The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]

The popular street in the shopping district was littered with corpses, the pavement turned red from all the spilled blood. 

It has been merely half an hour since the A-rank Gate in the vicinity, which was previously deemed inactive, suddenly erupted, flooding the place with countless high-rank wolves. Still, it was more than enough to turn this bustling and cheerful place into a chaotic war zone. 

Due to the unpredictability of the dungeon break, there were no sufficient safety measures in place. By the time the government and the Guilds responded to the situation, dispatching the Awakened to the scene, countless civilians, unable to evacuate in time, had already been killed by the monsters.

Even now, the situation was far from being under control. A break from an A-rank Gate was a grave matter. And the Awakened on the scene were merely first responders - whoever was currently available at the headquarters to be immediately sent off. Their job was only to somehow hold the monsters back to the best of their ability, trying to minimize the casualties. The government and the local Guilds were still in the process of organizing the teams that could actually settle the matter properly.

That didn't mean that there weren't any skilled Espers on the scene, but…

Most of them could barely defend themselves, let alone take care of others - be it the civilians, or the Guides. They were simply cannon fodder.

"Fuck."

A young man pulled out his sword from the wolf's corpse, staring down at his body. There was a massive hole in his torso. He could practically see all of his insides. Well, all that remained of his insides, at least. A good chunk of them were already in the dead wolf's stomach.

He stumbled a few steps back, before sliding down the wall.

Although he defeated the monster in the end, so what? He was also going to die soon.

Of course, killing a monster from an A-rank dungeon was a great achievement for a Guide. Even though all Guides received some combat training, their strength was more or less the same as civilians'. It was thanks to his expensive mana-infused equipment that the young man was able to kill the wolf before it finished him off.

Still…

"…I guess this is it?" he muttered, looking at the clear blue sky above. The weather was great, the sun shining so brightly, it didn't fit the atmosphere at all. 

"Should I just finish myself off?"

His chances of surviving were practically non-existent at this point. Wouldn't it be better to just end it quickly? Although he was on the outskirts of the affected area, if he just sat there like that, another wolf was bound to come around and try to feast on him, and he had no doubt he would not enjoy being munched on while still alive.

Just as he was about to lift his sword to slash his neck though, a low voice reverberated through the air, instantly grabbing his attention. 

"Greene!"

A tall, well-built man glided through the air, landing near the young man, and rushing to his side. His usually perfectly combed dark brown hair was in total disarray, and his face and uniform even carried some traces of blood - something that rarely happened, even during intense dungeon fights.

He knelt down, his eyes scanning the young man's body. He fumbled a bit, reaching out his hands, but then stopping himself, as if unsure what to do.

A small chuckle unwillingly escaped the young man's throat. What was up with this clumsy behavior?

"Sorry, Team Leader. I guess this is it for me."

Damien Lennox, an S-rank Esper and the leader of the first-response team dispatched to the scene by the Awakened Association, clenched his jaw, his eyes wandering from the young man's face to the wound on his side, before shifting back to his face. 

"Calm down, Greene. The reinforcements will arrive soon. We're going to get a healing Esper to look at you, you're going to be just fine."

The young man's brow rose. What was the Team Leader talking about? He was calm. It was the Team Leader who seemed to be oddly not. That look in his eyes…

But soon he shook his head with a slight smile. He must have been imagining things as his consciousness started slipping away. Not that any of that mattered at this point.

"Team Leader, there is no point lying to me. I know the facts." The young man gazed deeply into the Team Leader's clear green eyes.

Damien Lennox clenched his fists, unable to respond. Although he wanted to keep on reassuring the young man in front of him, he knew the reality all too well. Espers with healing powers were extremely rare. As an A-rank Guide, the young man would be considered a priority for treatment despite being a newcomer, but the chances of any healer arriving at the scene in time were slim to none. 

Unless some sort of miracle happened, the young man was bound to lose his life here.

Seeing Damien go silent, the young man propped himself up, trying to lean closer to his Team Leader. "Instead of that… Team Leader, how about giving me a kiss? One last time?"

Damien was rendered momentarily speechless. "Greene, you… Even at a time like that… You are still in the mood for jokes?"

"Who said I'm joking?" the young man chuckled, his voice hoarse. "I'm in no state to give Team Leader any guiding, but…"

He wanted to lean closer, but his strength had already left him, and he collapsed instead.

"Greene! Oi, Greene!" Damien called out, involuntarily raising his voice. He wrapped his arm around the young man's back, supporting his upper body, while his other hand gently brushed the young man's face, sweeping away the blood-soaked strands of hair sticking to his forehead.

"Evan Greene!"

But the young man could no longer respond to his calls. His consciousness vanishes like a candle blown off by the wind, leaving only a limp body behind in Damien's arms.

***

"Phew!"

In a luxurious apartment in a distant part of the city, a young man woke up with a gasp. For a good moment, he lay sprawled on his king-size bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, trying to catch a breath.

"Damn, that hurt like hell! Fuck, I hate dying so fucking much!"

Taking a deep breath, he waved his hand, summoning the remote from the bedside table, and with a press of the button, opened the blinds, letting the warm sunlight into the pitch-black room. Then, exhaling slowly, he finally sat up. He squinted his eyes slightly, looking at the clear blue sky outside, and brushed back the soft pink hair from his forehead.

"Anyway… What should I have for dinner today?"