“Well, that’s not what’s important right now.”
But there was no time to think calmly.
In a moment of distraction, Do Soohyuk, who had drawn his jet-black saber, said something chilling and suddenly vanished from sight.
And the next thing that appeared was not him, but a pitch-black flame.
Hwa-reuk!
The black blaze, soaring high enough to reach the ceiling, fiercely crossed the living room.
Do Soohyuk himself was nowhere to be seen, but a giant, scorching inferno erupted and raged everywhere.
The fierce and merciless attack was consistently aimed only at Woo Jaehyun.
The flames that erupted in various places marked the position where he had just been.
Naturally, Woo Jaehyun was not taking this passively.
He quickly evaded and countered every time the black flame tried to engulf him.
As evidence, parts of the debris rolling on the floor were ground into dust and scattered everywhere.
Hot flames and cloudy dust.
From my perspective watching on the sidelines, it was utterly frustrating.
I felt no relief in the fact that the flames were not even getting close to me.
This was a highly critical moment, an imminent crisis where a moment of inattention from either of them could lead to severe injury.
“Wait, both of you stop!”
Finally, unable to watch any longer, I was about to step forward.
Suddenly, Chirpy flew in from somewhere, bit the hem of my gown, and desperately pulled.
He had rushed in the moment he sensed I was about to interfere in the fight.
“No, let go of this!”
The shower gown was only stretched a little, but I couldn’t bring myself to forcefully shake him off.
As soon as I inevitably reached out my hand, Chirpy slipped away to the side like an eel.
True to being an S-rank spirit, his sense was extraordinary.
Showing no intention of retreating, he started tugging on the belt of the gown this time.
Even after telling him I was okay several times, he stubbornly refused to let go.
KWAANG–! Kwa-gwang!
While wrestling with Chirpy, my head turned at a deafening roar.
In the brief moment I was distracted, Cha Rui had also joined the fight.
The sharp energy he extended crushed the thick concrete wall like tofu.
The interior, already ravaged by flames, was violently blown apart by a simple wave of his hand.
In the middle of this chaos, the area around me remained absurdly intact.
That’s because any small fragment flying toward me was instantly ground into dust, burned away, or finely shattered.
Despite fighting so frantically, everyone was agonizingly concerned about my safety.
It was almost as if I were isolated on a desert island.
In fact, I didn’t even need Chirpy’s protective barrier.
KWAANG! Hooduduk—!
As time passed, the momentum of the battle gradually began to tilt to one side.
Even if I couldn’t follow their movements, I could somewhat guess the overall flow of the situation.
I didn’t need to check to know who was losing ground.
“Woo Jaehyun!”
The brief glimpse I caught of him revealed he was clearly not in good condition.
Every visible area was blackened with burns, and blood streamed ceaselessly from deep lacerations.
This was an inevitable result, as he was fighting two S-rank individuals of a similar caliber, not just an ordinary S-rank.
Nevertheless, Woo Jaehyun’s expression wasn’t contorted with pain; it was utterly composed.
On the contrary, I was so shocked that my eyebrows furrowed fiercely.
“Was this the plan from the start?”
“Well, maybe.”
At that moment, all three people stopped abruptly.
Having appeared without any sign, they were now far apart.
The energy they emitted was so intense that my limbs felt stiff as wood, and the surrounding air was not just chilling, but filled with killing intent.
Compared to Woo Jaehyun, the other two were relatively better off, but they were certainly not unharmed.
There were clear injuries on their arms, thighs, and waist, incurred when they couldn’t completely avoid the attacks.
Because Woo Jaehyun’s ability was so unrealistic, the wounds were also strangely shaped.
They weren’t torn or ripped; they looked scooped out, as if a part of the skin had simply vanished.
“……”
My heart sank heavily at the sight of the three bleeding figures.
Woo Jaehyun, who had answered so nonchalantly, oblivious to my feelings, was slightly out of breath.
He was pretending to be fine on the surface, but in my view, he was in no condition to fight anymore.
Not only Woo Jaehyun, but Cha Rui and Do Soohyuk also needed immediate treatment.
Nevertheless, Cha Rui clenched his fist again and took a stance as if he would charge immediately.
This crazy bastard!
At that sight, I could no longer hold back and bolted forward.
Chirpy, startled by my sudden action, tumbled on the floor, but I didn’t have time to look back.
“Damn it, stop it!”
The men were so focused on each other that they only reacted belatedly after I had darted right in front of them.
They all looked at me with expressions of shock.
They must not have expected me to jump into this perilous fight, especially while wearing the Numen Stone.
Though my action was incredibly reckless, I didn’t hesitate because of the trust I had in the three of them.
“Seo Inho!”
“Fuck.”
A low curse from Cha Rui followed Do Soohyuk’s urgent cry.
The voice of the man who was usually so composed was trembling with anxiety.
The moment he confirmed that I was blocking his path, Cha Rui quickly reined in the energy that was surging up to his shoulders.
However, having already launched his body towards Woo Jaehyun, Cha Rui’s body sharply lost its balance and stumbled.
After barely managing to halt his momentum, he stopped precariously, but unable to control his speed, he violently embraced me.
It was a terrifying situation where I would have been crushed to death by an S-rank body if he had been a moment later.
He looked visibly relieved only after confirming that I was unharmed.
He let out a deep sigh that seemed to rise from his core, then glared at me with eyes mixed with all sorts of emotions.
His complexion, which had been deathly pale just moments ago, was now flushed red.
“Are you crazy?”
Cha Rui grabbed both my shoulders fiercely, his face consumed by a mixture of anger and fear.
He was highly agitated and couldn’t calm down, realizing he had nearly killed me.
This was the first time I had seen such an extreme reaction from him, but I had no intention of backing down now.
If Cha Rui struggled this much to stop, Woo Jaehyun, who was already seriously injured, could genuinely be killed.
Thinking that made my breath catch, and my own anger surged.
“Are you crazy? Are you really trying to kill him?”
“That bastard won’t die from this. It’s all a show! Do you really not know that?”
“I don’t care.”
I answered immediately, my expression coldly hardened.
Even if Woo Jaehyun wouldn’t die from this attack, I wouldn’t just stand by and watch.
To me, two people attacking one was simply too unfair.
What had this guy done that was so wrong?
All Woo Jaehyun had done was trail after me all day and take care of me.
Of course, I was forcibly brought here, but it was undeniable that I had enjoyed comfort and luxury for the past few days.
No matter how I thought about it, there was no reason for him to suffer this brutal treatment.
“So, stop it.”
As I slowly twisted and backed away, Cha Rui’s hands, which were gripping my shoulders, naturally fell away.
His eyes, which had flickered at my resolute attitude, soon became rigidly set.
After a suffocating silence, the atmosphere in Cha Rui’s eyes had distinctly changed.
The emotional turmoil was gone, replaced by an endurance he was barely keeping in check.
“…Just one thing. Did that bastard force this on you?”
“……”
His low, somber gray gaze quietly bore into my neck.
He seemed to be asking about the marks left on my throat.
What answer could I possibly give here?
Finally, when I merely parted my lips and couldn’t say a word, Cha Rui lowered his head and backed away.
I could tell he was suppressing something just by his prominent jaw muscles and the way his Adam’s apple bobbed irregularly.
I had never seen such a wounded expression on him before.
“Cha Rui.”
At that moment, my chest constricted heavily.
Simultaneously, my mood plummeted, and my brow furrowed on its own.
It felt like a lump was stuck in my throat, refusing to be spat out.
I couldn’t understand why these complicated emotions were welling up.
What was more confusing was that all of this wasn’t merely a ‘Seo Inho’ problem.
But before I could say anything, Cha Rui vanished from sight as if it were a lie.
He left instantly, giving me no time for an explanation.
“Ha…”
My chest felt so heavy that I slowly rubbed my eyes.
What on earth did I want to say to Cha Rui?
As I stood there, rooted to the spot, unable to find an answer, I felt a presence drawing near.
I looked up and saw Do Soohyuk withdrawing the black flames that had been burning the surroundings.
At his hand gesture, the pitch-black fire silently faded, as if being sucked back in.
And soon after, his quiet footsteps stopped in front of me.
