Deus Didymus: Sunder

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Ms. Shen pursed her lips. She drew mental lines across the map creating plan after plan in hopes of finding one that could minimize casualties.

"They're going to launch an attack soon," Ms. Shen murmured.

Choongmin turned to the woman wide eyed, "What do you mean?"

"If you look at their attack patterns--based off the sequence you gave me--they're attacking in an unorthodox order: Small town, small town, major town, small town, major town, major town. They're trying to make you find a method to what they're doing before attacking here."

"There were reports of Yiren and her group east of the town," Soyeon interjected, "They'd have to pass through multiple of our checkpoints to get here--which they haven't yet. You claim they're going to attack soon, but it would take them at least three days to get here through the terrain."

"Who said it had to be her?" Ms. Shen questioned, "Wonyoung, check this place."

Ms. Jang nodded, blinking. Silence settled while the oracle shifted through time. For all but Ms. Shen, this was their first time seeing IZLand's most powerful asset at work.

Suddenly, the rabbit's glowing eyes lost their luminosity.

"Five targeting the windows!!"

Soyeon grabbed onto her CEO, jumping away from the glass panes. As the prophet claimed, five bodies crashed through the window--each marked with crests Ms. Jang knew all too well.

"S-Rank Dunam assassins!!" She shouted, "Get back!!! They're from the same group of people sent to assassinate Oppa during the incident!"

Ms. Shen scanned the five assailants, taking a deep breath, clearing her head. Everything around her slowed down--as if time had stopped.

He told you how to do it. Read their signatures. Break down who they are.

The static woman closed her eyes. In her blackened vision, thirteen cores stood in the stead of each person.

Focus.

In the heads of those like Ms. Jang, Hyeongjun, and Minnie, a smooth sphere of light rotated in place. Burning in the abdomens of herself, the two guards at the entrance, and the five assailants, fires of differing magnitudes flickered. Compared to Ms. Shen's open campfire, the three assailants comprised five different slightly smaller campfires. At the entrance, the guards appeared as lighters in the face of the combatants

They're all yang users--strong ones at that. Can I really do this? Can I live up to what you were, Ji Hoon...?

Ms. Shen called back to the first time she could sense energy. The overwhelming sensory overload she felt from every living being around her. Leading this change, Mr. Park stood proudly in front of the woman.

Unlike everything around him, Mr. Park didn't have anything in either his core or his head. Instead, an unquantifiable mass of both yin's order and yang's chaos rested in his chest--mixing into something completely different--unlike what she assumed yin-yang to be.

It wasn't yin, yang, nor yin-yang. The power in Mr. Park felt alien to Ms. Shen--almost divine.

"Can you feel it?" Mr. Park grinned, "Normally I appear as if I didn't have any energy. But if I touch you with it, suddenly you can sense it."

You always stood out despite not wanting to. Everything about you was different. From when you were the scrawny kid that saved the academy to your last moments here, you alone were the honored one.

For once, I felt like I had someone around me who could keep up. I had the little brother I always wanted.

Ms. Shen opened her eyes, exhaling a deep breath that hissed between her teeth.