Chapter 267: Moonlight Festival
A city in South Korea under a dark sky looked like the shape of some kind of inferno.
“Kaaaaaahhhhhh!”
Numerous gates dotted the black skies, glowing with a bizarre light and hundreds of monsters were pouring out of them, some resembling wild beasts while others were flying through the air like birds.
Hundreds of them were rampaging through the city, tearing down buildings and setting the sky on fire.
It was a sight to behold, a sight of true destruction.
...Yes, that’s what it looked like on the surface.
Until you look closer.
*
[Laugh if you realize you’re being fucked in real time]
No, it’s not just my country, it’s everywhere else.
=[Comment]=
[Laugh (with tears in his eyes)]
[Laugh if you’re huddled with your family in the underground bunker, the sound from above is so fucking scary]
[No it’s not like it’s some fucking fantasy movie and monsters are raining down from the sky]
[Hey but I’m watching the news broadcast and there’s hardly any people out there, what’s going on?]
[Didn’t they all just get eaten and die?]
ᄂ[No, it was too empty for that...?]
*
Yeah.
So there were fewer people than they thought.
Despite the sudden catastrophe, there were no people on top of the city.
*
[Are these all the Association’s underground bunkers?]
[Uh, yeah.]
*
[As soon as that gate was opened, the association broadcast came and everyone ran away]
[That’s why there are so many people here]
*
And the reason is, of course, that most of them fled underground.
Thanks to the disaster preparedness underground bunkers that the association has been building like crazy all over the country this year.
But even so, it was far from reassuring.
Because this was the real beginning....!
“It’s a mess, it’s a mess.”
The rooftops of tall buildings under a sky as black as coal, as if to suggest the end of the world.
I sighed as I watched the contrasting pink and purple floating gates spewing out monsters.
...Again, it was a bizarre sight that gave me goosebumps, even though I’d only seen it once in a manga.
“Eh, what’s all the fuss about?”
I said, and flicked the bomb down the building.
Poof. Poof.
[Crackle!]
The monsters collapsed after being hit by the bomb with telekinetic precision.
It’s still early in the wave, but the guns and chemicals seem to be taking care of business.
So far, the beasts were all pretty weak and just their quantity was high.
I can see it in the video through my mask.
*
[Eek! Die, die, die!]
[Kahahahaha! Now is the time for death, Ogre!!!]
[Line up... shoot!]
*
Floating in front of my eyes, I see the members of Egostream and the news.
While they were maneuvering those beast waves, I was here, acting as a field control center, giving orders, and protecting Eun-Woo behind me.
Thanks to the many drones in the sky, I have a bird’s eye view of what’s going on in Korea right now.
So far, we are holding up pretty well, probably because the monsters are a bit on the weak side.
However, the problem would be the next one.
“...Soon, the second wave will begin.”
I muttered to myself.
This is not the end and soon, the second wave would come.
[Da-in! We can go this way, right?]
[...I see. I’ll take the east side]
[Yes. All four of us will go that way]
They all went to the provinces and then came back to Seoul.
Obviously, it was a prearranged behavior.
The creatures that emerged from the Black Gate were variants that could not be damaged by conventional weapons.
They could only be defeated with psychic powers, and even then, they were very strong.
And their numbers.
“That’s a lot...”
I muttered, looking around at the black gates, purple gates, and quite a few in between.
That thing is unstoppable unless the powerful people work together. It’s the number one agent of destruction, as I explained before.
Anyway, they’re all spawning in Seoul at this time because the Moonlight Church is in Seoul, so I’m going to call the Egostream back to Seoul to stop them.
That should be enough.
I thought to myself.
“...”
Finally, I turned to Stardus on the screen.
“...Good fight.”
As expected, she was flying alone on the far side of Seoul, near the location of the Moonlight Church.
...I should join her soon.
Just as I was thinking that.
“...Da-in, it’s over!”
“Really?”
I turned my head at Eun-woo’s urgent shout.
“Now, haha, I just need to do the last thing.”
Breathing heavily, Eun-woo said.
...Yes, there is only one last task left, dealing with the Moonlight Church Lord himself.
...I can almost see the end.
Thinking that, I said to Eun-woo.
“Okay, Eun-woo, let’s go!”
“Yes!”
With that, I ran off with Eun-woo to face the Moonlight Church.
And then...To see Stardus.
Oh, but first.
This is the last part, I have to turn it on.
With that thought, I powered up the camera I’d prepared in advance.
Okay. Here we go.
*
[?????]
[Huh?]
[Broadcast ON ᄏᄏᄏ ᄏᄏᄏ]
[Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick!]
*
The chat window is already up.
Realizing that the broadcast was on, I looked at the camera and smirked.
“Hello, everyone. It’s Egostic!”
Let’s live stream.
“First of all, does anyone know where Stardus is?”
I’m looking for Stardus. Yeah.
***
[Stardus!]
“Heh, heh, heh. Why?”
In the middle of a bizarre city center filled with pink air, Stardus, holding another monster, gasped in response to the association agent’s words in his ear.
As she listened, Stardus said.
“...Understood, yes.”
Then she cut off the contact.
“...Ha.”
With a short chuckle, her first of the day, she punched another monster in the face.
“Egostic...”
He said he was coming...As always.