CHAPTER 9.
Smoke burst out beside him—then, in the blink of an eye, he vanished along with it.
Mahi's eyes widened. "What was that?! And how did he vanish?!"
Kaito gritted his teeth. "No idea! But whatever that was… it couldn't have been human!"
"What do we do now?!" Mahi shouted, looking around as the ground trembled.
Kaito's eyes narrowed. "Survive… and save Kim Yung!"
The curses roared in unison.
Kaito and Mahi stood back-to-back, blades and fists ready, their shadows stretching under the flickering emergency lights. All around them, the curses charged—grotesque, howling creatures with bodies stitched from nightmares.
Just as the first wave lunged forward, the already damaged pillars of the building gave way.
The entire first floor collapsed with a thunderous crash.
"Mahi!" Kaito yelled as the debris came down.
Mahi screamed. "Kaito…!"
In an instant, Kaito grabbed her and activated Phantom Shift.
The world blurred around them—then solidified again on the second floor, safe above the chaos.
Mahi fell to her knees, breathing heavily. "Good thing you saved me!"
But before either could relax, screams echoed from below—horrible, human screams, mixed with the roars of curses devouring flesh.
Kaito's eyes snapped downward. "That's the sound of people! Come on, fast!"
He grabbed Mahi's arm and used Phantom Shift again.
They reappeared on the ground floor—and froze.
The scene before them was a nightmare come to life.
Bodies littered the floor. Blood painted the walls. The curses were tearing through survivors—men, women, even children.
Some screamed, some crawled, others lay motionless.
The stench of death was suffocating.
Mahi's voice trembled. "W-What… what is this?"
Kaito clenched his fists. "When I was on the first floor, there was no one there!"
"Talk about that later!" Mahi shouted. "Right now—save them!"
Both of them charged forward, slashing through the curses, trying desperately to save whoever they could.
---
Scene Shift: Ryan
"Stay back! Everyone stay back!" the police officers shouted, forming a barricade around the burning mall entrance.
A panicked man pushed through the crowd. "Will someone tell me what's going on?! I've been asking since earlier! My wife and daughter are inside!"
A policeman stepped forward. "Sir, please calm down. We're rescuing people— the special defense force will be here any moment!"
The man stared, confused. "Special defense force?! For what?! There was just an accidental fire—why the defense force?!"
"Sir, nothing is confirmed yet," the officer replied firmly. "Please be patient—we'll get your wife and daughter out safely."
"But—" the man started, voice cracking.
Standing a few meters away, Ryan watched silently.
His expression was blank, but his eyes reflected the flames flickering across the glass walls of the mall.
Then—the mall's main gate creaked open.
The crowd went silent.
From inside, a woman crawled out, covered in blood. She dragged herself weakly across the ground, leaving a dark trail behind.
Ryan's eyes widened. He recognized her instantly.
She was the same woman he'd met earlier in the elevator—smiling softly beside her little daughter.
The man who had been shouting before gasped, his voice breaking.
"T-That's… that's my wife! Somebody help her!"
Officers rushed to her side, lifting her carefully.
Her legs were gone—cut off, brutally.
The husband collapsed beside her, trembling. "Ami! Ami! What happened to you?! Where's our daughter?!"
She trembled, barely able to speak. "Tho… those monsters… they killed and ate everyone… save our daughter…"
Her eyes slowly turned toward Ryan—as if silently pleading with him—then rolled back as she fainted.
Her husband tried to rush inside, screaming.
"Let me go! My daughter is in danger! Let me in!"
"I'm sorry, sir!" an officer said, holding him back. "You can't go in—we'll handle this!"
Behind them, more screams echoed from inside.
Ryan's fists clenched. His chest burned with helpless anger.
The woman's voice, her smile, her daughter's laughter—they all flashed through his mind like stabbing memories.
Without another thought, Ryan slipped past the barricade.
"Hey! Stop!" a policeman shouted. "Officers, stop him!"
But Ryan didn't stop.
---
Scene Shift: Kaito and Mahi
Inside, Kaito and Mahi were still fighting—exhausted, blood-soaked, and surrounded by endless curses.
"We don't have much time!" Kaito shouted, smashing a curse's skull with a glowing punch. "These things could escape outside! End them before that happens!"
Mahi sliced through another curse, breathing hard. "Got it!"
---
Scene Shift: Ryan
Outside, the police tried to stop him.
"Are you insane?!" one officer yelled. "You're walking straight into death!"
"I'm sorry," Ryan said quietly.
He pretended to turn back—then shoved the officer aside and sprinted through the entrance.
"Stop him! Someone!" they shouted, but it was too late.
Ryan entered the mall.
Darkness swallowed him whole.
The flickering lights buzzed weakly overhead, dying out one by one as he walked deeper.
The silence was thick, broken only by distant screams and dripping blood.
Then—he saw it.
A curse was devouring a man, tearing off his head and swallowing it whole.
Ryan froze, horrified. The memories of his nightmares flooded back—the shadows, the voices, the screams. His hands trembled as he clutched his head, stepping back in shock.
The curse turned, snarling.
It threw the corpse aside and lunged at him.
Ryan couldn't even react—
Suddenly, Mahi appeared out of nowhere, tackling him to the ground. The curse's claws slashed through the air where Ryan had just been.
Panting, Mahi yelled, "What the hell are you doing here?!"
"I… I came—" Ryan started.
But before he could finish, another massive curse appeared from behind—and in a single swift movement, it opened its jaws and swallowed Ryan whole.
Mahi froze. "Ryan—?!"
At that moment, Kaito appeared beside her, his face pale. "What happened?!"
"The curse… it ate the boy!" Mahi shouted, still in disbelief.
"Ate him?! Who?!" Kaito demanded.
"The boy—Ryan!"
"What?! How did he even get here?!" Kaito's voice was half fury, half shock. "Tell me everything!"
Before she could answer, the first curse charged again.
They split up instantly—Kaito leaping forward, his fist glowing with energy.
With a single devastating punch, he shattered the curse's chest—its body exploded into black mist.
Mahi turned to the second one—the one that had swallowed Ryan.
But before she could strike, the creature began to convulse violently.
Kaito and Mahi paused.
The curse thrashed, slamming itself into walls as if something inside it was tearing it apart.
Mahi's eyes widened. "What the hell is happening now?!"
The curse screamed, its voice warping in agony. Its body bulged, twisted—then suddenly burst open.
Flesh splattered across the floor.
Blood poured down like rain.
And from inside… Ryan rose.
His body was drenched in blood, his eyes glowing a fierce, molten gold. His face was emotionless—yet the air around him burned with fury.
He looked up, breathing heavily, his voice low and rumbling with anger.
"Where is that little girl…?"
Kaito and Mahi froze in place—staring at Ryan, who stood amidst the steaming remains of the curse, surrounded by a heavy, unnatural aura.
Neither of them could speak.
For the first time that night… even the curses went silent.
THANKS FOR READ MY NOVEL＼(^^)／
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