Chapter 74: The Price of Power

The parasite, its white eyes glinting, lunged forward as if it had been waiting. It paid no heed, even as the misaimed axe deeply gouged its shoulder.

Flames, flickering as if alive, instantly seared the wound shut. Its hand, curled inward like a hungry demon, shot out with terrifying speed, radiating a palpable will to seize him even if its own body tore apart. Yeowon’s eyebrow twitched.

Thwack!

He pressed the axe, laid flat, tightly against his body. The parasite’s fingers, striking the axe blade, bent at an unnatural angle. Yet, the creature didn’t care in the slightest; instead, it thrashed about, desperately trying to grab Yeowon.

Thud!

Yeowon, a slight look of disgust on his face, kicked Bae Gil-su. The massive body flew backward, and in that same motion, a hand wreathed in flames slashed a long, fiery mark across Yeowon’s chest. His upper garment instantly burned away.

Ribp!

Yeowon immediately ripped off his burning clothes with one hand and flung them aside. While the Void, spread like a thin membrane over his skin, had protected him, his chest, where the hand had directly grazed, was an exception. The sharply torn and singed skin was cracked, oozing, and bleeding profusely.

His slightly agitated eyes turned cold and calm. It had been a long time since he’d sustained an injury, and the shock had the effect of sharpening his focus. Though he’d suffered near-fatal wounds escaping the airship, this was different—those hadn’t been inflicted during direct combat.

Now, however, an enemy brimming with clear malice stared at him with greedy eyes.

‘If only I could use the Void without restraint.’

He preferred his axe, but he wasn’t inflexible. In countless battles within the Demon Realm, whenever Yeowon encountered a particularly troublesome opponent, he would simply encase their entire head in the Void and seal it shut.

‘It’s possible even now, but…’

To do so, he would have to remove the Void protecting his body, leaving him utterly vulnerable. The total amount of Void he could currently employ was insufficient to maintain his defensive membrane while simultaneously launching an attack.

‘No. The total amount isn’t insufficient.’

Within his body, demonic energy, undetectable by the Hunter Association’s instruments, lay dormant. If needed, he merely had to rouse that slumbering energy. It wouldn’t be impossible to generate the same Void that shattered entire armies during his time as a Demon Realm legion commander.

However.

Yeowon bit his lip, raising a hand to cover his exposed chest. Ever since he had fallen into the Middle Realm, looking at his bare body in the mirror during showers had become an unconscious habit.

The brand, once difficult to notice without close inspection, now asserted itself like a faded tattoo. Even the rough, undulating scars couldn’t conceal it further. His hand, pressing against his chest, tightened almost instinctively.

Now, pretending not to see it, turning away, had become a new habit. This was coupled with a baseless self-reassurance that nothing would happen, and everything would ultimately be fine.

Rumble.

Roar!

Bae Gil-su’s body glowed a furious, incandescent red. His clothes had already burned away, leaving nothing but scorched air. The ground around him began to melt and flow like molten lava.

Even for an S-rank, this was beyond the pale. Sure enough, the flesh around his elbows began to melt away, revealing bone beneath.

If left unchecked, he would surely collapse before long. However, it was highly unlikely the creature would wait patiently until then. Feeling the intense heat penetrate even the Void, Yeowon gripped his axe tighter.

Just a little. Just a little more power.

As Yeowon stood at this crossroads, wrestling with his decision,

CRASH!

A massive rock, launched from afar, slammed between them.

What he had initially thought was a white rock was, in fact, an enormous block of ice. Around the ice, now embedded in the high-temperature, melted ground, steam instantly billowed like smoke.

Hidden by the white mist, Yeowon subtly retreated. The one who had thrown the ice had arrived, and with them, Yeowon no longer needed to push himself.

As expected, a thunderous shout ripped through the arena.

“Bae Gil-su. Is this son of a b*tch insane?!”

A drone, sparking as if it might explode, flew toward them at a terrifying speed.

‘Just how much magic power did they pour into that?’

‘That thing looks like it’s about to explode…’

Reaching the base camp, Sagyeol released his grip. The now ownerless drone continued its flight before exploding directly above Bae Gil-su’s head. Flaming shrapnel scattered like grenade fragments.

“Aargh!”

Fragments flew even to the B-ranks huddled together at the edge. With a collective ‘Eek!’, they pressed even closer, like frightened squid, as fragments embedded themselves right beside them.

Yu Seong, swatting away a fragment that had struck his arm, muttered,

“Our Guild Master… it’s a fresh reminder, but he really is insane.”

Jaehyeon nodded in agreement.

Sagyeol landed on the ground, standing with his back to Yeowon. Amidst the scorching, boiling air, he remained utterly composed. Such was his fury that his skin had turned stark white with frost, and steam rose from his entire body. Yeowon instinctively checked his own condition first.

A bit disheveled, perhaps, but no major injuries…

‘Ah.’

As Yeowon looked at his blood-soaked chest, Sagyeol, who had turned around, saw the same sight. His wide eyes fixated on the torn chest, unable to look away. Before Yeowon could even utter, ‘It’s just a scratch on the surface,’ Sagyeol had already turned back towards Bae Gil-su.

A killing intent, of a completely different caliber than before, emanated from him in chilling waves. Unable to contain his rage, he roared at Bae Gil-su.

“That damn bastard! My chest!”

‘…It’s my chest, not yours.’

“How precious that chest is!”

‘…Why are you deciding that?’

For the first time since arriving in the Middle Realm, Yeowon experienced shame. He covered his face with both hands. ‘So this is what it means to be unable to lift your head,’ he thought. ‘I didn’t particularly want to know.’

“I’ll kill you.”

Sagyeol lunged forward. …Typically, magic-wielding types would unleash elemental attacks from a distance, but he was launching himself directly into the fray.

“Anyone can see he’s a physical enhancement type, can’t they?”

Jaehyeon nodded in agreement at Yu Seong’s words, just as before.

Flames surged upward. Sagyeol, utterly unconcerned, broke straight through them.

CRUNCH!

A fist imbued with chilling frost slammed into Bae Gil-su’s face. Yeowon saw it then: the parasite’s surprise clearly reflected on Bae Gil-su’s features.

“You, you, who are you?”

“I am the owner of that chest, you bastard!”

‘Stop talking about chests, you bastard…’

Yeowon’s desperate plea could not reach the enraged Sagyeol.

He continued to punch relentlessly. Massive chunks of ice, rising into the air, surged towards Bae Gil-su. Half of them melted on the way, but the other half became even sharper and slicker, embedding themselves throughout his body. Immediately after impact, they, too, melted away, leaving Bae Gil-su’s entire body riddled with holes.

“GRAAAH!”

It was a cry not of pain, but of pure fury. The parasite, letting out an inhuman shriek, erupted in colossal flames, engulfing itself as if exploding.

“Yeowon!”

Sagyeol created a massive ice wall to block the flames, then dashed toward Yeowon. Breaking through the inferno, he paused. Yeowon was already blocking the attack with a thinly spread Void barrier, while behind him, Yu Seong and Jaehyeon clung together, trembling uncontrollably. Sagyeol’s eyes crinkled as he smiled.

“My lover is quite capable, isn’t he?”

“…I thought that conversation was over.”

“As I said last time, relationships between people are—”

Sagyeol’s words were cut short. A long whip of flame flew out, bypassing the Void barrier and coiling tightly around Yeowon’s body.

The wrapped areas instantly began to burn. Swallowing a gasp of pain, his body was abruptly yanked away.

“L-L-Lord. Just. If I catch him, it’s enough.”

The parasite grinned maliciously, then turned and began to flee.

Yeowon desperately wedged the Void into the gaps between his body and the whip, gritting his teeth. Yet, the areas still wrapped continued to burn, little by little. Sagyeol let out a bestial roar and pushed off the ground with explosive force.

Too late.

At this rate, he felt he would be severed in two from where the whip was coiled before Sagyeol could reach him. There was no other choice. He reluctantly drew forth a little more of the Void.

Thump. Thump.

His heart pounded wildly. He could distinctly feel the Contract of Subordination growing clearer, asserting its presence.

A subtle shift.

He saw a phantom vision: eyelids lifting from somewhere, revealing two blue eyes. Those chillingly cold eyes began to scan their surroundings, searching for something.

Only then did Yeowon fully realize what he had done. Amidst the heat caressing his cheek, he felt a cold that froze him to the bone.

The days in the Demon King’s castle, long forgotten, flashed through his mind. He would rather die than experience that again. It wasn’t that he was suddenly afraid of death. So why was he taking such risks and using his power?

“Yeowon!”

A voice filled with strong will called out to him. Yeowon instinctively turned around and understood.

It was precious.

The Middle Realm. Even in this world, where everything was wondrous and new, this person had captivated his eyes. The days they had spent together.

“This son of a b*tch, how dare he!”

And the days they would spend together in the future were too precious for him to simply die.

Yeowon smiled faintly. Seeing his eyes curve languidly, Sagyeol grew even more enraged.

‘How much pain must the Iron Muscle Hamster be in to pretend nothing is wrong?!’

Sagyeol, approaching with terrifying momentum, stomped on an ice platform and leaped. Soaring upward in an instant, he plunged an ice blade into the parasite’s head.

“KIIIEEEK!”

For the first time, a cry of agony burst forth. The whip of fire vanished, and Yeowon’s charred body plummeted downwards. Sagyeol, as if waiting, snatched him out of the air and pulled him into his arms.

Thud!

The parasite, falling backward onto the ground, twitched. Sagyeol, meanwhile, landed softly a short distance away.

Yeowon, held in his arms, belatedly stiffened his expression. He might have carried others like this, but it was the first time he had ever been carried by someone else.

“Put me down.”

“No. You’re hurt.”

“My legs are perfectly fine.”

“Injured people should be quiet.”

“……”

He couldn’t decide what would be more undignified: struggling, or continuing to be held like this. With a pale face, he looked up at Sagyeol. Then, he spoke with a touch more desperation.

“Could you… please put me down?”

Sagyeol stiffened. His eyes, fixed on Yeowon, grew dark.

“Say that again.”

“What?”

“The pleading part.”

‘When did I ever plead?’ Yeowon was speechless with disbelief, but Sagyeol was serious. He smiled languidly and whispered,

“I’m slightly aroused right now.”

‘This crazy bastard.’

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