Chapter 46: The Choice That Cuts Deeper

When Jaeyul called out to me, my heart grew heavy.

Hearing his voice, screaming my name as if in desperation, made me want to follow his words.

But there are things one wants to do, and things one must do.

If there is a choice between the two, what must be done comes first.

I swore that I would never again risk my life fighting for other people, for this damned country of ours—

but for Jaeyul… I could do it.

“Stay back and wait! When I give the signal, attack together!”

That didn’t mean I wanted to die.

While protecting Jaeyul, I intended to survive as well, no matter what.

It was a completely different mindset from the past, when I thought sacrificing myself was acceptable if it meant saving everyone.

And this time, I wasn’t alone.

I had Jaeyul and Poppy as reinforcements—more than enough help in a real crisis.

Ki, kirr… rrr….

Kicking off Poppy’s back, I leapt into the air and landed on the creature’s shoulder—

or rather, it wasn’t human, so it didn’t really have shoulders,

but somewhere roughly around that area.

I grabbed the black body with both hands as hard as I could.

I already knew its weakness.

It was nearly perfectly immune to physical attacks.

Even body-enhancement–type attacks couldn’t deal any real damage.

The only things that worked were fire- or electricity-based abilities.

Among those, black flames had been the most effective.

But I couldn’t use black flames right now,

so knowing its weakness was practically meaningless.

“Hah… I didn’t think I’d see you twice. Seriously…

You’re not an ex-boyfriend, so why are you clinging like this?”

I took a deep breath and focused mana into the palm gripping the creature.

If I got pierced by one of the tentacles that could suddenly burst out from beneath its cloak, it would be over instantly.

Before that happened, I had to quickly assess its condition.

By sending my mana threads into Reaper’s body, I could roughly grasp its characteristics.

It definitely had a structure on an entirely different level from ordinary monsters.

Almost nothing could be read clearly.

But that also meant—

as long as there was something there, I could use my ability.

Just as expected, I found mana threads tangled together like a spider’s web.

I immediately twisted its mana into chaos.

Kkirik, kkiiiit!

It worked.

As the creature let out a bizarre shriek and went into convulsions,

I held on even tighter and pushed my power further.

“What— why is the mana like this…! Ugh, ngh…!”

But it only lasted a moment.

The force pushing back against me grew even stronger.

The more I pressed, the more Reaper’s mana swelled to a terrifying level and resisted me.

To make matters worse—

with a sharp whooshing sound cutting through the air,

several tentacles shot out from beneath Reaper’s cloak and lashed wildly at the surroundings.

“Jaeyul!”

I shouted for him urgently.

With Reaper’s focus disrupted, this was exactly the moment when Jaeyul’s ability was needed.

As if he had never taken his eyes off me,

Jaeyul—who had been watching nearby—met my gaze instantly.

An attack from Jaeyul would undoubtedly deal a fatal blow to Reaper.

“Now, attack! Anywhere else won’t work—

aim for the face, the face! Shoot the light sphere there!”

If he just controlled his power properly,

we could finish Reaper in one strike.

I had tried to avoid using Jaeyul’s ability as much as possible,

but since no one was watching right now, it should be fine.

“Seon Jaeyul!”

But something was wrong.

Jaeyul had clearly heard my voice,

yet he stood frozen, his expression stiff, unable to move.

Poppy was racing around frantically,

keeping Reaper’s tentacles from turning toward either Jaeyul or me.

At my urging, a Light Bomb finally formed in Jaeyul’s palm.

But it was completely different from the ones I had seen before.

It was badly distorted, its shape unstable, its light dull and unfocused.

Jaeyul’s condition, his technique—

everything about it made him look like an Esper panicking in the middle of combat.

“…Hyung… move away. I can’t shoot like this!

If I fire now… I absolutely can’t!”

Ah… so it wasn’t my imagination.

Jaeyul’s voice trembled with agitation.

Because of his emotional turmoil, his ability itself couldn’t be properly manifested.

“If I let go, Reaper could move anywhere!

Just shoot! You can do it!”

That was the terrifying thing about Reaper.

It could move at high speed, almost like teleportation.

That ability couldn’t be used while it was in contact with someone,

which was why I couldn’t let go.

The moment I stopped twisting its mana,

Jaeyul, Poppy, and I could all be hunted down in an instant.

Shooo—! Bang, kwaang! Bang!

Jaeyul finally fired the Light Bombs.

But not a single one hit.

It would’ve been one thing if they were close,

but they flew far off, completely missing the target.

Even though Reaper was practically motionless.

“…It won’t do what I want!

Why… why the hell…!”

Jaeyul was just as frustrated as I was.

He even swore—something rare for him—venting his anger at the attacks that refused to obey him.

This was… my fault for overestimating him.

An Esper with no proper training reacting like this was only natural.

I had simply projected the past “X” onto Jaeyul,

assuming he could obviously do this much.

That misjudgment was mine.

“Kraaang!”

Damn it.

The number of tentacles had increased to over a dozen,

and one of them pierced straight through Poppy’s body as he fought alone.

Thankfully, he bit through the tentacle before his blood could be drained, avoiding a fatal wound—

but he was clearly not in good condition.

Because of that, the now-uncontrolled tentacles began flying toward me instead.

Ki, kiririk, rik, rik—.

A scraping, nail-on-metal–like laughter hammered against my eardrums.

With my current ability,

all I could manage was slowing Reaper’s movements slightly.

If only—just a little—if my power were stronger,

I might be able to completely twist its mana and cut off its lifeline.

But that tiny lack, that slight insufficiency…

“Ghk!”

A searing pain pierced through my back.

Judging by the fact it didn’t burst out through my abdomen,

a tentacle had embedded itself in my body.

I could feel it clearly.

Something inside me was being sucked out relentlessly.

Strength drained from my limbs,

and my body, skewered by the tentacle, lifted into the air.

“H-Hyung!”

Even then, Jaeyul kept firing Light Bombs.

But Reaper was smarter than I expected.

It pulled me in front of its face, using me as a shield.

As it did, it drank my blood, restoring its strength.

Ah, this is bad.

I had to think of something, somehow—

but I couldn’t move even a finger,

and my consciousness was starting to fade.

Jaeyul’s panicked face, firing Light Bombs while staring at me,

grew blurrier and blurrier.

“…Run… run away… ghk, Jaeyul.”

So… this scene again.

A man’s face seen through dimming vision, my body pierced, consciousness slipping away.

Back then, it was “X.”

This time, it was Jaeyul.

No… in the end, it’s the same face.

Is this… how it ends again?

Am I failing once more?

Bzzzzzt! Boom!

Huh…?

I didn’t know what had happened.

Suddenly my body shot upward,

and the rapidly draining stamina inside me stalled for a moment.

Then I crashed down to the ground, pain exploding through my entire body.

My gaze drifted upward.

Through unfocused eyes, I caught the silhouette of someone—

a large man in jet-black combat gear.

Who… was that…?

I tried to focus, to force my consciousness awake,

but drowsiness kept pulling me under.

“Hyung! Hyung…!”

The last thing I heard was Jaeyul’s voice,

and the last thing I saw—

was a blinding white flash that filled heaven and earth.

“Ugh… ngh…!”

A groan escaped my entire body.

It felt as if I’d been beaten with clubs from head to toe—

every bone, every joint screaming in pain.

So much so that the consciousness I’d regained felt like it might fade again at any moment.

“Hyung! Are you… awake…?”

“Ang, ang!”

Ah… thank god.

I didn’t know what had happened,

but relief came first.

I was alive.

Jaeyul and Poppy were safe.

That was enough.

That alone was sufficient.

“…Yeah. You okay— cough…!”

“Don’t talk. Your condition is really bad right now… you can’t push yourself.”

It really did seem bad.

Just speaking a few words was exhausting.

Looking around, it seemed like we were in a basement of some building.

A bonfire made from gathered firewood radiated warmth.

My body was wrapped in layers of bandages, making it hard to move at all.

“You’re awake. The heavens were on your side.

Surviving with injuries like that.”

The sudden unfamiliar voice startled me.

But it wasn’t actually unfamiliar.

It was the man who had been moving together with Yoon Sera.

Thinking back, the silhouette I saw before losing consciousness was probably him too.

“…It wasn’t heaven. You helped, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t do much. Just one electrical attack.

The finishing blow… was done by this child.”

“Ah…”

So the white flash I saw before blacking out was Jaeyul’s Light Bomb.

I had suspected it, but to think he even took down Reaper…

“To be hiding such an ability…”

A mistake.

Of all people, letting a Support Agency agent witness Jaeyul’s power.

This man would probably be no different from Yoon Sera.

“Well done.

Excessive power often brings unnecessary conflict.”

“…What?”

“I mean, you were wise.”

I didn’t know how to respond.

I quietly watched the man’s face as he stared into the fire.

He didn’t seem to be lying, nor mocking me.

“I don’t share Team Leader Yoon Sera’s views.

Is it really necessary to force unwilling people into the Academy and use them as agents?”

“…That’s true…”

Maybe… just maybe,

this was someone I could actually talk to.

“But for those who do want it,

we should support them as much as possible.”

“…What?”

Was I not feeling well enough?

For some reason, his words weren’t sinking in properly.

“Seon Jaeyul will be sent to the Academy.”

What kind of bullshit was that?

At his matter-of-fact declaration, I forced myself to sit up.

My body screamed as if it were tearing apart, but I didn’t care.

“What the hell are you talking about—!”

“Hyung… I want to go. The Academy.”

At Jaeyul’s words,

it felt as if my heart itself was being torn apart.