THE FINAL WHISPER-VII

Chapter 12: The Blood Moon Hunt

The night sky was painted in shades of crimson as the moon shone ominously overhead. A storm was brewing, but the only thunder in the streets of Seoul tonight would be the screams of the dying.

Ji-ho crouched on a rooftop, his red pupils glowing like embers in the darkness. Below him, Seo Kang-min and fifty armed men patrolled the district, their expressions tense and paranoid.

"Fucking bastard keeps playing games with us," one of them muttered.

"Shut up. Boss says we catch him tonight, or we're dead anyway," another hissed.

Ji-ho smirked. They were already dead.

The First Strike

With a flick of his wrist, he activated his Destructive Ray, now equipped with Target Lock.

He aimed at a sniper perched on a balcony. The beam shot forward in an instant—silent, precise. The man's head exploded like a rotten fruit.

Before the body even hit the ground, Ji-ho was already moving.

He dropped down, landing soundlessly behind a group of three. His enhanced speed made him a blur in the dim alleyway. A single sweep of his blade carved through their necks, blood spraying like a fountain.

One of them gurgled in shock before collapsing, his fingers clutching at his exposed windpipe.

The rest of the squad heard nothing.

Ji-ho darted back into the shadows. He was the monster in the dark.

Panic Sets In

"Shit! Where's Jae-hyun?!" one of the enforcers yelled.

"Fucking hell, he's picking us off!"

Seo Kang-min clenched his fists. "Stay together! Spread out in pairs! We kill this bastard now!"

Big mistake.

Pairs wouldn't save them.

Ji-ho launched himself forward, cutting through the first pair in seconds. His Destructive Ray flared, disintegrating a third target, leaving only scorched ash where his chest once was.

Bullets whizzed through the air as the remaining men opened fire.

But Ji-ho was too fast.

He weaved through the storm of lead, his movements too unpredictable, too refined. His Eye of Evil guided him, showing fifteen different ways to counter every bullet, every attack.

He chose the most violent one.

---

Massacre Under the Moonlight

Ji-ho grabbed one of the shooters by the throat, lifting him off the ground. The man gasped, his eyes bulging in terror.

"Where do you want to die?" Ji-ho asked, his voice emotionless.

He slammed the man's head against a metal pole, caving in his skull like a cracked egg.

More shots fired. Ji-ho used the corpse as a shield, then hurled it toward another enemy, knocking him over. Before the man could crawl away, Ji-ho crushed his ribs with a single stomp.

The others tried to retreat, but Ji-ho's Target Lock ability ensured they had nowhere to run.

With a wave of his hand, his Destructive Ray fired again—this time, in a wide arc. The beam sliced through five men, leaving them screaming as their flesh melted away.

The alleyway became a battlefield of agony.

Only ten remained.

---

The Final Duel: Ji-ho vs. Seo Kang-min

Seo Kang-min was no fool. He knew he couldn't run. He had to fight.

Activating his own ability, Steel Fortress, he charged at Ji-ho. His skin turned into hardened metal, making him impervious to blades and bullets.

But Ji-ho wasn't using blades or bullets.

He dashed forward, grabbing Kang-min's face with his bare hand.

Kang-min sneered. "You think you can break me with brute force, kid?"

Ji-ho's eyes flashed.

"Who said I need brute force?"

Destructive Energy surged into his palm, channeling through Kang-min's head.

The enforcer's smirk vanished as he felt the heat searing through his skull.

"Wait, wait, WAIT—!"

BOOM!

Kang-min's metal-covered head burst like a bomb, molten steel and brain matter splattering across the alleyway.

The remaining enforcers froze in terror.

---

The Aftermath

Ji-ho turned to the last survivors. They didn't try to fight.

They dropped their weapons, trembling.

"P-please… we were just following orders… we—"

Ji-ho raised his hand.

Another Destructive Ray fired.

There were no survivors.

Blood pooled in the alley, reflecting the red moon above.

Ji-ho stood among the corpses, his breath heavy, his body trembling—not from exhaustion, but from rage.

One down. Seven to go.

As he wiped the blood from his face, a piece of paper fell from Kang-min's pocket.

An address.

The next target was waiting.

And Ji-ho was ready to bring hell