A Desperate Rescue

‘Did she run away?’

Whether the woman had escaped or not didn’t matter right now.

Do Jiwan had collapsed with a pale face, and it didn’t look good at all.

I pulled him into my arms and tried to wake him.

“Hey!

Do Jiwan!

…Guild Leader!”

I slapped his cheeks lightly to rouse him, but his unfocused eyes didn’t register anything.

“This is bad…”

His body was filled with the demonic energy the woman had poured into him.

It hadn’t spread through his entire body yet, but it was only a matter of time.

I placed my hand over his dantian and poured divine power into him.

But the demonic energy inside his abdomen clumped together and began repelling it.

Jiwan’s breathing grew weaker.

“Do Jiwan!

Hey!

Get it together!”

“……”

“Hey, Do Jiwan!

Guild Leader!

Damn it… hyung!”

At that moment, he twitched slightly.

Clinging to that faint hope, I called out again.

“Hyung…!

Jiwan hyung!

Wake up!”

He had to regain consciousness and accept my divine power for me to drive out the demonic energy.

As I kept calling him, light slowly returned to his dull eyes.

“Hyung!

Are you coming back?”

“Finally…”

“You’re awake?

Then focus—accept the energy I’m sending into your abdomen.

Got it?”

“……”

“Hyung?

Hyung…!

Hey! Do Jiwan!”

Just as he seemed to wake up, he collapsed again.

No matter how much I called him, he didn’t respond.

As he completely lost consciousness, the tightly packed demonic energy began to stir inside him.

“Hey, wake up!”

Slap! Slap!

I struck his cheeks again, but he seemed deeply unconscious.

Meanwhile, the demonic energy had already crept past his chest and was rising toward his shoulders.

‘This is bad.’

At this rate, he’d be completely consumed.

‘Injecting divine power from outside won’t work.’

The hardened demonic energy kept pushing it back out.

In the end, I had to inject it from inside and break it down from within.

“…I’m not doing this because I want to, okay?”

“……”

“I’m doing this because… you might die if I don’t!”

“……”

“Got it?

Don’t complain later!”

My eyelids trembled at what I was about to do.

I let out a sigh and leaned down.

Jiwan’s face filled my vision.

Then—our lips met.

It wasn’t to take advantage of him.

To expel the demonic energy, the best way was to inject divine power through the mouth.

Through his parted lips, I breathed divine power into him.

It traveled down his throat and blocked the rising demonic energy.

At first, the demonic energy was stronger, and my power could only hold it back.

But as I continued pouring it in, it finally began to retreat.

‘But I can’t just leave it inside him.’

There was nowhere to release it.

If expelled, it would simply gather again and enter someone else.

And that person would go mad.

‘Then there’s only one option…’

To eliminate it, someone with divine power had to absorb it and dissolve it within themselves.

I had done it before, back when I was an angel.

But this body… wasn’t an angel’s.

In an angel’s body, demonic energy would dissolve instantly.

But Shin Jiho’s body could be consumed by it.

Still, I couldn’t leave it inside Jiwan.

If anyone else were affected, it would be bad—but if Jiwan were consumed, he could become a calamity.

I stopped hesitating.

‘Slowly…’

As I continued breathing divine power into him, I began drawing the demonic energy out.

It resisted, clumping together as if it knew it would be destroyed.

But under the pressure of my divine power, it was gradually dragged out.

I could clearly feel it traveling down my throat into my body.

“Ugh…”

It felt disgusting.

And it burned inside me.

Still, I kept absorbing it.

As I did, Jiwan’s expression gradually relaxed.

Meanwhile, I felt like I was dying.

Even as I dissolved the incoming energy, there was too much of it.

Still, I endured—and most of it transferred into me.

Just as it was about to end—

“—!”

Jiwan’s eyes suddenly snapped open.

Startled, I tried to pull away—but his hand grabbed the back of my head.

“Mmph—!”

Our lips pressed together more deeply.

Shocked, I stopped drawing in the demonic energy—

And something else entered my mouth instead.

‘A t-tongue?!’

Startled, I tried to push him away, but he didn’t budge.

No matter how I hit him, he wouldn’t move.

Even when I twisted away, he followed relentlessly.

Eventually, I gave up.

Looking into his eyes, they were unfocused—he wasn’t fully conscious.

‘Do whatever you want…’

As I resigned myself, heat suddenly surged in my abdomen.

It was the demonic energy I had absorbed.

Before I could react, it surged back up my throat—

And returned into Jiwan’s body.

“Mmph!”

I struggled in shock, but Jiwan only tightened his hold.

So that’s what this was—

He wasn’t just out of control.

He was instinctively reclaiming the demonic energy.

‘As expected… a seed of a demon king…’

I couldn’t let it happen.

I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck.

Pressing my lips firmly against his, I pulled the energy back again.

Now loosened, it came like threads.

There was no need to inject more divine power—

It had become a tug-of-war.

As I pushed his tongue away and pulled the energy back, Jiwan smiled faintly.

Something about that expression felt off—

Then his hand slid down my back.

Past my neck, down my spine.

A shiver ran through me.

“Ha…”

Jiwan exhaled roughly.

His hand moved lower.

“Mm—!”

His large hand grabbed my hip firmly.

Startled, I pulled back.

His once-dull eyes now gleamed.

“Shin Jiho…”

His voice rumbled low.

“You kissed me first.”

He pressed his thumb against my lips.

My focus locked onto that slow movement.

Then he pulled me in again.

This time, his lips brushed not just mine—but my eyes, nose, and cheeks.

It was just skin contact—

But my chest tightened strangely.

‘Wait… there’s still some left…’

I reached toward his abdomen.

The remaining demonic energy was calm now, as if asleep.

Jiwan chuckled softly.

His lips moved to my ear.

“You kissed me first.”

He whispered again.

I wondered if he was upset about that.

Maybe if I explained, he’d understand.

But judging by his soft laughter against my neck—he didn’t seem angry.

That was a relief.

Still, he showed no sign of letting go.

As I stayed in his arms, wondering how to escape—

‘Ugh…!’

The demonic energy inside me began to surge violently.

I had suppressed it, but the resistance was strong.

“Shin Jiho?”

Jiwan called, confused.

I tried to say I was fine—

But something came out instead.

“—!”

Black blood spilled from my mouth.