Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Chapter 246
The Experimenter V
The Awakeners battling on the last line of defense—and even the survivors still living in Busan—were all gazing blankly in this direction.
Wooooooong!
On one side was the Spear of Death. The red beam of destruction launched by the Anomaly that had devoured every city on the planet except for Busan.
“Hahaha! It doesn’t even itch!”
On the other side was the Absolute Shield. While its mental fortitude was mediocre, its physical defense would block anything—the last shield humanity possessed.
“Look at this! The Anomaly is nothing but trash!”
Was she intoxicated by the thrill of single-handedly enduring an attack capable of destroying the world? Today again, Dok-seo’s chuunibyou was at its peak, perhaps even touching a new realm of delusion.
But that wasn’t all.
“Seo-rin.”
“Yes, I know.”
With a loud “Ahhh—,” Seo-rin began to sing.
As the relentless attacks from the aerial warships pounded on the shield, her voice broke through the noise. It was a melody everyone knew well.
The Fifth Melody, Mirror of All Creation.
An exceptional composition, combining Focus, Absorb, Reflect, and Amplify into one.
If you’re wondering when such a song was added to her playlist, it happened during the Meteor Shower Extermination Operation.
Yes.
In the Meteor Shower Operation, 700 Awakeners each gathered and compressed their Aura, forging it into the first and last ultimate strike. I, the Undertaker, took the final baton and unleashed the beam at Meteor Shower.
“Aaah—aaaah
That Cursed Song Incantation descended once more upon this battlefield, stained in crimson. But there was a distinct difference from the operation against Meteor Shower.
Back then, hundreds of Awakeners painstakingly pooled together their Aura, layer by layer, to gather enough power. This time, that wasn’t necessary.
Wooooooong!
Thankfully, we had someone else up there gathering the beam on behalf of humanity.
“Dok-seo! Spread your wings!”
“Aye aye, sir!”
Dok-seo stretched out her fingers on both hands. With her gestures, the shield bent. The beams from the aerial warships refracted off its surface, redirecting them. Where the beam was directed, it struck the mirrors conjured by Seo-rin’s incantation. R
Chaaang!
Although the beam was powerful enough to shatter the mirrors quickly, it didn’t matter.
Waves splashed.
These were waves from the remains of civilization crashing down. Just as life had once originated in the sea, humanity’s landmark creations now returned to the ocean. The grandest burial at sea.
But the scraps weren’t alone, the Anomaly that dared to consume them was also sinking.
Wooooooong.
One last remaining warship staggered in the sky, stripped of its skin, skeleton, outer shell, and inner frame. Its true form was nothing but a Paper Airplane. It bore scorch marks from Seo-rin’s attack, charred edges on its once-white paper.
The plane tottered before falling into the sea, hovering briefly on the water’s surface before sinking forever beneath the waves.
“...Ah.”
As the waves rocked her from the debris of civilization, Seo-rin’s body wavered. I reached out and steadied her by the shoulder. Wrapping her in my Aura to prevent her from being swept away by the waves. I included Dok-seo as well.
“...Undertaker.”
Leaning her weight on me, Seo-rin turned her head my way, revealing a face marked with deep fatigue, as was to be expected. She had fought tirelessly alongside me these past days, moving ceaselessly across battlefields.
A faint smile graced her face. “We... really... did it. We killed such an impossible Anomaly... we did it.”
“Yes.”
“All that training in the Kingdom Project... all that practice in the simulated dream... it wasn’t for nothing. Hahaha. This isn’t a dream, right?”
I held her hands and shoulders tightly instead of replying. She closed her eyes as though she’d received enough of an answer.
Waaaahhh!
In the distance, cheers rang out.
- Seo-rin! Seo-rin! Seo-rin!
- Long live the Undertaker!
- Literary Girl! We believed in you!
The battle’s mood shifted from grim determination to dragging another Anomaly into hell if necessary.
We could do this. We might actually win.
They defeated the Hollow, the city-devourer, and the rest of the Anomalies. They were still fighting and winning.
Meanwhile, humanity’s final stronghold remained steadfast.
Though exhausted, not a single Awakened warrior had perished. Not one was injured! The civilians in the rear continued supplying materials. So―
Tick.
At exactly 61 hours, 11 minutes, and 32 seconds since the Final Defense War began, people came to realize.
The miracles and comebacks that had unfolded like a dream had all stemmed, from the start, from the sacrifice of a single girl.
The countdown reached its end.
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