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“Are you really going to do it?”

“I will.”

Shin Woo answered Valentina resolutely.

“But didn’t the Principal say no? What if we mess things up even more by acting on our own…?”

She was definitely right about that.
But I couldn’t just stand by.

“Valentina, I’ve said this from the beginning; there’s no need to force yourself to help. You’re right; this is reckless. Even if everything goes well, we might end up facing expulsion.”

Following Shin Woo’s words, Yeon Hwa shot back with a displeased look.

“If you’re scared, why not just go back? I don’t get why you’re trying to stick around when you’re not that close with the mutt. Do you really like Kim Shin Woo that much?”

Valentina wasn’t just taking it quietly either.
In fact, she responded with even more force.

“What are you talking about!? I owe Hana, and I’m just trying to repay her! What about you? After all the torment you’ve put her through, are you finally feeling guilty or something?”

“Don’t talk nonsense. Why would I torment a mutt?”

“It looked that way to everyone!?”

As their emotional argument heated up, Shin Woo intervened.

“Stop it. We don’t have time to fight like this. We need to hurry and save Hana.”

“…But how?”

“…That’s the real problem.”

We need to rescue Hana from both the Academy and the demons.
It sounds easy, but what are we supposed to do? There’s no concrete plan at all.
Not to mention, we don’t even know where Hana actually is right now.

Yeon Hwa urged, frowning.

“Let’s just get moving regardless. Didn’t you say she went out last night? Staying idle won’t change anything.”

“That’s too ignorant. You think we should just run outside without any idea where Hana might be? Seriously, we’ve got more than enough time to get her on a boat to another country at this rate.”

“Then what do you propose? Should we just sit here and play detective?”

Valentina didn’t reply and fell deep into thought.
Then she asked Shin Woo to confirm.

“Shin Woo, you said Han Si-hyun is also on the search team, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“That means there’s a high chance it’s mostly people from the Academy.”
She declared confidently.

“In that case, there’s a way. Follow me.”

The three headed to the second broadcasting room.

“First of all, it’s empty inside.”
Shin Woo checked through the wall with his ability.
The first broadcasting room always had at least a few people due to class bells and broadcasting duties.

However, the second broadcasting room, being a studio mainly for recordings, often had no one inside except for special occasions like the Principal’s speeches or graduation ceremonies.

“Are we really going to break this?”

“Yes. We need to do it quietly.”

“Got it.”

Shin Woo summoned his light sword and slashed vertically at the doorframe.
The locking mechanism was cleanly cut, and the door opened.

Inside, they saw a studio with a green chroma key background and various filming and broadcasting equipment.

“So what are we going to do here?”

Valentina answered Yeon Hwa’s gruff question.
“We need to find out where Hana is.”

“Is that even possible?”

“Ha-ha. Have you forgotten what my ability is already? Just watch.”

She strode forward and stopped in front of the communication equipment.
Soon, vivid sparks erupted around her.

Valentina’s ability: Electromagnetic Manipulation.
Although in pure firepower, it might be overshadowed by Hong Yeon Hwa’s flames, in terms of versatility, it was overwhelmingly one of the best among all abilities in the Academy.

As she placed her hands on the device, the screen flickered loudly.
And then…

-Static.

“Here it comes…!”

“Shh.”

They began to overhear numerous communications within the Academy.
Most were trivial chats between students or calls between teachers, or administrative contacts.

And finally…
They captured the communications they had been searching for.

-This is the pursuit team. The target is currently fleeing to the left in the city. The sniper is engaged in battle with the demon. Over.

-Confirmed. We will send additional troops in the direction the target is fleeing. Over.

Through the communication, they found out which city Hana was in.
But instead of relief, despair rushed in.

“…It’s too far.”

The distance traveled overnight was certainly not short.
Adding to that, Hana’s location had already been discovered, and the pursuit team was after her.
If they even managed to reach that city, it would probably be too late.

The atmosphere turned icy.
Everyone knew that the situation was the worst, even if not all of them voiced it.

Then the communications continued.

-Preparations for the holy weapon are complete. We will send it to the relevant area shortly. Over.

-Preparing a wide-area teleportation in the Academy’s D-72 zone. Over.

-Confirmed. The holy weapon will be escorted and scheduled to arrive by 11:20 a.m. Over.

Holy weapon?
Whatever that is, the following words couldn’t be overlooked.

If they missed that chance, they would never get another one.
“Where is D-72 zone?”

“Wait a minute. I’ll look it up!”

Valentina immediately ran to the computer and hacked in for information.
And then she saw an underground map of the Academy she had never seen before.

“…I can’t believe there was such a facility underground.”
It felt like something out of a school ghost story.
But that wasn’t the important part right now.

After finding out the location and route of the D-72 zone, the three hurriedly left the broadcasting room.
At 11:20, there were only ten minutes left.
They had to hurry.

They barely arrived.
After nearly being caught several times, they stealthily infiltrated using their perception abilities.
Finally, they caught a breath and regained their composure.

Still, no matter how I think about it, this facility seems a bit off.
Why on earth is there such a large underground facility within the Academy?
And the guards are all armed with firearms.
Moreover, they all seemed to be wearing masks resembling gas masks to hide their faces.
Is this an underground military facility or something?

The three who hid behind the wall quietly exchanged opinions.

“We made it this far, but what next?”

“Shouldn’t we try to use the wide-area teleport?”

“How do you expect to get on? They’re not going to let us on nicely.”

“Shh. Someone’s coming.”

The sound of footsteps echoed.
Shin Woo peeked through the wall with his perception and reported the situation.

“Soldiers are entering inside. At least 20 of them. And in the middle… there’s a girl.”

“A girl?”

What the…?
That’s a completely mismatched combination.
The girl was in the center, surrounded by soldiers, as if they were guarding her.

Flinch.

Was it a misunderstanding…?
I could have sworn our eyes met just now.

I could hear voices from within.

“Thanks for coming.”

“Not at all. When will the teleport start?”

“Five minutes is enough.”

“Really impressive. To move over 20 people at once.”

“Nothing much. Just let your subordinates take a break during that time.”

“Thank you.”

After that, a few soldiers stepped outside for a break.
Some removed their masks and lit cigarettes.

Yeon Hwa smirked as she sneakily observed them.
“I’ve got a pretty good idea. What do you think?”

Valentina couldn’t hide her anxiety as she looked at the three fallen soldiers.
“…Is it really a good idea?”

“What’s the big deal? We didn’t kill anyone.”

“There’s no choice now. The problem is whether we’ll get caught.”

At least it was fortunate that their uniforms were rigid like armor, so it wouldn’t be easy to tell they were girls.

“This is so annoying.”

“My chest is too tight…”

“Just hang in there a bit longer.”

Now that they wore masks, it definitely wouldn’t be evident.
Of course, they’d get caught as soon as they spoke, but if they quietly blended in among the 20 soldiers, they would be fine.

“All troops assemble! We’ll be moving out soon!”

At the voice of a man who appeared to be the commander, the previously scattered soldiers gathered in unison.
The two girls, who finally saw the inside scenery for the first time, were taken aback.
A massive machine was set up.
At first glance, it looked like a gate.
Complex patterns whose meanings they couldn’t decipher were engraved on the floor and ceiling.

“Everyone, get up there!”

The soldiers all climbed onto the machine.
The three followed suit as naturally as they could.

And then…

“What are you doing? Hurry up!”

The girl with lavender hair, giving off a mysterious atmosphere, obediently clambered onto the machine at the commander’s urging.
Somehow, the girl ended up right next to Shin Woo.
To avoid standing out, they made sure not to make eye contact.

Just then, the girl stared intently at Shin Woo and spoke.
“Who are you?”

“……”

Fortunately, since the girl’s voice was quiet, very few soldiers heard her.
Before anyone could voice their suspicions, the machine began to operate.

“Then it seems we’ll start now.”

With the scientist in a white coat stating this, light began to emanate from the machine.
Soon, as the light that filled the D-72 zone vanished, the 20 soldiers and one girl who were atop the machine had completely disappeared.

-Target. Hit by gunfire. Over.

-Fled inside the gate. Over.

-Currently transporting the holy weapon Longinus via teleport. Over.

-A-grade gate. The location of the Great Angel’s hideout will be sealed from this point on. Execute the cross operation. Over.