It was only natural that they would try to escape after witnessing what had happened to their Lord. In some cases, he would simply look the other way, but their energy carried a certain stain—one similar to that of their Lord.

It was a stain that told him they had taken human lives, or devoured a significant number of humans, within the past month at the very least. And the thought of what they had done to the girl was unforgivable. However, the words the fat monster had spoken had piqued his interest.

“The Demon King’s general orders…”

It would be in his favor if he could obtain more information about it. But even in a situation like this, they were unwilling to surrender. He doubted they would be willing to talk or share much information. And even if they did, it would probably be lies.

At this point, they would say anything to survive.

With that thought, he concluded that they had little value to him.

“Running is the only option, you idiots…” one of the fleeing monsters muttered. “Die if you wish, but just make sure to buy us some time.”

They ran for their lives, believing that attacking him would be nothing short of suicide.

Especially if he could shoot those black spheres from earlier simply by willing them into existence. That would also mean he could sense their energy, since it was what had allowed him to target them during his first attack.

And if he had enough energy reserved for such an attack, it wouldn't matter whether he could see them or not. Their deaths were assured.

Knowing this, they could only hope that the gravity within the fog would at least buy them enough time to escape. If that failed, perhaps the others who were planning to attack him could buy them some time.

They were so eager to die that they had underestimated his capabilities.

“It’s high time I end this,” the boy said with a blunt expression.

“Dark Bullets: Scattered Shots.”

He removed his right hand from his pocket and held it forward. His dark energy emanated from his body, taking the shape of countless black spheres before he discharged them.

Each bullet flew toward its target. The fleeing monsters. And the ones preparing to attack him. They were killed instantly.

Within a matter of seconds, they had all been burned to nothingness. Not a single monster survived his assault. Their remains were nowhere to be found—not even their bones.

The boy then cleared the dark fog, using his energy to vaporize it.

“I’m sorry for taking so long to deal with them…” He turned his attention toward the girl.

“Now, rest easy. You’ll be okay soon.”

“Shadow Art: Plague…” He walked toward her body and squatted beside her, placing his right hand on her.

“And now… Compress.” His energy spread through her body, devouring every impurity within it. The plague gradually healed her, sealing her wounds while simultaneously compressing her body into a marble.

He rendered her unconscious to speed up her recovery and make her easier to carry. Once the process was complete, he picked up the marble.

“Purge.”

Dark energy spread across the bloodstained sand, vaporizing every trace of blood left behind. It spread throughout the field like the dark fog, burning away all impure energy in its path. When he was finally done, he took a moment to gaze at the moon.

For a while, he simply admired it, an intense look of relief appearing on his face. Then he sensed something strange. An unfamiliar presence. An odd energy had been lingering in the distance for some time. He wasn't sure what to make of it.

Curious, he considered checking the location. However, he soon realized that remaining outside any longer would increase his chances of encountering members of the sector security, especially with the ongoing incident. That was something he preferred to avoid. Based on that, he decided to end his night there. Whatever he had sensed could wait.

If the being was truly someone—or something—of importance, there would be another opportunity to find out.

He placed his right hand back into his pocket, the marble safely inside, and left for home.

The next morning, news of the slaughter that had occurred the previous night spread across television and radio stations.

It was reported as a rampaging animal assault—an unfortunate incident that had claimed several lives, although only a few bodies had been recovered.

Fifteen people had reportedly been injured in the attack.

Eleven of the injured were hospitalized in public hospitals within the southern region, while four were hospitalized in the east. All of them were said to remain unconscious.

The authorities did not reveal the actual number of bodies recovered or the precise location of the incident.

Instead, they reported that the attack had occurred in the woods and across several ghetto areas in the eastern and southern parts of the city.

The headline read: “Rampaging Hungry Wildcats.”

According to the report, the beasts were wildcats whose origins were still unknown. They had gone on a rampaging feast for flesh across several regions of the city, particularly the East and Southern districts.

The beasts were said to have attacked nearly everyone they came across, devouring several citizens before local security personnel attempted to gun them down.

However, the creatures managed to escape.

The authorities were supposedly searching for and pursuing the beasts.

The total number of victims remained unknown, but the injured were being treated in hospitals. Due to the circumstances and concerns for public safety, the city was placed under a curfew from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. until the wild beasts could be captured or killed.

The forests and woods were declared no-go areas until further notice, with unauthorized personnel prohibited from entering.

Citizens were advised to travel in pairs for their own safety, among several other precautions announced during the broadcast.

All of it served one purpose: To conceal the real event. Monsters—demons—had invaded nearly half of the city and had been hiding there for some time.

The previous night, some of them had finally given in to their bloodlust, killing and feasting on as many humans as they could find. Certain groups had been stopped, but there were not enough hunters available to deal with the situation.

Hunters were human warriors who possessed the ability to purify beings of various kinds. Most belonged to clans of spiritual warriors whose special abilities had been inherited through ancient bloodlines, commonly referred to as noble blood, while others were simply born with exceptional abilities.

The sector security had only a limited number of hunters available to handle the situation due to the recent reassignment of several members.

However, demons left no physical remains when they were killed. Thus, there was no trace of the demons that had been eliminated. The same could not be said for the damage they had caused. People had been devoured. Buildings and surrounding areas had been damaged.

The sector security therefore had to clean up the traces of the attacks and restore the affected areas while informing their associates within the authorities about the situation.

They needed to determine what information could be released to the public without causing widespread panic.

After all, it had been a mass slaughter. And it was only one of several similar incidents that appeared to have occurred over the past few months.

The sector security believed that covering up the incidents without informing their associates could create serious problems. It could draw unwanted attention, interfere with their investigation, and make it increasingly difficult to keep the existence of demons hidden from the public.

Especially when the case involved an anomaly. Although the available hunters had managed to eliminate a significant number of demons the previous night and were investigating the incident, some demons were still hiding. That made eliminating them difficult.

Some had a habit of lingering around crowded areas, waiting for an opportunity to cause chaos whenever hunters pursued them.

With the newly announced safety measures, dealing with them would not be easy.

Others lived within human vessels, among other methods they used to remain hidden and protect themselves.

At least, that was what they had done in the past. However, the events of the previous night suggested something different. The attack had seemed too coordinated, too bold, and too precise to be random.

The sector security—hunters assigned to protect particular districts—were taking the matter with utmost caution.

They had observed something especially troubling. The demons were helping one another. They were fighting in groups. Something was clearly wrong.

Despite hearing reports about the number of people killed by the beasts, most of the city's population did not seem particularly concerned. Perhaps it was fortunate that the public had not descended into panic. Still, to those within the sector security, it was disappointing. How far had humanity's sense of compassion faded?

The deaths of ordinary people were no longer enough to stir concern. To their surprise, most citizens seemed more concerned about the curfew announced during the broadcast than the lives that had been lost.

Income and personal convenience appeared to hold more value in their hearts than the deaths of strangers.

Earlier that morning, toward the end of dawn, in the western part of the city where the barracks were located, the O-Zone branch stood quietly.

It was a horizontally structured building in which each flat was separated from the others.

Inside one of those flats was the grey-haired boy from the previous night's incident—the boy who had single-handedly wiped out the demons in the field and saved the girl.

He was preparing for school when someone suddenly rushed into his flat.

“Hi, brother! I'm so sorry I'm late…” The boy's younger brother hurried inside.

“Please—please tell me you've prepared breakfast. I'm starving!”

“…I just finished.” The grey-haired boy glanced at him.

“But you'll only get some after you're done washing up.”

“No problem! I'll be done with that ASAP.” His brother grinned.

“Thanks. You have just saved my belly once more, my beloved brother.”

“Just get going before my stomach starts protesting.”

“Yes, sir!” The grey-haired boy's brother quickly rushed off to bathe and prepare for school.

After the two brothers had finished getting ready and eating breakfast, they left their flat. As they made their way out, they heard the news of the previous night's slaughter playing from their neighbor's radio.

“Man! We really have to do something about the uprising of the demons.”

“Uprising? Surely, you don't mean that literally?”

“I actually do. Word is going around that some of the higher-ups in the sector security believe the increase in demonic appearances and the boldness of their actions throughout the city are the result of some kind of organized rebellion.” The man continued speaking.

“They believe the demons are trying to take over the city. Somehow, they've realized that the sector security is short on manpower, and the Divine Eye isn't functioning effectively—if it's functioning at all.”

“The slaughter last night seemed to prove it.”

“Hmm… Is that so?”

“Yeah. At least, that's how it seems.” The voice paused briefly before continuing.

“And that's also the only reason I can think of for why the sector security has been calling me in to assist with purges over the past few weeks, only to chase me out like some kind of dog whenever I report in after the purge.”

“It's so annoying.”

The grey-haired boy and his brother continued discussing the matter as they made their way toward school. But the boy's mind had already drifted elsewhere.

Now he understood why there had been no hunters at the scene when he had saved the girl. Neither before nor after.

He felt relieved that he hadn't waited for the hunters to arrive before intervening. If he had, she might have been dead by now. Or worse.

After hearing his brother's words, however, another thought entered his mind. Could his brother's claims be connected to the girl?

He knew for a fact that the girl he had saved wasn't human. She was a hybrid. And considering what the demon had said in its agitation—how they were acting according to the orders of one of the Demon King's generals—it made sense that someone was pulling the strings behind the sudden increase in demonic activity and human slaughter.

Such activity would undoubtedly affect the Divine Eye as well. With that in mind, he acknowledged that his brother's claims might actually be on point.

The more he thought about it, the more his interest in the girl he had saved grew. What was her value to the demons? Did she have a role to play in whatever plans they were carrying out? And if she did… That would explain why so many demons had been after her.

Their numbers had been far too great for it to have been nothing more than a simple hunt. Even if they had only wanted to toy with her, there were still far too many of them.

Something about the girl was important. And he intended to find out what.