Jihyo and Seojun ventured on the other side of the barren grove as Zeke and Hangyeol took off to the building near the entrance of the park. Slowly, the grey skies started to turn darker and darker, so they have to make haste trying to find the survivors scattered in the area.
But it was a difficult scenario for the two. The Manifest's self-producing light can only illuminate a few feet around them, which means their movements and vision are limited. They have to remain vigilant and careful of anything that may come from the shadows beyond the Seraphim's reach---be it snowman or Scraper, as well as be on the alert for the survivors that just might be hiding nearby.
Fortunately, there aren't any threats around the place since they started walking. A good sign--- this would mean the rescue would be a lot faster--- but it seemed very unusual, considering Hangyeol warned them about the large amount of the creatures that were around the whole park.
"Strange.." Jihyo said. "None of those ugly snowmen or Scrapers around these parts... No survivors either.."
Immediately after she said that, she hears a few growls in the area, and one by one, snowmen started appearing in front of them.
"O...kay... maybe I shouldn't have mentioned that..." Jihyo facepalmed as she readied the Seraphim. The cane flaked away, and as it glowed, it turns into a katana.
"Hoho." Seojun chuckled. "Now, let's handle this. I'll be right behind."
Jihyo nods as she runs toward the creatures. Her hand glistened in prismatic light.
"Prismatic Burst!"
She unleashes a palm strike that bursts an incoming snowman's head off. She follows up with graceful slashes that take out the remaining snowmen. Soon enough, Jihyo was able to fend off the ambush.
"Great job, Jihyo," Seojun said.
"Thanks, Seojun-nim," Jihyo replied, wiping the sweat off her face. "But I'm kinda worried now. We haven't seen any survivors around. Is Hangyeol sure that they're here..?"
"That, I cannot provide an answer for," Seojun replied. "But we must keep going in hopes that it'll turn out well."
Jihyo nodded as they continued walking around what seems to be nothing but an endless path of barren trees and broken pavements, all shrouded in darkness.
Jihyo started feeling hopeless. She felt that they didn't make it and that they were a little too late in saving everyone. After all, they left Minhyuk's settlement fifteen minutes after he received the distress call. A lot of things might've happened in the park at that time.
Jihyo was overthinking, and she had to calm down to keep going. But the more she tried to ignore it, the more she felt hopeless.
For a moment, she was finally getting why Zeke felt the same thing earlier.
She suddenly stopped walking as she turns to Seojun.
"Seojun-nim.." She said, looking at him with an even more worried look on her face. "I have a question.."
"Yes, Jihyo? What is it?" Seojun replied.
"Don't you feel.. scared when you're presented with uncertain times like these?" Jihyo said as she gave a small sigh.
"What do you mean?" Seojun replied.
"I mean... This whole thing. It's uncertain. I'm not sure where the people truly are, if they survived, or what danger truly awaits us here." Jihyo said.
"Jihyo.." Seojun replied. "I've always prepared for the uncertain all my life, so I do not feel scared when it happens. I've always tried to see things positively, and it is no different in this one. I'm hoping that this mission will have a positive outcome."
"Well... I.. I'm just.." Jihyo hesitated.
"You can say it," Seojun replied.
Jihyo took a deep breath. "Earlier before we left, Zeke and I.. we talked about his fear about this mission. He was scared that we wouldn't be able to save the people here. I think I gave him a piece of pretty solid advice that made him feel better about all of these, but now that I'm here, I'm starting to feel what he felt. It's truly different when you're actually here, right, Seojun-nim..?"
Seojun just nodded as he continued listening to Jihyo.
"But I shouldn't feel this.." She said as she shook her head. "I know I shouldn't feel this way because I have your Manifest, which means I'm supposed to be stronger, both mind and body. I've trained for a good while, too, and... it's I know it's not right." Jihyo said as she looks away.
"Jihyo.." Seojun said. "It's okay to feel that way. You don't have to force yourself to believe you shouldn't feel negative things just because you became supernaturally stronger. You're still human. Believe it or not, I've also had those moments, and it really took me a lifetime to manage them."
Jihyo looks at Seojun as he takes a deep breath.
"Really, Seojun-nim..?" Jihyo said.
"Of course! In fact, if it wasn't for those fears in my life, I wouldn't probably be here." Seojun smiled. "It's in those fears that we realize what we should do and what we want to be, you know."
Jihyo gasped at what he said.
"That's... The same thing I've told Zeke earlier.." Jihyo said.
"Oh, really? Then, if that's the case, you probably already know what to do, don't you think? Maybe you just needed to hear it from someone else." Seojun said as he gave Jihyo a pat on the shoulder.
"I guess so.." Jihyo said as she smiled. "It does sound nice coming from someone else, especially from a wise person like you, Seojun-nim."
"Ah, no need to praise me for it. Encouraging others... It's what we're supposed to do, after all. At this point, is there any reason that we should let each other down? I don't think there is."
Jihyo felt relieved. She felt a little more hopeful this time about rescuing the survivors, making it out alive... even finding her members. She takes another deep breath, and as she exhales, she notices that the Seraphim shined a bit brighter than it did before, now illuminating more area than it used to cover. Seojun notices this as well.
"I guess it responded to how you feel right now," Seojun said.
"Wait.. it can do that?" Jihyo replied.
"The Seraphim is known to resonate with its owner's feelings. Other Manifests can do that too." Seojun replied.
"So this thing is really a one of a kind item.." Jihyo said, looking at the bright Manifest.
"Mhm. Now, with Seraphim's light becoming brighter, we should be able to see more of the area. Let's keep going." Seojun said.
A few minutes of walking had passed when they started seeing pieces of ripped clothing everywhere, along with some blood that stained the snowy ground red.
Jihyo looks around. A couple of trees were uprooted, and some had deep faintly glowing slash marks on them.
"Seojun-nim.." Jihyo said. "This isn't a good sign.."
Suddenly, they heard a chilly, booming voice echo from the shadows.
"But it is, for me." It said.
The trees around Jihyo and Seojun started swaying. Jihyo immediately brandishes the Seraphim as the winds grew stronger, and soon, a figure appears from the shadows at least ten feet away from them, the cold winds seemingly revolving around him.
He was a pale humanoid, clad in a smooth, otherworldly armor, with parts of it glowing faintly blue in color. His eyes were in a bright shade of blue, covered with a dark masquerade type mask that was seemingly emitting cold air. His hands were covered in what it seems to be icy bracers with strange symbols on them, wherein the cold winds rotated violently around them.
"Just as I thought." He said. "If I wreak enough havoc in this place, a human wielder with a Manifest will come around soon enough. What a predictable species..."
"Y..you know about the Manifests?" Jihyo said.
"Of course. Weapons that are imbued with mystical properties that adjust to the owner... Such weapons are vital to our cause, lady." The figure replied. "The Koul'in will not want to pass up an opportunity to become stronger, and we are taking every chance we get."
"The Koul'in?" Seojun said. "I assume you're an otherworldly race--"
"...where the frost and ice reign supreme." He added. "And I, Vesper, am one of its generals. And I think you have what I need."
He points at the Seraphim.
Jihyo and Seojun backed a bit as Vesper walked closer to them.
"Now, if you don't mind, you can hand over that Manifest to me, and maybe, just maybe, I'll leave you in peace. Unless, of course, if you want to end up like your fellow kin right here, buried lifeless in the snow."
Vesper then concentrates, seemingly making the rotating winds glow. It illuminates most of the area. Jihyo and Seojun's eyes widen as they saw a few dead bodies of men and women scattered around.
"No..no.." Jihyo trembled.
"How despicable," Seojun said.
"These weaklings were in the way," Vesper replied. "I can't focus on the objective with all the screams they were making. Eternal silence was the only solution."
Jihyo couldn't believe what he was saying. She couldn't figure out why would anyone kill innocent lives just because they were "in the way." She knew those people weren't in his way. They were only trying to survive.
And he killed them.
What he did was pure, senseless violence and the mere fact that he's just talking about it casually like it was just a trivial inconvenience made Jihyo quiver in anger and fear.
Then again, Vesper wasn't human, to begin with. He's an alien--- He surely doesn't know how to be human, let alone have basic empathy.
To Jihyo, Vesper was a reminder of how this apocalypse is far more dangerous than ever she thought. And in this predicament, one wrong move could cost her life.
"As I was saying.." Vesper said. "Hand over the Manifest."
"There is no way in hell we'd give you this..." Jihyo said as she held the Seraphim tightly. She was trembling, but her words were full of conviction.
"..murderer." She continued as the Seraphim started to radiate brighter with power.
"I was trying to be polite," Vesper said as he immediately blitzed toward Jihyo, about to unleash a fearsome blow to the Korean idol.
Seojun was worried for Jihyo. This was something he wasn't expecting. There's a threat in front of his student, and this Koul'in general was obviously hellbent on killing her and taking the Manifest.
He knows he can't let that happen.
Seojun notices Vesper's movements faster than Jihyo. With enough concentration, he faintly glows in pure light and with a little luck, activates his Manifest powers as it buzzed a little. He then proceeds to intercept the attack almost immediately, blocking Vesper's fist using his hand.
"Oh?" Vesper remarked. "You're a wielder too, old man?"
"I can't let you take the Manifest." Seojun remarked. "I can't let you harm my student either."
"Can you even do so? Look at you. You don't even look like you're fit to fight." Vesper scoffed.
"Don't underestimate a renowned Manifest wielder. I still got some juice on these old bones." Seojun said.
"Very well. Get ready, then." Vesper's arms started glowing and they began exchanging blows.
Jihyo watched Seojun clashed with Vesper's wind-infused fists that look like they were razor-sharp.
Seojun was keeping up as he blocked his punches entirely. Vesper continued the assault with more violent punches as Seojun responded with a flurry of fierce counterattacks. He eventually manages to land a blow on the enemy's shoulder, cracking his steel armor. He then swings his glowing fist at Vesper as it lands on his chest, knocking him back a few feet.
Vesper was taken aback by the strength of his opponent. He had dealt with humans before over the past few weeks--- those with guns, knives, and blades. All of them, powerless against him. But this was different. He was fighting with an equal.
On the other hand, Seojun wasn't looking good. His Manifest powers started fading and he was starting to bleed through his nose. He was lucky enough to activate and use his abilities, but he wasn't prepared for the strain it came with.
He couldn't maintain his combat prowess.
"I must say, you exceed my expectations," Vesper said, cracking his knuckles. "Never thought a human could land a good one on me. Very well, I think I'm going to get serious now."
"He wasn't serious?!" Jihyo said to herself as Seojun placed himself on guard.
Vesper folded his arms in an X-position. The symbols on his bracers glow, and the winds around him started rotating violently, turning into a concentrated tornado that was swirling around him.
"Typhon Barrier: Tackle!" Vesper declared as he charges at Seojun, tackling him full force before Seojun could even react. The strength of the attack sends Seojun flying towards several trees, injuring him greatly. He grunts in agony as he was unable to stand.
"Seojun-nim..!" Jihyo said as she tried to run toward him.
"Don't mind me, Jihyo!" Seojun said, lying on the ground. "I can heal my injuries. Focus on the enemy!"
Jihyo looks at the wind-powered Koul'in general.
"Now, you're next, human wielder!" Vesper said.
Jihyo braced herself for what's to come. She knew that this enemy is on a whole new level, and if she isn't careful, it may cost her and Seojun's life. She knew she can't die. She still has to help Zeke get home. She still has to find Mina. She still has to find the rest of her members.
With his arms still folded, and his barrier still active, Vesper charges at Jihyo next, attempting to hit her with a full-body tackle.
Jihyo swings the Seraphim downward as Vesper closed in. The Manifest clashes with the enemy's wind barrier, sending sparks that fly and illuminate the area. Jihyo notices that the spinning cold winds felt like they were solid as steel.
As the tornado-like onslaught continued, Jihyo was forced into a defensive position. She holds the Seraphim tightly as she attempts to push off the barrier with her blade.
But Vesper was stronger. The razor-like barrier started coming into contact with her hands and arms as Vesper pushed Jihyo backward. One of her sleeves gets ripped off by his violent winds in the process.
"Nothing can get through my Typhon Barrier technique, human wielder. These strong, volatile winds I carry... they take me to victory every time. It's best that you just surrender." Vesper exclaimed as the winds around him got stronger. "I'll show you. Dredging Vortex!"
Jihyo felt her whole body slowly being dragged into the spiraling barrier. She tried to fight it by retreating, but the force was too much to handle for the leader of TWICE as she gets carried away by the tornado, getting slashed by the sharp, spinning winds in the process. She helplessly spins for a few seconds before Vesper sends her crashing on several trees nearby.
Jihyo, dizzy over being spun around, painfully exhaled as she tried to stand. Vesper lets down his arms and the tornado-like armor around him died down.
"You're clearly outclassed. Just hand me the Manifest, human wielder." Vesper said as he walks toward Jihyo. "This is your last chance. Or my winds and I will take you to your snowy gra--"
Jihyo immediately slashes the unguarded Vesper as the brightly shining Seraphim tears through his steel armor, slashing one of his arms. Vesper winces in pain as he is forced to back a few steps due to the force of her attack. Blood was now trickling through the cracks in his armor where the blade struck.
"You talk too much. Will those winds ever take your annoying voice away?" Jihyo scoffed as she tightened the grip on her Manifest. It glows bright once more, a physical sign of Jihyo's unyielding spirit.
"You are just wishing for death at this point. And you will have it soon enough." Vesper replied as he folded his arms and activated his Typhon Barrier once more.
"This is going to be a very long night.." Jihyo said to herself. "Zeke, I hope you're doing okay.."