Doc? I guess you know why I’m here."

"I figured you’d come, Hunter Park."

"It seems like you don’t have much time left. Tell me everything right now—and I’ll let you die in peace."