Chapter 244 243. Eshwar?

"...."

"...." Seo Hana knew that it really wasn't the time to be laughing, but she couldn't help it as she stared at Tuwile, who embarrassed himself while trying to act cool. She needed sheer willpower to hold in her laughter.

"Give up, human." Tuwile spoke with a serious expression, ignoring whatever had just happened.

".... really?" Seo Hana couldn't believe that he got over something so embarrassing so easily. But at that instance, the faces of the humans from before flashed in her mind, and all the other thoughts she was having completely halted, and she despaired.

'For the first time ever, I hate my trait....' Seo Hana thought; she knew that her trait, "Phoenix Kin," was an emotionally dependent kind of trait because phoenixes were known to be very emotional creatures. Seo Hana would always feel even the normal emotions very strongly; her trait has always been like that, and due to this, many traumas still remained, but she had managed to hide them well under her cheery personality. But the sight from earlier was the first time for her; it was the first time she had actually seen something like that, and it was showing no signs of fading any time soon.

At these thoughts, her eyes turned dead as the images of the scene repeated themselves continuously; it was as if she were falling into somewhere deep where nothing except her would ever be able to exist. She curled up and hugged her knees as the dark slowly began to envelope her body; it felt good because those traumatising thoughts were gradually becoming dimmer and dimmer, and she reached the point where absolutely nothing remained; she wasn't hearing anything, wasn't seeing anything, wasn't touching anything, and she wasn't smelling the nauseating scent of blood.

Unbeknownst to Seo Hana, it was what a phoenix feels when it wants to give up on life, preserving the smallest yet brightest flame within to give birth to another life, and while all of this was happening, very strong, fierce, and destructive flames were erupting out of Seo Hana's curled up body.

It was so strong that the entire Sector Seven could feel the heat, and Tuwile, who was standing right in front of her, had already burned to a crisp without even knowing how or what had exactly happened.

Suddenly, Seo Hana's Phoenix Wings snapped wide open and hugged the small body and turned into a hardened shell with mana sheild surrounding the entire shell, to protect her. As hot as the flame erupting from her was, the scene where her wings enveloped her to protect her was just as "warm."

BOOM!

Suddenly, a black-haired handsome man zoomed out of nowhere and punched at the shell as strongly as he could. A hot ripple shot out from the impact; it was so strong that the flames that almost the entirety of the area were almost blown out. It even stayed burning faintly for a few seconds before burning more fiercely than it had initially.

The cocoon-like shell shot towards the ground and due to the force behind the blow being so great, it didn't stop and sheathed into the ground. After travelling quite deep into the ground, a loud implosion reverberated throughout the entire sector, but the black-haired man ignored everything and dove into the hole that Seo Hana's shell had formed, and when he reached the spot where the shell was, he noticed that a cave had formed from the implosion from earlier.

He then zoomed towards her, tensed his back and shoulder muscles, and three-meter-wide, ominously burning wings manifested on his back before he shot towards Seo Hana, leaving behind a trail of thick black smoke.

BOOM!

BOOM!

....

He continuously punched at the phoenix's wings until he saw a gap, an opening from which he could rip open the phoenix wings if he really wanted to. Of course, he hadn't handled anything with care since his appearance until now, but he knew he couldn't keep acting like that now that the phoenix's instincts would be at an all-time high.

If he wanted to get Seo Hana out of there without activating her phoenix instincts or harming her, he had to show her phoenix instincts that he meant no harm and he wanted to protect the last phoenix kin. If it were any other person, they should really give up on even trying to do anything, but the black-haired man was different; one could even call him an expert at faking emotions.

He gently flew towards her, stroked the wing's flaming feathers with absolute care and love, the wings slightly trembling as if they were enjoying his touch, and soon slowly moved to the sides, revealing the petite naked figure sleeping comfortably, but if he did not act faster, Seo Hana would perish in a matter of seconds.

Then he gently, softly, and very lovingly, reached at her face, and.....

PATTT!

"Ackh!!?" Seo Hana was jolted awake at the sudden stinging sensation on her left cheek. She looked around while rubbing her cheek, but soon her gaze halted at the black-haired man and her entire body froze. Instantly, all the memories of the people killing themselves returned and her eyes turned misty.

"Max...." Seo Hana mumbled under her breath, and tears began to stream out. She slowly crawled towards him to find comfort in him, but halted when she connected the stinging sensation with his slightly raised hand.

"You slapped me?" Seo Hana mumbled in disbelief, but she wasn't really mad about it, but she won't show it on the outside.

"Is that really what you are worried about right now?" Max mumbled and his gaze moved lower than the spot where her eyes were; though perplexed, she followed his gaze and noticed that she wasn't wearing anything on her, but she still needed a brief moment before she realised the true problem.

With a flushed face, she glanced at Max in hopes of seeing him avert his gaze with a flustered face, but what she saw was entirely different from her expectation; he was staring at her without even blinking once, as if he were imprinting her body in his mind, and then he noticed her gaze, and when he met her eyes, he smiled charmingly and licked his lips seductively, making Seo Hana turn more flustered.

"Y-yu-you pervert!" She yelped, jumped back and covered her body with her arms, and following her instincts, her wings also covered her body.

"Hahahaha." Max laughed heartily at the sight and began to walk towards the dazed Seo Hana; it was the first time she had seen him laugh like that since Faye died, and she stared at him approaching in daze.

"Oi." Max called out while looking down at her.

"Huh?" She snapped out of her daze at his call, but when she realised the situation, she began to blush violently but didn't do anything and maintained eye contact, slightly expectant.

He gently placed his right hand on her neck and rubbed her left cheek with his thumb. He leaned forward until their foreheads touched, but both of them maintained eye contact. He slightly raised his head and tilted his head. Seo Hana's expectations soared at his actions, and her lips trembled and moved into a small pout, subconsciously.

"Mmmhn~" As soon as he kissed her, her wings subconsciously opened up and hugged him; of course, he knew that and sheathed his wings to not cause any inconvenience to her wings.

"Let's go, people are gathering above." Max broke the kiss, said and walked back before looking up at the hole, leaving Seo Hana dazed and perplexed, not because of the kiss, but because it felt strangely familiar.

'Eshwar?'