We're Going to Korea

Wirungxiang broke into a cold sweat as he stared up at the phantom thief standing in the sky.

What in the world is that bastard?

Standing on empty air was bad enough. Turning every gun into flowers in a single instant was worse. This was a being who had reached a realm Wirungxiang could not even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠imagine.

…Don't tell me he's an assassin sent from above.

Sweat poured off him in sheets.

"You—what the hell are you!"

He shouted it, fighting to hide the shake in his voice.

"Come now, didn't I introduce myself a moment ago? I am Phantom, the phantom thief."

"I've never heard of any nobody like you!"

"That you haven't heard of me can't be helped. I only began my activities a few days ago."

The thief carried on as if Wirungxiang's ignorance were the most natural thing in the world.

"Boo-hoo. I haven't even had a proper debut, so here I am, toiling away in total obscurity."

Somewhere in the middle of it, his mask had become a crying face.

Just some ordinary lunatic?

The thought surfaced, and Wirungxiang killed it at once. In this business there was an unwritten rule: superpower plus crazy meant you ran first and asked questions never.

I don't know what kind of power that is, but he's not someone I can handle.

He started thinking about escape.

I can't beat that.

How else had he climbed this high? He knew his place. He picked a fight when it was a fight, and when it wasn't, he didn't—and that was why both his legs were still attached.

Damn it! I can't die here!

Wirungxiang wanted to live. He looked around. Human shields were scattered everywhere, plenty of them to pin that thief down.

"Perfect timing, you rotten bastard!"

He spat whatever came to mind and triggered his power. Light gathered between his brows.

"Ooh! Boss Wirungxiang's superpower!"

"I've never even seen a superpower before!"

Wirungxiang's ability was a laser. All he could do was gather light at the point between his eyes and fire it, but the penetration and the destructive force were nothing to sneer at.

"Die!"

The laser punched a hole clean through the phantom thief's body. The body dropped out of the air.

"He's dead!"

"That's it! It's over!"

Cheers went up, but Wirungxiang was already cursing under his breath.

A guy who dodges bullets isn't going to fail to dodge an attack I fire right at his face!

His idiot subordinates made ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠him want to scream.

"You morons! There's a hole in him and not a drop of blood! You think that's real?!"

"I-is that right?"

"I dunno."

Rotten—!

Was there not a single working brain among them?!

"Boss! Something's wrong with that thing!"

"You weird bastard!"

Then the thief's body began to sink, and screams burst out all around.

"What the hell is that now!"

Wirungxiang hastily fired ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his laser at the phantom thief. The beam passed straight through him and only drilled a hole in the ground.

The body sank into the floor.

In the same instant, every light that had been shining on the phantom thief went out together. The harbor drowned in darkness.

Clap. Clap.

At the sound of applause ringing from every direction, everyone held their breath.

"Well observed, Mr. Wirungxiang. A laser superpower. Quite a powerful little thing you've got there."

Damn it! Who's calling my name!

The moment he heard it, a chill ran down Wirungxiang's back.

"Ladies and gentlemen of Unjinhoe. I'm sure you're all wondering why I've come."

The thief's voice sounded from everywhere at once.

No one could answer it.

"I had a party in mind. And I was sad, you see, because there was no one to enjoy it with me."

He giggled, high and bright.

"I was sad. So very sad. The sort of sadness where you're trying to get a little sleep and a mosquito whines in your ear until sunrise! So I made a decision."

Every one of them felt the next line coming.

"To throw the party with all of you! Well then—let the party begin!"

The harbor fell silent.

I have to run!

If he didn't run, he would die!

"Aaaagh!"

"Get off! Get off me!"

But it was already happening.

Shadows moved. A shadow bound the people who had been trying to flee from the outskirts.

"Scatter! Run every which way!"

The instant he saw it, Wirungxiang shouted.

"R-run!"

"Aaaaaagh!"

The people in the harbor screamed and bolted.

"Tag is fun, isn't it."

The thief's tone dropped. The darkness moved.

"S-save me!"

"D-don't come any closer!"

The dark seized people without picking and choosing.

One after another they collapsed, dyed black.

Those who ran, those who threw themselves into the sea, those who tried to reach a car—it made no difference. All of them were stained black, and blacker still.

"What a pity. A joyful party ought to be full of laughter."

The phantom thief was a disaster now.

Vroooom!

There was a ship trying to escape that disaster.

Everyone stared blankly as it eased away from the pier.

"You bastards! Running off by yourselves!"

"Get on! You live if you get on!"

Those who could still move tried to sprint for the ship.

Boom!

A single shadow surged up, clung to the hull, and exploded.

The holed ship was going down.

People on deck screamed and threw themselves into the sea. The shadow hauled them out one by one.

It was a lot like fishing. They were the bait.

They understood.

There was no escape.

"Now then, let's move on to the next act."

The phantom thief began the next piece of work.

"Hah… hah!"

Wirungxiang had barely clawed his way out of the harbor and was running for his life.

The effort was wasted. He was caught.

A rising shadow seized him by the ankle.

"Die, you monster!"

He fired his laser at the hand thrusting out of the shadow.

"Aaaaagh!!!"

The beam passed through the hand and bored straight through his own foot.

Dark red blood welled from Wirungxiang's foot. It ran and ran until it made a small pool.

"Oh. That must hurt."

The shadow giggled.

"Spare me! I'll do anything!"

"Anything, you say… Mr. Wirungxiang, one really shouldn't say such things lightly."

The shadow rose, slowly. What rose took the phantom thief's shape.

Phantom walked up to the man on the ground.

"If I told you to die, it's not as if you actually would, now is it?"

"Spare me! Please! Anything but that! If it's money, I'll give you as much as you want!"

Phantom made a dollar bill out of Wirungxiang's blood.

A banknote, dripping.

"Do you think I came all this way for petty cash like this?"

"Aaaaaagh!!!"

In a frenzy, Wirungxiang fired the laser again.

It did nothing to a phantom thief made of shadow.

"There is only one thing for you to do."

Blood and shadow gathered into one. The blood drew two crescents facing upward. The shadow drew a crescent facing down.

The shadow that had made a smiling mask leaned in until it was nearly touching Wirungxiang's face.

"Wh… what is it?"

He held his breath.

"You need only enjoy the party I've prepared."

The shadow's smile deepened. The blood spread thicker to either side, and the shadow shot upward in every direction.

Wirungxiang's face went white.

"No! Spare me!"

He sank into the dark. And when he opened his eyes, he was back at the harbor.

Every last member of Unjinhoe's Incheon branch was gathered there.

"Well! The audience has assembled to witness my magnificent show!"

Wirungxiang tried to say something. Shadow sealed his mouth.

"Now, now. Enough talk! All you have to do from here is watch."

"Mmmph! Mmph!"

Phantom glanced at the thrashing man, then flung a playing card toward the harbor drowned in darkness.

A blazing heart was drawn on the card.

Boom! Boom!

The warehouses burst in splendor. They burst and burst again, flames surging upward until they became fireworks.

Boom! Boom!

Wirungxiang stared at the fire shooting into the sky.

A fireworks festival was opening across the night.

Flames of every color turned the gloomy harbor into a lively festival.

"Come, come! We'll have to burn more of this trash and turn it into fireworks!"

The weapons, the drugs, the illegal goods unloaded from Unjinhoe's ships went off one after another.

All of it became fireworks in the sky.

"Watching a fire, and watching fireworks—both are such fun, don't you think?"

At the thief's words, some nodded. Some wept. Some sank into resignation.

"Dear me. It seems I'm the only one enjoying myself."

He looked disappointed, then snapped his fingers and released their bonds.

They were free, but they did not run. Terror already had them, and not even that much will was left.

"A party without a song simply won't do."

He snapped his fingers again, and music began to play. A gentle song.

"Now then, everyone—dance."

Beneath the fireworks, the phantom thief played with delight.

"Come, come. No need to be shy."

He danced under the firelight.

"Y… yeah."

"W… wow."

A few of them began to dance, and before long everyone was dancing.

A party broke out in the harbor.

A merry party.

"Miryu, look at this."

"Hm? What is it?"

Dan Miryu leaned in to see the smartphone his wife was holding out.

"There was an explosion over in Incheon?"

"Yes. The news just came up."

On the broadcast, the Chinese nationals were clinging to the officers, wailing and making a scene.

"You can tell at a glance…"

"This is Phantom's doing."

Dan Miryu gave a bitter smile.

"I didn't think he'd make it quite this flashy…"

He wondered whether he had egged the man on for nothing.

"Think the cleanup will be all right?"

"Well, we'll have to go and see. Should be fine, shouldn't it?"

The people they'd arrested were Unjinhoe. It would sort itself out somehow, wouldn't it?

"The problem might be us."

"Ah. You're right."

Mi Soryeong looked around. Everything around them was ruins, and the ground was covered with people who had collapsed, bleeding.

Dan Miryu and Mi Soryeong, just the two of them, had made this.

Helicopter rotors sounded from the sky. Ships were coming in from the sea.

"Let's get out of here. Fast."

"Yes!"

Bang!

"What did you just say?"

Cloud smashed the desk apart in his rage.

"The Incheon branch and the Busan branch in Korea have been annihilated."

The secretary turned on the television and showed him.

Korean news was running footage of Unjinhoe members marked with cloud tattoos.

"…And the ones on Jeju and the mainland?"

"All of them are safe for now. In the end, though, it's only a matter of time."

Cloud ground his teeth.

"Get out. Declare an emergency and get these people under control."

"Understood."

The moment the secretary was gone, Cloud exploded.

"The Dan clan! The Dan clan! It's you! It's you again!"

Decades ago, and now—were they going to get in his way again?!

Cloud snatched up the phone.

Cloud's eyes burned as he watched the news.

Unjinhoe and Mugangdan, of Negus.

Two of the alliance's core organizations had decided to head for Korea.