Signs

**Signs** is the sixth episode of Mainstream.

## Synopsis

> *As the aftermath of the Replacer Syndicate incident begins to settle, the world appears to be returning to normal. Meanwhile, Yoo MIna, an employee of Coffin Company, receives an unexpected offer.*
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## Appeareances

* Yoo Mina
* Joo Shiyoon
* Hilde
* Lena
* Sweeper
* Scout
* Terminator
* Stronghold
* Kim Sobin
* Seo Yoon
* Eujin
* Xiao Lin
* Jessica
* Charlie
* Orca
* Nervier
* Lee Sooyoen
* Allen Birmingham
* **Mika ★ Star**
* Ray
* Naielle
* Lucrecia
* Yang Harim
* Han Sorim
* Yen Xing
* Edith
* Janus
* Chloe
* Asmodeus

## Plot

### Act 1

Joo Shiyoon meets with Yoo Mina on top of the Financial Tower building in Old Seoul and tells her that Vice President Lee Sooyeon has some good news for her. As the two aboard the Coffin, Hilde and Lena Mackenzie report that multiple Corrupted Objects are moving towards downtown. Fenrir Squad assemble and move to take of the threat. As they fight, Shiyoon asks Mina why she isn't wearing her new combat suit Sooyeon had given her. Mina says its because her bonus pay will be deduced every time she puts it on and also doesn't want to trouble Hilde for using her Qliphoth Factor, which the suit makes use of. A Category 3 C.O.s soon converge on Fenrir Squad's location, prompting the Administration to call in the Black Tide for help. ALT and Eddie Squads also arrive and lure the C.O.s away to Hilde, who swiftly exterminates the threat. The Corruption Disaster seems to be over until the Demon-type C.O. Nervier, whom the Administration supposedly marked as destroyed, appears before Coffin Company. Hilde orders Lena to fire the cannons upon Nervier, but the Shadow disappears before she is hit. With no more C.O.s in the area, Hilde declares the mission to be a completed.

After mission debrief, Sooyeon reveals to Mina that the latter will be temporarily transferred to the Administration's Counter Academy tomorrow. The decision was made by the CEO, who felt that Mina deserves to have a high school diploma. Mina is grateful but is worried that she won't be able to work for the company and pay her sister's medical bills, but Sooyeon assures her that she can still remained employed and on the payroll as long as she fulfills the mandatory courses.

### Act 2

At the Counter Academy, Mina is trying to find the registrar's office when she bumps into a young boy who guides her there. She meets Allen Birmingham, a professor of Counter tactics, who has read over her files and inquires about a recent gap found in her TASKFORCE record. As she is prohibited from disclosing her involvement in the Replacer Incident for security reasons, Mina answers that she simply wasn't feeling well during that period. Birmingham then asks Mika Star, a Student Council member and aspiring magician, to show Mina around campus and help her undergo a combat simulation test.

Mika takes Mina to the Academy's Combat Simulation Center and puts her through a tutorial-level test. Mina completes the simulation with a perfect score as the boy she met earlier enters the facility to take the simulation as well. The boy introduces himself to Mina as Ray, a longtime senior who hasn't been able to graduate from the Academy because he has yet to pass formal combat training. Ray is a pacifist who dislikes fighting and hasn't even completed the Simulation Center's tutorial stage despite being in his third year. To motivate Ray and help him pass, Mika has him partner up with Mina and go through the hardest simulation available. Mina and Ray are able to pass the test and place second in the simulation rankings, behind Student President Yen Xing Lanchester.

Just as the three are reviewing the results, Naielle Bluesteel, an student who hitherto ranked second (now third) in combat training, and boasts that the simulation center is meant for elites like her. When she brags about how she can plans on taking down Category 3 C.O.s, Mina states that she's already defeated several Category 3's herself and proves her strength by defeating one in Category 3 stage simulation. Unfortunately, the holographic machine malfunctions soon after and starts spawning numerous high-level C.O.s. outside the training area. In order to prevent a catastrophe, Mina is forced to destroy the machine.

Afterwards, Mina reports to Birmingham about the incident. While he isn't entirely pleased with how the situation was handled, Birmingham thanks Mina for keeping the Academy safe and even admits to being impressed with Mina's combat proficiency. As such, he tells her that she'll be participating in real Dive training next week.

### Act 3

The following week, Coffin Company is hunting down Nervier. When she finds the shadow, Hilde observes that Nervier has become a Category 4 Undead-type C.O., meaning that someone or something is actually controlling Nervier's corpse. Corruption ray levels rapidly grow as other dead C.O.s start to reanimate. When communications break down, Hilde is forced to use her Qliphoth Factor on the undead Nervier, but her attack is blocked by the unseen necromancer.

Aboard the Academy's dimensional ship, Yen Xing Lanchester briefs the students on Dive and gives instructions on the training course. Students will be divided into teams and graded on the number and threat level of the C.O.s they kill during the dive; the top scorers will additionally have the combat training requirement for graduation waived. Edith Twins also explains that the training area is protected by the Autonomous Defense System (ADS), which will not only keep drive away unwanted C.O.s but also keep students from leaving the designated area.

Mina, Mika and Ray group together and dub their team "Mina Squad", much to Mina's annoyance. Birmingham finds it surprising that Ray would participate in any form of combat training voluntarily. He talks to Mina about the boy's change in character and deduces that Mina might be the one who'll get Ray to finally come out of his introversion. Mina Squad kills so many C.O.s that the other students complain that they cannot train due to a lack of targets. Because of this, Lanchester intervenes and orders the team to cut down on the killing to give the other students a fair chance. To compensate, she grants them maximum points since they have already reached the passing score.

Elsewhere, Naielle, still bitter from the combat simulation from last week, declares to her teammates that she will hunt down a Category 3 C.O. To begin finding one, she disables the ADS with a tapeworm-like device she got from the Dark Network and leads her team beyond the permitted area. This causes an excess of C.O.s to invade the training ground, prompting the Academy to abort the training session and issue an evacuation order. Lanchester and Mina hold the C.O.s off while the student evacuate until the ADS comes back online. Afterwards, Lanchester notices that the faculty reinforcements have not arrived, and Edith spots Naielle's team outside training grounds through security camera footage. Mina Squad is ordered to bring them back to safety.

Using a portable Corruption ray radar, Naielle eventually tracks down a Category 3 C.O. and starts attacking it, but the creature proves to be too strong for her and her team to handle. Mina swoops in, activates Droma, the combat suit she was issued, and swiftly takes down the C.O. Naielle, angry and jealous of Mina's prowess, runs off to go find another Category 3 C.O. but is knocked out by an attack by Nervier. Mina tells everyone to escape while she engages with the Shadow

### Act 4

C.O.s continue to attack the Academy Ship as the ADS starts to run out of power. Reinforcements still have not arrived, but fortunately Coffin Company, under Sooyeon's direct orders, steps in and joins the fight.

Mika, Ray, and Naielle's team are making their way back to the Academy Ship when C.O.s converge on their location. Ray fights them head on while Mika tries to motivate Naielle, who became depressed over her inability to take down a Category 3 C.O., to assist him. Naielle refuses to do anything, so Mika hypnotizes her back into her normal, arrogant self. Lanchester and Shiyoon arrive as well, and the latter asks where Ray and Mina are. Mika answers that Mina is fighting a Category 4 C.O. but realizes that Ray is missing from their group.

As Mina struggles against the regenerating Nervier, Birmingham and Ray observe their battle from afar. Birmingham asserts that Mina will be defeated if Ray doens't help her, but Ray refuses to follow his orders. Calling himself a failure, Ray cries that he doesn't want to be relied upon, but Birmingham states he is the only one can "free Mina from her destiny and complete her as the sacrifice."

The Droma soon runs out of energy and puts Mina at a major disadvantage. Nervier is about to finish her off when Ray steps in and blocks her attack. Ray then turns to Mina and sends her to a Shadow Palace. Inside, Mina sees the unknown girl she fought back during her first encounter with Na Yubin, who mocks her for allowing Ray to control her mind. When Mina accuses the girl of trying to control her body again, the girl says she's just a fragment of Mina's old memory and asks her to "take her memories" before sending her back to reality. Mina suddenly gains new knowledge and uses it to activate the Wolvesbane's Legacy Mode. She then strikes Nervier, finally killing her for good.

Shiyoon finds Mina and notes that the fighting style she just displayed was reminiscent to that of Hilde's. When he asked if Hilde had taught her it, Mina answers that she learned it from someone else and wonders if it was her sister.

Meanwhile, the necromancer says her farewell to Hilde, calling her "Lost Valkyrie" upon sensing the activation of Wolvesbane. Sooyeon is able to reestablish comms with Hilde to inform her that Mina has destroyed Nervier using her Qliphoth Factor; here, it's also revealed Sooyeon had fabricated the claim that the Droma's expenses are deducted from Mina's pay in order to discourage Mina from activating the Wolvesbane (thus using her Qliphoth Factor). Hilde concludes that Mina's destiny is starting to shift and hangs up. Asmodeus then appears before Hilde and tauntingly warns her that the fate and destiny of the world are inevitable and suggests she make a decision soon.

Following the Dive, Naielle is suspended from the Academy and ordered to do community service for a month.

Mina tells Shiyoon that she can't remember much about the fight with Nervier and wonders if Ray had been there with her. As she hasn't been able to get in touch with him since, Mina plans to confront him about it the next day at the Academy. After Mina leaves to see her sister at the hospital, Ray appears behind Shiyoon and violently attacks him.

## Gallery

Yoo Mina waits atop the building.Shiyoon meets Mina.Mina and Shiyoon talk.The Coffin arrives.ALT Squad comes and aids the Black Tide.Hilde defeats a Category 3 Corrupted Object.Mina activates Wolvesbane with her Qliphoth Factor.Ray appears.Ray is about to kidnap Shiyoon.