As the ship came to a full halt by the reef, silence enveloped the vessel. From Hakata Port, the ship was silent. Unbeknownst to everyone water already crept in, steadily flooding the lower decks.
The crew remained unseen, no voices, no movement, no cries for help. Not even a distress signal broke through the still air.
Only the gentle lapping of waves against the hull could be heard, as if the ocean itself was deliberately muffling any sign of life. The silence lingered, heavy and unnatural, carefully sealing away the chaos festering deep within the ship's belly.
Inside the deck, chaos reigned. The Seele clashed against the squad, charging blindly in the absence of Miss Gigi's guiding eyes.
The air was thick with dust, swirling violently as bodies crashed and weapons swung. Yet despite the choking haze and relentless assault, the squad fought on, desperate to survive against the Seele that had broken through and flooded the deck.
Above the fray, standing calmly on the upper platform overlooking the open space, the bald man remained still.
Hoshi was bound tightly, her arms pinned, unable to move as he held her in place. His pistol stayed firmly aimed at her head — a constant reminder of her helplessness.
Hoshi dared to glance up, meeting the man's eyes. He smiled coldly, clearly enjoying the carnage below — a scene of chaos he himself had orchestrated.
Carefully, Hoshi shifted her gaze behind her, scanning for anything sharp enough to cut through the ropes binding her arms. But before she could act, the man let out a low chuckle.
"That's useless, you know."
Hoshi flinched, inhaling sharply at his words.
"Your wind is neutralized right now. And even if you somehow manage to escape..."
He leaned closer, voice dropping to a cruel whisper.
"...I won't hesitate to put a bullet straight through your skull."
Hearing those words, Hoshi slowly let her body relax. She understood. Any reckless movement, any act of defiance, could shatter everything they had worked for up until now.
The weight of her next decision pressed heavily against her chest.
"Seven Menschlich-class are ravaging the deck right now... seven. And all of them are wind types,"
He muttered to himself, voice calm, almost amused.
"None of your squad members down there have the ability to vaporize them. They're trapped — pinned, cornered — and yet they're still fighting."
He let the words hang for a moment, watching the chaos below with idle fascination.
"They're trying to save you, aren't they?"
He added with a cruel smile.
"But honestly, the moment you fell into my hands, your plan was already doomed."
He paused again, as if something amusing had just occurred to him. His lips curled into a mocking grin.
"Oh, that's right... you were with Ayro-san, weren't you?"
He gave a careless shrug, as if the pieces were only now falling into place.
"What business could you possibly have, snooping around out here with him?"
The man chuckled, speaking more to himself now.
"The U.W.D.S. doesn't usually concern itself with people like us. Sure, we use Seeles, but..."
Another flicker of realization crossed his face. He raised a brow as the thought deepened, eyes narrowing slightly.
"Oh! Or perhaps..."
Hoshi locked her fierce eyes onto him, her silence sharper than any reply as the noise of battle echoed around them. She could feel his words trying to chip away at her resolve.
"You're trying to stop our 'Delivery', aren't you?"
At those words, Hoshi's gaze slowly dropped downward, lips pressing into a thin line.
The man tilted his head, voice soft, amused.
"Eh...? Did I hit the spot, Kunoichi?"
"Hmm! If it's not the U.W.D.S..."
He muttered, piecing the puzzle together in real time.
"Then that means... it's a selfish decision of the squad."
He paused, amused by his own deduction, letting the words hang as if savoring the revelation.
"Hmm... then again, our business is beneath their interest,"
He added with a smirk.
"No way..."
Hoshi kept her eyes averted, refusing to meet his gaze. She could feel his breath, heavy and deliberate, as he slowly inched his face closer to hers, savoring the power he held over her.
Every second felt longer, his presence suffocating, crawling beneath her skin like a poison. She gritted her teeth, hands still bound, but her breathing steady, controlled.
The man's voice slithered out, low and mocking.
"Did you... manage to fool the squad?"
And with that final push, something inside Hoshi snapped
Hoshi snapped forward, slamming her forehead into the bridge of his nose.
CRACK!
But the man didn't flinch.
He stood there, unmoving, as if the blow had never landed. His cold eyes remained locked on hers, the faint trail of blood dripping from his nose the only sign of impact. His smile, however, never faded.
Slowly, almost mockingly, he wiped the blood with the back of his hand and whispered.
"That wasn't very polite, kunoichi."
The air between them grew heavier, the brief burst of defiance swallowed once more by the overwhelming threat looming before her.
The man's single eye widened the moment his gaze fully met Hoshi's.
"Your eyes..."
He breathed, voice low with unsettling curiosity.
"I've seen them before."
Hoshi's breath quickened. Her chest rose and fell with sharp, controlled gasps as the man studied her like a specimen.
"Oh, how determined!"
He grinned, his voice rising slightly, tasting the discovery.
"Yet... it's desperate. You're looking for something..."
He leaned closer, voice turning colder.
"...or perhaps... someone."
Hoshi's head lowered once again, shadowing her expression. Her bound hands gripped tightly behind her back, the ropes digging into her skin.
The man paused, lips curling into a grin of realization.
"Hm... Hoh!"
He chuckled.
"Hoshizaki!"
His voice echoed slightly as the word hung in the dusty, chaotic air, like a dagger thrown directly at her heart.
Hoshi snapped again, rage and grief bubbling to the surface. She faced the bald man, voice trembling but filled with venom as tears welled up and slipped down her cheeks.
"Go to hell, you dirty bastard!"
The bald man let out a twisted giggle.
"Ehe...? You're her little one... the one who managed to escape that day..."
Without warning, he shoved her back. Hoshi tumbled away from the edge, crashing onto the hard metal floor with a thud.
Her breath grew heavy, chest heaving as she struggled against the tight bindings around her wrists.
The man strolled forward, each step deliberate, savoring every second.
"Hoh...? This feels familiar..."
He mused aloud, stopping just as her trembling body lay at his feet.
"Ah! That's right!"
He looked down at her with a sick grin, voice rising with cruel nostalgia.
"This is exactly what I did to Yomori... right here... on this very ship!"
The words struck like knives. In an instant, flashes of that terrible day surged through Hoshi's mind — the helplessness, the terror, the screams.
Her breathing quickened as that familiar pit of despair opened inside her once more.
The man crouched down low, pistol still steady in his right hand. With his free hand, he gripped her head, his fingers pressing against the mask still covering her face.
"D-Damn you..."
She muttered, her voice breaking.
He smiled wider, savoring her helplessness.
"Let's see how much you've grown!"
Slowly, he began to pull at the mask. But before he could fully remove it, Hoshi bit down hard onto the lower edge, eyes narrowed, one eye squeezed shut in desperation.
The man let out a breathless chuckle.
"Resisting is useless..." he whispered coldly.
With a sudden jerk, he yanked the mask free. Hoshi fell back onto the floor, gasping as her identity was finally exposed.
The man froze for a moment, staring at her bare face — then broke into an ecstatic shout.
"HOH! BEAUTIFUL!"
Tears still clinging to her lashes, Hoshi slowly looked up at the mask lying on the floor beside her.
"Nee-san..." she whispered under her breath.
The man stood tall, his voice rising into a sickening tone of delight.
"Hoshizaki!! You've grown even more beautiful than her! Now I'm glad we actually left you that day!"
He laughed darkly.
"Had we taken you then, your value would've been so much less. But now? You'll sell for so much in the U.K.F... HOSHIZAKI!"
"D-Damn you..."
Hoshi muttered weakly under her breath.
The man tilted his head.
"Hoh...?"
But then, with sudden fire in her voice, Hoshi screamed:
"You'll pay for this! IL-MIN-SONG!"
The name rang through the air like a gunshot.
The bald man froze. His single eye widened, shocked — but behind that initial surprise, something darker began to boil. For a brief second, he seemed almost impressed.
"Hoh...?"
He breathed again.
But his amusement quickly decayed into something far uglier. His face twitched as shadows of old fury surfaced. His voice dropped, heavy with rage.
"I haven't heard that name... in a while."
The mockery in his tone vanished, replaced by cold brutality. With sudden aggression, he dropped to his knee once more, one eye bulging as his hand grabbed a fistful of Hoshi's tri-colored hair, yanking her head up painfully.
"A-Ahh...!"
Hoshi winced, her scalp burning as she was forced to meet his glare.
"Tell me..."
He growled through clenched teeth, his voice trembling with restrained fury.
"Where did you hear that name?"
But even now, with her head throbbing and her body beaten, Hoshi managed a small, defiant smile. She scoffed, voice taunting through her ragged breaths.
"Heh... super secret agency, you say? Turns out..."
She narrowed her eyes, voice almost teasing.
"...it wasn't so hard to uncover who you really are... Min-san~"
That was the breaking point.
With a snarl, Il Min Song let go of her hair, letting her head drop with a thud to the floor. Then, without a word, he stood — and his boot crashed into her stomach.
"UGH!"
Again.
"NGH!"
And again.
"A-AHH!"
Each brutal kick landed squarely into her belly, knocking the air from her lungs as her body curled and convulsed under the relentless assault.
The sharp pain radiated through her body, but Hoshi clenched her teeth, refusing to scream.
The man's face twisted with rage as his kicks grew more violent, venting years of frustration into her battered form.
Hoshi's battered body rolled across the floor, coming to a stop against the cold, metallic surface. She coughed violently, blood spilling from her lips and splattering across the floor beneath her.
Heavy footsteps approached once more — slow, deliberate.
Il Min Song loomed above her, his pistol still steady in his hand.
"Tell me..." He hissed. "Or else I'll kill you."
Despite the searing pain in her abdomen and the metallic taste of blood in her mouth, Hoshi forced herself to face him again. Her eyes, though clouded with tears, still burned with defiance.
She let out a raspy breath, her voice sharp and venomous.
"Heh...? Kill me, then."
She grinned weakly.
"That way, I can say hello to your wife for you."
For a split second, silence hung thick between them. Then — snap.
The man's eye twitched. His rage finally boiled over as he pulled the trigger.
BANG!
The bullet tore through the air, embedding itself into the floor just inches from Hoshi's head, the sharp smell of burnt gunpowder filling the space.
The heat of the bullet's passage brushed her skin. She didn't flinch.
The bald man stood still, breathing heavier now, his face twitching with barely contained fury.
"Can't do it, can you...?" Hoshi rasped, her voice weak but biting. "Coward."
The words struck deep.
For a moment, Il Min Song stood frozen, trembling on the edge of complete rage. But then, slowly, he inhaled deeply, forcing himself to exhale as his palm pressed firmly against his shiny, scarred scalp.
"Ahh..."
He whispered, voice shaking faintly.
"I almost lost myself."
He straightened his posture, drawing his arms to his waist, trying to reclaim his cold composure.
"Almost lost something valuable..."
He muttered, casting a quick glance at Hoshi lying bruised at his feet. A dark smile crept back onto his face.
"...Too bad."
The tension hung heavier than ever — his momentary breakdown only deepening the sick game he was playing.
Il-Min-Song turned away from her, walking slowly toward the railing to get a full view of the chaos still raging below. He stood there for a moment, watching the desperate battle unfold, steadying his breath as he tried to regain complete control over himself.
Below, the squad continued to fight for their survival. But Hoshi's focus was elsewhere.
"His back's facing me now..."
She thought, her mind racing.
"But using my wind to break free... that's useless. Not yet. I'm not there yet. I need strength..."
Her body trembled as another wave of pain rippled through her bruised stomach. She clutched herself tightly, wincing.
"Sorry, nee-san... can you wait a bit more?"
She whispered inside her mind.
Summoning what little strength remained, Hoshi rolled onto her chest, arms still bound, and slowly began to crawl forward — her eyes locked onto the mask lying just ahead on the cold floor.
Il Min Song glanced back, his single eye catching the movement.
"Hoh...? Almost forgot about you."
His footsteps echoed as he casually approached. As Hoshi crawled desperately toward her mask, the man reached it first. Without hesitation, he kicked it away.
The mask slid across the floor with a sharp scraping sound, spinning out of reach.
Hoshi's eyes widened in shock, watching it tumble farther from her fingers.
Her breath hitched as her hope slipped just beyond her grasp.
Meanwhile, on the lower deck, the squad was reaching their limits. The battle had dragged on mercilessly. Fatigue was setting in fast.
Only Ryujin and Kirashi remained standing — defending the SUV where their knocked-out allies lay helpless inside.
The two weaved between the relentless attacks of the seven Menschlich-class Seele, still blind but ferocious, their wind and water-based strikes slicing through the thick, dust-filled air.
"Kirashi's breathing is getting heavier..."
Ryujin thought, narrowing his eyes as he sidestepped another swipe.
"He's going to run out of breath soon. If I can just buy him a little more time — if we get even a single spark — his wind could still fuel a flame."
Ryujin glanced around, eyes scanning for any opening, any opportunity.
"Damn it... the timing couldn't be worse!"
His mind raced.
"Itoshi's still down... just great..."
He gritted his teeth, sliding under another Seele's wild strike.
"I can last longer than Kirashi... but winning? Winning's impossible without Itoshi."
The battle raged on, the two of them weaving and striking, desperately trying to defend the battered van.
From a distance, Il Min Song's armed men stood calmly at the edges of the chaos.
They remained on guard but watched with smug satisfaction, certain that time alone would eventually crush the squad's resistance.
The man's voice was low, almost reverent — but laced with mockery.
"It's impressive... honestly, Hoshizaki."
He stepped closer, eyes cold but fascinated.
"You were so small when we last met... I mean, just look at you now! Look at how much you've grown!"
His smile twisted as he spat out the words.
"You did all of that by yourself... Hoshizaki! You truly are amazing."
A cruel chuckle escaped him.
"Boss will like you a lot. He loves it when they resist."
Hoshi's stomach churned with disgust at his praise, but she refused to let the desperation swallow her again.
"No... not anymore."
She closed her eyes, drawing in a shaky breath, steeling herself.
Hoshi gritted her teeth, summoning every ounce of strength she had left. Using her bruised head as leverage, she pushed herself upright.
Il Min Song watched silently, a flicker of awe flashing in his cold eye — almost as if he were touched by the sheer will behind her defiant act.
She stood tall, battered but unbroken.
He broke into slow, mocking applause.
"BRAVOO! BRAVOO! They'll really love you over there, Hoshizaki!"
Hoshi's mind raced, the urgency sharp and clear.
"I have to break free..."
In that moment, time seemed to stretch, slow, and narrow around her.
Then — a shadowy figure dropped silently behind Il Min Song.
Eyes glowing a fierce, burning red, piercing through the dim chaos.
It was Ayro.
~~~To be Continued~~~