THE FINAL WHISPER-V

Chapter 10: The Eyes That See Death

[Status Window - Updated]

Name: Kim Ji-ho

Strength: CCC

Agility: CCC

Stamina: CCC

Willpower: ???

Superpower: Destructive Ray

— Trait: Target Lock (Auto-corrects to opponent's vital points once locked in battle)

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It began with a scream.

Not from outside—but within his head.

Ji-ho collapsed the moment they reached the outskirts of another safe zone. Ye-jun barely caught him as his eyes rolled back and his pendant burned hot against his chest.

In an instant, Ji-ho's consciousness was pulled from reality—dragged down into the black void that had become all too familiar.

The world around him twisted. Stars blinked out of existence. And there it was again:

The Throne of Ash.

A figure sat atop it—horns like broken blades, wings folded like a cloak of night, and a smile carved with malice and mockery. The Devil.

"Back so soon, child?" it purred, its voice echoing like thunder swallowed by silence.

Ji-ho tried to speak, but his mouth wouldn't move. The devil snapped its fingers, and chains erupted from the void, wrapping around his limbs. He was yanked to his knees.

"You've tasted power," it continued. "Felt your enemies break beneath your fingertips. And yet—still—you deny me?"

Ji-ho struggled, the pain in his limbs burning like molten iron.

"I gave you a sample of chaos," the Devil said, standing. "Now… let me show you truth."

It touched Ji-ho's forehead.

Suddenly—memories.

But not his.

A child crying in a cold pit of bones.

A teenager held down, branded with a mark of eternal servitude.

A soldier, betrayed by comrades.

A monster… created.

Ji-ho screamed as each life the devil had consumed surged into him. He felt them. Their grief. Their rage. Their desperation to destroy, to kill, to burn the world that turned its back on them.

Each memory a dagger in his soul. Each emotion twisting his identity.

"This is you," the Devil whispered into his ear. "You're not a hero. You're just like me."

Ji-ho's body began to shift, warping in the void. His own reflection showed horns. Claws. Eyes like suns dying in blood. He screamed—No!

The Devil stepped back. "Accept it, and I will give you power unlike any you've dreamed."

The offer.

The temptation.

But beneath the storm, Ji-ho felt something stir.

His brother's voice.

Seo-oh's smile.

His father's dying words.

Protect.

Resist.

Never let go of yourself.

Ji-ho gritted his teeth.

"You want to break me?!" he roared, forcing his legs to rise. "I'm not a devil. I'm not your puppet. I am… me!"

The pendant around his neck exploded in black light. The chains shattered. The void cracked.

The Devil stepped back, not in fear—but curiosity. "So be it."

A final surge of power ignited in Ji-ho's eyes—two burning sigils, blood-red and spinning with symbols never seen by man.

[New Trait Gained: Eye of Evil]

— In Combat: Reveals multiple kill routes in real time. Visual overlay shows paths to disable, destroy, or kill an opponent depending on current power level.

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Ji-ho woke up gasping, sweat dripping down his body, the moonlight pouring through a cracked window.

Ye-jun rushed to his side.

"Hyung! Are you okay?!"

Ji-ho panted. His eyes pulsed with strange light. For a moment, he could see every vein in Ye-jun's body. Every weak point. Every kill route.

He blinked—and shut it off.

"I'm fine," he lied, gripping the pendant. "Just… tired."

But inside, he wasn't sure anymore.

He had won.

He had resisted the devil again.

But now he carried a piece of it.

Inside his eyes.

And they saw everything.

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To be continued...