By Zephyria 
81
“What…… the…….”
Half the hospital had been blown away. Not just the walls were gone, but the floor as well. From right in front of Ho-eun, the building’s skeleton, including the rebar, jutted out jaggedly. It was as if someone had eaten all the fish meat and left only the bones.
Beyond that, the hospital’s front yard was clearly visible. The front yard, which wasn’t exactly tidy to begin with, was now even more of a mess. The debris of the collapsed building was piled up like a hill, and in between…… people were visible. Or rather, people’s body parts were visible. Some had only a hand sticking out, others only a foot. Some showed only parts that couldn’t be identified.
“No……”
Ho-eun unknowingly crawled forward, scrutinizing the ruined yard. But Gil-sang was nowhere to be seen. In front of the fence where he had been stationed, Devouring Ghouls were swarming in black masses.
Among them, one stood out in particular. It had already crossed the fence, its body was enormous, its Helmet Bone was glossy and shiny, and in the middle of that Helmet Bone, it had antennae like deer antlers.
And…… it was supporting the muzzle of a cannon with its hand. That cannon muzzle was pointed not outside the fence but toward the hospital. Beneath the cannon, a lump of flesh, presumably a soldier, was crushed.
Presumably, the Devouring Ghoul that had crossed the fence had turned the muzzle of the firing cannon to the opposite side. The cannonball had hit the hospital as it was, and the soldiers were buried under the collapsing hospital debris.
Ho-eun felt his mind grow cold.
“……”
A Devouring Ghoul firing a cannon. A Devouring Ghoul that was so intelligent and strong. It was impossible. It shouldn’t be. It would be too…… too hopeless.
But contrary to Ho-eun’s wishes, the Devouring Ghoul holding the cannon screamed.
Kaaaah, cough, kagak, Kaaaah!
Following its screeching cry, its antennae twitched, rattled, and spasmed. Starting with that, the Devouring Ghouls began to cross the fence like a wave. The corpses of their fellow Devouring Ghouls were piled up like mountains beneath their feet, but without a moment’s hesitation or sadness, they trampled over them. In their gleaming red eyes, there was only hunger, hunger, hunger.
Belatedly discovering this, the hospital people screamed in confusion.
“Devouring Ghouls! It’s Devouring Ghouls! The Devouring Ghouls are here!”
“Aaaaaah! Run away! Run!”
“The soldiers are all dead!”
“No, no……”
“Honey, please get up, honey!”
“Get out of the way! Get out of the way, I said!”
They ran deep into the hallway, locked themselves in the hospital rooms, sat down and cried without even trying to escape, or dragged away those who had been swept away by the explosion and died. Even in the midst of all that, the Devouring Ghouls were swallowing the front yard like a wave.
“……”
Ho-eun also crawled backward, faltering. Then, belatedly, he looked at Seong-im. Seong-im, covered in dust, was also staring at the yard.
For once, she was wearing an expression other than a blank one. It was a difficult expression to interpret. There was bewilderment, despair, sadness, and helplessness. Her eyes busily searched the front yard. She was probably looking for Gil-sang.
Ho-eun, holding Jeong-woo in one arm, crawled clumsily toward her.
“Seong-im, let’s go to our Staff Sergeant.”
But Seong-im didn’t answer. She was still just sweeping the front yard with her eyes. Growing anxious, Ho-eun called her repeatedly.
“Seong-im.”
“……”
“Seong-im.”
“……”
“Seong-im!”
At the voice shouted with all his might, her gaze finally creaked toward Ho-eun. Ho-eun stammered, clumsily comforting her.
“Staff Sergeant will be okay. He’s strong, isn’t he? So let’s go find him quickly. If we just find him, Seong-im can heal him. Seong-im is Staff Sergeant’s Bondmate, after all.”
It would be nice if Gil-sang was safe, but even if he wasn’t, it would be okay. Because Seong-im was here. She would save him.
Now that things had turned out this way, it was a stroke of luck that he had entered the hospital to find Jeong-woo’s sister. If he and Seong-im had been buried under the hospital debris, they would have burst and died like ripe persimmons.
But they were alive. Because Seong-im was alive, Gil-sang would also be able to live.
“……”
Seong-im turned her gaze back to the yard. Ho-eun also turned his head, following her. How long had it been since he had taken his eyes off it? The Devouring Ghouls had already covered the yard entirely in black.
They pulled out the soldiers buried in the debris and took them straight to their mouths, biting them. They chewed on their heads, tore off their arms, and crushed their legs. Red blood splattered thickly over the pale debris. Those who had not yet died even after being buried under the building screamed, gasping for breath.
It wasn’t that close of a distance, but perhaps because the surroundings were wide open, the screams were heard as sharply as if they were being shouted right next to him.
Other Devouring Ghouls rushed toward the hospital. Some of the Devouring Ghouls at the front had already burst into the hospital. The people who had fallen from the explosion were defenseless and were chewed up and eaten by their jaws.
“……”
Seong-im, seeing that, took a deep breath. Her sternocleidomastoid muscle, badly scarred, stood out clearly and then subsided. After catching her breath a few times like that, she finally made a decision, picked up her discarded sword, and stood up.
Ho-eun also stood up, following her. Then he looked around, searching for a way to get down. There was a staircase right next to Room 318, but more than half of it had collapsed in the explosion. The staircase continued for three steps and then was cut off for four steps, repeating. Still, if he went down carefully, it seemed like he could reach the first floor.
“Stairs, shall we go to the stairs? If we go carefully…… No, even if we fall once or twice, we probably won’t die……”
Ho-eun reached out to the cracked wall and tried to head to the stairs. But Seong-im grabbed Ho-eun’s wrist.
“Why?”
Ho-eun obediently followed her, thinking she had found a way to get down.
Seong-im headed to the opposite side of the stairs. And she crossed the hallway, going deeper and deeper into the hospital. It wasn’t easy to go against the people who were running away. Shoulders bumped, bodies collided. But Seong-im didn’t waver.
“Is there a way down here too?”
Ho-eun asked, hurrying to follow her. It didn’t seem like there was a separate passage leading outside. Did I miss it?
“……”
But Seong-im didn’t answer. She didn’t even look back. Her hair, tied high, swayed as one, without being disheveled. From that back view, Ho-eun realized something.
Right now, Seong-im wasn’t going to Gil-sang.
“No……”
Realizing that, Ho-eun stopped walking. But Seong-im relentlessly dragged him along. Ho-eun shook his head.
“No, no, no. I can’t leave Staff Sergeant behind.”
“……”
“Seong-im.”
“……”
“Seong-im!”
“This can’t be happening. Right now, Staff Sergeant needs Seong-im. I’d rather run away alone. So-.”
Ho-eun tried to shake off Seong-im’s hand. Seong-im turned around to face Ho-eun. Her wide eyes were as black and clear as Go stones. She fixed her gaze on Ho-eun like that and slowly shook her head.
She meant that she wouldn’t go to Gil-sang, nor would she let Ho-eun go alone.
“……”
At that determination, Ho-eun felt as if his heart was collapsing. His lower lip trembled. He didn’t know Gil-sang’s whereabouts, but he already felt like he had lost him, like he had disappeared from the world. At the same time, he couldn’t understand Seong-im.
He was already so heartbroken. Seong-im, whose heart must be several times heavier with worry for Gil-sang, why was she abandoning him and choosing him? How could she choose him, a complete stranger, over her God of War?
The value of life couldn’t be measured, but if he had to measure it, Gil-sang, who was ten times, no, a hundred times more precious than him, who couldn’t do anything. So he had to save Gil-sang. Yes, he had to save him…… but…….
“……”
Ho-eun’s eyes slowly began to turn red. Regardless, Seong-im relentlessly pulled Ho-eun. Ho-eun resisted, putting strength in his heels to avoid going. As they were having a struggle that wasn’t quite a struggle, Jeong-woo began to sob.
“Jeong-woo…… It’s okay. It’s okay, don’t cry.”
Surprised, Ho-eun patted his small back to soothe him. At that moment.
Kaaaah!
The cry of a Devouring Ghoul was heard right nearby. Ho-eun froze. Jeong-woo turned pale, with tears glistening on his eyelashes. His small breaths, which had been coming and going, stopped.
Seong-im pulled Ho-eun with even greater force than before. Ho-eun had no choice but to follow her. Even so, he kept looking back.
It wasn’t because he was afraid that the Devouring Ghoul would chase him, but because he missed Gil-sang so much.
“……”
Was he really going to leave Gil-sang behind like this? Was it right for him to live while leaving him behind? What’s more, there were dozens of Crimson Rain Brigade soldiers down there. He didn’t know their names, but he knew their faces, people who greeted him regularly and smiled when their eyes met. How could he abandon them?
Wouldn’t Tae-muk come soon? He was a hero, after all. Wouldn’t he appear like a hero and save them?
But Tae-muk didn’t appear until Ho-eun and Seong-im reached the end of the hallway.