Ever since Hayan had shown him how to Guide, Nabin’s life had begun to change. Whenever he had a spare moment, he would practice sensing the Guiding mana within himself, trying to handle it with greater ease and skill.
Because he often collapsed into unconsciousness after receiving treatment from Ryu Soh-an, his usual training hours were limited to before Ryu visited the mansion.
Guiding while holding Hayan’s hand was almost effortless. The moment their skin touched, his Guiding mana surged like a pounding heartbeat, thrashing wildly as if desperate to reach Hayan. It trembled with impatience, aching to Guide him.
The problem was that without Hayan’s touch, the mana hardened again, freezing solid like ice. He had been practicing Guiding with Ryu Soh-an and Kim Su-hyun, but he was still clumsy, with much to learn.
Even if Nabin touched Han Jigang now, his Guiding mana would no longer be sucked away helplessly like in the past. Still, the memory of how it had once drained against his will at the slightest contact made his body react before he could think.
When Nabin flinched back, Han Jigang unconsciously stepped toward him. The pain of that moment long ago—when he had been forced to let him go forever—came rushing back, burning away his self-control.
Even if it was only for a fleeting moment, he wanted to pull Nabin into his arms, to inhale the scent he had missed so badly without even realizing it. His heartbeat thundered in his ears, so loud it hurt.
It was as if every beat was declaring that the life he had lived before remembering Nabin was a lie. Han Jigang bowed his head to that truth and surrendered. The pounding in his chest rippled into his whole body like a trembling current.
His hesitation lasted only a breath. Han Jigang quickened his pace toward Nabin. Nabin scrambled to retreat, but the distance between them shrank quickly.
At that instant, Lee Hayan, gritted his teeth and moved. His body blurred like an afterimage as he rushed forward to block Han Jigang’s path.
“……Step aside, Esper Lee Hayan.”
Hayan didn’t respond. Instead, he turned his head slightly to check on Nabin. The face that had recently regained color was now so pale it looked pitiful.
“Nabin, go inside the mansion. You can move, right?”
The voice he had missed for so long gave Nabin courage. He forced his trembling body to respond, giving Hayan a small nod.
“I’ll be right behind you.”
Once he saw that Nabin had steadied himself, Hayan focused on Han Jigang again. He had already blocked his way and bound him in place with Telekinesis.
But the Telekinesis wavered dangerously, as though it could snap at any moment. Han Jigang was pouring all his strength into resisting.
“Grrk…… Release me, now……!”
Even among S-rank Ability Users, there were differences in power. Hayan stood among the very strongest. It wasn’t an exaggeration to call him the most powerful Ability User in Korea.
As much as Han Jigang’s mana surged, Hayan tightened the invisible grip of his Telekinesis. The grass around him blackened to ash, smoke curling into the air.
The lawn and flowers Nabin had carefully tended were trampled mercilessly by raw power. And because Han Jigang’s ability was fire, the plants had no chance at all.
Hayan’s black eyes darkened. This man had not only trespassed into their home without respect, but was now threatening the person he cherished most.
And Hayan had no mercy for such a man. Han Jigang’s body, bound by invisible force, was hurled into the air and slammed against the mansion wall.
Hayan shifted the battlefield toward the low hill behind the mansion. Ever since Nabin and his mother had moved in, he had filled the estate with protective Artifacts, but he couldn’t risk a disaster.
If two S-rank Espers fought at full power, the entire area would be reduced to ruins. If Nabin were caught up in it, even by chance, the consequences would be unthinkable. Hayan made the swift judgment to move the fight.
Kwah-ang! Bang!
The trees on the hill snapped like brittle sticks. Han Jigang’s body plowed through the smaller ones before crashing into the largest, crushed against it like an insect.
“Urgh……”
The body of an S-rank Esper was resilient. Without another S-rank’s power, it was nearly impossible to wound. Their skin looked human, but it was strong enough to shrug off ordinary attacks.
But their insides weren’t as tough. If the Outbreak Risk Index passed its limit, the poison festering within could melt even an S-rank body in an instant.
Now, however, Han Jigang looked more battered than Ryu Soh-an, who had been injured in battle. Outwardly, only his bloodied mouth seemed ruined, but inside, shattered bones had torn his organs to pieces.
“……It’s been a long time since I was hurt this badly.”
For an ordinary man, injuries like these would have caused him to faint dozens of times. But as he stared at Hayan, his face wasn’t twisted in pain—it burned with fury.
Every word spilled blood down his chin, soaking his chest, but his arms were bound, unable to wipe it away.
The stench of iron filled his senses. Since awakening as an S-rank, he had never been beaten down so helplessly. It was a humiliating first, like fire poured straight into his skull.
Han Jigang dragged up all the mana in his body. Every surge brought searing pain, but his desire to punish Hayan burned hotter than any wound.
The Telekinesis binding him burned away in the heat of his flames. Hayan, keeping his distance, only watched him with calm eyes.
But when Han Jigang reached for a Healing Potion, Hayan stopped him. With the potion’s lip just touching his mouth, his body froze again—yet a bright smile spread across his bloodied face.
“Haven’t felt this fired up in a long time, either.”
The flames on his hand, once pure red, deepened with streaks of blue. Soon they fused into a strange violet blaze.
As the fire changed color, the Telekinesis restraining him shattered completely. At the same time, the bracelet tracking his Outbreak Risk Index began to scream, its numbers spiking upward.
But Han Jigang didn’t care. The warning meant nothing. All that mattered was clearing away the man before him and reaching Nabin.
He hadn’t been able to greet him properly, much less apologize. The words he’d thrown out earlier were only fragments, torn from a storm of memories and emotions. Even if he said he was sorry, he knew it would never be enough.
He didn’t even know how all this had come to pass, but just seeing Nabin alive—that alone filled him with gratitude.
The tangled knot of memories could be unraveled later. Right now, seeing Nabin was all that mattered. To do that, he had to remove the obstacle before him, just as he had cast aside Ryu Soh-an.
Han Jigang conjured a sword of violet fire. It stretched long across his torso, blazing fiercely. Freed from Telekinesis and bolstered by the Healing Potion, his battered body was already mending.
With a single stomp, he shot forward, closing the gap to Hayan in an instant. As the sword swung, sparks scattered through the air like flower petals.
Pain lanced through him with every movement, but compared to his surging Outbreak Risk Index, it was trivial.
“This is the end. Go back, Esper Han Jigang.”
But his blade never touched Hayan. Just a handspan away, veins bulging at his temples, he poured everything into the strike—yet the sword only quivered. Hayan’s Telekinesis had bound him once more.
Even so, this time it wasn’t easy for Hayan either. Every ounce of resistance slammed back into him as recoil.
Blood surged up his throat, filling his mouth with iron, but his expression stayed cold, unshaken, as if untouched. In truth, his internal injuries were severe.
Though Hayan was stronger by ranking and reputation, the all-out attack of an S-rank willing to die couldn’t be taken lightly.
As Han Jigang’s Outbreak Risk Index soared, the numbers on Hayan’s bracelet also spiked upward. But what filled Hayan’s mind wasn’t the fight—it was Nabin. He wanted to find him, hold him close, and soothe the shock that must have struck him.
The man before him could be dealt with later. Hayan was the one who had watched, closer than anyone else, how Nabin had struggled through Ryu Soh-an’s treatments and fought so desperately to endure.
