Chapter 149: When Hope Strikes Back

“…No way….”

This is bad.

Why was I so sure that ‘X’ had become weaker than before?

Just because his attacks seemed less powerful than in the past didn’t necessarily mean he’d lost strength.

As if mocking my careless assumption, ‘X’ unleashed an attack just like before—no, one far stronger than anything we’d seen.

Should I tell the suppression force to stop their attack, even now?

If we did, at least some of the remaining agents might survive.

But would anyone even listen to me?

Or should I at least get Jaeyul and our team members out of here…?

But then what about Poppy…?

I never thought of myself as indecisive, but right now, making any decision felt impossible.

That was how shocking the scene before us was.

The suppression force, who had been charging toward ‘X’, froze like a paused screen.

No one could see someone with power reminiscent of an absolute being and not fall into panic.

Some agents might already be trying to flee, anticipating defeat.

That, too, would be a natural reaction.

“Is that all he’s got?

Pretty simple, honestly.”

Amid everyone’s shock, there was one person who remained calm.

Jaeyul—someone who possessed abilities similar to ‘X’.

He spoke as if the earlier attack was nothing worth mentioning.

“I can pull off tricks like that whenever I want.”

No matter how similar his abilities were, the difference in experience mattered.

Even if their raw power was on the same level, ‘X’ had fought countless battles for far longer.

Surpassing someone like that wouldn’t be easy.

I wondered if Jaeyul was joking just to ease our tension.

That was when light began to condense in the air.

Each time the small cluster of light spun like a vortex, the sphere grew larger.

The Light Bomb swelled at a terrifying speed, quickly filling the entire sky within my field of vision.

“Damn… there’s another monster here too….”

Ah….

Looks like I jumped to conclusions again.

Without showing even a hint of strain, Jaeyul created a massive Light Bomb.

Though I couldn’t see clearly, all eyes in the suppression force were surely fixed on it as well.

“A monster?

Then that makes you a monster-raising mentor, team leader.”

He even had the composure to crack a joke.

Was ‘X’, hidden behind the Light Bomb, watching this unfold?

Did he find Jaeyul impressive—or merely laughable?

“Let’s see what you can really do.”

Unlike ‘X’’s Light Bomb attack, Jaeyul’s shot straight upward.

A pillar of light stretched so high it looked like it might pierce the heavens.

Just as I wondered what he was planning, beams of light began raining down directly above ‘X’.

With a deep, vibrating hum, ‘X’ was swallowed by the pillar of light.

There was no deafening noise, yet the pressure was overwhelming beyond imagination.

So Jaeyul possessed this much power….

It was far stronger than I had expected.

Before I could even calm down from witnessing ‘X’’s power, Jaeyul’s attack stunned me all over again.

The descending pillar of light looked like divine punishment itself.

Given its enormous size, the light continued pouring down for quite some time.

That was when hope began to bloom, little by little.

In a moment of utter despair, a faint ray of hope had appeared.

It wasn’t just me—everyone watching must have felt the same.

“Ah… shame.

Thought I’d finish him in one shot.”

When Jaeyul’s Light Bomb attack ended, the scene before us had changed.

The aerial monster ‘X’ had been riding was gone.

A pitch-black crater gaped in the ground where he’d once hovered.

And a short distance away, we could finally spot ‘X’ himself.

Just as Jaeyul said, ‘X’ wasn’t dead.

But that didn’t mean he was fine either.

He was on one knee, clearly having taken significant damage.

Still… that thing really was a monster.

Surviving an attack like that.

“Still, it looks like he took real damage.

I’ve never seen him collapse like that before.”

The sight was unfamiliar—something I’d never witnessed through countless battles.

And this attack carried even greater meaning.

It proved to everyone that ‘X’ wasn’t immortal, nor was he an invincible force beyond defeat.

“See?

I told you not to worry.

I can’t guarantee we’ll win, but at least we won’t lose helplessly.

He’s human too, so he can die.”

Jaeyul’s intent seemed to have landed.

Some members of the suppression force, who had been murmuring anxiously, began to move again.

One person’s strength might be small, but if enough attacks were launched at once, ‘X’ could be defeated.

“Then shall we start moving quietly too?”

“In a monster fight like this, what am I even supposed to do…?

Feels pathetic.

Still, if I stick with the youngest, I probably won’t die without a trace.

Let’s go!”

I greeted the team members joining the battlefield with a nod instead of words.

Please—let everyone come back unharmed.

“I’ll be back.”

Jaeyul pulled me into a quick hug, then kicked off the ground and sprinted forward.

The short farewell felt painfully insufficient.

Leaving as casually as if he were heading out for a walk….

I know he did it on purpose so I wouldn’t worry, but it didn’t help much.

Today, I really regret not having awakened as an Esper.

I can’t even stand by Jaeyul’s side as he runs toward his death.

Honestly, when I saw Jaeyul land that blow on ‘X’, I thought we might actually win.

I didn’t get overly excited, but I believed the possibility was there.

With so many Espers attacking from all sides, gaps were bound to form.

Rescuing Poppy would become much easier.

Zii—zzzt—.

But once the battle truly began, that hope collapsed in an instant.

The crackling footage sent by the drone cameras showed only one thing—our side dying.

As soon as the Espers approached within a certain distance, ‘X’ summoned a legion of monsters, completely surrounding the outer perimeter of the suppression force.

‘X’ in front.

A sea of black monsters behind.

No matter how many we killed, they kept pouring in endlessly.

Retreat wasn’t even an option.

And if anyone tried to approach ‘X’, a Light Bomb would erase them without a trace.

“How can they die so helplessly like that…?!

Then what happens to us now?!”

Everyone watching wore faces of utter despair.

This wasn’t a close fight—it was a one-sided slaughter.

What encouragement could anyone offer while witnessing something like this?

I was just as shaken.

I’d believed that attacking from all sides might work, but the suppression force couldn’t even get close.

They were swallowed by light and erased.

It wasn’t a battle.

It was a massacre.

“Shouldn’t we run?

Even now?”

“Run where?

If we fall back here, it’s all over.”

“But we can’t just die like this!

We have to escape—anywhere!”

If the Espers all died, ordinary people would soon follow.

They were humanity’s final shield.

And with that shield breaking apart, the end was right before our eyes.

“No way…

How can this be happening….”

Perhaps realizing this was the end, the staff at the support center reacted in various ways.

Some hurried off somewhere.

Others slumped against the wall, eyes empty, having given up entirely.

Some even wept and prayed, searching for a god in the midst of chaos.

It was absolute despair.

Not even the faintest hope remained.

And yet… something bothered me.

It might have been a delusion, but ‘X’ looked strange to me.

As if he were deliberately stalling—waiting for something.

Despite his overwhelming power, he didn’t attack unless the suppression force entered a certain range.

The monsters were the same.

They blocked retreat but didn’t aggressively tear into the formation.

Of course, with more than half the Espers already dead, this was likely just wishful thinking.

Maybe he was simply enjoying watching them tremble in fear.

Still, one thing was certain.

‘X’ wasn’t fighting at full power.

Because of that, I couldn’t shake the feeling that our team—and Jaeyul—might still be alive.

Thankfully, my guess wasn’t entirely wrong.

Just as defeat seemed inevitable and everyone had accepted it, an unexpected turn occurred.

“Th-there!

Look over there!”

At someone’s urgent shout, everyone turned toward the battle feed.

So did I.

A strangely shaped sphere surged toward ‘X’ from within the suppression force.

Its bizarre appearance made it hard to identify, but I knew immediately what it was.

“Those crazy bastards….”

Jaeyul’s Light Bomb barrier.

Song Jihan’s wind-type wall.

Yueden’s earth-type rampart.

And Team Leader Oh Seong-gyu’s electric shield.

A sphere formed by combining every one of our team’s abilities.

How did they even come up with that?

It was reckless yet creative, crude yet born from desperate calculation.

If their powers truly merged into one, they could withstand a Light Bomb.

They’d done it before—with just Jihan and Jaeyul’s barriers.

Naturally, ‘X’ didn’t sit idle.

He fired a Light Bomb, but it couldn’t break the shield—or even slow it down.

His attack was nothing more than useless illumination.

“What is that?

Are they on our side?

W-who are they?!”

People stared at the screen in stunned silence.

They could see what was happening, yet couldn’t fully process it.

A miracle had occurred at the moment of absolute defeat.

I was no different.

I had no idea what they were thinking, attempting something so dangerous.

Even getting that close was madness….

“It—it split!”

The shielded sphere divided into two as it neared ‘X’.

The larger half sharply changed direction, speeding away from him even faster.

The other transformed into a flash of light, charging straight toward ‘X’.

At the same time, brilliant light bloomed around him.

That flash—it had to be Jaeyul.

Which one was it?

Was that final light Jaeyul’s attack—or ‘X’’s?

For a split second, dread seized my mind.

What if the reckless strike had failed?

What if, like me in the past, Jaeyul couldn’t overcome that towering wall?

If the attack failed—and something worse happened….

The thought was terrifying.

Every awful possibility twisted my chest tighter and tighter.

No matter how I tried to reassure myself, the anxiety wouldn’t fade.

The light surrounding the two figures slowly began to shrink.

I wanted to know the result—yet part of me wanted to shut my eyes.

Clenching my teeth into my lip, I forced myself to keep watching.

Then, as the light vanished, the screen revealed the two figures.

“Jaeyul….”

Jaeyul stood upright, uninjured.

Beside him, ‘X’ collapsed to the ground, a massive wound carved into his side.

Only now could I finally breathe again.

I wanted to shout, to cheer, to call Jaeyul’s name at the top of my lungs.

But it wasn’t over yet.

On screen, Jaeyul began walking toward ‘X’.

It looked like he meant to finish it.

“…Huh?”

Then something no one expected happened.

Poppy suddenly burst out, swallowed ‘X’, and fled at incredible speed.

What the hell was that…?

The broadcast zoomed in on Jaeyul’s clenched, furious expression.

It was undeniably his victory.

But that bastard Poppy….

Haah….

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