Chapter 143
Chapter 143
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Collapse
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20 seconds before the escape rocket and Ember Cannon launch.
"Alright, okay..."
I set the escape rocket carrying Rophuk to launch automatically,
and hurry straight to the cannon to prepare the firing sequence.
"Please die. Please just drop dead in one shot. Just die already..."
I clasp my hands tightly around the grip, steadying my resolve like a prayer. This sacred [single strike] isn't driven by my personal grudge at all.
It's for my comrades who already departed on the Paradise Ship,
for the beings of other civilizations who've suffered up to now,
and for the families waiting for them.
"..."
Even if Rophuk's calculations are off. Even if the moon is too strong.
Right now, I just want to land one solid hit on that thing.
Using the weapon one man devoted his life to creating,
I'm getting ready to finish it off.
The switch slides slowly downward.
Let the energy build to its peak.
Let the embers overheat fully.
Let the resonating embers be reborn as the ultimate weapon...
And then,
I throw my weight into it, pushing it all the way down...!
"Die, you monster bastard!"
Kuduk-
...In that instant, I saw the light.
A colossal pillar of light surging up with energy so immense it could blind me.
Paaang!
The beam from the cannon shoots straight up into the sky. I never imagined I'd be the one firing a weapon with this kind of destructive power.
All the rocks forming the temple ceiling, countless grains of sand, and even the canyon above them.
The massive ray of embers melts and shatters everything in its path, piercing the desert night and summoning an untimely dawn. It's so bright it hurts to keep my eyes open.
"Ugh... this is insane!"
But I stare upward through my blackened eyes. The pillar of light stretching into space, and the rocket veering off its path to escape the atmosphere.
Even if everyone else averts their gaze from this massive commotion,
I have to witness the conclusion of it all to the very end.
A shadow-like black mass sprouts on the surface of the moon, which had been floating silently until now. A soundless uproar unfolding in the vacuum of space.
At last, it sheds its mineral shell and begins revealing its true form. Like a chick hatching from an egg, it thrashes out tentacles—the same ones that wrecked the Paradise Ship—flipping its body wildly.
...The mural of the moon I saw in the altar cave comes to mind. If anything, they might have beautified it a bit.
I'm seeing the moon's far side now. It's flipping over, exposing its hideous true self to everything on the planet. The twisted outline of a face bursting out from beyond the surface.
My stomach churns. It's like I've glimpsed something I wasn't meant to see.
But it's not unbearable. Ever since the Guide weirdly altered my eyes... I've been pretty freed from the inexplicable terror that gnaws at the mind.
I glare wide-eyed at its thrashing.
Yeah, that's fear right there. Fear of death. Fear that your very existence might be threatened.
The exact emotion every male, including me, has felt up to now. Now you're feeling it too, huh?
The moon panics at the wondrous energy blasting through the planet's surface from hundreds of thousands of kilometers away and tries to dodge by twisting its body. Even from here, its writhing is crystal clear.
There's an awe-inspiring majesty to the heavy movements of such a colossal being that you can't look away from.
Even as I see it as my enemy,
I'm captivated by the mysterious motion of that enormous, repulsive creature.
The grotesque form and its myriad tentacles twitching in ways that might haunt my dreams...
"Getting stung by an ant hurts like hell, right? This won't just sting."
The sky flashes once more.
The ember cannon's beam strikes the moon's surface, unleashing all its condensed heat and energy in a massive explosion.
That's the last thing I see.
The huge explosion,
the pinprick escape rocket streaking away,
and my vision turning pure white...
Wuduk-
Now's not the time to worry about up there.
Debris rains down from the sky, and the unstable ground groans ominously. It's dangerous. I need to get out fast.
I got too absorbed watching the moon's demise and Rophuk's escape through the hole in the temple. This wasn't the time to dawdle.
A belated regret washes over me—maybe I should've waited for Nephyr, Amy, and Jenny before firing. At a time like this, I wish they were by my side...
"Elder...!" "Dr." "Daddy!"
...Yeah, this is it exactly.
Very welcome voices call down from above. They're all using different names for me, but their worry bringing them down here is the same.
"Dr., I don't know what you've done, but we need to get out of here right now. The building is collapsing."
Among them, Amy reaches me first, grabbing my wrist and ready to bolt.
In moments like this, Amy's expressionless face is a real comfort. It's always so steady, easing my anxiety.
"Wait, hold on! We do need to go, but..."
Even so, I calm the three of them and handle what needs doing. Keeping Jenny from clinging to my pants is especially tough, but I have to stay composed. How'd she get so big already? Grown again?
"There's a ton we need to grab on the way out. First, Nephyr, take this. It's important research files. Amy? Calculate how many minutes we have until the interior fully collapses."
"Five minutes. Anything longer is too dangerous."
That's plenty.
"Five minutes is more than enough. Amy, you're thorough and resistant to harmful substances, so move the embers and the cannon. Jenny, you're strong and fast, so scour the temple interior and grab anything special. Nephyr, you're coming with me to the storage room."
Having crossed the line between life and death too many times already, I make these fearless choices without hesitation.
It's sure to fluster all three women, but...
"...Amy, whatever Rophuk left behind will definitely be useful someday. Or use it to upgrade your body parts. Jenny, go around eating whatever you want. But grab all the gems or anything that looks important."
"Yes." "Okay!"
Convincing Amy and Jenny is a breeze. Amy, made by humans; Jenny, vaguely human-like; and me, human through and through.
All three of us are willing to brave risks for our own gains or goals. In other words, we're loaded with greed.
"Hurry up, everyone. Quick! If anything feels too risky, just drop it all and run. Don't forget."
Unlike Amy and Jenny, who spring into action immediately,
Nephyr looks bewildered, breaking into a cold sweat as she grabs my cheeks and smacks them.
Attacking her object of devotion like that! I can really feel how much she worries about me.
"Elder! What on earth are you saying?! We need to get out now! Life comes first, doesn't it!?"
She doesn't understand us three.
But that doesn't matter.
"Ow... that hurts... Just hurry and rummage through all the drawers! Grab everything!"
Rophuk stubbornly refused to be my comrade and headed back to space,
but everything he left behind is now mine.
I can't let these precious files and items sink into the sand. We have to take whatever we can.
Scraps of notes and journals,
tiny machine parts,
research documents, inventions,
tools, or a small generator.
"Urgh... this is basically theft... A shrine maiden can't touch others' things or be greedy..."
Thanks to Nephyr grumbling but still sweeping everything into her bundle, I can clean out the storage room entirely.
We split it half and half, but it's so heavy we have to drag it across the floor with all our might before
we finally stagger out of the temple, drenched in sweat.
"Elder...! Let me take that luggage too! Get out quick!"
Desperate Nephyr snatches the load lest I get hurt, pushing my back with her hips. Even burdened with that weight, she's faster than me.
"Eeei! Just let me carry you piggyback! That'll be quicker!"
Dust is thick now. Cracks spiderweb the stairs—if not for Nephyr's sturdy tail, we'd be crawling. Climbing on my own legs is impossible.
"Nephyr, faster!"
"This is my best...!"
Debris trickles from above. Nephyr grunts, shifting the load while barely dodging the falling pieces, pushing upward stubbornly.
Finally, light appears above.
"Almost there! Almost-!"
The exit is in sight.
The long, grueling [Arid Journey] through the desert nears its end.
"Great! That was close. Good job, Nephyr!"
"Heh... Yeess..."
We emerge first,
"Mission complete."
followed by Amy dragging the ember crystals and massive cannon,
and finally...
"Kyaa...! Kyaaa...!"
"This is nuts."
"It wouldn't fit!"
Jenny hauls the Guide's enormous corpse out of the temple.
She dragged that thing out all by herself.
The ancient god's body, bigger than the temple doors.
"Uh, yeah... Good job, Jenny..."