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Even when shaking the hand he had grabbed, Taebeom didn’t move. Geonho held him tighter and repeated the same words. My brother isn’t breathing. Our brother isn’t breathing.
His faint voice was drowned out by Siwoo’s crying.
“Hnn, Kang, Taebeom… please.”
No matter how much energy Siwoo sent out, Taebeom’s wavelength showed no response.
Pressing his lips against Taebeom’s and pushing his tongue against the mucous membrane was useless. Taebeom’s wavelength had disappeared along with his breathing.
It was only natural that guiding couldn’t take place when there was no wavelength to calm.
Taebeom’s stopped heart could no longer produce a wavelength. He had lost too much blood to remain alive and functioning. His heart had finally given up on his weakened body.
This was the inevitable result. Taebeom had long known his body was reaching its limit. That’s why he had been so desperate to solve the beastkin episode problem. Because if he died, there would be no one left to control Geonho.
“Ugh…!”
Siwoo, who had been sobbing while holding the breathless Taebeom, suddenly staggered. The monster’s telekinesis was trying to pull him in again.
Geonho grabbed Siwoo’s thin body before the monster could take him.
The monster was still breathing. Even with its body torn to shreds and bones crushed to powder, it wouldn’t die.
Geonho’s body, with tensed tendons, began to convulse. His solid chest, heated with excitement, swelled.
“Don’t.”
Siwoo embraced Geonho, who was about to fight again, and shook his head.
“Kang Geonho, stop it.”
At the firm voice, his swollen chest deflated. The black fur that had sprouted from his body also disappeared.
Geonho hugged Siwoo and his brother tightly. His wet breathing dampened Siwoo’s skin.
“Ah… aah…”
A red lump of the monster’s flesh that had fallen near Siwoo made a sound. Judging by the broken teeth grotesquely attached to it, it must have been a mouth.
The monster’s body, torn apart by Geonho, gradually gathered into one. The bones that had been reduced to powder were blown by the wind before solidifying again.
The monster began to gather its strength again. Jihan, Seojun, and the man were once more bound by the monster’s telekinesis.
The monster held everyone with its telekinesis while pulling only Siwoo toward itself. Siwoo’s long tail stretched taut as it was pulled by the monster’s power.
Geonho grabbed Siwoo with his hands and trapped him in his arms. He stuffed Siwoo into his chest, determined not to let him be taken.
“Ughh, aagh…!”
Watching this scene, the monster thrashed about in an even more grotesque form. Its eyes, turned inside out with rage, no longer looked human.
“Ah, aah… ah…!”
Its newly regenerated cells had become even harder. Its body had grown so large that it could swallow everyone with one open mouth.
Even its blocked abilities were gradually returning. Soon, it would regain all its power. Just a little longer to wait. Just a little more.
“Just die already.”
The monster, busy reattaching torn flesh, froze at the weak voice.
“You’ve already killed so many. Stop tormenting us and just die, please, please just die!”
The cracked shouting spread throughout the wide cave. The beast hunched its neck and covered its ears with tattered flesh.
“What’s the point of living like that! Just hanging dead corpses!”
But no matter how much it covered its ears, it could hear the voice. The distinct, cracked shouting burned like a flaming blade, hot and painful.
“Do you want to live that badly?!”
The tear-soaked voice seemed to come from all directions. The monster slowly rolled its eyeballs toward the sound.
Is it really my son’s voice?
It wanted to deny it but couldn’t. It was because it couldn’t remember its son’s voice.
“Ah…”
The monster, having forgotten even its child’s voice and name, made an awkward sound.
“Dan, danger…”
It reached out a hand with exposed bones toward the white tail.
“Come, here… danger…”
A small stone flew toward the monster. It was a pebble thrown by Siwoo.
“Stay away.”
Siwoo, barely forcing out his voice, threw stones at the monster. He also scooped up dirt and threw it.
The dirt, soaked in blood, was sticky. Blood filled every place his gaze fell upon. Not a single person was without bloodshed.
Everyone was in tatters. All because of that monster.
Blue eyes glaring at the monster were filled with boiling anger. Tears streaming down his cheeks carried resentment and curses.
The monster’s eyes trembled precariously as it looked at Siwoo. Its body convulsed as if it had fallen on ground shaken by an earthquake.
Siwoo didn’t verbalize his anger. He didn’t even have the strength for that.
Emotions that couldn’t burst out accumulated in his body, raising his temperature. The monster showed signs of instability as it detected Siwoo’s quickening breath.
“Ah, ah… ah…”
Siwoo quietly watched the monster writhing frantically. Along with his rising body temperature, Siwoo’s consciousness was gradually becoming hazy.
Though he knew he shouldn’t close his eyes like this, he couldn’t fight his heavy eyelids. A sigh escaped as his vision darkened. Siwoo’s consciousness naturally recalled Taebeom.
Did the leader close his eyes with the same feeling?
The moment he thought of him, his face became wet as if his tear ducts had broken. Tears poured down like they had forgotten how to stop, falling onto the blood-stained ground.
Siwoo moved his lips and felt Taebeom’s left chest where his heartbeat had stopped. Even though he was touching him over his clothes, Taebeom’s body felt cold. It was as chilly as a body that had lost life long ago.
The monster, watching the crying Siwoo, slowly withdrew its telekinesis.
It just looked at Siwoo’s pale face, listening to his small breathing with closed eyes. Indistinct sounds endlessly flowed from its mouth that couldn’t properly find its place.
Then it slowly caressed the ground.
“Ah, ah…”
The hand that had been touching the spot where Siwoo’s tears had fallen gradually retreated. A red lump of flesh formed where its palm had been.
It was the monster’s heart.
It wasn’t particularly large or blue. A red heart the size of a fist, just like everyone else’s, was beating steadily.
The monster’s body, having given up its heart, rapidly lost strength.
Its unfocused brown eyes caressed Siwoo’s white ears and transparent cheeks. Afraid to startle the delicate soul, it only gazed at him without daring to touch.
Then it felt the child’s warm body temperature. It was a sensation born from longing.
It closed its eyes, recalling the small, white body that always snuggled into its embrace to sleep in winter.
“Ah…”
And using all its remaining strength, it created an exit from the gate. That was all it could do.
“…son.”
I was sorry for being such an incompetent father who could only do this much.
* * *
Secretary Dongkwon commanded the scene with clockwork precision.
After withdrawing all beastkin espers, he instructed the beastkin guides who had come for field guiding to search for the plant.
Despite the emergency, the guides who had come to the scene all had exceptional affection for the guild. Without hesitation, they scoured the dangerous scene and found the plant.
Of course, Dongkwon assigned a barrier specialist to each of them. He allocated all defensive personnel to protect the guides.
This reduced the number of people deployed to remove the gate, but the most important thing was protecting the guides.
Dongkwon made quick decisions and never hesitated once he made them. He only thought about what the leader would have done.
If a dangerous gate occurs because of this, I’ll handle it myself.
“The gate entrance at 3 o’clock is expanding!”
As if testing Dongkwon’s firm resolve, the newly opened gate showed abnormal phenomena.
“Everyone step back!”
Sensing the ominous energy from the gate, Dongkwon responded calmly. He alone stood blocking the gate entrance, waiting for monsters to pour out.
He had to kill them before they could attack. He couldn’t give them a chance to escape. He had to be extra careful with guides positioned throughout the site.
“The gate is opening!”
A flying esper signaled to Dongkwon. At the same time, the enlarged gate entrance began to glow brilliantly.
The esper in charge of long-range attacks hovered in the sky, creating fire arrows. With a composed face, he admired Dongkwon’s attitude as he stood guarding the gate entrance and awaited his orders.
As expected, the secretary of the Baekya Guild is different. Just as he thought this, the gate began to vibrate as if it would burst. Startled by the unfamiliar sight, the esper accidentally shot an arrow.
The arrow wrapped in flames flew directly toward the center of the gate.
Just as the arrowhead was about to pierce the surface of the shimmering entrance, Dongkwon extended his hand.
He grabbed the arrow shaft with his bare hand. After staring at the gate entrance for a moment, he took a deep breath and stepped back.
Those watching didn’t understand the meaning of Dongkwon’s sigh.
No one knew it was a sigh of relief. They just thought things had gone badly.
Something terrible must be coming out of the gate. Despite thinking this, the espers didn’t flee but maintained their positions. Believing that the Baekya Guild would definitely return, they each did what they could.
And soon their faith was rewarded.
“Why are you…”
Dongkwon, standing firm despite the blinding flash, spread his arms.
“…so late?”
The energy approaching through the entrance grew more intense. The moment Dongkwon saw the Baekya Guild emerging through the light, his legs gave way and he collapsed to the ground.
Baekya had returned. Now it was time for darkness to flee.