Black Badger

It feels like his nerves are burning away.

Kairos sprawled face-down on the wasteland floor and let out a choked sound.

He couldn’t even open his eyes. The Venom Meridian raced through every nerve in his body. It settled in behind his once-healthy eyelids as well, and now blood was streaming freely from both of Kairos’s eyes.

He can’t even get up.

He lay half-turned on the ground, dragging in desperate, ragged breaths.

Even when he’d bound the Fire Dragon, it hadn’t felt like his body was burning this badly.

Back then, he hadn’t used the Venom Meridian.

Even when he’d used the Venom Meridian to briefly bind the Lightning Dragon, it hadn’t felt like his entire body was on fire to this extent....

“—!”

Someone was shouting near his head.

“—!! —!!”

{Such a potent one.}

He couldn’t clearly hear what was probably the spotter’s shout, but he could hear the Venom Meridian murmuring somewhere inside his body.

{You really did it. Astonishing talent.}

Three seconds.

As Kairos waited for the searing heat that felt like it was strangling his airway to subside, he thought.

Three seconds was his limit. He couldn’t endure any longer than that. If he’d stubbornly tried to hold the Remnant Wraith any longer, every nerve in his body would have ruptured and he would have been left a cripple.

Even those three seconds had only been possible because of the Venom Meridian.

Without it, he wouldn’t have been able to restrain it at all—and if this hadn’t been such a long-aged Venom Meridian, his nerves would have burst after just one second of binding.

It was the result of pushing the binding talent he’d been born with to its absolute limit.

Three seconds.

His nerves weren’t exactly intact even now.

{Still, that was delicious.}

He felt the Venom Meridian plop out from beneath his eyelids.

{Farewell, exceptional one. I doubt I’ll ever find a host like you again.}

He had no energy to respond to the monster as it muttered and drifted away.

Just thinking about the Remnant Wraith was already enough to occupy him.

Not five seconds—three.

He’d managed to bind it for three seconds. That was enough.

In any case, Kairos had succeeded in dragging the upper half of the Remnant Wraith through the portal.

Which meant he’d stopped it from smashing the portal device.

That alone was....

“Jack!”

Ah.

The spotter was crying.

“What did you do? You have to tell me what you did!”

Now the voice was coming through clearly.

Ami was crouched by his head, staring down at his face, bawling uncontrollably.

“You should’ve told me first!”

Tears pattered down onto his cheeks.

“Why is there so much blood?!”

The tears falling onto his face were nice—they eased the burning sensation.

He wondered if it was really okay to be lying around like this when the Remnant Wraith wasn’t even confirmed dead yet, but—

“What do I do? Jack, what do I do? I gave you a blood injection, but I don’t know where to stop the bleeding. I don’t even know why you’re bleeding!”

“...Wraith.”

“What?”

He forced the word out through a constricted throat, and Ami’s face moved closer.

“What did you say?”

“...The Remnant Wraith... is....”

He couldn’t open his eyes, so he couldn’t check visually.

He didn’t even dare try using his instincts.

He hadn’t lost his ability, but he’d need to refrain from using it until his body recovered....

“It’s cut in half.”

Ami’s voice snapped his fading consciousness back into focus.

He felt the senior’s small hand.

The spotter clutched his hand and sniffled.

“I smashed the portal device while only half of its body was through. It got split in two. It’s not moving. I think it’s dead....”

Good heavens.

Kairos marveled inwardly.

They killed a Remnant Wraith.

The problem the Emperor had agonized over his entire life, never managing to solve, had been resolved just like that. Even amid the horrific burning pain, a small laugh slipped out.

Back in the Empire, all we could do was herd it into a pit. Every time another one was born, we trembled in fear, drawing forbidden lines around the area so it would never be awakened.

A being whose name we hesitated to even speak.

And it could die.

It was alive, in some way.

Milk wriggled out of his pocket and whined, licking his face. He wanted to raise a hand and pat Milk’s head, but he had no strength left.

Kairos felt relieved that it had been a living being.

If it had life, then it could die.

Even if it had no fixed lifespan....

“Jack!”

Ami’s voice began to drift away.

“Jack! Don’t fall asleep! Don’t fall asleep!”

Sorry. I’m really sleepy.

The murmur never became sound.

Kairos blinked as he sank into pitch-black unconsciousness.

***

I stared at the doctor like an idiot.

What is he talking about...?

It was Yoow who regained his composure first.

“What do you mean by that?”

His face was deathly pale.

“Who was injured beyond help? Who? What happened to the Remnant Wraith?”

“The Remnant Wraith is dead.”

Samuel answered.

At the calm reply, my jaw—and those of my kin—dropped.

Dead?

The Remnant Wraith is dead?

You can kill that thing?

“Dead? Are you certain?”

“How did they kill it? You must be mistaken—maybe it just went dormant again.”

“What about Kairos?”

I let Igor and Yoow’s questions wash over me.

Then I asked again. Seeing how quiet Yun was, it seemed the medical helicopter had been dispatched for Kairos rather than Ami. If Ami had been hurt, Yun wouldn’t be standing around like this.

Samuel tilted his head in confusion.

“Who?”

“Jack Black.”

As I spoke, I made a futile attempt to sense my kin’s presence.

It really was futile. I couldn’t even sense nearby monsters right now. I must have absorbed to my heart’s content, yet my instincts hadn’t recovered.

Whether my leaf-veins had been permanently removed, or whether absorption simply wasn’t working, I couldn’t tell yet.

That wasn’t what mattered.

I grabbed Samuel by the arm.

“Is he injured?”

Samuel quietly met my eyes.

“Doctor. Is the artificial human injured?”

“...Ami’s fine.”

“What about Jack?”

I told myself it wasn’t a final farewell.

“His life isn’t in danger, right? He just lost part of his body or something like that?”

“There’s damage across his entire nervous system.”

Samuel cut off my scattered questions cleanly.

He wasn’t flustered or angry. The physician Black Badger prided itself on looked straight at me and explained clearly.

“It’s like his nerves all ruptured at once. I’m sorry. There’s nothing more I can do.... The ones who took the medical helicopter are bringing him to the portal now.”

Ah.

I warned him so many times....

I told him over and over not to attempt binding recklessly.

Beside me, Yoow let out a faint groan. He seemed to understand the situation now. Igor muttered a curse in the Imperial tongue.

I crushed the surge of despair and fear rising inside me.

“He’s alive, right?”

There was still hope.

As long as he was alive, I could save him.

“His DNA isn’t completely shattered, is it?”

“Yes.”

Samuel answered.

“He’s still alive. How long he’ll hold on, I don’t know, but....”

“Let me go.”

I pushed against the ground with my palm.

Samuel swore, and Yun pressed down hard on my shoulder. I ignored them and struggled.

Yehyeon jerked his head up in shock. Ricardo turned toward me with a frown.

I looked at Yehyeon.

“Commander.”

“Hey. Don’t move on your own!”

“Okay.”

“Please send me to Jack. If it’s not a lethal dose of radiation exposure, I can heal him. As long as he’s alive, it’s fine.”

I just need to transfer it.

Even if my leaf-veins were damaged, absorption and transfer wouldn’t be affected.

I grabbed Yun’s arm where he was holding me down and forced myself upright.

“Damn it, your wound’s reopening! You’ve got a fever right now!”

“Please.”

I looked into Yehyeon’s eyes and begged.

“Take me to Jack. If he’s still breathing, I can save him. Even if I can’t... at least let me say goodbye before it’s too late.”

“Didn’t you say you can’t absorb ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) anymore? Can you even transfer in this condition?”

“I can. The rampage has completely stopped now. It’s possible.”

“Take Hilde by helicopter.”

Yehyeon didn’t hesitate.

I was deeply grateful for that.

Because I could feel it—he had no intention of wasting even a single second.

“We’re going to the portal.”

***

They pulled the sword out of Hilde’s body and boarded the helicopter.

After getting onto the medical helicopter, they headed for the location where the portal had been set up—the place where the retreating Badgers were regrouping.

During the flight, Samuel Han focused entirely on treating Hilde, but even by the time they arrived, the fever still hadn’t gone down.

The doctor cursed under his breath, saying the inflammation markers were far too high.

Hilde didn’t care. He couldn’t calm down. He twisted restlessly the entire way, growing more and more agitated, and from the moment the helicopter began preparing to land, he looked ready to jump out.

Yun and Ricardo didn’t stop him.

More accurately, no one present tried to stop him. Instead, Igor, Yoow, and Rose prepared to jump out alongside Hilde the moment the helicopter touched down.

How could anyone scold someone who was about to see a dying friend?

“Looks like you’ve got your own way of treating him?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll pull the needle out now, so stay still.”

The doctor removed the IV from Hilde’s hand.

“If you can save him, then save him. No matter what.”

Hildebert nodded.

Igor shoved the helicopter door open.

The wind came roaring into the cabin.

Hildebert leapt down into the grass, bracing against the fierce gusts. The wind created by his sudden movement lashed against everyone’s skin.

Grass and clothes whipped violently under the propellers.

At the rendezvous point, the Badgers had gathered exactly as planned.

The portal device stood there, being prepped for operation. Badgers kept watch in all directions.

And among those on guard lay the wounded.

The moment they spotted Hilde, their eyes widened.

“Hildebert!”

“Taleb!”

“Kumber!”

“Hilde!”

Hildebert didn’t respond to any of the calls.

He ignored them and ran. He even shoved aside those who approached him. The voices flying in from all directions seemed not to reach his ears. His yellow gaze was nailed to a single point.

The place he hadn’t taken his eyes off since the moment landing preparations began.

Hildebert slid to a stop beside the injured man.

“Hi, Hilde....”

Jack Black lay atop a sheet.

Beside him, Ami was crying so hard it was worrying.

“Jack....”

She couldn’t finish the sentence.

“Jack.... C-could you transfer it...? Then maybe... maybe he’ll get better....”

“Yes.”

Hildebert answered absentmindedly, staring down at Jack.

“He’ll be fine.”

Jack Black was in terrible shape.

Carl Dow, who had followed Hildebert, let out a low groan the moment he checked the binder’s condition. There was a reason Samuel Han had said there was nothing he could do.

The rescue tarp was soaked through with the blood Jack had lost. It was impossible to tell exactly where the blood was seeping from. All that was clear was that it kept coming. Blood had dried even along his long eyelashes. Blood flowing from his ears ran down his neck.

Grim.

The moment that thought crossed his mind, Hilde collapsed heavily onto the grass.

He gripped Jack’s hand so hard it looked like it might shatter.

His other hand pressed into the grass.

Zzzzzzt—

Black roots spread out from the hand touching the ground.

Carl blinked as a strange sound tickled his ears.

No matter how many times I see it, it’s bizarre.

But this time, the absorption wasn’t frightening. Carl watched as Hilde’s wounds healed. The injury left by the Commander vanished completely, and the moment Hilde’s wounds closed, Jack Black’s bleeding stopped.

That kind of recovery can’t even be imitated by an enhanced body.

The instant that thought formed, Hilde recoiled as if burned and released Jack’s hand.

“Jack!”

At the same time, Ami screamed his name. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

“Jack!”

The red-haired star driver opened his eyes.

The Badgers watching let out shocked sounds.

Carl sucked in a breath as he watched the man blink his orange eyes.

Just minutes ago, it had seemed like a miracle that he was even breathing.

Now Jack Black was slowly pushing himself upright.

The driver sat up and rolled his eyes around.

Then he spotted Hilde right beside him.

“Hilde.”

The binder smiled.

“You made it back safely.”

“What did you do?”

Hilde didn’t respond.

More accurately, it seemed like he didn’t hear him.

The golden-eyed junior grabbed Jack by the shoulder.

“Tell me. How did you kill the Remnant Wraith? Why were you dying like this?”

“I didn’t kill it.”

Jack answered calmly, as if he hadn’t grasped the situation.

“When the Remnant Wraith was halfway through the portal device, Ami smashed the device.”

Ah.

A small exclamation escaped Carl’s mouth.

So that was possible.

The others seemed equally impressed by Ami’s response. Small murmurs of admiration slipped from the rescue team nearby.

Only Hilde didn’t react.

His golden eyes never left Jack, who was drenched in blood.

Jack smiled faintly and continued.

“And I used the Venom Meridian to bind the Remnant Wraith for three seconds, forcing it through the portal device.”

Hilde’s jaw dropped.

Carl had never seen his junior’s golden eyes open that wide. He looked so shocked he seemed to have lost his voice entirely.

Seeing Hilde’s eyes refuse to shrink, Jack laughed awkwardly.

“The portal device was about to be destroyed by the Remnant Wraith’s cannon. If that happened, I had no confidence I could suppress it at all.”

“.......”

“It kept thrashing more and more, so I pushed myself a bit. Still, it was only three seconds of binding. Somehow, it all worked out. I let the Venom Meridian coil in my left eye—fortunately, it doesn’t seem like the eyeball itself got torn out.”

“.......”

“I did lose my vision, though.”

The famous figure of Center Core finished his explanation calmly, then leaned his upper body toward Hilde.

In contrast to the wide-open yellow eyes, his orange eyes narrowed.

The look someone gets when closely observing something.

“By the way, Hilde.”

He reached out toward him.

“You—”

Thud!

A dull sound echoed across the grassland.

The rescue team gasped.

The seniors snapped their heads around.

Ami hiccupped.

Everyone stared in shock at Hildebert, his fist clenched.

And at Jack’s right cheek, already swelling red.

Hildebert’s punch had flown before anyone realized it.

“You bastard.”

The one who had thrown the punch spat the words.

In a tone no one had ever heard from him before.

“Are you insane?”