Rohan’s power was the ability to block human senses and distort memory, which was precisely why his figure had been clearly captured by the surveillance cameras.
Perhaps the jab had hit home—his sly smile vanished, replaced by a blank expression tinged with irritation.
“So I’m supposed to move around while worrying about some crap made by inferior scum?”
“Because that crap made by those ‘inferior scum’ is going to trip you up.”
As the two exchanged words, Baiheron raised his hand and waved it vigorously. What he was seeing now wasn’t through his own eyes, but through a filtered view projected via lenses embedded in his goggles. The same applied to his headset.
No one had figured out exactly how Rohan manipulated and blocked human perception. So Baiheron had sealed off all of his own senses and was relying entirely on machinery to reconstruct them. His sight, hearing, and even touch were all filtered through machines before reaching him.
“I don’t care how great you think you are. You’re not gonna keep fooling everyone forever.”
“Hahaha.”
Rohan laughed as he gave Baiheron a once-over, glancing up and down at their surroundings with clear disinterest, his amusement now clearly gone.
“Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. Look at you, all puffed up just because you learned a few tricks. You people are always so damn arrogant.”
This, coming from the most arrogant man present.
“If your goal was to piss me off, congratulations. You’ve succeeded. I’m really starting to get irritated. It’s been a while since I felt this fucking filthy.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“……Well, I wasn’t expecting you to come quietly anyway. If I have to take down one lousy S-Rank to drag you back, I suppose I can deal with that. But like I wrote in the letter—don’t expect it to be safe.”
At Rohan’s relaxed words, Baiheron casually shrugged.
“You make it sound like I’m gonna be hurt. Sure, I may not have finesse. I just smash shit without a plan and swing like a brute. But my boyfriend likes that about me… Oh, wait, was that too much?”
“Please, shut the hell up.”
“Anyway, I’m not some pushover. Come on. Let’s go. Let’s go.”
Every time Baiheron opened his mouth, the serious atmosphere shattered like glass. Stepping in a boxing rhythm, he struck a fighting pose. Banteon’s face flushed in embarrassment. He grabbed his brother’s shoulder, who looked like he was ready to charge at any second.
“Baiheron. That’s not what we agreed on beforehand.”
“Ah……”
“…….”
“Oh right, yeah. I figured you might not be satisfied with just me, so I brought some extras.”
Baiheron pointed to the base of the mountain. Though invisible to Banteon, dozens of Espers affiliated with the Center were waiting in the shadows below, positioned to respond to a signal. Every one of them was wearing identical gear to Baiheron, armored and ready.
“My big bro is obsessively thorough with prep, you see. They’re all down there, wrapped in wires just like me. You were probably disappointed that it was just one S-Rank, huh? But maybe now you’ll be more impressed.”
Rohan looked down as if counting the numbers with his eyes and scoffed.
“Quantity over quality, huh. Doesn’t seem like you’re trying to deceive me this time… So you did come prepared.”
“We did our homework.”
“But really, is there much of a difference between one mosquito and thirty?”
Referring to the Center’s elite Espers as mosquitoes made Banteon’s eyes narrow.
Rohan’s power was undeniably threatening. Even if it didn’t work on Banteon for some reason, he had managed to fool other S-Rank Espers. But would he still be able to hold his ground against this number with his abilities sealed?
“Well, I guess this is the best you could come up with.”
Still, not even a flicker of tension showed on Rohan’s face. His unbothered expression made Baiheron, who had been joking and jabbing until now, step protectively in front of Banteon. The usual playful tone in his voice was gone, his demeanor sharpened like a blade.
“How the hell did you end up mixed up with someone like that, Hyung?”
“I wish I knew.”
“You’re hanging around something that’s not even human. Step back for a bit.”
Clicking his tongue in disgust, Baiheron began to radiate a deep red aura, intensifying until it seemed like it could blanket the whole mountain. That force surged toward Rohan—and passed through him.
The energy, which would normally bend or tremble upon contact with a physical form, simply flowed past Rohan’s body as if it had hit nothing at all. As if his body wasn’t even there.
Stunned, Banteon’s eyes widened at the surreal sight. At that moment, his gaze met Rohan’s—and Rohan’s expression hardened.
“Knowing too much is dangerous, you know.”
Rohan’s footsteps quickened as he advanced. Past Baiheron’s shoulder, who was lowering his stance with sharpened focus, a crimson gleam surged in his eyes.
It happened in a flash.
Rohan’s figure suddenly vanished, the world spun, and the ground beneath them shifted. Only after his feet touched solid ground again did Banteon realize that Baiheron had grabbed him and moved him to safety. His body staggered from the forced movement, and he leaned against a tree for support.
Baiheron, now in Rohan’s former position, slammed a blow into Rohan’s body and launched him into the air with explosive force.
Rohan flew skyward with a piercing sound—but effortlessly twisted midair, shifting his trajectory as naturally as if walking on solid ground. The exchange between Rohan and Baiheron was so swift that the eye struggled to keep up.
It was the first time Banteon had seen a battle between Espers this close. The world around them, once glowing white, now warped with Baiheron’s surging red aura. Even the tree branches swayed and danced like they were caught in a storm.
At the center of the energy surge—no longer red but veering into a deep purplish hue—stood Baiheron and Rohan. As the sudden battle broke out, the other Espers waiting below the mountain sprang into action, albeit a moment late.
“Support Lord Baiheron!”
“Close in from the right!”
They moved in flawless unison, adjusting formation with each command. Like weaving a net, they encircled Rohan in a dense web, closing in around him like a trap. The red energy radiating from the Espers surged like waves, staining the night sky before receding again and again.
Even now, as he was surrounded and barely visible behind the tight ring of people, Rohan didn’t unclench his fists. Banteon’s heart pounded harder than when it was just the two of them facing off.
He clenched his fist tighter, soaked in tension. To the others, it may have looked like the Center’s Espers had Rohan fully pinned and under control, but Banteon saw something else.
The flow of energy blazing across his vision had started to swirl in a single direction, forming a vortex. The stream faltered, as though another current had forcibly disrupted its path.
Just as his heartbeat reached a thunderous crescendo in his ears, a massive explosion erupted from the center.
“Evade!”
With that command, dozens of figures dropped to the ground with heavy thuds. Dirt and dust blasted into the air, and once it settled, all that remained in the sky was a gaping hole torn through the Espers’ formation. Rohan stood tall at its center—he hadn’t even tried to flee. He looked down on them like insects, a chilling calm in his eyes.
“What a fucking monster…”
Baiheron, now embedded in the ground from the blow, shook his head and pushed himself up. The carefree tone from earlier was nowhere to be found in his quiet mutter.
Everyone—those on the ground and those still suspended midair—watched Rohan with bated breath. His arms were crossed in a relaxed stance, his eyes curved in a faint smile. No one dared to make a move.
“That’s it? Kinda underwhelming for such a flashy setup.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Baiheron forced out the words, trying to sound bold, but the veins bulging in his clenched fist betrayed his strain. Even the drifting clouds seemed to freeze in the tension-soaked silence.
“If no one’s coming, I’ll just head over myself.”
Rohan relaxed his hands and slowly lowered his body. Like descending a slope that didn’t exist, he gently floated down and touched the ground.
In that instant, Banteon’s gaze froze on Rohan’s feet. He wasn’t mistaken.
The moment Rohan’s feet made contact with the earth, a shrill scream of disbelief rang through Banteon’s mind.
“You…”
The words stuck in his throat.
He hadn’t noticed it when the lights first came on—they’d been too close. But now, from this distance, watching Rohan descend slowly, he saw it clearly: there was no shadow beneath Rohan’s feet. The one thing all things were supposed to possess… simply wasn’t there.
His mind flashed back to every encounter with Rohan. The first time was in the dark, cavernous space in Yasen. The second was during a chaotic festival night, with disorienting lights and swirling motion. The third—again, Yasen. And even then, Rohan had insisted they meet deep into the night. He’d even specified it in a letter.
Too many things had seemed off. Now, it all made sense.
When Banteon looked down, Rohan followed his gaze. Then, his lips slowly curled into a sharp grin, splitting across his face.
“This is the first time we’re seeing each other somewhere this bright, huh?”
Rohan bent dramatically at the waist, exaggerating his bow as he chuckled—and still, there was nothing beneath his feet.
“Congratulations. You’re the first to ever catch this.”
“You’re not… human, are you?”
“Like I’d ever be dumb enough to tell you that.”
Rohan gave a scoffing laugh and stepped forward. Banteon instinctively stepped back, but Rohan’s hand was faster—he grabbed his sleeve.
“I wasn’t planning to show this much. You guys really are something.”
Gone was the carefree trickster. In his place was something far colder—dripping with mockery. Though Rohan smiled, there was a stinging, unpleasant sensation behind it, like acid behind the grin. As if being exposed had triggered something darker in him.
“This is impossible.”
“For you, maybe.”
Rohan leaned in close, as if to silence Banteon before he could speak another word. His eyes gleamed—slick and wild. The madness in them was nearly deranged, enough to churn the stomach.
