The Devouring Genius of a Destroyed World-Chapter 45

The violent struggles began to slow, and occasional twitches followed.

Kang Seongbae soon fell limp, without even a twitch.

Watching the shadow shrouded in darkness, her heartbeat began to race.

Seo Minhee, unaware of her own state, turned her gaze away.

Just before the shock of her first kill hit her, the rumbling of the ground grew louder.

With both hands tightly clenched, Seo Minhee, carried by Jo Gyu-hyun, spoke urgently.

"Let’s move."

She was going to follow Seongho’s advice and avoid direct confrontation.

Jo Gyu-hyun hurriedly picked her up and moved away.

The two headed toward the rear of the school building, following the defense wall.

Then, suddenly, a huge noise from behind made them flinch, shaking their shoulders.

Boom! Crash!

By the time Oh Jonghyuk reached the playground, he found Kang Seongbae already dead.

In a fit of rage, he began smashing nearby structures.

Water fountains, awnings, and even statues were destroyed with a single kick.

The two, watching through the mirror, felt a chill run through them.

“Run!”

At Seo Minhee’s shout, Jo Gyu-hyun didn’t question it and immediately sprinted off.

But not long after, they were pursued by Oh Jonghyuk, who had picked up their scent.

Clenching her teeth, Seo Minhee reached out toward Oh Jonghyuk.

In mid-air, water bubbled up.

The water quickly expanded, swallowing Oh Jonghyuk and beginning to swirl rapidly.

It was the water prison that Seo Minhee had steadily practiced after meeting Seongho.

Whoosh!

The bear’s front paw shot out of the water, splashing, but Oh Jonghyuk was trapped inside and couldn’t escape.

Helplessly struggling, he remained stuck.

‘No matter how strong he is, he can’t cut through liquid.’

Due to buoyancy, he couldn’t even properly touch the ground.

Even if he tried to swim, the water constantly moved from the inside, making it difficult.

Staring coldly at Oh Jonghyuk, trapped in the whirlpool, Seo Minhee’s eyes were filled with fury.

She remembered the whips that had once lashed at her.

The violence that had shattered both her body and mind.

The personality that had shattered so easily.

Whenever Seo Minhee recalled the whip marks, burns, and scratches left on her body and mind, the whirlpool of her water prison grew more vicious.

Though part of her wanted to kill him right there, she knew...

‘It’s not my perfected ability yet.’

The time she could maintain it was barely around two minutes.

It wasn’t enough to wait for him to drown.

Now wasn’t the time for a gamble; she needed to hide.

“Let’s go.”

At Seo Minhee’s urging, Jo Gyu-hyun began running with all his might.

How much time had passed?

Boom!

A loud noise erupted as Seo Minhee suddenly spat blood.

“Sister!”

Seo Minhee, clutching her chest in agony, spoke with a trembling voice.

“T-That bastard... he’s out... he’s out.”

Oh Jonghyuk, whom they had thought would never escape, had managed to break free from the water prison.

The earth trembled again as the sound of footsteps grew closer.

Jo Gyu-hyun’s head rang with blaring alarm bells.

Frantically, Jo Gyu-hyun scanned the camp through the mirror.

The daycare, now eerily empty.

Civilians being devoured by zombies scattered everywhere.

Civilians cowering in fear, hiding.

But the one person Jo Gyu-hyun was looking for wasn’t there.

Grinding his teeth, Jo Gyu-hyun searched the area.

Graaah!

With a deafening roar, a familiar face appeared in the mirror, sweeping over the campus.

“I found him! Seongho hyung!”

Jo Gyu-hyun shouted as he ran toward Seongho’s direction.

“Ahhhh! He’s coming after us!”

The booming ground tremors grew louder.

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Unable to hold it in, Jo Gyu-hyun glanced back at that moment and met the gaze of the massive bear.

Oh Jonghyuk’s mouth opened wide, as if he were about to tear Jo Gyu-hyun in half.

His legs giving way, Jo Gyu-hyun fell and tumbled, rolling on the ground.

Convinced death was imminent, Jo Gyu-hyun pulled Seo Minhee close and squeezed his eyes shut.

Moments later, an enormous shock hit his side.

Gasp!

The shock sent Jo Gyu-hyun’s body flying.

Startled, he opened his eyes and saw Seongho, standing tall where he had just been sitting.

“No, no!”

Oh Jonghyuk’s massive paw was descending toward Seongho.

***

Seongho successfully kicked Jo Gyu-hyun just in time, sending him sprawling to the ground.

In the spot where he had disappeared, Oh Jonghyuk’s front paw slammed down.

The ground cracked open, and fragments of pavement shot into the air.

Ignoring the stones hitting his back, Seongho launched himself forward, pushing off the ground once again.

Successfully creating distance, Seongho quickly turned around.

Oh Jonghyuk, staring at Seongho who had suddenly appeared, growled menacingly.

“...You bastards have been planning this from the start, haven’t you?”

Even though Seongho could read the simmering rage in his low voice, he remained impassive and raised his sword.

“If you’ve figured it out, stop wasting time and come at me.”

“You bastard… I should tear you apart, but what happened to the other awakened ones?”

Seongho sighed at the series of questions.

“If the others were still alive, would I be here?”

The implication was clear: everyone except Oh Jonghyuk was dead, so there was no need to drag this out.

Seongho taunted him, flicking his left hand casually.

Oh Jonghyuk’s mouth twitched, and for a moment, his fangs and teeth seemed sharper.

The muscles around his jaw trembled, a terrifying fury radiating from him.

Considering how aggressive he had been before, it would’ve been no surprise if he had rushed Seongho immediately.

However, Oh Jonghyuk didn’t charge at Seongho but snarled through clenched teeth.

“You think these maggots will be grateful if you do this?”

Seongho realized something was off as Oh Jonghyuk’s anger intensified.

Apparently, Seongho’s actions had triggered something deep within him.

Oh Jonghyuk, with eyes bloodshot and veins bulging, glared at Seongho, pouring out his anger.

“Those bastards never considered you one of their own! They’ll push you into the zombie’s jaws, thinking it’s your time to die while they hide safely!”

“...”

“They couldn’t care less about gratitude! They’ll exploit you, push you to the brink, and then run away while leaving you to rot!”

Oh Jonghyuk’s beliefs were clear, and he was convinced Seongho had sided with the civilians, rather than the awakened.

Seongho didn’t argue or add anything to his words.

But this only made Oh Jonghyuk more enraged, and he spat out his bitterness.

Day and night, he had searched for supplies, killed zombies with the intention of protecting the camp, and dedicated himself to building a place where everyone could survive.

But what he received in return was nothing but resentment, and the constant demand for more.

The civilians never appreciated anything.

“They’ll take everything for granted!”

While pretending to be immune, they forced awakened individuals to sacrifice their lives.

And in the end, they would push the awakened into the jaws of death for their own peace.

This was the fate of those who had not awakened, the ones who had been left behind by evolution.

Seongho did not show any reaction, despite facing the deep hatred and resentment that burned in Oh Jonghyuk’s words.

‘This isn’t something I didn’t expect.’

Seongho had long suspected the twisted ideology that had taken root in the camp, based on the things he had heard and seen.

At first, it had likely been like any other camp.

A community formed simply to ensure ‘our’ survival.

But when that ‘our’ was divided into two, subtle changes began to creep in.

When that division couldn’t be mended by any means...

‘Lee Yeonsu, the awakened, must have died.’

Seongho didn’t know all the details, but from what he had heard from Oh Jonghyuk and Kang Yoo, it seemed they hadn’t been with Lee Yeonsu at the time of his death.

Judging by the way Oh Jonghyuk was raging now, it seemed likely that they were still devoted to the camp when that incident occurred.

They must have been busy gathering supplies, reinforcing the walls, and killing any remaining zombies.

Perhaps that was why he could never forgive the betrayal he received in return.

Seongho’s eyes grew darker as he stared at Oh Jonghyuk.

He didn’t take the tragedy they had endured lightly.

Seongho fully understood the anger and contempt that Oh Jonghyuk felt.

‘The ugly, selfish side of humanity—I've seen it all too much in the original.’

But what would change by sympathizing or understanding?

Seongho wasn’t here to play the hero, enacting justice.

He wasn’t interested in arrogantly judging others.

He was just here to stop this damn world from heading toward ruin.

In the face of that mission, Oh Jonghyuk and his beliefs were nothing more than an obstacle.

After letting the torrent of anger pass, Seongho stretched his left hand forward.

Then, with an indifferent expression and without a hint of wavering, he flicked his hand.

“Enough talking, come at me.”

A deafening roar, so violent it seemed to tear the sky, echoed through the air.

The giant front paws slammed down on the ground.

Boom!

The earth shattered with the force of the blow.

The shockwave sent Seongho reeling, his body stumbling.

Massive chunks of earth and flying debris clouded his vision.

Seongho, tense and focused, gripped his sword tightly and lowered his posture.

As the dust settled, broken tree limbs shot out like cannonballs.

Wham! Thwack!

The sharply flying tree trunks embedded themselves in the ground.

Seongho dodged lightly, jumping to avoid one headed for his legs.

At the same time, another tree trunk flew toward his head.

Twisting his body to dodge, Seongho barely missed it, only to have another tree aimed at his chest.

Choke!

Unable to avoid it in time, Seongho was struck by the tree, sending him flying.

Oh Jonghyuk didn’t miss the chance and closed the distance.

Seongho, spotting the massive front paw coming toward him, quickly extended his blade into the ground.

Thud!

The sword pierced the ground, halting Seongho’s movement.

Oh Jonghyuk’s paw swiped through the air, missing Seongho as he was momentarily distracted by the earth.

As Seongho landed, he quickly retracted his sword and rolled to the side.

Boom!

The spot where he had been standing was crushed by the massive paw.

‘Fighting head-on would be a mistake.’

Seongho could sense it from the speed at which Oh Jonghyuk had been chasing Jo Gyu-hyun.

A direct confrontation was something he had to avoid at all costs.

But fortunately, the larger the body, the slower and more cumbersome its movements.

Seongho knew he could exploit that weakness.

Instead of retreating, he darted to the side, narrowly dodging Oh Jonghyuk’s open maw.

Seongho pressed close to Oh Jonghyuk’s side and stabbed his military-grade sword into its flank.

Thunk.

The blade sank through thick fur and muscle.

But Oh Jonghyuk, undeterred by the wound, twisted his body.

Seongho quickly pulled his sword out, shortening the strike, as the heavy front paw swung toward him again.

The terrifying gust of wind from the bear’s swipe missed him by inches, and Seongho ducked to avoid the strike.

As the enormous shadow filled the area, Seongho realized how close they were now.

‘The distance is too close.’

If Oh Jonghyuk slammed the ground again like before, it would be hard to dodge.

Seongho gritted his teeth and charged toward the back leg.

Haah!

Using all his strength, Seongho pushed against Oh Jonghyuk’s left rear leg, causing its massive body to lose balance and stagger.

Seongho quickly capitalized on the opportunity, running toward the direction of the fall.

Using its own weight, he thrust the sword into its neck.