In large-scale battles, the side that maintains tighter discipline has the higher chance of victory. Everyone knew this, which is why the government forces, storming the terrorist base, executed their attack and defense maneuvers without faltering—no matter the casualties or unforeseen obstacles.
Their unwavering resolve stemmed from one conviction: the battle had to end underground. If they were pushed back or defeated here, the aftermath was all too obvious.
The external command room, too, held its breath and monitored remotely, fully prepared for the possibility of the fight spilling aboveground.
“Ci-Civilians!”
What had initially been a relatively smooth incursion soon met its turning point. The ruthless criminals had used abducted civilians as human shields. Perhaps their minds had already been tampered with—because they charged forward in unison like trained soldiers.
Cha Eun-hyuk had remained composed—he’d anticipated this, thanks to Joo Cheong-gyeong’s prior intel. During the initial strategy meeting before deployment, Eun-hyuk had insisted that the enemy might use civilians, and in case of such contact, they should aim to capture rather than kill. However, taking captives was always harder than eliminating threats.
Especially in a situation like this—where, amidst the chaos of civilians rushing them, Esper terrorists launched a relentless assault.
Watching the allies suffer widespread casualties, Cha Eun-hyuk silently activated his ability. Killing innocent, helpless people would crush the troops’ morale. So, with meticulous control, he froze only the civilians’ feet, pinning them to the floor.
Thud. Thud. Civilians dropped left and right, their feet locked in place as they flailed helplessly.
Dodging the barrage of attacks now converging solely on him, Cha Eun-hyuk began to move on his own.
His ultimate goal—and his solo mission—was to locate and confront Jang Hee-gang.
The government troops, having been briefed in advance, focused solely on the combat made much easier thanks to Eun-hyuk’s ability.
***
Jang Hee-gang could hear everything happening within the vast domain of his territory. Agonized screams and shouts. Frantic, chaotic footsteps. The deafening crash of things breaking and collapsing.
He slowly closed his eyes.
He sensed the presence drawing near, having made it past countless traps.
BOOM!
The door exploded as it was blown apart.
He opened his eyes and spoke.
“It’s been a while.”
The black irises of two Espers clashed.
“Cha Eun-hyuk.”
“……”
Cha Eun-hyuk let out a quiet, ragged breath. Frost flaked softly from his clenched fists. His face, radiating a fierce sense of purpose and murderous intent, was nothing short of savage.
Jang Hee-gang, watching the man who had forced his way through obstacle after obstacle, offered him a rare compliment.
“You’ve grown up quite well.”
“…Shut it.”
“Has your little brother grown too?”
Fire sparked in Cha Eun-hyuk’s eyes. Around him, frozen throwing knives began to form, the blades gleaming with a chilling light at their tips.
Shhiiiiing!
As the deadly storm of ice streaked toward him, aimed directly at his heart, Jang Hee-gang stared it down with unsettling calm.
The moment the razor-sharp edges reached his skin—he didn’t so much as flinch or attempt to defend himself.
And then, every weapon forged by Eun-hyuk’s ability dissolved into particles and vanished.
…The moment stirred something—Cha Eun-hyuk’s brows furrowed as a memory surged to the surface. A younger Jang Hee-gang overlapped perfectly with the one standing before him now.
The image of him killing their father.
And also… the image of him gently cradling Cha Eun-soo in his arms, soothing him.
His face twisted into a vicious grimace, and without a second’s delay, he lunged at Jang Hee-gang. He had assumed Hee-gang would be in critical condition from his unstable resonance state, but this man—he still had enough composure to use his powers with ease.
Long-range weapons like guns wouldn’t work on him. He’d dodge them effortlessly. Close-quarters combat was the only viable option.
And yet, inwardly… Eun-hyuk felt a tremor of unease.
As an Esper himself, one who had once desperately needed a Guide, he knew how terrifying the symptoms could become with time. Jang Hee-gang had endured them for far longer—and yet, unbelievably, he looked almost fine.
Eun-hyuk didn’t yet realize that Jang Hee-gang had already lost his mind.
“……”
The expression on Jang Hee-gang’s face, as he faced Cha Eun-hyuk, began to slowly unravel.
Any lingering sentiment he might have felt—the faint pride in seeing an Esper he’d once spared now standing before him, fully grown—vanished without a trace.
Only annoyance remained.
Irritation, growing and sharpening toward the young man who agitated every one of his nerves, including his heightened hearing.
It was a familiar emotional swing.
And soon enough, the searing pain returned—as if each and every vein in his body were being scorched from within.
His vision flushed red. A violent desire to destroy everything bubbled up inside him.
‘Are you all right?’
Again.
The illusion overtook him once more.
‘You look like you’re dressed too lightly for this weather…’
Jang Hee-gang stared blankly at the man.
Something felt different this time.
…Ah.
The man’s vivid face came into focus with startling clarity. Now that he thought about it, even his voice had been unusually clear.
Drawn by an inexplicable sense of longing, his steps began to move on their own.
No… in the illusion, he always walked toward the man to kill him.
And suddenly, Jang Hee-gang had a chilling realization.
This might not be just another meaningless hallucination.
It happened in that instant.
“Hyung…”
A voice, trembling and broken beyond recognition, echoed faintly.
The man from the illusion—whom he had been reaching out to—was gone.
In his place knelt a young man, so strikingly handsome he could’ve satisfied even the harshest aesthetic critic.
“Ah, uh, B-Bodyguard…”
Those light brown eyes, wide with terror, were fixed on a grisly sight: Cha Eun-hyuk and a massive man lay crumpled in a heap, drenched in blood. Their bodies, battered beyond recognition, showed barely a patch of unmarred skin. Both had lost consciousness, though it appeared—just barely—that their lives still clung to them.
Jang Hee-gang realized they were his handiwork.
His gaze fell to his own body, searing with pain. He was injured too—far from unscathed.
…Slowly, the events from moments earlier came back to him.
Two figures had appeared without warning. And when Cha Eun-hyuk looked at the young man, he had gasped—choked out his younger brother’s name like a groan.
That beautiful young man was none other than the little baby from back then—Cha Eun-soo.
It was no wonder Cha Eun-hyuk had lost his composure. The shock of seeing his younger brother in this place would have shaken anyone. Worse still, when Jang Hee-gang began approaching, mistaking Cha Eun-soo for a phantom from his delusion, Eun-hyuk had leapt in with everything he had to stop him.
Soon after, the other man—who had been introduced as a bodyguard—joined the fray. He was an Esper, one skilled in teleportation, a rather troublesome ability to deal with.
But Espers who needed to protect someone could never keep their guard fully up.
In the end, Jang Hee-gang had been able to take down both of them.
“…!”
Jang Hee-gang walked forward, footsteps heavy and deliberate. Cha Eun-soo looked up at him.
His pale face was streaked with tears that wouldn’t stop, his whole body trembling uncontrollably. The sight was painfully pitiful.
“Cha Eun-soo.”
“……”
“Eun-soo. Cha Eun-soo.”
Jang Hee-gang murmured his name over and over. He’d only ever seen him when he was a small child—so none of that babyish face remained in the young man before him.
A strange feeling stirred within him.
Something like… tenderness. A kind of aching affection, the likes of which he had never felt in his entire life.
Unaware of just how strange that emotion was, he stared at Cha Eun-soo in a daze, almost entranced.
But then his eyes shifted.
He sensed faint movements—Cha Eun-hyuk and the bodyguard were stirring.
After a brief pause, he made a decision. The bodyguard, more likely to pull some irritating trick, had to be eliminated first.
The moment Cha Eun-soo realized what he was about to do, his eyes flew wide.
“No!”
Springing to his feet, Cha Eun-soo threw himself at him in desperation.
It would’ve been easy to dodge.
But Jang Hee-gang didn’t.
Cha Eun-soo’s arms wrapped around his exposed torso, revealed between the torn shreds of his blood-soaked shirt.
Their bare skin touched.
Jang Hee-gang’s eyes flew open, wide with shock.
“Guh…!”
His heart stopped.
Everything went white. He forgot how to breathe.
It was as if the very reality he had lived in until now had been rejected. A grotesque, mind-shattering sensation tore through both his body and soul.
…No thoughts flowed.
And finally—his consciousness cut out completely.
***
I had timed my arrival to line up with Hyung confronting Jang Hee-gang.
But by then, Jang Hee-gang was already halfway into a berserk state.
Shit. I’d hoped to end it while both Hyung and Shim Tae-seong were still unharmed.
With his eyes glazed over like he’d abandoned all reason, Jang Hee-gang even tried to approach me, sending everyone into a full-blown panic. Before I could step in, Hyung and Shim Tae-seong had already launched a joint attack against him.
The outcome… honestly, it went exactly as expected.
Fuck.
It was terrifying as hell.
This wasn’t anything close to a simple fight. Sure, Jang Hee-gang had taken his fair share of damage too, but compared to Hyung and Tae-seong—he looked almost fine. Like some kind of monster who turned his berserker symptoms into a damn buff.
The only saving grace was that, despite seeming a little unhinged, he did start showing signs of regaining his sanity.
…Though really, the way he carried himself from the beginning—he was a madman through and through.
When he started walking toward me, slowly, I honestly thought he might twist my neck right then and there.
I just wanted to faint on the spot and pretend I knew nothing.
But seeing how brutally wrecked Hyung and Shim Tae-seong were—barely alive, barely breathing—I gritted my teeth and forced myself to stand firm through the wave of terror.
Then, when Jang Hee-gang turned as if to finish them off, I dove at him—like I was throwing myself into a suicide mission.
“……”
And after that… what happened?
Did I lose consciousness?
I frowned, glancing around the murky, pitch-dark space that looked as if it had been painted over with solid black.
Ding!
[Would you like to ■■■ the ■■■?]
…A system?
I stared, puzzled, at the faintly glowing window in the darkness.
What the hell is that supposed to be?
