A basic rule for security agents:
Never give a devil a chance to act.
In Ha-young immediately fired her gun at the devil.
Bang! Bang bang!
But a ghoul beside it moved quickly and blocked the devil like a shield. The bullets lodged into its thick muscles before bouncing off in vain, leaving not a single scratch on the creature.
“Grrr!”
“Tch.”
It looks similar to that senior follower from earlier. Its body’s tougher though. Is that thing a devil too?
It seemed more likely that it was a servant of the devil. Some devils had the ability to create minions like that.
In those cases, the devil itself often had more ordinary abilities by comparison, but judging by its grotesque appearance, it wasn’t something she could assume.
Of all times, she regretted not having a magical power detector right now. Without being able to gauge its strength, it was hard to decide what the right move was.
It was clear that the handgun wasn’t effective. When faced with an enemy immune to firearms, there were three possible responses: bring a stronger weapon, use a non-firearm method, or…
“Na-yoon-ssi, run away.”
“Huh? What?”
“Run and call for backup. Right now.”
Even when dealing with the weakest of devils, the Security Bureau recommended at least a B-rank agent along with sufficient firepower, usually in the form of a squad.
But In Ha-young was currently disconnected from her contracted devil. She couldn’t fully use her abilities as a B-rank agent.
No matter how skilled Shin Na-yoon was at shooting, it couldn’t compare to the firepower of a squad, and in this situation, the handgun was completely useless against the devil, making it irrelevant.
In the end, calling for external support was the best option. The problem was that the devil wouldn’t just stand by and let it happen.
Someone had to hold off the devil and buy some time. In Ha-young believed that person had to be her.
That devil’s target is me.
In Ha-young mistakenly believed that the “demon” the vampire devil referred to was herself. Since she didn’t know that Shin Na-yoon was an illegal contractor, it was a natural conclusion for her to make.
Meanwhile, Shin Na-yoon was utterly overwhelmed by how quickly the situation had escalated.
“T-Team Leader, how can I just leave you behind…”
“Na-yoon-ssi, no—Agent Shin Na-yoon. Get a grip. There’s nothing you can do here. Leave this to me and hurry, call for outside help.”
Even after saying that, Shin Na-yoon still hesitated, so for the first time, In Ha-young raised her voice at her.
“If you don’t go now, we’ll both die! Hurry!”
“E-Eek! I’ll go!”
Shin Na-yoon was startled and ran to the entrance.
Watching her retreat, the vampire’s devil sneered and spoke.
“Do you really think I’ll let her go? Go, my slaves.”
As soon as the devil uttered a single word, the cult followers lying around them let out horrific screams.
They stood up like zombies, regardless of their wounds and pain with their eyes rolling back and drool dripping from their mouths.
It was clear they were no longer in their right minds. All the followers present had been low-level ghouls that the vampire’s devil had carefully amassed over time.
The reanimated ghouls began to move all at once. One of the closest ghouls gathered its strength and leaped high like a frog.
It came crashing down toward Shin Na-yoon with its sharp claws aimed straight at her unguarded back.
“Not so fast!”
In Ha-young was the one who stopped it. Her outstretched leg shot out, landing a precise kick to the ghoul’s torso. The body which weighed well over a hundred kilograms flew through the air like a toy.
It was the kind of impact that would normally break a human’s ankle, but In Ha-young remained completely unscathed.
“Power Manifestation—Berserk.”
Before she realized it, smoke-like steam began to rise from her entire body.
Her body temperature had already risen beyond what was necessary, and her heart was beating more than twice as fast as usual. The vitality coursing through her was stronger than ever before.
This was the power of In Ha-young’s second contracted devil, the “Vitality devil”.
The vampire devil watching her seemed intrigued and its eyes sparkled with interest.
“Interesting. Looks like I got lucky with this one too… But do you really think you can face me with just borrowed power? Why not summon your contracted devil directly?”
In Ha-young scoffed in response.
“Too bad, but the devil I contracted is holed up in the National Security Bureau’s underground right now. Besides, I just paid five years of my lifespan for this, so if I don’t beat you to a pulp with my own hands, I’ll lose my mind!”
Thanks to her contract with the Vitality devil, her physical body had been strengthened to an incomparable degree. The sensation of blood boiling through her veins made her personality far more aggressive than usual.
In Ha-young clenched her fists and took down the approaching ghouls one by one, kicking and punching them into submission. As she faced off against countless ghouls, standing her ground alone, she looked like a superhero straight out of a movie.
“Hurry up! I can’t hold them off for long!”
“Yes, yes!”
Thanks to In Ha-young buying her time, Shin Na-yoon managed to reach the lobby entrance safely. She tried to get out, but of course, the main door was firmly locked.
“Huh? How do I open this? Do I need a key?”
The entrance was sealed tightly to prevent anyone from leaving freely. It could only be opened from the outside, and the iron door was shut so securely that there wasn’t even a keyhole or visible lock.
The only way to open it was by entering a passcode into the digital door lock installed nearby. Naturally, she had no idea what the passcode was.
After a moment of hesitation, she finally pulled the trigger on the electronic lock, just like she’d seen in movies. After a few gunshots, the door lock shattered, sparks flew, and the main door swung open with a loud creak.
Shin Na-yoon was a bit surprised that it had worked so easily, but soon a smile spread across her face as she turned to look back.
“It opened! Team Leader, the door is open! Let’s get out together—”
However, Shin Na-yoon couldn’t finish her sentence.
Her breath caught in her throat at the sight before her.
In Ha-young, who had been fighting off the ghouls with overwhelming force just moments ago, was now completely subdued and held by the neck by the devil.
The devil’s bulging eyes changed from red to purple and were emitting an eerie light. In Ha-young, who was hit directly by the light, was writhing painfully in the air with her eyes empty.
“Urgh, let… me go…!”
“Hmmm, I had some expectations, but there’s nothing special here. So the real body isn’t with the contractor, but just lending you power? Like this, it’ll be hard to devour the soul. Well, it doesn’t matter. I’ll just make this body my slave and work it to death.”
“Aaaargh!”
“Team Leader!”
Conflict swirled in Shin Na-yoon’s heart.
Was she supposed to just leave the team leader behind? Her rational mind screamed that it was the right thing to do. It was an order from her superior, and honestly, what could someone like her accomplish alone? The best choice was to go out immediately and request backup from the Security Bureau.
But what would happen to the team leader if she ran away? Could she really be safe until reinforcements arrived? In this situation, it wouldn’t be surprising if she died at any moment….
Whether she liked it or not, in the end, there was only one person Shin Na-yoon could rely on in this situation.
“Ka-Kang-joon! Please help!”
Kang-joon who had been silent until now casually responded with a single remark.
[Why should I?]
“Huh?”
[That woman isn’t my contractor. Besides, it’s not like you’re in any real danger. Why should I bother protecting her?]
Kang-joon continued speaking.
[She’s basically a stranger you’ve only known for a day, right? Even if she dies, it’s because of her own weakness, not your fault. You can just run. If you slow down time, those creatures won’t catch up to you. There’s no need for you to sacrifice yourself for her.]
“……”
It was truly the temptation of the devil.
This isn’t your fault.
You don’t need to sacrifice yourself.
No one will blame you if you run away.
The words were so tempting that she almost nodded without realizing it.
But at the same time, Shin Na-yoon’s mind filled with the image of In Ha-young, who had looked at her with eyes full of trust. She also remembered the dependable figure standing alone against the horde of ghouls in her place.
The devil’s whispers were incredibly sweet.
But Shin Na-yoon had never been fond of sweet things.
“If you help me just this once, I’ll treat you to something way better than chicken and pizza until you burst!”
[…Hmm.]
After a brief silence, Kang-joon let out a laugh as if she was pleased with her offer.
[Alright. Deal. I’ll look forward to it.]
Kang-joon’s form slowly emerged from within Shin Na-yoon’s shadow.
Thick horns, wings spread wide, and eyes blazing like hellfire. It was hard to believe such a powerful presence had been hiding inside that small shadow.
The vampire devil wasn’t at all surprised by Kang-joon’s sudden appearance.
From the start, the vampire devil had already anticipated that Shin Na-yoon was a demon and that a powerful devil stood by her side.
“Kuku, so you’ve finally shown yourself. An uninvited guest daring to step into my nest… What?”
However, the moment he saw Kang-joon’s form, the vampire devil couldn’t hide his shock.
“You… you! Why are you here!?”
Kang-joon responded with a smirk.
“No wonder the stench of rotten blood was so strong. Your appearance may have changed a bit, but that disgusting smell is something I can’t forget.”
The vampire devil’s already pale face became even more pale in an instant.
“Wh-Why are you here… Could it be, have you come to devour me again? Do you intend to consume my body and soul to fuel your power!? No! This time, I will never, never let myself be eaten!”
Overwhelmed by fear, the vampire devil lost all composure and roughly threw In Ha-young aside as he spread his wings wide. Without hesitation, he soared upwards with all his might as if he was desperate to escape into the sky.
“Eat you, you say?”
When Kang-joon slowly reached out his right hand and clenched the air, the devil who had been frantically flapping his wings suddenly froze in midair as if something massive had seized him.
“Graaahhh!”
The vampire devil struggled desperately, but it was as if he was gripped by an invisible hand and was unable to move.
Kang-joon watched him with a mocking smile.
“Back then, you tasted like a rotten rat soaked in a sewer. It was truly disgusting.”
With a snap of Kang-joon’s fingers, the devil’s body burst like a balloon, sending blood and flesh scattering everywhere. A death so swift and easy, it made the vampire’s once-powerful form seem utterly pitiful.
Though a fountain of blood erupted in the air, even that seemed disgusting to Kang-joon. With a flick of his hand, the blood condensed into a single point before vanishing into nothing more than dust.
Kang-Jun dusted his bloodless hands and added nonchalantly,
“I have no intention of ever swallowing something like that again.”
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