Kang Cheonhu's Intrusion
"What the hell are you doing?! Get out of here, now!"
"I can't do that! I have a mission to capture Serin's heroic exploits!"
The man reeking of cheap booze ignored Jinseok's shouts to flee and kept filming away. On the smartphone screen he clutched so desperately, Serin's ass was zoomed in tight, filling the frame completely. Seeing her cute little butt captured like that in such vivid detail made Jinseok's blood boil.
"You pervert! You're the one getting in Serin's way!"
"H-Heroes can't use violence on civilians! D-Doing that makes you disqualified! Disqualified! Everyone, this guy's a villain! A villain's harassing me!"
As soon as Jinseok told him to knock it off, the man threw a hysterical fit, resisting with all his might. Time wasted on this sleazy creep was time stolen from helping others—Jinseok found it utterly infuriating. In the end, he decided to leave the pervert to his own devices and rush off to aid someone else.
"Haa... haa..."
"Hang in there just a bit longer, Serin."
Serin and Ye-eun were pouring everything they had into a massive barrier, holding back the monster horde from reaching the beach. But both were visibly straining, faces pale with exhaustion. Maintaining such a wide-scale shield drained their energy reserves at an alarming rate.
(Damn it! Serin and Ye-eun noona are struggling too. I need to hurry and help noona!)
"Haa... haa..."
Miyeon, meanwhile, was locked in a grueling solo battle against an endless swarm of monsters. Even for an S-rank hero, fending off that many foes alone was no small feat. Jinseok watched her carve through them with desperate swings, his heart aching.
(If only the evacuation would finish soon, we could turn this around...!)
To make matters worse, civilians clustered nearby forced Miyeon to pull her punches, dialing back her power to avoid collateral damage. When an S-rank hero went all out, the shockwaves alone could level everything around them—including innocents.
(Goddamn it! If only I were stronger!)
Jinseok cursed his own weakness. As a mere B-rank hero, all he had was enhanced physical strength. He couldn't dive into monster packs like Miyeon, erect city-sized barriers like Serin, or heal the wounded like Ye-eun. In truth, guiding civilians to safety with his limited power was the most he could contribute.
Whiiiiiirrrrr!
Just as Team Valkyrie struggled against the sudden monster assault, shielding civilians every step of the way, a deafening roar split the sky like thunder. A massive plane tore through the clouds, its silhouette unmistakable.
Jinseok recognized it instantly from a previous mission.
"That's Team Tempest's private jet...! Kang Cheonhu...!"
It was Team Tempest's signature supersonic bomber, later revealed to have been bought from a foreign military surplus and customized at astronomical cost. Kang Cheonhu had acquired it to deploy anywhere at blistering speed. Even for an S-rank, it was extravagant beyond reason.
Of course, the arrival of that marked beast meant one thing: Kang Cheonhu was here to unleash hell.
Flash!
BOOM!
Thunder crackled from the bomber as a bolt of lightning streaked toward the ground. It was Kang Cheonhu, leaping from the plane and plummeting like a meteor.
BOOM!
He hit the beach in a cataclysmic explosion, arcs of ferocious electricity radiating outward. Spiky blond hair amid the crackling storm—his trademark entrance.
"Hahaha! I'm here, you bastards...!"
BOOM!
Kang Cheonhu bellowed with laughter, unleashing blasts of lightning in every direction. The vortex of electricity erupting from him incinerated every monster it touched to ash in an instant.
"Aaaah! It's Kang Cheonhu!"
"We'll get caught in it!"
"Run!"
The crowd scattered in blind panic at the sight of him. His infamy overshadowed even the monsters; people feared him more. Wherever he appeared, devastation followed. He was a walking catastrophe, and the sheer terror of his presence gripped everyone.
"Order! Keep order, everyone! It's dangerous!"
Jinseok desperately herded the terrified mob, now trampling one another in chaos. He shouted directions, rerouted stampedes, hauled up the fallen—his superhuman strength pushed to its limits, like holding back an avalanche.
"Heh heh heh! I'll smash you all to pieces!"
Kang Cheonhu summoned a whirlwind, riding it into the air as he raised both arms high. Lightning from his body coalesced above him into a massive thunder orb, swelling rapidly.
"These pathetic monsters... I'll wipe them out in one shot...!"
"No, stop! If that thing detonates...! The whole beach will be obliterated! Are you insane?!"
Jinseok gaped in horror as the orb ballooned to dozens of meters across. Its raw power screamed apocalypse for the entire shoreline. Cold sweat beaded on his brow; primal dread prickled his skin.
"Serin! Reinforce the barrier!"
"Got it! Ye-eun unni! B-But..."
Serin and Ye-eun spotted the gathering attack and poured their energy into the shield, thickening it to its max. But Serin doubted it would hold against Kang Cheonhu's full might.
"Can we even block something like that...?"
"I... I don't know. But we have no choice. We try."
Both S-rank heroes, yet so was he. A barrier stretched to cover the beach might not withstand the orb he'd charged to the brink.
"No! Stop!"
Miyeon rocketed into the air, positioning herself between Kang Cheonhu and his target. With so many lives at stake, she couldn't stand idle.
(I won't let him cause another Behemoth-level massacre right in front of me.)
She'd witnessed his destructive rampages before. No way she'd watch it happen again.
"Heh heh. What's this? Miyeon? What's up, all of a sudden?"
"Stop it! You trying to hurt all these people again?!"
Miyeon pleaded desperately, but Kang Cheonhu smirked arrogantly, mocking her fervor.
"If you don't like me cleaning house, do it yourself first. You dragged this out, and now look. Serin and Ye-eun just huddling behind a barrier—how long did you think that'd last?"
"We were evacuating people!"
"Heh. People. Waiting for every last idiot to flee? You know what happens if you dawdle."
"What?!"
Kang Cheonhu glanced at the still-open Gate. Miyeon sensed it too—a colossal presence stirring within. Despite the horde already spilled out, the Gate lingered, heralding something bigger. Its size screamed kaiju-class.
"At least one more Behemoth-tier beast incoming. Coastal area, so maybe a Kraken? You really think your half-assed methods can protect everyone? Heh heh heh."
He sneered at her, dripping contempt.