Rumble—
The wall, struck repeatedly by metal rings, let out an ominous groan. The entire building trembled. Cracks, like spiderwebs, spread from the points of impact.
It looked as though a bomb had hit—an enormous hole had been blown open in the wall. Yu Je-hyun anxiously checked on Lee Haru.
What worried him most was the metal dome. He had entrusted it to Kim Hyun-seo and Shin Ji-soo, but he couldn’t afford to let his guard down.
He had poured in enough mana to hold off even Zero’s attacks for a time. But one frustrating thing was the opacity—he couldn’t see Lee Haru’s face. That explosion had to have scared him.
Not being able to meet his eyes and offer reassurance made him restless.
“What’s happening out there?”
“Kang Min regained consciousness. Yu Je-hyun’s not an idiot—he figured out which one was the real Kang Min right away.”
Contrary to Yu Je-hyun’s concern, Lee Haru was handling the situation with surprising composure. That was because the body’s owner was relaying a live feed of everything happening outside.
Ji Yeon-woo had been badly startled by the thunderous noise earlier. Since Lee Haru couldn’t share what he was hearing, he simply held Ji Yeon-woo’s hand to convey a bit of warmth.
The inside of the metal dome was pitch black. Only a faint light filtered in from below—just enough to see each other’s silhouettes.
“You don’t need to worry. Espers Yu Je-hyun and Kang Min are pushing Zero back.”
Kim Hyun-seo kept his tone calm, doing his best to prevent Lee Haru and Ji Yeon-woo from panicking. Though in truth, Zero wasn’t going down easily.
Still, things were better than when Kang Min had been taken hostage and Yu Je-hyun had tried to face Zero alone.
“If even a stray hit lands on us, we’re dead.”
Shin Ji-soo watched the situation unfold with eyes filled with both fear and awe.
It was her first time witnessing a fight between S-rank Espers up close. Only now did she truly understand why there was said to be an unbridgeable gap between S-ranks and A-ranks.
She was only watching, yet goosebumps covered her arms. The sonic booms and mana collisions made her skin tingle—she couldn’t stop swallowing dryly.
“Do you really think they can win without getting hurt?”
Hearing Shin Ji-soo’s voice made Lee Haru uneasy. He couldn’t shake the image of Yu Je-hyun, bloodied and near death.
Even with Yu Je-hyun and Kang Min now fighting together against Zero, they couldn’t let their guard down. Hong Seong-jun was still unaccounted for—whether he was incapacitated or planning something, no one could be sure.
The bastard’s power was immense—enough to overwhelm even Kang Min, considered the strongest S-rank Esper. On top of that, he was on the verge of a Rampage, which only made him stronger.
Cold sweat soaked Lee Haru’s palm as he clutched Ji Yeon-woo’s hand. As his hand trembled slightly, Ji Yeon-woo gave it a shake.
“Hyung, are you okay?”
Even though he had to be more scared himself, Ji Yeon-woo was worried about Lee Haru. Lee Haru looked into his eyes.
He couldn’t make out his face clearly, but those round eyes were unmistakable.
“Yeah. I’m just feeling a little anxious.”
Yu Je-hyun had already come close to dying at the hands of Zero once—he probably wouldn’t take reckless risks again. But the thought that he could become a hostage at any moment made it impossible to relax.
As Lee Haru shared warmth with Ji Yeon-woo to calm himself, Yu Je-hyun coughed up a mouthful of blood.
“Goddamn it. Why the hell is this bastard so strong?”
The overwhelming power made his blood boil with frustration. Zero had gone berserk ever since his eyes turned completely black.
Kang Min was breathing heavily. After being overpowered, he’d been in a constant fight against the man’s pheromones.
Whether Zero had studied him specifically or not, Kang Min’s power—rooted in his blood—had gone completely out of control.
The more Kang Min clashed with him, the more he found himself in reluctant awe of the man’s abilities.
If he had stayed with the Association, he would have amassed a legion of followers. It was no wonder he had been able to create and sustain Black, the anti-government organization, for so long.
But they couldn’t allow him to run wild any longer.
“Yu Je-hyun, bind his movements.”
At Kang Min’s command, Yu Je-hyun swept his hair back. The same metal rings that had cracked the wall began circling around Zero.
Perhaps aware of the force packed into them, Zero didn’t rush in. He let his arms hang loose, catching his breath.
“Grrr…”
“What is he, a monster?”
Hearing the inhuman growl, Yu Je-hyun started linking the metal rings together.
What were once individual spheres quickly snapped into a long, continuous chain. Zero whipped his head around, trying to dodge, but the chain shrank faster—tightening around his body.
“GRAAAAH!”
Zero screamed and flexed his arms. The chain digging into him began to stretch under the pressure.
Veins bulged on Yu Je-hyun’s forehead. The strength surging back from Zero was monstrous.
Wind whipped through the space as the mana clashing between the two men stirred the air.
Kim Hyun-seo and Shin Ji-soo met each other’s gaze. At the same instant, both extended their hands, forming a barrier of mana.
The shockwaves radiating from inside were intense. If an ordinary person were standing here, just being in the area would be enough to make them vomit blood and die.
“Team Leader, hurry the hell up…!”
Yu Je-hyun barely managed to swallow down the blood rising in his throat.
Cracks began to form beneath his and Zero’s feet. The building, which had already trembled when the wall collapsed earlier, now shook even more violently.
While Yu Je-hyun held Zero back, Kang Min finally regained full control over his body.
It was clear now—Zero had weakened after taking Yu Je-hyun’s attack. Without hesitation, Kang Min slashed his own forearm.
Blood gushed out and rapidly gathered into a sphere in front of him.
Without making a sound, Kang Min moved behind Zero. But Zero, with his beast-like instincts, turned his head.
“So you’ve still got the presence of mind to keep your eyes open.”
Yu Je-hyun clenched his fist. The metal ring, which had been stretching under Zero’s strength, abruptly tightened again.
A bone-crunching snap echoed through the air. Blood trickled from the corner of Zero’s mouth. His eyes, now completely black and glossy, made it impossible to tell where he was looking.
But in the moment Yu Je-hyun thought they’d made eye contact, he noticed something—just the slightest smirk on Zero’s lips.
Anyone could see this was a life-or-death situation. Yet that smug expression made Yu Je-hyun react on instinct. A chilling sense of dread raced down his spine.
BOOM—!
The spot where Yu Je-hyun had just stood caved in with a deafening crash. It was Hong Seong-jun, the one who had been pinned in a corner after being taken down by Zero, who had moved.
“You were taken out by that bastard—so why the hell are you attacking me?”
No one could’ve predicted that after being used like that, Hong Seong-jun would still be fighting on Zero’s side.
What had been a two-on-one fight suddenly became two-on-two. The facial muscles of the copy mimicking Kang Min twisted and writhed beneath the skin like worms burrowing inside.
The grotesque sight made Yu Je-hyun grit out a curse. Hong Seong-jun’s arms, now grotesquely swollen, were as thick as tree trunks.
Back in his true form, Hong Seong-jun glared at Yu Je-hyun with murderous intent.
“To me, that bastard and you are the same. I’m going to kill every last one of you.”
“Fucking psycho.”
His bloodshot eyes were fully deranged. Unlike Zero, who had gone mad with power, Hong Seong-jun had lost his reason in a different way as he lunged at Yu Je-hyun.
They were supposed to finish Zero together. But now, Yu Je-hyun was forced to deal with a raving Hong Seong-jun instead.
Slash—!
While Yu Je-hyun was locked down by Hong Seong-jun, Kang Min slashed across Zero’s back with a blade forged from his own blood.
“Grrrgh…”
Zero let out a guttural growl, the killing intent radiating off him in thick waves. The blade had cut deep—deep enough to reach his spine.
But the pain was nothing compared to the rage. His fury surged so violently it felt like his chest would collapse.
He was consumed by the urge to tear apart every single person who dared defy him—to rip their heads off with his bare hands while they were still alive.
His head shifted toward the door. He sensed the presence of the Guide.
The sensation of every cell in his body screaming grew stronger with each passing moment.
