The Moment I Chose My Friends
Everyone present held their breath.
The monster resembled a cluster of peeled muscle mass that had been haphazardly molded together, with a single large eye embedded within it.
The only issue was its size—large enough to fill an entire hand span.
Its red-veined pupils slowly swept across the humans beneath it.
Whenever their gazes met, those who dared to look understood.
It was not merely scanning. It was clearly hunting, seeking a specific target with purpose.
“Th-that… h-how…?”
The one who had finally regained some composure spoke hesitantly.
No one screamed or moved. In that instant, instinct had warned them all: the creature was now targeting them directly.
Even as it did so, the monster licked its lips with deliberate slowness, examining each person one by one.
Those watching could already foresee the horror.
If it failed to find its target here, what would happen next?
Its gaze drifted toward the far end of the cavern.
Then it reached the final point.
“Uwaaaah!”
One of the knights who had followed Princess Cecilia let out a scream and bolted toward the branching corridor.
His companions had witnessed the monster’s true nature and, in that moment of terror, compelled him to flee.
The knight’s cry ignited utter chaos.
The fragile order that had held until now shattered in an instant.
Without a moment’s hesitation, knights and purifiers alike scrambled in every direction, desperate to find any escape.
The monster’s pupils immediately locked onto the fleeing figures.
A flash of light appeared.
“Gah!”
With a final cry, the head of the knight who had been in the lead flew clean off.
The monster’s gaze shifted to its next target.
And there it was—Reina and Felix, who had already fallen.
‘No!’
This was the monster that had slaughtered countless knights and purifiers. There was no way two people could survive its attack.
In that split second, Irene found herself running straight toward them without realizing what she was doing.
“These are my friends, the ones I’ve met here.”
The word ‘friends’ brought a radiant smile to Reina’s face in her memory.
She had already died once. She knew better than anyone what it felt like to face the terrifying final moment of death.
And yet, Irene stepped in front of them, shielding them with her body.
She prayed that her friends—at least those she cared for—would never endure such despair or terror.
She knew it was foolish. And still, she had moved.
Irene met the monster’s gaze with one of her own, unflinching.
‘What on earth is this thing?’
Such a monster was not recorded in any book. The future had changed once again.
The doubts she had carried all this time resurfaced.
Why did some futures shift, while others did not?
What was the dividing line…?
Red energy began to gather in the monster’s eyes. In that fleeting moment, to Irene, everything seemed to slow to a crawl.
When the light in those eyes flared, she would die just like the knight whose head had been taken.
‘Still… it wasn’t bad.’
This life was far better than the first. So there was no regret.
Just as she accepted that this was her final moment, a voice called her name.
“Irene!”
The moment the word left his lips, a red line slashed through the air and struck the floating monster. It exploded in a burst of flesh and bone.
Irene braced herself for the impact—but when she came to, she was already cradled safely in Michael’s arms.
Splat.
The monster’s remains rained down around them, making a heavy sound. Not a single drop of blood touched her.
All of it had fallen upon Michael.
After a long moment, the downpour ceased. Yet he still held her tightly, refusing to let go.
“Mi-ka…el?”
Irene called his name. But he only tightened his grip, silent and unmoving.
Meanwhile, those who had fled were beginning to return.
“Michael, just a moment. Let go of me….”
“Why did you do that?”
“What?”
“W-why… knowing it was going to kill you….”
His voice trembled as he spoke. As if he had seen the most terrifying thing in the world.
“Just… I didn’t know what I was doing… Please let go of me. People are coming back…”
“Look. Is it not natural for pairs to behave this way?”
The unexpected words from Michael left Irene bewildered.
At the same time, she realized his entire body was shaking.
Did the fact that she had almost died terrify him that deeply?
They could not stay like this forever.
She considered her options, then reached out and pulled him into her embrace as he had done for her.
Slowly, she began to draw up her purification power.
The blood of the monster that had soaked his back started to purify at an astonishing speed.
At the same time, his trembling gradually eased.
Only then did the arm that had been holding her finally loosen its grip.
Irene quickly slipped from his arms and scanned the surroundings.
Fortunately, in their panic, no one had noticed the two of them. If anyone had, they had simply mistaken her for performing purification.
“Lord Michael!”
“Thank you!”
The scattered group gathered around them, checking that their own pairs were safe and approaching Michael.
Irene looked him over too.
“Michael? Are you all right?”
“…I’m fine. But why… why did you risk yourself so…?”
He answered that he was fine, yet the look on his face said otherwise.
Irene suddenly recalled the usual feelings knights held toward their pairs.
Over time, as the bond between a knight and his purifier deepened, the knight came to rely on her completely. He would risk his life countless times for her, driven by blind devotion to the one who healed his pain.
Even after the pair contract ended and feelings faded, some knights became so deeply entangled that they never recovered.
Perhaps Michael was one of those people. Even though Irene’s power was small and he was already such a kind man.
Irene straightened her disheveled clothes, then bowed her head to him.
“I’m sorry. I panicked when I saw my friends in danger and couldn’t help myself. I’ll think things through more carefully from now on.”
She bowed even deeper in apology, but his expression remained rigid.
At that moment, Cecilia, who had fled earlier, approached them.
“Thank you for saving us, Lord Michael. I don’t know how you defeated that monster so effortlessly…”
Tears streamed down Cecilia’s face as she spoke.
“It seems you’ve avenged my pair, who was killed by that monster. I’m truly, truly grateful.”
As soon as she finished, Michael lifted his head and looked directly at her.
“…You.”
In that instant, not only Cecilia, but even Irene beside him, shivered.
Michael glared at Cecilia and muttered again.
“Because of you… Irene…”
“W-what are you saying…? Irene? Why are you acting this way, Lord Michael?”
Cecilia looked at Irene in confusion, as if pleading for him to stop.
It was clear he was misunderstanding something. She needed to clear it up immediately.
But the panic in her own heart made it impossible to know what to do.
Michael was always polite toward others. Yet right now, he was unleashing an intensity she had never seen before.
Even the monster had never looked at her with such hostility.
“Lo-lord Michael?”
Cecilia called out to him, but his gaze only grew sharper.
Then he reached out toward her.
The moment his hand closed around her throat.
Kwang!
A thunderous boom shook the entire dungeon.
“What is that?”
“There! The dungeon is collapsing!”
Someone’s shout drew everyone’s attention to the ceiling.
Dust and sand were pouring down from far above, but the true terror came next.
The dungeon walls were shifting, changing shape before their eyes.
Paths had become walls, and walls had become paths.
The moment they saw it, everyone understood.
Why the number of routes no longer matched when they had entered.
Everyone swallowed their shock as another wave of horror struck.
“There! Over here too!”
People turned their heads toward the direction being pointed out.
Was there anything scarier than a dungeon in the process of reshaping?
“The dungeon is being destroyed!”
As soon as those words left his mouth, everyone spun around and ran toward the unknown path ahead.
The dungeon’s destruction.
If they did not escape before it vanished completely, they would be trapped here for the rest of their lives.