"Are You Okay?"

"Are you alright?"

Jin-cheol asked as he approached, and Peran pushed herself up to her feet using her knee, flashing a smile.

"It hurts. But it's bearable. No problems with moving."

A smile forced to reassure him despite the pain. But judging from how she dusted off her armor, nothing seemed seriously wrong.

"Sis!"

Morel, who had been warily eyeing the tank that had clanged to the ground over there, rushed to Peran's side now that it looked truly stopped.

Her face, smiling at Jin-cheol, slowly went blank.

"Sis! Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine, so back off."

"Waaah! You scared me, sis! I thought you'd been badly hurt!"

"You're annoying me, so stay away."

"Sis! You need to check your wounds! If they get infected, it'll be serious!"

"You're the biggest wound, so get lost."

Seeing her spout such nonsense meant she was definitely okay. Jin-cheol turned his gaze away.

Haeta was shaking her head, coming back to her senses, and Aiman was making a fuss just like Morel in front of her.

"Are you alright?"

When he approached and asked, both Aiman and Haeta looked awkward.

"Jin-cheol. Sorry about that. I should have lent a hand..."

"I'm sorry..."

Jin-cheol shook his head.

"It's fine. More importantly, what the hell was that just now?"

"Ah..."

The question was directed at Haeta. Jin-cheol had definitely heard it. A mad mutter about sacred bloodlines or whatever. It was Haeta's voice, but not her words.

"Well... I don't really know. Suddenly my chakra started surging, and I felt a powerful sorcery force... Then a strange voice followed."

"That thing on your head—you call it chakra?"

"Ah. Yes, that's right. It's the lifeblood of a sorceress!"

Jin-cheol glanced at the circlet that had flashed like lightning from her forehead just moments ago. Chakra. Some ancient Sanskrit word or whatever—meaning it was still alive after thousands of years. And close to its original meaning. Ironic.

Pushing aside the brief thought, Jin-cheol squatted down in front of the girl with the sparkling chakra and continued questioning.

"Do you remember what you said earlier? Right when that metal hunk started moving, you started muttering something."

"Uh, something about killing the sacred blood and..."

Haeta's eyes narrowed slightly. Her expression soured.

"...Horrible scenes. People suffering in agony, someone grieving. Cruel rulers. Not clear words, but images stuck in my head. This is... a kind of sorcery. To command or persuade someone with a weak will..."

Jin-cheol's eyes turned fully to the spider tank, which was frozen, oozing some weird fluid.

"That hunk of metal can do sorcery like that? Old-timers were something else."

"Ah! No! The voice didn't start from there!"

"...Then?"

Haeta's eyes looked toward the far side of the underground plaza. There, a passage leading deeper underground gaped like a black maw, waiting for them.

"...From farther away, deeper down, a greater will. That yo-sul beast just reacted to it. Someone down in that deep darkness is... waiting for us."

Jin-cheol's eyes followed to that spot. Unlike Haeta, who was overwhelmed with fear of the unknown presence, his eyes were deep and calm. To him, who had witnessed atomic firestorms and leaped across eons, awe was the era itself. A whisperer in the dark was just part of it—nothing that could shake him.

"Yeah? Guess I'll have to take a look at that ugly mug then. Let's go."

Jin-cheol extended his hand. Haeta stared at him quietly, then took it and stood.

For some reason, her ears glowed red.

Jin-cheol, who had helped Haeta up, turned his gaze. He soon spotted Udim squatting next to Metidoti's corpse.

Was he about to chop off the legs even now? Approaching him, Jin-cheol muttered in slight surprise.

"...Still alive?"

Metidoti was staring up at the underground plaza's ceiling in front of Udim, coughing up blood with a wet hack.

The blood-soaked floor and his half-lax expression said his time was almost up.

"Khek... Damn, you... Olrog... don't eat my body... please... I hate that..."

The next instant, Metidoti's face went slack. Empty eyes with life fled. A pathetic death unfit for the dark boss whose name echoed in Siol's port alleys.

Looking down at that face, Jin-cheol tapped Udim's shoulder as he squatted beside him.

"Gonna eat it?"

"No."

"Cook it then?"

Udim shook his head.

"A bit wasteful, but I'll leave it. Upper part's too torn up from bullets anyway—too much hassle to butcher."

Saying that, he gently closed Metidoti's staring eyes. Then, looking up ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at the underground ceiling, he muttered.

"May you go to the god you believe in. Wherever that may be."

Standing up, he scanned the group that had gathered around.

"Why's everyone gawking? Not going? If we don't hurry, Parm might end up like this too."

"...We have to go."

This time, the group's eyes turned to Peran. Meeting their gazes, she shrugged once, then squinted and listened to her armor's creaks. Pointing to one of the passages connected to the plaza, she said.

"That way."

That was when the group started moving again.

Jin-cheol's sharp ears caught a sound from deep underground. A faulty muffler on a junker engine.

A chill ran down his spine, and he bellowed.

"Get down!"

At his shout, everyone reflexively dropped low, hands to the floor. The instant they did, a beam of light shot from the opposite wall of the underground plaza—not the passage they were heading to—grazing over their heads.

Light that painted the plaza wall yellow. The super-high-heat beam the spider tank had been firing earlier.

The wall it burst from glowed yellow too. Then something slimy oozed down that wall, wearing it like a cape as it boldly entered the plaza.

Jin-cheol laughed in disbelief.

"Fuck, another one?"

Clanging and clunking, it was the same spider tank Jin-cheol had already wrecked. But unlike the previous one with its main cannon intact, this one's entire upper half was blown off somewhere. Covered in red molten slag, mobility would be an issue now. Jin-cheol stood, thinking it'd be easier than the first.

Then Haeta spoke.

"Not just one..."

"Huh?"

She was right. Behind the tank wearing the melted wall, others rumbled in, exposing their forms jerkily. Each had some damaged part—legs, main cannon, armor plates—but they all shared glowing yellow nozzles next to their chittering mechanical eyes.

This is fucked.

Peran, staring blankly at the tanks' arrival, muttered.

"Ah, so that's why they sealed it off as dangerous. Collapse risk because of those things..."

Realizing that now—what the fuck. Jin-cheol eyed the swarming spider tanks—impossible to count exactly—and bellowed.

"Run for it first!"

He bolted back toward the passage they'd come from. The others frantically followed, and the tanks entering the plaza responded by firing their beams in pursuit.

Jin-cheol ducked low, seeing the beams light up the dark passage overhead, and yelled.

"Hey! Can't you do something about those fuckers with your sorcery?!"

The shout was at Haeta. Remembering the pirate sorceress who once controlled mechanical beasts.

Haeta, running desperately, made a tearful face.

"Impossible while running like this!"

"You could at least try, right?"

"Try, I could try..."

Jin-cheol closed in on her mid-stride and hoisted her onto his back. Haeta squawked like a crow in surprise.

"It's do or die! Do it now!"

"W-wait a sec...!"

After her startled cry, Haeta seemed to grasp the urgency and scrambled up his back and shoulders to steady herself. Meanwhile, yellow beams kept streaking by, painting the passage walls and ceiling yellow.

The group dodged the slimy-melting walls as they sprinted. Peran was at the front. Even while running, she half-closed her eyes in focus, then unhesitatingly chose a fork when it appeared.

Morel, following behind, yelled.

"Passage is narrow! Those things are huge—can only fight one or two at a time! Better to stand and fight—"

"They melt walls with those beams! Not about facing them—stopping means getting buried in molten slag! And the biggest problem is no way to block the beams themselves!"

"They seem to need a cooldown after firing, so if we dodge like before—"

"One rests, another fires! Quit yapping and watch ahead!"

Morel shut up at Aiman's rebuke. For some reason, Udim running beside him went quiet too. He tilted his head with a is that so? look.

Meanwhile, Haeta finished adjusting and rode piggyback-style on Jin-cheol's back. Her ears visibly flushed red as she wrapped her legs tight around his waist, straightened up, and formed hand seals with clasped hands.

Feeling her movements, Jin-cheol supported her butt and yelled.

"Going well?!"

"...Y-yes, so don't talk to me!"

Peran, leading, suddenly halted. Her boots screeched, kicking up dust. Pointing at stairs midway down the passage, she shouted.

"This way!"

The group skidded to a stop behind her and charged up the stairs after. Jin-cheol, at the rear, saw at the stair's bend a yellow beam pierce the wall and strike the lower stairs. The wall and lower steps melted gooey.

The stairs Jin-cheol needed to climb collapsed without support.

"Fuck!"

With a short kiai, he leaped. Effortlessly light, he landed on the upper stairs. Jin-cheol muttered awkwardly. Still not fully used to it sometimes.

Exiting the upward stairs led to another passage. Peran picked a direction and ran; the group followed. Moments later, spider tanks smashed through the stairs they'd just escaped, rumbling after.

The passage wasn't huge, so as Morel said, two tangled at the front, the rest fumbling behind. But those two were trouble. After the faulty muffler roar, beams shot out—striking the upper part of the narrow forward passage the group aimed for. Molten yellow slag cascaded, blocking the entrance.

Peran, undeterred, veered left into a small room crammed with ancient debris. Then narrow stairs, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠smaller rooms, a corridor with oddly high ceiling—to a fairly spacious chamber, not as big as the plaza but sizable. They arrived in one go.

Morel stopped, panting hard.

"S-sis... outta... breath... gonna... die... huff..."

The group paused briefly. No sound of the pursuing tanks since entering the room.

Peran, at the front eyeing the exit passages, turned to Jin-cheol.

"Yo-sul beasts' presence! Where's it coming from?"

Remembering his earlier warning shout, no doubt. Jin-cheol was listening too. Faulty muffler and crumbling walls. His eyes turned downward.

The spot his gaze hit glowed yellow; a beam pierced the floor upward, striking the ceiling. As the group retreated to a corner, a spider tank burst through the yellow floor.

Wearing thick flowing molten slag, it poked its head in. Absurdly, its armor and eye casings were melting and cracking in the flow. Yet the nozzle still blazed yellow-hot. As if it'd fire super-high-heat beams even as its body dissolved—relentless.

The beam targeted the cornered group.

That instant, Haeta—who'd been sealing on Jin-cheol's back—pointed her right hand at the spider tank and shouted.

"Stop!"

As if it were a ground command, the tank froze. The blazing beam nozzle dimmed.

Thanks to it stopping, the group caught their breath.

Then Udim muttered.

"...What about the others?"

As if hearing him, another spider tank smashed through the floor behind the halted one, poking its head in. Peran yelled urgently.

"That wall! Break it—escape right there!"

"Move!"

Haeta formed new seals, pointing at the wall. The halted tank raised a leg and smashed it. Crack—but no break. Haeta waved again; it raised its leg once more, but a new tank's charge tangled it, smashing into the opposite corner.

Dust filled the room instantly, blinding everyone. In the gray haze, the hijacked tank and others thrashed, shattering the world with noise. Blind-fired yellow beams hit the ceiling, crumbling parts down.

Jin-cheol dashed through the gray chaos. Vision blurry, but direction sense sharp. He gauged the distance to the cracked wall the tank had hit.

Problem: could his flesh shatter it?

No time for second thoughts. Faulty mufflers roared below—dozens by sound.

Couldn't punch. Too much upper body motion risked hurting back-riding Haeta. So Jin-cheol kicked off the floor, extending his leg forward. Full power sent him bullet-like.

Haeta yelped, clutching his neck tight.

Next instant—boom. Shattered stone sprayed forward. Jin-cheol landed mid-air kick-style, sliding to a stop. He stayed posed briefly. His foot that broke the wall was barefoot—shoe shredded.

Not bad. Rider kick, huh.

"...You okay?"

"Y-yes? Ah, yes!"

Haeta, eyes squeezed shut clinging to his neck, came to at his voice and looked up. Seeing his foot, she cried.

"Your foot! Are you okay?!"

"Not okay. Fucking hurts."

"What? Then—"

"Not to where I can't walk."

Saying that, Jin-cheol glanced back. Through the broken wall, Peran, Morel, Udim, and Aiman coughed out of the dust. Behind them, tanks still tangled with harsh metal and crumbling stone sounds.

"Keeping control?"

"No, changed orders a bit. Made them see fellow yo-sul beasts as enemies. Should hold a little longer. B-but your foot..."

"It's fine."

Jin-cheol turned. The space beyond the broken wall was a natural cave-like passage. At its end: a clean bulkhead.

"There! That's it!"

Spotting it, Peran bolted. The group followed to the bulkhead. Jin-cheol hopped awkwardly a bit, then ran on both feet. Haeta's eyes widened on his back.

"You're really okay...?"

"Told you I am."

Truth was, no. Soles, knees, hips all stung. But it was improving with each step. No torn ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ligaments or broken bones—decent for human flesh shattering a stone wall.

"...Fuck."

Was getting used to this body a blessing, or shit knowing it stemmed from some mad scientist's work?

In his brief musing, the group reached the bulkhead. Dead center: clearly a door. Beside it, a small panel protruded.

Peran placed her hand on it. Beep—and text appeared above the door.

Confusion crossed her face. She touched the panel again.

Aiman spoke.

"Aren't you an Antela warrior? Not from a noble bloodline?"

"My official status is warrior, yes..."

"From what I know, official warriors can enter the inner sanctum. Is this below that?"

"No. This is far from the inner sanctum. The underground prison is outer too... This shouldn't be..."

Aiman shook his head, looking at Jin-cheol—or rather Haeta on his back.

"Haeta. You'll have to use your power."

"Yes..."

Then—rumble. The wall they'd broken through collapsed again, spider tanks emerging. Urgency flashed on Peran's hitherto calm face. Aiman, Morel, Haeta too.

Haeta told Jin-cheol.

"P-put me down! Need to touch the door for sorcery..."

"No time."

"Huh?"

Jin-cheol walked straight up and placed his hand on the panel Peran had fiddled with.

Smooth hiss—the door slid open. Peran, Morel, Aiman, Haeta stared wide-eyed (Udim unmoved) at Jin-cheol.

Jin-cheol, gazing past their stares at tanks squeezing through the crumbled wall, said.

"Handle the urgent stuff first. Let's go."

He entered the open door. Haeta on his back followed. Then Aiman. Udim strode in casually. Peran with confused eyes, Morel thoughtful, watched their backs—then dashed in at the crumbling sounds behind.

Once all inside, the door closed naturally. The spider tanks ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that had smashed walls and floors after them froze with clanks.

Their mechanical eyes stared at the bulkhead like a boundary they couldn't cross—then turned away. The spider tanks slowly retreated the way they came. Cautious this time, breaking nothing.

*

"...What the fuck."

Jin-cheol stopped, glaring around. No other reason. Entering the open door was fine. The blackness beyond seemed just unlit. Peran's artifact light would reveal it.

He realized something odd after six or seven steps.

"Where'd everyone go?"

"I-I don't know."

The footsteps following from behind vanished. No Peran, Morel, Aiman, Udim. Just Jin-cheol and back-riding Haeta in the black space.

Frightened, she clung to his neck again, huddling. Jin-cheol slowly scanned the dark. Vision blocked, but other senses sharp as blades—all five minus sight heightened.

His body whipped around, right hand extending. White blade shing from his knuckles, aimed at someone.

Clang-clang—lights on, area bright. Revealing his blade and its target.

"...Who are you?"

Jin-cheol asked quietly, blade steady. She had bright blonde hair, blue eyes, near-nude bodysuit. A woman. Human.

But Jin-cheol didn't sense a person. No breath, no life force a living human should have. She seemed illusory.

She gazed at him with faint smile and spoke.