Chapter 161 – Their Identity (Part Twelve)

“Wow… our team leader pulled it off again.”

Jo Nam-seok snickered as he lay on his back, watching TV.

Even foreign news channels were running back-to-back reports on the Leviathan’s defeat, repeatedly showing footage of the S-rank monster’s fall and Il-hyeon’s face.

“Looks like we hitched our wagon to the right star, huh? I thought I always ended up on the losing side, but I guess even I get lucky sometimes.”

“Right star? If that were true, he wouldn’t have put us through this hell. Some of us literally died and came back.”

Seo Jeong-hwa said bluntly.

It wasn’t a figure of speech; she had actually died and been revived. Just thinking about it sent a shiver down her spine and gave her goosebumps.

Still, she had awakened a new ability, and things had turned out well in the end. If she had died so meaninglessly, she would have been so resentful that she would have become a vengeful spirit, forever roaming the earth.

“Ouch…”

“Thankfully, there’s nothing wrong with your body.”

Gwen, who had just pulled a portable scanner from Seo Jeong-hwa’s back, confirmed the readings.

Serving as the team doctor for both teams, she should have been with Alpha Team, whose schedule included an S-rank Gate, but Il-hyeon had sent her here after hearing about their situation.

Aside from the minor injuries sustained in the battle with Eclipse, Seo Jeong-hwa had literally died, so a thorough examination was necessary.

“No, it’s not just that there’s nothing wrong. Your condition is actually much better than the last time we measured. It’s hard to believe you ‘experienced death,’ but you’ve clearly grown significantly as an Awakened.”

“R-Really?”

Color returned to Seo Jeong-hwa’s face.

Having killed two of Eclipse’s Awakened, they couldn’t afford to let their guard down and go to a professional facility. After the most thorough examination possible, no problems were found.

“So, what’s our next move?”

Lee Dong-won asked from his chair.

Since their movements had been completely read by the enemy, they had secretly found lodging far away and were refraining from going out.

With their mission temporarily on hold, they were waiting for orders from their team leader, Il-hyeon. He had said he would contact them after clearing the S-rank Gate, but there had been no word so far.

Having taken a serious blow from their enemies and now fully recovered, Lee Dong-won was itching for action.

“For now, we should lay low, just as Team Leader Kang instructed. We don’t know what will happen if we run into them again.”

“But we can’t just sit around like this, can we? Those bastards are probably plotting something shady as we speak.”

“I don’t know, but let’s not make any rash moves and just observe for now. The team leader must have a plan.”

While Lee Dong-won and Jo Nam-seok debated back and forth, Seo Jeong-hwa, her examination finished, stood up.

As she gathered her clothes and headed for the door, Gwen asked.

“Where are you going?”

“Just going to get some air. I’ll only be a minute, it’s fine.”

Seo Jeong-hwa opened the door and stepped outside.

Snow was falling heavily from the sky, blanketing the streets in white.

They said another record-breaking cold wave had hit, but she felt no chill at all.

The white puff of her own breath felt alien.

Reaching a small, deserted bridge, Seo Jeong-hwa leaned against the railing with both arms.

After a moment of watching the flowing river and the scenery in the dim light, she held out a hand and carefully manifested her ability.

As she drew upon her power, her red hair turned white again, and the light in her eyes faded, becoming still.

*Shhh-shhhk!*

Ice crystals formed above her hand, coalescing into the shape of a sharp, thorny flower.

With a twist of her wrist, the flower transformed into a smooth, oval-shaped gem.

Though the ability was newly awakened, it already felt familiar and easy to control.

“…”

But at this moment, Seo Jeong-hwa didn’t feel entirely pleased.

Every time she activated her ability, she felt her inner emotions freezing over with it.

It didn’t seem like a serious side effect to worry about, but the alien sensation was hard to shake.

“What are you doing out here looking all gloomy?”

“K-Kang Il-hyeon?”

Someone nudged her side. She looked over and saw Il-hyeon, who had approached without her noticing.

Seo Jeong-hwa’s eyes widened at the unexpected appearance.

“Wh-What are you doing here?” she asked.

At the same time, the ice she had created shattered with a pop, and her white hair returned to its crimson hue.

“What do you mean? I’m here to manage my team.”

Il-hyeon patted her shoulder and continued.

“You did well. I’m proud of you.”

“…Don’t say things that don’t suit you. Seriously, what are you here for?”

“There’s something I need to tell you, and something came up. I’ll have to impose on you all until tonight.”

“Tonight? What about the site you were assigned to today?”

“My team members can handle whatever Gates are left. And I won’t be returning to Aegis until this whole thing is resolved.”

“What…? Then what about the next S-rank Gate? Are you going to pass it on to another team?”

Seo Jeong-hwa asked in surprise at the sudden declaration of a strike.

The fact that Il-hyeon and his team were slated to handle all three S-rank Gates appearing this week was known not just to them, but to everyone.

For him to say he wouldn’t return to duty after successfully clearing the first two S-rank Gates was incomprehensible.

“No, I have to handle that myself. As long as tonight’s business goes according to plan, there won’t be any problems.”

For a brief moment, Il-hyeon recalled the information Yoon In-hye had pushed into his mind.

The intel from her, who had been a prime suspect, had ironically provided the final piece of the puzzle. Now, it was time to catch the big fish.

Returning with Seo Jeong-hwa, Il-hyeon opened the door and entered their lodging.

Amidst the surprised faces of his team members, Il-hyeon got straight to the point.

“Sorry, but I need everyone to move out immediately.”

***

“Fog…”

Seok Pil-joon muttered, looking out at the street.

On his way home after completing a mission with Aegis A-Team, he saw a thick fog settling in and felt a strange sense of familiarity.

Seok Pil-joon paused, realized what a foolish thought he was having, and shook his head before starting to walk again.

But it was only for a moment.

A blade flew out from the fog.

*Clang!*

Reacting instantly, Seok Pil-joon drew his sword and deflected the blade, then thrust his own sword forward in a counterattack.

But it didn’t reach his opponent.

“Is it them…?!”

Guessing the identity of his opponent, Seok Pil-joon leaped backward.

For someone to be bold enough to attack a member of Aegis, they had to be the masterminds behind the recent terror attacks.

Sure enough, the assailant who emerged was a woman in a white mask, dressed in a distinctive white coat.

“Who are you?”

Seok Pil-joon asked, but there was no reply.

Against an unknown opponent, it was best to try and gather information through conversation before deciding the outcome of the fight, but unfortunately, his opponent was the silent type.

In that case, there was no reason to drag things out. Seok Pil-joon charged forward, swinging his sword.

*Kaaang!*

“Ugh!”

The two swords clashed, and a heavy force was sent back through his own.

He hadn’t expected an ordinary opponent, given how confidently she had approached him, but this was beyond his expectations.

Seok Pil-joon was sent flying backward and had to block the next attack before he could even regain his senses.

The power difference was overwhelming. It took only an instant for him to be pushed to the brink, the protective function of his Defensive Coat about to fail.

A conventional exchange of blows was not going to work. Closing the distance, he abandoned his clashing sword and simultaneously tried to grab and break the woman’s arm.

His opponent also had a Defensive Coat, but Raven’s signature joint locks had the potential to turn a situation like this around.

Perhaps his opponent had grown complacent in her advantageous position. The posture and process were executed perfectly, and Seok Pil-joon twisted the woman’s arm he had caught.

“I believe I told you to watch out for counterattacks when you use that.”

*Crack!*

To his horror, the arm that was completely twisted and broken was not the masked woman’s, but his own.

Caught in a perfectly executed reverse joint lock, Seok Pil-joon barely managed to swallow a scream as the horrifying pain of bone piercing flesh shot through him. A moment later, a fist slammed into his abdomen, sending him flying backward.

Seok Pil-joon rolled across the ground, struggling to push himself up.

Seeing this, the Woman in the White Mask clicked her tongue and swung her sword.

A tremendous amount of energy was released from the casual swing, and a powerful sword wave shot out, sweeping through the surroundings.

*CRASH!*

Scars, as if from the giant claws of a beast, appeared all over the ground, and Seok Pil-joon’s arms and legs were all cut and paralyzed.

Wincing, Seok Pil-joon found himself unable to process the mental shock, which was even greater than the physical pain.

“N-No way…”

Setting aside the immense power, such a ferocious sword wave…

As far as he knew, there was only one person who used a technique like this.

“Master…?”

“Took you long enough to realize. You’re slow.”

*Thwack!* Sheathing her sword at her waist, she slowly raised her hands and removed her mask.

As the woman’s face was slowly revealed, despair filled Seok Pil-joon’s expression.

A legendary generation of Awakened who had saved humanity in the past.

One of them, the Savior, Kim Yoo-jin.

That was her identity.

Unable to speak for a long time due to the shock, Seok Pil-joon finally managed to force out the words.

“I thought you had disappeared… Why are you doing this…?”

Just twenty years ago, when Gates were pouring out, she had risked everything to save humanity. Now, she was pointing her blade at innocent civilians.

The sword of the master he had respected, who had taught and saved him, was now stained with his own blood.

He desperately tried to rationalize it, to think there must be some mistake, but no matter how he twisted his thoughts, he couldn’t come up with a scenario that made sense.

“I apologize for disappearing without a word. But it was unavoidable.”

“That’s… not what I want to hear right now.”

Seok Pil-joon’s voice trembled with confusion.

“It’s not just me. All of my comrades from that time agree and have joined our cause. The same goes for the new generation.”

“That’s impossible! Don’t lie to me!”

“Your manners have gotten worse since I last saw you.”

Kim Yoo-jin said with a click of her tongue as Seok Pil-joon shouted.

However, her tone didn’t seem to be a genuine reprimand.

“I understand what you cannot. But I have stepped forward because this is the right path. For now, that is all you need to know.”

“The right path?”

At her words, Seok Pil-joon looked up.

His eyes, now blazing with what was almost hatred, ground his teeth.

Having lost his parents to criminals, he loathed criminals more than anyone. He had joined Raven thinking it was a place where he could strike them down and restore order.

But to have his savior, his master, return as the most despicable person imaginable, he found it hard to even maintain his sanity.

“What the hell is so right about this?!”

“What’s right? It’s to prevent a truly twisted future from coming to pass. This isn’t some grand cause or a flimsy justification.”

Kim Yoo-jin approached him and slowly drew her sword.

“It is simply… something that must be done.”