episode_0242

‘If I can just hit those bastards where it hurts, that’s enough.’

To moisten his parched mouth, dry from tension, he picked up the liquor bottle tossed on the passenger seat. As the ice-cold liquid flowed down his esophagus, a warmth bloomed in his stomach, but his mind cooled slightly.

Humiliating memories flashed through his now sober mind.

‘Damn those Restraids.’

He ground his teeth, recalling the past.

He was a transport worker. ‘Porter’ would be a more accurate term. He had worked under Restraid for nearly ten years, traversing dungeons. He drove a truck, wearing only protective gear, and sometimes carried loads with his bare hands.

One day, unreasonable orders came from the armored knights. The cargo was ultimately damaged, and when he was forced to bear the entire massive compensation, he protested. What he got in return was insults and violence, told he talked too much for a mere porter.

He staggered home after receiving his termination notice, only to find his wife weeping. A helpless head of the household was greeted by his son, teetering on the brink of death in a hospital room. Hearing that it was the work of delinquent awakened students, his mind went blank.

All the students, scions of influential clan executives, were released with a warning. No one was on the side of the unawakened. Not until they appeared.

A man approached like a demon, offering a proposal he could never refuse.

‘Don’t you want revenge? I’ll give you the price.’

There was no choice. When an overwhelming sum, more than enough for his child’s hospital bills and his family’s living expenses, entered his account, he abandoned even his suspicions. They kept their promise and gave him a chance to burn brightly.

Taking another sip of alcohol, the man felt a little comfort. He was not the only one in such a plight. Those who had been trampled, frustrated, and suppressed.

All preparations were complete, and he just awaited the command. A dry, emotionless command fell, devoid of comfort or encouragement.

“Begin.”

The engine started. The vehicle, moving slowly at first, gradually gained speed. The convention center loomed ahead. The eyes of the on-duty police and security guards grew distinctly closer. Closer and closer. The massive vehicle burst in. Hunters rushed to stop it.

Faster, even faster!

-Crash!

The truck exploded.

Outside, gunshots rang out loudly. Syndicate members, hidden around the building, launched a coordinated attack. Unemployed workers, young men unfairly charged, and resentful boys desperately charged forward.

“Die! Just die! You bastards!”

Amidst their fury, they remembered. What had those people told them to shout?

“Long live Ariel Group!”

As they roared the name of the extraordinary terrorist organization that had blown away a giant clan, courage they didn’t know they possessed surged forth.

-Rat-a-tat-tat!

Flashing lights, thick gunpowder smoke. Police quickly found cover and hid. Urgent voices crackled over the radio.

“Aaaah! Sam’s been hit!”

“Central, requesting backup!”

As the area outside the exhibition hall was engulfed in gunshots, the instigator of the situation, seeing the internal security guards mobilize, issued new orders.

“Good. We move to the next phase.”

Following the order, all power to the convention center was cut. The security system was entirely neutralized. Amidst the confused security guards, Team Leader Aspen headed to the artifact exhibition hall with his agents. Due to the power outage and gunfire, the exhibition hall was plunged into darkness. Only the faint glow of emergency lights softly illuminated the space.

-Once the target is confirmed, seize it immediately.

Agents scattered throughout slowly gathered at the artifact exhibition hall. In the center, beneath the dim emergency lights, a massive, glowing red artifact within a display case caught their attention. The Heart of Sunset emitted an uncanny presence even in the darkness.

Visitors were clearly flustered by the sudden power outage. Some screamed, while others used their smartphone lights to illuminate their surroundings.

“What the — ! Why is it suddenly like this?”

“I can’t see anything. Aren’t we going to trip?”

“Didn’t you hear gunshots outside? Surely not a terrorist attack?”

A restless atmosphere was palpable among the students.

“Dammit! Why did this have to happen on the day I came here!”

“The gunshots are no joke. Is it a terrorist attack?”

“Something seems to be happening outside.”

Amidst the commotion, some students, holding their smartphones, looked around vigilantly.

-Proceed to the next phase. Begin.

At that moment, fire alarms inside the building began to blare loudly. Smoke generators installed in various places spewed out thick smoke, instantly engulfing the exhibition hall. The screams of visitors were swallowed by the smoke.

“Cough, cough, what is this…? Did a fire break out?”

“I can’t see!”

Chaos intensified, and some terrified individuals rushed towards the exits, jostling each other. Only coughing and alarm sounds echoed loudly in the smoke. Perhaps sensing something amiss, the higher-ups responsible for the event’s security immediately dispatched personnel.

“Visitor safety is important, but the artifact! Secure the artifact!”

Inside the smoke-filled exhibition hall, some security personnel, following orders from above, gathered around the display case containing the ‘Heart of Sunset,’ guided by the emergency lights. They surrounded the display case and took up defensive positions.

“Don’t let anyone approach! The Heart of Sunset must be protected no matter what. If there’s even the slightest problem, it’s over. You understand, right?”

Everyone nodded at their superior’s words. However, the thick smoke made visibility poor, causing an uneasy feeling to spread.

Aspen and the agents moved like shadows, gliding through the smoke. Their footsteps were as silent and agile as a cat’s. The moment a guard turned his head, an agent’s hand struck his neck like lightning. A precise blow aimed at the vital point behind the neck.

“…!”

The guard collapsed without even a gasp.

Just as another guard discovered his fallen comrade and was about to shout, another agent sprang out from behind him. A powerful grip choked the guard’s neck, and he fell, gasping for breath. Figures continued to fall in the smoke. It was as if an invisible black wave was swallowing them.

The agents quickly surrounded the display case, having dragged the fallen guards away from it.

“Begin.”

One agent drew a dagger. The magic infused in the dagger formed a sharp blade aura. The glass was instantly cut as if a hot knife was slicing through butter. Another agent carefully picked up the severed piece of glass. A hand reached through the gap and seized the Heart of Sunset. The large jewel was transferred into a pre-prepared metal bag. It was a spatial bag, capable of holding many items and blocking external detection. The empty space was filled by a pre-prepared imitation.

It would be enough to buy time.

Everything was finished in the blink of an eye.

The agents, crouching low in the smoke, attempted to exit the display area. It was the moment the last agent was inserting the cut glass back into place.

“Mister, what are you doing there?”

Just then, a blonde girl appeared through the hazy smoke. With a dainty face and doll-like features, her vivid ruby-red eyes fixed on the agents. The agents quickly exchanged glances and silently approached the girl. Instantly, one of them moved behind the girl and struck the back of her neck forcefully.

“Aaaagh!”

With a small cry, the girl collapsed to the floor. The agents glanced at the fallen girl and quickly began to leave the area.

That’s when it happened.

“Stop right there!”

As the agents turned their heads, an incredible sight unfolded. Down the corridor, amidst the thick smoke, numerous red eyes began to move towards them. As the eyes drew closer, the figures of girls with flowing blonde hair, rushing forward, became visible. As if cloned from a single person, they all looked exactly like the fallen girl. In the hands of the girls, whose faces were covered by white masks, were large flashlights and colorful lights.

-Flash!

As a final flourish, dozens of dazzling lights erupted from the exhibition hall ceiling. It was illumination magic.

“What is all this…?”

With someone’s whisper, the agents looked at each other, engaging in a silent conversation. They tried to grasp the situation, but their minds were filled only with confusion.

Their thoughts ended there. Because the strange group of girls swarmed them in the blink of an eye.

“There they are! Thieves!”

“Kill them!”

**

Our Violets felt something was wrong from the moment someone started impersonating us.

“Why are they impersonating our Ariel Group?”

“I don’t know!”

Their identity was unknown, but these guys were definitely highly suspicious. What was most shocking was their actions. The Violets outside witnessed a ragged group of unawakened individuals shouting the Ariel Group’s name, firing guns indiscriminately, and carrying out suicide bombings.

“What?! Why are they suddenly attacking people?”

This situation was absolutely outrageous. Our Violets do not attack innocent police, security guards, or students. However, what was most unsettling was the fact that they had self-destructed.

“They self-destructed! The truck exploded!”

“How dare they not only impersonate us but also mimic our self-destruction!”

An outrageous act that was akin to copyright infringement, on top of trademark infringement! We couldn’t let these guys get away with this.

“What about the guys outside?”

“If this continues, our image will be ruined!”

While the Violets were holding an emergency discussion amidst the chaos of the power outage and fire, an unusual aura was detected by the Violets roaming the artifact exhibition. It was a very familiar yet strange feeling.

“What? Why are my senses disappearing and then not?”

Currently, our Violets had temporarily spread themselves throughout the dark convention center, deploying a tactical map. As soon as the command center Violet saw the map, her eyes widened at the peculiar situation. Because gaps kept appearing among the numerous people displayed on the map.

“Strange! Everyone, look around.”

The Ward Violets immediately detected the anomaly. A feeling of senses shifting to strange places, and eyes and ears being covered by something. A flow of magic that made a full space temporarily feel empty. We knew what it was. The unique atmosphere created only by perception-inhibiting devices.

“What? Why are those people going towards the artifact?”

Only then could we see it. The guards near the Heart of Sunset being instantly incapacitated! I realized everything.

“Those guys! They’re artifact thieves!”

“How dare thieves impersonate our Ariel Group!”

“Unnie! Look towards the artifact!”

Sophieel Unnie, who heard my explanation, immediately noticed the scene unfolding beyond the blurry silhouettes.

“…Their skills are not ordinary. Are you sure you’re okay?”

When Unnie whispered cautiously, I replied with a confident voice.

“I’m confident!”

First, what we needed was to illuminate this dark situation. Power creates light. Darkness cannot win against light imbued with enough power!

“Prepare lights!”

“Prepare magic!”

Numerous lights made the inside of the exhibition hall, which had been pitch black due to the power outage, as bright as day. As I used basic magic to create wind and clear the smoke, a group ready for battle became visible beyond it. The perception hindrance rattled my senses, but I concentrated magic on my eyes and ears to shake it off.

“Attack! Attack! Let’s catch those thieves!”

“For the honor of Ariel Group!”

At the front was a man in a suit. He was carrying a metal bag that seemed to contain the artifact, and like a true thief, he leaped to try and escape. Unit 1925, at the forefront, bravely charged forward to block him.

-Clang! Clang!

The moment sword strikes were exchanged head-on a few times, we knew. He was no ordinary thief!

“One-on-one is impossible! At least three need to engage!”

Dozens of Violets charged in succession, surrounding them and engaging in a melee. All of them used extraordinary techniques. But our Violets are not alone.

“Aaaagh! Unnie! Quickly!”

The moment she clashed with the man in the suit, Unit 1925 intentionally took a hit from his one-handed sword and then grabbed his wrist. The moment he tried to shake me off, a black figure burst in like a meteor.

-Thump!

“Kyaaaak! Success!”

With the impact, Unit 1925 spurted blood and was sent flying to a corner of the exhibition hall. He was certainly not an easy opponent. Considering he managed to shake off Unit 1925 and draw two daggers to face Unnie in that fleeting moment.

And we saw. The scene of two swift trajectories colliding in an instant.

-Clang!

After two collisions, the man in the suit was violently thrown back, stumbling as he regained his stance. Sophieel Unnie, standing opposite, raised her sword as if nothing had happened, confronting him. Beyond the image distorted by perception hindrance, the silhouette of the suited man’s face visibly trembled.

“What in the…?”

Hearing him mutter, Unnie casually threw out a remark.

“Raix Haiburn System. So you know how to use it?”

There was no need to ask what she meant. Unnie immediately explained it to the Violet beside her.

“Those guys, there’s a high chance they’re Obsidian Legion. They’re using their unique combat techniques.”

“Obsidian Legion!”

I gasped. To think that the identity of the guys impersonating us was that infamous villainous organization.

‘They’re just committing petty theft under our name!’

“Hey! Obsidian Legion! Right? You caused all this just to commit petty theft?”

When I provoked them loudly, they pointed their swords without a twitch, sending a more threatening glare than before. The eyes of nearby students and people turned towards us. At my words, everyone was startled and drew their weapons.

“C-crazy! The Obsidian Legion?”

“Everyone, be careful!”

Before we knew it, the surrounding area was encircled by our Violet clones and numerous people, weapons drawn and vigilant.

“Don’t move!”

Coincidentally, a blockade was immediately formed. This was possible because the security forces, who had just resolved the external situation and were rushing this way, the hunters participating in the expo for clan promotion, and many Rustrum students visiting the site, were all present. Having failed to escape, they could not leave this place.

“Hey, terrorists! Surrender and put down the artifact!”

And in front of all those people stood Violet.

“Protect the honor of Ariel Group!”

The encirclement maintained a certain distance and did not close in further. They were terrorists. They might self-destruct or pull some trick like us. Sensing their hesitation, a hunter who appeared to be the head of security stepped forward and spoke.

“Surrender, terrorists! Restraid and Federal Army forces will arrive soon! Understand? You will never escape from here!”

Hearing the warning, they immediately raised their weapons. An ominous atmosphere was felt.

“Violet, it seems they’re planning a breakthrough. Can you block them head-on?”

“Yes!”

It was definitely a dangerous tactic. All we had to do was block their attack and then counter-attack!

I immediately drew my shield. Now I could block any fatal blow. If they charged head-on, blocking them with my body would be enough!

And the fatal blow came from behind.

“Ah, Lord, Hail!”

-Stab!

“Ugyaaaagh!”

Someone’s sword pierced Violet’s back. In the eyes of Unit 1566, who collapsed with a scream, a female student with hazy eyes was visible.

“Ah, ah. I’ll kill them. Yes, all of them!”

And screams and shouts began to echo throughout the exhibition hall.

“Y-you! Who are you? Why are you doing this! Aaaagh!”

“Cough, gasp!”

What was displayed on the Violet tactical map was an unexpected betrayal. The circular icons, which had been neutral in color, suddenly turned red and began attacking the surrounding people.

“In the Lord’s name! Hail!”

“God is with us!”

‘It’s a diversion! Could it be their doing?’

I glared at them angrily. But the Obsidian Legion guys also seemed flustered by something.

“Give us our artifact!”

At that moment, a group of people broke through the exhibition hall’s partition walls and burst into the exhibition room. Their gaze was fixed on the metal bag held by the Legion members.

“Damn it! Everyone, prepare to attack!”

It was a situation where everything that moved had to be considered an enemy, and chaos erupted in an instant.

**

Outside the smoke and flame-engulfed convention center, a man and a woman slowly approached, passing through burning vehicles and commotion. Their leisurely strides suggested the surrounding chaos was irrelevant to them.

“How interesting. To think someone would act before we even had to. Is it those humans’ doing? The Federation’s bastards, I mean.”

The man muttered. The woman, who seemed to be his companion, frowned and replied.

“Indeed. It’s truly pathetic, them fighting amongst themselves.”

They were dressed neatly and modestly, reminiscent of religious figures. At some point, their gaze fell upon a camera-like object held by a fallen guard. The detection device clearly displayed Magnavis’s circular symbol.

“Still, it’s fortunate for us. Even though it’s rudimentary, they’ve prepared a way to detect and identify us, haven’t they? That’s why we sent in our followers first.”

“Agreed. Even if we’d been caught, it wouldn’t have stopped us, but it would have been quite bothersome.”

As the man pointed at the camera, the woman nodded and smirked.

“Restraid, I thought they were just simple-minded knights, but they’re quite capable. To think they’ve adopted the knowledge of sorcerers to create something like this.”

“Though it’s a basic toy.”

Just then, a new commotion erupted inside the exhibition hall. Amidst the flames and smoke, an unholy cacophony of metal and screams echoed. It was the chaos created by the followers they had sent.

“Still, we must be careful. There are no instructions yet, so we shouldn’t intervene too directly. Remember how one of our members died at Aegis Academy last year. There are quite a few strong individuals among humans.”

“I know the rules. But I don’t see why we need to hide. The Federation and the clans already know about our existence, don’t they? Though they haven’t divulged it so far…”

As the man and woman chatted and headed towards the building entrance, soldiers blocked their path. They were Federal Army military police.

“Stop! This area is currently dangerous! Terrorist activities are ongoing nearby, so please cooperate!”

The soldiers approaching the man and woman saw the woman raise her hand.

“I’ll need to see your identifi-”

The senior soldier began to speak, but his voice was abruptly cut off in mid-air. The soldier felt a sudden change in his senses. A cold chill swept through his body, then quickly turned into a scorching heat. His legs gave out, and he automatically sank to the floor. And the next moment, terrible pain overwhelmed him.

“Aaaah, aaargh!”

In his blurring vision, the soldier looked at his own body. A scream of terror. His flesh and bones were liquefying into a sticky pulp. Soon, his screams turned into an unintelligible roar.

“S-sergeant…? Aaaaargh!”

The other soldiers were horrified by their senior’s grotesque transformation. Terrified, no one dared to help him. Just then, the soldier holding observation equipment saw the man and woman reflected on his screen. Barely regaining his senses from the horrifying sight, the soldier shouted as if he had realized something.

“C-code Omega! Code Omega! Report immediately! That’s the monster-”

The soldier couldn’t finish his sentence. Smoke billowed from the radio and gun in his hand, turning them black. Before long, the soldier himself turned to dust and scattered in the wind.

Another soldier was suddenly engulfed in flames. He writhed on the ground, screaming in agony as his flesh burned, but the flames wouldn’t die down.

“No… this can’t be!”

A soldier, gripped by fear, tried to flee. But he couldn’t take a single step. His flesh and bones solidified like stone, then shattered into pieces.

Another soldier, trembling, raised his gun. But before he could pull the trigger, a horrifying pain spread beneath his skin.

“Oh, aaaaargh! No! I hate this! Aaaaaaah!”

Thousands of insects crawled out from beneath his eyes, mouth, nose, and skin. The insects that burst through his skin even began to devour his flesh. The soldier writhed in agony, then went limp.

“This isn’t… magic. This is…”

The last surviving soldier shattered into pieces with a dying cry. The man and woman watched the soldiers’ demise from beginning to end with cold indifference.

“Of course not. This is a skill that your pathetic calculations could never imitate.”

The woman chuckled faintly and murmured. The man and woman slowly moved towards the convention center. Only ashes remained where the soldiers had been.

Behind them, a group followed slowly. They were the man and woman’s followers. Their eyes, devoid of life, stared blankly into space. With expressionless faces, they looked like monsters, unbelievable as humans.

“Everyone, are you ready?”

“Yes, we are.”

As the followers replied mechanically, the man and woman pointed towards the exhibition hall entrance.

“Then act. Miracles come to those who believe. Grant wishes, perform miracles.”