Demon Rescue Operation (2)
Management Bureau Seoul Branch. Underground, somewhere.
It was a room without windows. No way to tell if it was day or night. The lights never went out. Twenty-four hours a day.
Dahong sat in a folding chair equipped with restraints. She gazed up at the ceiling. White ceiling. White lights. Her mind drifted to the night view from Seha's apartment balcony. No stars, but the city lights had been pretty decent. Here, nothing was visible.
Clank. The door opened, and Donghwi entered. Dressed in a suit, clutching some documents. He dragged over a chair and sat across from Dahong.
"Comfy?"
Blatant mockery. Dahong didn't respond.
"You're free not to talk, of course."
Donghwi spread out the documents.
"But headquarters won't be as nice as this."
Before transferring her to headquarters, he planned to extract as much info as possible during the necessary procedures. Unless something unexpected happened, they'd move her around dawn.
"The circumstances of the summoning contract. Your relationship with the summoner. Ties to the archdemon. You'd better answer at least that much if you want better treatment."
Dahong stared at Donghwi. Expressionless. They say people get chills more from a blank face than an emotional one. That's exactly what she looked like now.
Donghwi found her gaze unsettling but didn't show it.
"Ahem. What was your purpose in contracting with Yu Seha?"
"……."
"Contract terms?"
"……."
"And Belzar, the archdemon?"
"……."
Donghwi clicked his pen.
"Gonna play it like this to the end?"
Dahong wasn't even looking at him—she stared at the wall. A blank wall. As if Donghwi meant nothing to her.
Donghwi's temple twitched. He nearly exploded in anger, but flashes from the faculty office stopped him. The hellish illusion. Limbs torn off, guts spilling out—that nightmare.
"……!"
Donghwi frantically adjusted his tie. Unconsciously checking if his body was intact. But he didn't back down. His pride wouldn't allow it.
"Fine."
Donghwi closed the documents and stood.
Screeech. The chair scraped harshly against the floor.
"Let's see if you keep that attitude at headquarters."
He walked toward the door but paused.
"By the way."
Dahong glanced at him sidelong.
"Depending on the inspection results at headquarters, you could end up sealed or forcibly returned. If you're deemed a threat."
Forced return. The ritual to send a summoned beast back to its original dimension. Once returned, coming back was impossible.
"So it'd be smart to cooperate nicely. This night might be your last in this world."
"……."
Dahong didn't reply. Donghwi opened the door and left. She could hear people outside rising from their seats, as if they'd been waiting.
"Start transport prep. Depart at dawn as scheduled."
"Yes, Director."
Multiple footsteps echoed. The hallway buzzed with activity.
Dahong listened from her chair. Transport. Headquarters. Dawn. Sejong.
'…….'
She looked down at the restraints. Three on her forearms. One on her neck. They felt light. Toys like these—she could slip them off right now. Leaving this building. Wiping out all these humans. As easy as breathing.
But.
'Seha would be in trouble.'
Seoyeun's words came back to her.
"……."
Seha's face flashed in her mind. Nose all red under his eyes, clutching her waist to block her—oblivious to it all. So she held back. Still holding back now.
'……All because of that human.'
Dahong let out a smirk. She startled herself with the laugh. Smiling thinking of Seha? Sure, he was amusing, but not in this situation. She quickly wiped the smile away.
The door opened. Two staffers entered.
"Time to move."
Dahong stood. Her arms dangling, the restraints clinked.
Two a.m. Multiple vehicles sped down an empty road.
The B-rank hunter at the wheel of the lead car yawned.
"Yawwwn…."
The road ahead was clear. Streetlights whizzing by at regular intervals felt hypnotic.
An A-rank hunter sat in the passenger seat, eyes closed.
"Senior."
"……."
"Senior, you asleep?"
"Not sleeping."
"No fair sleeping while I drive."
"I said I'm not."
The B-rank grumbled about the situation.
"We could've gone during the day. Why insist on now?"
Not a fan of the Audit Director.
"What can we do? Orders are orders."
"Audit Director's got issues. Four restraints? And she's not even resisting now."
"It's a demon. Who knows when it'll stab us in the back."
The B-rank sighed. The road droned on with the same scenery. Empty highway, dark outskirts. Streetlights. Streetlights. Streetlights. Drowsiness crept in. The highway on-ramp approached.
Then.
"Hold up."
The A-rank's eyes snapped open. He grabbed his junior's forearm.
"Stop."
"W-what, don't scare me!"
"Stop the car!"
Screeeeech! Tires screeched on asphalt. The wheel jerked wildly. Following vehicles braked hard.
"S-senior? What's wrong…."
His words trailed off. He'd seen it too.
In the headlights, smack in the middle of the road. Something standing there.
"W-what the hell."
About ten years old? Black hair. White shirt and vest. A boy stood in the two a.m. road.
The boy met the hunters' eyes and smiled brightly.
The A-rank's face went pale.
"……Mana detected."
"This is—!"
The boy raised one hand. Like a casual wave.
"Hi."
Then massive impact hit.
All the airbags deployed inside.
BOOM!! The lead vehicle flipped skyward.
Inside the transport vehicle. Dahong leaned against the wall, eyes closed.
Two S-rank hunters sat opposite, watching her intently. Silence. Only engine rumble and tires on road.
Suddenly.
Flash. Dahong's eyes opened.
The two S-ranks flinched.
Her red eyes fixed forward.
"Something wrong?"
The burly hunter spoke.
That instant.
Screeeeech!! The vehicle shook violently. Bodies lurched sideways.
Thud! Collision from behind rocked them. Something shattered with a crash, and the ground trembled.
'…This mana.'
The scent that chased her for millennia. Belzar.
"Damn, what the hell!"
"Something's here!"
The hunters steadied themselves and prepped to exit.
"Stay put. You know the drill!"
They shackled her legs before leaving. Dahong didn't resist, just stared blankly at the restraints.
Honestly, Belzar could probably annihilate this force and spring her. He was strong even among archdemons, and he had an S-rank dark mage with him. Two S-ranks and a few A-ranks? Easy pickings.
But what came after? Escape, and the Bureau would hunt her forever. Seha under surveillance too. No chance of returning to peaceful days.
Live in hiding with Belzar forever? Not appealing.
Dahong just tilted her head back against the wall. She sensed the chaos up front.
"Audit Director! Fall back!"
"W-what is that! The archdemon!?"
Donghwi's shrill voice rang out. Dahong smirked. She could picture his pathetic state before Belzar.
At the front of the convoy. The road was wrecked. Lead car overturned and burning.
The boy stood before it. Archdemon Belzar. Black curly hair flickered in the firelight. Red eyes curved like crescent moons. Smiling.
"Well then."
Belzar's shadow writhed. Massive hands rose from it. One. Two. Each grabbed a nearby vehicle.
Grooooan. Hoods crumpled as the cars lifted.
"Aaaah!"
"Run!"
People spilled out.
"W-what the!"
Donghwi fell on his ass in the road, yelling. A-rank hunter or not, he had zero combat experience. Pure desk jockey.
No way he'd faced an S+ monster before. Belzar chuckled at the pitiful sight.
"Pathetic."
The black hands hurled the cars. Toward Donghwi's rear—aiming for the two S-ranks who just emerged from the transport.
One dove aside. The other drew his sword at invisible speed, slicing the car in half. The cut ends sparked and split apart. The wreckage scraped the road, trailing fire, and vanished backward.
"Oho."
Belzar tilted his head in admiration.
"Nice cut. Perfect for slicing wedding cake."
Belzar extended his pale right arm. It began to mutate. Crack. Pop. The boy's slender arm swelled. Skin split, veins and eyeballs bulging through. Fingers elongated into hooked claws. A monster's arm unfit for the boy's form.
"S+ archdemon! Everyone, encirclement formation!"
Two A-ranks spread out into a triangle. The central hunter grabbed his radio.
"Requesting backup! Branch, send reinfor—"
Whoosh! Something shot from the darkness. Bats. Shadow bats with razor wings swarmed the hunter.
"Gah!"
Pain made him drop the radio.
Crash! The bats shredded it to pieces.
"Where'd that come from!?"
Beyond the streetlights' reach. From the roadside shadows, a woman emerged. Dark robe. Hooded lower face visible. Seductive red lips moved.
"No communications."
Dark mage Eloise.
The remaining A-ranks shifted formation toward her.
"Dark mage! Careful!"
Eloise raised her hand. Road shadows rippled like water, unleashing more razor bats.
Whoosh! A spear grazed Belzar's forehead. A few hairs floated free.
Clang!! Thud! Belzar parried the thrusting sword and kicked the hunter flying.
Thump. Belzar landed lightly on a signpost.
Tap. The kicked hunter landed on asphalt, sword aimed.
"……."
His partner gripped his spear, glaring at Belzar.
"Good. Intruders cleared."
Belzar grinned in satisfaction. In the darkness, only his curved red eyes glowed.
"Now, let's play without distractions!"
Crash! Shattering the signpost, Belzar charged.