Badrul, who had completely transformed into a monster, attacked Badang and Samar.
The two of them managed to dodge the attack, but were injured by the debris from the destroyed house.
Badrul didn't stop there. He used his powers to launch another assault on Badang and Samar.
Badang and Samar struggled to fend off all the monster's attacks.
They also did their best to prevent the monsters from entering the village.
"HAHAHAHAHA!!! I WANT TO SEE HOW LONG YOU CAN WITHSTAND ALL MY MONSTER ATTACKS!"
As time passed, more and more monsters began to appear. Badang and Samar found it increasingly difficult to kill all the incoming creatures.
"Badang, do you have any kind of plan?!"
"I don't have time to think of a plan!"
"Where's Ilyas?! What's taking him so long to handle all those monsters?!"
Elsewhere, Ilyas saw the sun just beginning to peek through, a sign that morning was about to arrive.
"All right, time for me to move."
At the hall, Khai and the people taking shelter there were doing their best to fight off the monsters that managed to get past Badang and Samar.
"Why are there more and more monsters showing up?!" Abu asked.
"I think something's not right where Badang is," Khai replied.
"Let me go check." said Atan
"Wait!"
A tree suddenly came hurtling toward them, crashing violently into the ground just a few meters from where they stood.
Everyone froze, breath caught in their throats. Thankfully, no one was hurt.
"Never mind," Atan whispered.
Meanwhile, in one of the few houses still standing, Jinn and several survivors were hiding inside, trying to stay alive amidst the monster attacks.
In the darkness, lit only by the faint glow filtering through cracks in the old wooden walls, a mother clutched her sobbing child tightly.
"Mama…"
"Shhh… don't cry, sweetheart. Mama's here," she whispered gently, her voice trembling as though fearing even sound could bring death.
She stroked her child's hair tenderly, slowly, with all the love in the world, trying to calm the little one's frightened heart.
Tears continued to stream down the child's face, but the mother remained patient, whispering soft words into their ear, pleading for silence—hoping the weeping wouldn't attract the terrifying creatures lurking just outside.
Her breathing was steady, though her chest trembled violently—for in the crushing dread that surrounded her, a mother's love stood as the final barrier between her child and the darkness waiting beyond.
The villagers huddled together in silence.
A dim oil lamp cast long shadows on the walls, revealing pale faces, hollow eyes, and lips too numb to pray.
Children were held close, their cries stifled. The thudding footsteps of countless monsters echoed in the distance, a chilling reminder that they were still surrounded.
No one dared to speak.
Fear gripped the air—but deep inside, some had already surrendered to fate, quietly realizing that this house might be the last place they ever breathe.
Jinn watched it all in silence, only able to pray that Badang could finish his business with Badrul before it was too late.
Elsewhere, Badang and Samar were still struggling to survive the relentless onslaught of monsters.
Samar, drenched in sweat and exhaustion, gripped his pistol tightly. Though his breathing was labored, he had managed to kill 59 monsters—but the waves of attacks showed no sign of stopping.
"Damn it… I'm almost out of bullets. The Virus in my body keeps depleting since I've been loading it into the bullets during the fight… And these monsters just keep coming…"
Samar tried to think of a way to stop Badrul with only a limited supply of bullets and Virus left.
"Think, Samar, think!"
He looked around desperately for a clue. Suddenly, his eyes locked onto something. An idea sparked in his mind—reckless, but maybe their only shot.
"Badrul, I've got a plan!"
"What is it?!"
"Follow me!"
Badang and Samar sprinted toward the village, the monsters close behind.
"Oi Samar! Why the hell are we running back to the village?! You trying to get everyone killed?!"
"Shut up! Trust me—this is the only way we can end this pointless fight!"
"HAHAHAHAHA, WHY ARE YOU RUNNING?! HAVE YOU GIVEN UP ON TRYING TO SAVE ALL THOSE INSECTS?!" Badrul roared confidently.
He chased after them, leading the horde of monsters he controlled.
As they ran, Samar fired shots at the pursuing Badrul, enraging him and making him even more determined to kill.
As they ran from Badrul and his horde of monsters, Samar explained his plan to Badang.
"Badang, I'll explain this just once. Listen carefully… If we slip up even a little, this village will become nothing but history. Understand?" Samar said.
After hearing Samar's plan, Badang looked at him with a tense expression.
"Are you sure this will work?"
Samar nodded confidently. Badang clenched his teeth, swallowing his worry.
"Okay… we'll follow your plan."
Badang and Samar finally split up.
As planned, the swarm of monsters began chasing Badang, while Badrul focused all his attention on hunting Samar.
"HOW LONG ARE YOU GOING TO RUN FROM ME, SAMAR…!!"
"AFTER I KILL YOU, I'LL DESTROY THIS VILLAGE AND SLAUGHTER ALL ITS INHABITANTS WITH GREAT JOY!!"
"You're so damn noisy!!"
Samar glanced back. His breath was heavy, his steps growing heavier. He gripped his pistol and fired at Badrul—but it was useless. His bullets had no effect.
With the changes that had occurred in Badrul, every bullet fired at him now felt like nothing more than a mosquito bite.
Badrul charged forward like a wild beast unleashed from hell. His eyes burned red with hatred. His mouth muttered curses against Samar… and the name Nisa—who was gone.
His hands flailed wildly, as if trying to tear the sky apart. His steps were heavy but fast, driven by rage beyond reason.
Trees and the surroundings near them were shattered by Badrul's rampage, as if nothing could stop him and the earth shook with every step he took.
Samar kept running—not out of fear, but because he needed time. Time to ensure their plan would succeed.
On the other side…
Badang stood amidst the scattered corpses of monsters. His breathing was fast, but his eyes remained sharp and focused.
"Looks like… Samar was right…"
He wiped the sweat and splattered blood from his face with his shirt and readied himself for the next step.
"Alright, time to carry out the final phase of the plan."
In a quiet place, far from the chaos of battle, Ilyas walked alone, making his way through a forest lined with piles of dead monsters.
A gentle breeze blew, carrying dust and the scent of damp earth.
His eyes locked onto an old, crumbling house—its roof sagging, walls covered in moss. The paint was all but gone.
That house… it was Nisa's old house.
Without hesitation, Ilyas stepped inside. Each of his steps broke the silence, creaking on the wooden floor that seemed to cry out.
He scanned the room using his ability —searching for the one thing that didn't sit right with the story Badang had told him that day.
Suddenly, his foot struck a hollow patch.
He pulled aside a rug that concealed a hidden door—a door leading to a basement.
Ilyas opened the hatch. The rusted hinges creaked faintly, as if groaning from years of neglect.
An old wooden staircase unfolded, shrouded in darkness and dust.
When he reached the bottom, his eyes widened.
He saw something he hadn't laid eyes on in his entire life.
At last, all of Ilyas's suspicions about someone were confirmed.
"Just as I thought…"