***

Leaving Raymond behind, Ga-on rushed through the ship with the girl. Time was of the essence. The moment the ion drive was stolen, hundreds of people would vanish on the spot.

"Mister."

The girl pointed outside with her index finger.

Through the panoramic window, among the countless stars, an unwelcome visitor revealed its massive form.

"...A spaceship?"

It couldn't be the Mars Defense Force. If it were, this whole commotion would have been suppressed immediately.

There was only one possibility left.

"Looks like the ship they called."

Well, considering the size of the ion drive, it was a logical setup. It's not like they could carry it on their backs and run away.

That's when the spaceship, which hadn't moved until just now, began to stir.

A signal that the operation was nearing its end.

Once they docked, there would be no turning back.

"We can't waste time here."

*

As expected, the engine room was already wide open. All connections to the passenger ship had been severed as well. It was practically a separate space now. More cargo than facility at this point.

While watching for threats from all directions, footsteps echoed from beyond the shadows.

"A guest, are we?"

It was Neria—the woman who had been pregnant.

"..."

Their objectives were in direct conflict.

Dialogue was pointless.

Though Ga-on immediately aimed his gun, the trigger wouldn't pull. The auto-lock function had been activated.

He quickly switched to the rifle on his shoulder, but the result was the same. The lock that the girl had disabled had been restored in an instant.

"Did you really think our own equipment would work against us?"

"I'll unlock it. Huh?"

The girl tried to intervene, but the lost control wouldn't return. It must have been modified separately.

This was beyond her abilities as a tuner.

With no time to find another weapon, Ga-on drew his combat knife and kicked off the ground.

An extreme sprint with his center of gravity shifted forward, as if he might fall at any moment.

Reaching Neria's face in an instant, Ga-on swung his combat knife.

Neria tried to analyze the source of such speed—impossible without cybernetic enhancement. However, the device showed only a pristine, blank history.

"What..."

Neria realized a beat too late that Ga-on was natural, but it was already too late. The blade was about to graze her neck.

A critical moment.

At this life-or-death turning point, the victor was—

Ting.

Surprisingly, it was Neria. A third party had intervened at the perfect moment, deflecting the blade.

Ga-on retreated from the suddenly looming figure and let out a bitter laugh. Despite clashing only once, his combat knife had cracked.

Only one person could leave such a powerful impression.

The final passenger born in the cargo hold—

"Genesis."

"So you're the one who's been following us all this time."

"And if I am?"

"That's unfortunate. If you had stayed still, you might have lived a little longer."

"Me, die? Now that's nonsense."

Ga-on sneered.

Though it was a response born from his own grim situation, to Genesis he looked like nothing more than an ignorant fool.

"If you don't believe me, see for yourself. See what happens to those who act out without knowing their place."

As the full-body cyborg's forearm opened, blue light flooded the dark engine room.

The beam of light that started from his forearm advanced mercilessly, slicing through ceiling, walls, and floor.

Ga-on wiped the cold sweat from his cheek after somersaulting out of the attack range.

Cutting through high-temperature, high-pressure discharge.

Genesis's weapon was straightforward.

'A plasma cutter?'

It wasn't even rated for military use. Originally just a tool for welding and processing. Even if weaponized, it would be inferior to firearms in terms of practicality.

But its abnormal output overshadowed all disadvantages.

This was a feat only possible for a cyborg who had replaced their entire body with machinery. He must have even implanted a miniature generator inside his body.

"How zealous of you, you're not even human anymore. What could be worth burning yourself up like this?"

"Even if I told you, humans like you wouldn't understand in a lifetime."

His tone suggested he wasn't human himself.

There seemed to be something behind this, but there was no point in asking.

"Looks like you want to play martyr, but you've got the wrong address."

No matter how deep his reasons ran, it couldn't be justified on the sacrifice of others.

Just as Ga-on gripped his combat knife in reverse and prepared to leap, a scream erupted from behind him.

"Now, now. That's far enough."

"You?"

It was Space Marshal Raymond who had subdued the girl and pressed the gun to her temple. Ga-on couldn't help but freeze at his unexpected betrayal.

But this made one thing clear.

"So you were recruited."

"At least I'm not on your side."

There must have been prior coordination. It defied common sense that such a group could infiltrate without raising any alarms.

Come to think of it, it was contradictory that Ron had mistaken Ga-on for a Space Marshal in the first place. Given the level of equipment he possessed, it shouldn't have been possible to make such a mistake.

But what if it had been planned from the start?

It made sense if it was just a formality performed to break the passengers' morale.

Moreover, Ga-on had fought Ron who was guarding the cabin. How could he have left to roam the ship when he was supposed to be monitoring the passengers?

'There must have been other accomplices besides him.'

The circumstantial evidence was overwhelming.

It was puzzling why the pieces only fell into place now.

Furthermore, when they met on the bridge, Raymond had declared he would go disarm the bomb himself.

Despite being a Space Marshal who should prioritize passenger safety.

Which meant—

"Your claim about going to remove the bombs on the ship was a lie too."

"Thanks to you, I was able to finish what my other colleagues couldn't. I appreciate it."

Just as expected.

It was like handing fish to a cat.

"Being as clever as you are, you must know you have no chance. Just surrender now. I'll at least ensure you die painlessly."

The girl seemed resigned, as if accepting everything. It was understandable. No matter how capable a tuner she was, she couldn't stop a bullet fired at point-blank range.

It was a no-win situation.

But just then—

"Five steps away."

At those soft words, the girl's eyes lit up for a moment. She dropped to her knees reflexively. It was a decision she could make only because she completely trusted her partner's abilities.

Naturally, Ga-on didn't betray that trust. The moment the girl made her move, he threw his combat knife.

Thunk.

Caught off guard, Raymond screamed as the blade pierced his wrist, but he didn't let up his killing intent toward the girl.

But that only lasted a moment.

Leaping like lightning, Ga-on drove his fist into Raymond's abdomen, causing him to cough up bloody foam before expiring.

His limbs going limp was only natural.

After kicking away the gun Raymond had dropped and retrieving it, Ga-on immediately turned the muzzle toward Neria.

Though it had an auto-lock, Ga-on pulled the trigger without hesitation. Just as he had lived up to expectations, he had absolute faith that the girl would do the same.

Bang!

The result was as heard.

However, the bullet aimed at Neria's brow was deflected. Sensing something ominous, Genesis had personally acted as a shield.

That's when the plasma-constructed blade loomed overhead.

After kicking the girl far away, Ga-on rolled in the opposite direction while returning fire.

Genesis deflected the bullets by wielding the plasma like a whip and urged:

"Neria."

"It will take some time."

The firearm issued to the Space Marshal was different from what they had brought. Without prior preparation, they couldn't easily gain the upper hand.

Seeing Neria's hesitation, Ga-on nodded.

"Looks like controlling this one is too much after all."

With his options expanded, he intensified his shooting.

Befitting his position as Space Marshal, Raymond's handgun was a new model. One that used both gunpowder propulsion and an internal battery pack for magnetic acceleration.

However, to Genesis it seemed like meaningless struggling. In the end, it made no difference since no effective hits could be landed.

Just as he raised his arm in frustration, an incident occurred. There was a flash, and Neria collapsed.

"Ah, this works."

Ga-on had aimed for a ricochet.

He had calculated the angle assuming Genesis would be hit. Though it emptied his magazine, it was worth it.

"Ha."

For a moment, Genesis stared blankly down at Neria, unable to speak, then increased his output.

Accordingly, the increasingly distinct plasma mercilessly bisected the cover.

The wall between the two disappeared in an instant.

"Don't think you'll die normally. Whatever you imagine, you'll meet an even uglier end."

"You must have cared a lot about them? Were you two close?"

It wasn't hard to deduce. They had boarded the space liner with Neria in their arms.

"Don't worry though, you'll follow right after."

Bending his knees to lower his stance as much as possible, Ga-on charged forward without taking cover.

His whole body tingled each time the blue streaks of light grazed past, but it was within expectations.

"I'll help you!"

The girl who appeared from behind stretched both hands forward. She figured the tuner's help was needed since they were facing a cyborg.

But to her surprise, Genesis was more skilled at electronic warfare than she had imagined. Using a full-body prosthesis, he completely blocked any entry points, leaving no room for interference.

'No.'

This was different from what the girl knew. The human mind instinctively understood the essence of machinery.

As if it were their original body.

It seemed to be Genesis's unique constitution.

This was definitely a setback.

While the girl stamped her feet in frustration at losing any means of intervention, Ga-on paid no mind. He had decided to end this with his own hands anyway.

Thud.

After deflecting Genesis's plasma cutter-equipped forearm with his elbow, Ga-on pushed forward while spinning his fists like wheels.

But it was impossible to break through thick metal armor with bare hands made of flesh and blood.

Only hollow, dull noises rang out.

"Nothing will change no matter how hard you struggle."

"Seems you haven't learned anything even after your comrade died like that."

Of course, Ga-on wasn't aiming for some eventual chance occurrence. He hadn't been attacking at all. He had merely been pushing back the nearly 500-kilogram mass.

Only then did Genesis trace his footsteps and shudder at the presence he sensed behind him.

It was the tokamak.

The device at the root of all these events.

Yes, regardless of who won or lost, if the tokamak was destroyed, all their efforts would have been in vain.

"Let's be humane and break one of the two."