The battle continued without cease.
Though the bizarre entity had said something quite meaningful.
For now, she had to survive.
She could think about the bizarre entity's words after it was dead.
"Watcher!!!"
Yeonu screamed, asking for cover.
At this, the Watcher scattered smoke toward Yeonu.
Then Yeonu, wrapped in smoke, kicked off the ground and soared up, shifting her sword into a thrusting form.
Along with a deep breath, the Jinsageom flared with a dark crimson energy.
It was a mysterious energy that suppressed the bizarre entity's aura and utterly shattered bizarre phenomena.
At this, the bizarre entity's eyes widened.
*Why is it reacting like this?*
The bizarre entity's own life was indeed in danger.
Resurrection itself was a bizarre phenomenon, and the Jinsageom would sever that.
But since it was ultimately only suppression, a single strike shouldn't be enough to block its regeneration entirely.
Even so, the bizarre entity was reacting far too greatly.
Though Yeonu felt doubt at this, she pushed such thoughts out of her head.
Because such things weren't important right now.
What mattered now was killing that monster.
The death that Sion had so desperately wished for.
She had to offer it now.
—Slash!!!!
"Kuh...!?"
The bizarre entity's left arm was severed.
At this, the bizarre entity started in surprise and writhed in pain.
"...!!"
A reaction clearly different from before.
The reason was unknown.
But one thing was certain: this was a chance.
While it was disoriented and wholly focused on recovery.
"Chief...!!!"
"Yes...!!"
They had to sever its life completely.
—Bang!!! Bang!!! Bang!!!
Three gunshots rang out.
Just as she was certain they had it.
"...Keeheet."
"...!!"
Yeonu confirmed that the bizarre entity, which had been writhing in pain, was smiling.
And soon she realized what the bizarre entity was doing.
The bizarre entity collapsed, riddled with holes throughout its body.
But it soon recovered and rose from its spot.
All except for the left arm Yeonu had cut off.
"You."
"……."
"...What did you do to Sion?"
Yeonu halted her attack for a moment and threw out that question.
And the answer the bizarre entity gave Yeonu was a sight to behold.
"Keeheet... you finally noticed? Kill me!! If you kill me completely!! I'll tell you!!!"
Saying so, the bizarre entity began rampaging as if excited.
It sharpened both arms into black blades and charged at Yeonu.
Yeonu swung her sword and shouted at Sohun.
"Chief...!!! Don't attack!! This, this is strange!!!!"
It was strange.
Something felt deeply wrong about attacking.
* * *
"No... *gag*...!!!!"
Blood.
Red blood surged up my throat and poured out.
Everything hurt.
My arm was severed and blood was gushing.
My stomach, which I had tried so hard to treat, was riddled with holes too.
How many times had I died and been reborn already?
I had never counted, so I didn't know.
But I was certain it was at least several hundred times.
I had collapsed, spilling blood, hundreds of times over.
It hurt. It hurt like crazy.
"Please... stop...."
Even my tears were hot, as if blood were flowing from my eyes.
What sin had I committed to be going through this hell?
I wanted to live.
Yet living was agony.
I wanted to die.
But the pain of dying was so terrifying.
And I could never truly die.
The moment I briefly took Death's hand, the living world would tear my body from behind and pull me back.
Life was hell.
But even so, I was desperately clinging to life.
My situation was so ridiculous that laughter burst out of me.
Even so, my back was sliced, sliced, sliced, and sliced again and again and again.
It felt like pieces of flesh were flying off.
What had I done wrong?
"I'm... sorry... Mom."
The sin of abandoning Mom that day and running away alone.
That was why I could not be at peace.
Rather than hating Mom, I simply felt sorry toward her.
* * *
"……."
Flesh was torn and burst.
Now I had grown accustomed to such pain and no longer rolled around on the road.
I just sat blankly, looking up at the sky.
Even at this moment, another hole had appeared in my arm.
I moved my hand to rub it.
—Tuk.
"Ah."
My hand had fallen off, so I couldn't stroke it.
To heal, I had to wait for it to recover on its own.
And in the meantime, I lost my life once again.
I had lost my life in all sorts of ways.
Along with blood, there was one more thing within me now that wouldn't stop.
My endlessly streaming tears.
They poured out without stopping, continuously.
Whether my eyes hurt or I myself hurt.
Tears simply flowed endlessly.
The fact that there wasn't even a being anywhere to ask why I was like this made me sadder.
Soon I shed tears and let out a sigh.
I knew very well that nothing would change from doing this.
But if I didn't even do this, there was nothing I could do.
And so I closed my eyes.
* * *
*Probably... Sion is taking all the attacks in my stead.*
Thinking so, Yeonu countered the incoming attacks by severing hands.
Sohun too was firing only at arms and legs with precise timing to provide minimal cover.
They had to do this, at least, to minimize the pain Sion would experience.
They had to drag her out somehow.
Unless they all wanted to die here.
Now that they had lost Minjun.
They couldn't let the damage grow any further.
"Kwahahaha!!! Fun!!! No matter how much you cut, I regenerate! But—"
Having said that, the bizarre entity laughed madly while poking its own chest.
"Will this girl do the same?"
"…."
"Dying and dying and dying, living and living and living over and over...!! It'll be fun!! Very fun!! Right?"
The image of Sion screaming for it to stop and collapsing appeared before Yeonu's eyes.
But even so, she had no choice but to clench her eyes shut and ignore it.
Because that was the task given to her.
The bizarre entity paid her no mind and kept slashing.
No matter how human-like she was.
In the end, Sion was not human.
Just as one wouldn't consider a chimpanzee human.
Therefore, it could cut her.
"...Do you think I can't cut you?"
The atmosphere around Yeonu changed.
She let out a hollow laugh.
A dark crimson energy coiled around her sword.
"Just twice."
"...!!"
"I'll kill you and take Sion back in two moves."
Her body was already warmed up.
Her muscles had loosened enough to enable superhuman movement.
Now all that remained for her was to actually execute it.
A menacing aura swirled around her.
The bizarre entity muttered that it need only move and dodge.
But.
—Crack!!!
"...!?"
Black smoke that had gathered at some point hardened like a whip and bound the bizarre entity to the hallway.
The bizarre entity became unable to move an inch.
Its confusion lasted only a moment.
As if to say 'don't resist,' Sohun shot that bizarre entity's wrist.
The bizarre entity screamed at this.
Watching the bizarre entity struggle to break free, Yeonu slowly moved her steps.
"Hey."
"...!!"
"Do you know why I came here?"
Speaking thus, Yeonu asked the bizarre entity in a low voice.
"To beat the shit out of bastards like you."
Bizarre entities that threatened human life.
They all had to be eliminated.
And among those bizarre entities, Sion was not included.
Come to think of it, there was no reason to treat Sion poorly.
That was why Yeonu gripped her sword.
"This... is my apology to her."
The moment the sword was drawn, light flickered.
Yeonu slowly lowered her stance and took a deep breath.
Sohun and the Watcher pressed themselves against the ends of the hallway walls on their own.
Thus, only the bizarre entity remained in the path the slash would take.
—Fwoosh...!!!
A slash flew forth accompanied by light.
Just as the bizarre entity was split in half.
Another slash flew once again, precisely targeting the bizarre entity's neck.
"Kuaaaaaack...!!!!!"
The bizarre entity disappeared, shrieking.
With a satisfied expression, Yeonu looked at the bizarre entity's remains.
"...Hurry, get up."
She threw a word to Sion to get up quickly.
* * *
Dripping blood, I struggled somehow to heal my body.
My arms and legs had holes in them, so there was nothing I could do about them.
Even so, the attacks weren't coming right now.
So if I was going to recover, now was the only time.
Holding back tears, while I was somehow trying to treat myself.
"……."
"...!!"
Before I knew it, a bizarre entity had come to my side and was looking down at me.
Startled, I saw the bizarre entity smile brightly and place its hand on my wound.
"Sen... ior. Is. Strong."
"……."
"Lo... st. Absorption failed."
"……."
"Fa... iled. To get. Stronger."
The bizarre entity spoke thus with an innocent smile.
Frowning at this, I threw a punch at the bizarre entity.
But contrary to expectations, my fist passed right through the bizarre entity.
The bizarre entity looked at me as if to say 'what are you doing?' and flicked my forehead.
"Time. To. Go. Back."
"...Are you giving it back?"
"My. Body. Not. Yet."
"……."
"Not. Stealing."
Saying so, the bizarre entity stroked my head.
Displeased by this, I got up from my spot and walked toward the fog.
The bizarre entity waved its hand at me as I did so.
Frightened, I hurriedly returned to reality.
* * *
When I opened my eyes again, I was still at school.
If there was one thing different.
"...No desks, no chairs... and no piano... just, truly only the building...."
Everything had disappeared, leaving only the building.
Feeling empty for a moment at this.
I began to sob at the surging pain, anguish, and grievance.
"...I lived."
The pain of having survived.
That gripped my throat.