“Kekeke, Holy Knight. What a pathetic sight.”
The demon that had targeted Ian sneered while looking at the severed arm. It twisted its body, soaked in pleasure, and shouted.
“You filthy dog of the goddess! You will die now! The poison of the abyss is vicious! The target was the Saint, but killing a Holy Knight isn’t bad either.”
Poison of the abyss? At the name he was hearing for the first time in his life, Ian gritted his teeth. And he examined the severed surface where blood continuously flowed. Surely the color of the blood was abnormally black. He wanted to spit out curses right away, but the situation was too urgent for that. Ian grabbed the wound area, not caring that his hands were soaked with blood.
And he began healing with all his might. When brilliant light burst forth, the dying miscellaneous Shadow Stalkers twisted their bodies. Meanwhile, Choi Jaeheon pressed down on the largest entity with psychokinesis.
“Huhu.”
Even in this situation, the entity that attacked Vermouth was laughing. The monsters that had been running down the mountain turned back. And they rushed madly toward where Choi Jaeheon was pressing with his power. Even as they died, they pushed forward relentlessly, and the psychokinesis began to be pushed back.
Curses burst from Hong Seoyoon’s mouth. He gathered all the strength he had and didn’t have to burn the monsters.
“You bastards!”
Choi Jaeheon also added more power, and more. At the same time blood flowed from his nose, psychokinesis crushed the entire villa. Every monster that entered that zone burst without exception. But the largest entity barely maintained its form as it crawled away to escape.
It was overwhelming force, but they couldn’t catch the leader moving quickly through the shadows.
Crackle, crzzzt.
Before long, a voice flowed from the radio Choi Jaeheon carried along with noise.
[The, the gate has closed. Situation terminated.]
There the radio met its end. The escaped monster seemed capable of closing the gate itself. Choi Jaeheon struck the collapsing wall.
The situation was over.
All noise subsided, and heavy silence descended over the ruins of the destroyed villa. But for Ian, the real battle was just beginning.
“The arm, the arm. Damn it!”
The composure he’d desperately held onto was breaking. Even though he poured out far more divine power than usual, the wound wouldn’t heal. By now, bone should be growing and flesh attaching. No matter how severe the wound, it should recover when touched by his hands. But Vermouth’s wound showed no signs of improvement.
Ian’s fingertips began trembling faintly. More, more. He increased the amount of divine power, but the black poison repelled it as if refusing. Like oil and water, they didn’t mix. Each time divine power touched it, the poison rampaged more viciously and burrowed into the flesh.
“Phew.”
Ian let out a deep sigh and slapped his own cheek with his blood-soaked hand. He hit so hard that Choi Jaeheon and Hong Seoyoon, who were watching, were startled.
“What am I doing getting scared when I’m the healer!”
He deliberately spoke aloud and continued healing. Fortunately, the poison was decreasing bit by bit. But could Vermouth last until all the poison was removed? He’d cursed at him and told him to die many times, but he’d never truly wished for his death. He was Lancia’s hero and hope. Even if he was a psychopath pervert bastard, he had saved Ian.
Ian spoke to Choi Jaeheon in a much more stable voice.
“Bring me that arm.”
Choi Jaeheon as carefully as possible picked up the arm that had separated from Vermouth and handed it over. Ian disinfected the cross-section of the arm with divine power and attached it to the severed area. But there was no sign of it reattaching. Perhaps it would be better to just heal the cross-section and let new flesh grow.
“Damned monster.”
From pouring out so much power, Ian’s complexion began to pale. Around then, he realized. This wasn’t something that could be solved simply by pouring divine power. Something more was needed.
Why of all people was Vermouth’s goddess Regnasia? She was the goddess of war and love. Therefore, her apostles could amplify their power through love. And love could be proven through the body, not just the heart.
But he couldn’t engage in physical acts here and now. If he did that in front of his hyungs watching with blazing eyes, Vermouth would definitely die.
Ian took a deep breath and struggled to at least maintain the current state.
Then, the sound of vehicle engines roared from afar. Military trucks emblazoned with the Management Bureau emblem, large vans, and ambulances charged into the wrecked site, raising dust.
Screech.
As soon as the vehicles stopped, Management Bureau Awakeners and agents got out, and healers in white coats moved in perfect order.
“Patient, is there a patient?”
Among them, Yoon Taegyeom with an exhausted expression rushed over urgently and shouted.
“Over here!”
He quickly scanned the scene and assigned the healers to Vermouth. Ian also tried to stay there, but Choi Jaeheon grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back.
“You need to rest too. You look terrible.”
Ian opened and closed his mouth several times before shutting it. One of the healers latched onto Ian. Warm power pushed into his body and began restoring his stamina.
“Ian! Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”
Actually, Choi Jaeheon and Hong Seoyoon looked more wretched, but Yoon Taegyeom only asked Ian.
“I’m fine. More than me, the other hyungs,”
“These guys are so tough they’re fine.”
“Uweck!”
Behind Yoon Taegyeom saying this, Hong Seoyoon could be seen vomiting from power depletion. Ian involuntarily narrowed his eyes. No matter how he looked at it, he didn’t seem fine?
“That’s how they build resistance.”
What resistance? As if understanding the meaning in Ian’s gaze, Yoon Taegyeom cleared his throat awkwardly and changed the subject.
“I was too late, wasn’t I? I sent Choi Jaeheon and Vermouth first while defending the city center.”
It was the moment the source of the military helicopter they’d arrived on was revealed.
“I should have come faster. I have no excuse.”
“No.”
Ian understood Yoon Taegyeom’s feelings. Sometimes there were moments when it was difficult to readily choose one of two options. It was often like that in Lancia too. And when that happened, he always chose the side with more people. Or the side with more capable people. No matter how much you proclaim benevolence, you can’t be equal to everyone.
It was that kind of era.
“Kugh!”
There were three healers treating Vermouth. Each possessed outstanding abilities, but the wound wouldn’t close. Rather, some staggered back as if struck and coughed up blood.
“Th-this is strange!”
One of the healers shouted.
Ian quickly got up from his seat and returned to Vermouth. And once again pushed divine power into him. The eyes of another healer widened seeing this. The wound didn’t heal, but it didn’t worsen either. Above all, Vermouth’s expression became much more comfortable.
The healer had an expression full of questions but didn’t speak to Ian. Because interrupting while a healer was treating a patient was something that shouldn’t be done.
“Ah, the villa’s destroyed.”
Hong Seoyoon leaned against a nearby collapsed wall while watching the Management Bureau clean up the scene.
“But ordinary healers can’t even touch that. Should we call a buffer?”
A buffer was what they commonly called a detoxification and purification specialist healer. Though they were precious, one was affiliated with Phoenix Guild.
“We’ll have to call one.”
“Oh?”
Hong Seoyoon looked at Choi Jaeheon who gave that answer.
“You’re not going to leave him to die?”
“…He saved Ian.”
“Well, that really is praiseworthy.”
Yoon Taegyeom interjected between the two talking.
“So what are you going to do? From the current state, it doesn’t seem easy to move him.”
“I have another house in this area.”
Hong Seoyoon grinned crookedly and stood up.
“Wouldn’t it be better to go to a hospital?”
“No, my house will be much better. Ian is here as a healer to treat him, and we can bring a buffer separately. If we go to a hospital for no reason, annoying things might swarm.”
“You mean reporters.”
“It wasn’t like this before. At some point, they keep crossing the line?”
“I’ll warn them.”
“Fighting!”
With those words, Yoon Taegyeom left to clean up the scene. And they borrowed the remaining Management Bureau van and moved to Hong Seoyoon’s other house.
“Wow, as expected, Management Bureau vehicles are nice.”
Though it looked ordinary on the outside, inside it was filled with cutting-edge medical equipment prepared for emergencies. It was a vehicle normally used to transport people you didn’t want others to know about.
Vermouth was lying on the makeshift bed in the center, and Ian sat in the auxiliary seat beside him, tightly gripping his shoulder. Because it felt like the poison would burrow into his heart if he let go even for a moment.
In the driver’s seat sat Choi Jaeheon instead of an agent. Unable to entrust the wheel to others, he drove the ambulance himself. Through the rearview mirror, the situation in the back seat was starkly visible.
Inside the vehicle, only heavy silence and the sounds of medical equipment circulated.
