I'll Save You

Dokja, Gilyoung, and I raced along the railway tracks.

From ahead and behind, monsters poured out in a frenzied torrent.

Lee Hyunsung, Yoo Sangah, and Jung Heewon had already taken shelter in a Hidden Piece. Now we had to find the one that remained.

A thunderous impact. The scream of steel.

I tore through the air on the propulsive force of the Fierce Tiger Bullet, carving monsters apart as I went. No matter how strong Noehoeng's Identity was, protecting Dokja and Gilyoung while fighting was more than it could reasonably handle.

"Kh—! Dokja! How much farther?!"

"Just a little more!"

"I'll clear a path as best I can — stay with me!"

I cut down the monsters blocking the way ahead. I stomped a crawling beast's skull and crushed it flat. And then, at last, a Green Zone came into ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠view.

But—

Of course. Yoo Joonghyuk was already occupying one of the spots.

"…Dokja. Go settle it with her."

"…Got it. Hold out a little longer."

Dokja approached Yoo Joonghyuk and began to speak. I cut down the monsters flooding in, buying him every second I could — and before long, at least Gilyoung made it safely into the Green Zone.

"Noona, wait! Noona! Hyung!"

Monsters surged toward Dokja. But I already knew how he planned to survive this.

Except—

A hand closed around something midair.

"…Hayeon?"

"I don't like that plan."

With a colossal boom, the propulsive force blasted the oncoming monsters clean away in a single sweep. And in my hand sat the Specter's Spirit Stone Dokja had been about to use.

"You're the one I'm going to save."

"So don't you dare even think about using something like this."

I crushed the Spirit Stone in my grip and dropped into a low stance.

A golden aura bloomed across my body, and a radiant net of light wound itself around the Heavenly Retreat Sacred Blade.

"Dokja. Don't take a single step from where you are."

"I'm about to use something big."

"W-what?"

A deafening crash.

Once. I surrendered my body to the propulsive force and brought the blade down. The railway tracks shattered under a blow they could not withstand.

The scream of steel.

Twice. Riding the acceleration that still hadn't faded, I swept a great horizontal cut. The bodies of the monsters bearing down on us split clean in half.

A wet, shearing spray.

Three times. Like a tiger springing on its prey, I launched upward and crashed down on the ones still lingering behind.

A burst. A thunderous detonation.

Four times. I pulled the trigger again, and the fresh surge of propulsion carried me up from below in a rising slash.

A heavy impact. A grinding crash. Another boom.

Five times. I discharged every remaining round in the cylinder, and the recoil hurled me skyward so I could drive the blade straight down.

A cataclysmic roar tore through the air.

The tracks shuddered. A ringing filled my ears. My hands and feet trembled.

Even so — I'd done it.

"Grrrr…"

The monsters growled low in threat, but none of them dared come close after witnessing the power of that technique.

"What are you standing around for…? Get over here already."

I smiled and started toward them, and the monsters actually shrank back, retreating as if afraid.

"I already started this fight — might as well see it through to the end!!!"

I loaded fresh rounds into the cylinder of the Heavenly Retreat Sacred Blade and pulled the trigger. Once more I gave myself over to the force that dragged my body forward and charged straight at them.

I cut, and cut, and cut again.

How many I carved apart, I couldn't say.

"Hah… hah…"

I couldn't feel my hands or feet. My vision blurred. Nothing reached my ears but a high, thin ringing, and the strength drained out of my body in a rush.

Even so, the blue window before me was perfectly clear — announcing that a night which had seemed like it would never end was finally over.

Ah… I can't… hold on any longer…

"Hayeon!!!"

Dokja's cry reached me like a distant scream, and my consciousness sank once more into endless dark.

How long had I been out?

Eyelids that had felt heavy as lead slowly lifted. The ringing that had filled my ears had gone quiet at some point. And behind my head, something soft and warm…

Wait. What?

"You're awake?"

Dokja's face looking down at me from above short-circuited my brain on the spot.

What the hell is this situation right now?

Where exactly am I lying?

Dokja, looking down at me from right in front of my face. And that soft, warm sensation at the back of my head…

"WAAAAAAAH!!!"

"Whoa—!"

I bolted upright on pure reflex. Dokja jerked back in surprise too, but that was the last thing on my mind right now.

"W-where… where was I just…"

"Do you really need to freak out that hard? It was just a lap pillow…"

My consciousness genuinely started to go hazy. My heart hammered like mad and cold sweat broke out across my skin. The same heart that had stayed calm through a life-or-death night was only now thrashing out of control.

"You okay? Your face is kind of red."

"Uh, y-yeah? Y-yeah! I-I'm fine! Yeah! Uh-huh! Totally…"

"…You look like the opposite of fine to anyone with eyes."

"N-no! I'm really fine, okay?! Ha, haha…"

Dokja's suspicious gaze bored into my face like it meant to drill a hole straight through it.

Could you please just let this one go?

"…Fine. If you say you're okay."

"Whew…"

I felt like I'd just aged ten years.

"Right — Gilyoung. Did you look into what I asked?"

"That noona… ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠they say she's on the first basement floor right now."

"Thanks. I'll be back in a bit."

"Be back? Where are you going?"

"To steal someone else's combat asset."

"I'm coming with you."

"Huh? But you just woke up — your condition…"

"I'm fine. I'm coming."

"R-right."

I ended up accompanying Dokja whether I wanted to or not. As we climbed, he checked the number of Green Zones on each floor. A few of Gong Pildu's underlings tried to pick a fight along the way, but one look at me — Identity still active — and they turned tail in pure terror.

Then came the stairs leading down to the first basement floor.

A blade flashed out from behind us in an instant.

"What are you doing here, mister, missus?"

"Put the sword away. We came to talk."

"Talk? You came looking for me on purpose?"

"Yeah."

When I glanced back, Lee Jihye had already vanished. We finished climbing the stairs and found her standing at the exit, blocking the way.

"So what's this talk about?"

"…Why are you standing there, though?"

"Master told me to guard this spot. So you two aren't getting past either."

While I'd been unconscious, Yoo Joonghyuk had already taken off down the killifish route again.

"We need your help."

"My help?"

"We're going to smash Gong Pildu's group today."

"!"

"…Are you serious?"

Jihye's eyes went round, as if she couldn't believe what she'd just heard.

"I have a method. A method that only works if you help us."

"If you don't help, most of the people here will die."

"They're going to die anyway."

"Did ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Yoo Joonghyuk tell you that?"

"I saw the scenario footage of you coming out of the subway."

At those words, Jihye stopped what she was doing and looked at us with a twisted expression.

"The one where you killed your classmate and survived."

"You didn't actually want to do that."

"…Stop."

"What would you know about it, missus?"

"What would I know? Obviously nothing."

"I'm just running my mouth however I want."

"But if you look the other way today, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

"Without a doubt."

With that, Dokja left Lee Jihye standing there and headed back down the stairs. I followed after him.

Even if I felt sorry for Lee Jihye, there was nothing to be done. I couldn't resolve that past of hers — and more than that, it was a sin that the human being called Lee Jihye would have to face herself.