Four Hundred And Fifty

Four Hundred And Fifty

“I’ll see you in the Boundary then.” I said to Kang Da and the three non-humans, oddly named Three, Four and Five. It’s a bit dehumanising, but then, they aren’t humans. They probably don’t mind, and Violet-noona seems the straightforward type. I’d better make an effort to keep them alive. Hmm...

“Don’t hold him back, little brother.” Violet-noona warned him, embarrassing him, and at that sight, my sis looked at me, amused. Seeing that, Violet-noona flushed a little. “What? It’s a prerogative for a big sister to look after her dumb but cute little bro, right?”

“I agree, though in reverse.” I quipped, ignoring Shiro as she joked to my sis that I was calling her cute. It’s not like she isn’t, anyone with eyes can see that. Besides, it’s good to lift the tension a bit. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep any eye on them. In theory it should be the easier battle, though if we’re lucky, they’ll come to the Boundary to defend their Territory, which will lessen the pressure on us here.”

Lee Jong-su was hugging the three women, which was an amusing sight, considering the ages varied wildly, with the older Hee-Young seeming just as into him as the two younger girls. Shaking my head, I realised age was no bar to romance. Of course, Hyacinth shows that. And Asha must be rather old too, not that Fae see it the same way.

“Don’t get distracted.” Choi Ji-ho pointed out, as he and his allies were also ready. “This isn’t going to be easy. But we’re Hunters. And this is the chance to prove our initiative is the only way forward for Korea, no, the world. This isn’t the military, we can’t be conscripted, we are free people!”

“To an extent I agree.” Haru said, nodding. “But supporting the government is the duty of all good citizens. Though if they make a mistake, by all means correct it.” she conceded.

“You sound like a bureaucrat...” he replied sourly, and she nodded.

“I am, actually.” I was impressed that Haru was having no difficulty talking to such an aggressive man, though the tips of her fingers still trembled a little. “I’ve worked for the Ministry of Finance before I joined the new Ministry for Spiritual Matters. My... father...” I was amused by the pause as she wasn’t willing to address her father in such a cute manner as usual in front of strangers. “...is Minister of Finance. But that’s irrelevant. I’ve seen Akio-kun and his allies work with us, rather than for himself, and get results.”

“Sure, that might work for you, but...” Choi Ji-ho looked at me then. “If you ever get tired of being a government dog and want to work for yourself, come see me. If you perform. Now, we have to go. Time is ticking.” He turned away, and his Guild followed him out.

“If you perform, huh Aki?” Shiro sneered at the departing man. “I look forward to you blowing his mind. Shit, I’m getting second-hand embarrassment at how wrong he’s being. Oh well, come on then Violet, I’ll show you just what I can do.”

“Your taste in women is interesting.” Violet-noona laughed, making sure her body-armour and equipment was in order. Outside, the military were preparing an artillery bombardment of smoke grenades, while their unmanned aerial vehicles would drop cannisters of teargas into key areas. “I thought you Japanese liked them meek and cute?”

“Even those of us who seem meek aren’t. Look at Eri, everyone thought she was a nice, quiet girl other than us, bro. But she’s got the heart of a yandere.” My sis declared with a smirk, as Constantine and Sophia finished setting up the cameras on the Golden Sisters, Constantine looking positively giddy as he touched them, filming video.

“Hey, no releasing anything until I’ve cleared it.” I warned. “I’m public domain now so it’s a bit different, but my sister isn’t, and I don’t want her facing any trouble. Besides...” I exchanged a look with her, and she nodded. I don’t want this leaking, as if Uchida-san hears, it’s going to lead to very awkward questions about Yamato-san...

“He won’t. I promise.” Sophia said in her shaky English, perhaps recognising how serious I was. “But Constantine, he... he is a man driven. He needs something to be right about.”

“If he does as he’s told, then I’ll certainly be happy to answer his questions and even show off a bit. Perhaps even Shiro too.” She nodded, and I continued. “But my sis and Haru are off-limits for now, all right?”

“Don’t worry, I know how to keep a secret.” He muttered, his sister looking at him in disbelief. “God’s black breath, sister! You know it’s true. I’ve kept the ghost of Berlin to just a few details, haven’t I?”

That piqued my interest, but that was for after. “All right then. We know the plan. Crossing to the Academy campus might be difficult with the sniper, but I guess they’ll want to allow us entry, if they are confident of their powers. Expect traps and ambushes everywhere, since it seems we have overwhelming force on our side. This might be their last chance to replenish their forces before making a break for it, so they’ll go hard.”

Colonel Song agreed. “The surrounding terrain is unfavourable for escape, but we have stationed troops where we can. With orders to shoot on sight if necessary.” He looked serene, but his eyes were troubled. “We cannot let such dangerous ability users run unchecked. This is their last chance for salvation. And if we fail... they die, many or all of you will die, and the Republic of Korea will shake to its very foundations.”

“So, we don’t fail.” I promised, and my Astral body sprang into existence, Storming Moonlight in my hand. I quickly reached the room where Kang Da was transferring himself, and on seeing me, his eyes widened.

“If you’ve ditched my sister to come here, she’ll be really mad.” He said, noticing where I was looking. “Oh, don’t mind them. They’re... decent enough people.”

Three, Four and Five had resumed their original appearances, of strange hybrids of man and scorpion, large red and purple claws replacing one of each of their hands, while great tails taller than they were, tipped with a spear-like stinger, waved behind them. I simply shrugged. “Yeah, I’m well used to strange beings, don’t worry. Now, we should get going, as...”

Simultaneously, the military started their bombardment, clouds of smoke billowing around the Academy as the small artillery pieces discharged their ammunition. We were all handed goggles which would pierce through most of the visual interference, but I waved mine aside, knowing I could rely on my Eye. “Isn’t there likely some of those they recovered?” I asked, and the Colonel nodded.

“Yes, so don’t expect the smoke to be more than a distraction. Ideally, it’s to exhaust their user of wind.”

“I see.” I nodded. “All right then, let’s go.” We split into three teams, though we were mostly travelling together as we charged out of the army encampment down the valley towards the Academy. This really is built in an isolated place. It could function as a fortress... Behind us, my sis was controlling her Golden Sisters, and they were starting to fall behind, so that she could take the other route as planned. Several large UAV’s roared overhead, and they launched cannisters downwards, bursting above the school, the teargas, denser than air, falling over the campus like a white waterfall. “It seems a bit cruel, gassing the hostages. They’re weak and malnourished, this is going to hit them hard...”

“It can’t be helped...” Choi Ji-ho said coldly. “Unless you have a better way?”

One of the UAV’s exploded in mid-air, debris raining down, swallowed by the white sea, which then began to part, being sucked up into a ball, the density of gas diminishing. Not bad. Using such a strong wind here in the Material is something only Shaeula or I could do... The sound of gunfire started echoing up the valley at us, though it was sporadic and none of us were hit.

“Ready to split? We’re nearly at the gates.” Choi Ji-ho said, then repeated it in Korean. I was about to agree, when I suddenly yelled out for everyone to be careful over our connected wireless network, as we had been equipped with an earpiece and mic as well as the goggles by the army. Something’s definitely wrong here. I knew it. “Careful, I think this might be more of a trap than we believed!”

In the Boundary, we were staring at the School, which was surrounded by a shimmering defensive barrier. No, make that two barriers. The Territories were small, but the strength of the defences, as tested by a burst of sharp, rocky projectiles I hurled at them, was clearly not Rank 2.

Your Skill, Spatial Perception, has increased from Rank 2 to Rank 3. Your ability to understand, perceive and calculate positions and trajectories in space has expanded significantly, and you have a slightly easier time calculating trajectories and positions in multiple discreet spaces at once. Your overall calculation abilities have significantly improved, and this has slightly honed your combat abilities due to finer control over your own motions and that of any weapons you wield.

Damn, that’s helpful... The pain in my head diminished a little, and my thoughts that were slightly sluggish became clearer. I could hear multiple people talking over the earpiece at once, and picked out Shiro’s voice.

“This isn’t good, Aki. Tan says there’s a very ominous presence here, she can almost feel the Divine Favour. We need to finish this as quickly as we can.”

“Yeah. Should we change the plan and group together?” I asked, but Violet-noona denied me.

“No, we stick to the plan. So what, I’m not scared of anything. If we all group up and we get mind controlled, we’re done anyway. Just keep doing your job and watch my little brother, Akio-oppa! We’re not weak, we can handle this!”

Shit. She’s not wrong though. It’s why I wanted my sis and the others out of the barracks. Damn... no, we’ve prepared for worst case scenarios. We didn’t go in blind, not this time. “Alright. We press on. I’m going to go hard now. Shiro, be prepared to let Tan tag in, no need to be a hero.”

My Eye pierced the tides of smoke and gas, shooting down more blasts of light. It was then I noticed that blades of wind were being mixed into the fog, coming from a different source. Cursing, I used my own wind to offset them, jade energies clashing. Searching about, I spotted our sniper behind an open window on the top floor of one of the main campus buildings. My Eye peered at him, only to be shocked at the mess he was in. I’m amazed he’s still alive... The hand he was using to snipe us was charred bone held together by a few tattered rags of flesh, and his body was nearly devoid of blood, pale as a ghost. His Divine Favour was flickering, a series of shining strings running from his third eye chakra, trailing past his eyes and then down that arm, as though it could barely keep up with how it was being used. His spiritual body was running amok, a boiling, sinister aether and adherence coursing through him, forcibly enhancing him, in a dark mirror to Anesidora’s Blessings, but that wasn’t what worried me... It’s the same as back at the barracks...

Behind me in the Boundary, the barrier collapsed as a great dark blast from Kang Da was finally charged, slamming into it with a thunderous booming roar. As the barrier failed, dozens, no, hundreds of Dokkaebi were pouring out of the strangely distorted school in front of us, wings flapping, talking to each other rapidly with sibilant whispers and gleeful chittering. Behind me, Kang Da and the scorpions caught up with me, Kang Da pale and drained, struggling against the Territory, so I gave him a slight top-up of aether. He looked surprised but grateful, but wisely kept his mouth shut. Good job I had Shiro maximise my buffs on my Chakra Network. It gives me a huge amount more to work with...

“You know, I never heard of Dokkaebi with wings...” he said dryly, making the best of a bad situation. “So, can you slice all these ones up?” Bolts of aether were still incoming, now joined by arrows, thrown rocks and spears, but aping Shaeula I created a swirling wind wall, the emerald gusts protecting us for now.

“Probably, though that’s inefficient. They’re too spread out.” I mused. “Hey, do you know what they are saying?”

“It’s hard. It sounds Korean, but I only seem to be able to grasp a few sentences. Give me a minute.”

“All right. In that case...” I cast my eyes back on the pool of Foehn that was eating into the ground now that the barrier it was chewing on had broken. With Bezoar in mind, I let my earth energy surge, and the ground beneath it exploded, launching a myriad of blazing rocks into the sky. A flash of wind element, like a jade aurora, and suddenly these were soaring downwards towards the massing Dokkaebi, like a meteor shower.

“Impressive.” Kang Da’s mouth was open. “Just how many tricks can you pull?”

“As many as I need.” I watched the bombardment fall, rocks smashing wings, flesh and bone, Foehn scattering, quicky igniting multiple enemies, their screams somehow sounding like crazed laughter. “But I hope I don’t need too many more...”

In contrast to the fiery rain in the Boundary, in the Material I had just one target. The broken soldier, out of his mind and being controlled, was beyond help for now. I wasn’t even sure that my Ether Healing could save him, considering the wretched broken state of both his Material and Astral bodies, but I didn’t want to kill him if I could help it, but he was too dangerous to let run free. Drawing my focus away from the Dokkaebi for a moment I calculated, and a number of finger-thick beams of light pierced the air, and the man fell without a sound, bony hand falling free, severed at the wrist, his other arm and both legs rendered useless as I burned a hole in his other wrist and both ankles, the stone of the wall he was sheltering behind no bar to such a powerful laser-like beam.

With that done, all we had to worry about were the blades of wind and we could reach the safety of the school. The others seemed to realise that too, as they picked up the pace. I cast my gaze out towards the target I was aiming for, the girls’ dormitory, which oddly enough was where a good number of both boys and girls were holed up. Explosions suddenly rang out, and I heard a cry.

Jin-Ae, the halberd-girl, had been sent flying, the ground exploding underneath her, numerous shells and a collection of cleaning products wired together into a makeshift bomb. But the cruellest part was it was filled with ball-bearings, broken glass, springs and metal wire, which had caused far more damage. She staggered for a moment, hair burning, face scorched, breathing mask destroyed, before looking down to see one of her arms a mess, her body riddled with holes, blood seeping through her torn school uniform, which was visible under her wrecked body armour. She fell to her knees, vomit spraying from her bloodied lips, as her Guild stopped their advance, rushing to her side.

I get it, you want to save her, but damn idiots! My Eye shone, and things I would have picked out easily, such as similar traps, were a real struggle to spot due to whatever was messing with information gathering. I used a surge of earth energy, the ground around me for several hundred metres glowing red, my stock, even boosted by the Bezoar, greatly diminishing, and several more traps cooked off harmlessly. Racing forwards, I used wind to deflect gunfire, hurling balls of flame at the windows above, driving back the shooters. I leapt down beside the collapsed girl, pushing past the sobbing Yunbi and the shellshocked Hee-Young and Lee Jong-su. “Calm down, get back on defence! We’re sitting ducks out here. I can help her!” I went to take a look, reaching out to touch her, only to feel a brief glimmer of pain as Lee Jong-su had drawn his sword and cut at me, just enough for a warning. Clicking my tongue, I realised they didn’t speak my language, but this was still so very foolish.

“Somebody translate for me. Before I punch out Lee Jong-su and send him back to base.” I growled.

“What’s up?” Violet-noona said, breathless, as her party, supported by Shiro, had also come under fire. “I heard screams. Is everyone okay?”

“No. Jin-Ae is down bad, and if I don’t give her Healing soon she’ll die, I think. But her guy and her sisters...” I used the same terminology that Shaeula did for a harem. “...don’t trust me.”

“All right, gotcha.” she said, and rapid Korean started. Lee Jong-su looked stubborn, shaking his head, but at the weakening cries of the desperate and bleeding Jin-Ae, the matronly older woman Hee-Young managed some broken English. “You... help? Me... I... protect!” The temperature around us lowered, and ice started to form.

“Yes, I help.” I said, aether surging from me. I couldn’t understand her words, but as the pain diminished, Jin-Ae’s eyes cleared a little and she realised I was trying to help, not that her sobbing and agonised wails were easing, and her breathing was awful, as if her lung was punctured badly. “Shit, yeah, her lung is a mess, and I think she’s had several arteries and veins cut by the debris. This is delicate work at the best of times...” And now was not the best of times, as I was using my Split Thoughts to keep up in the Boundary.

Lee Jong-su finally came around as he saw Jin-Ae’s flesh twitch, gruesome, distorted pieces of metallic debris popping out of her torn tissue as my aether extracted them. He said a word which was probably an apology, before with a rage-filled gaze he drew his sword and slashed, one wall ahead of us collapsing, a haggard solider behind it holding a rifle suddenly split in two. I swallowed my protestations that we were supposed to be saving the hostages and mind-controlled victims where possible, remembering my reactions in Kyoto. Damn, this is giving me flashbacks. I hate this. I wasn’t going to be able to get her back to fighting fitness, so... glancing at Hee-Young, who had created a thin but durable wall of ice in front of us, she seemed to understand my intentions. We’ll be two Chosen down on the operation, but better than the alternative... As more wicked shrapnel popped free, I had to work to staunch the bleeding, fixing her up enough so that she could survive to receive medical attention from the base, then I could get back to my mission.

“... bro, bro, something’s happening!” my sis cried suddenly over the remote connection. “There are alarms going off all over the base. We’re outside, like you wanted, but...”

“...set off the sprinklers. Where’s the fire?” The Colonel was saying. “Protect the equipment, if it gets drenched it’ll short out and we’ll lose operational command...”

Listening to my sister, the chatter from the base and also the Hunters, as well as working Healing here and dealing with the Dokkaebi in the Boundary, my head was a mess, but as my Foresight continued to ebb and flow, as if unsure of itself, one thing leapt out at me. The sprinklers? Oh... shit.

Urgently I spoke to my sis and the others. “Get ready. Summon the other Golden Warriors and hold out as best you can. Trust nobody but me and Shiro. I think... this was all one big mantrap, weeks, no, months in the making.” And whoever comes out of this trap alive will be stronger than ever, but those who don’t... Blood on my hands, the sobbing Jin-Ae beneath me, it was all too clear. This was a game of life and death. Damnit, I should definitely have charged more for my services... I thought bitterly. “Hang on, I’ve almost got you...” More explosions were heard, static spiking through my ears, and I tore the earpiece free as all it did now was squeal useless noise...