Chapter 153

“Baek Beomwoo.”

No one moved, perhaps afraid he might actually pull the trigger. The boss only craned his neck with wide, curious eyes, as if enjoying the show.

“When did you get so obsessed, only to try killing so easily now?”

Aiden didn’t turn around. Ignoring the gun pressed to the back of his head, he set his hand on Jaeha’s chest and began guiding again. Bored with the sight, Baek Beomwoo replied anyway.

“Then are you planning to let us all die here?”

Aiden could only scoff for real. A line so cliché it might as well crawl out of any raid—completely ill-fitting his mouth.

“Didn’t know you were this pathetic and ridiculous.”

“Think whatever you want. Move.”

Only then did Aiden turn his head. Time was tight, but he’d have to deal with this bastard first, then check on Jaeha. Any slip, and the harm would fall on Jaeha.

Baek Beomwoo still had the gun trained. He didn’t care in the slightest that Aiden looked like a seven-year-old. Aiden clicked his tongue inwardly. Deranged, filthy dog.

“Considering everything you’ve done to Jaeha till now, it’s hard to understand how you can give him up so easily like this…”

“……”

“You talk like he’ll come back even if he dies, you bastard.”

“We’ll see.”

Even as he traded words, Aiden noted the espers creeping up silently behind Baek Beomwoo. He didn’t so much as glance away, just stared him down.

“Why did you come into this gate?”

“None of your business.”

“What else did you see? Do you know more? Is there something here better than Jaeha?”

“Enough.”

He shifted the gun lightly behind him—then fired without looking.

Bang!

“Ugh!”

A bullet slammed into the thigh of an approaching esper, who had been closing in soundlessly. A dull groan burst free.

Like a starting pistol, the fight erupted.

“Aaaugh!”

The two espers who’d been restraining Jaeha’s body hauled him toward a corner. The boss made odd noises as he was dragged, but nobody cared.

Another esper rushed in behind the one shot in the thigh, eyes sharpened. His fist swung for Baek Beomwoo’s face—Baek merely tilted his head aside.

The moment Baek’s gaze touched him, the esper’s eyes went blank. Entranced, he yanked the knife from his harness and plunged it deep into his own thigh.

Aiden had thought he couldn’t use his ability on Association personnel, but maybe there were exceptions. It would have been trouble for the former Chairman to block him from using his power on “all” Association people, given there would be a day he’d need Baek’s ability against the Association itself—like when Jaeha’s parents were killed.

“Agh!”

As screams spread, a fire esper beside them conjured flame. He drew it to his mouth to inhale—ready to blast—then froze. Baek’s detached glance brushed him; his face went ashen. Clutching at his throat, gagging for breath, he finally took a bullet in the foot and collapsed.

“……”

Aiden tried to attack with guiding. He wanted to dive into the brawl, but even he wasn’t reckless enough to wade in with a seven-year-old body. Instead, he stood with his back to the boss, shielding him from stray bullets, breathing deep.

Guiding Jaeha with that much fine control had drained him. If this level exhausted him, he didn’t deserve the S-rank title—but this situation was different. The mental fatigue was severe.

Baek clubbed someone with the hand gripping the pistol—thud—heavy and dull. Then, with his other hand, he rubbed around his nose. Blood smeared.

“……”

He looked toward Aiden. Whether that blood was just from his terminal condition or from Aiden’s attack, Aiden couldn’t tell, but he caught the irritation in Baek’s gaze and smirked crookedly. The attack had landed.

“Baek Beomwoo!”

With Baek’s attention snared, the team leader struck from behind. Baek avoided with a single step backward instead of using his power.

The team leader pivoted, dispersing his misdirected force, then swung a heavy kick with applied gravity. A seasoned combat esper’s leg cracked the air.

Realizing the strike was headed for his head, Baek raised one arm to guard and fired with the other.

Clang.

The bullet fired cleanly, but ricocheted off. Baek clicked his tongue. Aiden remembered—the team leader’s ability: Diamond Body.

Thud.

Crack.

The team leader’s shin smashed into Baek’s arm. Baek drew the arm back, trying to absorb the shock—tendons bowed tight over dense muscle. More than that, as the torn restraint cloth lifted, Aiden saw a fracture line in Baek’s arm.

Crack, crackle. Something cascaded from the cracked arm.

“……”

He frowned. The team leader’s leg hung a moment in the air; the force was so great that the flooring beneath Baek’s feet cracked, too. Then Baek flung his arm out, shoving the leader hard away. The man floated for a beat, then caught himself and landed lightly.

Baek glanced at his own arm. The fracture was so bad he could barely flex a finger. He curled his trembling fingers into a fist.

And his forearm, below the elbow, dropped off.

Shatter— The fallen forearm hit and broke apart. Like smashed gemstones, dark red translucent shards scattered across the floor.

“……”

Silence. The disease had advanced far.

Even then, he sighed in bored annoyance, tipping his head. From the corner, Esper Seo Tae-geon brightened.

“Do I fight? Should I go?”

“Go.”

At once, Seo dipped his head, then snapped it up—skull-smashing the jaw of the esper restraining him from the side.

“Urgh…!”

Thump. A solid blow. Easily breaking free, Seo bounced out and charged the team leader, who had reset his stance.

“Damn it!”

The one person who could hurt Baek— the team leader—got his ankle grabbed. Baek headed straight for Aiden again. One of the espers restraining the boss moved to intercept, but he too fell under Baek’s power.

“……”

“……”

Click. Baek stood before Aiden. Even one-handed, he reloaded cleanly, raised the gun, and aimed.

“Move.”

“…How many bullets do you have left?”

Aiden didn’t move. He feigned calm, meeting Baek’s gaze. The boss watching this with relish from behind Aiden was infuriating, but Aiden had to protect him—for now.

“Only one, right?”

His heart pounded, almost leaping from his mouth. He was afraid—not of taking a bullet, but of Jaeha dying pointlessly, here, now.

“Yes.”

Baek answered lightly. No attempt to hide it.

“Then shoot.”

Aiden staggered up and stepped close, until he barely reached Baek’s waist. Ridiculous in scale, deadly serious in intent. He grabbed the barrel, forced it up to his own head, pressed it there with a hollow tap.

“Shoot.”

He had never regretted being a Guide—but now, just a little, he did. Had he been physically strong, he might have protected Jaeha more easily.

Should he pull the trigger himself? Baek’s expression was as unreadable as ever.

In his urgency, Aiden reached out, intending to wrench the gun or make him waste the shot. But he wasn’t a combat esper; the attempt was doomed. Baek smashed him with the gun arm—thud. His limb was literally stone; the blow hurt like hell.

Crack.

“Ugh!”

Aiden reeled, thrown back. With an almost ordinary body—and in a child’s frame—his arm broke easily. Rage and frustration flared. So this was where the arm broke. The thought flickered as he rolled across the floor.

Baek leveled the gun at the boss, who’d been watching blankly.

Aiden forced himself up. The leg wasn’t as bad as the arm, but it twinged; standing was hard. Even if it pulverized his legs, he had to move. Bracing his body, he ran.

But after only a few steps—

“……”

Tap. Someone caught Baek’s arm. Aiden stopped.

Despite the razor-wire atmosphere, the hand was gentle. Both he and Baek looked to its owner.

“Please… stop.”

It was Song Juhyuk, Jaeha’s father. In the chaos, Aiden hadn’t noticed his approach.

“……. -.”

He lowered Baek’s arm and whispered something. Baek replied, quiet and flat.

Aiden froze, wary of provoking them, eyes narrowing. The two were deliberately keeping their voices too low to hear.

At Baek’s answer, Song Juhyuk’s eyes flew wide—

“What a shame.”

“……”

“I wanted to watch longer, but looks like I lost.”

The boss, who had been spectating as if it were none of his business, laughed lightly and spoke.

Ba-bam-baram—!

From the sky, fireworks crackled cheerfully. Heads tilted up.

[CLEAR! Congratulation!]

With impeccable timing, Jaeha had won the game against the boss.