He’d thought he’d begun to grasp what this madman was thinking, but he was wrong. There was no reading his mind. The only mind he knew was his own—what he wanted right now.“……!!”Taeui gritted his teeth. Just as he was about to act on his impulse, he caught a flicker of movement behind Ilrey’s broad back. Instantly, he shoved Ilrey aside.Ilrey barely budged, rooted like a tree, but the man whose throat Ilrey had almost snapped earlier came charging through the narrow gap. His eyes were wild, bloodshot. The stranger roared as he closed in, brandishing the knife in both hands.――Both that one and this one.Ilrey, surely aware of the attacker’s approach, glanced back casually. Before he could turn fully, Taeui slammed the man off balance with his shoulder. He didn’t wait to see him fall; he strode straight at the second man who was already within a few paces.“Get a grip, you fool…!”The attacker’s vision must have been blurred. Taeui dodged the wildly swinging blade and pressed in close—but the knife, whipped in without rhythm, cut across his forearm.A hot, sharp pain ripped along his arm, but rage surged stronger than fear.“I said get a grip, you bastard!”He hammered his fist into the man’s temple. The bone-rattling blow snapped the man’s head to the side. Seizing the moment, Taeui smashed an uppercut into the man’s jaw. The attacker staggered, his foot catching on a root, and he tumbled into a tree trunk with a muted crack, a foul scream ripping from his throat.Taeui glanced down at the dazed man sprawling at his feet, then wiped the blood streaming from his own arm and turned on Ilrey. Ilrey’s eyes were fixed on his wound—but Taeui didn’t care.He stalked toward Ilrey. Ilrey, still rooted in place, raised an eyebrow as he saw Taeui approach. When Taeui was one step away, he struck without warning.Ilrey, taken aback, barely saw the punch coming. It landed precisely between jaw and cheek; his planted foot slid back.That was it. Exactly what he’d been desperate to do.He couldn’t hold back any longer. He wanted to land a blow on this bastard.“You like hurting people, huh? But I won’t stop. One more hit, and you’ll think I’ll really hurt you? On purpose? Go ahead—try to kill me, you son of a bitch!”Before he finished, he struck again—same spot, same fist, twice the force. Ilrey stumbled back another step, but offered no counterattack. His wide eyes locked onto Taeui in surprise.Anger boiled over. Of all people, this one shouldn’t treat him like this. Why was he here, risking his life, on this man’s behalf?“You’re making me live like this! Because of you I’m here, getting knifed by a stranger! Right next to you! You think that’s a good place? But I stay because I’m next to you!”His fury climbed. He landed another punch. Heat surged through him; he felt unhinged—but Ilrey stood there, taking it. (A flicker of fear at the consequences passed through his mind, but his rage shoved it aside.)“So don’t you dare treat me like this! Why are you angry at me?!”He spat, wiping his fist on his pants, glaring at Ilrey with wild eyes.Silence. Taeui drew ragged breaths, wiped his bleeding arm again, and muttered curses. He was covered in blood—others’ and his own.“Then.”Ilrey spoke, slow and quiet. He reached out, grasped Taeui’s wrist, and bent it upward just enough to cause no real pain.“I told you, Taei, I’m not angry at you. What angers me is—”Ilrey, still staring coldly at Taeui’s arm, let his gaze drop to the man lying twisted on the ground. Then he lifted his boot.Crack.Ribs snapped under Ilrey’s heel—an awful crush barely heard beneath the man’s howl.“Hey, hey!”Taeui lunged to push Ilrey off, but this time Ilrey did not budge. No—he lifted his leg again and crushed down on the other side of the man’s chest.A sickening crack, another scream.“Even I can’t stand to watch someone else cut like that,” Ilrey murmured, uncaring. His voice was cold.“Cut it out, you bastard!” Taeui shouted.“Weakness, you say. Wrong. It’s their weakness—yours and theirs. Touch it and nothing good comes.”His words went unheard by Ilrey, who seemed to speak to empty air.This madman.Taeui balled his fist. He struck Ilrey across the ear—hard enough to sting—at last drawing Ilrey’s gaze back to him.“I risk my life for you so you don’t lose your mind and ignore everyone around you!”――.But as he unclenched his fist, his triumph faded. He met Ilrey’s eyes—and saw something terrible gleam there.“You’re right, Taei. Sometimes I don’t see people. So I don’t know what I’ll do next. That’s the problem.”His voice low, like a growl, and in that moment Ilrey’s hand—now stained red with blood—clamped around Taeui’s throat, vice-tight.Taeui thought his neck would break—or that Ilrey might choke him to death. Fear froze him. And the instant fear struck Ilrey too, he felt it.Ilrey’s lips twisted. His grip tightened.No way he’d kill him like this… but then again, he could kill a man this way. Couldn’t he?Taeui stared unblinking into those obsidian eyes. In them danced a mix of anger, grim amusement, and something else he couldn’t name.Yes, that’s the problem, Ilrey whispered. He was angry.Then, with a ragged breath like a predator, Ilrey pressed his mouth to Taeui’s.It wasn’t a kiss—it was devouring. The taste of blood flooded Taeui’s mouth, his tongue trapped by Ilrey’s. He couldn’t breathe.Don’t struggle. Don’t get angry. Stay calm.He bit down on Ilrey’s tongue. Ilrey paused, surprised, then plunged back in, crushing Taeui’s lips and tongue between his. Heat and blood swirled, dizzying.But then a cool, emotionless voice cut through it all:“Alright. That’s enough. Now I’d like an explanation of what’s happening here.”No anger, no shock—just the mechanical tone of Instructor Jung Chang-in. Taeui blinked and turned to see his uncle standing at the forest’s edge, officers with stretchers arriving. They loaded the nearly dead man onto a litter and covered him with a white sheet.All eyes in the clearing fell on Ilrey—pale as moonlight—standing amid the carnage.Ilrey stepped back from Taeui as if nothing had occurred and brushed his lip lightly with his fingertip. His cold gaze shifted to Instructor Jung Chang-in; everyone else was invisible to him.“I have nothing to explain. It’s the same as always. They attacked me with guns and knives; I defended myself.”As if it were routine. The onlookers stared, especially as they stood before a corpse.Blood was everywhere—on the earth, the trees, the grass, on them. If it were daytime, they would have witnessed a nightmare.Instructor Jung Chang-in nodded once.“We’ll sort out the details later. Careful moving that litter. Leave the scene ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) intact.”He issued curt orders. Ilrey, knowing no further questions would be asked, turned and strode away without a backward glance— not toward the camp, not toward the base, but into the woods.Taeui watched his retreating back, not believing his eyes, until his uncle called softly, “Taei.” He turned.“Your arm. That’s your blood, isn’t it?”Taeui looked down at the gash, fresh and bleeding. He swallowed and nodded.

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