episode_0103

103.

Han Ji Hyo furrowed her brows, glaring at the people around her as she thought to herself.

“It’s not a coincidence, they definitely know that my weakness is water.”

It was a fact that could be easily discovered through investigation that she was a blood manipulation ability user.

But how did they figure out that she couldn’t control blood that had been touched by water? That was a secret she had hidden since her academy days.

Until now, there had been no blood manipulation ability users like Han Ji Hyo with such a weakness.

But how did they manage to expose Han Ji Hyo’s blood manipulation ability by simply splashing water? It was truly baffling.

“I’m in a bit of a bind now.”

It had become difficult to attack by releasing blood externally.

One of Han Ji Hyo’s specialties was releasing condensed blood at once to attack the opponent.

But in the current situation, if she carelessly released blood, it could mix with water and become irretrievable.

She had already spilled about 300ml of blood on the ground.

Normally, she could have easily retrieved the blood, but with a water manipulation ability user present, it was too risky of a gamble.

It was possible to consume unnecessary blood in vain.

The more blood she released externally, the more disadvantageous the situation became.

If she continued to consume more blood here, it could strain her body. And they would never miss that opportunity.

“It would be better to surrender, Han Ji Hyo.”

“I don’t want to.”

Surrender? Surrender was out of the question. Even though it had become difficult to release blood externally, it didn’t matter.

She could manipulate the blood inside her body to produce an excess of adrenaline, allowing for temporary physical enhancement.

She also had some skill in martial arts.

Furthermore, if she could create a small biological injury on the opponent, she could simply kill them by reversing the blood flow after contact with the wounded area.

Therefore, it wasn’t an extremely disadvantageous situation.

She wasn’t sure of their abilities, but judging by their momentum, they didn’t seem like such a dangerous opponent.

So, if she could subdue one or two of them and threaten them, she had a good chance of winning.

Unless they were truly heinous villains, if she held her comrades hostage, they wouldn’t be able to launch a proper attack.

“You said your name was Han Ji Hyo, right? Just surrender, it’s a hassle. Let’s not weaken each other.”

At that moment.

“If you surrender now, I’ll make you faint without pain. How about it?”

“…Could it be, Cynthia Gwyn?”

Han Ji Hyo, who had checked the face of the short-haired woman walking slowly behind the followers, was taken aback.

She never imagined that a figure like Cynthia would appear here.

Cynthia was one of the high rankers representing England.

She had heard that Cynthia had come to escort the saint candidate Roksan not long ago, but why would she suddenly appear here…?

“Could it be, were all those people members of the church?”

“Bingo.”

“Why, why would the church…?”

“Well, the church has always been at the forefront of subduing villains, haven’t they?”

It was a ridiculous statement.

Since when had the church worked so hard on something that didn’t bring in money?

Moreover, wasn’t Cynthia not part of Roksan’s faction? If she was such a figure as Cynthia, she wouldn’t listen unless it was Roksan’s command.

Roksan was said to be busy with internal church affairs, so why was she engaging in such pointless actions?

Arresting the culprit of the mysterious serial murders that had plunged the Gyeonggi Province into terror, to gain a positive image and reputation from the people?

“Cynthia, I beg of you.”

“Got it, got it. I know, I know. But what can I do when my boss is pressuring me like this? Let’s finish this quickly, Miss Evil.”

As the charming girl with pink hair spoke from a distance, Cynthia immediately drew her sword.

Could that girl with the pink hair be that notorious criminal?

She was a member of the Rebellion who had taken down Sung Yura and boldly revealed herself as a candidate for Saint.

Could she really be targeting Han Jihyo as well?

It was still unclear how Han Jihyo had found out that she was the culprit behind the murder case.

“But, Roxanne, you didn’t need to come all the way here. It’s dangerous.”

“While you all are struggling to take down the villains, how can I just sit back and relax?”

Roxanne glanced at Cynthia and continued, “And if I hadn’t come here, Cynthia, you wouldn’t have come here in person either.”

“No, I’m your escort. I can’t just leave your side recklessly, you know?”

Initially, Roxanne had asked Cynthia for help in dealing with the villains.

Arresting the villains was a risky business, so it was more certain and safer for the High Ranker Cynthia to take action herself.

But Cynthia refused, using Roxanne’s escort as an excuse.

She kept making excuses like, “What if something happens while I’m away? How will I handle it?”

So Roxanne had to step into the dangerous situation herself, also bringing Cynthia along as her escort.

Of course, Roxanne was not only worried about Cynthia but also about other people interfering with the work. Within the limits that wouldn’t disturb others working.

“It’s not just because it’s bothersome, is it?”

“Oh, Roxanne. You already briefed me on Han Jihyo’s weaknesses and abilities. You’ve also assembled the appropriate team members. I, on the other hand, wanted to trust our team members and not rush in. If I acted recklessly, I could have ignored our team members.”

“Really?”

“…Y-yes.”

Cynthia awkwardly smiled and quickly turned her head.

Finally, she pointed her sharp sword towards Han Jihyo.

Despite having the infamous murderer in front of her, Cynthia remained calm.

As if she could easily defeat Han Jihyo no matter what she did.

In reality, she would.

Han Jihyo’s potential and abilities were highly regarded, even by Yuda Hui, but Cynthia was on a different level.

At this point, even Yuda Hui would find it difficult to face Cynthia.

While Cynthia was talking to Roxanne, Han Jihyo tried to attack, but there was no opening.

How could Han Jihyo, who had been half forced to join the Rebellion by Yuda Hui, defeat Cynthia, who was stronger than Yuda Hui?

Moreover, there were not only Cynthia but also the members of the Gooak (Evil) unit selected to face Han Jihyo.

Escaping from all of them was practically impossible.

“…Sigh. Nothing ever goes right today, really.”

“Isn’t that just how life is?”

After biting her lower lip, Han Jihyo rushed towards Cynthia with a half-resigned attitude.

But as expected, a High Ranker was a High Ranker.

She couldn’t help but admire how easily Cynthia blocked Han Jihyo’s attack.

Cynthia, who usually didn’t show a serious demeanor, was a woman who could easily bring down Han Jihyo without any difficulty when she wanted to.

If she had been in full condition, she might have been able to endure a little longer, but every time Han Jihyo used her blood manipulation ability, she couldn’t handle it as water was sprayed on her from behind.

“J-Jeez, ugh….”

Thud.

Han Jihyo collapsed on the dirty floor. She was unconscious. Cynthia, as if bored, licked her lips and then shifted her gaze towards Roxanne.

“Is this enough for one person?”

“Yes.”

There were still more villains that Jinhyuk had informed them about.

“But Roxanne, isn’t this a sensitive time lately? Can’t we just leave this kind of villain subjugation to the kids or postpone it a bit?”

“It’s an important matter. And from what I know, these individuals are not just villains… they seem to be part of a rather dangerous organization.”

And she also had to play the role of a shield in place of Jinhyuk, Roxanne muttered to herself.

Of course, she couldn’t say this to Cynthia.

If it had been Cynthia, she would have tried to stop her, saying it was dangerous.

So she couldn’t reveal the truth about being a Rebellion member or the information Jinhyuk had given them.

“Hmm. Is that so? The source of the information is suspicious, but… well, I don’t doubt what you’re saying.”

Cynthia looked down at the unconscious Han Jihyo and casually spoke a word.

“Then, should we interrogate her before handing her over to the police?”

“Interrogate…”

“Don’t worry too much. It’s not the kind of interrogation you’re thinking of. There are quite a few mental ability users. I plan to extract information in a very humane way. Whether she acted alone or not.”

“If that’s the case.”

Roxanne quietly looked up at the night sky.

Based on the information Jinhyuk had provided, they could apprehend Han Jihyo.

Her identity, whereabouts and time of appearance, abilities, weaknesses, etc. Everything matched. It was exactly as Jinhyuk had said.

Honestly, when Jinhyuk had mentioned being a future precognitive, she had been a little skeptical, but now she could be sure.

That he really could predict the future.

***

In an officetel located in Seoul.

A white-haired girl was pacing around the spacious officetel.

After taking a sip of her drink, the girl hurriedly walked up to the people and stood in front of them.

“Alright, is everyone here?”

The girl’s voice echoed throughout the officetel.

Yudahee, who swept her messy hair aside, shifted her gaze and carefully scanned the faces of those sitting on the sofa or standing around.

The faces of the Rebellion members appeared one by one in Yudahee’s sight.

Kim Seohan, Ryan Jones, Isabelle, Baek Yurin, Alex Kim, John Carter, and so on…

Some looked disinterested, some looked annoyed, some looked intrigued as they gazed at Yudahee.

“Not everyone, but almost everyone seems to be here.”

Yudahee scanned the faces of everyone gathered here and nodded in satisfaction.

“Curious why I called all of you here? I have a matter to discuss. Well, alright. I don’t like wasting time, so I’ll get straight to the point.”

Yudahee pursed her lips again.

“A while ago, under the leadership of Roxanne, some members were attacked by priests led by a candidate for the noon church saint. They have all been arrested. It doesn’t seem like a coincidence, she must have somehow found out about us because of the Holy Oil… ”

She said with a smirk.

“…She might become a nuisance if left alone. So, Roxanne, what should we do about her?”