*

The moment Ga-on cornered Genesis and gritted his teeth, the ship shook violently. This wasn't due to any internal factors. It was too early for the IED to detonate.

Which meant it was an external factor.

Hadn't they seen it on their way here?

There was only one possibility to consider.

Docking.

'Am I too late?'

Sure enough, the engine room itself started to heave. It was already an isolated space. The outer armor, alloy plates, and cables peeling away like onion skins was inevitable.

As this unprecedented shedding occurred, the floor undulated like waves.

Taking advantage of the inevitable gaps that formed, Genesis advanced and swung his plasma cutter.

There was no turning back now.

"No matter how much you babble, nothing has changed!"

Dodging the streaks of light etched in the air, Ga-on used falling equipment from the ceiling as stepping stones to leap up to Genesis's chin.

Then he drove his knee high up.

The movement was as light as if springs had been attached to his feet.

'No...'

This was evidence that something was wrong with the gravity generator. It couldn't be seen as entirely positive.

"Miss Phytoncide, get out of the engine room now. Just closing the door should be fine."

"But what about you?"

"Never mind me, hurry!"

"Getting distracted in front of me?"

With those chilling words, plasma grazed past his forehead.

After confirming the girl had left the engine room, Ga-on swept back his hair. With no one watching, there were no more restraints.

Charging forward ferociously, he grabbed Genesis's forearm and the plasma cutter with his bare hands.

Simultaneously, amid an acrid smell, Ga-on's arm vaporized.

While Genesis inwardly sneered at what seemed like a suicidal act—

Crack.

His eyes widened at the sound that followed.

Being built-in equipment, it naturally had lower durability than the metal armor covering the cyborg body. But that was only in comparison—it wasn't something a human should be able to crush so easily.

"You...?"

"What? Thought you were the only one who'd escaped being human?"

Ga-on's hand, which had seemed permanently lost, had already regenerated.

Without giving Genesis time to process this, Ga-on slipped into his blind spot and pummeled his sides. Not caring even as his fists were crushed.

Thump, thump, thump!

Under the unleashed violence that broke free of its shackles, Genesis's arm bent backward. This wasn't due to yielding to some indescribable strength. From the start, his cybernetic body had no fixed directions.

With ball joints employed, distinguishing front from back was pointless.

Free from the inherent limitations of being human, Genesis persistently tracked Ga-on.

His neck and waist rotating 360 degrees.

Unlike Genesis, who could switch between front and back while standing in place, Ga-on had no choice but to keep changing positions to avoid him.

As time passed, the wasted movement increased, naturally widening the gap between them.

The highlight began when Genesis's elbow started rotating intensely.

Along with it, the plasma cutter began spinning like a propeller.

When Ga-on hesitated at the sight reminiscent of an industrial shredder, a portion of the space passenger ship was torn away.

Boom.

Soon, through the gap, the vast expanse of space revealed its fragments. Facing this sight without any distortion or correction, Ga-on quickly grabbed a nearby pillar rather than stopping to admire it.

Right after, disaster struck the ship's interior. All manner of items were sucked outside.

The natural phenomenon caused by the pressure difference demonstrated a thrilling suction force.

Though it quickly subsided, they couldn't afford to be optimistic.

They were exposed to extreme conditions.

The solar radiation from the sun and the extreme cold that ruled space. And the temperature difference between the two.

While cosmic radiation merciless to living beings and the inability to breathe in a vacuum were fatal, the most threatening factor was the extremely low pressure.

While water's boiling point on Earth was 100 degrees, in space it was 20 degrees.

Human body temperature is 36.5 degrees.

A suitable temperature for boiling.

Regrettably, humans could only survive in space without protection for about a minute.

While this should have been a moment to reflect on the grace of Mother Nature, there was one exception.

That was Genesis.

As a cyborg, he could function in space without protective equipment. His calm stance in the chaos of the engine room was proof of that.

The unspoken time limit approached in seconds.

Being immortal didn't guarantee victory.

Forging a path forward depended entirely on individual will.

'This ends now.'

Having made up his mind, Ga-on tore off the steel beam that had been supporting the tokamak until moments ago.

Estimated length: 6 meters.

A material unrivaled in heat resistance, as it had to withstand the heat generated by the fusion reactor in emergencies.

Perfect for use as a sword to cut through plasma.

*

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

The girl who had fled alone kept muttering. She wanted to help, but it was beyond her abilities. Staying there just to apologize would only be a burden.

Given the situation, she had to at least ensure their sacrifice wasn't in vain.

Just then, she noticed Raymond lying there.

The man who had introduced himself as a space marshal.

Though she'd suspected he might have lied about his identity when he betrayed them, the badge he'd shown was genuine.

'Wait.'

That meant he had a direct line to the Mars Defense Force. It could possibly be used as an emergency contact.

Hurriedly turning Raymond's body over, the girl hacked his device.

"Ah!"

Fortunately, the line was still active.

With Neria, who had been controlling the ship's equipment, presumably dead as well, this was a stroke of luck.

The girl immediately sent a distress signal to the Mars Defense Force and let out a sigh of relief.

The moment she relaxed—

BOOM!

A vibration strong enough to make her bones ache swept through the ship.

"Mister!"

She reflexively pressed her face against the doorway.

Through the periscope, an incredibly fierce battle was unfolding.

A man moving so fast his movements appeared discontinuous, and a cyborg leading blue waves of energy.

The unresolved heat from their confrontation scattered everywhere like sparks.

Though she was a complete novice who had lived her life far removed from martial arts, she could tell their exchange was at an extremely high level.

And that this standoff wouldn't last long.

The engine room was now essentially outer space.

It was only natural that Genesis, being a cyborg, would have an overwhelming advantage.

'No.'

The moment the man took his stance with the steel beam raised, the atmosphere of the entire area changed.

The girl trembled involuntarily, looking down at her raised goosebumps.

This was instinct.

An instinct that nothing could survive what was coming.

What was about to happen?

Her pondering and the man's downward slash with the steel beam happened almost simultaneously.

Though no sound could be heard, the aftermath that followed told everything.

"What..."

She had only blinked once. A moment too brief to even call fleeting.

In that instant, Genesis was bisected.

Had she not watched it from beginning to end, she would have dismissed it as someone's trick.

Most astonishing of all was that the sword strike that had pierced through Genesis had reached the tokamak, ultimately splitting it in half.

Boom.

It was then that the private spacecraft, startled by the unexpected explosion, backed away. From their perspective, it must have seemed like the tokamak had suddenly broken apart.

Of course, even if that hadn't happened, the outcome of their retreat would have been inevitable.

Another vessel was approaching from the distance.

Humanity's greatest and most powerful force.

The Mars Defense Force.

With the arrival of the Mars Defense Force, the private spacecraft was subdued immediately. Needless to say, peace returned to the space passenger ship.

The soldiers who boarded immediately began their follow-up procedures. They questioned the passengers about the incident while tracing the chain of events.

The girl received the most questions.

Having contacted the Mars Defense Force, she answered sincerely and thoroughly.

Yes, including the story that Raymond had sacrificed himself to self-destruct the tokamak.

Though she expected to be pressed hard since it was an obviously fabricated story, surprisingly, the Mars Defense Force seemed to find it plausible and quickly concluded the case.

But as someone who knew the truth, the girl found the aftertaste bitter.

Not only had they made an internal collaborator into a hero, but they had also pushed someone else beneath the surface.

Because of this, even after safely arriving at the spaceport under the Mars Defense Force's escort, the girl couldn't hide her sullen expression.

"If it weren't for your request, I wouldn't have said a word."

"Sorry about that."

Ga-on accepted the girl's complaint impassively.

If he had changed his identity long ago, he would have revealed it. But having just left Earth, with the Millennium Code actively searching for him, this news would inevitably reach their ears before long.

Gambling for a bit of fame wasn't in his nature.

"But are you sure about this?"

"About what?"

"I don't know what you do, but this could help your career. You might even be able to join the Mars Defense Force."

"You say such frightening things so casually."

Ga-on had been a soldier to begin with. One who had been pushed into it by the tides of time.

Having entered such a tearful profession during such tearful times, there was no way he'd have good memories of it.

It held no appeal whatsoever.

"Still, thanks for calling the Mars Defense Force when you did. I was wondering if I'd have to hijack one of their ships."

"That sounds exactly like something you'd do."

The girl stared at Ga-on with cold eyes and shook her head.

When they first met, she thought he was just full of hot air. But after experiencing these events, she knew his words were no exaggeration.

It was amazing that someone like this hadn't become notorious yet.

Ga-on met the girl's gaze and spoke.

"You know it's proper etiquette to pretend you never saw this, right?"

"Don't worry, I'm a lady who keeps a gentleman's secrets."

Ga-on smiled with satisfaction and waved goodbye.

"Take care then, Miss Phytoncide."

"How long are you going to call me that? My name is..."

The girl raised her head in protest, but Ga-on had already disappeared into the crowd.

The words she had wanted to shout at her cold-hearted companion remained stuck in her throat.

Perhaps because so many things had happened in quick succession, she had forgotten one thing.

"Ah."

The girl let out a soft exclamation and touched her forehead.

"I didn't get to ask his name."

Or his contact information and address.

She had wanted to thank him properly at least, but that seemed impossible now.

Miss Phytoncide.

She could almost hear that irritating voice in her ears.

This wasn't fair. So she decided on her own.

"See you later, Mr. Fetish."