Chapter 169: it was my fault… I’m sorry.

Standing in the midst of the Magnetic Force sphere of light, and while his master’s wild laughter was fading, Sage attempted to use the freshly recharged aura reserves of his master to treat his wounds as best as she could. She was striving to minimize as much as possible the future cost of Angel’s Breath. Even though the reserves had been replenished, his master was still under the effects of the Inverse Flow pact, which basically cut his aura by about 70%.

But while treating the wounds with Nen threads, Sage could not help but notice that on his master’s neck still hung his two necklaces, his most treasured objects, which—despite everything that had happened—remained almost completely intact. All because his master, even in his most desperate moment, had chosen to use the meager Haki reserves he had left to protect them instead of protecting himself.

That pair of necklaces—one with a pendant of a book and the other with that of an open palm—although Sage knew they were, in truth, of supreme importance, since they functioned as the core of two of his master’s most important abilities. She was fully aware that he had not guarded them for that very reason. After all, he was absolutely convinced he would die, so preserving those abilities no longer made sense.

Those necklaces were so valuable to his master because they were his connection to his new life, his connection to his parents, his connection to Nemuri and the rest of the family, and essentially, the proof of his existence—generating in him such a deep, foolish, and irrational attachment that, without him expecting it, they ended up being perfect as the core for his wildest abilities, almost all practically conceived to protect those he loved.

Shortly thereafter, even within the sphere of light, Sage noticed that she had managed to reconnect with the satellites, so she quickly began to review what had been happening in the mansion—realizing Eva’s arrival there, that Oliver was being treated in the MedPod, what the Accomplices had done, and that the entire family was about to rush out of the mansion armed to the teeth—prompting her to take swift action.

As a first step, she quickly sent a message home informing them that they had managed to escape and were on their way, arriving in approximately one minute, so it was best to wait calmly; then she sent a message to All Might, who was pacing back and forth along the sea searching for them, albeit without luck, instructing him to return.

Upon seeing the entire family embracing one another with tear-filled eyes of happiness, Sage couldn’t help but smile warmly before looking at her master—who had fallen unconscious with a peaceful smile—and extending her small hand to touch the only moderately healthy patch on his face.

“They are truly worthy of your care, master; they genuinely love you and care about you… But please, in the future, do not do such reckless things—I still want to serve you for a long time, as I don’t know if I’ll be able to do so in your next life…”

With a soft and melodious voice, filled with infinite love and devotion, Sage expressed her deepest feelings, experiencing a sense of relief and happiness she had never felt in her few years of consciousness. While her master hovered at death’s door, she had felt the world go dark and all color fade away—but now, the world was brighter and more colorful than ever before.

“This world only makes sense to me because you’re in it, Master. I don’t want you to leave me alone here…”

…

…

…

In the garden of the Saito mansion, all the family’s heroes—donned in futuristic-looking armor similar to Momo’s, though in different colors and without helmets that revealed their tear-streaked faces—along with Keiko and Yumiko, began to share a grand group hug, then turned their eyes toward Kai’s usual landing spot with expressions mingling anticipation and apprehension.

Although Sage had informed them that Kai was okay and that they would arrive soon, the seconds kept ticking by, and their worry didn’t lessen. The Accomplices’ strange behavior had been far too dramatic and left everyone on edge. But their hearts were quickly filled with relief and joy when they saw a light descending, and so they all ran toward it with huge smiles on their faces.

But the happiness on the family's faces soon turned to panic, as when the light faded, it revealed a body on the ground missing an arm and a leg. The other leg was practically just a piece of bone without flesh. Moreover, the body was covered in so many wounds that it was almost impossible to recognize—but the presence of the beautiful fairy at his side was more than enough to know who it was.

“““KAI!!!!”””

Upon witnessing Kai’s miserable state, Keiko could not bear it and fainted, collapsing like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Meanwhile, Nemuri, Shino, Ryuko, Tomoko, and Nejire cried out in unison, their faces as pale as paper, leaping toward him with all their strength, their eyes brimming with tears.

As for Yumiko, she covered her mouth with her hands and collapsed to her knees, completely drained and in a state of shock. Momo—who looked deathly pale and dizzy—ran to catch her mother in her arms just before she hit the ground, along with Chatora, who had a similar expression on his face.

But suddenly, a furious roar made the air tremble—a roar coming from Salem, who leaped at an incredible speed and landed in front of Kai, then assumed a combat stance in his five-meter form, growling menacingly, ready to tear apart anyone who dared approach his master, regardless of who they were, which immediately halted the advance of the girls.

“Salem, calm down! Master is only in a coma, and I’ll heal him shortly.” Quickly, Sage spoke in a firm tone, causing the gigantic panther to turn and look at her, growling in an almost questioning manner, to which the beautiful fairy replied with seriousness.

“He’ll be fine; don’t worry; after healing him, he will only sleep for a few days.”

With Sage’s words, Salem seemed to calm down, turning his head to gaze at his master—who looked more like a lifeless body than a person, missing legs and an arm, while the other limb was so shattered it was hard to see, with bits of torn flesh, skin and corroded muscles, deep cuts, holes, and more visible in various parts of his body.

Seeing the miserable state of his invisible master inevitably prompted the enormous panther to start roaring at the sky in fury, as if vowing ruthless vengeance, yet at the same time appearing incredibly sad and desolate.

Meanwhile, Sage looked at Salem with understanding, truly comprehending his feelings, but knowing she had to hurry, she quickly turned to look at the girls—who were once again approaching—and spoke in a serious tone.

“But first I must inform you that due to the extreme exhaustion, Master won’t awaken for a few days—and I will even have to deconjure myself—so I have sent the records of everything that happened to the Argus server; you can review them later.”

With the Angel’s Breath card already floating by her side, Sage explained in a serious tone as she observed the expressions of everyone present—faces filled with panic and pain, mirroring the deep emotion in Salem. For some reason, a small, warm smile graced the beautiful fairy’s face, who then quickly announced aloud.

“[Angel’s Breath] On!!”

Instantly, the card transformed into a burst of light, which swiftly formed a bluish sphere with angel wings. At that moment, Shino, who had already witnessed the angel’s capabilities before, let out a sigh of relief and extended his arms to touch the shoulders of Nejire and Tomoko, who were by his side. Meanwhile, Ryuko and Nemuri—who had heard of the ability—halted abruptly, terrified that their intervention might cause it to malfunction.

“Heal him.”

With the appearance of the angel, Sage quickly pointed to her master lying on the ground and solemnly commanded, causing the angel to descend and settle upon him, which finally allowed the beautiful fairy to release a sigh of relief—though that sigh carried a hint of bitterness, for the way she had activated the card was not ideal, having not used Isolation Veil to cover her traces or anything.

But there truly was no other way—even though Angel’s Breath was “cheaper” when used on her master instead of someone else, the pacts restricting her master were extremely severe, so she had to do everything in her power to treat him on her own, with the minimal possible expense, barely managing to pay for the activation by using all of his master’s aura—which included her own—making any further measures unfeasible.

The moment the angel released its ray of light over Kai, Sage began fading into the air until she disappeared—a sight the entire family watched with bated breath and clenched fists, while the enormous panther looked away with evident nervousness in his feline eyes, until after a few seconds the light vanished along with the angel, leaving behind on the ground the Kai they all loved.

Upon seeing her master restored to health, Salem roared with joy, crouching down to leap onto him, while the faces of all the representatives filled with endless cascades of tears—tears mingled with a complex array of feelings, though undoubtedly, the foremost was happiness.

“Kai…”

Seeing the love of her life sleeping peacefully on the ground with his clothes in tatters, Nemuri couldn’t help but break down in tears as she and all the girls approached him. They fell to their knees before carefully lifting him as if handling a delicate treasure, while Ryuko issued a mental command for the armor to detach from her body.

With Kai in her arms, Nemuri wanted to hold him close to her chest, but at that moment she remembered he was still clad in armor, so she hesitated. At that moment, Ryuko—dressed in nothing more than a pair of shorts and a blouse—knelt on the other side of Kai and, without saying a word, extended her arms toward him, to which Nemuri nodded, her face stained with tears.

Ryuko quickly took Kai into her arms, embracing him with infinite love and pulling him to her chest—though leaving enough space for Salem, who gently bit her, demanding his own spot. At that moment, Yumiko came running to embrace the unconscious boy, her expression overflowing with countless emotions, tears still falling like a waterfall as she sobbed like a little girl—a sight completely unlike her usual elegant and maternal demeanor.

One by one, every family member removed their armor and knelt around Kai, silently forming a group embrace around him. At that moment, Momo helped bring Keiko to the spot, who was slowly regaining consciousness, but upon seeing Kai, her tears began to flow like a waterfall once more. She quickly collapsed beside Yumiko as if she had no strength left, presenting an incredibly fragile image.

Soon, Momo joined the group hug, her tears streaming in much the same way as everyone else’s, giving way to a silence broken only by a symphony of sobs that expressed relief and persistent fear, along with deep regret. At that moment, Eva—who had just finished bathing—hurried down to the room, alarmed by the powerful roar, wearing a simple white dress and with her hair still slightly wet.

But upon witnessing the scene unfolding in the garden, Eva felt her heart skip a beat, for from her perspective she could barely see the hair and closed eyes of the brave young man who had saved her and her son—held in the embrace of his entire family, who wept with infinite sorrow. This led her to fear the worst, filling her with an overwhelming guilt that brought forth fresh tears.

Overcome with guilt and sadness, Eva began to walk toward the garden with slow, heavy steps, soon falling to her knees on the well-kept grass—at which point she brought her hands to her face as her voice, laden with bitterness, escaped.

“I’m sorry… it was my fault… I’m sorry…”

Upon hearing Eva’s voice, Ryuko, Chatora, and Nemuri turned to look at her; at that moment Chatora expressed with his gaze that he would go, to which Nemuri and Ryuko nodded, then they all turned their eyes back to Kai. Chatora quickly rose, walked over to the solitary woman, knelt on one knee on the grass, and then spoke in a somewhat hoarse voice—though his English carried a strong accent.

“Don’t worry… Kai is fine; he’s just unconscious.”

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