Im Hyerin burst open the door and rushed in.
“Seoyun, big trouble!”
I looked at Im Hyerin, still half-asleep.
“What's with the panic first thing in the morning?”
“Ha… The Chinese ability users caused an accident.”
Im Hyerin quickly explained the situation in an urgent voice.
The elite Chinese ability users centered around Wichun had unilaterally gone out to subjugate the monster. And they all got wiped out.
After hearing the full explanation, my expression crumpled instantly.
“So… those barbaric chink bastards charged at the monster thinking they could handle it themselves?”
“Exactly… and they were completely annihilated.”
I had firmly warned them yesterday not to do anything stupid, but in the end, their pride caused a massive disaster.
“What grades of ability users were deployed?”
“Three calamity-class, about fifteen S-class….”
Im Hyerin's words already gave me a headache.
‘Three calamity-class…’
The news that even high-ranking ability users had been massacred all at once was a catastrophe in itself.
But the biggest problem right now was the monster's state.
Three calamity-class and fifteen S-class meant it had devoured top-quality materials all at once.
“What's the monster's current state?”
Im Hyerin let out a long sigh.
“…I don't know exactly yet. It's complete chaos right now, so information isn't coming in properly. The Chinese side is in turmoil too, so we haven't been able to communicate.”
I sighed and started getting dressed.
At that moment, Biyeon woke up to the commotion in the bed next to me.
“Nn… what, is it morning already?”
“Biyeon, get up. Emergency situation.”
“…What's going on?”
Biyeon rubbed her eyes and sat up.
“The Chinese guys caused a mess. A proper one.”
“As expected… It'd be weird if China didn't cause an accident.”
Biyeon sighed and jumped up, starting to get dressed.
We roughly finished preparing and stormed out the door.
The hallway was already bustling with several ability users moving around noisily.
“I heard the Chinese ability users were wiped out?”
“Even the calamity-class all died?”
“Doesn't that mean the monster got stronger?”
Murmuring voices and anxious eyes filled the space.
I passed them and went down to the first-floor lobby.
The lobby was already chaos.
Ability users from various countries had gathered, clamoring to grasp the situation. Languages from different countries mixed through translators, creating nothing but confusing noise.
“We need to evacuate immediately!”
“If we stay here, we'll be in danger too!”
Voices of panicked ability users erupted from all directions.
I looked at the scene expressionlessly and headed straight to the command center.
Opening the door to the command center, the tension inside was even thicker.
Chinese association officials were gathered in front of monitors, and at the center stood Lucia Valencia with her arms crossed.
She glanced at me and nodded slightly.
“You're here?”
“Lucia, how's the situation?”
“Satellite photos just came in from the Chinese side.”
At Lucia's gesture, a Chinese official immediately pointed to the monitor.
The screen showed a horrific scene in the heart of Guangzhou's downtown.
Buildings had collapsed, streets were completely ruined. And in the middle of it all…
“That's the monster?”
A Chinese military official answered in a trembling voice.
“Yes, sir….”
The monster's appearance had completely changed.
Until yesterday, it had a human form, but now it had turned into a gigantic cocoon.
A grotesque surface mixed with black and red, with vein-like patterns pulsing clearly on it.
“The size…”
Biyeon muttered beside me.
“Looks over 10 meters?”
Lucia said coldly.
“15 meters. Precisely measured.”
“Pupa state?”
I asked.
Lucia nodded.
“Yes. It's digesting the absorbed energy. When that state ends… it'll appear in a completely different form.”
“How long do you think it'll take?”
“I don't know that either.”
The monitor screen switched. This time, footage from a different angle.
Black mist-like fog was rising around the cocoon, and buildings touched by the fog were slowly corroding.
“What's that fog?”
The Chinese official answered in a tense voice.
“Not fully analyzed yet… but anything living that touches it dies instantly.”
“Radius?”
“Currently about 500 meters, and it's continuously expanding.”
A heavy silence fell over the command center.
Lucia put a cigarette in her mouth and spoke calmly.
“That fog is a kind of barrier. It's deployed to block external attacks while in the cocoon state. If you approach carelessly, your body will melt.”
“We need to deal with it before whatever's inside comes out.”
“Right. Whatever emerges won't be ordinary, so now—while it's immobile—is our chance.”
Im Hyerin said with a worried face.
“That fog—isn't it equally dangerous to you guys?”
Lucia raised one corner of her mouth and slowly exhaled cigarette smoke.
“Probably only this man and I could endure it. It won't be completely harmless, though.”
“Lucia, we're moving now.”
Lucia slowly nodded.
“Good. The longer we delay, the worse it gets.”
The Chinese official hurriedly said.
“W-wait, sir! What about the operation plan? Support forces—”
“Not needed.”
I cut him off firmly.
“They'd only get in the way. Just focus on securing evacuation zones.”
***
The helicopter flew over Guangzhou.
Looking down from the window, the city was already no different from ruins. Collapsed buildings, empty streets, and far away, black fog slowly spreading centered on the cocoon.
“That's the monster's location.”
Lucia muttered, looking out the window.
The black fog enveloping the cocoon writhed like a living creature.
“They said 500 meters… but it looks wider in person.”
“Current radius 580 meters, still expanding!”
The pilot's shout rang out.
“No time. We need to handle it fast.”
Lucia leaped from the helicopter first. Pure white energy rose from her body as she slowly descended to the ground.
I immediately followed, jumping out.
We landed about 200 meters from the fog.
This area was completely empty. Not a person, not even an ant.
“Unpleasant silence.”
Lucia approached me and stared ahead.
“First, I'll analyze the fog.”
As she quietly stared forward, her eyes began to glow.
And a few minutes later.
“It's dangerous.”
“What?”
“This fog isn't simple poison or acid. It dismantles the energy structure of anything living it touches, breaking it down to the molecular level. And it's absorbing it.”
It was far more dangerous than expected.
“And the inside is getting increasingly contaminated.”
“Suddenly hesitant to go in.”
But we couldn't stop. The longer time passed, the stronger the monster would get, and the fog's range would keep expanding.
“There's a way.”
I immediately signaled Biyeon.
‘Biyeon, spirit fusion.’
‘Okay.’
Biyeon, in sword form, turned into light and merged into my body.
In an instant, explosive power filled my body.
Jet-black hair fluttered in the wind, eyes turned into golden dragon eyes. Black scale-like patterns appeared across my body.
Lucia looked at me and raised an eyebrow.
“Completely different from what I saw last time.”
Ignoring her words, I slowly raised my hand.
‘Compress the fog as much as possible and gather it.’
Using the spirit's power while controlling all the wind in the area, I began forcing the fog into one point.
A massive vortex formed.
-Whoooosh…!
The wind grew stronger, black fog swirling and compressing around the cocoon.
Lucia stubbed her cigarette on the ground and said.
“I'm insanely curious what you did for a week.”
“Save the sentiment for later.”
I answered shortly, maintaining the power.
The compressed fog writhed as if trying to escape.
“Let's go.”
We quickly approached the cocoon.
Finally, we stood before the gigantic cocoon.
The surface mixed with black and red writhed subtly like living skin. Vein-like patterns pulsed clearly.
-Thump. Thump. Thump.
Slow, heavy, powerful heartbeats shook the ground. Energy waves leaking from inside vibrated the air.
“Tremendous energy is gathering inside. If we'd been even a little later… something truly horrific would have happened.”
“If not for those Chinese kids, it wouldn't have gotten this complicated?”
“That's true too.”
As Lucia answered, she quietly raised her hand. The nun's habit she wore tore to shreds instantly, and beneath it, a metallic suit wrapped her body. Circuits flashed along her spine, and a blue energy sword formed in her hand.
I stared at Lucia for a while, dumbfounded.
“Just curious… do you really have to tear the nun's habit to transform like that?”
Lucia subtly averted her gaze and answered quietly.
“…Honestly, it's embarrassing for me too. The human who first developed the suit insisted that ‘transformation must involve a near-nude state that's teasingly visible.’ Thanks to that, the auto-system is set that way.”
“That guy must've been quite the gentleman.”
Lucia tilted her head and asked.
“Gentleman…? Not at all? He was a weirdo who rambled all day about the aesthetics of transformation and nonsense…?”
“Enough, let's destroy that thing.”
Lucia nodded and raised the blue energy sword high.
I also drew up my internal energy to the maximum. Lightning wrapped around the sword in my hand, power condensing explosively throughout my body.
“End it in one shot.”
We positioned about 10 meters apart and aimed at the cocoon simultaneously.
I took a deep breath and focused the power into one point.
At that moment.
-Ruuuumble…
A heavy vibration rang from the cocoon. An ominous sound, like something awakening.
Lucia's expression hardened.
“No way…”
Small cracks formed on the cocoon's surface. They spread like spiderwebs instantly, red light leaking out.
-Crackle. Crackle. Craaaackle!
The cracks grew larger, intense energy about to explode from within.
“Damn, worst timing!”
Lucia shouted.
“Jin Seoyun! Attack now! Before it fully emerges!”
There was no time to hesitate.
I unleashed the gathered power as is.
Lightning pierced the cocoon, and at the same time, Lucia fired a pure white beam.
-Booooom!
The two forces collided, shaking the entire cocoon.
“…It's not breaking?”
The cocoon remained intact. The surface was slightly scorched, but no fatal damage.
No, rather—
-Craaaackle!
The cracks spread even faster.
Lucia gritted her teeth.
“It instantly dismantled and absorbed our power!”
“What?”
“Our attack actually accelerated the hatching!”
A chill ran down my spine.
Our attack hadn't destroyed the cocoon—it had supplied energy instead.
-Craaaackle!
The cocoon began to swell. Black shell pieces fell away in all directions, and something inside slowly revealed itself.
First visible were red eyes.
Six red eyes glowed in the darkness. And those eyes slowly turned toward us.
And—
-Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!
The monster's first roar completely devastated the surroundings.
Sound waves surged like a storm, roughly cracking the ground, and remaining building debris turned to dust and scattered everywhere.
I reflexively drew up internal energy to shield my body.
-Boom!
The tremendous impact scraped my feet against the ground, pushing me back over 10 meters.
My ears rang.
Lucia beside me had deployed an energy barrier, but intense cracks like spiderwebs formed on its surface from the shock.
“Crazy…!”
For the first time, a curse escaped Lucia's mouth.
When the roar stopped, black shell fragments exploded outward, and the being inside finally fully revealed itself.
A giant over 7 meters tall. Its body was a tangle of black bones and red muscles, with snake-like writhing tentacles growing from its back.
“Disgustingly ugly.”
“Agreed.”