30 Minutes Earlier
Ilyas and Badang were facing Badrul, whose physical form had almost transformed into a monster.
"What have you done, Badrul?!"
"Hahaha, oh Badang. Why so Surprised?"
"How did you end up like this?"
"I have awakened, Badang. I now understand the reason why our world has been struck by catastrophe. We are, in fact, corrupted beings…"
"… So, God brought disaster upon us so that we may recognize our own faults…"
"… And I have become one of those who embraced the changes of this world."
Hearing those words, Ilyas's face turned red, his brows furrowed, and his eyes burned with anger. He recognized the very line Badang just uttered—it reminded him of a dark memory from his past life.
"What nonsense are you talking about, Badrul?"
"You'll never understand what I truly mean, Badang. That is why… I'm giving you the chance to join me…"
"… Let us walk the path of righteousness together."
Badang, hearing this, remained bewildered by Badrul's behavior, which had changed completely.
Badrul extended his hand, inviting Badang to join the deviant teachings he preached.
"You think I'd follow you after what you've done to this village? You destroyed every home and slaughtered everyone!"
"Hah... Badang. You still don't get it, do you? They were all sinners…"
"… People without power like us are sinners—unworthy of God's blessing…"
"… Would you really help mere insects who only rely on you to fix the problems they themselves caused?"
Hearing that, Badang's spirit wavered. His chest tightened. Deep inside, he felt that what Badrul was saying wasn't right—but another part of him agreed.
"Bad, don't listen to him. Stay strong. He's trying to manipulate you with his power," said Ilyas, trying to snap Badang out of Badrul's influence.
But Ilyas's voice could not reach Badang, who was trapped in a deep dilemma. He no longer knew what was right or wrong.
Slowly, Badang began to walk toward Badrul. At the same time, monsters like Demigons, Crawlers, Giants, and Mimics began gathering around them.
"So... Badang. Take my hand. And together, we will create a new world—with the Others!"
But just before Badrul could fully sway Badang...
BAAAAAAANNNGGGG!!
A gunshot rang out, landing squarely on Badrul's head. Though it failed to pierce through, the impact disrupted Badrul's mind control powers, snapping Badang back to his senses.
"Which insect dared to shoot me, huh!!?"
"My original plan was to kill you with a single bullet…"
"… But since you're tough enough to withstand it, I'll have to kill you slowly."
From the shadows of the thick underbrush, Samar stepped forward—his body draped with weapons, eyes locked coldly on Badrul.
"How dare a filthy insect with no knowledge of his origin shoot me—someone blessed by the divine…!"
"… I'll tear every limb from your body… and I'll eat every last piece of you until there's nothing left!!"
"Yaaawwwnn... Are you done rambling? I've been hiding in the bushes this whole time, and all I heard was nonsense coming out of your mouth."
"You arrogant sinner!!"
A small rock was hurled toward Badrul's head at a speed of 110 mph.
Sensing it, Badrul quickly used a Giant as a shield—killing the monster instantly, all because of a single small rock.
The one who threw the rock was none other than Ilyas.
"My ears are bleeding from listening to you guys talk. I feel like I'm just dust on the ground here."
"So you're the one they call Ilyas. Earlier, I was going to spare you. But now that I've seen what you can do… I think I'll enjoy having fun with you."said Badrul.
"Sorry to ruin your hopes, but I'm not gay."
"Trying to be funny, huh? Doesn't matter. I'm not here to deal with the three of you."
Badrul turned his gaze toward the shelter hall.
"Don't tell me you're going to—"
"Heh… you can play with them for a while."
Badrul commanded all his monsters to attack the three of them, while he himself went off to hunt down the villagers.
Badang and Samar got ready to fight the monsters—but were stopped by Ilyas.
"Why you..."
"Let me handle all these bastards. You two… go take down Badrul."
"Can you really fight all these monsters?"
"You should've asked that to the monsters. The real question is whether they can handle me."
They headed toward Badrul, leaving one person alone with the gathered monsters.
"I'm not planning to stick around long—Luna needs her milk now... So I'll just kill you all quickly."
They chased after Badrul and launched an attack.
Badrul managed to dodge, but all of his monster troops were killed.
"How did you—?"
"I'll tell you later. Right now, we need to stop Badrul from reaching the shelter."
"Alright."
They launched a second attack on Badrul, but he still dodged it.
"Is that all you've got, HUH?!" Badrul sneered, glaring at Badang and Samar with a mocking smile.
"I swear on my life…" Samar's voice shook, heavy with long-suppressed hatred,
"…I will kill you in a way you can't even imagine, BADRUL!!"
Samar fired at Badrul, but all the shots were dodged by Badrul.
"Come here, you fucking bastard!!"
Badrul advanced, ready to attack Samar. Badang tried to strike Badrul, but he managed to dodge the attack.
"Die!"
Before Badrul's attack could hit Samar, the bullet that had previously missed Badrul suddenly moved on its own and struck the back of Badrul's head.
Badrul fell, shivering in pain from the wound caused by the bullet.
"What kind of bullet can hit me like that?"
"Your arrogance will be your downfall," said Samar.
Badang, watching this, was shocked and confused by what had happened.
"What exactly did you do?!" asked Badrul.
"What does a dead man need to know?"
Samar looked at Badrul with a burning glare, her eyes sharp with hatred, as if she wanted to crush every part of Badrul's body until it was destroyed.
"If you hadn't made that stupid mistake that day, you wouldn't be humiliated like this, you wouldn't have been kicked out of the village..."
"... You would still be living in the village, helping the villagers, appointed as the village chief, AND THE TWO OF US, TOGETHER WITH NISA, WOULD STILL BE TOGETHER...!"
He fell silent, unable to refute any of Samar's words.
"... But now... there's nothing you can do anymore. All your mistakes are unforgivable. Even Nisa's death, you couldn't prevent it..."
"... You've gone astray. And you can't find your way back to the right path."
That sharp, angry gaze made Badrul flare up in rage for a moment, as if every second in that stare was filled with unbearable insult.
"YOU KNOW NOTHING!!"
Badrul began undergoing a transformation. His body seemed to merge with the earth. The trees around him withered, and the ground was torn apart by the force of his change.
His eyes turned pitch black.
His body fused with a massive tree—one that could move.
The tree was drenched in thick, black blood.
His darkened form absorbed the moonlight around him, casting everything nearby into unnatural shadow.
Fully transformed into a monstrous being, Badrul let out a deafening roar.
The roar echoed all the way to the shelter hall, sending waves of fear through everyone inside—they felt as though death was moments away.
Samar and Badang retreated from the area, their hair standing on end from the sheer terror.
"What's happening?" asked Badang.
"My instincts are screaming..."
"... if I get even a little closer..."
"... I'll be killed in an instant!" said Samar.
Badrul stared at them with eyes full of fury and a thirst for blood.
"I'm going to show you, the true meaning of suffering!"
Ilyas, having finished his task, simply watched the scene from afar.
"Badang, Samar.I'm sorry. I can't interrupt your fight…"
"… You started this story—you have to finish it."
"I'm not gonna messing up the timeline any more than it already is."