Here is the English translation of Chapter 72, formatted in the exact same style with no hyphens (-) used anywhere in the text:
Chapter 72: Do Not Trust Dreams, For They Are Not Reality (3)
The gray haired young man stood up, his legs trembling slightly, but he quickly reined his composure back in.
"Relax a little."
Corin patted him on the back to help him regain his senses. Of course, he was far from alright, seeing as he was currently absorbing a terrifying shock.
"Rape... at a time like this?"
Corin helped pull him up and guided the young man to his feet, and then both of them stared toward the distant crowd for a brief moment.
Over there, people had split into small groups of one to five, sitting distinctly apart from each other. Upon hearing what the person at the door had announced, two groups had already stood up to go check it out.
"...Should we go?"
Only now did the young man notice that Corin had led him all the way to the entrance, finally understanding the intention of this newly met friend.
...
"BLEAGH!"
The stench of blood and decaying, corroded internal organs made the dusty, gravel filled air even more unbearable.
Those who stepped out from the police shelter had to carefully put on an extra layer of facial protection made from mana wrapped cloth to keep themselves safer. After all, protecting oneself was currently of paramount importance, especially when no one knew what the exact trigger for going insane was.
Looking out over the pile of rubble that had once been a beautiful city and a bustling seaport, nothing remained now except a chaotic mountain of sand and gravel.
Far off in the distance, the gray haired young man could even spot dozens of pitch black worms hiding in the shadows of shattered buildings and bleak gray dust.
The young man pondered for a moment, then brushed the thought aside. He was not particularly knowledgeable about such matters, so he had no intention of stepping over to interfere.
"This way, everyone."
A small built individual whose face was completely wrapped in a scarf led the group forward. The team consisted of only seven people, among whom was a young man around the same age as the gray haired youth named Promet. He possessed brilliant golden hair and a gentle demeanor, making him the type to integrate with others remarkably fast.
For that reason, people naturally listened to him, and he had already proven that his decisions, such as heading to the police station or dividing the teams, were perfectly logical, so no one raised any objections.
"Here..."
The gray haired young man was among those walking near the front, giving him the clearest view of what was unfolding.
"Bleagh..."
He suddenly noticed a young girl right beside him collapse to her knees, clutching her heart as she vomited uncontrollably.
Yellow bile spewed forth, or rather, it was bleak gray bile, yet in the young man's eyes, it appeared yellow.
He held his breath, then slowly turned his head away, his gaze fixated rigidly downward onto the black fabric wrapped around his face.
It seemed that apart from that girl, no one else there was capable of moving another inch.
Why did words feel so choked in his throat? His tongue felt parched, and sweat had thoroughly soaked his hands.
The gray haired young man tensed his muscles. Feeling the labored breathing of Corin beside him, he felt a deep sense of mutual empathy between them.
The young man looked up, not slowly, but decisively, yet he bit his tongue hard, terrified that something might burst out of his mouth.
He looked ahead, and over there... was a flower shop, a flower shop now completely ruined, crushed by utter destruction.
There were supposed to be five people... three men, one lookout, and the girl who was being raped.
Yet... all he saw over there were two unrecognizable corpses: one decapitated corpse, and another corpse with ragged clothing and a mangled body, covered head to toe in fluids ranging from white to red.
His eyes widened, his pupils shrinking to fine points, his breathing growing so ragged that it felt as though he were holding his breath entirely.
He looked, and the dead girl looked back.
Two pairs of eyes met.
Both were equally lifeless, both wide open.
The young man's eyes quivered, while the girl relied on the wind to quiver her eyes in her stead.
He tried biting his tongue, absolutely determined not to pass out here. He had to accept it calmly, accept it...
Yet as he stared into the emptiness within the girl's eyes, his heart sank deeper and deeper, falling even quieter than his own mind.
Those eyes did not speak, but rather he was speaking to himself. What he was trying to say inside his brain, no one knew.
However, upon seeing the gash across her head that exposed her brain to the open air, he could not help but fall into doubt.
A sudden wave of suspicion blanketed him, this reality, this entire world.
The doubt felt like a heavy stone, pressing down upon his body, locking his gaze onto those eyes.
It felt... like a complete stranger staring at a work of art.
"RUN!"
Unexpectedly, he snapped out of his dazed stupor. Without realizing it, his legs had already begun moving long ago, and the buzzing sounds in his ears grew steadily clearer.
The ground beneath him trembled and vibrated continuously.
And then, he realized that he and everyone around him were being swallowed by a massive black shadow, the shadow of a colossal worm...