Chapter 111: The Final Stand

Despite the appearance of the anti-Awakened group, neither the Association nor the government made any particular move. In fact, thanks to the anti-Awakened Espers, the devil’s minions were quickly being annihilated, and they seemed to welcome them.

The situation improved, but Taewoon and Sehyun, thinking it would be difficult to eliminate the devil even if they knew its weakness, decided to gather all the light-attribute users for a joint attack.

However, one concerning point was the devil’s speed. Hyun Taewoon and Sehyun could probably hold it down, but for them to fully use their light abilities, another Esper was needed to bind the devil’s feet.

Since there was no suitable Esper to stop the devil’s movements, it was decided to use light abilities on the devil from all directions.

I was listening to the strategy through the earpiece when Sehyun called me on a private channel.

• “Shinui, can you do radiant guiding from the outside like you did at the American gate? We’re planning to make a final blow, and there’s a risk of rampage.”

I hesitated for a moment at his request, but I didn’t want to be the only one hiding in the shelter, trembling with fear, while everyone else was risking their lives to destroy the devil. Besides, the future was changing. Originally, I should have died within a few hours of the gate opening, but I hadn’t.

“I understand. But I’d like you to provide an Esper to protect me.”

“I’ll help you.”

Yeongwon, who was healing an Esper nearby, heard me and spoke up, looking at me.

“Yeongwon, are you sure?”

“Yes. I’m usually the one who creates the government’s protection barriers. I can guarantee their durability.”

Come to think of it, Yeongwon was an S-Class Multi. He seemed like someone who could create a sturdy and solid barrier, and I trusted him more than anyone else.

“Sehyun, Yeongwon said he’ll help.”

• “You can trust Yeongwon. Let me know when you’re settled outside.”

I replied that I would and hurried to prepare to go outside with Yeongwon. As I grabbed my combat suit and energy gun, I felt a stronger resolve than ever before.

When we got outside, guides were guiding the fallen Espers within the outer barrier. If I did radiant guiding, the fallen Espers’ levels would also rise quickly.

“We need to go as high as possible.”

As I said, Yeongwon used spatial movement to take us to the tallest nearby building. The building looked like it could collapse at any moment, but this was no time to worry about that.

“I’ll create a barrier.”

Yeongwon, also sensing the danger, immediately created a barrier. The barrier, about 10 meters in diameter, looked thick and sturdy at a glance.

“This looks like the strongest barrier I’ve ever seen.”

At my words, Yeongwon boasted that he could create the strongest barrier in Korea. I smiled and was about to report the situation to Sehyun, but a wavelength rapidly approaching the barrier stopped me.

Soon, I saw a human figure swiftly approaching us. It was Sung Yohan. He quickly entered the building and greeted me nonchalantly.

“Shinui, it’s been a while.”

“Isn’t that Esper Sung Yohan?”

Yeongwon, who also seemed to know him, asked me with a flustered look. I nodded and asked Sung Yohan, who was outside the barrier.

“Where have you been? If you saw the Devil’s Gate open, you should have come to help right away.”

“Didn’t you miss me? I’m here to settle my debt, anyway.”

I thought it was brazen of him to show up late, but it was better than not coming at all, so I was relieved.

“You know it’s hard to close the gate without me, right? By the way, I need an earpiece.”

Sung Yohan said, looking at Yeongwon next to me. In the end, Yeongwon handed his earpiece to him.

“The gate side looks busy, so I’ll head over there. You can guide me, Shinui.”

As soon as he put the earpiece in his ear, he moved to the gate without even listening to what I had to say. I was both dumbfounded and relieved at the sight. I pulled myself together and said to Yeongwon.

“Let’s get started, too.”

I told Sehyun that I would start radiant guiding. As soon as I heard his reply to go ahead, I clasped my hands and released my wavelength from my body. My wavelength began to sparkle and spread around me. The light gradually expanded its range, distributing my wavelength to the Espers.

My wavelength also connected to Hyun Taewoon. Even though I was connected to hundreds of Espers, my focus and awareness kept shifting to him, as if he were the only one I was connected to.

Hyun Taewoon also seemed to feel the connection, as his wavelength suddenly sharpened.

• “Lee Shinui!”

I heard his voice through the earpiece, but I ignored it. I was concentrating on releasing my wavelength when Yeongwon looked at a certain spot and said.

“Shinui…! Why is the devil coming towards us?”

The devil was flying towards me at high speed, as if it had been waiting for me to come out, or as if it knew I was guiding and wanted to interfere.

The other Espers also seemed to sense that the devil’s target was me and Yeongwon, as I heard them shouting to get away through the earpiece.

There was a double barrier around the building, but the devil penetrated it and came in without using any particular ability.

“Shinui, I’ll move us to another location.”

Yeongwon grabbed my wrist and used spatial movement, moving us from building to building, but each time, the devil persistently followed us.

“I think we’re the devil’s target. Should we go back to the shelter?”

Seeing how easily the devil destroyed the barrier, I thought it was not a good idea to go to the shelter. I was racking my brain, trying to figure out where to go, when in that brief moment, the surroundings became dark, as if shrouded in darkness. Only then did I realize that the devil’s ability was attacking us from all sides.

Yeongwon immediately created layers of barriers, but the devil’s attack sent us flying with the barrier, and we tumbled to the ground.

The devil didn’t miss that moment and unleashed a black flame towards me. In an instant, the surroundings were engulfed in darkness, and a cold yet hot flame tried to burn me. In the moment of impending death, it was Hyun Taewoon, rather than regret, that came to mind.

Hyun Taewoon, who had held my dead body and wailed before my regression… There was something I wanted to ask him.

The moment my eyes reflexively closed, I heard his voice.

“Lee Shinui!”

I felt his wavelength enveloping me. I thought I would be killed by the devil this time, but unlike before my regression, he was protecting me.

When I opened my eyes, the devil’s flame was gone, and Hyun Taewoon was in front of me.

“I told you not to come out!”

He must have used spatial movement, as we were in front of the shelter. I was too shocked from what had just happened to say anything. The fear of almost dying again and the relief of being alive were tangled up in a dizzying mess, consuming my body.

I stood there, frozen, and finally managed to lift my head to look at the building where I had been. Sehyun and the other Espers were holding off the devil.

Hyun Taewoon checked if I was hurt, then tried to send me into the shelter. Just then, Yeongwon flew towards us in a hurry. He must have been hit by the devil’s ability, as the torn parts of his combat suit were scorched black.

“Esper Hyun Taewoon, are you okay?”

Even Yeongwon, who had come to check on me, stopped and asked, his condition so bad that it was clear he was not okay.

Hearing Yeongwon’s words, my mind snapped back to reality. The devil’s flame had pierced through a barrier. There was no way Hyun Taewoon, who had taken the attack for me, could be unscathed.

I tried to collect myself and looked at him closely. His left face and shoulder area were completely blackened. His left eye was so damaged he couldn’t even open it properly, as if he had gone blind.

Hyun Taewoon, a top-tier S-Class Esper, had been hit by the devil’s ability. Because of me, trying to protect me…

My trembling hand reached for his face. His skin was hardened.

“I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

Sehyun, thinking they couldn’t leave the devil as it was, gave orders through the earpiece to completely annihilate it.

I wanted to ask Hyun Taewoon if he was okay, but he entrusted me to Yeongwon and quickly ascended towards the sky.

Following Sehyun’s strategy, Sung Yohan emitted light to create a square structure, trapping the devil inside. The devil used its abilities, but couldn’t get out.

While the devil was immobilized, they began to use light abilities on it from all sides. Hyun Taewoon also unleashed a vast, fire-like red light towards the devil. Then, the devil began to roar. Its white bones had turned black. It truly looked like something that had risen from hell.

A scream that could tear eardrums and a black flame hot enough to blind shot up towards the sky. At the same time, Hyun Taewoon’s red flame rapidly expanded its range, as if to envelop the entire sky, and swallowed the devil’s black flame.

A rampage return alert appeared on my guiding watch. If he continued to use his ability, he would rampage.

My body reacted before my mind. I immediately called him through the earpiece.

“Hyun Taewoon, your rampage alert is on! Stop it!”

• “…”

I hurriedly spoke to him through the earpiece, but he didn’t answer. The flame that shot up to the sky just grew stronger. It was clear he was thinking that if they didn’t kill the devil now, it would be difficult.

“No! You’ll die if you keep this up! Come back quickly!”

• “Shinui.”

Perhaps because he was engulfed in flames or because the earpiece was broken, his voice came through with static.

“Hyun Taewoon, we can kill the devil again after it recovers! We can kill it without you! So return to the shelter quickly!”

• “I’m sorry I couldn’t be with you until the end that day.”

Instead of returning, he suddenly offered an apology. But as soon as I heard his voice, I knew that ‘that day’ meant the day I died at the Devil’s Gate before my regression.

I said it was okay, but the earpiece connection was soon cut off, and a huge flame engulfed the entire city. Espers who could use light began to unleash a brilliant light towards the devil. If it weren’t for the barrier, my body would have been burned to death by the sheer power.

I did radiant guiding, wishing only for Hyun Taewoon not to die. Perhaps because my wavelength was filled with desperation, the dark surroundings became as bright as day with the light from my wavelength.

For a while, I couldn’t even open my eyes properly due to the intense light. As I gradually got used to the light and the surroundings became quiet, the devil was still floating in the sky.

I knew that Hyun Taewoon had failed.

In that moment, a tear rolled down my cheek from my left eye. My legs also gave out, and I collapsed to the ground.

But as if to prove me wrong, the devil’s bones began to shatter into pieces, then crumbled into fine dust and disappeared into the air. The gate also began to close with a roar.

The surroundings were just quiet. As if everyone was dead.

In the midst of it all, I saw Hyun Taewoon, who had lost consciousness, falling towards the ground. I grabbed Yeongwon’s leg and said.

“Hyun, Hyun Taewoon… To Hyun Taewoon…”

The words wouldn’t come out properly. Still, Yeongwon, who understood my words, used spatial movement to take me to where he was falling.

Another Esper was protecting him. I hurried to his side and checked his guiding watch.

His guiding level was at 5%. And it was starting to drop.

If it reached 0%, he would die. I immediately embraced him and started guiding. His face was scorched black beyond recognition, and his facial bones were exposed, so mangled he was unrecognizable. He had faced the devil at the closest range, so the damage was that great.

I hurriedly guided him as tears streamed down my cheeks. If he hadn’t protected me, he wouldn’t have been injured so badly.

“Hyun Taewoon, Taewoon… Open your eyes. Please open your eyes!”

I kept calling him while guiding, but his face was as pale as mine had been before I died.

Yeongwon also used his healing ability on him next to me, but the effect was minimal.

At this rate, I thought he would die, so I took off his combat suit. The devil’s ability seemed to have reached inside the suit as well, as it was scorched black and covered in sores.

Thinking he might be dead, I held him and pressed my ear to his chest. Thankfully, his heart was beating faintly, with a very small sound.

“Don’t die! You can’t die… Please call more healing-type Espers!”

Compared to usual, his guiding level was not rising easily. I forced his mouth open and made mucous membrane contact, but the inside of his mouth was also a mess from the devil’s ability.

People, seeing my abnormally obsessive guiding, tried to pull me away from him, but I squeezed out all my strength and held him tight.

I tasted blood and burnt ash in his mouth. I ignored it and focused on guiding.

But Hyun Taewoon never opened his eyes.