Chapter 207

Chapter 207 – Recover (3)

Dr. Toppler schooled his expression.

Did his persuasion work?

Kahng-woojin had opened his eyes in the true world, so what was he feeling right now?

“Did you think about it?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The Reset…  Well, I guess it doesn’t matter anymore.”

He had wanted Kahng-woojin, who possessed the Recovery Code, to log out with the Earth’s Code.

The logout had been carried out, but the Earth’s Code still remained in Trahnet.

Kim-kahngchul had been tasked to recover the Code, yet he had failed.  Moreover, Toppler had been forcefully logged out.  Now he would no longer be able to connect to Trahnet ever again.

Toppler looked at Kahng-woojin with a serious expression.

“It isn’t too late.  I’ll show you how to deliver a message to an employee within Alandal.  When this person acquires the Earth’s Code, we could log him out.”

At Toppler’s impassioned words, Kahn-woojin let out an odd laugh.

“You want me to command my subordinate to kill my dongsaeng?”

“…no. I’m saying we should acquire the Code, and we’ll be able to turn back earth to the time before the war started.”

“That isn’t funny.”

“Please wake up.  That place is merely a VR.  When the Reset occurs, your sister will still be alive.  We aren’t killing her.  We are going to save earth.”

Toppler had angled his body up from the bed, and Kahng-woojin pushed his face towards Toppler.

“You are mistaken.”

“…….”

“My goal is to sever my earth’s link to Trahnet.  I don’t care about your earth.”

“…….”

Toppler’s face darkened.

Kahng-woojin had been logged out, but his memories were still unstable.  This was what Toppler assumed.

“We can always turn back the VR, but the reality….”

“Stop.”

Kahng-woojin patted Toppler’s shoulder.

“I came here, because I wanted to confirm something.”

“……?”

What was he talking about?  He came here on his own?

He had ordered Captain Leone to log out Kahng-woojin.

“I came here to check on your soul.”

Woojin’s eyes laughed as he looked at Dr. Toppler.

A leery suspicion Woojin had was resolved.  It had been weighing down a part of his heart.

“W…where are you going?”

“I have things to do.”

When Woojin turned to leave, Dr. Toppler pointed at Woojin.

“Why aren’t you detaining him?”

“…….”

However, the nearby soldiers didn’t move an inch even at his insistence.  This was also true for Captain Leone.

“Captain Leone!  What are you doing?”

“Please give it up, professor.”

“……?”

Kahng-woojin possessed the Recovery Code.

It didn’t matter if they hadn’t been able to acquire the Earth’s Code.  They had to find a way to turn back the time.

“Eeek!  If we just let him leave right now….”

At the very least, the Recovery Code was needed to carry out some form of a Reset.  Dr. Toppler got off the bed, and he ran towards Woojin.

“Stop!”

“…….”

Woojin was standing on the stairway leading out of the spaceship.  Woojin turned, and their eyes met….

“Uh uh?”

Toppler groaned when he felt the sensation of being airborne.  It wasn’t just a feeling.  His body was really floating in the air.  It was as if he had been levitated.

“Don’t follow me.  I confirmed what I needed from you..”

“H…how the hell….”

Dr. Toppler couldn’t believe what was going on.  He looked as if he had seen a ghost.

What had Woojin done?  What allowed him to use such supernatural powers?

He was like the Roused from the VR Earth….

“You should return to your home, people of the moon.”

When Woojin descended the stairs, the power suspending Toppler in the air disappeared.

“What the hell is……..”

Captain Leone helped the confused Toppler to his feet.  He had felt the same emotions as the professor only a few minutes ago.

“Maybe, he is no longer a human.  Please give up, professor.”

“What nonsense are you….”

“Isn’t this the parameters of this project?  Since the contents of the VR world is now appearing in reality…   It is the start of the Terraforming.”

“But….”

Was it a side effect?

This might be an unpredicted variable.

This was something that couldn’t be proved with science.  His supernatural power was beyond the ken of mortal men.

What could possibly be the explanation behind this development?

“This…at this rate…….”

Dr. Toppler ran towards the stairs in a mesmerized state.

“Professor! Your respirator!”

It was unclear as to whether he heard the soldier’s warning, but Toppler continued to run down the stairs.

“Hoo-oop.”

The air was thick and pungent with particles.  It felt as if he had sand in his mouth.  He didn’t have to travel long before he saw Kahng-woojin.

“Please wait for me!  Cough.”

Toppler coughed as he ran.  He approached Kahng-woojin.

“What is it?”

Kahng-woojin replied as if he was a bit annoyed.

“Where are you going?”

“What will you do if I tell you?”

“Please just tell me what you are going to do.”

What was he going to do….

Kahng-woojin looked upwards.

The stars filled the sky as they let out a bright light.  Unlike this beautiful sight, the ground was black.

The land was desolate, and one couldn’t even see a single blade of grass.

“I’ll be going back.”

He already knew how to sever the link.

The knowledge was inside his head when he woke up.  It was as if he he had learned it from a Skill Book.

“The VR Earth was about to collapse right before I was awakened.  Even if you go back, the people of Alandal….”

Professor Toppler spoke carefully as he studied the other man.

“Did you see it for sure?”

“…….”

“Did you see them die?”

“I didn’t see their final moments, but they were found inadequate in dealing with the absolute being….”

Toppler swallowed his words.  Woojin’s deep eyes was looking at him, and he couldn’t be rash with his words.

“You can’t see the future, so how do you know that?”

“…….”

“My guys won’t go down that easily.”

“Even if they are still holding out, how are you going to log back in?”

Kahng-woojin was in the same boat as Kim-kahngchul.  They could no longer log back in.  It was the same for Toppler, who hadn’t been able to log out through an arranged exit.

Previously, they had each foot planted in both worlds, but now their foothold in the VR was gone.

“If I can’t go there….”

Woojin grinned.

“…I’ll bring them here.”

***

The barrier of Bibi’s Castle was damaged.

Koo-ooh-oong!

The buildings on the aircraft carrier shook violently.  The people, who were evacuated inside, was trembling from fear.

“Is there….  Can we….do nothing?”

Jung-minchan spoke in a despairing voice.

They were using every ounce of their power to fight back, but the Black Armor’s power was beyond imagination.

Everyone was exhausted….  This was also true for the Undead Army.

[We are low on energy.]

This was the crux of the problem.

Kahn-woojin wasn’t here.

The being, who replenished their ranks through raising the enemy’s corpses, was gone.  Their magical energy was no longer being replenished through the consumption of the enemy’s souls.

Since the Necromancer was absent, the Undead army had been reduced steadily.  Only the Familiars were left.

The Lich had never had to worry about the use of its magic when it was with its Necromancer.  However, it was ownerless right now, and it had to judicious with its use of magic.  This was why it could only act as a diversion from the back.

The Death Knights were tireless, but now they had to worry about defense.  They couldn’t commit to an all out attack.

The Bone Dragon and the Golem was also short of magical energy.  They had to wait a while, before they were able to regenerate their broken bodies.

[Goo-ha-ha-ha.]

Either the Black Armor didn’t know how to speak, or it didn’t want to speak.  It kept letting out its weird laughter as black energy shot out from its fists.  Each strike created incredible damage.

Kwahhhhhhng!

There was a big hole made through the hull of Bibi’s Castle.  The unlucky employees fell from the sky.

“Kyahhhhh!”

A phoenix flew towards the falling people.

Hwah-roo-roohk.

Rings of fire wrapped around the people, and the phoenix landed atop the deck.

“T…thank you.”

He didn’t have time to acknowledge their gratitude.

Alandal had been able to hold out for a week against the Black Armor’s attacks.  Hong-sunggoo and Che-haesol deserved the most credit for their survival.

Hong-sunggoo didn’t have a single wound on his body, but this was thanks to his body’s peculiar attributes.  He was very exhausted inside.

He was making an unreasonable demand of his body by pushing well beyond his limits.

“Ha-ah.  Is there any way we could resolve this problem?”

[Goo-ha-ha-ha!]

Kwah-ahng, kwahng!

A water dragon flew into the air as it became entangled with the Black Armor.  They exchanged attacks.

[Goo-oh-oh-oh!]

The water dragon let out a long cry.  It could no longer withstand the power of the enemy’s fists.

“That was the last water dragon…….”

Che-haesol mumbled to herself.  It was as if she was in a state of despair.

The water dragons had been the strongest beings left alive on Alphen.  They were all dead now.

[Goo-roo-roohk!]

Sunggoo’s eyes took in the sight of the broken Blood Dragon resting on the deck.

The Colony’s energy had bottomed out, so there weren’t enough magical energy to regenerate the Bone Dragon’s body.

One wing had been ripped away….

The Blood Golem looked like clotted blood around the Bone Dragon, and chunks of it was missing.  The wounded Blood Dragon roared.

[This Dragon will not die!]

The Ancient Dragon had lived for over a 1,000 years,  and it had an earnest wish right now.

The members of its race was dead…   They had defected…

It had tried its best to forget the humiliating history of its race…  Since it couldn’t rewrite the history, it will disappear with it.

Yong Yong, who had been crouching, stood up.

The head, which was attached to a long neck, headed towards Hong-sunggooo.

The shining red eyes of the Bone Dragon gazed at Hong-sunggoo.

The thick scent of someone from its own race emanated from him….

[What is your wish?]

“My wish….”

Sunggoo looked at the Black Armor.

“It would be great if you would kill that bastard.”

[I will grant you your wish!]

It was time to bring about its most earnest wish.

It didn’t want to live again.

It just wanted to fly again.

It also wanted to feel that sensation once again.

[Give me my last Breath!]

If it could fly and breathe in air, how could it be a dead Dragon?

It had forgotten even its own name, but it wasn’t dead yet.

“That is a great idea.”

Sunggoo grinned as he ignited his body into a ball of flame.  The flame was like smoke.  It was sucked in towards Yong Yong’s nostrils.

[Koo-oh-oh!]

Jaenis extended its hands towards the roaring Dragon.

[I will give you all my power!]

The Colony’s energy had run out, so the Lich poured out all its magical energy from its own Life Vessel.

Chwe-roo-roo-roohk!

The various destroyed parts of Yong Yong was quickly regenerating.

[Only victory will let us sidestep death!]

The Death Knights ran forward, and they all extended their hands to transfer their magical energy into the Bone Dragon.

They wouldn’t retreat, because the enemy was powerful.

Victory or death.

They were already dead, so a second death didn’t exist for them.

[Koo-oh!]

As if it couldn’t control its overflowing power, the Blood Dragon leap caused Bibi’s Castle to rock back and forth..

[Goo-hoo-hoo.]

It had already killed 17 water dragons.  The Black Armor laughed when it saw its next opponent. The Blood Dragon was a tenacious bastard.  It kept returning to the flying ship for repairs after taking a little bit of damage.

[Goo-roong, goo-roong.]

The Blood Dragon was in a slightly different state.

It didn’t throw itself forward in a ruthless attack.  It slowly flapped its wings as it glared at the Black Armor.  Its stomach expanded before it became smaller.  The Blood Dragon was breathing.

It was supposed to be a dead Dragon with only its bones remaining.

It was a fake wearing a skin made out of blood.

However, the red eyes of the Blood Dragon was filled with confidence.

[…….]

The Black Armor realized that it had to take this seriously.  It focused on the Blood Dragon’s stomach.  It was moving periodically…   Slowly…….

It was like a bellow increasing the temperature within the furnace….

[I’m alive.]

It had lost its flesh, and its heart had been cut out.

It had forgotten its name, and past.

However…

It was still alive.

[Koo-oh-oh-oh-oh!]

The Dragon opened its jaw as if it was about to spit out the sun.

Koo-ah-ah-ah-ah!

An incredible heat and shock wave blew violently forward as it swept over the Black Armor.

[Koo-oohk.]

Kwah-ahng!

A black energy was sent out as a counter, and it collided with the red energy.  It was as if the black energy and the red energy was in a tug of war.  The black and red energy tossed and turned as they tried to swallow each other.

Koo-ah-ahng!

It was as if a nuclear weapon had been detonated.  The enormous shockwave and explosion raged outwards as the surrounding was encased with light.

“Koo-ooh-ook!”

The shockwave pushed against Bibi’s Castle, and it plunged towards the ground.

At the present rate, everyone on the fortress would be killed.

“Aht!”

When Bibi felt the energy of the Colony be refilled, she immediately activated the barrier.   Even now Jaemin was tirelessly conducting the Dimensional Battle from the Dimensional Domain.  She thanked Do-jaemin from inside her heart.

Kwah-ahng!

The barrier was activated, but Bibi’s Castle couldn’t overcome the momentum.  It crashed into the ground.  An incredible cloud of dust rose into the air.  Then the backblast of the Dragon’s Breath washed over them.

Countless number of people had been thrown to the floor by the impact.

[Did we win?]

The Death Knights and Bibi looked towards the sky.

The dust hadn’t settled yet, but they could see something descending towards them.

It was a black figure.

[Goo-hue-hue-hue.]

“…….”

Black Armor.

Maybe, the bastard was really a transcendent being.

The bastard had survived the Dragon’s Breath, and it was coming towards Bibi’s Castle…  To be precise, he was aiming for the Earth’s Code, which resided within Bibi’s Castle.

[This was fun.]

It was as if the Black Armor knew that there was no opponent that could resist against it.

It spoke for the first time, and it made Bibi want to cry.

It descended slowly as if it was an angel descending towards the ground.  Everyone had an expression of despair on their faces as they watched it descend.

However, their expression of despair was soon replaced with happiness and delight.

***

Toppler got on his knees.

“Please think this over.  We can rewind everything.  The VR Earth is already destroyed.  No, it is in the process of being destroyed.  Wouldn’t it be better if you were able to greet a new and pristine earth?”

“…….”

Toppler didn’t want a ruined earth.  He wanted a new one.

He wanted the earth that had been clean and beautiful.

He didn’t want a crumbling earth, which was damaged by war.

“We have to do a Reset.”

Woojin grinned at the Toppler’s determined words.

“Look at me, professor.”

“Yes.”

“Life is about moving forward.”

“…….”

“You shouldn’t revert everything just because you have the ability to return earth to its previous state.”

“But….”

“You are in a fantasy of wanting to live in the past.  It is time for you to wake up from it.”

Woojin summoned his Warrior’s Weapon.

Choo-choo-choo-choot.

His summoned weapon lengthened to become an enormous scythe.

It was a weapon that could cut and kill everything.

[Thrash’s Executioner.]

This enormous power and authority could influence not only life, but the planets….

“I’m moving forward, not backwards….”

Woojin swung the Thrash’s Executioner.

Pah-ah-aht!

“Koo-oohk!”

A light exploded forth.

The light was so strong that it felt as if one would go blind.  The light kept extending endlessly,

***

Earth Observation Post, Moon World.

“Speaker!  Please come out and look at this.”

He didn’t need to go find the Speaker.  All the residents of Moon World was looking towards the sky.

It was the dead planet, which was the home of their ancestors.

Humanity’s Incubator.

“My god…….”

The black earth was regaining its color.

It was as if a dye was being poured on a black paper….

The light was spreading, and it was turning the earth blue.

It was like watching a picture…  It was like watching a display of computer graphics.  The mouths of the people hung open as they watched this surreal phenomena.

***

The expression on faces of the people couldn’t be ignored.

The Black Armor felt something was amiss so it turned its head.

[…….]

“Isn’t this fun?  Right?”

[…….]

When did he arrive?

Kahng-woojin stood behind the Black Armor, and he swung the Thrash’s Executioner.

[Koo-ah-ah-ah!]

It didn’t have time to dodge.

The Black Armor was cut in one fell swoop.  It turned into black smoke before it disappeared.  A shadow exited the smoke, and it was absorbed into Woojin.

“…….”

For a brief moment, a bitter expression passed by his face.

Woojin looked at the Bibi’s Castle, which had landed on the ground.  He saw the people of Alandal cheering.

Moreover, he looked at a place not too far away from the flying fortress.

He looked at the spaceship

The dumbfounded Dr. Toppler was standing nearby, and Woojin’s eyes met his.

“See. Everyone is still alive.”

Alandal wasn’t gone.

Moreover, earth was….

Woojin, who had been floating in the air, slowly landed on the ground.

He had broken the illusion of this earth.  He took the first step for humanity.