“Uh, hhh….”The other man breathed air into Uichan’s mouth over and over, as if trying to push life back into him. When Uichan grabbed his collar tight, a rough hand struck the wall beside them. He finally forced his eyes open, but his vision swam — it was too dark to make out the man’s face clearly. Even so, Uichan somehow knew.That it was Blacktan.“Uichan… ha, Uichan.”The kiss, which had started as a shallow brush across his lips, deepened and deepened again. It was no longer just breath being shared — Blacktan’s tongue pressed in, swallowing Uichan whole, devouring his breath and his trembling. His lips hurt from the pressure. Whether this aggressiveness was Blacktan’s nature or not, he didn’t seem to know restraint at all.“Wait, wait a second—”Blacktan’s hard lower body pressed against Uichan’s thigh, pushing insistently. Something in him seemed to break, as though whatever had been barely contained was now bursting loose.Uichan sagged against the wall, gripping his shoulder tightly until their lips finally parted. His lips tingled; Blacktan’s damp breath skimmed them again, followed by a brief, pecking kiss like a bird snapping at crumbs.“It’s dangerous outside.”“Outside? Why, what’s out there…?”“The facial distortion device you usually use… do you have it with you?”“No, not right now… I don’t have anything.”He must have meant the facial-recognition jamming device Uichan used while operating as Under Doom.Uichan shook his head, and in the next instant, Blacktan’s hand gripped the back of his neck, forcing another kiss. He squeezed his eyes shut. A thick, heated tongue slid over his lips, dragging against them like a beast tasting its prey.“Then I’ll lend you my Ability for a while.”Blacktan’s large hand slipped between Uichan’s fingers, clasping them together. The chill of his skin cooled Uichan’s feverish palms.“If you pull the shadows over your face, they won’t recognize you.”“Are there… a lot of people out there? Who’s there?”Instead of answering, Blacktan brought Uichan’s hand close and took a deep breath. Then, as if overcome again by some uncontrollable urge, he pressed his mouth against Uichan’s once more, pushing his tongue in with raw hunger. Uichan’s head tipped back helplessly.A heavy boom shook the air outside. The ground beneath them trembled violently. From ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) between Blacktan’s clenched teeth came the sound of grinding enamel. His golden eyes glowed cold in the darkness, sharp as blades.“When you go out… Nell will protect you. Stay with him. I’ll finish this quickly — you’ll be safe.”Safe? Uichan looked at him, bewildered, just as light burst from behind, forcing him to squint. The surroundings came into focus. They were inside the sphere. The walls were smooth to the touch, yet clearly made of packed soil.Why…?Tiny holes dotted the surface — perhaps air vents. As Uichan stared blankly, strong arms circled his waist. Blacktan lifted him with ease, slung him over his shoulder, and turned into shadow. His body dissolved into smoke and slipped through the wall.In a fluid motion, they emerged outside. Only then did Uichan realize where he had been — inside the massive lump of earth itself. And he understood at once.…It was the little ones.When he’d lost consciousness back at Hyde’s mansion, the unborn children must have gathered the soil to shield him, to keep him safe. That was why the lump had collapsed the moment he was taken out.“Why does it smell… like blood?”The stench hit him like a wave. Uichan gagged and covered his mouth and nose with his arm. Then he caught sight of a figure lying on the ground below.Through the smoke and ash, he saw a man drenched in blood, slumped before the collapsed sphere with arms spread wide as if to block it. Uichan’s eyes went wide in shock.“Woojae hyung…? Why— Blacktan, put me down. I know him!”Uichan kicked his legs until Blacktan glanced down and set him on the ground. He rushed to Ji Woojae’s side. When he tried to lift him, the man’s limp body wouldn’t move.“Woojae hyung! Wake up, please. It’s me, Uichan! Hyung!”He pressed two fingers to Ji Woojae’s neck, then leaned close to listen for a heartbeat. All around them was chaos — wreckage from the explosions. Looking at how he’d collapsed in front of the sphere, Uichan realized: Ji Woojae must have understood he was inside and had stood guard over him.‘I need to use Regression.’He had to. It was the only way to save him. But…Uichan clutched his abdomen, trembling. Just one more time. He knew he shouldn’t depend on the little ones, but he begged for another miracle.No matter how he whispered or pleaded, though, nothing happened. Ji Woojae’s wounds didn’t close.Thud—The ground quaked beneath them. Uichan staggered, and Blacktan caught him before he fell.Boom—The earth shuddered again, followed by the sound of rushing wind. Dark smoke was swept aside, and petals fluttered in the sudden gust.Phantom Thief Kill had arrived.“Uichan, it seems this will take a bit longer.”Suddenly, Blacktan’s hand covered Uichan’s head. A cool sensation spread across his face — shadow wrapping him completely. He had used his Ability to conceal Uichan’s appearance.Thud, thud—Something was coming. The ground rippled like waves underfoot.Blacktan flicked his hand, and a tar-like liquid surged up beside him. It quickly took form — a massive black panther with glowing yellow eyes. The beast bounded toward Uichan, wrapping its bulky body around him protectively, every muscle tense.“Nell, guard Uichan. I’ll deal with them.”The panther blinked once, a slow, deliberate gesture of understanding. Blacktan rose. The wind tore the smoke away, revealing the devastation around them.“…This is…”Sixteen wooden pillars had erupted from the heart of the city. Where asphalt had been shattered and burned, the ground was now covered in lifeless, barren soil.Curses erupted from the heroes. On the ground beneath their feet, skeletal soldiers clattered as they rose. Beyond the sixteen pillars, the city remained unchanged, but inside the circle, the environment had been remade — isolated, transformed.“Everyone, get out!”“It’s too late!”Yes. The stage was already set.The one thing heroes feared most — Hyde’s stage.Uichan looked up toward the jagged rock formation at the center.A single black figure stood upon it, draped in a dark robe.In his pale gray eyes, the Big Dipper shimmered cold and still.The heroes shut their eyes tight.Their worst fear had materialized.Turn Hyde, leader of In the Hell, had appeared.***Little was known about In the Hell’s leader, Turn Hyde. At first, people confused his Ability with Phantom Thief Kill’s — the two villains’ powers seemed similar.Phantom Thief Kill had a twisted fascination with “stealing stages” — turning others’ grand scenes into his own. But when analyzed closely, his Ability was wind-based, laced with sleight-of-hand illusions, tricks like a magician’s deck of cards.Hyde, however, possessed something far more terrifying.He could create his own stage.Within any area he designated, he could build infinite stages — pulling in fragments of other spaces, weaving them together, or shaping entirely new ones from nothing.And these spaces weren’t mere illusions; they were his theater. At a single gesture, those inside were swept into emotional tides — made to confess, to rage, to despair. His Ability: manipulation of human emotion. Brainwashing.That was the essence of his power.Stage Domain — Puppet Dance.Hyde’s stage shattered minds.No matter how powerful a hero was, once they stepped onto his stage, they became puppets of his theater.“So that’s what all this noise was about… busy catching insects, were you?”Hyde’s gaze fixed on the mountain of monster corpses. The nearby heroes faltered.His eyes then shifted to the collapsed mound of soil — and to Uichan, kneeling beside Ji Woojae’s body. Hyde’s expression instantly froze.Uichan was unhurt. But his lips — swollen, flushed — made the back of Hyde’s neck prickle.In the brief moment he’d looked away, another man’s mark had appeared there.…So that’s why I can’t take my eyes off you.Hyde’s gaze drifted from the corpses to where the goblin Chiryeong was being dragged away.“Blacktan!”One of the heroes shouted, veins bulging in his neck. But Blacktan was already moving.The other heroes, as if caught by invisible strings, couldn’t move at all.By then, the two men had already clashed once.Blacktan’s attack had struck, but a transparent barrier around Hyde had stopped it cold.Boom—!A deafening sound cracked the air — not an explosion, but the impact of their collision.Blacktan was hurled backward, drew the blade from his waist, and lunged again.All around him, shadows writhed and speared toward Hyde like a storm of dark lances.

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