"Why did you suddenly call me out to a place like this? Using strange codes and all."
"It was a fun code, wasn't it? I knew you'd solve it easily and come."
While Yang Su-Hyeon was resting at home, suspicious numbers had been laser-etched onto her balcony floor.
After pondering for about five minutes, she realized they were based on elements from the periodic table.
"But if you were going to do that, just talk inside my house. What kind of inefficient behavior is this?"
"Haha..."
Yang Jin-Mu laughed like he found his sister's grumbling adorable.
Seeing that familiar side of her brother, Yang Su-Hyeon felt a complicated mix of emotions.
"...Terrorism must be pretty fun if you're still at it even after becoming a specter."
"Actually, yes. Do you want to join too? Join our Thanatics."
"Not even worth listening to."
A sudden explosion erupted around Yang Jin-Mu.
Yang Su-Hyeon had already set up invisible countermeasures while they were talking.
"It's still fascinating. The 'Virtual Mana Element' you created."
Virtual Mana Element.
With her magic, Yang Su-Hyeon can create a virtual element with desired properties.
And elements that violate the laws of physics collapse on their own, releasing energy.
That explanation doesn't really matter anyway.
The point is, Yang Jin-Mu dodged the explosion and was still alive.
"But no matter how fascinating, isn't it insufficient to kill me?"
"Ha. I didn't expect you to die from just that!!"
Yang Su-Hyeon fired a 3D-printed homemade bowgun at Yang Jin-Mu.
However, Yang Jin-Mu simply dodged by converting himself into waves.
[Why are you trying so hard to kill me?]
"...Back then, too, I should have stopped you when you said you'd get revenge somehow."
[Because you thought things would go well with that guy Yu-Han if I weren't around?]
"That guy has nothing to do with this. We're only at the stage of holding hands anyway!"
Before she knew it, Yang Jin-Mu was standing vertically on the inner wall of the building.
His eyes looking at his sister were filled with pity.
"Don't misunderstand. The current me has no interest in revenge or anything like that.
The members of Thanatics desire only one thing: the extermination of all Koreans...!!"
"More nonsense is spewing out than revenge. First, do you want to at least blabber about the reason?"
Yang Jin-Mu slowly walked down the wall and stood on the ground.
"So much has happened in Korean history...
They haven't contributed much to humanity's scientific progress, but they're experts at infighting and exploiting their own kind."
"So, you're saying Koreans are hateful!?"
"No, I gained a new perspective.
It's not the Koreans that are bad. They are merely victims designed to inevitably do such things.
You, me, and that guy Yu-Han too."
"So?"
"Therefore, I will kill all Koreans and liberate them from their cursed Korean bodies.
What we do is no different from what euthanasia sanctioners do.
Actually, it's even closer to the true essence of euthanasia."
Instead of answering, Yang Su-Hyeon fired her bowgun at his head.
Yang Jin-Mu dodged by briefly turning his body into waves.
"You're my sister, but you're still feisty.
Even without me, things wouldn't have gone that well with that guy Yu-Han."
"Fuck you."
The arrows Yang Su-Hyeon fired began to glow, forming a field of mana.
"Oops, planning to neutralize my magic? Suddenly I don't feel so good..."
Yang Jin-Mu pretended to cough and made a fuss.
The two siblings already knew about each other's magic, and Yang Su-Hyeon had engraved magic circles on the arrows to cancel out Yang Jin-Mu's Wave-Matter Conversion Magic.
"How long do you plan to act relaxed!?"
"If you're curious, prove it. Since you're a scientist."
Of course, Yang Jin-Mu wasn't stupid enough to rely on a single magic for everything.
Of course, Yang Su-Hyeon was aware of that fact as well.
Of course, Yang Jin-Mu also predicted that...
Battles between high-intelligence types are this exhausting.
"Radiation Magic— Gamma Ray!"
However, Yang Su-Hyeon didn't die even from the baptism of gamma rays.
The black mana barrier surrounding her had the properties of a shielding film.
Seeing that, Yang Jin-Mu judged that he had to go for close-quarters combat.
Watching the approaching Yang Jin-Mu, Yang Su-Hyeon sighed.
"Do I look weak in close combat?"
"!?"
Yang Jin-Mu's body started to fail him.
It went beyond mere paralysis—a sensation like parts of his body were rotting away...
Yang Jin-Mu hurriedly retreated.
"I also have some experience as a euthanasia sanctioner, you know?
I don't know who started it, but people began calling me by the alias 'Poison Moth' at some point..."
"You've become quite... toxic."
"Living life, I couldn't keep acting like a naive scholar."
Yang Su-Hyeon fired arrows at Yang Jin-Mu again.
Yang Jin-Mu's body was destroyed once more.
Although he regenerated quickly, at a glance, it seemed Yang Su-Hyeon had the upper hand.
"But Su-Hyeon. You're mistaken about something.
I quit being a naive scholar way before you did!"
This time, Yang Jin-Mu began to fire high-heat ray magic wildly from a distance.
But Yang Su-Hyeon seemed to have prepared for even that.
She created mana substances that absorbed thermal energy with magic.
Those translucent substances successfully blocked the rays.
'Done! Now that I've blocked all his main spells, all that's left are basic ones...'
Seeing the battle situation proceeding as predicted, Yang Su-Hyeon was certain of victory.
But her thoughts changed upon seeing something at her feet.
It was a grenade with the pin pulled.
'Fuck...'
The grenade exploded without hesitation.
Yang Su-Hyeon barely reacted and defended with a mana barrier, but she was blown away by the explosion, hit the wall, and became a wreck.
"You made the error of being certain that I only fight with magic."
Yang Su-Hyeon's brilliant mind quickly pieced together where the grenade had come from.
Yang Jin-Mu had converted the grenade into waves beforehand to hide it, then delayed the magic activation to use it as a time bomb.
Since Yang Su-Hyeon's magic circles were fired targeting only Yang Jin-Mu, they had no effect on things hidden underneath.
"Why go this far...!"
Yang Su-Hyeon asked while coughing up blood, but Yang Jin-Mu was cold.
"I said I would exterminate all Koreans.
Of course, you are Korean too."
Seeing Yang Jin-Mu approaching her, Yang Su-Hyeon's eyes began to close.
However, her closing eyes opened wide upon seeing something behind Yang Jin-Mu.
It was an elf male filled with madness.
"Found you! You rat-like scumbag!"
"!!"
Yang Jin-Mu tried to turn his body urgently, but before that, Lee Sang-Deok's submachine gun baptism poured down first.
"The hydrogen molecule spirits around here told me your location..."
"There were spirits like that!?"
"Of course! Hydrogen is older than trees, so why wouldn't they exist!?"
While trying to run away from Lee Sang-Deok who was excitedly pouring bullets, Yang Jin-Mu suddenly stopped still.
"What! Did you suddenly give up on life!?"
"I tend not to fight battles I can't win. I must be going."
As Yang Jin-Mu snapped his fingers, bombs installed all over the building were revealed.
He had been prepared to blow up this entire abandoned building from the start.
"Ah, fuck..."
Along with Lee Sang-Deok's curse, the entire abandoned factory was engulfed in flames.
***
"As expected... humans need to eat meat!!"
"Yi Rang C! Here's a large amount of garlic, onions, and butter!"
"Kuh~ You know your stuff!"
Right after training time ended, in the pantry cum kitchen cum dining room of the Cheong-Am office,
Kim Ga-Eun and Yi Rang, who were on meal duty today, were happily grilling meat.
Alice and Yu-Han sat still and watched the two.
"Those two seem to have found a common interest. Food."
"One is a beast, and the other is a monster. They must need a lot of energy."
"I envy that they don't gain weight even if they like eating like that."
"What's there to envy? You're a robot too."
"Ugh. Do you really have to point that out every single time?"
At that moment, the sound of the office door opening violently was heard.
"Is it an enemy!?"
Yu-Han and Alice rushed out, but it wasn't an enemy that entered.
It was Lee Sang-Deok, carrying a bloodied Yang Su-Hyeon on his shoulder.
"Hey... Yu-Han. Is this woman your colleague too? I picked her up while fighting that bastard Yang Jin-Mu."
"Not exactly a colleague... Pretty much the same as you and me."
"You mean an enemy? Then it wouldn't matter if I killed her right now!"
"Please don't kill her, just lay her down here."
When Yu-Han used summoning magic, a bed was summoned in the middle of the office.
As she was laid there, Yang Su-Hyeon groaned.
"Hey, Doc. Did you go 1 on 1 with Yang Jin-Mu? That was reckless."
"Damn it... Why did you come here instead of taking me to a hospital..."
"What nonsense when you don't even have insurance? I'll give you some first aid."
Yu-Han first stopped her bleeding with healing magic.
It seemed all euthanasia sanctioners possessed a basic level of medical knowledge.
"Yu-Han, my brother was spouting nonsense about exterminating Koreans or something."
"Terrorists are like that. How did you plan to face him in the first place?"
"...I tried to prepare for all the magic that bastard uses first. Starting with the magic circles imbued in the arrows...
Wait, you tiger over there, you're loud!"
Yang Su-Hyeon shouted hysterically at the chewing sound.
There were Yi Rang and Kim Ga-Eun, watching while munching on grilled meat.
"Ah, no... she's the one making the noise..."
Yi Rang protested while pointing at Kim Ga-Eun, but everyone seemed completely uninterested.
Kim Ga-Eun smiled sheepishly and gave Yi Rang an apologetic look.
"Wait, everyone, breaking news!"
Alice said so, then began projecting a hologram screen with her right eye.
[Greetings, everyone. I am Yang Jin-Mu of 'Thanatics', who destroyed the terminal last time.
However, it seems destroying the terminal wasn't enough to cause alarm.
So starting now, I will carry out terror attacks all over Old Seoul. Well then.]
Yang Jin-Mu's video message ended like that.
Watching that, Yang Su-Hyeon spat out a curse and spoke.
"Ha... What is he doing again in that short time!"
"Dr. Yang. Just lie down if you're in pain. We'll go take care of it.
Staff Ga-Eun, and Yi Rang? Guard the Doctor well."
Yu-Han, Alice, and Lee Sang-Deok rushed outside together.
The remaining three were left awkwardly in the room.
"Um... would you like to have dinner with us at least?"
When Kim Ga-Eun shyly offered, Yang Su-Hyeon spoke firmly.
"...In this physical state? I might need surgery, so what do you mean eat?"
However, smelling the wafting scent of meat, that firmness broke quickly.
"Damn it, who cares about surgery. Just hand over a few pieces..."