The battle on the lower floors – and both inside and outside the building – seemed to be nearing its end. Gunfire echoed a few more times in the distance, but then it fell completely silent.

Considering that those on the lower floor had stopped moving and were standing still, it seemed likely that Raumaan’s side had won and brought the conflict to a close.

This might very well be the last battle of the night.

From below, someone shouted for the lights to be turned on. However, with the power lines completely cut, restoring electricity quickly seemed impossible. There was a faint flicker from below, possibly from someone carrying a flashlight or another source of light.

The men standing restlessly at the stairwell landing below, unable to advance further, also shouted downwards. The flickering light began to blink on and off.

Yet, in Taeui’s vision, everything remained shrouded in thick darkness, and the stench of blood grew ever stronger.

*Thud-thud*――*Thud-thud* Jeong Taeui’s heart pounded furiously.

At that moment, a nauseatingly hot, metallic scent hit his nose. The smell of blood had become so overwhelming that Taeui felt dizzy and on edge, unable to tell whose blood it was, almost causing him to gag.

And that was when he heard a groan for the first time. Though brief, it was enough for him to realize it wasn’t the sound of someone he knew.

After a fleeting moment of relief, Taeui quickly returned to a state of heightened tension. He didn’t want Ilay to be hurt, but at the same time, he didn’t wish for Raumaan to be harmed either.

Then, a loud thud rang out. The sound was so heavy that even hearing it caused a sharp pang, but Taeui felt relieved knowing it wasn’t the sound of a gun or a knife.

Right after that thudding noise, a heavy weight pressed down on him.

“……―.”

Taeui flinched instinctively, his body shrinking back. Ragged breaths echoed near his ear.

“……Haha…… You two are strangely alike.”

It was Ilay’s voice, just a few steps away.

Ilay’s voice remained calm and composed, but there was a faint breathlessness to it. It was clear he wasn’t entirely unaffected.

“You both chose the wrong profession…… But it doesn’t matter. I’ve had enough fun tonight.”

Ilay spoke quietly. His tone was gentle but strained, suggesting he had been wounded somewhere. However, Taeui’s focus was entirely on the man lying atop him, even though he couldn’t see him clearly.

The stench of blood was so overwhelming it made him nauseous.

Hot, sticky blood was dripping onto Jeong Taeui, making his entire body tense up to the point of stiffness.

The inability to see only heightened his fear. The thick, metallic scent of blood filled the air, and he dreaded what the man above him would look like when the lights came on—if he would even survive until then.

“Don’t touch him.”

Suddenly, Ilay’s deep voice echoed again.

It was cold, devoid of the casual tone or laughter from before.

“Don’t touch Taei. Don’t try to use him in any way. ――I mean it, Mr. Jeong Jay. I absolutely hate how you always follow everything Taei says, and how he always seems to fulfill your requests. If it weren’t for the facade of brotherhood between you two, no matter how lucky you are, I wouldn’t hesitate to do everything in my power to kill you. ――But if I killed you, Taei would hate me for sure…… so I’ll spare you tonight.”

Ilay clicked his tongue. Although his voice was cold, there was a clear undercurrent of discomfort in his words.

Taeui turned his gaze toward Ilay. Even though he couldn’t see him in the darkness, he felt as though his eyes were locked on him. A sense of dread washed over him, making him shrink back, and a sorrowful sigh echoed in his mind.

This is bad. This whole situation is so terrible it makes you want to sigh—an ominous future loomed ahead, and clearly, this wasn’t something that could be easily dismissed. ……And yet, what confused him the most was the overwhelming embarrassment he felt after hearing those words. If he could still be mortified by such things in this moment, then his mind was truly a mess.

Just then, the man lying on top of Taeui, who had seemed dead in a pool of blood, let out a faint, weak chuckle.

“Yes. I’m glad to hear that. Take good care of Jeong Taeui. I don’t want to see him again either. ――Just knowing he affects this person makes me incredibly uncomfortable.”

The weak voice, mingled with labored breaths and the sound of blood seeping through clenched teeth, came in fits and starts.

Even so, after hearing those words, Jeong Taeui remained silent. It wasn’t that he couldn’t speak, but rather, he truly didn’t know what to say. For some reason, a deep sense of unease and foreboding lingered in his mind after hearing the man’s words.

……For a brief moment, Taeui had the sudden, undeniable feeling that his brother should never get too close to this man. He hoped it was just an illusion. Please, let it be just that.

Then, Taeui heard a bitter chuckle, and all the worries swirling in his mind seemed to dissolve, replaced by a vague sense of impending doom.

“…………Are you surprised? ――Feeling unsettled?”

Raumaan asked. This time, his voice was extremely polite, but also gentle and warm – completely different from what Jeong Taeui had ever heard from him.

Suddenly, Taeui’s heart sank. It wasn’t because of anything specific, but because he felt these weren’t words he should be hearing.

Before Jeong Taeui could move away from Raumaan, the man’s hand grasped his arm. That hand was also covered in blood, and the thought of how gravely injured this man was made Taeui freeze for a moment.

“Jeong Jaeui-ssi…… Do you really not know?”

His voice was low and soft, asking slowly.

What……? Before Taeui could fully process the question, a sense of danger welled up inside him, and he felt an overwhelming urge to escape as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, beams of flashlight light began to shine up the stairs.

‘Stop, please stop, don’t say anything else, don’t talk to me—I’m not Jeong Jaeui, so don’t say anything to me! I don’t want to hear it, not even if it kills me!’

For the first time, Taeui regretted having his mouth gagged.

As Jeong Taeui desperately tried to struggle and retreat, the thing he’d wished for finally happened: he didn’t have to hear any more. However, he would soon regret it, realizing that hearing everything might have been better.

The hand that gently touched Jeong Taeui’s cheek paused when it noticed the gag covering his mouth, and then quickly removed it. A soft, angry voice muttered: “Who would dare do this……”

‘If only they’d untie my hands too……’ Taeui briefly thought, but as soon as his mouth was freed, all thoughts about his bound limbs vanished from his mind.

The hesitant hand touching his mouth suddenly pulled his head forward with surprising force. ‘Uh, uh, what?!’ – Taeui didn’t have time to react and was yanked forward. In the next moment, he was left utterly stunned and speechless.

“……―!!!”

And then, Jeong Taeui – who never expected to have the luck of Jeong Jaeui, but at least hoped for the luck of an ordinary person – found himself in the depths of utter misfortune at that very moment.

The sensation was as if he were being “swallowed whole,” quite literally, and in that exact instant, the beam from the flashlight below illuminated them. Simultaneously, Ilay with a blank expression, calmly wiping the blood off his blade with the hem of his shirt, also saw Jeong Taeui—and Raumaan—lit up by the flashlight, and immediately froze like a statue.

Yet, perhaps the unluckiest person in this situation was Raumaan. The moment the light shone on him, he stared at Jeong Taeui in bewilderment, his face pale as if all the blood had drained from him, before collapsing and fainting on the spot.

***************

“Guerrilla tactics? That old man must’ve lost his mind.”

Alain scoffed, throwing out a sarcastic remark while Christoph disassembled and reassembled his gun. Alain, driving, glanced at the scene through the window and then grinned as he looked over at Christoph.

“But I’m pretty surprised…… I thought you didn’t like that kind of approach? Isn’t that a bit dull?”

Christoph didn’t respond. He just continued to meticulously assemble his gun, inspecting each part with precision.

Seeing this, Alain grumbled in frustration.

“You don’t trust me, do you? That’s harsh.”

“……Hmph. At least you should handle it properly.”

Christoph spoke as he assembled the final piece of his gun. Then he pulled the trigger once to test it.

*Clack* – The solid sound of metal echoed in Christoph’s hands as he lifted the gun and gripped it firmly by the stock.

“By the way, where are you headed? The whole area’s been locked down. Every building around here is sealed off.”

Alain drove so slowly that it seemed like driving served no purpose at all. Sitting in the sluggish, turtle-like vehicle, Christoph stared out the window indifferently, seemingly observing a crowd gathered in some area.

Eventually, Christoph’s gaze settled on a particular spot for a few seconds.

“Stop the car.”

As soon as Christoph gave the order, Alain hit the brakes immediately. Before the car even came to a full stop, Christoph had already opened the door and stepped out.

“Wait here. I’ll be back.”

“What? I’m coming too!”

“No need. I just need to enter the building.”

Christoph frowned and tossed the gun he had just reassembled toward Alain.

Alain shrugged, catching the freshly assembled weapon with a resigned expression, as if he were holding onto a hostage.

“If it’s a building, then the Southeast Civil Society Organizations Alliance might be the most useful place.”

At Alain’s suggestion, Christoph paused and raised an eyebrow, clearly doubtful.

“The Civil Society Organizations Alliance? Sounds useless.”

“Why? But right now, that building might be quite useful to you.”

Christoph muttered to the smirking Alain: “Fair point” and shut the car door.

He started walking quickly toward the north gate of the old Saudi Arabian Embassy, a nearly abandoned building. Not far from there, Christoph spotted someone. Despite the bandaged head, it was unmistakably Aziz.

Christoph’s pace quickened, his eyes filled with confidence.

The area near the old embassy building was in complete chaos.

The UNHRDO team had arrived in front of the police, sealing off the area around the old embassy and preventing civilians from approaching. Christoph didn’t spare them a glance as they hurried about with serious expressions. He headed straight for the north gate.

There was no time for stealth this time.

Neither in terms of time nor mental focus.

“STOP RIGHT THERE! — WAIT!”

The voice of someone in uniform, shouting mechanically, suddenly grew louder. But Christoph didn’t stop, ignoring the yells behind him. The situation became more chaotic as two or three guards started chasing him.

Christoph imagined that Alain was likely chuckling in the car, watching the spectacle of the guards yelling – “STOP, IT’S DANGEROUS, TURN BACK NOW!” – but then he pushed the thought aside.

Gunfire erupted.

As Christoph neared the north gate, shots rang out dangerously close. A metal trash can just a few meters from him made a loud *Bang* as a bullet punctured it.

Standing at the north gate was Aziz, one of the few familiar faces Christoph recognized among the group.

But it wasn’t just Aziz. Scattered near the north gate were several other men, their sharp eyes alert, as if watching for something.

The air in the area was thick with tension, and they quickly noticed Christoph’s approach.

Of course, it was hard not to, given the 2-3 soldiers trailing behind him, shouting: “STOP!”

Seeing someone sprinting toward them at such a high speed, the men’s expressions immediately changed, and they drew weapons from under their coats.

“Stop! Who’s there?”

“Stop! Or we’ll shoot!”

Christoph ignored the blatant threats and even sped up.

Their warnings were far from empty. One of the men at the front fired a shot at Christoph.

But it seemed as though Christoph anticipated the bullet would miss by a hair’s breadth, as he continued charging straight ahead. Another shot rang out, and again Christoph didn’t flinch, the bullet narrowly missing its mark.

The third shot was different. As the bullet was fired, Christoph slightly adjusted his running path. Once again, the bullet missed.

By the fourth shot, one of the men aimed directly at Christoph with a near-certain angle of hitting him—or at least, it looked like an easy shot. Only when Christoph saw the gun barrel pointing straight at him did he finally draw his own weapon.

He calmly pulled the trigger. *Bang*

Immediately, the man screamed and dropped his gun. Blood dripped from his hand onto the weapon lying on the ground.

The expressions of the other men shifted.

They looked at Christoph as if they were seeing a ghost and began shouting to warn those around them. Just as they were about to pull their triggers, Aziz suddenly recognized Christoph, his eyes widening in surprise.

“Chris……?!”

“Long time no see, Aziz.”

“Stop…… stop!”

Although Aziz’s order came too late – several shots had already been fired – none of the bullets hit Christoph.

At Aziz’s shout, the men hesitated, though they kept their guns trained on Christoph, eyeing him warily.

By now, Christoph was surrounded by nearly a dozen men, more than ten barrels pointed directly at him.

Aziz gestured for them to lower their weapons, looking at Christoph with confusion.

“Christoph Tarten……?”

“Rick cracked your skull open, so I thought you’d be bedridden for a while. Yet here you are, walking around just fine.”

Christoph’s words, meant as a greeting, left Aziz momentarily speechless.

“Why are you here?”

Aziz asked, his tone a bit curt. Christoph tilted his head slightly toward the tightly shut north gate, gesturing to the old consulate building beyond it, and mumbled.

“My friend is inside.”

Aziz’s expression grew strange.

“Inside this building……?”

At that moment, inside the north gate – or more precisely, within the grounds of the old consulate – a gunfight was raging.

The participants in the shootout were Raumaan’s faction and Rashid’s. If there were any outsiders involved, they were likely mercenaries Rashid had hired from outside.

Aziz frowned slightly, tilting his head with a puzzled look as he asked,

“So, you want to enter the old consulate?”

“……You have the authority to let me in, don’t you?”

Aziz hesitated for a moment but then nodded.

“If that’s what you want, I can make it happen.”

“No, I’m not going in.”

Christoph’s answer made Aziz blink in confusion, followed by a frown.

“That guy’s already raising hell in there, so I don’t need to go inside.” Christoph muttered, but the deafening gunfire drowned out his words, making them inaudible to others.

“……?! Then what do you want?……”

“There’s a building across from the north gate, called the Southeast Civil Society Organizations Alliance, opposite the consulate. I want to get up there.”

Christoph spoke calmly. Hearing this, Aziz’s expression grew more serious, his frown deepening.

All buildings within range of the old consulate had been locked down. The control was in place to prevent any unwanted interference, whether from enemies or allies.

Moreover, the old consulate was an outdated building, not very tall with a simple structure, making it an easy target for snipers aiming from outside. The lockdown and control of entry to all surrounding buildings had been personally ordered by Raumaan. This was beyond Aziz’s authority.

“That’s impossible.”

When Aziz shook his head, Christoph frowned. He clicked his tongue in displeasure and replied coldly.

“I have no problem with you people. I just don’t like the one who dragged my friend into that place. I’m going to capture him and leave.”

“And if the one who dragged your friend in is—?”

Christoph didn’t answer.

Aziz stared at Christoph for a moment, seemingly piecing together who Christoph was targeting. His expression shifted slightly before turning more solemn. Then, with a stern face, he shook his head again.

“No. I can’t lift the lockdown.”

“……Even if he’s an idiot who dragged guerrilla fighters into this mess and hired them as mercenaries, is it because he’s royalty that it’s blasphemy to take him down?” Christoph muttered, his tone indifferent. At that moment, the other men around him realized who Christoph was referring to, and their expressions shifted.

It was Rashid.

Though Rashid was their adversary in this situation, he remained a member of the royal family and couldn’t be a target for assassination. Even if Raumaan captured Rashid, he couldn’t simply ‘kill him.’

“You…… can’t, no matter what.”

Aziz shook his head, his expression stern. Christoph stared at him intently for a moment before speaking slowly.

“Aziz, I don’t have time for this.”

“No! It’s impossible!”

Christoph studied Aziz, who repeated the same answer, and then frowned slightly.

“Let him go. Given the current circumstances, it’s unclear whether he’ll succeed anyway.”

Behind Christoph, a calm voice with a hint of amusement interrupted. At the same time, the men around him lowered their weapons and straightened their stances.

Christoph hesitated for a moment before turning around. Standing before him was a middle-aged man, not particularly imposing in size.

The man studied Christoph thoroughly, a friendly smile playing on his face.

“Long time no see. Well, actually, it hasn’t been that long…… Malik spoke highly of you, so I’ve been curious to see just how skilled you are. Now I understand.”

Christoph stared at the man in front of him without a word, giving a small nod. Some of the men around them bristled at Christoph’s nonchalant behavior, but none dared to reprimand him in the presence of the middle-aged man.

That middle-aged man – Al Faisal – whom Christoph had encountered at Tarten not long ago, now looked Christoph over again with an appraising gaze.

It seemed he had been watching from the moment Christoph ran toward the north gate, flanked by three bodyguards. He had observed how Christoph swiftly bypassed the layers of defense, dodged bullets with precision, and incapacitated enemies without causing significant damage.

“Did you know I was here?” – Al Faisal asked.

Al Faisal repeated his question. Christoph remained silent for a moment, his expression indifferent, then nodded. This time, a man standing beside Al Faisal, looking like he was about to say something to Christoph with anger in his eyes, opened his mouth to speak, but Al Faisal smiled and raised a hand to stop him.

“So, that’s why you’re here.” – Al Faisal said, nodding with a hint of admiration.

The moment Christoph saw Aziz near the north gate, he had guessed that Al Faisal was present somewhere in the area. Otherwise, there would be no reason for Aziz, despite being injured and bandaged, to stay outside guarding instead of joining Raumaan in the building.

Al Faisal continued to observe Christoph for a moment before smiling again.

“Our country has many royals—more than the clouds in the sky. So, when something happens to one of them, it’s usually not a big deal…… but Rashid is a bit trickier. He’s too famous, so resolving this won’t be easy.”

Al Faisal spoke in a light, teasing tone, then winked at Christoph. Christoph blinked in slight confusion, and Al Faisal burst into loud laughter.

“But if it’s just an injury, nothing fatal, that’s easy to overlook. We could always say you were only trying to help us and made a small mistake…… Well, given the current situation, his fate is likely already sealed.”

Al Faisal’s expression suddenly shifted, and he clicked his tongue softly as he glanced toward the consulate.

Christoph stared at him for a moment before lowering his head.

“‘A small injury’…… but I can’t make any promises. If he’s not in my sights, then I won’t be able to do anything.”

Hearing this, Al Faisal smiled, though his brow furrowed slightly.

“I’m not asking you to do anything to Rashid. I’m just saying that if something were to happen while you’re watching from above, I’d be on your side.”

Christoph paused briefly, then nodded.

Aziz hesitated but began communicating through his radio, requesting that the lockdown be lifted for a specific individual heading to a building southeast of the consulate. Meanwhile, Christoph turned and began walking away.

At that moment, Al Faisal’s voice called out from behind him.

“By the way, don’t forget to reconsider the offer I made to you last time. After seeing your skills, I’m even more intrigued. You’re always welcome, so once this is over, be sure to come see me. I’ll be waiting.”

Christoph glanced back at Al Faisal, his expression difficult to read, as though he were staring at a friendly neighbor. He hesitated for a moment, then bowed his head once more before quickly turning and walking away.