Three Months Ago – Crimson Veil Base 2
The silence in the hall was thick—dense enough to drown in. No one dared speak. All eyes locked onto the woman at the front.
"A special unit will be chosen for this mission," Haven's voice cut through like a razor. Her eyes were sharp as obsidian, her presence even sharper. "It's a Black Tier op. Estimated survival rate: two percent."
The weight of her words pressed on every chest like a mountain. A ripple of restrained dread ran through the room.
"I will be overseeing this mission… to some extent," she added coldly.
Then came the knife to the gut.
"This mission is, without question, suicidal."
Present Time – Captive Holding Facility, Ming Soo's Location
The night was suffocating. A soldier stood at the edge of a dimly lit perimeter, pointing a gun at a woman cloaked in silence.
"Woman, I'm not saying it again. This is a restricted area," he barked. "No nameless bitch should be here." He stomped toward her, annoyance turning into mockery. "Hey. Do. You. Speak?" he asked, gesturing exaggeratedly, assuming she didn't understand English.
Laughter erupted from his squadmates behind him.
Then—boom.
His head exploded like a ruptured melon, showering gore across Yumi's face.
She hadn't moved visibly, but her strike was so fast the human eye couldn't register it.
The other two soldiers froze, jaws slack with disbelief.
"What the hell—his head just—just exploded," one stammered.
"G-get it together, S10!" the other shouted, panic breaking through his voice. "Shoot her! Shoot the damn monster!"
The two opened fire wildly, driven not by strategy but pure animal fear. Their instincts screamed one thing—kill it before it kills you.
Yumi moved like a ghost in a nightmare, slipping between the bullets as if the air itself bent around her. Each step was surgical, deliberate.
"Sir, what is she?" S10 whispered.
"I don't know, dammit! Just shoot!" his partner hissed, struggling to steady his shaking hands.
In a blink, Yumi appeared in front of him. He froze as if a demon had materialized from hell itself.
"D-demon!" he screamed, losing all control, squeezing the trigger in every direction but hers.
"Sir… g-guh—" S10 collapsed with a wet gargle, a bullet lodged in his throat.
Yumi grinned and rammed her hand through the man's throat, dragging her fingers upward until his skull split. She grabbed what remained of his head and kicked open the door with a sickening crunch.
Outside, a squad of armed soldiers stood ready, forming a blockade.
"Soldiers, do not flinch! This bitch is from Sung!" their commander bellowed. "This is for the world! Open fire!"
"Yes, sir!"
Yumi paused, crimson-streaked and grinning wide. The smile alone made some men hesitate.
"Fire!"
A swarm of bullets howled through the air toward her.
Yumi lifted the corpse in her hand by the neck, using it as a shield. The body shredded under the impact, chunks tearing off like wet paper.
Then, she dropped it—and chaos began.
She tore the collarbones out of the mutilated corpse and lunged. The bones became blades. She carved through eyes, faces, tendons. Soldiers screamed, some writhing on the ground blind, some firing blindly.
Blood sprayed like rain. The air reeked of iron and gunpowder.
Some soldiers kept shooting, hopeless but defiant. Others turned to run.
Then—silence.
Yumi stood, riddled with bullets, motionless.
One soldier gasped, "We got her…"
"Hold your fire! Don't let your guard down!"
Yumi twitched. She giggled—soft, high-pitched, almost childlike.
Then, in a single motion, she tore off her shirt to reveal a red breast-holder beneath, stained and soaked.
Bullets began falling off her skin.
Wounds closed like they'd never existed. Her eyes gleamed with murderous joy.
A soldier dropped his rifle. "W-what the hell is she…"
"Fall back!" S5's voice rang out as he entered the scene. His gaze swept across the carnage—blind, crawling soldiers, walls painted with gore, and Yumi standing at the center like a goddess of slaughter.
Yumi turned her eyes toward him.
"You're late," S5 muttered, stepping closer. "And ruthless."
She inhaled deeply, then exhaled.
The temperature dropped. The air thickened.
A sudden pressure hit the room. Soldiers began clutching their throats, gasping for air. Some screamed. Others shot themselves to escape the invisible grip of death.
It was killing intent made manifest.
A demon's aura.
S5 flinched. A voice in his head whispered—Give up. End it. You're already dead.
He slashed his palm with a knife, blood grounding him to reality.
Yumi approached, each step echoing like thunder in his ears.
"You've got will," she said, smiling wickedly. "That's why you're still breathing."
Her eyes narrowed. "But you humans… you messed with us first. And now I'm fucking pissed."
Her face turned a deep crimson as rage surged through her.
S5's knees buckled. He dropped to the ground.
"Who are you?" he choked.
"Aww, you wanna know the name of the one who kills you?" she cooed, crouching down. "Sorry. A lowly thing like you doesn't even deserve my name."
She held his chin.
"Kill yourself."
A dark fog clouded his mind. The world turned into static. He heard nothing but his own heartbeat—slow, distorted.
Tears streamed down his face. His hand trembled as he raised the pistol to his mouth.
"I… I don't wanna die…"
BANG.
Yumi grinned. "Never gets old."
She turned, face hardened. "Now… where is my Ming Soo?"
Three Months Ago – Crimson Veil Base 2
A different room. A different time.
Four people sat around a table: S2, S3, S5 (Omari), and S6. The air was heavy with unspoken thoughts.
"Hey, Omari," S2 spoke up, "you're really going?"
"I am," Omari said firmly. "And no one's stopping me."
"But your wife… I heard she's pregnant," S2 said gently.
"Klara, stop. Sung burned my village. They took my sister. I came here to find them. And you're telling me to skip this?"
He slammed his fist on the table.
Klara stood. "I just don't want my girl crying over your grave," she muttered, walking out.
"She's not wrong," S3 added, patting Omari on the shoulder. "We've got nothing to go back to… but you do. We envy that."
"I'm still going," Omari said, smiling softly. "Besides, who's gonna stop you if you try to escape to another country, huh?"
"I'm glad you're with us," S3 said as he walked out after Klara.
Omari turned to S6, waiting.
"What? You want a smooch or something? Screw you," S6 grunted and left.
Omari shook his head, a tired grin tugging at his lips. He looked up at the ceiling.
I hope we succeed…
His voice echoed into darkness:
"I'm sorry, Nia… Klara… I couldn't keep my promise."