TTOA Chapter 96

#96

How on earth did he breach the security perimeter and enter the Special Residential District?

What was the identity of the terrifying explosion that had carved away the terrain?

How did Kwon Jae-jin survive that incredible blast and vanish like a ghost?

And the Guiding…

What was the truth behind the S-rank Guiding, so remarkable it was hard to believe even after repeatedly recalling it?

Kwon Jae-jin was a living enigma, a bundle of unanswered questions, but even that would end now.

Today, right here, all the answers would be revealed.

“Lieutenant Colonel Jang, were you aware?”

At the forefront of the encirclement, Major Ma Tae-o addressed Lieutenant Colonel Jang Tae-san, who stood tall and unyielding like an ancient tree with his arms crossed.

“The authorization to view the detailed topographical information has finally come through. This mansion is Seo Eui-woo’s residence.”

“……”

“Is Captain Seo Eui-woo involved in this incident? If you knowingly granted him a long-term leave, that constitutes abetting.”

“No, if I had known, I wouldn’t have approved it. It was Captain Seo’s unilateral action.”

There was no certainty. Only suspicion.

If, in the worst-case scenario, Captain Seo Eui-woo was a criminal who had absconded with an S-rank Mutant Guide, then Captain Seo would also be punished if the Mutant was captured.

That’s why he had ordered them to bring back the corpse.

Because the memories of the dead cannot be read.

It would have been a blessing in disguise. Captain Seo would have been recognized for his contributions and promoted, while the corpse of the S-rank Mutant Guide would have been dissected and used for research.

Lieutenant Colonel Jang Tae-san wouldn’t have lost his direct subordinate, and the crime committed by Captain Seo would have become a secret buried in darkness, unknown to anyone.

Unfortunately, the result was insubordination and exposure, as they now saw.

It was the moment Lieutenant Colonel Jang’s ominous premonition came true.

He had hoped it was unfounded, but it wasn’t.

“Major Ma.”

“Yes, Lieutenant Colonel.”

“Back then… what were you trying to say?”

“When you say, ‘back then’…”

“Then.”

“You’re asking about that at a time like this?”

“Yes. I have a feeling I won’t get an answer unless I ask now.”

“……”

Major Ma Tae-o swallowed a heavy breath. His dark eyes reflected a light of understanding.

It was already upon them anyway.

If they captured the S-rank Mutant Guide, the truth would soon be revealed.

Major Ma voiced the doubts and temptations he had held in his heart all along. It was an experience only he had, as the only one who had come into contact with Kwon Jae-jin.

“Actually, after receiving Guiding from him, my ability has improved dramatically.”

“Improvement in your ability?”

“……I know it sounds absurd, but it is presumed that S-rank Guides not only resolve the imbalance of Espers but also directly affect their abilities.”

“I see… If what you say is true, many things will change. Even so, confirming the facts is not our responsibility.”

“……”

“Is Major Ma still planning to fulfill his personal desires? Do you desire Guiding that much?”

“……”

“Hmm, is that so…? Captain Seo, Major Ma, you’ve both lost your minds.”

“……”

Major Ma’s lips clamped shut as if a lock had been placed on them. Just as he was about to answer, the communication system sounded. Major Ma adjusted his goggles and received the transmission.

“Lieutenant Kim, did you find him?”

-We found him. There’s a life signature inside the building. This is definitely the place.

“Good. What’s the location?”

-Second-floor bedroom. The target is right ther… Kghaaack! Aaaargh!

“Lieutenant Kim, respond. Lieutenant Kim?”

-Ahrghaaaack! Huk, erh!

Click.

The communication was cut off with a deathly scream.

Whether the same thing was happening simultaneously in various locations, the rear support personnel, who had lost contact with the assault team members, raised their heads with tense expressions. There were no surviving communications. Everything was cut off, and no one could grasp the internal situation.

“What’s happening inside… Order a second assault immediately.”

With a stiff expression, Major Ma hastily assessed the situation and manipulated his goggles.

“Yes, Major. Second unit, assault! Move in formation! Forward!”

The Special Task Force members narrowed the encirclement with perfect coordination and advanced. Their movements approaching the mansion were swift and precise.

But at that moment, an anomaly occurred.

“Ugh, huck!”

“Keueuk!”

“Ugh…!”

A terrifying force exploded from inside the mansion. The powerful ability that erupted endlessly overwhelmed everything. Even the flow of time seemed to have stopped.

The clear sky turned pitch black, and even the waves became calm, as if not wanting to offend the divine will.

Literally, the world was being crushed.

It was like a beast preparing to leap. If this absolute ability were to suddenly rampage, an earthquake would occur, destroying the terrain, and a tsunami would engulf everything on the ground.

All the Special Task Force members present froze like logs of wood. They couldn’t even breathe without permission.

Everyone saw their own death.

Everyone wore the same expression. Their wide eyes looked as if the blood vessels would burst, and their complexions were pale blue, as if they would soon foam at the mouth. Their limbs trembled uncontrollably before they collapsed.

Above the humans who had fallen to their knees powerlessly on the ground, black figures flew around like birds.

They were the armed Special Task Force members who had previously entered the mansion.

The Espers were ejected from the mansion with such unbelievable ease and futility.

And finally, from inside the wall of the mansion, which had been destroyed by explosives, a monster ominously emerged.

It was definitely not a human presence.

It was an omnipotent, transcendent being.

It was like facing an immutable providence, like life and death, day and night.

Breaking through the silent stillness, he slowly rose into the sky.

He looked down at the helpless Espers like a high being gazing upon insignificant creatures. The Special Task Force members, terrified, shocked, and in a state of panic, groaned whenever they made eye contact with him. Each of them was an elite special forces combatant who had undergone rigorous training from birth, yet that was the extent of their reaction.

In fact, even while looking at his face head-on, they couldn’t recognize the identity of that divine being at a glance. The overwhelming power of his ability paralyzed their reason, making it impossible to properly distinguish his features.

A youthful and white face, frozen coldly.

The owner of fair and beautiful features with pale coloring.

It was a familiar face.

Seo Eui-woo.

Captain Seo Eui-woo.

Belonging to the 1st Special Task Force. The one who had disappeared after submitting a long-term leave request. The first S-rank Esper.

It was unbelievable. It couldn’t be believed. That he was Seo Eui-woo. No matter how much of an S-rank Esper he was, it was absurd that Captain Seo possessed such power. It couldn’t be. Impossible.

The members of the 1st Special Task Force, who had been on missions with Seo Eui-woo until now, as well as the search unit members who had cooperated with him for a short time, were all astonished. Seo Eui-woo was a multiple ability user befitting the reputation of an S-rank, and he was slightly better than an A-rank Awakened, but that was about it.

He was definitely not a monster with such overwhelming power.

……Could it be.

Only then did they notice that there was one more person beside him.

A person flying in the sky with Seo Eui-woo’s ability, surrounded by a sturdy shield.

It was Kwon Jae-jin, the S-rank Mutant Guide they had been searching for so desperately.

The reason why the Mutant was able to cross the security perimeter and enter the Special Residential District. The reason why there had been such a powerful explosion that it had carved away the terrain. The reason why Kwon Jae-jin had survived that cataclysmic explosion and was able to vanish.

The scattered footprints were connected and led to a single point.

When Seo Eui-woo and Kwon Jae-jin appeared together in one place, their existence overlapped and a spear piercing through the core was thrust into them.

An S-rank Esper and an S-rank Mutant Guide.

Those two were, that kind of thing.

From the very beginning, like that…….

Major Ma fell into a dumbfounded shock and looked up at Kwon Jae-jin. The Special Task Force members were kneeling on the ground, pressed flat and unable to breathe properly, but he couldn’t take his eyes off him.

Seo Eui-woo, noticing that Ma Tae-o was looking at Kwon Jae-jin, smiled bitterly. A fierce resentment beyond murderous intent soared. Accordingly, Seo Eui-woo’s ability changed shape like sharp awls and plunged down.

It was as if a lightning strike had fallen on the front line of the encirclement.

“Ugh!”

“Keueuk!”

The Special Task Force members in the front were thrown backward like fallen leaves. Major Ma hurriedly drew up his Defense-type ability and created a new shield inside the protective barrier, and Lieutenant Colonel Jang Tae-san also strengthened his body with his Enhancement-type ability.

The groans of the agonizing Awakened reached the sky.

Kwon Jae-jin, hearing the screams, frowned. Even though it was the Awakened who were being oppressed, Kwon Jae-jin was also struggling. Or rather, he was troubled.

Kwon Jae-jin, taking a series of heavy breaths, stared at Seo Eui-woo, who was unleashing his ferocious power unreservedly beside him, with trembling eyes. His face looked pitch black. It was bleak.

Jae-jin’s jaw hardened. His lips were parched.

Kwon Jae-jin silently reached out his arm. He extended his hand and touched Seo Eui-woo’s elbow. His fingertips tingled. To put it figuratively, it was as if he had come into contact not with Seo Eui-woo, but with a scorching, exploding sun.

“……Are you going to kill them all?”

He didn’t know if Seo Eui-woo could even hear him if he spoke now.

“Seo Eui-woo, we decided not to kill anyone. I clearly said that’s not allowed.”