Chapter 29 – The Hunted Turns the Hunter
Six enemies remain. Each a devil wearing the mask of a man. Each one part of the chain that strangled the last bit of hope out of the world Ji-ho once believed in. After the brutal war with Kang Min-joon, Ji-ho had evolved. Not just in power—but in hatred, in resolve, and in purpose.
The rain poured down like the sky itself was mourning the sins of mankind. Ji-ho stood atop the remains of a broken skyscraper, his cloak flapping in the storm, his red pupils glowing in the shadows. The city below was rotting—filth, corruption, crime. A graveyard for the innocent and a playground for the wicked.
In his hand, the Destructive Ray Sword, now infused with a poisonous aura, pulsed with hunger.
"Time to begin the hunt again," he muttered.
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Target #5: Seo Dae-won, a high-ranking awakener and underground kingpin. He ran a city built on fear, drugs, and illegal awakenings. His specialty? Illusion Manipulation and Mind Decay. A master of psychological warfare. A manipulator who broke minds before breaking bones.
Ji-ho knew this battle wouldn't be just physical.
---
As night fell, Ji-ho infiltrated Dae-won's domain—a hidden city beneath the real one, crafted in a labyrinth of steel and neon. Shadows moved. Awakeners, hundreds of them, all loyal to the kingpin. Ji-ho, in a cloak of poison aura, moved like a ghost. His status now firmly at AA, he walked among enemies unnoticed, his mind locked on one goal: eradicate the disease.
It began with silence.
One by one, the awakened guards fell—skulls crushed by invisible force, throats pierced by a silent blade of energy. Ji-ho's control over the Destructive Ray had reached terrifying levels. His eyes, the Eye of Evil, glowed, showing him precisely how to kill each enemy with surgical brutality.
In mere minutes, over 200 B-rank awakened guards were wiped from existence.
Screams echoed. Alarms blared. The undercity was now drenched in blood.
Then, Ji-ho stopped in the center of a neon-lit corridor.
A slow clap.
"Impressive," said a voice, sultry and venomous. Dae-won appeared—draped in a fine suit, surrounded by illusions of fire, snakes, and mutilated faces.
"You're stronger than the last time we met, Ji-ho. But strength won't save you from your own mind."
With a flick of his hand, the world shifted.
Ji-ho blinked—and suddenly he was inside his worst memory.
---
A burning clinic.
His brother screaming.
Seo-oh's body twisted, broken, begging him to save her.
He tried to move—he couldn't.
He screamed—only silence came.
The pendant around his neck glowed—but offered no power.
He was powerless. Again.
"You're weak," said the illusion. "You were always weak."
"No…" Ji-ho whispered. "I'm not… that person anymore."
The illusion cracked. Power flared.
Ji-ho's will, tempered in rage and agony, exploded outward. The memory shattered like glass. The world bent back into reality.
---
"Nice trick," Ji-ho spat.
"But I've evolved beyond fear."
His aura ignited. Poison and destruction fused into a monstrous blaze. Even Dae-won's illusions flickered under the pressure.
A massive battle erupted—mind against will, illusion against reality, corruption against vengeance.
Buildings crumbled. Streets cracked open. Ji-ho tore through Dae-won's world, ripping illusions apart, pushing forward even as his mind was assaulted again and again.
But in the end, only one stood breathing.
Ji-ho, with his blade at Dae-won's throat.
"Please," Dae-won whimpered, finally seeing reality for what it was. "I was just following orders… The president—he…"
Ji-ho didn't care.
"You followed them into hell. Let me show you what hell really feels like."
With one last swing, Dae-won was no more.
---
Five down.
Two to go.
And the President.
Ji-ho stood amidst the ruins, blood soaking the floor, his brother appearing from behind with weary eyes.
"Ji-ho…" he whispered.
His answer was cold and resolute.
"No mercy. No salvation. Only judgment remains."