Both sides are questioning Vanta's true loyalty. Chaos ensues.
Amongst the mist-like fog, the settlement team were restrained by an unknown force that was making them heavy and unable to move. Even Zeke and Jihyo's supernatural strength couldn't supress the force completely, and worse off, Koul'ins started to appear and surround them in an apparent ambush.
It was a dire situation, but an unlikely ally stepped forth to defend them--- the Koul'in soldier that they brought along the trip.
His name was Vanta.
April 27, 2023, 6:21 am, Dalgubeol-daero Avenue, Daegu, South Korea.
Vanta has beaten seven of the Koul'in captain's soldiers fairly quickly. He was effective in dealing with them---for he already knows their fighting techniques. He was once a part of the Koul'in army after all.
He has been defending the helpless team for a few minutes now, and its going to take a while.
"This place will be your grave, traitor!" A Koul'in soldier shouts as he thrusts his spear towards Vanta. The traitor dodges immediately and delivers a fierce roundhouse kick towards the attacking assailant, taking him out in the process.
Two more Koul'in soldiers jump on different sides, and Vanta responds to the attack by rotating his spear, slashing off the assailants as they fall down with a soft thud.
A Koul'in then sneaks behind and attempts to attack the immobilized Hyungwon, but Vanta catches him as he stabs the enemy with his spear.
"Dirty tricks won't work on me." Vanta said as he flings the enemy towards the other soldiers. Vanta then looks at Hyungwon.
For a moment, Hyungwon and Vanta exchanged glares, before Vanta steps out and readies his spear again.
The remaining soldiers---eleven in total, back away to their Koul'in captain in fear.
"What the hell?! How could you all lose to one soldier?! Surely, he can't be that tough!" The Koul'in captain shouted.
"H...his techniques... are different than ours! His fighting style isn't Koul'in like...!" A soldier exclaimed.
"It's true. My fighting techniques are different than yours." Vanta explained. "I've studied human martial arts for years now before I entered the army, and I mixed them up together with our own fighting styles. Learnt some techniques that gave me the advantage when it comes to crowd controlling. I really haven't used it in combat since I never killed anyone when I got here... But now I get the chance to do it. And apparently, it works against you all."
"He... studied human martial arts and mixed it with ours...?" Zeke said to himself. "He must really want it here... To be that dedicated..."
"How dare you make such rash conclusions." The Koul'in captain said. "Your strength and techniques are impressive, yes. But the least you can do is hold us back."
"That's the plan." Vanta remarked as he waves his spear and attacks as the Koul'in soldiers surround him and does the same.
While Vanta was holding back the Koul'ins, the rest of the settlement team still struggled to move.
Hyungwon's mind raced as he watched Vanta defend them with skill and strength. He saw his eyes when they glared at each other, and he knew that Vanta couldn't really hold off his kind for long, and that he was just buying Hyungwon time so he and the rest of the team could figure something out.
This moment, this particular point in time, was an opportunity for the both of them.
For Vanta, it was an opportunity to prove that he was a genuine ally.
For Hyungwon, it was an opportunity to find a way to rid of this mysterious force and move again.
"It's not magnetism that's working here, but I can't say it's gravity too, because somehow, these Koul'ins are able to move..." Hyungwon thought. "You can't just have selected gravity in an area. This must be a special ability catered to stopping us, but what exactly is it...?"
Hyungwon looks around. He notices two very important things.
One, the armored truck they have wasn't as damaged as the other cars in the vicinity. At best, it only had dents on it. Hyungwon also notices that Sana was moving freely inside without getting affected by the pressure.
Second, while everyone was completely immobilized, only Zeke and Ryujin were able to move a bit.
"This is a really strange phenomenon... Lets see if I can get us out of here. There's nothing you can't solve with a little scientific method..."
"Ryujin-ssi?" Hyungwon called. Ryujin, who was trying to sit up, looks at him.
"Yes, Hyungwon?" Ryujin said in a struggling tone.
"Can you move your whole body completely or not?" He asked.
"Well, I am able to move my whole body... Except my head, legs, and wrists. Weird, right...?" Ryujin replied.
"Yes, indeed..." Hyungwon said.
"Head, legs, and wrists... Those are the only parts of Ryujin-ssi's body that isn't covered in Koul'in made armor... In correlation to our truck... The dents on it are also the parts where there isn't any Koul'in metal on it... Okay. Noted that. Now..."
Hyungwon looks at Zeke, who was trying to move. He was flaming, the snow around him completely melted as it now burns through the asphalt below. He was able to move, but he couldn't stand up or move his arms and legs properly without struggling.
"Zeke-nim!" Hyungwon called. "Can you hand me one of your rocket seals and intensify the flames in it? I need to test something... This may help us pry loose...!" He said as he opens up his palm on the ground, struggling as he did.
"Oh... Okay! Make it quick though...!" Zeke said as he reaches out his hand and summons a rocket seal on Hyungwon's palm.
The flames it releases intensify, burning off the snow around Hyungwon but leaves his hand unharmed. Soon, he can slowly move his whole hand.
"Hmm..." Hyungwon thought. "This mysterious pressure... It does not affect Koul'ins, neither their steel and technology. That explains why Ryujin-ssi is capable of moving a bit because a majority of her body is covered with Koul'in technology, protecting her from this pressure..."
Hyungwon then looks at the rocket seal Zeke summoned for him. He wiggles his hand, and although it was still heavy, he was now able to move it a bit.
"Zeke-nim, on the other hand, is able to move a little due to his flames and rocket seals... His abilities might weaken the effects of the mysterious pressure around us. If I put it that way..."
"Zeke-nim, I've deducted that this force that's restraining us is some sort of magnetism..."
"Wait, magnetism? But it also restrains us ourselves!"
"Yeah, that's what I was wondering at first, too. But then I thought, this magnetism is probably not only limited to just metals, but living things. In short... this mysterious pressure that is afflicting us can be a mix of both regular magnetism and biomagnetism."
"Biomagnetism? I've heard that term before in high school science class... It's a lesser known science that says that every living being has their own magnetic fields. But... Up to now, scientists seem to have no concrete evidence that it actually exists or it has any effect on us. Could it be possible...?"
"Yes. It's most likely the only plausible explaination. It has to be."
"But if that's the case, why aren't the Koul'in affected by it?" Zeke asked.
"Not sure. This phenomena is strange enough on it's own... But not to worry. I'm quite sure this is indeed a form of magnetism, and I have the solution. Zeke-nim, can you raise the temperature of the ground below us? If you can, then it's most welcome."
"Would that really help us in our predicament?"
"Extreme heat can nullify the magnetic properties of a magnet, so the same thing applies here. While I can't find the source of the magnetic pull, it's safe to assume it's on the ground, so igniting it may help. Not sure to what extent, but I hope it works out."