A stark white blade, shaped from a single fang of the Phantom Tyrant.
A primitive thing with just a tang and an edge, no hilt or guard.
But the moment Jae-hee took hold of it, he felt steady.
As if the blade were part of him.
Jae-hee mirrored the stance Ghost had shown him during their first mission. Took a slow breath in, then out.
The Boy remembered the lesson he’d learned in prison: survive by crushing whatever stands in your way.
Sensing his shift, dozens of Foghowlers rushed in to shield their Lord.
Whoosh…!
His world slowed. A blue arrow erupted from Jae-hee’s chest, weaving through the monsters and tracing a path ahead.
He sprang off the ground, surging forward like a storm. His blade cleaved through the air, part of his motion.
Dodge, then strike the weak point. Ghost’s lesson in counterattacks worked just as well with a sword.
Shnk—!
In an instant, a dozen Foghowler heads flew through the air.
They could shrug off gunfire, yet the blade forged from their own Lord’s fang tore through their hides and muscle with ease.
Before their blood even hit the ground, Jae-hee was already moving.
His stamina was gone, but he’d forgotten everything, lost in the moment.
One step forward. One path carved.
The Phantom Tyrant let out a childlike giggle and opened its jaws. A torrent of fog poured out, forming a dense wall in Jae-hee’s way.
Even the blue arrow faltered, losing direction and stopping cold.
No way through. Just like the prison of snow and ruin that had defined his childhood.
Jae-hee gritted his teeth.
***
At the northern wall of fog.
Sergeant Hwa and the old civilian woman had barely made it this far. They stood supporting each other.
Sergeant Hwa touched the wall, only to flinch in surprise. There was an indentation where the grenade had struck earlier. A fissure in the haze.
If I can just break through here… But can I do it?
She glanced down at her blood-soaked hands.
Her ability as a C-Rank Awakened was Force Break. She’d only ever used it for simple breaching until now. Smashing through thin walls or locked doors.
Could this power really break through a wall of fog spewed by a Gate Lord?
She clenched her fists, knowing that this wasn’t the time to weigh odds.
It was the time to act.
“I’m going to break through this wall,” Sergeant Hwa said to the old woman. “It’s going to shake a lot. You’ll need to hold on to me tight and help me keep my balance. Can you do that?”
The old woman nodded. Sergeant Hwa managed a faint smile and nodded back.
“Here I go.”
With a guttural cry, she focused and thrust her hand forward.
The area itself began to quake as she drew on her power. Light flared from her hand as it plunged into the wall.
She felt the distinct sensation of the intangible barrier cracking, and her eyes shot wide.
I can do this…!
But the tremors were too strong, like an earthquake.
The old woman held on but her grip gave out.
She stumbled, and Sergeant Hwa slid sideways, losing her only support.
No—!
Just as all seemed lost, a firm hand caught her back.
Startled, Sergeant Hwa turned to see the fishing village residents. The survivors she’d insisted on bringing were now holding her up, keeping her steady.
Gritting her teeth, Sergeant Hwa steadied herself and drove her hand deeper into the fog.
The ground shook harder. Light flared.
Then, a voice echoed sweetly.
“Mu-gung.”
Her mother’s voice.
“Let’s die.”
“…”
“You promised we’d die together. Don’t you remember?”
Sergeant Hwa clenched her jaw.
“I—”
For an instant, she saw it: the door of a tiny home, smothered in charcoal smoke.
“I…!”
She seized its handle, shattered the lock, and shoved with everything she had.
“WILL LIVE!”
A radiant flash burst through the open door, followed by a great crack.
At last, the wall of fog gave way.
Just a small hole in the massive barrier. But through it, a gale began to swirl inward.
***
Whoosh…!
A blast of wind surged from behind Jae-hee, sweeping forward. It pushed back the thick fog that cloaked the Phantom Tyrant.
The blue arrow wavered no more, quickly weaving a new path.
Jae-hee shook off his surprise and shot forward, following it.
With the haze-breaking wind at his back, he ran with everything he had.
But the Phantom Tyrant continued to spew fog, and the wind was soon blocked again. His Stormroad stopped just short of the beast.
The childhood barrier of snow and ruin rose in layers, blocking the Boy’s path once more.
But he didn’t stop. The wind died, but he charged forward.
A blue flash ignited in his eyes.
I… will become the wind itself!
He merged with the blue arrow waiting ahead. A gale of blue whipped around him, leaving a long afterimage.
If there is no path, make one.
A path where none exists.
Trailing a blue streak, the Boy became the furious wind itself.
He tore through the layered fog, scattering it in a swirl, and shot forward like a flash of light.
“Big bro…”
The monster’s mimicry whispered at the barrier of snow and ruin.
“Fly.”
But he didn’t hear it.
The Boy’s blade was faster than the voice.
Shunk—!
Slicing clean through thick fog—through memories of snow and ruin—his light-speed thrust pierced the monster’s neck.
***
“Haah, haah, haah…”
Jae-hee lay collapsed before the fallen Phantom Tyrant.
He was completely drained. Not an ounce of strength was left in his body, his stamina and energy utterly depleted.
“Aaagh, I really can’t lift a finger…”
Yet his mouth was still running in the midst of it all.
“Still, I took care of the Lord thingie… Guess that means we won?”
He glanced at the Phantom Tyrant—and his face froze over.
“Aah, aaaaaah…”
The Phantom Tyrant writhed in agony. Its long neck quivered, pierced by the bone blade.
The wound was critical, but it was not yet dead. The wall of fog still lingered.
Dozens of Foghowlers had fallen, but many more remained.
“Hee hee hee.”
“Hee hee hee hee.”
The Foghowler pack closed in, eyes blazing with rage, as if they’d never forgive him for wounding their Lord.
Jae-hee huffed in disbelief and raised his hands. “Ahh, screw it. I don’t know anymore. I did what I could.”
He squeezed his eyes shut and lay back down.
Razor was in a critical state, Status Window had been captured, Sergeant Hwa was also badly injured, and the soldiers were out of ammo.
Might as well be comfortable if I’m gonna die anyway.
Jae-hee took a deep breath, resigned to his fate. Cool air filled his lungs, so different from the suffocating heaviness before.
Then came the sharp sound of something being sliced.
Sensing something was off, he cracked one eye open.
He couldn’t believe what he saw.
The fog blanketing the sky was splitting left and right, as if cut by a blade.
“Huh…?!”
Even the distant clouds beyond the fog were slowly parting.
“What the heck…?”
Jae-hee scrambled up and looked north.
Whoooosh…!
Like the sea opening to reveal a path, the thick barrier of fog split apart, the mist swept away.
In the gap stood the white-haired swordswoman—Ghost.
She slowly slid her black sword into its sheath with a soft clink.
Something like powdered snow swirled around her, then vanished into the scabbard along with the blade, disappearing the moment it was sealed.
“Hah…”
Hand on her sword’s hilt, Ghost steadied her breath and opened her eyes.
Her sharp blue gaze met Jae-hee’s. He sat slumped on the ground, his eyes wide and round.
“…Hmph,” Ghost snorted coldly. “You’ve got one hell of a lifeline, kid.”
“Granny Ghost…!”
Jae-hee couldn’t make sense of it.
Did Ghost really cut through the fog wall? But how?
Just then, Silken Bodhisattva—the shaman in traditional robes behind Ghost—stepped forward, clapping slowly.
“My, my. That was quite a show, Ghost. Been a while since I’ve seen something so magnificent. An S-Rank’s ‘miracle’ truly is on another level, isn’t it?”
“…”
“It’s a good thing the Commander overlooked the ‘side effects’ and gave you the go-ahead. I get you were in a rush, but seriously? Maybe ease up a little next time. You nearly split the sky with one swing.”
Ghost ignored her.
Instead, she turned to the civilians, blood-soaked soldiers, and Sergeant Hwa gathered near the fog wall. “The incineration protocol was about to begin. You did well to send a survival signal.”
“Ahh…” Jae-hee exclaimed.
Sergeant Hwa had punched a hole in the fog wall. At the same time, Jae-hee had landed a major blow on the Phantom Tyrant, the source of the fog.
The two actions had triggered an anomaly, allowing the Strike Force outside to pinpoint the Gate Lord’s location.
With Commander Seo’s approval, Ghost had used her S-Rank Special Ability to cleave through the fog and enter.
“We’ll handle this Gate from here on. We’re a partner agency under the Gate Defense Bureau. Just hang on a little longer. We’ll finish it fast.”
Sergeant Hwa, still in shock, asked cautiously, “Who… who are you?”
“Sounds like you didn’t get the message from our recon team.” Ghost walked past the survivors, heading straight for the monsters. “Anyone who meets us is better off forgetting we exist.”
Silken Bodhisattva, Little Lamb, Hangman, and Grease Gal followed close behind.
“But if your superiors insist on a report—if you must say something—tell them this.”
“…”
“You met the Angel Unit.”
Silken Bodhisattva snorted. “It sounds so cheesy every time I hear it…”
They usually operated under the cover of a PMC or guild. But in cases like this, when tied closely to the military and a report was unavoidable, the Black Parade used one name: the 1004th Probationary Unit.
Also known as the Angel Unit.
“It’s too sparkly and pretty a name for a bunch of convict scum, isn’t it?”
Ghost seemed to acknowledge Silken Bodhisattva’s complaint.
She stood before the monsters and quietly uttered the unit’s true name.
“Black Parade Strike Force.”
The elite AA-Rank convicts all cracked chilling smiles.
“Begin cleanup of the remaining monsters.”