AAGULT Ch 131

Chapter 131

Another day had passed since then.

[2 days 17 hours 23 minutes 42 seconds]

<Past Team: 27/52 │ Future Team: 44/49 │ Monster Team: 51/101>

After that, they began hunting monsters in earnest. Although a few more people had joined, the fact that they still had not met Aiden-ssi—who would currently be seven years old—weighed on their minds. Still, Jaeha repeatedly consoled himself by recalling how Aiden had returned alive when he entered the Gate twenty-one years ago.

He would be fine. He had to be fine.

Although one casualty had occurred from the Past Team and another from the Future Team—separate from Jaeha’s own group—the monster team’s numbers were decreasing far more rapidly than before, giving them a glimmer of hope.

“Esper Jaeha, please!”

“Yes!”

Jaeha fixed his gaze sharply on the monster. The creature facing the temporarily reorganized team was as large as a house. However, despite its massive size, it made no sound when it moved, and it was fast enough to vanish with a blink of an eye—demanding utmost caution.

It was a monster resembling a bird. Yet it was far too mechanical to be called a living creature. Its wings were made not of feathers but of overlapping clockwork gears, and from each gear protruded sharp clock hands like needles. Thin and razor-like, they quivered faintly with each beat of its wings.

—Screeeech!

As soon as Jaeha’s gaze touched it, the monster let out a scream and flapped its wings, taking to the air. The sharp metal wings smashed into buildings, sending stone fragments scattering and flying in all directions.

“Why is that thing even flying? Those aren’t real wings! Shouldn’t it be impossible for it to fly?”

“Block it!”

The Espers deftly dodged the flying debris. Yet during that momentary distraction, the monster slipped out of Jaeha’s line of sight, prompting the Espers to click their tongues in frustration.

“Esper Song, the moment it comes back into view, hit it right away!”

“Understood!”

Indeed, this was what the Team Leader had meant when he said he was starting to understand how to deal with the monsters.

Just as the boss had hinted beforehand, the monsters’ abilities had little meaningful effect on mental-type Espers. Conversely, the abilities of mental-type Espers affected the monsters far too easily.

More precisely, the moment a mental-type Esper interfered with a monster’s “mind,” the monster became unable to use its abilities or was wracked with pain, leaving it defenseless—providing an opening for combat-type Espers to physically attack. Perhaps this was because the monsters’ mental structures were far simpler than those of humans. Thanks to this, even Jaeha—whose only ability was reading others’ thoughts—could contribute to combat in some way.

“Where am I? What’s going on? Who even are you people?”

“Get him out of there!”

The real problem was with those struck by the monster’s attack amid the chaos of dodging debris. Though they sustained no physical injuries, they acted as if they had forgotten everything—so they had to be pulled to safety. One such Esper happened to be near Jaeha, who quickly reached out and grabbed the man’s arm.

“Damn it…!”

Still, it was better than the previous monster. That one had caused allies to perceive each other as enemies, leading to friendly fire. Though they had managed to subdue that creature, the aftereffects of its ability lingered, forcing them to leave seven members of their twenty-odd group incapacitated in the safe zone.

No—now that two more had been rendered almost mindless in this battle, the number of incapacitated combatants had risen to nine.

Jaeha suddenly recalled what the Association President had mentioned during a previous briefing: “Of the twenty-six survivors, sixteen were unable to continue as Espers and retired immediately.” He finally understood why they had retired.

“Esper Song!”

“Urgh…!”

While Jaeha was preoccupied pulling the defenseless Esper behind him, the monster reappeared and let out another shriek. The clock hands embedded in its wings shot out like thorns.

Thunk!

He instinctively raised his arm to shield his head, and thanks to the defensive barriers and devices deployed by surrounding Espers, he avoided a fatal injury. Still, one of the clock hands lodged into his forearm. Immediately, he could feel something scratching faintly inside his mind, trying to infiltrate it.

Rather than pull it out, Jaeha glared at the monster and used his ability, tearing through its mind in retaliation.

—Screeeeeee!

[—. —-.]

The monster did think, in its own way, but just as he couldn’t understand the mind of a foreigner, he couldn’t fully comprehend the monster’s thoughts either. Still, by following the images flickering in its mind…

“It’s about to fly toward the building on the right!”

“Thanks, Esper Song!”

His injured arm throbbed, making it hard to use his power. Keeping his eyes locked on the monster, Jaeha grabbed the long clock-hand-like spike impaled in his arm and yanked it out.

“Urgh…”

Pain clenched his jaw tight, but leaving it lodged there allowed the monster’s ability to keep tickling at his mind—so he had no choice.

Crash!

Rumble!

Just as Jaeha predicted, the monster dove toward the middle floors of the right-hand building, smashing through it and sending debris flying toward the Espers. Forewarned by Jaeha’s reading, they blocked the attack and immediately countered, aiming for the creature’s eyes and wings. Thanks to his interference, their physical attacks landed.

“We got it!”

—Screeeech!

Geonwoo’s ice spear pierced clean through the monster’s wing joint. As the weapon impaled it, the entire wing froze solid, causing the creature to falter and plummet.

“When it hits the ground, commence full assault! Ready yourselves!”

“Yes!”

Although several had sustained permanent mental injuries, the subjugation itself was proceeding far more smoothly than expected. Jaeha retreated to the rear, letting out a sigh of relief.

That was when—

“Hey, hey…”

“Ugh…”

The Esper Jaeha had dragged to safety earlier grabbed his injured arm and yanked hard. Unfortunately, it was the same arm that had been wounded and left unbandaged, forcing a stifled groan from him.

“Where are we? Is this a Gate? But who am I? Do you know me? Please, help me…!”

“Wait, just… hold on. I’ll explain later.”

Panicked, the disoriented Esper clung to him desperately, nearly tearing at his arm with the weight of his entire body. The pain worsened. It seemed the man couldn’t even remember his own identity.

Jaeha understood his confusion and fear, but this was no time for it. They were still in the middle of combat. He tried to soothe him, glancing anxiously toward the battlefield, but the man remained inconsolable.

“Please, I don’t even know who I am anymore!”

“It’s okay—please calm down!”

The moment he shouted back in frustration and worry, a chill ran down his spine.

“Esper Song! Get down!”

“Jaeha!”

The soundless shadow of the monster loomed over him. Jaeha barely managed to turn his eyes toward it. Hadn’t Geonwoo already struck its wings? It should have been unable to fly!

But the creature’s wings were whole again—as if the ice had never existed, shards falling away harmlessly as they beat the air.

The moment stretched into eternity. He had to block it. He didn’t possess the physical power to do so, but at the very least, he could use the defensive gear issued by the Association. He reached for it—

“Ahhh! Help me!”

“Ugh…!”

But even that was impossible. The panicked Esper clung to him with all his strength, throwing their combined weight off balance.

Unable to draw his equipment, Jaeha braced himself—shielding the confused Esper with his own body and squeezing his eyes shut. He knew closing them was a poor decision, but the reflex was irresistible.

Bang!

Bang bang!

—Screeeech!

But the pain never came. Instead, there were gunshots—and firm hands dragging him to safety. Someone must have shot the monster, perhaps striking its eye. When he opened his eyes, Mi-ae was there, cupping his face and frantically checking him over.

“Jaeha, are you okay? Has that bastard Choi Ihyeon lost his mind, ignoring combat protocol like this?!”

“Ahhhh! AHHHH!”

Mi-ae tore the panicked Esper off him. The man collapsed into an even deeper panic, clutching his head and screaming. Jaeha worried for him, but more pressing was the ongoing battle—he quickly turned his head.

Fortunately, the monster, already low from its dive, was being finished off by the other Espers. Half its wings had been torn away, and its agonized cries were growing fainter—it wouldn’t last much longer.

But… who had fired that shot?

“Jaeha!”

“—!”

A voice far too young for this battlefield pierced his ears. At the sound, Jaeha whipped his head around. Not far away, a small figure came running toward him. Their oversized Association uniform and unsteady sprint made it obvious—the child couldn’t have been older than seven.

“A… Aiden?”

“Jaeha!”

Afraid Aiden might trip mid-sprint, Jaeha instinctively knelt and opened his arms. The boy hurled himself into them.

“Is it really you, Aiden? Aiden… Are you safe?”

“Check your wound first! God, you’re bleeding—why haven’t you even bandaged it?!”

It was Aiden. It truly was him.

The seven-year-old Aiden he had only ever seen in photographs at the villa now stood before him in the flesh.