Convict Unit: Black Parade

Not long after the bus began its rampage, the wail of sirens filled the air as a patrol car gave chase.

«Attention, bus driver! Slow down and pull over to the shoulder, now!»

The hijackers panicked.

“The cops are on us already!”

“Dammit, how’d they find us so fast?!”

Well, you are blowing through every single traffic light. Of course the cops are going to show up, Ghost and Jae-hee thought in unison, though neither bothered to say it aloud.

As one patrol car closed in, a hijacker stuck his hand out the window and splayed his palm open.

“Eat... this!”

Pop!

The patrol car’s tires burst. The vehicle swerved violently before screeching to a halt on the shoulder. The other hijackers whistled.

“Nice shot!”

“It’s just a D-Rank ability, ‘Balloon Popping.’ But with some training, you can shred a car tire easy enough!”

But it wasn’t just one car.

Sirens erupted from all directions as several more patrol cars converged on them.

“Shit! Get lost, all of you!”

While the Balloon Popper kept up his assault, the hijackers’ leader pressed a knife to the driver’s throat and snarled.

“Floor it! Faster!”

“B-but I’m already at top speed...!”

“We have to get to President San Kim! No matter what! Go faster—!”

“Eeeek!”

A patrol car with blown tires skidded across the road while other vehicles swerved desperately to avoid the careening bus.

The furious midday chase stormed onto an overpass when it happened.

VROOOOM!

A ferocious engine roar split the air as a Ford Mustang surged up from behind and drew level with the bus.

In the open-top convertible sat a handsome, middle-aged man in sunglasses and a blond young man, both staring blankly as the wind whipped their hair.

It was Iron Knight and Archmage.

Their expressions screamed, What the hell are you two doing there?

“Haaa...”

Ghost turned her head away, sighing and clicking her tongue.

“There are few things more awkward than running into people you just said goodbye to on a hijacked bus.”

“I-it’s definitely awkward, but aren’t you also a little glad to see them...?!”

Jae-hee waved enthusiastically through the window.

Just then, Archmage smiled faintly and gestured toward the bus, making a pressing motion with his index finger.

Seeing the signal, Ghost scratched the back of her head and glanced at Jae-hee.

“Guess we have no choice. Listen, kid.”

“Yes?”

“It’s not a mission, but it’s time to get to work.”

Ghost stretched out with a grunt, then tugged her cap down hard, as if it might take off without her.

“Use your ability to get the passengers out of here safely.”

“Uh... but I can’t use my powers with these cuffs on.”

“You’ll be able to soon enough.”

“Huh? How—?”

The next moment.

FLASH!

A bolt of lightning shot from Archmage’s fingertips.

It struck Jae-hee’s and Ghost’s cuffs like a thunderbolt, with perfect accuracy.

The cuffs were neutralized with a fizzle. Their ability-suppressing function died, and Jae-hee felt his power surge back into him.

Ghost was already moving, launching herself forward. “Going in.”

“Yes... Wha—?!”

She lunged at one of the hijackers guarding the rear of the bus, slamming her shoulder into his solar plexus.

“Gagh...!”

The man was launched into the air, tumbling toward the front of the bus.

In one fluid motion, Ghost spun low as another hijacker slashed horizontally. The blade whistled over her head as she swept his feet out from under him.

“Kegh...?!”

He crashed hard onto the floor.

Ghost then twisted his wrist, disarming him. She took the knife and, in a single motion, slashed straight down.

SCREEECH!

Sparks flew as the blade sliced cleanly through the bus floor, cutting the vehicle in two.

The passengers were in the back half; the driver, the hijackers, and Ghost were in the front.

Krrreeeee...!

The rear section of the bus, now without a driver, began to fishtail wildly. The passengers screamed in terror.

“Aaaahhhh!”

“Eaaaaaaah!”

That’s when Jae-hee moved.

WHOOSH!

His world slowed to a crawl as a gale-force gust shot through the cabin.

Moving at supersonic speed, Jae-hee grabbed one passenger under each arm, leaped from the bus, and set them safely on the sidewalk.

In the time it took to blink, all dozen or so passengers were standing safely outside the bus.

Screeech... THUD.

The empty rear half of the bus finally drifted into a guardrail and came to a complete stop.

The passengers, who had been standing there dumbfounded, belatedly bowed toward Jae-hee.

“Th-thank you! Thank you so much!”

“You saved our lives, Mr. Hunter...!”

“No, no, it was nothing...”

Jae-hee couldn’t help but beam as he accepted their gratitude, but then he snapped back to reality.

Looking back at the front half of the bus pulling away, Jae-hee cried out.

“Oh crap, Master!”

***

Griiind...!

The severed edge of the bus scraped against the pavement, showering the road with sparks.

As the vehicle rapidly lost speed, Ghost subdued another hijacker, a clean high kick to the back of his head slamming his face into the floor.

When Ghost turned toward the driver’s seat, the hijackers’ leader was still holding the driver hostage, knife to his throat.

“Don’t come any closer! One more step and...!”

“You should be looking the other way.”

“What?”

As the leader uttered a confused reply, the Mustang shot past the bus, screeching to a halt directly in its path.

“Alrighty.”

The Iron Knight hopped out of the driver’s seat and rolled his neck with a loud crack.

“Brace for impact.”

With both hands stuffed in his coat pockets, he extended the toe of his boot—and caught the oncoming bus with one leg.

KRRRUNCH!

Even though it was only half a bus and was already slowing down, its weight and velocity were still immense.

Yet Iron Knight not only stopped it with a single leg, but his planted foot didn’t so much as budge.

The display of raw power and durability was staggering.

SHI-CHUNK!

Ghost, having already anticipated the impact, sliced the entire driver’s seat free. Hoisting the driver—seat and all—onto her shoulder, she landed gracefully on the ground.

She set down the driver, who was still curled up and trembling in his seat, and then jutted her chin toward Iron Knight.

“Still sturdy as ever, metal geezer,” she remarked dryly.

“And you, rock-poser, still don’t know how to solve a problem without cutting it, eh...?” Iron Knight clicked his tongue as he surveyed the wrecked bus.

“This thing’s expensive, you know. Couldn’t you have thought of another way?”

“Ahem. Well, Archmage gave the signal. I thought he meant he wanted a co-op attack after all this time.”

“Ah! So now it’s my fault?” Archmage chuckled, finally getting out of the passenger seat.

He held one arm up like an orchestra conductor. Long threads of lightning extended from his hand, stretched out like power lines in midair. Dangling from them were the four hijackers, all tangled together.

The men, beaten by Ghost and rattled from the collision, were still disoriented. When Archmage lowered them to the ground, they staggered to their feet and tried to assume combat stances.

“W-we’ll resist to the end. We have to stop the Awakened Protection Act.”

“Our cause will not end here.”

In response, a thunderous roar echoed across the overpass.

“You foolish boys!”

“Huh?!”

The hijackers froze in shock as Iron Knight strode toward them.

Their eyes widened in recognition.

“S-Sir Iron Knight...?”

“Godfather Shin-woo Jo...!”

The Godfather of all Hunters in the Republic of Korea.

The old Hunter revered by every guild like a great uncle, the very symbol of the nation.

Iron Knight, Shin-woo Jo, thundered at the hijackers.

“No matter how noble your cause, if your methods are vile, then your cause becomes vile as well!”

“…”

One by one, the hijackers fell to their knees.

“We were wrong, Godfather.”

“I understand your frustration completely. I don’t agree with the Awakened Protection Act either.”

Iron Knight glanced back at the mangled bus. “But this kind of behavior is for those with nothing left to lose.”

“Godfather...!”

“You are young. You have futures.” Iron Knight nodded at them. “I will find a way to block that bill. So you boys... stop throwing your lives in the trash.”

“…!”

“You trust me, don’t you?”

“Of course, Godfather!”

The sound of sirens grew closer, and a swarm of police cars arrived on the scene.

Moved by Iron Knight’s words, the hijackers surrendered peacefully.

As they were cuffed and led into the patrol cars, Ghost muttered under her breath. “Looks like our trash can is about to get some new arrivals.”

Jae-hee broke into a cold sweat. How am I supposed to greet them if I see them in prison...?

“I’m glad we were able to subdue them before things escalated,” Archmage said with a sigh of relief after speaking with the police. “And it’s a true blessing that no one was hurt. Thank you all for your efforts. As for the bus... it’s a lot cheaper than a human life.”

As if on cue, the bus’s frame twisted with a groan and collapsed further.

Ghost turned her head and pretended not to see. Jae-hee followed his master’s lead and averted his gaze.

Iron Knight grumbled, “Setting a great example.”

“This kind of violent protest, a kidnapping and terror plot, will only strengthen support for the Awakened Protection Act,” Archmage sighed. “Public opinion is already boiling over with calls to restrict the armaments of Hunters and guilds after the recent incidents. Now, with a terror attack on top of it all...”

“No. You have it backward,” Iron Knight said, his voice firm. “It’s because we Hunters could use our power autonomously that we were able to stop these terrorists before the situation got worse.”

“…”

“Once the Awakened Protection Act is passed, the power of every Awakened will be restricted. When a threat like this suddenly appears, when all sorts of villains and monsters exploit the system’s loopholes, how will citizens be able to protect themselves?”

Iron Knight’s and Archmage’s eyes met.

“Are you saying they should just be swept away and die in vain, handcuffed and unable to fight back, Archmage?”

“…”

“You’re a member of the Hunter Association and the leader of the opposition party. Why do you keep talking as if you support that evil law?”

Archmage gave a strained smile. “As a statesman, I am merely considering a better future for the Republic of Korea.”

“At the end of the day, you’re a Hunter before anything else. Why don’t you spend more time considering how to stop that damned law?”

As mere convicts with no stake in the bill, Ghost and Jae-hee just listened blankly.

Iron Knight surveyed the overpass and the wrecked bus, then waved his hand in annoyance. “Ah, whatever. Everyone, get in! I’ll give you all a ride before you get tangled up in something else.”

And so, Iron Knight took the driver’s seat, Archmage the passenger’s, and Ghost and Jae-hee squeezed into the cramped back seat.

Iron Knight turned the key with a flourish, but...

Whirrr... click.

“Huh?”

The Ford Mustang, which had been roaring down the road moments before, was now completely unresponsive.

“Ah.”

Thirty years ago, it had been the latest model. Now, the old pony car had finally given out after the intense chase.

In the awkward silence, Jae-hee looked around nervously before asking in a small voice.

“So... how are we getting home?”