Chapter 39: Guding a Sentinel (2)
Sweat poured down Ethan’s face his breathing becoming increasingly ragged.
His vision spun violently.
His ears rang so loudly he could barely hear himself think. Despite that he forced himself to push harder.
Then suddenly he noticed something that caused his expression to change drastically.
The corruption wasn’t simply disappearing.
It had begun intertwining with his own spiritual energy. It slowly started traveling back toward him through the very spiritual connection he had created.
If that corruption entered his body...
He’d be as good as dead.
Before panic could completely consume him...
A weak cough echoed beside him.
Ethan immediately turned his head to find Drey’s eyes opened.
The once raging crimson had faded into a dull brown, exhaustion evident within them as he barely managed to remain conscious.
Using what little strength he still possessed, Drey looked directly at Ethan.
His lips parted slightly.
"...You’re...not doing it...right..."
Ethan’s temper exploded instantly.
"You—"
This lunatic actually has the audacity to criticize him?
"I’m risking my life trying to save you and the entire academy from your crazy self!"
"If you know so much..."
"Then come do it yourself!"
Drey looked at him through half-lidded eyes before weakly shaking his head.
"...No..."
"I mean..."
He struggled to finish the sentence.
Then, with the last bit of strength he still possessed, his dry lips finally moved.
"...Kiss me."
Ethan almost choked on air, his eyes widening so much they nearly popped out of their sockets.
"You pervert!" he blurted out in utter disbelief. "Don’t tell me the corruption has gotten to your brain too!"
Even while hanging between life and death. This was all this lunatic could think of? was he seriously asking for a kiss?
Drey’s eyelids trembled weakly as he struggled to remain conscious. Every word that left his lips sounded strained, as though he was forcing himself to stay awake through sheer willpower.
"...Closer physical contact..." he muttered hoarsely, his breathing uneven. "strengthens the spiritual link... It’ll stabilize your spiritual energy and speed up the Guiding..."
"Oh..."
Understanding dawned on Ethan almost instantly.
So that was what he meant.
It wasn’t because this shameless man had suddenly become a pervert. It was simply one of the methods Guides could apparently use to strengthen a Guiding connection.
Even then...
"No."
The answer came without the slightest hesitation.
"Keep dreaming. There is absolutely no way I’m kissing you."
His ears had already begun turning warm just imagining it.
Who would willingly kiss the same arrogant bastard that had publicly humiliated him not long ago?
Not him.
Never him.
"So shut up," Ethan huffed while gathering his spiritual energy once more. "Just stay there quietly and let me work in peace. I can do this perfectly fine without kissing you."
Drey gave no response.
At first Ethan thought the man was simply ignoring him, but when he looked properly, he realized Drey had returned to his previous state.
Only then did he notice something.
"...Drey?"
The man’s head had already fallen limply to one side.
His eyes had closed once again and he had completely lost consciousness.
At almost the exact same moment, the thick black vines that had only just loosened suddenly tightened around Drey’s body once more, digging cruelly into his flesh as though they wanted to drag him even deeper into despair.
The enormous corrupted tree let out another horrifying shriek that echoed throughout the shattered Mental Sea.
Its countless branches twisted violently.
The pitch-black roots beneath Ethan’s feet pulsed like the veins of some monstrous living creature.
Then...
The corruption exploded.
Dark miasma surged outward in massive waves, spreading through the entire Mental Sea with terrifying speed. The vines lashed wildly in every direction, while countless new roots burst from the ground, racing toward Ethan as though they had finally decided to devour the intruder who dared interfere with their feast.
"...Damn it!"
Ethan immediately retreated several steps before stopping himself.
No.
There was no point running anymore.
If he retreated now...
Everything he had suffered until this moment would become meaningless. He closed his eyes for a brief moment before making a decision.
A reckless one.
He would stop holding back.
Completely.
Although he knew forcing out such a massive amount of spiritual energy could easily backfire on him...
There was no turning back now.
He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms.
"...Looks like I don’t have another choice."
If normal Guiding wasn’t enough...
Then he would simply overwhelm it.
Closing his eyes briefly, Ethan abandoned every restraint he had been carefully maintaining.
The calm current of spiritual energy flowing within his Mental Sea suddenly became a raging torrent.
More.
He pulled in more.
Every strand of spiritual energy hidden inside his Spiritual Roots answered his call.
The once gentle flow transformed into a roaring torrent as overwhelming spiritual energy surged endlessly from his mental sea, flooding every part of his body before gathering in both of his hands.
Pain immediately shot through every meridian inside him.
His face twisted slightly.
It hurt.
Far more than he had expected.
His Spiritual Roots screamed, his veins felt ready to burst apart even his head throbbed violently as blood slowly trickled from the corner of his lips.
Yet Ethan refused to stop.
"Come on..." he gritted out through clenched teeth. "Just... a little more..."
The pressure continued increasing.
His body trembled violently.
Even standing became difficult as his knees threatened to buckle beneath the overwhelming force surging through him.
The corrupted tree immediately sensed the rapidly rising spiritual pressure.
It became frantic. It’s branches shook violently.
Hundreds...
No...
Thousands of black vines shot toward Ethan simultaneously, filling the entire place until there was nowhere left to dodge.
One vine struck across his shoulder.
Another whipped into his back hard enough to send pain exploding through his entire body.
A third wrapped tightly around his ankle before violently throwing him against the cracked ground.
"Ugh!"
Fresh blood spilled from Ethan’s mouth.
The tree wasn’t giving him even a single moment to breathe.
Another vine pierced toward him like a spear.
Another slammed into his ribs.
Another coiled around his waist, trying to drag him away from Drey.
Still...
Ethan never stopped channeling.
Golden spiritual energy continued pouring from his hands without pause.
His trembling hands stretched forward toward the massive black root buried beneath Drey. Taking one long, shaky breath, Ethan gathered every remaining ounce of strength he had left.
Then he forced every drop of his spiritual energy directly into the massive root.
BOOM!
Golden light erupted causing the black root to tremble violently.
Another surge.
And dark fissures rapidly spread across its surface. The surrounding corruption immediately became unstable.
The thick black mist that had blanketed the Mental Sea began evaporating into countless tiny black particles.
The vines wrapped around Drey loosened slightly. Despite the blood continuously running down his chin, Ethan smiled weakly before pouring even more spiritual energy into the root.
The resistance grew stronger.
The corruption fought back desperately, trying to invade Ethan’s spiritual energy instead.
Black tendrils crawled along the golden current, attempting to contaminate it.
The moment they touched him, Ethan felt an icy chill spread throughout his body.
It was like thousands of insects crawling beneath his skin.
His breathing became ragged. Despite that he refused to stop and pushed harder instead.
"If... you’re trying to corrupt me..."
He coughed up another mouthful of blood before forcing another torrent of golden energy forward.
"...Then let’s see... which one of us breaks first!"
The corruption finally began collapsing.
One by one, the thick black roots wrapped around Drey’s wrists, ankles and waist loosened before crumbling into black ash.
The overwhelming miasma filling the Inner Core gradually dissolved into countless tiny black particles before disappearing completely.
The once terrifying corrupted tree began rapidly withering. It’s charcoal-black bark peeled away, revealing brilliant silver beneath.
The remaining black leaves drifted gently to the ground before dissolving into light. The twisted vines lost all strength and quietly fell lifelessly around Ethan’s feet.
Silence.
Complete silence.
It was over.
Ethan slowly withdrew his trembling hands.
His breathing had become completely uneven, every breath feeling heavier than the last.
Looking at Drey, who was finally free from the chains that had imprisoned him, Ethan couldn’t help smiling weakly.
"...I..."
"...actually did it."
The moment those words left his lips...
His vision suddenly blurred.
The now beautiful silver landscape melted away before darkness swallowed everything whole.
His consciousness felt as though it was being violently pulled backward.
The next instant—
His eyes snapped open.
He was back.
The familiar surroundings of the academy’s safety zone entered his vision once again.
His palm still rested firmly against a warm, solid chest.
Looking up weakly, Ethan met a familiar pair of now-clear dark eyes.
Drey.
The madness was gone. The violent crimson that had consumed his pupils had completely vanished.
He looked... normal again.
A small, exhausted smile appeared on his face.
"...Thank goodness."
Before anyone could say a single word...
Ethan’s body went limp.
And he collapsed.