CHAPTER 81: ELIMINATE NINE - [100PS BONUS CHAPTER]

Everyone has a Sea of Consciousness, Joshua. As long as you gain control over it, no one will be able to harm you—because within your own Sea of Consciousness, you are invincible.

Arthur said those words, though he wasn’t sure what Joshua could do or how far he could go. Not everyone could easily master their mind, especially when Joshua wasn’t even a combat esper.

Aside from the hazy, painful days inside the laboratory, Joshua could barely remember anything. Yet his instincts remained—those of someone who once possessed great power.

Nine, it’s time for you to leave my body—along with that damned system of yours.

Inside Joshua’s Sea of Consciousness, there was a serene stillness—a faint, pale blue world where sky and earth mirrored each other through a transparent barrier, as if everything were sealed within frost and ice. Yet in certain places, the ice had begun to melt: blades of grass peeked out, trees slowly regained their true colors, even in small patches.

The place still shimmered with the hues of glass and snow, the only vivid color coming from the delicate blue Tweedia flowers that bloomed across the sky.

At the center of this space hovered a pure, translucent orb about the size of an adult’s palm, glowing faintly blue.

Yet beside it flickered a tiny crimson light—an anomaly.

Joshua realized Nine wasn’t physically present here. It seemed that this small red stone was the link connecting Nine to him, which allowed him to flit about inside his mind.

Without hesitation, Joshua acted. He had little time to linger within his Sea of Consciousness—his control over its flow was limited. A few seconds here could mean hours passing in the outside world.

His spirit descended like a soul returning to its own land.

He raised his hand, and his spiritual energy coalesced into a swirling vortex that engulfed the flickering red stone.

Agony struck instantly. Joshua collapsed onto the icy ground. To erase this thing was to carve away a piece of his mind. This place was where his memories were stored—but so what? He could never recall them anyway. If it meant freedom, what harm was there in losing a fragment more?

But it hurt—so much. It was as if countless ants were gnawing through his organs. His mind became a storm of chaos, the pain dragging forth flashes of black-and-white images from that wretched laboratory.

Joshua clenched his eyes shut. His body twisted, writhing, while the gale of his own energy threatened to tear it apart.

"Joshua! It’s you! Do you even know what the hell you’re doing?! No—how did you even get here?!"

Right then, Nine’s voice thundered through the space, followed by a red-and-black tempest surging toward Joshua, as though trying to shield the crimson gem.

Joshua glared ahead. Through the hazy storm, he could only make out a pair of blood-red eyes.

Nine lunged forward, bringing with him an overwhelming, monstrous power.

But by now, Joshua had already broken through the barrier and seized the glowing red stone in his hand. Staring straight into the oncoming maelstrom, he murmured, "In this place, I’m the one in control, Nine."

Clang!

A sharp cracking sound reverberated across the Sea of Consciousness. Pale-blue shockwaves rippled outward. The crimson stone shattered into fine dust, and at that instant, the massive red-and-black vortex vanished completely—without leaving a trace.

Joshua could still faintly hear Nine’s furious screams echoing in his mind.

He must be pissed, Joshua thought to himself, letting his consciousness dissolve into the vastness of his mind. His spiritual sense spread in every direction, scanning for any remaining traces, even as blinding pain made his vision blur and his skull throb as though it were splitting open.

Hopefully I can still make it to training today, he thought with mild irritation. After confirming that nothing abnormal remained, he withdrew from his Sea of Consciousness and sank into a void of darkness...

Outside, dawn had already broken.

Luther and Justin were crammed together in the bathroom, brushing their teeth.

Henry adjusted his collar, glancing toward the upper bunk where Joshua was curled tightly under the blanket. From where he stood, he could only see a small mound-shaped lump beneath the quilt.

Luther came out wiping his face, chuckling. "Same thing every morning. Wonder when he’ll finally kick that sleep-loving habit of his."

Despite the teasing, he still walked over to wake Joshua.

But, being closer, Henry reached out first, gently brushing Joshua’s hair and saying softly, "Joshua, wake up. We’re going to be late."

Usually, Joshua would stir at once when called—but today, there was no response.

Luther rubbed his hands together and grumbled, "Guess your hands aren’t cold enough. Move aside."

As always, he reached into the blanket, planning to pinch Joshua’s cheek awake—but his hand met something damp. His expression shifted immediately. At first, he thought Joshua had been crying again, but he still tried to joke, "Hey, Shua, you’re too old to be drooling in your sleep."

As he spoke, he pulled back the blanket—

—and froze.

Joshua’s face was buried in the covers, the sheets around him soaked through. Bright red blood streamed endlessly from his nose, staining his cheek and the bedding. His brows were tightly furrowed, cold sweat beading across his forehead—his entire body trembling as if wracked by unbearable pain.

Luther’s eyes flew wide; his pupils shrank. "Joshua—hey, Joshua, wake up!"

He didn’t dare shake Joshua, even though he was shouting; Joshua still wouldn’t wake.

Henry frowned and started calling on his phone, his facial expressionless while his hands shook as if he could drop the device at any moment.

Justin came out too; seeing the scene, he panicked and hurried to find a cloth to wipe Joshua’s blood, but it kept flowing—no matter how he wiped, it wouldn’t stop, as if it would never end.

"Joshua, come on, you can’t die—sob sob sob—come on, Joshua," Justin said while dabbing at the blood.

Luther shoved him. "Don’t say nonsense!"

His expression looked far worse than yesterday.

"My car’s almost here. Don’t worry, Joshua will be fine," Henry murmured, unsure whether he was speaking to someone else or himself.

Then, as soon as he said it, he suddenly lunged forward. Ignoring Luther and Justin at his side, he pulled Joshua straight off the bunk and clung to him, refusing to let go, as if he wanted to press Joshua into his own chest.

Clearly, he had only just found Joshua. Even if Joshua turned out to be okay—just a nosebleed—that should be that.

But Henry was terrified—so terrified he felt he might die at any moment.

He didn’t know Joshua before; they meant nothing to each other.

And yet he was sure that Joshua was the person he had always been searching for. Even if that certainty was only his own illusion, an obsession with a vague image he’d longed for.

All he really wanted was Joshua—just for Joshua to exist and be alive in front of him; nothing more.

"Hey, put him down. What are you doing? He’s going to suffocate!" Luther frowned angrily at Henry. Luther wanted to slap him a few times if Henry weren’t holding Joshua.