The SSS-rank Guide Doesn't Need Saving

The question settled over the chamber, and for a moment, none of the Sentinels dared to answer.

They had recognized Nykos. That alone was enough to make the situation far worse than it had been a few seconds ago. But the way he was looking at them made the four Sentinels understand something else.

He wasn’t here to negotiate.

The Sentinel whose wrist had been caught by the shadow tried to pull back. The black tendril tightened immediately, and another sharp crack echoed through the chamber. His face twisted in pain as he stumbled backward.

Nykos finally moved.

His steps were unhurried as he crossed the wet floor, his silver hair falling over one shoulder while the shadows followed behind him. The pressure coming from his body continued spreading through the room, forcing the remaining Sentinels to tense their muscles just to remain standing.

Aisha watched him approach, then glanced toward the tank.

”Zenick,” she said, her voice rough from exhaustion.

Nykos’ eyes shifted toward the tank. He knew what she wanted and nodded.

”Take care of the others,” he instructed his men.

Vince and Elias moved immediately. The remaining Sentinels tried to resist, but the difference between them and the people surrounding Nykos was too great now. Shadows spread beneath their feet, catching their legs and dragging them down before they could reach their weapons. One Sentinel attempted to force his psychic energy outward, but Nykos only looked at him, and the man’s body froze in fear before he was thrown across the chamber.

Aisha didn’t continue to watch them. She hurried toward Zenick’s tank, though every step sent another wave of pain through her ribs. Her legs felt weak, and her breathing had become shallow. She knew she had pushed herself far beyond what her body could handle.

But when she reached the tank, none of that mattered anymore.

The black liquid inside churned violently. Zenick was still within the tank; his body floated near the center, completely motionless.

”Zenick...” she called out to him, but he did not receive a response.

She called out his name again, but he didn’t move.

Seeing this, Aisha’s face went pale. Her eyes showed hesitation and pain. Was it too late, after all?

Aisha placed her hand against the glass.

The instant her palm touched it, the liquid suddenly reacted.

The blackness rushed toward her hand.

Aisha’s expression changed.

Nykos stopped behind her, his gaze narrowing as he watched the miasma’s reaction.

”Don’t touch the liquid directly,” he warned.

”I know.”

Aisha looked at Zenick through the glass. Dark lines covered almost every part of his body now. Some had spread across his face, reaching the corners of his closed eyes. Others disappeared beneath his neck and continued toward his chest. His entire body was covered in miasma.

He looked nothing like the brother she had known.

For a second, Aisha couldn’t move. She had spent so long looking for him that actually finding him should have brought relief. Instead, the sight of him trapped inside that tank made something cold settle in her chest.

Aisha swallowed and forced herself to focus. ”How do we get him out?”

Nykos glanced toward the control panel. ”Break the tank.”

Aisha immediately shook her head. ”No. If the liquid spills, it’ll spread through the chamber.”

”I know.”

”Then—”

”We don’t have a choice.”

Nykos raised one hand.

The shadows surged forward.

They wrapped around the tank from every direction, forming a thick layer between the glass and the rest of the chamber. Black lightning flickered through them as the pressure continued building.

”Move back.”

Aisha did.

The next instant, the tank shattered.

Glass exploded outward, but none of the fragments reached her. The shadows caught every piece before they could fall, while the black liquid remained suspended inside the barrier Nykos had created.

Zenick’s body dropped.

Aisha rushed forward.

She caught him before his head struck the ground.

The moment her hands touched his skin, her entire body went rigid.

Cold.

That was the first thing she felt.

Then came the pain.

It wasn’t coming from Zenick himself. It was the miasma inside his body, pressing against her guiding ability and trying to crawl into her through their contact. Aisha’s fingers trembled as the sensation spread up her arms, burning beneath her skin.

She clenched her teeth and refused to let go.

”Aisha!”

Nykos moved toward her, but she immediately shook her head.

”Don’t.”

He stopped.

His eyes lowered to Zenick.

The miasma covering Zenick’s body had already started moving toward Aisha’s hands. Even Nykos, whose shadows could devour the corrupted creatures inside this place, couldn’t simply tear it away without risking Zenick’s life or risking himself being corrupted as well. Nykos couldn’t afford for that to happen with the way things were now.

Aisha understood that.

She also understood something else.

The reason she could touch him when no one else could was that she was a Guide, giving her a great advantage. But it wasn’t only that...

The black lines across Zenick’s skin slowly began to retreat from her fingers. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for her to see the difference. The corruption seemed to hesitate wherever her skin touched his.

Aisha stared at them.

”I’m fine.”

Nykos’ expression darkened. ”You can’t possibly be fine.”

Aisha’s breathing became heavier. She closed her eyes for a moment and concentrated.

There, she felt a faint pulse. It was so weak she almost missed it.

But it was there.

Her eyes opened again.

”He’s alive.”

”I know.”

Nykos’ answer came quietly.

Aisha looked at him. ”You can sense it?”

”No... But if you’re not bawling your eyes out or thinking of killing everyone here, then your brother must definitely be alive.”

He wasn’t new to seeing someone losing their minds when they lost someone dear to them. His men had lost a lot of people on their side, and no amount of comfort could ease the pain. Time wouldn’t heal or erase their sorrow. But they had learned that spending their grief on the battlefield and taking the lives of those who had caused their sorrow somehow made them feel slightly better. If not, it gave them momentary relief.

Whatever had been done to Zenick had pushed his body to a dangerous point. Even if they got him out of this place, there was no guarantee he would wake up.

”We need to get him out of here,” she whispered.

Nykos crouched beside her. ”Can you carry him?”

It was the only way. But Aisha almost laughed.

”Look at me.”

He did. Though Nykos stared a little too long and a little too strangely at her, rubbing his chin with a thumb and squinting his eyes slightly in an appreciative manner.

She was covered in blood, her clothes soaked with blood and sweat, one hand pressed against her ribs whenever she wasn’t touching Zenick. Her face had gone pale from exhaustion, and even holding herself upright was becoming difficult.

Nykos’ lips curved faintly.

”You look great even when injured.”

Aisha glared at him. ”Carry him.”

”Gladly.”

Nykos reached for Zenick without hesitation after being ordered to do so by her.

But the moment his hand came close, the miasma inside Zenick erupted.

A violent wave of black energy burst outward.

Nykos immediately pulled his hand back.

His expression changed.

The shadows around his arm hissed as several strands were eaten away by the miasma.