The Albatross let out a ferocious roar, unleashing a sonic attack on the falling forms of Ghost and Han Jae-hee.

SKREEEEEEE!

But Ghost and Jae-hee were already prepared.

Their aviation-grade, Gate-issue noise-canceling headsets easily withstood the eardrum-shattering blast.

“Modern science for the win!” Jae-hee cheered.

But just as he was about to land on the Albatross’s back, now just below them… the Albatross spread its wings wide.

The two upper wings from its earlier attack, plus two lower ones that had remained motionless until now—all four began to beat furiously.

A squall erupted, blasting Ghost and Jae-hee backward just as they reached the air directly above the creature’s spine.

“It’s creating turbulence?!” Ghost cursed, her voice tight with disbelief. “What the hell, is this a standard-issue monster?!”

Their trajectory had been a straight drop, but the sudden updraft warped their path, throwing them off course.

Shoved away from their target, Ghost and Jae-hee were now in a free fall toward the ocean.

“Well, looks like we’re screwed, Master.”

Watching the sea rush up to meet them, Jae-hee pinched his nose with one hand, preparing for the impact.

Ghost clicked her tongue and followed suit, pinching her own nose.

Just then, a figure appeared on the surface of the water below, sprinting across the waves.

“Huh?” Jae-hee grunted in confusion before recognizing the approaching figure.

It was Iljimae.

She’d been knocked into the sea and left behind, but with sheer grit, she had managed to catch up.

Propelled by the white ring of energy flaring behind her, she ran across the water like a martial arts master performing Water Running. She was so exhausted that she’d thrown off her mask and was panting like a dog, tongue lolling out.

Her eyes met Jae-hee’s.

“…!”

An idea flashed through his mind.

Jae-hee turned urgently to Ghost. “Master!”

As she looked back at him, puzzled, he held out his arms.

“Let me hold you!”

“…What?”

Her expression was a thundercloud of disbelief, but Jae-hee gestured frantically. “I have a way to get back up! Hurry!”

Ghost’s brow furrowed deeply, but she did as her student said.

In midair, they grabbed each other’s arms and pulled close. Jae-hee then scooped her up in a princess carry.

Her face a thunderous scowl, Ghost looked at him and growled, “What in the absolute—”

She never finished the sentence.

The next moment, Jae-hee spun his body in the air, aimed both feet straight down, and plummeted like a lightning bolt, directly toward Iljimae.

“Iljimae sis!” Jae-hee yelled, his face full of apology. “Brace yourseeelf!”

Startled, Iljimae quickly crossed her arms above her head in an X-shaped guard.

Jae-hee’s feet slammed squarely into the center of that X. Simultaneously, he activated his ability at full power, wrapping his body in wind to reduce the impact as much as possible.

CRACK!

“Gaaack…!”

Iljimae held, though she did spew a mix of tears and snot with a strangled groan.

Desperately blasting propulsion from her back, she absorbed the full force of Jae-hee’s aerial dive kick. The wide circle of white energy she unleashed vaporized the surrounding seawater, sending up a cloud of steam.

Then, with his feet still planted on Iljimae’s crossed arms, Jae-hee coiled his legs.

“Jump—”

He focused his strength into the tips of his toes and activated the hidden function in his boots.

“—Booster!”

FWOOM!

With Ghost still in his arms, Jae-hee shot upward like a rocket.

He had converted the entire downward force of their fall into reactive propulsion, compounding it with his boots’ jump booster function at maximum output.

“Gwaaargh!”

Unable to withstand this final blow, Iljimae sank beneath the waves with a gurgle.

“Sorry, Iljimae sis!”

He felt a pang of guilt for using a person as a launchpad, but the mission came first.

Jae-hee and Ghost soared back into the air.

Cradled in his arms, Ghost wore a look of utter disbelief. “Not bad improvisation.”

“I learned from the best!”

“I never taught you how to improvise with your smart mouth, you little shit.”

The Albatross had already descended much closer to the sea, low enough for Jae-hee’s single jump boost to close the distance.

The two landed on the wing of the passenger jet clutched in the monster’s talons. Ghost immediately pushed herself out of Jae-hee’s arms, sprinted along the wing, and charged the emergency exit.

“This is the FBP, open up!”

With a shout, her black sword flashed out and sliced through the locked door.

SCREEECH!

The thick steel door split cleanly in two, showering sparks.

“What does FBP stand for?!” Jae-hee asked.

Ghost answered by kicking the mangled door with all her might. “Fucking. Black. Parade!”

The door fell away with a clang, and Jae-hee quickly poked his head inside the opening.

“Ah!” His face brightened as he scanned the cabin. “They’re all still breathing! Though… none of them look conscious!”

The twenty or so passengers and crew members were all wearing life vests and oxygen masks that had deployed from the ceiling, slumped unconscious in their seats with their seat belts fastened.

Ghost followed him inside and nodded after a quick survey. “Looks like they passed out from the violent flight and lack of oxygen.”

“What now?”

“We stick to the plan. The water’s close. We just need to get everyone out and drop them in the sea—”

Just then.

Krrrrrumble…!

An ominous clap of thunder echoed in their ears, loud enough to be heard even through their noise-canceling headsets.

Ghost and Jae-hee exchanged a look and whipped their heads north.

“Dammit…”

They were nearly there—Gangneung. One of the three Hellholes deemed irrecoverable by the government, the place where potatoes rained year-round.

They hadn’t heard it through the headsets, but thunder and rain had been raging over the area for some time.

And the Albatross was flying straight into it. Into the heart of the potato-rain Hellhole, where humanity could no longer follow.

“No time!” Ghost said urgently. “Gangneung is too close. I’ll get the pilot from the cockpit. You start getting the passengers out—”

Suddenly sensing something, she snapped her head to the side.

Through the narrow cabin window, she saw something approaching at high speed.

VWOOOOOM!

A massive flying warship was bearing down on the Albatross, preparing to ram it.

Ghost’s voice was full of disbelief. “Chosen One, you crazy son of a bitch…”

Standing proudly on the prow of the charging warship with his arms crossed, Chosen One declared, his voice booming, “Since things have come to this, I shall stop it with my own body!”

“You crazy, role-playing bastard, cut it ouuut!”

“If there is but one reason to command a warship, it is surely—” Chosen One let out a booming laugh. “—for the romance of the ramming attack!”

Ghost spun toward Jae-hee and yelled, “Kid! Hold on tigh—!”

In that instant, moving at super-speed, Jae-hee had already grabbed Ghost, plopped her into a seat, and fastened her seat belt before buckling his own in the adjacent seat with a sharp click.

“…”

Their eyes met.

As Ghost narrowed her eyes into a glare, Jae-hee offered an awkward smile and gestured forward.

“Brace for impact.”

The words had barely left his lips when a tremendous shock wave ripped through the passenger jet.

KRA-KABOOM!

***

The flying warship summoned by Chosen One slammed into the Albatross’s side.

The monster’s speed and altitude had already dropped significantly. The side-on collision from the massive warship was more than it could handle.

Just before it could enter the potato-rain territory, the Albatross crashed into the sea off the coast of Gangneung, taking the passenger jet with it.

KRA-KOOOOM!

The colossal mass of the giant bird and the jet slammed into the water, sending up a monumental splash.

“Hmph!”

Chosen One dismissed his Domain Break and leaped down. A military-grade inflatable boat, waiting just below, caught him.

VROOOOM!

Along with the 666th Special Operations Unit’s transport aircraft hovering overhead, several boats sped skillfully toward the downed Albatross.

“Status of the jet?”

“It’s intact!”

Just before impact, the Albatross had wrapped its body around the jet, shielding it from the crash.

It had twisted to take the brunt of the impact on its back, and while the shock was immense, the force transferred to the jet in its grasp was minimal.

Like a mother bird protecting its egg, the Albatross had tried to save the passenger jet at the cost of its own body.

Chosen One, unable to comprehend the monster’s behavior, furrowed his brow.

Why?

But regardless of the Albatross’s protection, the jet was slowly sinking. The nose was already underwater, with only the tail section jutting above the surface.

The special forces soldiers who had rushed to the scene tried to find a way to safely breach the fuselage, but their unit was composed entirely of heavy hitters. They had no way to get inside without endangering the passengers.

“Didn’t you bring any cutting equipment?!”

“We had one on each chopper, sir, but all the choppers went down…!”

“Cut off the tail somehow and get inside—”

“I’m telling you, our abilities can’t just take off the tail! The whole plane will be blown to bits!”

As precious seconds ticked by, harsh shouts echoed across the water. Chosen One stroked his chin, a troubled look on his face.

The 666th Special Operations Unit, the military’s strongest special forces team. They could blow up the entire jet or manipulate the internal air pressure to make everyone inside explode, but they had zero skills when it came to safe extraction.

Chosen One’s abilities, including his Domain Break, were also skewed toward overwhelming and destructive firepower. He was of no help in a situation that required rescuing people.

They were second to none in monster extermination, but they were not a hostage rescue team. It was the equivalent of bringing a shotgun to pick a lock.

But when a robber was running away with the safe, what else could you use to stop them but a gun? Gate operations were always a series of such dilemmas.

There’s no time. How do we save the hostages?

Just then, someone leaped from the 666th’s transport aircraft hovering above and plunged into the sea.

SPLASH!

“Sergeant Hwa!”

“Sergeant! What do you think you’re—!”

As urgent shouts rang out from the aircraft, the person who had jumped began swimming vigorously toward them.

Chosen One turned to look.

The soldier swimming their way was a woman with a long scar across the bridge of her nose and piercing, sanpaku eyes.

It was Sergeant Mu-gung Hwa.

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