Chapter 167

Ssssss―

Soram clutched his chest tightly as if he was going to tear out his heart. Blue mist poured out of his body again. Amidst the black and red surroundings, the only blue gathered to face the wave.

Kwakwakwakwakwa!!!

Chiiiiik―...!!!!!

A blue curtain spread out in front of the red wall scattering with a roar. The red wave crashed against the top of the curtain.

"Kkeuk, keuk...!"

The curtain stood against the lava wave, blocking their advance. The lava that should have poured over the two of them stopped in mid-air.

A standoff in the air began. It was essentially a battle of strength like an egg hitting a rock. The body, infinitesimally small compared to the wave, desperately held out behind the curtain. The blood vessels in his bulging eyes burst, turning the whites of his eyes bright red.

"Ah, aaaaagh!"

"Jin Soram!!!"

White light clusters desperately rushed to join his curtain. Attacks from hunters who could use their abilities at a distance also flew towards the wave. But the lava churning on top of the wave threw itself to devour all attempts.

Soram, endlessly pouring out mist, was like a young beast with its blue fur standing on end. His body gradually curled up as if in pain. In the midst of this, lava mutants on the ground approached him with their mouths open.

Chwak―

A mutant reaching out its arm towards Soram was cut down by Tae-un's sword as he rushed forward.

Tae-un kept guarding Soram's surroundings while constantly glaring at the wave. He knew it was no match compared to the vastly spread blue mist and the even more enormous lava wave, but he kept adding white light clusters to it.

Tae-un's special ability was clearly nullifying the power of the lava wave, and as proof, an overload that felt like his insides were burning up was coming. Yet the momentum didn't subside at all. Soram's entire body trembled.

"Kkeuk, heuik...!"

Gugeuk, kuuuu, geugeu...

After a long standoff, the wave blocked in mid-air shuddered greatly.

Kuung― geugeugeuk―...

Gugung, guruek, geudeuk, deuk, deudeudeu.

Kwang!!!!!

"Keup!"

Kugugugugugung...!

The blue mist and the lava wave exploded in mid-air. The view turned completely white before returning.

Kung, kugung, gugu...

The explosion echoed all around. From the point of the explosion, the lava couldn't advance further and flowed down to the ground.

"Haa, ah, ...uk, heuu..."

Jin Soram had finally stopped the massive wave.

"Ah, eu..."

With an exhausted groan, his body fell from the air.

"Jin Soram!"

Tae-un ran to catch his body. But without giving even a moment's gap, mutants rising from the fallen wave pounced.

Chwaaak!

Taeng, taeng, taeng, taengeong!

"Take him back quick!"

"Tae-un-ah, fall back!"

Three or four hunters rushed to where Soram had fallen and blocked the mutants. The bodies of those who had run from their original battle positions, risking injury, were also in a mess.

Tae-un flew towards the rear, holding Soram. Blue mist kept leaking from the body in his arms like a flour sack with holes all over.

"Keuheuek, heup, kkeuk...!"

Soram twisted his body painfully. He vomited blood from his mouth and nose, and even from his tightly closed eyes, tears mixed with blood flowed. Tae-un could do nothing as the body convulsed with spasms.

"Jin Soram, your ability keeps coming out. You need to stop this."

"C-can't..."

Tae-un put Soram down on the rooftop of a villa. Even lying in a place where the heat had somewhat avoided, Soram twisted his whole body. He looked just like a person whose entire blood vessels were burning up. The blue mist leaking incessantly seemed like Soram's life force.

"Stop. Stop, please. Stop it..."

"Keok, kkeuk, akeuk."

Reason disappeared from Soram's eyes, leaving only seizures unable to bear the pain. He dug his bloodied fingertips into his own neck and scratched hard.

"No, don't do that!"

Tae-un grabbed Soram with both hands. Soram's pressed-down body squirmed. Having already exhausted his strength, he couldn't resist Tae-un. But Soram's complexion grew paler and paler.

"Please, stop Soram-ah! Please!"

Tae-un could do nothing but hold Soram with both hands. The bones protruded on the back of his trembling hands.

"Ending like this in so much pain is too much. This can't happen, this..."

He had been prepared for the seething sea to be the final place of this life. He had accepted death, but this kind of farewell was unfair.

If my wrong judgment and this burning pain are the last moments, the you of the next life will suffer too much. So please......

The battlefield was still hell, and futile resistance continued everywhere. The sounds of explosions, buildings collapsing, and screams filled the air.

How must Soram have felt, seeing himself talking nonsense about changing the future when he had seen this despair countless times?

Even so, what must he have felt when he participated in training without a word and told him dungeon information? He had to end it after at least hearing an apology for all those things.

Blue mist was still leaking between his fingers gripping Soram's arms. Though I can't dare to be your savior, please.

"Keok...!"

"Breathe!"

Tae-un lay down close on top of him as if to block the leaking mist with his body. Please, Soram-ah, please. Please... The blue mist was still coming out as if its control device had been shattered, but Soram's agonized sounds increased.

At that moment, Tae-un's eyes buried in Soram's shoulder widened. The face that suddenly rose had an expression of disbelief.

"...! Soram-ah, Jin Soram. Jin Soram!"

Tae-un hurriedly placed both hands on Soram's body. White light clusters rose from his palms. Where he touched felt like grabbing a live wire with bare hands.

"Heu..."

The amount of light clusters coming from his palms gradually increased. The pain transmitted to his hands also grew, but Tae-un gripped him even tighter.

"..."

His black pupils vibrated. Tae-un's trembling gaze was looking at Soram's forehead, just above his eyebrows.

After a moment, the blue mist coming out of Soram's body slowly decreased. His body, which had been twisting in agony, lost strength and went limp.

"Heuik..., heu, heuik..., heu..."

His breathing also regained stability. Soon, his eyes, which had been tightly shut and frowning, opened.

"...Han, Tae-un."

His lips moved without being able to focus his gaze, still blurry.

"What, did you do. Did you... stop it?"

"Probably..."

Soram, who had closed his eyes and caught his breath for a moment, lifted the corner of his mouth slightly.

"That's nice. It would have been... good if we'd known this earlier."

"Lie down more. You're badly hurt."

Despite Tae-un's restraint, Soram stubbornly sat up. He shook off the blood clotted on his hands. By now, all his wounds had healed.

"Since I used that much ability, my body must have been enhanced too. ...I'm fine. I can fight again after resting a bit."

Tae-un looked at Soram and then lowered his gaze to his own two hands. It was uncharacteristic of him, who wouldn't take his eyes off Soram who had come back from the brink of death.

"..."

Some confusion, questions, and a thin thread of clue passed through his mind. His deeply lowered gaze wavered, losing direction.

Tak, the sound of a foot stepping broke the silence. Blood-stained shoes climbed onto the rooftop railing where Soram and Tae-un were.

"Kids, are you alright?"

Director Park Jae-seon, who asked this, was as injured as Soram and Tae-un combined. Nevertheless, he first checked the wounds and ability states of the two.

"Director, how's the Great Rift situation?"

"The speed of the lava advancing has slowed down. It seems the attack you blocked, Soram, was their all-out attack that drew on all their strength. And the direction of the wave has changed, so they'll be hesitant for a while."

Approaching closer as he explained, he knelt down next to Soram and Tae-un.

"It must have been an unavoidable choice, but you overdid it. Stay in the rear from now on."

Even though it was revealed that he had hidden his strength even from Park Jae-seon, who had cared for him like family for years, Park Jae-seon treated Soram the same without any change. Something like tears caught in Soram's face as he looked at him.

Park Jae-seon smiled as if to block the words Soram couldn't bring himself to say.

"The government is currently negotiating to receive foreign awakeners' dispatch. Until then, somehow... we'll have to hold out. Since it's not a level we can resolve with our own strength..."

Even Park Jae-seon, who always encouraged the two maturely, didn't seem to have many words to give. Instead, he pulled both of their shoulders and hugged them tightly.

"I'm sorry. I can't promise to protect you now."

"...Why should you be sorry for that."

Soram gripped his tattered clothes tightly and then let go. Park Jae-seon, who separated his body, stroked both of their heads.

"Both of you rest, even if just for a moment."

He stood up from his seat. For him, who was at the center of the country's hunters, there was too much to do in this brief moment of lull.

After Park Jae-seon left, Soram, who had been watching his retreating figure for a while, muttered.

"Sigh. That dispatch has never been on time. They're all just too greedy."

Tae-un had already lowered his gaze again. His hand twitched and curled. White light clusters swirled around his hand as if tracing what they had just discovered.

"Han Tae-un, go further to the rear and treat your wounds..."

Soon, that hand grabbed Soram.

Tae-un moved his mouth awkwardly, like someone pronouncing these words for the first time in his life. After hesitation, it came out of his mouth with a clear meaning.

"Let's run away."

Soram blinked a few times looking at Tae-un. He didn't hesitate.

"Okay. Let's do as you want."

***

Two hunters deserted the battlefield without permission.

From Busan, straight up towards the inland.

Just below the border between Gangwon-do and Gyeongsang-do.

There was a small annex there that had been left empty after its owner moved to the capital. As it was where the room's owner had stayed until nineteen, it still looked just like a student's room. It was exactly the same as Soram's memory from visiting 4 years ago.

"So in the end, this is where we run to."

This place had been Soram's escape spot before too.

The annex, which had been kept clean, immediately became a mess when the two entered, full of wounds and soot.

It was a choice Soram had never expected Tae-un to make. But Soram didn't think deeply about it. He just wanted to do whatever Tae-un wished until the end.

If he wanted, it wouldn't be bad to stay here together and meet the end.

"Soram-ah."

That's what he thought until Tae-un stood in front of him and opened his mouth with a hardened expression.

"I think I can save you."

"...Huh?"

Why did the song "Magic Castle" sound like it was engraved here?