All five hundred passengers, along with the flight attendants, were safe for the time being.
But Michael couldn't get over what had happened on the plane.
First, it was the passenger with the half-blackened eye… then it disappeared. Then it was the pilots.
If he recalled correctly, the controls had blood on them, and one of the pilot's faces was completely mushed. That could only mean he had been forced—his face slammed hard into the controls.
His first suspect had been the other pilot, but he was dead too.
Michael: (thought)Could it be that among those passengers… there was an enemy all along?
Kael: Diego?
Kael's voice cut through the silence, and everyone turned to look at him.
Diego was looking downward. When he lifted his head, he was smiling—and his other eye was blackened, just like the passenger from the plane.
Diego[Dark Knight]: Getting into this boy's head was easier than trying to get into yours.
The boss wants you dead, Oblivion. Now I can see why.
He tilted his head slightly, grin widening.
Diego[Dark Knight]: But the real question is—will you be able to hurt your friend? You can't, can you?
He laughed maniacally.
Diego suddenly disappeared.
By the time they realized where he was, he was already right in front of Kael, ready to punch him. But Kael erased the air behind him, shifting his position away from the now-controlled Diego.
Diego[Dark Knight]: Don't run away now, bastard!
Michael: (thought)Now, I understand. The enemy has some sort of mind-controlling ability. I have a hunch about this enemy's weakness. But how will I find him?
Then he realized something.
Michael walked up to Estridth and whispered into her ear. She handed him her bracelet without hesitation. Michael then ran toward the crowd and told them to keep him busy.
Among those passengers, the enemy was laughing to himself.
Dark Knight: (thought)What a bunch of idiots, he thought. Does that hero really think he'll be able to find me among these hundreds of passengers? Never in a million years. Now, let's finish this quickly.
Diego[Dark Knight]: Now that I have invaded this boy's body, I can freely use his abilities. And I know his secret ability...
He suddenly disappeared once more.
When they spotted him again, he was near a pile of luggage.
Diego[Dark Knight]: It seems like even he doesn't know he had such extremely precise aim.
Taking out several knives, he sneered.
Diego[Dark Knight]: Now, let's see if you can dodge these.
Diego stopped time and threw the knives precisely at Kael. Even within those rough five seconds of stopped time, he managed to throw more than ten knives—an attack that seemed almost unavoidable.
Time resumed.
The knives flew toward Kael at tremendous speed, having been thrown during stopped time. But Charlie sped in front of him and blocked the barrage. Even with her blazing speed, she couldn't deflect every knife, and some managed to hit her.
Kael grew worried, but Charlie spoke calmly.
Charlie: Don't worry about me. Worry about yourself. These are just minor injuries, I can heal them easily. Focus on keeping your distance from him instead.
Diego[Dark Knight]: Hm. Now that you're defending him, I wonder who's protecting those innocent bystanders.
He stopped time once more.
Cold and methodical, he hurled countless knives toward the passengers, counting softly as he did.
Deigo[Dark Knight]: One more second… Zero.
Time resumed.
Seeing the knives flying, Charlie didn't have enough time to reach them—but Leona reacted instantly, creating a barrier that stopped every blade just in time.
The enemy, now panting-
DarkKnight: (thought) Huff… huff… Why do I have to deal with this bullshit? I can't last much longer. I have to end this here and now.
Suddenly, someone grabbed his shoulder from behind.
When he turned, it was Michael.
Staring fiercely at the enemy, Michael spun him around and punched him straight in the stomach, launching him into the air. As the enemy fell back down, Michael unleashed a rapid barrage of punches.
With the enemy taken out, Diego regained control of his body. Realizing what had happened, he apologized to Charlie for hurting her and to everyone else as well. Charlie reassured him, saying they knew it hadn't been his intention to harm anyone.
The enemy groaned.
DarkKnight: H–How did you know where I was?
Michael held up the bracelet, which transformed into a snake.
Michael: I figured from the way Diego talked that your body would be running hot. So I asked Estridth to give me a snake that could detect the highest temperature among the passengers.
Then one of the passengers clapped slowly and said,
DarkKnight: Oh, Freddy… you've still got so much to learn. And you, Strand Cord. I am profoundly impressed by your capability. I suppose this will be the fight of the day for me.
In the next instant, he dashed toward Michael and swung a punch at his face.
Michael barely managed to dodge it, though the blow grazed his fist.
Flamingo: Name's Flamingo. But I go by ShatterStar. I'm just as fast as you—and stronger than normal humans. You might want to start worrying about your face.
Michael instinctively checked his face, only to see parts of it crumble away at a molecular level. Flamingo absorbed the fragments, seamlessly making them part of his own body.
Michael retaliated immediately, throwing a punch—but the area he struck dissolved into molecules on impact. Flamingo absorbed the attack without taking any damage and effortlessly seized Michael's right hand.
What Michael failed to notice was that everything below his waist had already been taken, leaving him unable to fight.
Seeing how dangerous Flamingo was, the team became more cautious.
The first thought that crossed Diego's mind was, If he can turn flesh into molecules, can he do the same to objects?
Remembering Flamingo's precision from earlier, Diego took a knife and hurled it precisely at him. But Flamingo saw it coming and easily dodged.
Flamingo: Such an inferior ability. You can't harm me in any way. Anything you do is USELESS!
He burst into maniacal laughter as Kael and the others felt a creeping sense of hopelessness.
Kael: (thought)I know my ability is dangerous. But seeing his power… I don't think erasing him would work. His body would just turn molecular level and dodge my attacks. Isn't there anything we can do here?
Just as all hope seemed lost, Estridth stepped forward-
Estridth: I know how to defeat you.
———————————————————
Estridth was born into a wealthy family and raised under strict rules imposed by her parents. Gifted with exceptional intelligence, she earned every degree she pursued on her very first attempt. She married the man she loved and had a son—her life almost seemed perfect.
Until her husband was murdered.
Though she was strong in both mind and heart, she did not take his death well. After awakening her powers, she tracked down the culprit. It turned out to be a youngster.
Despite the hatred and rage burning inside her, her maternal nature prevailed. She chose to let the boy go and forgave him.
Her codename, QueenBee, was given by her son. To him, a mother was like the queen of a bee colony—nurturing her family, ensuring their safety, while those around her gathered to protect and support her.
———————————————————
Flamingo stared at her in disbelief.
Flamingo: Huh? What did you just say? "I know how to defeat you?" Don't fuck with me, bitch. S-Class hero, Rank 11—Queen Bee. Those will be the last words before your demise.
In an instant, Flamingo sped past her, tearing out two cube-like chunks of flesh and absorbing them.
Flamingo: Let's see how big your words are without a voice.
Yet Estridth continued speaking.
Estridth: Is that the best you can do?
Flamingo: Impossible… I took away your voice box and windpipe. H-How are you still talking?!
Estridth calmly turned around, revealing her replaced voice box.
Flamingo was still reeling in shock as she removed her hair clip and transformed it into her missing windpipe.
Estridth: Guess it was the right thing to hide my second ability.
Flamingo: (thought)She—she just recreated the part that I stole? What the hell is happening?
Estridth: I don't know if this is fate, but due to the similarity of our abilities, now I know exactly how to counter yours.
Flamingo: I see. To think you would have the exact opposite power—you really do have advantages. But that doesn't change the fact that I'm still stronger than you. Take this!
Flamingo furiously threw a punch at Estridth, but something moved inside his own hand, stopping him mid-strike.
Estridth: Perhaps I should remind you. My ability allows me to turn any object into a living being within fifteen meters of my range. Once you took my larynx and windpipe, they were no longer part of me—nor were they living. They became nothing more than objects. Objects that are now inside your body.
From Flamingo's shoulder, two fish with sharp teeth burst out and swam free.
Estridth: As you can see, they've turned into piranhas.
Flamingo stood frozen in shock, unable to think of what to do next. Estridth gave him one final chance. He could surrender—or they could do this the hard way.
Freddy panicked-
Freddy: Brother! Let's surrender! We're no match for them! Think about me—what happens if you're gone too?!
Flamingo: Shut up! I'll defeat them, with or without you! Hey, Queen Bee—you said we either surrender or do this the hard way, didn't you? Then I'll give you a choice. Save those passengers and kill me, or sacrifice them and capture me. Now choose!
As Flamingo tried to punch the whale and disassemble it, sharks began circling the ocean below—ready to tear into the passengers.
But Estridth didn't flinch.
She remained perfectly calm.
Estridth : You still don't understand, do you? When I told you I knew how to defeat you, my plan had already begun.
As Flamingo tried to disassemble the whale, he failed to notice that its blowhole was positioned dangerously close to him. A massive burst of water erupted, launching Flamingo into the air. When he realized he was about to crash into the ocean, he laughed.
Flamingo: Looks like your plan backfired, Queen Bee! Once I touch the ocean, I'll expand and use it to destroy all of you!
But Estridth simply smiled.
Estridth: I'm not alone in this fight, you know.
Flamingo's eyes widened as he noticed a circular platform made entirely of strings beneath him. When he looked closer, he saw Michael—still alive. Most of his face was gone, yet he continued forming the platform with unwavering focus.
Michael: Charlie! Now's your time! End this—once and for all!
Charlie: I know. You don't have to tell me twice. Leona!
Leona instantly understood. She boosted Charlie, sending her launching forward at immense speed. Charlie landed on Michael's string platform and used it like a trampoline, propelling herself straight toward Flamingo.
What she did next… was insane.
Charlie pulled her fist back and punched Flamingo square in the face—but her hand began to disassemble mid-strike. Flamingo thought he had won when he saw it.
He was wrong.
Charlie wasn't finished.
She steadied herself and unleashed a relentless barrage, over and over. Flamingo couldn't understand why her hands hadn't fully disassembled yet.
The answer lay in Leona's ability. What everyone had overlooked was that Leona's ability didn't only boost strength and speed—it also enhanced durability. Once boosted, their physical bodies became far tougher, allowing them to endure far more damage than usual. In Charlie's case, this meant that Flamingo's disassembling effect slowed significantly, as her increased durability resisted the breakdown while she remained under Leona's boost.
When Charlie finished, she swiftly placed the power-nullifying band onto Flamingo.
The moment his ability was suppressed, all disassembled objects reverted to their original forms.
Michael regained his full body, and the passengers erupted in joy, shouting and chanting, "LONG LIVE THE HEROES!"
The band was placed on Freddy as well, and Michael detained both of them, as their watches were no longer functioning.
By 7:00 a.m., Estridth's albatross had found a cruise ship. The letter was shown to the captain, and after it transformed back, the captain followed the bird and eventually located the passengers. When the cruise arrived, everyone boarded safely.
Estridth, however, did not. She said she was heading elsewhere and assured them she would be fine. The team didn't say much—only thanking her for her help and showing their respect as she departed, carried away by dolphins and disappearing into the distance.