THE FINAL WHISPER-III

Chapter 8: Trail of Blood and Fire

Ji-ho stood at the edge of Busan's industrial ruins—once a thriving tech district, now rotting under the control of the black market. This place was infamous for being untouchable. No law enforcement, no awakeners guilds, only violence ruled here.

Six months ago, he was a high school student with a useless power. Now, he was a storm wrapped in human skin.

His target, Lee Mok-hwan, was not only the second monster from the video… he was also the one who filmed it. The one who whispered sick encouragements while Seo-oh screamed. Ji-ho remembered every second.

And now it was Mok-hwan's turn to beg.

Ji-ho moved like a phantom through the ruined alleyways. People watched from behind shattered windows—eyes full of fear and recognition. Whispers followed him.

"The devil boy."

"The one who burned Gangwon alive."

He didn't care.

His hand rested on the pendant, now warm against his chest. It pulsed with strange energy, guiding him, as if it too wanted vengeance.

Inside a steel bunker, deep below a collapsed high-rise, Mok-hwan sat with his gang—men with gold teeth, bio-enhanced limbs, and guns powered by devil stones. Arrogant. Overconfident.

Until the lights died.

Screams echoed. Not from fear. From realization.

He was here.

A laser seared the ceiling open, and Ji-ho dropped through the smoke like a god of death. His hair was black fire. His eyes bled red. His hands glowed with energy too wild to define.

"Where's Mok-hwan?" he asked softly.

No one answered.

He didn't wait.

Ji-ho raised a single hand and touched the ground. The floor rippled—then exploded in every direction. Walls melted. Guns disintegrated. Men screamed as their bodies burst into energy.

In seconds, fifteen guards were reduced to ash.

A man tried to crawl away—missing a leg, sobbing. Ji-ho stepped over him. Not even worth finishing.

Down the hall, behind a barricade of devil-forged alloy, Mok-hwan stood shaking.

"I-It wasn't personal!" he yelled. "She was just in the way! I didn't—"

Ji-ho blinked forward, crossing thirty feet in an instant.

He grabbed Mok-hwan's face, slamming him into the steel wall. Blood sprayed. Bones cracked. Ji-ho didn't let go.

"Say her name."

"I—I—Seo-oh! I'm sorry, I—!"

Ji-ho slammed his fist into Mok-hwan's chest. Not with power. With pure hatred.

The laser didn't fire. It bloomed.

The Strengthened Ray burst from Ji-ho's body in every direction—shattering the wall, incinerating everything. Only Mok-hwan remained, pinned to the wall, cooked alive by the raw destructive force.

But Ji-ho didn't stop.

He dragged Mok-hwan across the steel, skin peeling off in layers, burning into bone. Mok-hwan screamed. Begged. Cursed.

Ji-ho stared down at him, voice cold and final.

"She trusted me."

He drove his hand into Mok-hwan's chest and released the full blast.

When Ji-ho stepped outside, rain began to fall. Steam rose from his shoulders. Blood still clung to his hands.

In the distance, Kim Ye-jun waited for him. The younger brother looked scared, but not of Ji-ho.

Of what he was becoming.

Ji-ho said nothing. He only looked to the south.

Eight more.

Eight monsters to go.

And the trail of blood had only just begun.

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To be continued...