Zeke, Jihyo, and the rest of the group go to an amusement park, and they're not amused.
"I'll be honest..." Zeke began. "E-World Tower isnt really part of my itinerary, based on my South Korea package tour brochure. Is it okay to tour this place? What do you think...?"
"Zeke... you gotta stop pretending we're your tour guides and you got lost in your tour," Minji said, giggling. "You've been at it since we left."
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I know that. I'm just trying to lighten the mood, because, you know, we are in a very, very hostile place right now... and it's way too early for this kind of menacing aura..." Zeke said as he looked toward the Koul'in base.
April 19, 2023, 5:30 am, E-World Amusement Park, Daegu, South Korea.
[MAJOR EVENT: OPERATION SHIBA]
The team's caravan stopped beyond the parking lot of the park, where the fog was no longer hampering their field of vision. They look around, and they realized they were in the plaza of the park.
A once, lively place, the plaza was now nothing but piles of bricks and steel rubble. The arching entrance that serves as one of the landmarks of the park has fallen, and the fountain pool nearby now completely frozen in solid ice. Barren trees surround the area, as if the place was just... dead.
"This is the part where we split up, right, Mr. Seojun?" Zeke asked.
"Mhm. Your team will head toward the tower, while we cover the rides area." Seojun replied.
"Will you guys be okay...?" Zeke asked.
"Yes. Ofcourse. We will." Seojun replied.
"Seojun-nim wouldn't bluff in a crucial moment like this. We are prepared this time. I believe we can do this, so I'll help him!" Minji added.
"I wanted to make up for the time I couldnt protect Sana-unnie. So if this is the way... Even if I'm nervous, I'd fight for this." Miyeon said.
"Well, I'm part of this team, so I guess I'm joining this battle, too. Don't worry about us, Jihyo-unnie. This is a battle we choose to participate in, and we will be fine." Ryujin smiled.
"Well, that's more than enough validation that we can do it, hmm?" Seojun said. "Now, you should be off."
"Take care, Seojun. Minji. Ryujin. Miyeon."
"You as well, Minhyuk-nim!" Minji replied.
Before Zeke and Jihyo's team finally departs for the tower, they were stopped by Seojun.
"Zeke, Jihyo." Seojun suddenly spoke as the two looked at him.
"A word of advice. In this particular situation, you should choose your battles. Not every enemy is worth wasting sweat on. It's all about increasing our survivability 'til we get to our goal, and that is to rescue those who need to be rescued. We can't save them if we are exhausted, or worse, dead."
"How do we know if the battle isn't worth it, Seojun-nim?" Jihyo asked.
"For me, it's when you expend so much energy on an opponent that you think would only waste your time. You'll just... know." Seojun replied.
"...We got you, Mister Seojun." Zeke replied as they both nodded. "Please take care."
Seojun smiled as he turns to his team. "Ryujin, Minji. Miyeon. Follow me, and ready your weapons." Seojun smiled as he began to walk towards the rides area, while Zeke and Jihyo's team ventured toward the tower.
April 19, 2023, 5:41 am, E-World Amusement Park, Daegu, South Korea.
Seojun, Minji, Miyeon, and Ryujin walked towards the rides area. There was nothing but leftovers of what was once a beautiful theme park, and there was no noise but the sound of the cold, desolate wind, seemingly screaming sadly for what was lost.
As they progressed, the audible winds defean, and they soon hear footsteps. And there were plenty of them.
"Are those...?" Seojun asked.
"Yeah, Seojun-nim. Koul'in footsoldiers." Ryujin replied.
Same as their superiors Vesper and Shintel, the Koul'in footsoldiers walking around were humanoid in shape, pale in complexion, and have blue eyes. They were sporting alien armor that looks a little less advanced than Ryujin's and wields a variety of weapons, such as spears and swords.
"Oh god..." Miyeon trembled. "There's too many of them..."
"So... Seojun-nim... How are we going to deal with them...?"Ryujin asked.
"Easy. I'll use my Manifest abilities to take them out." Seojun replied as he rolled up his sleeve.
"E...eh?" Minji said in surprise. "But how...? The Seraphim is no longer yours, right...?"
"You may not know this but... while it's true that Manifests cannot be used by non-wielders, and wielders who have their own existing Manifests cannot use another unless theirs gets destroyed... It's a different story for former wielders. We can still use a slight portion of our former Manifest's power. The only reason I lost to Vesper back in Dalseong Park was that my mind wasn't in battle. I admit I have lost my mental strength back then. So I meditated. Thought about this threat we are in... about the welfare of saving other people in this apocalypse... And then... I felt my power returning without it taking too much toll on my body. Now... all I need.."
Seojun raises his hand.
"...is to manifest it once more."
The Seojun's palm began generating a faint light. Suddenly, it creates a light orb that seems to distort and become static, much to Ryujin and Minji's amazement.
The air around them started glitching as well.
A soldier gasped. "A wielder! He's dangerous! Soldiers, take him out now!" He exclaimed as five soldieers advance toward them.
Seojun took a deep breath, and raised his fists. They began to flash in static light.
"Fickle Haywire."
Seojun then advances forward, and unleashes quick glitched strikes on the bodies of the attacking enemies.
The five soldiers attacking the team were mostly unharmed by Seojun's attacks, thanks to their armor. But suddenly, they felt a buzzing sensation all over their body. Soon, all of their senses buzz as well, and the three Koul'in soldiers all topple down on the ground.
"W...what just happened...?! He's...!" The Koul'in soldier said to himself. "What did you do?!"
"Overloaded their sensory functions with static light, putting them to sleep. That's all." Seojun replied calmly.
"So Seojun-nim's attacks... cause obdormition and severe paresthesia..." Minji uttered to herself.
".... huh? Ob...what now?" Ryujin asked. Miyeon looks at Minji as well.
"Oh, sorry. I sometimes speak medical jargon. Let me explain, Ryujin-ssi! Obdormition is a medical term for limbs that "go to sleep", due to pressure applied to it for a long time. What comes after is paresthesia. The abnormal tingling of the skin. You know, when you get that... static-like feeling in your leg when you sit on it for a long, long time..." Minji explained.
"Yeah, I've had alot of those moments. It's like my legs lost TV signal." Ryujin said.