Chapter 153
Chapter 153
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter Title: Lost
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Night fell gloomily. The sky, shrouded in dark clouds, seemed ready to pour rain at any moment.
The magic beasts ravaged the city in every direction. Especially after Han U-sol and Aselrika flew toward me and the front lines were completely breached, they began swiftly overwhelming the outskirts like a swarm of starving insects.
I walked through the streets of W District, where the magic beasts were wreaking havoc. The dry air typical of a poor outer district stung my nostrils, mingled with the familiar stench of disaster.
The smell of blood and burning flesh.
The streets had already half-turned to ruins. Flames rose higher than the buildings, and every wall worth calling one had collapsed and tilted over.
There were scarcely any living people in sight. Only the intermittent sounds of magic beasts destroying structures echoed.
Han, who had been trailing timidly behind me, spoke up. As he said, the streets were filled only with magic beasts.
However, the red ash floating motionless in the air and the bloodstains seeping through the grayish concrete debris boldly proclaimed that people had existed here not long ago.
The magic beasts demolished everything in sight but seemed unsatisfied, splitting off in search of new targets.
Some headed straight to the adjacent V District, others to T District next door, and still others veered right toward S District...
The magic beasts, which had been advancing in orderly ranks in one direction, soon branched out into multiple streams. From above, it would resemble the veins on a leaf.
Well, of course. W District bordered right up against X District, which had been protected by a barrier—the frontmost line. The heroes I launched would have landed a bit farther back.
I half-lidded my eyes and scanned the surroundings. Things had unfolded a little differently than I'd anticipated.
I'd expected ruins, sure, but for a disaster like this, what could I say?
It was too quiet.
A proper disaster was a nonstop barrage of insane noise.
Screams and explosions, magic beast roars, the struggles of those fighting to survive. The impacts and vibrations from collapsing buildings.
And overriding it all, sirens blaring loud enough to tear your eardrums.
Right. The sirens.
No siren sounds. Why?
The other noises were there, but the evacuation alerts—supposed to wail first and longest—were absent.
I'd planned to follow the zones guided by the evacuation alarms. That way, I'd have a high chance of running into Yeriel, who would show up to protect people.
Kill Yeriel on sight, confirm Betty's contract was released, and if possible, take out Kahathel too.
Then, in a world without angels or demons, Betty and I could hole up somewhere and live happily ever after. That was my original plan.
But no evacuation alarms? Had the magic beasts gotten so excited they smashed the speakers? Or had something gone wrong before they could even sound?
I'd set out cockily after screwing over Kahathel, but right from the start, I'd lost my way.
Han clapped exaggeratedly in admiration. Damn it. This hallucination bastard...
His sarcasm was spot-on, just like when he was alive. It was almost enough to make me think the dead Han had come back to life.
What the hell?
Irritation surged as he dragged out his words.
What? Is that for real?
To think I'd uncover the hallucination's secret like this. I let out a small sigh of admiration.
Ah, this bastard.
Should I just punch him?
As I clenched my fist, Han stepped back.
I imagined Han tormenting and egging me on like Rena.
Hmm... somehow, it just didn't fit.
He had left me with those words before dying—suddenly blaming me and cursing? I'd probably just snort.
Is that how it is?
It sounded plausible enough.
Han paused for a moment, then began smirking slyly.
Han's lips stretched wide to his ears. His once-normal face was now drenched in blood, one eyeball dangling loose.
He looked down at me with a chilling gaze.
"........."
It had been a while since my blood ran cold like this.
Was he studying how to unsettle me?
His friendliness had made me a bit complacent. Maybe I could relax a little—
But no. In the end, you're just a hallucination. One that's tormented me all this time.
As I reined in my loosening mind, Han reverted to normal and took the lead.
The sight was so unfamiliar and strange that I asked back.
Follow you? Where to?
A hallucination giving directions? Absurd.
I stared blankly for a moment, but Han pressed on regardless.
I had no choice but to follow. Truth be told, I hadn't decided on a direction anyway.
The first thing to greet us was the Hero Association's forward operations post, where frontline heroes had been stationed.
This building served as both their off-duty quarters and a supply depot.
It had taken heavy damage from magic beast attacks here and there, but true to the Association's sturdy construction, it barely held its shape.
Inside, signs of a last stand were evident. Young heroes not deployed on missions and non-combatants had banded together and died amicably.
Deeper in, civilians' corpses appeared. That's when I realized this was both an operations post and an evacuation shelter. They'd probably holed up to protect the evacuees and perished.
Han urged me on.
As I turned to follow, a noise from the far corner halted me briefly.
The source was magic beasts gathered around corpses.
Most bodies had lost their original forms.
Humanoid magic beasts rolled the piled corpses like toys, while beast-types competed to tear into them. Unpleasant noises filled the space with every movement.
Objectively, this was hell worthy of the name. Playful malice intertwined with base predatory instincts, noises birthing more noises.
Ignoring my gaze, they poured their desires onto the cold, stiff corpses.
"........."
That noise—it was so repulsive and nauseating.
I couldn't stand it, so absentmindedly,
-Slash.
I dragged my fingertips long across.
Everything fell silent.
Han and I exited the building, and a long silence settled over our journey. Amid the similarly bleak scenery, we walked quietly for quite some time.
Occasionally, magic beasts grating on my nerves appeared.
Just like before—ones huddled together making vile noises.
Each time, swords materialized in my hands.
For daring to disgust me with unwanted sounds, punishment was due.
-Slash.
My right and left arms crossed in tandem.
The nightmare devoured the night, and the wolf spat fire.
Pitiful cries pierced the air, massive bodies crashing down shook the ground.
Blood mixed with dust, the smell of something burning. Sometimes corpses mingled with flames.
The conflagration scorched everything, disordering the surroundings, but in its wake, only bone-chilling silence remained.
After repeating this a couple times, the magic beasts started watching me.
Even as they flashed eyes with filthy desires and growled, meeting my gaze made them shut their mouths and look away. Satisfactory.
We left W District behind. The same scenery continued.
Eventually, I walked aimlessly along the path, unsure where we even were.
Something different would turn up eventually, I figured.
How long had we walked? Han, leading, stopped.
Arrived?
I looked around. Nothing special.
The flames I'd been using to burn surroundings had vanished at some point, but distant destruction sounds persisted.
I tilted my head.
Is this where I was supposed to come?
As I eyed the halted Han questioningly, he, gazing wistfully into the distance, spoke.
"This place is...?"
"Ah, for fuck's sake."
We were lost.