CHAPTER 175: COLLISION COURSE

The city still wore its wounds.

Crumbling buildings leaned like tired giants along either side of the street, their skeletons of rebar and collapsed concrete casting long shadows in the afternoon sun. Glass littered the sidewalks in fractured glints, and distant tower husks loomed like empty watchmen over the territory’s broken skyline.

But none of that slowed the group moving through its center.

Jisoo skipped effortlessly across the cracked rooftops, the reinforced plates of her Talaria shoes lighting up in bursts of silver-blue every time she vaulted into a new jump. Yujin, half-shifted into something hawk-like, soared lazily above them in wide spirals, eyes scanning for danger. Joon floated just behind her on his usual circular disk of polarized current, riding it with one knee down like a drifting boarder.

The others walked.

Jin kept a measured pace at the front, one hand resting near his belt, the other relaxed. Echo walked just behind him, occasionally whistling or tossing a stone into the air with rhythmic flicks of his wrist. Hanuel trailed beside him, spinning his staff idly like it was just another day on patrol. Areum followed, mostly quiet, fingers brushing the hilts of her twin daggers now and then.

"Gotta say," Echo muttered, kicking a crushed can off the path, "this feels weird. Too quiet."

"Enjoy the peace," Seul said behind him, her voice calm. "You’ll miss it when it’s gone."

"Think Ryu’ll let me spar him this time?" Joon asked aloud, stretching one arm. "Last time I challenged him he told me to come back when my punch didn’t sound like a wet slap."

"Was he wrong?" Yujin called from above.

"I’m pretty sure he laughed for ten straight seconds," Echo added helpfully.

Joon rolled his eyes. "Different build now. I’m twice as ripped and three times as fast."

"Still zero wins," Jisoo said mid-jump.

Joon narrowed his eyes. "Okay. Let’s make it someone else’s turn to get humbled this time."

"I vote Echo," Jin said, deadpan.

Echo gasped. "Betrayed! Betrayed by my own leader."

Seul just sighed, though the edges of her lips twitched faintly.

They moved quickly across broken streets and tilted avenues, making their way through the scarred district. The city’s bones creaked beneath them—the slow hum of reformed system terrain pressing into human ruin. It felt familiar, but uneasy. Like a place half-reclaimed and half-forgotten.

Then Echo slowed.

He turned his head slightly, one ear twitching.

"Wait."

Everyone stopped.

Jin stepped beside him. "What is it?"

"People," Echo said, frowning. "Running."

Hanuel adjusted his grip on the staff. "From where?"

Echo didn’t answer immediately. He just turned his head more. "About a block east. Three—no, four sets of steps. Three fast, one heavier and fading."

Joon frowned. "You sure?"

Before Echo could respond, a voice rang out—not close, but loud. Carried on power, not volume.

"Milky Way Descent!"

The air shifted.

Jin felt it in his teeth—a sudden pressure, like gravity inverting.

"Move!" Seul barked.

The world lit up.

From above, a massive cosmic energy drop slammed down into the street, glowing white with flickers of blue and violet. It wasn’t just light—it was momentum. A collapsing sphere of starlight, arcing through the sky like a miniature comet.

Seul threw her hands forward, her aura bursting outward in a shimmering dome. Graviton Hold expanded just in time as the impact smashed down onto them.

BOOM.

The energy tore into the shield, warping the air around them. Cracks split the pavement. Shattered concrete launched outward. A car husk flipped end over end. Dust swallowed the light.

The three fleeing figures—men in redesigned orange jumpsuits—were caught mid-sprint and hurled forward by the shockwave. They slammed hard into Seul’s barrier, rolling to the ground in dazed heaps just inside the shield’s edge.

Then the light cleared.

And someone dropped.

The impact cratered the cracked street as a figure landed at the center, one foot forward, one arm still sparking with residual energy. He rose, short black hair swept back, sleeves rolled to the elbows, energy rippling off his skin like aftershocks.

His eyes locked on the fallen prisoners—and his voice, still tense, echoed across the dust.

"Got you."

Jin recognized him first.

"Chul."

Chul’s head whipped up.

He froze mid-step.

Then—

"...No. No way." He blinked, taking a hesitant step forward, face paling slightly. "Seul?"

Seul lowered the gravity field slowly, the dome dissolving into harmless motes of gray light. Her eyes met her younger brother’s. Her voice came soft, warm. "Hey, Chul."

Chul’s face twisted, horrified. "I—wait, I didn’t—I didn’t know! Are you okay? I didn’t even see—!"

"I’m fine," she said gently, stepping toward him. "We all are. Your aim’s as dramatic as ever, but you didn’t hit us directly."

Chul looked around at the smoking debris and broken asphalt, then down at his own sparking hand. "God, I really screwed that up."

Echo coughed lightly. "Screwed up with style, though."

Joon nodded, impressed. "You trying to kill them or rewrite the street?"

Chul winced. "I was aiming past them. I swear. I didn’t expect civilians—or, well—you."

Jin stepped forward, brushing dust from his shoulder. "You’ve gotten stronger."

Chul scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Kind of had to. Station’s been a mess lately. They’re not all like these idiots, but we’ve had more runners, more thefts. Fewer people we can trust."

He glanced at the three prisoners, who were groaning but still conscious. One of them tried to crawl away.

Seul raised a hand slightly.

Gravity pulsed.

The man slammed face-first back into the ground with a grunt and didn’t move again.

Chul nodded to her. "Still got it."

"I try."

Jin walked closer, eyes narrowing. "Who are they?"

"Hit one of our officers," Chul said grimly. "Middle of the supply run. Took his gear, knocked him out cold. Probably would’ve died if someone hadn’t found him."

"Any reason you nearly vaporized half a city block chasing them?" Echo asked.

"They were fast," Chul said, unapologetic. "And slippery. They started splitting up. I needed to drop something that’d end the chase, even if they scattered. If you hadn’t been here, I probably would’ve had to track them another mile."

Joon laughed. "You always make things loud, don’t you?"

"Part of the charm," Chul replied, smirking.

Jisoo landed beside them, Talaria wings folding behind her.

"So... this the infamous little brother?"

"Infamous?" Chul blinked.

"You saved everyone," Jisoo said dryly. "So yeah. Infamous."

Seul elbowed him lightly in the ribs. "Ignore them. You’ve gotten strong. Really strong."

Chul’s ears tinted slightly red. "Thanks. You too. That shield’s no joke."

She nodded, proud.

Jin looked around, eyeing the path forward. "We’re close to the station?"

Chul nodded. "Other side of the rail trench. You’re headed there?"

Jin met his eyes directly. "We’re not just visiting."

"Then," Chul said, straightening fully, "you’re gonna want to talk to Ryu."

"We plan to."

"Good." Chul gestured toward the direction he came from. "C’mon. I’ll guide you back. You’re just in time, honestly."

"For what?" Hanuel asked.

Chul grinned, eyes lighting with something between challenge and thrill.

"To see how far everyone’s come."

The tension eased, but the crackling energy still hung faintly in the air.

Jin glanced at the three men groaning on the pavement, half-conscious and sprawled in awkward piles of orange cloth and dust. One of them let out a low groan, trying to crawl again.

Jin exhaled. "Right. Almost forgot."

He nodded toward them. "We’ll need to bring those three with us. They’re your prisoners, Chul."

Chul’s expression sharpened again, as if reality rushed back to the forefront. "Right. Thanks for the reminder."

Before anyone could argue logistics, Seul raised her hand.

The air grew heavier—just slightly. The groaning men lifted from the ground, their bodies suspended in the air like puppets on invisible strings.

They didn’t resist. Whatever fight they’d had earlier was gone.

"I’ll keep them hovering until we reach the gate," Seul said.

"Efficient," Echo muttered, watching one of them spin gently like a slow fan blade. "Creepy. But efficient."

With Chul leading the way, they moved out. Joon floated along on his disk again, humming some half-remembered tune. Yujin glided above in her half-shifted form, wings spread lazily. Jisoo hopped from one ledge to another with light bursts from her feet. The rest walked, the city beginning to rise and shift around them.

And that was when Jin noticed it.

"This wasn’t like this before."

They turned the final corner that led toward the station’s central territory—and the transformation was immediate.

Before, the station had been surrounded by twisted buildings and crumbling infrastructure. A mix of scavenged system terrain and what human construction had managed to hold on. Now?

The entire area had changed.

Barricades made of condensed system stone lined the outer perimeter. Towers rose in clean angles, reinforced with glowing bands of defensive energy. Several drone-like sentries hovered quietly overhead, each with a shimmering red dot scanning the air. The streets were clearer, more functional, paved over and restructured. You could see training zones in the open courtyards, defensive arrays set into nearby walls, and civilians moving in coordinated groups.

"This is... not what I expected," Jisoo murmured.

Chul grinned. "We’ve been busy."

Echo gave a low whistle. "This place got an upgrade."

Joon leaned off his disk slightly. "Think they’d let me borrow one of those hover-sentinels? Just for an hour."

"No," Seul and Yujin said at once.

As they passed the final barrier checkpoint—no resistance thanks to Chul’s presence—a familiar voice rang out from above.

"Still making entrances without calling ahead, huh?"

Jin looked up.

The voice was the same—relaxed, grounded—but what followed was pure force.

A figure dropped from one of the high ledges above the main square, landing hard enough to crack the tiled pavement beneath him. Not enough to damage—just enough to mark his arrival.

Ryu stood up from the crouch, brushing dust from his jacket.

Still tall. Still stocky. Still built like someone who bench-pressed monsters for fun and slept with his eyes open.

His eyes scanned the group quickly. They paused on Jin, Seul, Joon, then Echo—and the grin spread like a wildfire.

"No way," he said.

Jin took a slow step forward.

"Ryu."

And then they were moving.

Ryu wrapped one massive arm around Jin’s shoulder, half-lifting him off the ground in a brief, crushing hug. He clapped Joon on the back hard enough to make him wince, gave Echo a messy headlock for just a second, and nudged Seul in the shoulder.

She offered a quiet smile. "Nice to see you too."

"Didn’t think you guys would come back here," Ryu said, stepping back and taking them all in again. "You’re taller."

"That’s what happens in a month," Joon muttered, rubbing his shoulder. "People grow."

"No, I meant Jin." Ryu narrowed his eyes. "He’s taller and looks moodier."

"Growth," Jin deadpanned.

Ryu barked a laugh. "Still got the dry humor. Good. Would’ve missed that."

His attention shifted to the others in the group.

Eyes moved to Yujin, Areum, Hanuel, and Jisoo.

"New faces?"

"Our core team," Jin said simply.

Ryu gave a low whistle. "Well, you all look like you could level a building, so I’m guessing you’re more than decoration."

"Depends on the building," Jisoo said, flipping a coin from her inventory.

Hanuel stepped forward. "I’m Hanuel."

"I remember you from the report I got from the time my guys helped you out with that boss. Shadow techniques?"

"Evolved since then."

Ryu gave him an approving nod.

"You’ll like this one," Echo added. "Kid nearly knocked Jin out this morning."

"You’re joking." Ryu blinked at Jin. "You?"

"It was close," Jin admitted.

"Not that close," Hanuel muttered, looking slightly embarrassed.

Ryu grunted, then looked up at the floating prisoners still drifting like upside-down balloons.

"Friends of yours?"

"Friends of ours," Chul answered. "They’re the ones that jumped one of our officers and take his stuff."

"Idiots," Ryu muttered. "Good. We’ll hold them."

He turned, motioning for them to follow. "Come on. Let’s get inside. We’ve got rooms open, hot food, and more stories to swap than we’ve got chairs."

Jin let himself smile—just a little.

They were here.

And everything was just getting started.