The battle between those possessing Tools was a destructive act that exceeded the limits of what humans could normally conceive.

  Of course, if one only considered destruction itself, humans could already achieve more than what those two were doing through the numerous inventions they had created. But that was not achieved with bare hands. Reenacting a battle from mythology with nothing but pure, naked strength was a marvel in itself. As long as one wasn't swept away by it, they could watch the moments of destruction—usually only seen in cinemas—with sweating palms.

  Could anyone imagine a human being lifting and swinging a car just to strike an opponent? Or swinging a streetlight like a club to block it?

  Moreover, as if that weren't enough, they tore up the road and hurled fragments, each rivaling the weight of a person. The speed of the throws was terrifying, and the destruction upon impact defied common sense. Fortunately, no one had been injured yet, but everything within range was shattered. The scene looked as if it had been hit by an aerial bombardment.

  Death was guaranteed if one were caught in that. Even a grazing blow from those flying fragments possessed the power to easily crush a skull; the sight lacked reality, to say the least.

  Jihyeon did not try to intervene by force. For now, he thought it best not to increase the surrounding damage. Beyond that, it was difficult to do anything else.

  The fight between those two was by no means a clash between individuals who had lost their sanity. If it were, Jihyeon could have simply intervened and subdued them. But this was different. Although it looked like a typical rampage on the surface, Jihyeon could tell. He knew the meaning behind the act of throwing fragments. All of those actions were being carried out with reason intact.

  This made it even worse, yet their fight was flowing toward a direction that no one could stop. At some point, the battle would end. Jihyeon planned to intervene then. No matter how strong he was, he had absolutely no intention of recklessly jumping into a fight between such monsters.

  "Are you just going to leave it like this?"

  Seok-yeong approached Jihyeon, who had momentarily stopped moving, and asked.

  "What else can I do? If I jump in blindly, I won't even be able to save my own bones. For now, I have to wait until they stop to some extent. No matter how many Tools I have, I don't have the power to stop both of them simultaneously in this situation. One of them can't even be stunned with electricity."

  At Jihyeon’s words, Seok-yeong let out an exclamation of distress. Then, as if suddenly realizing something, he asked back with a startled face.

  "Do you mean you've already faced one of them?"

  Jihyeon gave a look that asked what he was talking about. Even though his face was hidden by a mask and sunglasses, his disbelief was obvious to anyone.

  "Didn't I tell you about the pseudo-cult last time?"

  Seok-yeong sighed at Jihyeon’s words. He hadn't forgotten the story Jihyeon told him before. He had already submitted a report, and the investigation had begun long ago. It just seemed that the investigation wasn't going well. The progress was stalled because of abnormalities happening to those involved in the case. While that in itself was a problem, the police were always short-handed, making it difficult to move.

  "Let's focus on containing it for now. Even if we intervene when a gap appears, no one wants to go in there right now, do they?"

  Jihyeon said with a bitter smile. Seok-yeong agreed. It was already impossible to stop them from fighting like that.

  "First, let's minimize the damage. We'll move in as soon as there's an opening."

  "Alright."

  The two reached an agreement. They didn't know when it would end, but once things settled down, they could figure it out from there. Meanwhile, police cars began to arrive.

  Lee Young felt a bit of anxiety at the fact that the hooded man hadn't come. To her, the hooded man was the only person she could trust. No, he was more than just someone she could trust. To Lee Young, he was close to her only hope.

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  The memory of the moment she was betrayed by her friends and became something other than human was still more than she could handle. Everything about that time was an indescribable terror. While it was impossible to recall it all, the fragmented moments tortured her every time.

  Perhaps it would have been better if she had never woken up. Or perhaps it would have been a relief if she had died, as that would have been the end. The experiences Lee Young had before her ego was completely shattered were enough to break the mind of any ordinary girl. And once the Tool was implanted, her self vanished. Things that happened afterward only surfaced in very rare glimpses.

  However, amidst the unspeakable pain, Lee Young’s ego had awakened, and in the darkness that followed, she felt her liberation. When she opened her eyes again, she realized it wasn't a dream.

  The shock she felt at that moment was beyond words. She was resentful. She felt as if she could never forgive the man who saved her.

  Yet, the hooded man told her about what happened afterward and told her to live. He said he would help. He begged her to please stay alive.

  In a way, it was a selfish thing. In a sense, he had thrown Lee Young back into the hell called reality for his own satisfaction. She no longer had a family. For him to say such things was incredibly irresponsible.

  The hooded man knew that fact as well. Nevertheless, he said she couldn't just stay like this. He told her that while the world is full of damnable things, living is better than dying, so he pleaded with her to live.

  Lee Young had never imagined the city's hero would say such things to her. And his words made her heart flutter. She didn't know why. But that "bad man" sincerely wished for Lee Young to walk healthily on her own two feet and live her life. Because of those words, Lee Young decided to muster a little bit of courage—even though countless treatments still awaited her.

  Of course, Lee Young still couldn't hide her fear of what might happen at any moment. Right now, she was an orphan with nothing. Having not even graduated from high school, there weren't many jobs she could choose. In fact, she had to worry about survival the moment she was discharged.

  The hooded man would surely provide support. And he would help until she could stand on her own to some extent, but she didn't know how long that would last. She needed something—some definitive hope. And only the hooded man could give her that hope.

  That's why he had to come today. She wanted him to come, talk to her, and receive even a little bit of strength from him. But he didn't come today.

  By fiddling with her phone, she could quickly find out why. An incident involving Tools.

  Once again, the nightmare resurfaced. She herself was not unrelated to incidents caused by Tool rampages. She thought of her classmates who had already died—the ones who had handed her over to the loan shark. Were they really that happy for just a bit of money? It was laughable that they had died after all that.

  "Ha..."

  Lee Young began to laugh as if she couldn't help it. And that laughter soon turned into uncontrollable weeping. Her mood swings were still extreme. Unable to endure the overwhelming emotions, she eventually called for the nurse. Only after receiving medication was Lee Young finally able to calm down. Unbearable agony still dominated her. She didn't know when she would be able to walk proudly again. For now, Lee Young was still covered in wounds.

  As the effects of the medicine slowly spread, Lee Young felt her eyes growing heavy. Without resisting, she slowly closed her eyes.

  Even in a place far from the city, broadcasts still reached. Especially the news; it could be seen in one way or another. While one couldn't know everything happening in the world, one could keep up with minor stories as long as they didn't miss the news broadcasts.

  However, the Vice-Leader and the Chief Executive simultaneously thought that what was on TV right now was a bit much.

  "I don't think that's quite right, is it?"

  Words that were a bit different from his usual tone came out of the Vice-Leader’s mouth. His voice was full of bewilderment.

  "It seems so. No matter how strong an Apostle is, making a mess like that... And why is the man called Jihyeon there as well..."

  The Chief Executive had the same reaction. There was no need to draw the attention of the police right now. Even without this, the police's interest in them was already bordering on annoying. Of course, they were handling the officers directly involved in the investigation to a certain extent, but no one knew how long that would be possible.

  "It was bound to happen eventually, but things have turned out like this."

  The Chief Executive sighed once more. He clearly didn't like the current situation. But except for very special cases, the rampage of Tool users was bound to end up like this. They had no hesitation in destroying their surroundings. It was the same with killing people, though the Tools would be excellent for assassination if used properly.

  Of course, there was no reason to carry out such heinous acts in this country immediately. Besides, the Cult had many other cards they could use. But that was only if they weren't caught. Due to various circumstances, the Cult’s condition was still far from normal.

  "This is troublesome. To be like this... but what's done is done. Let's send other Apostles for recovery."

  The Chief Executive agreed with the Vice-Leader's words. He then went outside to issue instructions.

  In the meantime, the Vice-Leader did not try to hide his somber mood. He knew well enough that things don't always go as planned. Nevertheless, it still left a bitter taste. Why were things going so poorly? If things had resolved even a little more smoothly, an incident like this wouldn't have happened. The fight between those two was one thing, but the fact that the man named Jihyeon kept appearing before them was truly irritating.

  Yet, on the other hand, the Vice-Leader couldn't hide a strange emotion. Even though they were filled with mutual resentment, he wanted to bring Jihyeon to his side if he could. Although he knew it would never happen, he still felt a sense of regret over Jihyeon's boldness. Amidst his complicated feelings, the Vice-Leader turned off the TV.