Hero’s Child C39

Chapter 39

Uichan lifted his head to look at the man. The golden eyes glaring back at him were fierce, the bridge of his nose drawn taut with rage. The man who had always seemed so calm and unshakably composed now radiated fury—pure, murderous fury.

Then that beast savagely tearing apart the dokkaebi behind the paper doors—surely that had to be Nell. But those sliding doors… that was Hyde’s stage ability.

“Uichan.”

“Y–yes…?”

Blacktan called his name, yet offered no further words. Instead, he bit off his gloves with his teeth and tossed them into a nearby trash bin. His large hand swept slowly down Uichan’s back, over his arms, waist, and legs, as if searching for injuries. Then his touch returned to Uichan’s face.

Their eyes met, and in that fleeting moment, Uichan saw something wholly unfamiliar—an emotion he’d never thought possible from Blacktan.

It looked like fear.

Before Uichan could find his voice, Blacktan spoke in a low whisper.

“I’ll confirm the rest later. For now, don’t move from here.”

A dark silhouette landed behind him, slender and draped in black. Hyde. Standing atop the paper doors, he looked down at them with a hollow smirk.

Blacktan didn’t even flinch at his arrival. When Uichan instinctively grabbed at the hem of his coat, Blacktan’s arm slipped around his neck, pulling him close in silent reassurance.

“Nell.”

At the call, the beast inside the barrier stopped tearing at the dokkaebi’s body and whipped its head around. The paper doors split apart with a resounding crack, and the black panther burst free—its maw slick with blue blood.

“Protect Uichan.”

The beast gave a low growl. Nell licked the blood from his mouth, then bounded forward. He pressed his head against Uichan’s chest and curled himself around him protectively.

Meanwhile, Blacktan retrieved his gloves and slipped them back on before rising. His movements left no room for doubt—he saw Hyde as an enemy.

“What are you doing, Blacktan? He’s not the kind of person you think he is—he’s just—”

My brother.

But before Uichan could finish, the two men had already collided.

Crash!

The scenery around them shifted wildly. The filthy alley cluttered with trash and flyers vanished. Now they stood in an open forest clearing—then in a dim, decaying room—then in an endless maze of city alleyways. Hyde’s stage warped the world like a shifting dream.

“Got business with the dokkaebi?” Hyde’s tone was languid but sharp. “If not, I’d appreciate it if you backed off. My brothers and I have things to investigate.”

“I can’t hand over a dangerous criminal to a villain. The creature will be transferred to Litan for interrogation today. Unless you want to come with it, step aside.”

“Ah, so both of us need him. Then there’s only one solution, right? Whoever wins gets him.”

“A logical approach.”

Most people thought Blacktan’s power was firearms. In truth, his ability was Creation—but only through his shadow. Rumors even claimed that his black panther was one of his own creations.

They might not have been wrong. Shadows surged around him now, birthing countless weapons that launched toward Hyde. But with every shift of the stage, Hyde’s defenses swallowed them whole.

Uichan watched, heart pounding, as Nell crouched beside him in steady silence. If those two fought at full power, they could level the entire district. That couldn’t happen.

He tried to stand, but Nell clamped his jaws on Uichan’s sleeve, holding him back. Still, he couldn’t just sit still—Blacktan was formidable, but Hyde was a force of nature.

Uichan didn’t know the full extent of Blacktan’s power, but he did know one thing: if this fight continued, one of them would be seriously hurt.

“Stop it, both of you!”

His shout fell into the chaos unheard. He tore free from Nell and sprinted forward. A stray blast—he didn’t know whose—whistled past his shoulder like a boomerang. Both men were dead serious, striking to kill.

If this keeps up, other heroes will arrive, and the whole thing will spiral out of control.

He didn’t want that. More than that, he didn’t want either Hyde or Blacktan to get hurt.

Grinding his teeth, Uichan pushed into the fray. When the two finally clashed and recoiled, he seized his chance—stealing the dokkaebi’s ability from its fallen body amid the shattered doors. His muscles tensed instantly, filled with unnatural strength. It was likely not a learned power but an innate gift of the creature itself.

It didn’t matter. Uichan slammed his fist into the ground with all his might.

BOOM!

The earth split open, shards of debris erupting skyward. Hyde flicked his fingers in response, summoning a wall of force, but before it could close around Uichan, Blacktan burst through the dust, wrapping his arm around him and dragging him into his chest.

He pressed Uichan against the wall, shielding him from the storm of debris.

As the wind died and the dust hung suspended in silence, Uichan coughed weakly.

Hack, hack—

Blacktan’s gloved hand covered his nose and mouth to keep out the dust. When the haze finally cleared, Hyde stood alone.

Gone was the ever-gentle smile. His face was void of expression, his eyes cold and hollow—soulless, like twin glass marbles. The lifelessness in his gaze sent a chill crawling up Uichan’s spine.

As soon as Uichan pushed Blacktan’s hand away and gasped for air, Hyde smiled again—softly, too softly.

“…Yeah. I should go for now. I’ll need to discuss the dokkaebi’s handling with my brothers. Still, this was… quite an entertaining evening.”

“Hy—Hyde—”

Before Uichan could reach out, fire burst from where the dokkaebi had fallen. Blacktan immediately pulled him close again, shielding him. Uichan couldn’t see anything past the broad shoulder blocking his view—only the flames roaring high into the sky.

“Let’s meet again soon.”

The heat seared his eyes. Uichan squeezed them shut, trembling, until the world fell silent once more.

When he opened them, the familiar stench of the alley had returned.

The dust, the fire, the smoke—all gone. The alleyway lay eerily still, as though nothing had ever happened. No heroes had arrived. No traces remained of the dokkaebi or the battle.

And yet, before the fire had vanished, Uichan had heard Hyde’s voice brush past his ear.

“I should praise Mother Ship for this one—she’s the reason you’re still alive.”

But Uichan… I’ll be busy for a while.

The lazy whisper had felt like a tongue grazing his ear. He’d squeezed his eyes shut—and when he opened them again, Hyde was gone. Only that unreadable expression lingered in his memory, those eyes brimming with grim resolve.

It made his chest tighten unbearably.

Left alone with Blacktan in the fetid alley, Uichan finally shoved at his arm, stepping back. He needed to leave—he had to. After that day on the park bench, after his identity had nearly been exposed, he hadn’t figured out how to face Blacktan.

And now, before he’d found an answer, fate had thrown them together again. It left him shaken and panicked.

“Th-thank you for saving me. But I’m… a bit out of it right now. Let’s talk about this later.”

Blacktan’s eyes flickered with confusion as Uichan turned to go. Before he could take a step, Blacktan’s arm shot out, barring his path. When Uichan tried to retreat, the panther blocked his escape from behind, massive and unyielding.

Uichan pushed against the beast’s head, but it only gave a soft whine, unmoving. Its sheer size dwarfed him.

Growl, growl—

No use. And then Blacktan’s arms braced against the wall, trapping him completely. Uichan’s black eyes lifted to meet his—filled with mistrust and wary tension.

Blacktan’s brows furrowed deeply. This—this was not what he had wanted.

“Why are you avoiding me?”

His voice was restrained, calm—but to Uichan, it felt like being cornered by a predator baring its fangs.

“Did I do something that would harm you?”

Uichan couldn’t answer. Not yet, perhaps. But one day, maybe.

“Or is it because I threatened your brother?”

Even Blacktan seemed surprised by the raw unease in his own voice. Uichan shook his head slowly.

“That’s not the reason.”

“Then what is?”

Uichan stayed silent. The longer he said nothing, the more Blacktan’s gaze cracked—fractured like ice. He had never cared to understand those who feared or despised him. But when it came to Uichan, something was different.

“Either way,” he said quietly, “I’ll be sent to Litan for detainment.”