“Why? Tired already? I told you it would’ve been better if you just played along nicely.”
Roilnia’s eyes rolled back eerily as she looked down at Ben.
On top of that, an even stronger pressure began to swirl around her.
Even though Ben knew in his head that he had to deflect the direction of her force and dodge, his injuries made it impossible.
He wondered if the woman had calculatedly injured both of his legs just for this moment.
Ben forced himself to swallow a bitter laugh.
Crucially, Penka was right behind him.
Even if Ben somehow managed to dodge Roilnia’s blade, the tip of the knife was bound to head straight for Penka.
“Did you think you could beat me with a little trick you just picked up?”
Ben’s arms, which were blocking the woman, trembled violently.
He felt nauseous, and the metallic taste of blood surged in his throat.
As her momentum grew fiercer, the state of his body—which was absorbing that impact—was visibly deteriorating.
It seemed that being able to borrow a fingernail’s worth of supernatural power wasn’t something he could just blindly celebrate.
At his core, Ben was a Guide, not an Esper.
Even if their outward appearance was the same, the body of a Guide—who was essentially a normal human—couldn’t be the same as an Esper’s.
In exchange for being allowed to perform miracles that defied reality, a price in the form of physical strain was required.
Naturally, the longer he continued this act, the greater the price became.
His body, already a wreck from the backlash, screamed from every corner.
Furthermore, the energy circling his ankle hadn’t taken a stable form.
Being the one experiencing it, he could feel its incompleteness even more clearly.
A glance showed that the mist of light around his ankle was much fainter than when it first appeared.
Just as the ring he saw on Haimar’s neck always vanished quickly, this could do the same.
If it disappeared like that, Ben wasn’t sure if this luck that had visited him would continue.
So, he prayed and prayed again.
‘Just a little longer, just hold out a little longer.’
Hope and anxiety tangled in his chest, creating a desperate plea.
Just as the unique light remained distinct no matter how dim it became, he was connected to Haimar even if they weren’t together.
He would come for him. He was certain of it.
So please, just a little more.
“Goodbye. Your struggle was actually quite worth watching.”
‘But honestly, I really can’t hold out anymore. Dammit… Haimar Alec, just get here already! Your Guide is actually going to die at this rate!’
Roilnia raised her free hand high and gripped it together with the hand holding the knife.
With the added strength of both hands, Ben’s body shook pathetically.
The cold-blooded woman’s blade tore through the shield Ben was maintaining with his last ounce of strength and drew closer.
Bit by bit. Gnawing away until it was right before his eyes.
Nevertheless, Ben Plaskun believed.
He did not give up on believing.
He believed in the miracle that Haimar would come.
“Ah, just hurry up and get here!! Haimar Alec!!”
—For my God will save those who trust in Him.
Crash—!
Ben’s shield, unable to hold out any longer, shattered, and the shockwave sent his body reeling backward.
Feeling his body fall helplessly, he saw the woman’s knife flying toward him in slow motion.
He thought he could see her wildly fluttering red hair, and next to his face, a familiar hand that didn’t belong to Penka…
A hand?
Ben’s eyes suddenly grew as wide as lanterns.
“Get lost, vermin.”
And so it was.
Miracles are things that happen through belief.
“What—!!”
Right next to Ben, the empty air where nothing existed split in half, and an arm reached out.
The man’s hand, emerging without hesitation, grabbed Roilnia’s face as she tried to drive the knife down—and threw her away.
K-boom—!!
Ben witnessed the miracle that had blossomed from his faith.
‘Am I… alive?’
The familiar scent and body heat against his back welcomed Ben.
As he was held in that cozy embrace, the tension that had been gripping him from head to toe vanished.
It was Haimar.
It was him, the one he had missed so madly.
It was a total relief.
Once his mind was at ease, a wave of comfort washed over him.
The accumulated pain and fatigue grew several times over and took over his body.
He was so exhausted he wondered how he had even been moving a moment ago.
The mist of light around his ankle finally lost its color and vanished, leaving Ben’s body feeling like lead as he struggled to blink his heavy eyes.
“Not wanting to lift a single finger” was the perfect way to describe how he felt.
“Hah.”
Haimar buried his face in the nape of Ben’s neck, inhaling deeply as if tracing the scent he had left behind.
Then, his lips pressed frantically against Ben’s ears, neck, and forehead before pulling away.
It seemed like a process an extremely sensitive predator goes through to regain stability.
Ben wanted to hug him back tightly to celebrate their reunion, but unfortunately, he didn’t even have the strength to lift his arms.
He even let go of the cylinder he was holding and gave up after a few twitches.
“…Thought I was really gonna die, cough—!”
‘No, why more blood?’
He had only coughed because he tried to speak, but of course, blood had to come out at this timing.
Even when he tried to speak again, no sound came out, as if something were stuck in his throat.
He had intended to convey his joy through words in place of his unmoving body during this touching reunion, but when cold water was unintentionally thrown on the atmosphere, Ben peeked at Haimar’s expression.
Naturally, Haimar’s face froze the moment he saw the fishy blood wetting the corners of Ben’s mouth.
‘Damn it, I didn’t mean to make you worry.’
But objectively speaking, he looked like a complete mess, riddled with signs of illness.
“You—”
No, no, it’s not life-threateningly serious. I’m just exhausted!
Setting aside the injuries from Roilnia, the fact that his energy had been drained by the borrowed power was a major factor.
Ben wanted to explain his condition quickly.
But instead of a voice, only blood came up, and Haimar’s momentum—which had seemed to be settling—flared up terrifyingly again.
To make matters worse, a single trail of blood trickled from his nose, unintentionally worsening the situation.
“Get up.”
He wished Haimar would understand that he wasn’t doing this because he didn’t want to get up.
Perhaps because his tension had snapped, Ben was also flustered by his rapidly deteriorating condition.
Sadly, blinking was the best he could do.
He tried to convey that he was okay through his gaze, but it was hard to meet Haimar’s eyes because his vision was becoming increasingly blurry.
As the light faded from Ben’s eyes, the atmosphere surrounding the man sank heavily.
His efforts to reassure him were having the opposite effect.
An extremely gentle hand brushed against the cheek that had turned blue from the woman’s slap.
After wiping the blood around Ben’s mouth, Haimar whispered into his ear while still holding him.
It was a voice that sounded deceptively sweet, but an undeniable fury was submerged beneath it.
“You have to get up. Hmm?”
‘I’m sorry, but can you wait just a moment…’
Right now, he was doing well just by forcing his eyelids to stay open.
Actually, given his condition, he would have no more wishes if he could just close his eyes and rest peacefully for a bit.
Ben’s body had reached its limit.
It was hard to overcome physical exhaustion with willpower.
They say a healthy mind dwells in a healthy body; having met the harsh storm named Roilnia, both of Ben’s were in tatters.
After all that suffering, they had finally met, and now he was about to lose consciousness before he could even fully feel the emotion of it.
And in a strange situation that was perfect for Haimar to misunderstand.
He knew he couldn’t let go of his consciousness here.
The situation wasn’t settled, and there was no telling how Roilnia would act.
Haimar’s energy, which he could feel pressing against him, was also rough and fierce—likely because he had pushed himself too hard to find Ben—meaning his state wasn’t great either.
At a time when he should be wide awake to take care of Haimar, his body chose to go on strike.
‘No, no… I have to stay awake… stay…’
Ben finally lost the strength in the eyelids he had been forcing shut.
He didn’t have the chance to think about what kind of situation his loss of consciousness would trigger.
Before he could worry about that, his awareness cut off.
“Ben.”
Haimar called Ben’s name softly as he went limp like a corpse.
The refreshing energy that had been flowing slightly turned faint as if it might snap at any moment, and his breathing became exceedingly slow.
The eyes that always shone were closed and dull, no longer looking at the man.
Was this what he expected when he arrived here?
Not a chance.
What the man had expected was Ben grumbling in his arms.
Not a Ben Plaskun coughing up blood, covered in wounds, with not a single spot left unscathed, but a Ben Plaskun who laughed at him and leaned in with a body heat so hot it was warm.
And yet, what was the result in his hands?
Fortunately, Ben was alive, but his appearance was nothing short of horrific.
To the man, this was the same as defeat.
Haimar gently licked the blood of Ben that had stained his thumb. It was the taste of a bitter defeat he had never experienced in his life.
He felt as though those tightly closed eyes would never open.
Even though he knew Ben was alive, an anxiety surged that those sparkling eyes would never look at him again.
The sense of loss, which had been like a faint shadow until now, approached with a clear reality and stimulated the impulses buried in the man’s dark depths.
Everything he had suppressed and endured until now became useless.
The reason, logic, and instinct he had barely been holding onto burned away white, and for the first time in his life, emotion took the lead.
There were no more brakes to control him.
The limiters had long since fallen off, and the Guide who could hold the man back had lost consciousness.
Since his “reverse scale” had been touched, the remaining task was perfectly clear.
He just had to do what he was best at.
Destroying and killing.
Refined anger flowing from the monster’s body shimmered in golden light.
