"You know, Seojun. Sometimes I think you don't give a damn about how this operation ends."
The city catacombs. The air still reeked of damp and rot. A rat skittered across the wet floor.
The Crimson Reaper stood next to a silver-haired young man. Seojun stared into the void, his resigned eyes slowly turning toward him. Then the Reaper continued:
"Is it because Ji-sun isn't among the soldiers? I can see you've become obsessed with him."
"Until I take him down myself, the stain on my name won't fade."
"Don't be a child. You won that battle, even if you didn't land the final blow. The boss still values your contribution."
"I don't care what anyone says. This is personal. That bastard left me without a shred of pride."
"Hmph. As you wish."
A silhouette appeared in front of them—a curly-haired man jogging over with a grin.
"And here I am! Miss me?"
"Jaemin, where the hell have you been? The boss is about to show up."
"Sorry~! Got a little delayed tracking some targets. I thought one of them might be our SSS-ranked guy!"
"And? What did you do with them?"
"Killed them! Turned out they were just regular hunters."
"Idiot." Seojun facepalmed. "Did you even make sure it wasn't him?"
A rusty door creaked open before them. Behind it stood a cloaked demon. And far back, perched atop a massive pipe, sat their boss.
"Come in. The boss is waiting."
The trio entered the underground chamber.
"Boss!" they said in unison—except for Seojun, who merely bowed his head slightly.
"Enough. Tell them what you told me."
"Understood," said the cloaked demon, turning to them. "We attacked all fifty divisions. Most suffered heavy casualties. Only the elite squads of S-rank hunters, the ones we all know of, came out untouched. But there was one more team—two snipers, completely unharmed."
"What did you notice about them?" asked the Reaper.
"There was a soldier fighting demons barehanded. His power is on par with a second-tier demon. No blood weapon. Fits the description Death Icon gave us."
"Excellent," the boss said, resting his cheek on his hand. "So… was the operation a success?"
"Yes, my lord. We gathered a wealth of data, all thanks to the Crimson Reaper's plan."
"Well done, Crimson Reaper."
From the shadows, the boss's emerald eyes gleamed. He began to clap, and the room fell into a tense silence.
The clapping quickened—eerily so. The cloaked demon clapped along nervously. Jaemin followed suit.
Seojun once again felt that sinking sense from the boss's aura. A danger so sharp it quickened his heartbeat and made his gaze wander in panic.
Such was the boss's power. His mere presence could crush lesser demons to the ground.
The clapping stopped. The others followed. Only Jaemin kept clapping, smiling like a child.
"Huh? We're done already?"
Once the echoes faded, the Crimson Reaper spoke:
"I'm honored by your praise. Now, if I may—boss, is everything ready for their summoning?"
"Without a doubt. You question my power?"
"Not at all, my lord. Then we begin the final stage tomorrow night."
"So it shall be. I'm counting on you."
"We won't disappoint! The Dukes will be pleased with our harvest."
Seojun eyed the Reaper with suspicion. He never could understand how loyal that redhead was.
Meanwhile, all units had returned to the main port HQ.
While the platoon commanders were doing headcounts, Kang Yeong-hee entered the officers' room with a report. The warm lighting remained unchanged.
One of the battalion commanders—a former military man—slammed the wooden table.
"Only thirty-two squads left out of fifty! Nothing can justify these losses! All those people dead because of those damn Umbra rebels!"
"Enough rage," replied Vincent Hwan, the division commander. "The Crimson Reaper, Silverhead, and the Mad Jester... Those were the names, right? The ones who stood out?"
"Correct," Yeonghee confirmed. "They're unquestionably part of Umbra. Multiple teams reported encountering them during the raids. The Crimson Reaper should now be officially considered a tier-3 demon."
"Thank you for the thorough report, Ms. Kang. But you shouldn't be in such a dangerous place. If you died, the entire nation would mourn."
"Don't call me that, Commander Hwan. You're my general, and I'm your soldier. On the battlefield, we're all the same."
"On the battlefield, we are all the same. True... But if this keeps up, I'll lose all my white hairs. We can't afford to let you go off-script."
"I won't die. From this day on... no one in my team will die. I won't let the demons kill us."
Her words reignited the commander's frustration.
"So what now? Kill them all? Hmph, we don't even know how strong Umbra really is!"
Yeonghee glanced at him with steady eyes.
"That's exactly why the deaths have to stop. We all know it."
"And what'll you do about it, daughter of the Association's leader? Got any bright ideas?"
"Back off," Hwan cut in. "My daughter's out there too, risking her life like everyone else. We know little about these enemies, but this is still a step forward."
"A step forward... with so many lives lost?"
"That was the point of Nightwatch—to learn the truth about the demons and reclaim the Orange Zone. As far as we know, Prodigy can't leave the base anymore. Tomorrow night, his team heads right into the heart of Seongwan-gu. The rest will flank and protect."
"B-but Colonel!" the commander protested. "That puts Prodigy's life at risk! Not just him, but everyone else! Didn't you just say your own daughter is a soldier?"
"I don't worry for her. Sora and the others will manage just fine. We must finish what we started. Umbra must fall! Our sacrifices must not be in vain. Now go inform the entire force!"
"Yes, sir!" the officers saluted and rushed out. Yeonghee followed them.
The colonel remained seated, deep in thought, his mind stuck on the final part of the report—the Hive.
"The Hive..." he murmured. "That might be the key. If we understand what they're made of, we might learn how to beat them."
The next night was cold.
Moonlight bathed the city in a pale blue hue, and soldiers' breaths rose as steam in the air.
All personnel except the high command headed to central Seongwan-gu in military transports. Some were freezing, others sleeping through the ride.
In one of the trucks, our squad rode together. I sat next to the sweet Harin, her expression heavy with sorrow.
I gently nudged her shoulder.
"Hawk, you look down. Something bothering you?"
She noticed my faint smile and waved her hands.
"No, I was just thinking about last night. But knowing we all made it through… it eases the pain."
"I see. Just don't go losing hope—we've still got four nights of patrol ahead."
"I'm ready. I'll fight alongside you, Prodigy. Even if we're just B-ranks, we've got the best team!"
"By the way—why do you use a sniper rifle? You're a hunter."
"You see... I'm not good with blades. I can't fully control my blood yet. But I'm pretty good with a rifle. I think this is my calling."
"I'm happy for you."
"Mr. Lee," she added, her face suddenly serious yet adorable, "don't you dare die. Promise me you'll survive."
A warm smile crept across my face. She genuinely cared.
"You too. Stay alive, no matter what."
"Yes! We all will."
Once we reached our post, I finally sat on a bench near a quiet park, far from any tall buildings.
I hadn't felt this kind of peace in a long time. When this operation's over, I'll go home and rest in silence.
Nearby, another unit was setting up camp. Two soldiers carried a heavy container, struggling under the weight.
Then, behind them—on the horizon—the night sky turned crimson. A low hum echoed as the Moon rose… but it wasn't the Moon we knew.
It was massive, blood-red, as if dipped in gore.
Its light washed over the soldiers' faces. For a moment, the silence was absolute. Even the wind forgot how to rustle the trees.
"W-what is that?" One soldier dropped the container on his comrade's foot.
His comrade looked up, and forgot the pain instantly.
"No way… Why now?!"
Clouds swirled toward the red Moon, sucked into its gravitational pull.
The Blood Moon rose. An ancient omen. A herald of catastrophe.
As it appeared, the clouds shaped into a gate. Slowly, three colossal shadows emerged from its depths.
"It's the Blood Moon!" the soldiers cried in terror.
Panic erupted. Soldiers scattered in all directions. The sound of stomping feet filled the air. Everyone ran for shelter.
I saw my squad freeze. Harin trembled, eyes wide, staring at the floating figures.
"The Dukes..."
"Everyone under a roof!" Taehwan's voice rang out, and we bolted.
Only Harin remained still, shoulders slumped. Tears streamed down her face until Minjae grabbed her hand.
"Idiot! We have to run!"
The Blood Moon's light swallowed the city. I dove into an abandoned building with Taehwan and the others.
Some squads were caught in the open, unable to find cover in time.
Minjae shoved Harin into a corner of the shelter. She fell, scraping her knee.
The Blood Moon hung above.
And in that moment… every living being who wasn't under a roof—was torn apart by an omniscient force.
Everyone. Without exception.
Minjae couldn't find shelter beside Harin—the space was too tight. He reached out to her, his eyes screaming for help.
In a split second, his body was torn apart, shredded as if by invisible blades. A gale of wind hurled his remains away like scraps of paper.
"Minjae!!!"