Devil's Hand (5)

‘Phantom……?’

The news that the criminal organization Phantom was carrying out terrorist activities. And right in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Seoul, not far from this café where Lee Sea was sitting. An auction hosted by Daemyeong Group, Jin Yu-ri's family. They had stormed in and were slaughtering people.

Her face, glued to her phone, turned pale in an instant, and her friends, who were with her, asked in confusion.

“What's wrong?”

Lee Sea rarely spoke much or showed expressions, but every occasional word she uttered was subtly hilarious, which made her popular among her friends. The vibe was like, ‘She'd be so pretty and cute if she just kept her mouth shut, but when she gets serious, it cracks everyone up.’ Plus, she seemed hard to approach at first, but once you got close, she had a surprisingly affectionate side. Having known her since elementary school and well aware of these traits, her friends couldn't help but be shocked by her reaction now.

Lee Sea making such a grave face... They'd never seen it except in matters related to ‘someone.’

A brief silence fell, and one friend cautiously asked.

“Uh... did you get a call from your brother?”

Lee Sea didn't answer and abruptly stood from her seat. No time for lengthy explanations—she hurriedly gathered her things and curtly told her friends.

“You guys head straight to the station as soon as you leave here.”

“Huh?”

Her friends looked startled and asked back, but Lee Sea had no need to elaborate. Blaring sirens rang out, and everyone in the café seemed to have received the same information.

Terrorist organization Phantom infiltrates Seoul. Less than 1 km from here, they'd already killed more than ten people.

People screamed in unison and fled the café. Lee Sea ran with her friends in the opposite direction from the auction hall, then instructed them again.

“See the evacuation guides over there? Just follow where they tell you to go, and you'll be fine.”

“What about you?”

“I'll go soon too. I'll call you later.”

Brushing them off like that, Lee Sea slipped away from the evacuating crowd and turned toward another direction. Her non-awakener friends worried but followed the guides and gradually moved farther away. Somewhat relieved, Lee Sea immediately called Lee Dojin.

‘……Why?’

It wasn't that he wasn't picking up—the phone was completely off. For ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠what reason? Was he spending time alone with his girlfriend and didn't want interruptions? Was this one of those moments where he couldn't take calls from his sister or anyone else?

She sincerely hoped that was the case. So he wouldn't have to come home tonight. So he was in a place oblivious to the terror, or even if he knew, it wouldn't affect him. Not in Seoul, but some other city, maybe on a short trip with his girlfriend. She desperately wished he wasn't in this bustling district today, where eyewitness accounts of him popped up nearly half the time.

Knowing he wouldn't answer, Lee Sea stubbornly kept calling. Still, only the mechanical voice came through the receiver. Scanning the evacuating crowd for any sign of her brother, she darted here and there.

And after some time...

Kuoooooo—

A cloud of red mana erased the auction hall's ceiling as if it had never existed, surging upward. In Lee Sea's mana-enhanced vision, she caught sight of two figures escaping from there. One was a person with an animal mask and a very slender build. The other was...

‘……Jin Yu-ri?’

Now that she thought about it, she remembered. They didn't follow each other on SNS, but with many mutual connections, she'd seen Jin Yu-ri's post. A photo with Han Tae-gang, her tension obvious. And the location where it was taken... was that very building hosting the auction.

But then.

Having seemingly completely neutralized Jin Yu-ri, Rabbit Mask hugged her with her right arm, held something in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her left, and twisted her body.

And...

Shuwaaaaaak—

Rabbit Mask shot off like an arrow. Extremely coincidentally, straight toward where Lee Sea was.

***

Peruuuuk!

Right after bursting Khalid's body with mana.

It was close to the best possible outcome I could achieve. The flashy operation had its effects. Objective questions. Depending on how you used them, they could be more useful than subjective ones.

[You got here quick?]

Seo Yeon-hee's voice transmitted via magic. Before I could reply, Han Tae-gang stepped forward.

“I'll capture you and make you pay for your crimes.”

He declared it stoically and shook his right hand.

Kwaang—!

A massive explosion followed, and one side of the walls surrounding the auction hall shattered. The aftermath didn't reach me or the Phantom members, and it probably wasn't meant to attack us anyway.

“Uwaaaak!”

Shiiiiiik—!

Civilians who couldn't escape were blown away by the blast. Thanks to the broken wall, they flew out of the building unscathed and landed safely.

“……Huh?”

People in the distance looked baffled. Seo Yeon-hee smiled as if she knew all about it. Twenty-some years ago, anyone with the ability had to master that technique. A method to forcibly eject civilians—who had virtually no mana resistance—out of the combat zone. Han Tae-gang was one of the most thorough practitioners of it. Even if it meant exposing himself to injury.

But when none of us or the members ambushed him, he seemed displeased instead, raising an eyebrow.

“You trash, acting so brazen.”

“--- --.”

Seo Yeon-hee's retort as she faced him off. It was some European language, unintelligible even to me, and as Han Tae-gang frowned, she switched to English this time.

“Must be because you're confident, right?”

“Don't just yap—do whatever you can.”

Han Tae-gang said with utter contempt. He wasn't underestimating or careless about us. He was simply convinced of his victory. He had every qualification for that confidence.

Soon, the battlefield split into three main fronts. Me and Seo Yeon-hee would handle Han Tae-gang. Yoo Hae-bin and Fox Mask would deal with the other hunters. The last one: Once Rabbit Mask secured the Devil's Hand and exited first, the other members would withdraw at an appropriate time. That was our plan, and I quietly told Rabbit Mask, who was heading toward where the Devil's Hand lay.

“Don't kill her.”

We'd decided during the cabin meeting to minimize killing as much as possible, but I still couldn't shake my unease. Right now, near the Devil's Hand, Jin Yu-ri—who possessed high-level mana and was thus excluded from Han Tae-gang's technique—remained. Killing her now would make it impossible to predict how Kill the Evil would unfold.

Rabbit Mask asked softly.

“Should I take her with me?”

She meant to neutralize her but ensure she didn't get caught in other fights and die. It wouldn't be hard for her to carry a kid along.

“I'd appreciate that.”

“……Be careful.”

Concerned for my safety as always, she kicked off the floor hard. Fox Mask and Yoo Hae-bin were already busily fighting the hunters, and the clash between Han Tae-gang and Seo Yeon-hee was about to begin. Han Tae-gang glanced at Rabbit Mask heading below, then clenched his fist.

Kuaaaang—

Mana that warped the air and everything it touched flew toward Rabbit Mask... and then.

Pishit—

It vanished suddenly. Seo Yeon-hee lightly swung her hand to block the attack and smiled brightly. Knowing Jin Yu-ri was in danger, Han Tae-gang still couldn't tear his attention from me and Seo Yeon-hee.

“Hmmm……”

He groaned heavily. Only now did he instinctively realize that the boss and second-in-command of the terrorist organization Phantom were no pushovers.

[I'll handle him, so just cover me.]

Seo Yeon-hee transmitted simply and stepped forward a few paces.

Shiiik, suwaaak!

With each step, red and blue mana illuminated the entire hall. Han Tae-gang moved.

Kwaang!

An overwhelming charge ignoring trivial variables. The mana Seo Yeon-hee sent out dissipated like smoke before reaching him, and his fist, loaded with ferocious mana, was about to strike her—

Teoreung!

I intercepted his attack instead, feeling a numbing pain in both hands as I staggered back a few steps.

[Manageable?]

I answered Seo Yeon-hee's question with a nod. More than manageable at this level.

Around then, the split Phantom members naturally regrouped. Peureung! Kwaaang! The hunters, now at a disadvantage, gradually retreated downward, approaching the Devil's Hand. Both Yoo Hae-bin and Fox Mask looked quite at ease.

And...

Rabbit Mask, sweeping aside attackers like fallen leaves, finally neared the Devil's Hand.

“Kyaa—!”

Jin Yu-ri, hampered by her restrictive clothes, drew a portable sword and swung it. Rabbit Mask merely flicked her index finger.

Seuguk— Chwaaak!

Jin Yu-ri's sword sliced apart like paper, and Rabbit Mask reached out again.

Peueok!

Jin Yu-ri flew back far. Rabbit Mask's hand followed. Tiiing, tuwoong!

“Eup, heu……”

Struck in the neck, Jin Yu-ri sent a shocked glance before collapsing powerlessly. The hunters had no spare capacity, busy with the Phantom members. Rabbit Mask hoisted the Devil's Hand and slung Jin Yu-ri over her shoulder.

A seemingly useless hand... but we had reason to retrieve it. We needed to clearly establish that the goal of this terror was the Devil's Hand. And ensure no one ever detected traces of Seo Yeon-hee on it.

Then Han Tae-gang shouted loudly.

“You're not leaving!”

He slammed his fist into the floor with full force.

Kuoooooo—

A pillar of mana erupted, forming a barrier in the air. In terms of power concentration, even an S-rank awakener couldn't break it quickly. Rabbit Mask, trying to escape upward, accelerated for a moment.

Peureok—

A fine crack appeared in the barrier... and a section shattered. Rabbit Mask slipped through the gap, and the rippling mana escaped too, completely incinerating the building's ceiling.

Kwaaaaaang—!

Those left in the hall: Me and the four Phantom members. Han Tae-gang and the A-rank hunters. Amid the engulfing flames, Seo Yeon-hee transmitted to me alone.

[You go follow Rabbit too.]

“……?”

[You two were backups anyway. If you're both gone, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠we'll pull back too, so don't worry. Got it?]

I nodded slightly and, like Rabbit Mask, kicked off to exit the hall. Even if Han Tae-gang was strong, Seo Yeon-hee could withdraw if she wanted. Fox Mask and Yoo Hae-bin could handle it too.

And I... honestly felt relieved.

The end of Kill the Evil Volume 1 was right around the corner. Back in the hall, the progress kept rising. So, Jin Yu-ri must be the protagonist of the sequel. I wanted to believe no other possibilities existed.

I spotted Rabbit Mask flying far ahead. Jin Yu-ri clutched in her right arm, Devil's Hand gripped in her left. She descended to a less populated area below. A rational choice. The sky was too conspicuous, and landing would better shake pursuit.

But the very next moment.

I couldn't help but widen my eyes and stare into the distance.

A question slipped out involuntarily.

……Why?

Why there?

Lee Sea, my sister, was where Rabbit Mask was heading.

Kwaaaaaang!

I kicked off the air with all my strength. I had to catch up to Rabbit Mask.

No. Don't go there.

Volume 1... it's about to end.

The iron rule of genre novels: In the finale, build anticipation.

And...

The one to build that anticipation is... usually the novel's protagonist.

Even running at full speed, I was one step late. Rabbit Mask landed.

Just ten meters ahead, my sister, Lee Sea, stood dazed.

“……”

Lee Sea stared at Rabbit Mask.

She saw Jin Yu-ri, saw the Devil's Hand.

And then.

Our eyes met.

Me, who had chased after Rabbit Mask.