Chapter 103: Overbearing

"Lumi..."

Evan slowly reached out his hand, ignoring the suffocating pressure weighing down the basement. His body was still far from recovered, and every movement tugged painfully at the wound in his chest, but none of that mattered when the girl standing before him was looking at him with such unfamiliar, empty eyes.

"It’s me," he murmured, trying to reach her cheek. "Lumi, look at me."

His fingertips were barely inches from her face when the oppressive energy suddenly surged.

BOOM!

Evan was hurled backward.

His body crashed into the opposite wall, sending cracks spreading through the stone as a sharp pain shot through his injured chest. He gritted his teeth, one hand instinctively pressing against his wound while the other braced against the ground.

"EVAN!"

Raphael’s voice rang out from somewhere behind him, but Evan barely registered it.

His eyes remained fixed on Lumi.

She hadn’t even moved.

She stood in the same place, one arm wrapped around Celestine, her expression completely devoid of emotion. The moment Evan had tried to touch her, the power surrounding her had reacted as though he were an enemy attempting to harm her.

"Lumi..." Evan pushed himself upright, his breathing turning uneven.

The force that had thrown him away was powerful enough to injure even an ordinary SSS-rank Sentinel, and his weakened condition made the impact considerably worse. Nevertheless, he forced himself to stand, refusing to look away from her.

He couldn’t leave her like this.

Not when he had spent an entire week lying unconscious, desperately trying to return to her.

Not when her voice had been the first thing to reach him when he finally awakened.

"It’s okay," he said softly, taking another cautious step forward. "I’m not going to hurt you."

Lumi’s head tilted slightly.

For a brief moment, Evan thought she had recognized his voice.

Then the pressure around her intensified.

"Guh!"

He was forced to his knees, an invisible weight pressing against his shoulders and chest. The electricity that flickered around his fingers sputtered as he struggled against the overwhelming force.

Behind Lumi, the remaining Guides were already gasping for air, some barely conscious beneath the suffocating pressure.

Yet she seemed unaware of any of it.

Her vacant gaze drifted across the room before settling on Evan once more.

There was no recognition in her eyes.

No relief. Not even the slightest flicker of the warmth she usually showed him.

Evan clenched his jaw, his heart sinking as he realized that the girl before him might no longer be able to distinguish between friend and foe.

Still, he raised his head and looked directly at her.

"Raphael, try to take Celestine away if you can. This doesn’t look good..."

"Finally, a sensible suggestion from you." Raphael forced a grin, though the tension in his expression betrayed his concern. "Though, I would’ve preferred a rescue mission that didn’t involve getting crushed by my future wife’s terrifying little sister."

Rei, who had been watching the scene unfold from a short distance away, finally stepped forward.

His earlier satisfaction had faded slightly as he studied Lumi. Even from where he stood, the pressure radiating from her was suffocating, making it difficult to breathe normally. The four Guides who had been assisting with the ritual were scattered across the basement, none of them daring to approach her again.

Yet Celestine was right there in Lumi’s arms, dangerously close to the source of that overwhelming power.

Rei’s gaze lingered on the blood staining Celestine’s lips before he clicked his tongue.

"Troublesome."

He had finally awakened Lumi’s ability, but the girl had become far more difficult to handle than he had anticipated.

Nevertheless, he couldn’t afford to lose this opportunity.

"Lumi," he called, approaching her with one hand raised.

A translucent barrier formed around his body, woven from concentrated Guiding energy. He reinforced it around his chest and shoulders, preparing himself for the pressure that had already thrown several grown Guides across the basement.

The moment he stepped closer, the force pressing against him intensified.

Rei’s expression tightened.

As the current Leader of the Ascendant Order, his strength had never been as ordinary as the others believed.

His Guiding abilities had surpassed the limits of an S-Rank Guide long ago, though he had deliberately concealed his true capabilities, keeping his rank hidden even from his own parents.

After all, there was little advantage in revealing every card in his hand when remaining underestimated allowed him to operate behind the scenes.

He had faced powerful Sentinels and survived countless dangerous situations without exposing the full extent of his abilities. Compared to those experiences, approaching his own younger sister should have been a trivial task.

Yet, as he took another step forward, his defensive barrier began to tremble.

Rei’s eyes widened slightly.

’What the hell is this?’

He gritted his teeth and forced himself to take another step forward, pouring more Guiding energy into his trembling barrier.

He refused to believe that a girl who had only just awakened her ability could overpower him so easily.

"Lumi," he called, trying to keep his voice steady. "Stop this nonsense and look at me!"

She remained motionless, her vacant gaze fixed somewhere ahead of her.

Rei’s jaw tightened. He took another step, determined to reach her despite the oppressive force pressing against his body.

Then, without warning, Lumi slowly raised her hand.

Rei froze.

Before he could react, her fingers curled slightly, as though she were grasping something invisible in the air.

A second later, an excruciating pain exploded inside Rei’s head.

"AGHHHHHH!"

His scream echoed throughout the basement.

He immediately clutched his head with both hands, stumbling backward as a violent wave of agony tore through his skull. His vision blurred, and his knees nearly buckled beneath him as he struggled to remain standing.

"W-What... WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

He desperately tried to gather his Guiding energy, attempting to shield his mind from the invisible force attacking him, but his efforts only made the pain more unbearable.

It felt as though his head were being squeezed tighter and tighter, his skull threatening to split apart at any moment.

"STOP! STOP IT!"

His voice broke into a strangled scream.

The pressure intensified.

Rei’s vision darkened around the edges, and he could no longer distinguish the figures standing before him. He staggered, one hand reaching out blindly as he fought to remain conscious.

Just a little longer...

He needed to—

But then...

Two figures suddenly flashed into view, landing directly in front of Lumi.

Evan Caesar and Raphael Valen stood side by side, their expressions turning grim as they faced the girl surrounded by that terrifying, suffocating power.

Behind them, Rei’s knees finally gave way.

His body crumpled to the floor, his eyes rolling shut as he lost consciousness.