There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 535 - 528. Ownership

Chapter 535: Chapter 528. Ownership

Radia had been busy since he returned from the Deathzone; from taking care of compensation to reorganizing supply. What took up most of his time was, however, the Star Call Initiative.

For weeks, he had been going around meeting a lot of people and using a lot of connections to meet the Saint classes. Rankers were Rankers, but most of them had egos bigger than their power. Bassena was one of the only three Rankers who still actively doing raids rather than lounging in a luxurious mansion while waiting for a job with an astronomical amount of pay.

Saint classes were a bit different in that regard. Most of them gained their title during their peak, after they became veterans with decades of experience. It became some sort of finish line, and once they achieved it, they thought it was enough and retreated from the frontline to rest. Such a same, but Radia could understand that they gained that prowess through scars on the battlefield, so he couldn’t blame them. Some of them even rejected being put on the Ranker list because they were no longer active.

It was truly hard to find a Saint class still willing to go to the front line, but at last, Radia could make a connection with one.

The Eastern Sun was one of the active ones, but she had been away in the Tower of Scatach for the past few years. When she came back, the operation had already started and Radia had stopped taking the initiative since the kids were doing fine.

But having her respond to them did not mean it was easy to make an agreement.

"We have found the item that the Eastern Sun wants, Master," one of Radia’s secretaries reported, finally, after more than a month of scouring the whole continent. "As expected, it’s in the Western Republic’s black market."

"Have you sent someone?"

"Harvey is over there."

"Good," Radia nodded. "How much is the expected bid?"

The secretary pulled out a piece of paper and showed it to Radia instead of spelling it. The red eyes narrowed at the exorbitant amount, but that was merely the nature of things coming out of the black market, especially for an artifact.

Haa...if it was only a ’payment’, Radia wouldn’t bother and would rather lobby the government to have Azure and Celestia join the operation. Unfortunately, it wasn’t just a payment. Without that item, the Eastern Sun wouldn’t be able to make any move, so it was more of an obligation.

Radia stopped walking and closed his eyes to calculate how much money left he could use without jeopardizing the supply fund, and how many personal assets he could liquidate swiftly.

He exhaled slowly and thought of the future profit to calm his mind, before writing a number on the same piece of paper. "They can go this high."

"Very well, Master."

"Go through the preliminaries and get rid of all the trolls and hagglers," Radia said as he continued his walk to the office. "I’ll allow some level of force and illegal activity."

"How far could they go?"

"Level 2."

"Understood," the secretary typed quickly on their tablet before shifting to the next report. "The Kanua Warlock and Stormbringer contacted us again."

Radia scoffed. They laughed at him before and now what?

"Hah...it’s fine if they’re doing it out of conscience, but..." Radia chuckled.

He could put down his ago and forget about the bitterness if those Rankers moved because they finally realized the severity of the situation. But in that case, they would contact him not long after the clip circulated, like the Eastern Sun. Those two, however, only moved a few weeks later because of public opinion, which questioned the act--or rather, the lack of it--of the Rankers regarding the threat in the Deathsone.

"Should we continue using the keyboard troops?" the secretary asked.

"Yes," Radia nodded. "Tone it down a little bit, but keep it afloat. We might still need their power in the future, but let’s keep it as cheap as possib--"

Radia was opening his office door when he abruptly froze, causing his secretaries to halt. The smirk on his face vanished immediately and he stared at the floor-to-ceiling glass window in his office.

Or rather, what was in front of it.

Who was in front of it.

"You seem busy--"

A tall, firm stature in perfect posture. A broad shoulder and sharp jaws. Deep black eyes with a small twinkle of stars. A low, unforgettable voice that had Radia shuddered.

Everything he hadn’t seen for eight months.

"--darling."

People had always said Radia was a genius, but his brain failed him at that time. For a few seconds, he could not think or do anything, just stared blankly.

"What..."

"Am I taking too long?" the smile on that face was charmingly melancholic. "Sorry for being late, darling."

Radia closed his eyes, taking a deep, heavy breath as he tried to make his brain work again--not to make sense of things, but merely to figure out whether what he saw was real or just a daydream manifesting.

But he could smell the man’s subtle scent; the fragrance he bought for Han Joon a long time ago. He could feel the faint trace of cold mana that the man intentionally leaked out. He could hear his own heart calling out.

And when he opened his eyes, there was no room for hesitation anymore.

So what if it was a hallucination? Radia would embrace it regardless, just like what he did right then, as he strode quickly across the room and grabbed Joon’s collar.

He had no idea whether it was him pulling Joon to him, or him pushing himself to Joon, but he didn’t care. Their kiss was an ardent gate of fervent lovemaking, a drop of water for perched pilgrims. Silent yearning was exchanged through airy breath and saliva, with harsh hail-pulling and persistent tongue chasing.

Radia only stopped once, when he was out of breath. "Are you out? For real?"

"Yeah," the answer came with bated breath and gleaming eyes; a passion that he rarely seen in those deep, black eyes.

"How?"

Joon chuckled as he grabbed the summoner’s waist and pushed the man against the window, turning their position around. "Does it matter?"

"Of course it’s matter!" Radia yanked the assassin’s lips from his neck, hissing through gritted teeth. "I’m not going to have you being chased around and thrown to the slams again."

"Don’t you trust me, Dee?" the deep, low voice could almost make Radia believe anything this man said--even if Joon said the sun would rise from the west.

But Radia also knew Joon enough to recognize the genuine tone behind that playful smirk and flirty gaze.

"Truly?"

Radia was a man of confidence, but he was trembling in doubt at that moment. He had been waiting far too long to be blindsided by wishful thinking.

With a soft laugh, Han Joon brought the trembling hands to his cheeks and kissed the palms lovingly. He did not change, his flower; that vulnerable expression when he was on the edge of a cliff was still there.

"It’s almost fourteen years, darling," Han Joon closed his eyes and whispered. "I’m not going to wait longer."

Radia inhaled sharply and grasped his lover’s face hard, pulling the man for another passionate kiss; pulling his head, his body, his heart and soul; taking what rightfully was his.

"You’re mine," Radia hissed between harsh bites, fingers running along the scar he had made, circling that neck. "You are mine now. Everything of you is mine now."

"Yes," there was no hesitation in the reply. "Own me."

It sounded more like an order than a request, and Radia loved every bit of it; every short syllable. Because that voice and those words were his, and he loved what he owned. He loved those lips tracing the scar on his neck, and those fingers running through his shirt. He loved the possessive grip and the obsessive gaze, ceaselessly chasing his every move.

Yes. At long last. At long last, what he wanted the most was in his hand. The large gaping hole was pierced by long years of yearning and broken hearts were filled at last.

His star. The star that was his. The star in those deep black eyes and the smile that only his.

Yes. Han Joon was his, and no one should take the man away from here. Not anymore.

Or was that really the case?

Radia opened his eyes wide and gasped uncharacteristically, pushing Han Joon away from him. The ex-soldier blinked his eyes in confusion, but Radia’s focus was on the clock by the wall.

"What time is it?" he checked agitatedly, and then slipped away from Joon. But he also grabbed the man’s hand. "Let’s go--they should still be open right now."

"Where?" Han Joon tilted his head.

Radia yanked the drawer on his desk open and pulled out a neat folder, before snapping his fingers and summoned his butler. "Open up a portal to the registry office."

Han Joon raised his brow as Radia turned around and looked at him sharply. Before the summoner opened his mouth, however, Han Joon already curled his lips and lifted a small box in his hand, as if already knew what Radia wanted to ask him.

"Like I said; just trust me."

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