Chapter 295: The Power of Bonds
She was like a monster.
That’s what everyone who had ever sparred with Yu Daon said about her.
And they had no choice but to say that. Because she truly fought like a monster.
She fought on, ignoring common sense, walking forward even with her joints dislocated, and never stopping even when the instructor told her to, saying she looked like she was about to die.
Whether her arm was broken or her body was battered, she always did what she had to do.
After all, everything else was secondary to her.
"...Phew..."
"What are you doing?"
Yu Daon glanced at Eileen, who had spoken to her.
Yu Daon wasn't the type to be particularly pleased with anyone, but that was especially true with Eileen.
To Yu Daon, Eileen was someone who had suddenly appeared one day and become close with him.
Of course, Yu Daon hadn't known him for that long either, but still, she had known him longer than Eileen had.
"I'm thinking about how to bring Mr. Jae-heon back."
But she didn't openly show that.
Especially her dislike.
Excluding special cases like her, those who survived long in the hospital weren't the strong ones.
It was the ones who smiled easily.
Those who were easily irritated and took their anger out on others didn't survive long.
When people came to the hospital to find test subjects, the irritable ones were always, strangely, at the very front.
That was because people didn't bother to protect them, which ultimately only hastened their deaths.
That's why Yu Daon always smiled.
Even if she was betrayed, she wouldn't die, but it still hurt.
"Yeah. Is there anything I can help with?"
"No."
Yu Daon answered Eileen's question with a smile.
There really wasn't anything, and she didn't particularly want to involve Eileen in this action.
"...Okay."
Then, seeing Yu Daon's smiling face, Eileen made a slightly displeased expression and pulled her body back.
"Let me know if you need anything. There might be something I can do to help."
"There won't be, so please just keep an eye on our surroundings, Ms. Eileen."
"...Okay."
As Eileen stepped back, Yu Daon looked at the man.
He had the same sweet scent as her.
Of course, smelling the same scent as hers was something Yu Daon would normally be happy about, but she preferred the man's scent more.
So,
"Mr. Jae-heon."
She approached the man.
The man, whose neck was being gripped, kept gagging, and the monster that had sunk its nails into him had its eyes closed.
"You have to come back."
If he said he was leaving, Yu Daon would probably let him go.
Of course, she had never thought about what life would be like after that.
But that day was not today.
Yu Daon placed her hand on the man's cheek, looked at him with an affectionate expression, and pressed her forehead against his.
She knew instinctively.
She could do it.
*
Even when I open my eyes, there is only darkness.
In the darkness, there's me, the Mother of the Butterfly, and a few consciousnesses.
Yet, it's noisy.
No, beyond noisy, countless sounds are tormenting my brain.
And all those sounds were shouting just one thing.
<How can we survive?>
<How can we become king?>
"Ugh...!"
It's maddening.
No matter how many times I say I hate it, they just won't listen.
I cover my ears against the murmuring, but the sounds only grow louder, reverberating in my brain.
Above all, the scary part is,
"How ca—"
My mouth occasionally repeats those words.
It's not mind control.
Just as an individual finds it hard to resist the will of a group, those countless voices were forcibly synchronizing me.
That's why mental barriers don't work.
This isn't about changing my mind; it feels like being hit every time a large group says something wrong.
In other words, it's a matter of mental strength.
I think I'm holding up pretty well, considering.
"Ugh...!"
Isn't it about time now?
Just as I was thinking that,
I started to hear footsteps.
-Thud... Thud...
An overwhelming presence.
A presence so massive it crushed the collective consciousness, and a single thought.
A thought so blindly single-minded that it began to cause confusion among the consciousnesses that had been shouting <How can we survive?>.
<How to survi...>
<How to become ki... Mr. Jae-heon.>
<Mr. Jae-heon.>
<Mr. Jae-heon.>
<Mr. Jae-heon.>
Soon, the voices tormenting my mind all began to call my name in unison.
"You took your time, Ms. Daon."
"As if!"
In response to my mutter, she answered as if offended, and the massive presence rushed towards me.
Yu Daon was standing in front of me.
"I came as soon as Mr. Jae-heon collapsed, you know?"
"Really?"
"Yes!"
My mental strength must have been weaker than I thought.
Reflecting on it slightly inwardly, I looked at Yu Daon, and she, meeting my eyes, gave an awkward smile.
"Why, why are you looking at me like that...?"
"No, it's just. I find it amazing."
I naturally expected her to appear as the Butterfly's Dream or in her complete form, but instead, a perfectly normal Yu Daon was standing before me.
"What is?"
"I just assumed you'd appear as the Butterfly's Dream."
"You're not seeing me as a monster, are you...?"
"Of course not."
I looked at her, who was sulking, then turned my gaze away.
"But how did you get in?"
"Ah, because we're the same kind."
"...What?"
"To be precise, we were the same kind," Yu Daon answered my mutter.
"Mr. Jae-heon. My body's clock is different from others."
"I know."
"Huh?"
"Ms. Daon, when you regenerate, time reverses for you, right?"
"Uh, how did you know?"
Because I saw it with my own eyes.
"Of course I know."
"Mr. Jae-heon...!"
She looked at me with touched eyes.
"Anyway, since you got in, you must know the way out, right?"
"W-well, yes?"
"Then please guide me."
"Ah, yes!"
Yu Daon supported me, and
<Mr. Jae-heon...>
<Mr. Jae-heon...>
The monsters' voices continued to echo in my head.
"By the way, where is the Mother of the Butterfly?"
"Mother?"
"That, you know. The one that tried to turn me into a monster."
"Ah, that."
Yu Daon nodded at my question.
"She's not here."
"Not here?"
"Yes."
"..."
I have a bad feeling about this.
Hiding my uneasy feeling, I followed Yu Daon.
Getting out is the priority for now.
"But how do we get out?"
"Well, like how we got in?"
"And how did we get in?"
"Um, that..."
At my question, Yu Daon dragged out the end of her sentence.
"Ah, anyway, just follow me."
I have a feeling this isn't going to go well.
Yu Daon led me around here and there.
Fortunately, the collective consciousness that was crushing me earlier was gone, and now there was only a dazed collective consciousness that just kept calling my name, but this wasn't exactly pleasant to hear either.
Especially since the source of this sound was...
"Is something wrong, Mr. Jae-heon?"
"Ah, no, it's nothing."
Yu Daon looked at me, and I quickly shook my head.
"Don't worry too much, we'll find the exit soon!"
"Yes. Take your time."
And so, I continued to search for an exit with Yu Daon.
Time passed,
"Hmm, I thought it was here."
Time passed.
"This is it. No, it's not."
More time passed.
"Ah, not here..."
Time kept passing.
"..."
"...W-well, I really think it's here."
Yu Daon pointed into the darkness, then squeezed her eyes shut.
"Ah, it's not..."
"...Do you not know the way out, by any chance?"
At my question, Yu Daon's gaze wandered frantically before she slowly nodded.
"W-well, it seems that way."
"...That can happen."
Getting in and getting out are different, after all.
I opened my eyes and looked around.
Even if I open my eyes, there's only this bizarre darkness.
"I'll try to find it myself."
In the end, finding the exit was up to me.
I opened my eyes and wandered around to find the exit.
But the real problem was that there wasn't a single trace to be found.
"...Hmmm."
How long had I been searching? Eventually, I had to admit that even I couldn't find it and could only look at Yu Daon.
"I can't find it."
"Can we just stay here for a while, like Ms. Chae-yeon and Mr. Jae-heon did?"
"Huh? Why suddenly?"
I'd rather not do that twice.
"It's a joke."
Yu Daon let out a small laugh, then went 'Ah!' and clapped her hands.
"That reminds me, when I came in, I was thinking of just one thing while turning back."
"Just one...?"
"Mr. Jae-heon."
"I think I can guess that without you telling me."
The <Mr. Jae-heon...> currently ringing in my ears is proof enough.
"So, shouldn't we just think of Mr. Jae-heon when we go out, too?"
"Huh?"
Is she talking about defeating the enemy with the power of love or something?
When I looked at Yu Daon with a disbelieving expression, she hurriedly waved her hands.
"But still, let's try it! It can't hurt to try, right?"
"...That's true."
It's not like I have any other way out.
"Then... Mr. Jae-heon. Give me your hand."
"Yes."
I gave my hand to Yu Daon, and she interlocked her fingers with mine.
"...Huuuup..."
Then Yu Daon took a deep breath.
As if smelling something, she took several breaths before her eyes snapped open.
"I found Mr. Jae-heon's scent."
"Huh?"
"This way."
Then, still holding my hand, Yu Daon pulled me along.
It seems she really has an isolation-object-level ability when it comes to scents.
How far had we walked? Yu Daon stopped.
"It's here!"
She said it confidently, but it was still just darkness.
"...Yes, Ms. Daon. I'll trust you."
And my response was predetermined.
"Okay!"
Then, as Yu Daon reached out and touched something,
"Bleugh!"
A sudden wave of nausea hit me, and I retched, bracing my hands on the ground.
At the same time, something shot out of my mouth.
"Kim Jae-heon!"
And Eileen's voice rang out as her combat boot stomped on something, and my headache vanished.
"Are you awake?"
"...Yes. What did you just step on..."
"A larva."
As Eileen answered and lifted her boot, the larva's corpse was stuck to the sole.
"...What about Ms. Daon?"
"..."
At my question, Eileen pointed behind me with her outstretched hand.
Now that she mentioned it, my back does feel a bit heavy.
I turned around and saw Yu Daon leaning against my back with her eyes closed.
"I see. What about the monster?"
"Gone."
Not here either?
Something is really wrong.
The sense of crisis in my head was sounding alarms loudly, but there was nothing I could do right now.
"Let's wake the other two first."
"Song A-rin and Jang Chae-yeon?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"..."
I looked around.
"Let's get out of here. For now."
We need to get out. Instinctively, that's what I thought.