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Stay and protect the Center?
Jihan let out a hollow laugh while clutching his wounded side. It was the most absurd nonsense he had ever heard. He thought Kwak Seokjin must have truly gone mad.
“Even if Baekya disappears, you should live fulfilling your mission.”
Jihan, barely regaining his balance, raised his knife towards Kwak Seokjin’s face. He tried to shred his tongue to pieces, but the moment the blade pierced his jawbone, Kwak Seokjin’s body vanished into smoke.
“Ha…”
Lee Ho-il, who had been tied up with tree branches, also disappeared. It seemed that bastard had used his tricks again. He should have killed that rat-like multi-ability user first.
Jihan rushed to Siwoo first. He first placed the barrier stone he had snatched from Kwak Seokjin’s pocket into Siwoo’s hand.
“Guide.”
Siwoo, who had been curled up on the ground, immediately embraced Jihan. He let out a suppressed groan and finally burst into tears.
The sensation of insects crawling over his body and eating his flesh was horrifying. Unable to bear it, he had scratched his neck and face frantically, causing them to bleed.
“I’m sorry. Guide, I’m sorry…”
Jihan, hugging Siwoo, repeated his apologies. All he could do now was hold Siwoo until the hallucinations ended. Jihan stopped Siwoo’s hands to prevent him from scratching his face.
“Just hold on a little longer.”
“F-fuck! Hic! It fucking hurts!”
Siwoo burst out swearing and wailed that it hurt. He shouted at the top of his lungs that he would never let the one who cast the illusion on him get away with it. Jihan also vowed that he would surely catch that bastard and tear him limb from limb.
“I’ll kill him. I’ll definitely kill him for you.”
Siwoo leaned into Jihan’s touch as he gently patted his trembling body. It provided emotional comfort, but didn’t remove the physical pain. It was even hard to breathe as the insects tried to enter through his mouth and nose.
Hoping the illusion would disappear quickly, he buried his face in Jihan’s chest and sobbed. Then suddenly, he clenched his fist.
Next to the barrier stone Jihan had given him, a new object had been added.
The round, smooth sensation was something Siwoo was familiar with. Siwoo tightened his fist and shed thick tears. They were tears of relief.
It was the lucky acorn. Imbued with healing ability.
“Guide, I’m sorry. I really…”
Jihan’s eyes, holding Siwoo tightly, gradually began to redden. He was unaware of the situation with Siwoo’s fist. He was too preoccupied with controlling his emotions.
“I should have come faster.”
Tears were about to form in the corners of Jihan’s eyes, overwhelmed with a sense of powerlessness. His nose was already red. It was most painful that he couldn’t be in pain instead of Siwoo. It felt like all the organs in his body were burning up.
“Yoo Jihan!”
He heard Siwoo’s shout a beat late, as he was trying to hold back his tears.
“Look up!”
Jihan’s eyes widened at Siwoo’s shout, who had suddenly stopped crying. The surprise made his tears recede.
“Is that okay?!”
Siwoo, free from the illusion, pointed at the cracked ceiling. When he had gripped the acorn tightly, the illusion eating away at his body disappeared and his strength returned. Thanks to that, he had the leisure to look around.
Jihan hugged the vigorously shouting Siwoo tightly and looked up at the ceiling with him.
Sticky liquid was pooling from the crack. It was blood flowing from the rotting monster corpses. The purple liquid emitted white smoke, as if warning of danger.
It wasn’t okay at all. He couldn’t even lie and say not to worry.
If it touched them, their bones and flesh would melt instantly. Jihan scraped together his remaining strength to reinforce the barrier. In his current state, all he could do was layer the barriers. Even this was unstable.
He tried to reduce the size of the barrier to only wrap around Siwoo. This way, he could strengthen the barrier more and maintain it longer. Ten minutes should be enough. He believed someone would surely come within that time.
“Yoo Jihan.”
Jihan slowly looked at Siwoo as he called his name. Not only was his brain functioning slowly due to excessive blood loss, but his movements had also become sluggish. The thought that he must protect Siwoo somehow strongly circled in his mind.
“Thank you for coming.”
Siwoo, who had cupped Jihan’s pale face, suddenly leaned in. As he started guiding, he tightly gripped the barrier stone and acorn in his hand.
The power of the barrier stone, imbued with body heat, enveloped their bodies. An even stronger protective shield wrapped around Jihan’s barrier.
Siwoo provided guiding to Jihan from within the safe barrier. He licked the inside of his blood-filled mouth and carefully sucked on the injured areas.
Jihan reflexively responded to Siwoo’s kiss. He fully absorbed the ticklish energy seeping into his mucous membranes as he met the softly moving tongue.
Siwoo’s lukewarm saliva still had a sweet scent. It was a scent that awakened his dulled senses.
Jihan closed his eyes for a moment, forgetting the situation. Siwoo’s embrace was so cozy that he even felt like falling asleep right there. He didn’t even notice the monster’s poison covering the surface of the barrier.
As if sensing his feelings, this time Siwoo stroked Jihan’s back in return.
Even just from his wavelength, Siwoo could feel how hard Jihan had searched for him. The energy of Jihan, who was always composed, was nearly depleted. He wanted to let him rest, but there was still work to be done.
“I’ll give you more when we get out.”
Siwoo, withdrawing his tongue, whispered softly as he pressed his cheek against Jihan’s.
Jihan, letting out a deep breath, kissed Siwoo’s cheek. Then, inhaling the breath he had just exhaled, he nodded deeply.
* * *
“You die, you son of a bitch!”
As soon as Siwoo arrived at the scene via Jihan’s teleport, he kicked at Kwak Seokjin. Although Geonho had already half-killed him, Siwoo’s anger wasn’t quelled at all. It was still far from enough.
“Where’s that illusion-using bastard! Come out!”
Just as he raised his head to crush Ho-il and the illusionist, a thick arm enveloped his body.
Feeling Geonho’s familiar embrace, Siwoo first sent out guiding. Now, energy automatically flowed out when he touched his Espers.
“Are you okay?”
“Are you okay?”
Siwoo and Geonho asked each other simultaneously. Siwoo, nodding his head, answered first while soothing Geonho’s wavelength.
The heartbeat transmitted from his back was beating too fast. His heart was pounding so much that it even affected his wavelength.
Just as Siwoo was about to turn around to examine Geonho closely, a pool of red blood entered his view.
Taebeom was on the red bloodstained ground. He looked at Siwoo with a calm expression as if it wasn’t his own blood.
His face, full of wounds, was so damaged that it was impossible to even check his complexion. Siwoo saw Jihan supporting Taebeom and saying something to him.
However, Taebeom showed no reaction, as if he couldn’t hear. He just kept watching Siwoo.
“Wait…”
Siwoo gently pushed down Geonho’s hand that was hugging him. He felt he should go to Taebeom first.
“Guide Han Siwoo!”
Just as he was about to step forward, the secretary called him from afar. The secretary was holding Seojun, who was under an illusion. His condition also looked bad.
Who should I go to first?
The confused Siwoo looked back and forth between Taebeom and Seojun. Everyone seemed to need guiding. Even Geonho, who looked the most normal, had an unstably fluctuating wavelength.
Unable to make a decision, Siwoo started moving anyway.
While heading towards Taebeom, who was closer, his gaze went to Seojun, who seemed to be suffering from illusions. Silver scales were breaking through the skin on Seojun’s fallen body. If his wavelength continued to rise like this, the risk of a seizure would increase.
However, Taebeom’s condition was also serious. Siwoo’s body showed the strongest reaction to Taebeom. The urge to guide him immediately kept growing.
At that moment, Taebeom moved faintly. Looking up at Siwoo, who had come very close, he pointed to Seojun with his torn chin.
Reading the gesture telling him to go to Seojun instead of himself, Siwoo bit his lip hard. He shook his head to dispel the heat gathering in his eyes and gripped the acorn tightly.
It was a problem that didn’t need pondering. He had just wasted precious time unnecessarily. He could just help them all together.
“Kang Geonho―”
Siwoo wanted to use Geonho’s telekinesis to gather everyone in one place. Jihan was no longer in a state to use his ability. Everyone was very tired. Siwoo was too.
“Han Siwoo!”
Just as Siwoo was about to speak to Geonho, his body tilted. Siwoo couldn’t distinguish whether he had fallen or if his vision had tilted.
Everyone was calling him simultaneously from all directions. But before Siwoo could answer, his body sank in an instant.
Not just Siwoo, but everyone on the ground sank downwards. The ordinary ground had turned into a muddy swamp. Surprisingly, Geonho was the first to be sucked down into the swamp.
An unknown force hidden underground rushed to Geonho and pulled him down. Naturally, if even Geonho couldn’t resist this force, the others couldn’t overcome it either.
“Guide!”
Jihan, his ability blocked, reached out towards Siwoo, who was suddenly submerged up to his chin. Geonho was already completely submerged. It was just as Siwoo, who had been facing towards Geonho, was about to turn his head towards Jihan.
Someone grabbed Siwoo’s arm from beneath the swamp. Seeing Siwoo’s frightened expression, Jihan stretched out his arm even more desperately, but couldn’t reach him.
Just as the swamp was about to cover Siwoo’s eyes, Taebeom strongly kicked Jihan’s back. The recoil made Taebeom sink into the swamp, but thanks to that, Jihan was able to grab Siwoo’s hand.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
