Chapter 44: Into the Gate Break Chaos

“Find out what’s going on, quickly! No—chase them first!”

Chaos.

They couldn’t decide whether to chase us or confirm the gate break, hesitating back and forth.

Just as expected.

Explosions were echoing from all directions as if a war had broken out, and anyone not used to such situations would naturally panic.

Strictly speaking, at this point in time, no one had ever experienced gate breaks on this scale.

Except me.

“Don’t let go of my hand, Jaeyul. Even if it’s hard, hang on just a little longer, okay?”

“Who are you worrying about right now?

Do you think I’m still an elementary school kid…?”

Ah, right.

Jaeyul’s voice, running hand in hand with me, sounded as calm as if we were out for a walk.

He had already manifested and awakened, so there was no way running this much would tire him out.

Seems I was worrying for nothing.

“Are you okay, hyung?

Should we slow down a bit?”

“I-I’m fine…!

Still, it’s dangerous, so keep an eye on our surroundings.”

The closer we got to where the gate break had occurred, the more it resembled hell on earth.

Things like this did happen occasionally, but those were localized incidents at most.

Since monsters pouring out within a radius of tens or hundreds of meters could be suppressed, casualties were usually lower than expected.

But this time was different.

Gate breaks were happening simultaneously in countless places, and the Center’s manpower was nowhere near enough.

Screech! Honk, honk!

People fleeing in cars, people running away on foot—

We were heading in the opposite direction.

Toward the most chaotic and dangerous places possible.

That way, it would be easier to evade pursuit.

If we disappeared quietly after the incident, the pursuers would believe we had been chewed up by monsters.

“Hyung, wait…!”

We were running so hard it felt like my heart might burst out of my throat.

That was when Jaeyul suddenly stopped and yanked on my arm.

KRAAAAH!

With a roar that felt like it would shatter my eardrums, every glass window in the nearby buildings shattered.

Crash, shatter!

To shield Jaeyul from the glass raining down like hail, I pressed him tightly against the wall of a nearby building and lifted the backpack over his head.

“Hyung! It’s dangerous, switch places with me!”

“Shh… stay quiet.

If that monster notices us, it’ll be a pain.”

I quietly watched the monster flapping its wings, smashing buildings, dragging out the people hiding inside, and devouring them whole.

It was a fairly common A-rank flying monster—

A giant avian creature resembling a pterosaur.

“…A pain?”

“Yeah.

It’s fast… and that hide is so thick most attacks won’t even pierce it.”

Judging purely by attack power, it would be more accurate to rank it as B-class.

But its sheer nuisance factor had landed it in A-rank.

It was mercilessly slaughtering people, but I had no intention of helping.

I was barely capable of protecting even one Jaeyul.

“…Let’s move quietly.”

To be honest, my heart wasn’t at ease.

How could the cries and screams of people possibly leave someone unmoved?

But that was as far as it went.

I had no intention of saving them at the cost of Jaeyul and myself getting hurt.

I no longer… wanted to be their fragile hero.

Confirming that the flying monster had resumed its feast, we slowly retreated as if backing away.

If we moved a bit deeper into the chaos, we should be able to completely shake off the Agency’s pursuit.

“Jin Sehyun! Sun Jaeyul!”

But it seemed I had been far too optimistic.

In the end, a human more monstrous than any monster grabbed my ankle.

Screech—!

Yoon Sera’s shouting voice from afar drew attention far too well.

The monster that had been facing the opposite direction turned its gaze toward us.

It would’ve been better if it charged straight at Yoon Sera—

Unfortunately, we were standing in between.

“Haah… is she insane….”

Even if she lacked gate operation experience, this was ridiculous.

How could someone use mana to shout in the middle of a monster-infested area like this…?

Going into a gate with people like that, ten lives wouldn’t be enough.

“Jaeyul, fall back for now.”

“Hyung, wouldn’t it be better if I step in and fight—!”

“No.

You have to hide your abilities as much as possible.

Especially in front of those Agency bastards.”

If those greedy idiots saw Jaeyul’s power too…?

Their eyes would roll back, and they’d do anything to get their hands on him.

Absolutely not.

The child I raised—who do they think they are?!

“And even if that chicken-brain is strong…

I’m stronger.”

I couldn’t honestly say I was confident of victory.

But my compatibility against that monster was excellent.

It was worth trying.

And with Jaeyul beside me, I had no choice anyway.

KIIAAAK!

Still unsatisfied, the monster let out a shrill cry, blood smeared around its beak, and swooped low toward me.

Thankfully, Jaeyul followed my words and retreated to a safe distance.

“What, what are you doing?!

You’re just a guide—what do you think you’re doing here?!

Get back right now, Jin Sehyun!”

Right on cue, the root of this mess—Yoon Sera—arrived.

A monster in front, Yoon Sera behind.

Hard to tell which one I should turn my back on.

“What, isn’t this what you wanted when you shouted like that?”

“Even if someone fights, I’ll do it—so get out of the way!”

She was probably brimming with confidence in her own strength.

Most espers were like that.

Especially those with high offensive power.

Without hesitation, Yoon Sera hurled a massive fireball at the monster.

Boom, hissss….

The blazing red mass flew fiercely, only to fizzle out the moment it touched the monster’s hide.

“…W-What the—?!”

Panicking, Yoon Sera launched successive fire attacks.

They struck its head, torso, and wings, but the effect was minimal.

If anything—

“Stop!

Fire attacks don’t work on that thing!”

KIIAAAK!

She had only enraged it further.

Already ferocious, the monster spread its wings wide with an irritated screech.

Its feet—each claw as long as a human forearm—kicked off the asphalt and charged forward.

The target was… unmistakably me.

Probably because the attacks had come from behind me.

“…f*ck….”

The curse slipped out on its own.

This was something you’d only try to ambush at the right timing—

And now I had to face it head-on.

I lowered my stance and braced myself.

Just once.

Just a single moment would be enough.

I ignored Yoon Sera’s shouting behind me, and Jaeyul’s sticky gaze.

I focused all my attention on the monster before my eyes.

KRAA—KIIAAAK!

Its long strides rapidly closed the distance.

Ten steps, five steps, three steps…

Maintaining its speed, it thrust its long, sharp beak toward me, as if to skewer my body.

Too early or too late wouldn’t do.

I had to catch the perfect timing.

“Hyung!”

The beak was inches away.

At Jaeyul’s urgent cry, I hurled my body sideways.

I rolled several times across the stone pavement before coming to a stop.

Only after confirming I was unharmed did my heart start pounding again.

My body still couldn’t fully keep up with my past combat theory.

It reacted half a beat slower than I intended.

I could’ve actually had my skull pierced by that beak.

“Hyung, are you okay?!

What were you even—!”

“Haah… I’m fine.

But right now, more importantly….”

I pushed myself up and looked toward where the monster had swept past.

It wasn’t over yet.

“S-Save me! Aaaah…!”

Under the monster’s feet—

Was Yoon Sera.

The monster pinned her torso down with one foot, watching her struggle.

Having lost all composure, Yoon Sera fired flames wildly.

Even knowing they had no effect, it was the only attack she had.

“Save you…?

Why would we?

Seems easier to just run while you’re being eaten.”

At my flat refusal, emptiness filled Yoon Sera’s eyes.

Then rage surged, followed by a voice soaked in desperation.

“I-I’ll do whatever you want…!

Just save me first, f*ck!”

She looked nothing like the polite, composed woman she usually pretended to be.

“How am I supposed to believe that…?

Our country’s Center is famous for lying, after all.”

Crunch.

As if playing with a toy, the monster bit down on Yoon Sera’s arm.

Even from several steps away, the sound of bones breaking rang out clearly, and the arm below the bite twisted grotesquely.

“A-Aaah!

I’ll do anything you want, please… hurry!”

What should I do….

Honestly, Yoon Sera dying wouldn’t be the end of it.

The other side was an organization, after all.

Even if she lost an arm or a leg, others might still come after us.

If Yoon Sera sided with us and guaranteed our freedom, that would be the best-case scenario.

We wouldn’t even have to make Jaeyul a fugitive.

“Hyung, wouldn’t it be better to help her?

It’s not a bad offer for us either….”

As expected, Jaeyul was quick to assess the situation.

He’d reached the same conclusion as me.

Even so, I pretended to hesitate for a moment before speaking.

“Haah… can’t be helped.

Keep firing flames and draw that chicken-brain’s attention.”

“B-But if I die—!”

“You’ll die anyway if you just stay there.

If you want to live, do as you’re told.”

Originally, I had planned to kill the monster while it was busy eating Yoon Sera.

But now, it seemed better to target its back while it was strangely fixated on her flames.

As if it thought the fireballs were toys, it couldn’t tear its gaze away despite being showered in flames.

“…Hurry…!

I’m running out of mana….”

Ah, as expected—fire-type espers had trash stamina.

They were strong, but after throwing a few fireballs, they’d collapse from exhaustion.

Yoon Sera was no different.

I carefully moved behind the monster and lightly placed my hand on its lizard-like hide.

Then I poured my mana into it.

I’d never actually tested this on a monster before, but I was confident it would work—

Just like when I healed Poppi before.

And my guess was correct.

KIIAAAARGH! KIIA—!

With a tearing shriek, the monster’s body twisted violently.

Its wings and long neck contorted as if electrocuted, and as I pushed more force in, it finally collapsed to the ground.

Even then, I didn’t stop, continuing to twist its mana.

Its eyeballs burst and blood flowed, its wing bones snapped free—

Only when its faint breathing stopped completely did I pull my hand away.

“…Y-You crazy bastard… what the hell was that….

How can a guide… how…?!”

Clutching her broken arm, Yoon Sera stared at me in shock.

“Why?

I just guided it.”

“If you had that ability, you should’ve saved me earlier!

Jin Sehyun…!

You think I’ll let this go?!”

Haah… why was it always like this?

As expected, people really do change the moment they step in and out of the bathroom.

Snarling viciously, Yoon Sera pulled out a Special Agent-issued phone.

It was clear she intended to ignore even the promise she’d just made.

I was wondering how to deal with this—

“Hyung, over here!”

At Jaeyul’s urgent voice, I immediately turned.

His intuition had been unusually sharp today, and there was no reason not to listen.

Screech—!

And in that instant.

Something massive and pitch-black swept across the ground where I had just been standing.

I couldn’t even clearly identify what kind of fast-moving flying object it was.

SPLASH!

All I could see was Yoon Sera’s body,

With blood gushing upward like a fountain from the spot where her noisy head had been just moments before.