Chapter 91: A Calculated Stand

The secretaries’ faces drained of color once more. It was clear these people were ordinary civilians, far from being Awakened. Their desk-bound jobs had left them looking even frailer than the average person.

“Where is command?”

“Upstairs, they’re that way.”

Sa-yoon hurried up the stairs the secretary indicated. Even the staircase itself was partially collapsed. Given this state of affairs, they should have ordered an immediate evacuation.

He rushed, intending to demand an immediate evacuation, when an all too familiar figure appeared at the top of the stairs.

“…Han Do-hoon.”

“Come up carefully. It’s a bit chaotic up here.”

Even after navigating through the Rains without a flicker of fear, Sa-yoon’s heart pounded. He pressed a hand to his fiercely beating chest and followed Han Do-hoon upstairs.

As Han Do-hoon had said, the upper floor was a disaster. The ceiling of the conference room had been blown away, leaving it covered in debris as if something had exploded.

Amidst the wreckage, injured individuals, caught in the blast, bled as they received treatment. This seemed to be why the injured hadn’t been able to request an evacuation and had instead stalled for time.

“What happened?”

“When the Rain appeared, one of them fell directly onto the conference hall. We responded quickly, but our reaction was a little late.”

“…”

Han Do-hoon lightly lifted and tossed aside a piece of building debris that had fallen into the conference hall.

“We intended to gather the injured and retreat, but this fog makes it impossible for even the airships to move. With such poor visibility, we can’t risk attacking.”

Han Do-hoon alone would have no trouble confronting the Rain. He could likely push back the fog with his heat and fight them. However, the surroundings were the problem.

With such unstable visibility, he might accidentally attack his own comrades. He couldn’t unleash his full power in a place where the supreme commander and the high command were present.

As Sa-yoon surveyed the injured, he spotted a familiar face. It was one of the people lying on the floor, wrapped in blood-stained bandages.

“That person…”

“Unfortunately, the non-Esper personnel were positioned poorly.”

Han Do-hoon’s mother, whom Sa-yoon had seen in front of the conference room not long ago, lay unconscious. Even from a distance, her condition appeared critical.

Beside her, the supreme commander watched over her with a worried expression. She seemed to be in a state that required immediate transfer to the medical bay for treatment.

Sa-yoon nervously bit his fingernails. There were not only Espers here but also ordinary people and Guides. These were individuals who could suffer fatal injuries from a single falling piece of rock.

“Are there any alternatives?”

“We’ll either have to wait until the Rain gets closer, or until the fog settles.”

It was a truly inadequate solution. Ultimately, they were forced to wait until something happened outside.

—Boom!

At that moment, a massive sound echoed from within the silent fog. The ground beneath them shuddered. The half-collapsed building swayed as if it would topple at any moment.

The people tending to the injured shouted to those around them.

“We need to evacuate the injured immediately!”

“What about the request for support?”

“No response! It seems to be because of this strange fog!”

A squad member tending to the injured yelled irritably at another who was frantically tapping their communicator.

“How exactly did you set up the communication lines?!”

“What are you talking about? This is the information gathering team’s fault. There was no mention of a Rain of this magnitude. You should have moved with proper information from the start!”

“Is the communication being cut off by mere fog not a sign of your lack of preparation?”

“Both of you, stop it. This isn’t the time to argue about who’s at fault.”

Facing an opponent beyond human limits, a life-threatening situation they had never encountered before, everyone was in a state of panic. Only Han Do-hoon and Jin Sa-yoon remained calm amidst the terrified people.

“There’s truly no other way, is there?”

Jin Sa-yoon asked Han Do-hoon, who remained ominously silent.

“The fog, I mean. Are you unaffected by it, Sa-yoon?”

“The fog? Thanks to Chae-jun, I haven’t inhaled much of it.”

“My abilities aren’t moving as freely as they should, perhaps because of this fog.”

Han Do-hoon spoke, staring straight ahead. He was usually someone who always looked Sa-yoon in the eye when speaking. His changed demeanor was a consideration for Sa-yoon.

“How inconvenient is it?”

“I can only achieve about 30% of my usual output. More importantly, my accuracy is so diminished that it’s difficult to use my abilities in a crowded area.”

Sa-yoon belatedly noticed Han Do-hoon’s tightly clenched fist. Despite his composed appearance, he, too, was anxious.

Sa-yoon surveyed his surroundings. The Rain had drawn frighteningly close to the conference hall. Even those who couldn’t sense the Rain’s location, like Sa-yoon, could feel the alien pressure that enveloped the area.

Once again, the Rain struck the area around the conference hall with a heavy thud. This time, the vibration was so strong that people standing upright were knocked off their feet. People clung to the relatively intact walls, screaming. The injured tumbled about from the shock.

Sa-yoon quickly picked up a patient rolling on the floor. Blood from the patient’s head flowed down to their neck. The condition of the others was also worsening. The supreme commander, unable to even direct those around him, embraced his unconscious Guide.

‘He couldn’t be blamed for his irresponsibility. No Esper would be alright if their Guide, with whom they’d shared so much time, lost consciousness.’

“We have a big problem. The purification device seems to be destroyed. At this rate, the conference hall will soon be engulfed in the fog.”

“Team Leader. The air density is getting higher and higher. At this rate, even I’ll have trouble handling it.”

Chae-jun muttered beside him, his voice laced with fear. Sa-yoon handed the patient he was holding to Han Do-hoon.

“Chae-jun. How long can you hold out?”

“To cover everyone here, about an hour. But that’s the absolute maximum.”

“Alright.”

Sa-yoon called out to Kang Ah-jun. Ah-jun, who had been assisting others nearby, rushed over.

“Carefully move the injured first. Everyone else needs to board the airship too. We’ll be departing soon.”

“But…”

“The airship can’t move. With no visibility, it’s hard to navigate. Besides, if we leave here, we’ll immediately be affected by the fog.”

Sa-yoon pushed Han Do-hoon’s shoulder, countering his argument. Han Do-hoon’s eyes widened at the sudden contact.

“Go take care of your mother first. She looks very critical. Don’t worry about the air. Chae-jun can purify it as we move. As for direction…”

He glanced towards the airship. Kang Ah-jun and Kim Chae-jun were diligently moving people according to Sa-yoon’s instructions. People who had been trembling in a corner now rushed into the airship, clinging to a sliver of hope.

“Kang Ah-jun has replicated my ability right now, so he should be able to navigate even if visibility is blocked.”

Kang Ah-jun’s ability was replication. He possessed no unique ability of his own, but he could replicate others’ abilities and manifest them to his own rank. It was an incredibly useful ability, yet also the most ostracized.

All replicators were like that. People around Kang Ah-jun avoided and suspected him, fearing he might steal their abilities. Sa-yoon was the one who saw Kang Ah-jun as useful and brought him onto the team when he couldn’t fit in anywhere else.

Bringing Kang Ah-jun on this mission was specifically to prepare for such a situation. Should Sa-yoon be unable to move, Kang Ah-jun would have to take his place.

“Team Leader. We’re almost ready!”

Kang Ah-jun shouted, carefully moving Han Do-hoon’s mother, who appeared to be the most severely injured, into the airship last.

“Then now…”

Another explosion sounded. This time, it was truly close. Even through the fog, the colossal body of a Rain could be seen. It wasn’t just one. Several Rains, like towering buildings, surrounded the conference hall.

They were close enough that a mere outstretched hand could instantly crush the conference hall into a dried squid. Sa-yoon confirmed that everyone else had boarded. After Han Do-hoon was also inside, Sa-yoon stood outside the airship.

As he moved to close the airship, Han Do-hoon quickly grabbed the door.

“Sa-yoon, get in too.”

“Someone has to stay behind.”

If everyone traveled in the airship and was attacked, there would be no way to defend themselves. If they didn’t want to be annihilated by a single move from the Rain, someone had to remain below to ensure the airship’s safe passage.

Sa-yoon intended to stay here.

“No, you can’t. I’ll stay instead.”

Han Do-hoon frowned, his tightly pressed lips trembling. The look in his eyes, fixed on Sa-yoon, was sharp.

“Escaping isn’t the end. We also need to rescue the squad members trapped in the fog. Who will you leave that to? Besides, you said you can’t use your abilities properly.”

“It’s just as difficult for you to use your abilities if you’re trapped in the fog, Sa-yoon.”

“It’s not the same.”

Sa-yoon raised his right hand. On his gloved hand was a ring that constrained him. It was a device Han Do-hoon was also familiar with.

“I’ll last longer than anyone else.”

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