Parting the Black Sea
The warm wall advanced without pause. The distance between it and them narrowed with every passing second. The terror of death swelled larger in their hearts. Everyone trapped inside the museum began moving toward the center, desperate to survive.
“Damn it, this thing isn’t slowing down at all.”
“That Galosa bastard won’t break! Our abilities don’t work on it either! The office is going to hit the wall and explode any second now. Let’s move, Teren.”
Despite Adam’s urgent words, Teren didn’t budge. Instead, he started walking toward the wall.
“What are you doing? We have to get out of here!”
“You guys go first. I’ll try to hold the wall back.”
Adam grabbed Teren’s shoulder as the boy tried to approach the deadly barrier. “What the hell are you thinking? We need to run for the center!”
“This is all because I didn’t kill Fossil fast enough. Everyone’s going to die because of me. I have to stop it.”
The boy’s expression was the complete opposite of his usual bright demeanor. Adam seized him by the collar and hauled him up.
“This isn’t a wall you can block! If it were that easy to destroy, the wyvern or the dinosaur—or hell, even the professor—would have smashed it to pieces already!”
“Then what am I supposed to do…? I didn’t want to become a murderer, so I spared Fossil… I acted selfishly and now everyone’s going to die because of it… What do I do…?”
Tears began streaming down Teren’s face. Adam faltered, releasing his grip in confusion.
“It’s not your fault. The wall only started moving after Fossil died. We were already doomed the moment we failed to capture him alive.”
“But he died because of my attack!”
“Logically, the one at fault is Fossil for trying to kill us all. No one is going to blame you. So stop this nonsense and come with us.”
At Lifter’s calm words, Teren wiped his eyes and reluctantly followed them downward.
Because the exploding wall formed a dome, the first floor offered the widest space. When they reached it, the scene was devastating. Countless civilians. Students from their own academy. Government agents bleeding out on the verge of death. Small children wandering alone in search of their parents.
The thought that all of them were suffering because of his mistake made fresh tears spill from Teren’s eyes. He had been too emotional after nearly losing his arm to the office’s attack. He had missed the chance to capture Fossil alive.
“Ugh… Damn it!”
Teren collapsed onto a bench. Hallucinations swirled around him.
It’s all your fault.
You didn’t want to kill one person, and now hundreds are going to die?
You thought it was lucky that everyone who knew your mistake would die with you, didn’t you? Be honest.
“Um… Teren? Are you… okay…?”
Lure approached the boy who was suffering alone. He had always greeted her with a bright smile and traded jokes with her. Seeing him in such agony made her chest feel tight and heavy.
“Leave him be. He needs time by himself.”
Adam stepped in front of Lure as she tried to get closer. Touching him now would clearly backfire. Instead, he turned to the others and began asking if anyone had found a way out.
“I have a passage spell, but that wall is anything but ordinary. The moment I try to go through it, my body will explode.”
“I see. By the way, sir, what is that drawing you’re holding?”
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
“My summon, Dimension Traveler, can only be used by me, its owner.”
“Lucky you, Louis. At least you’ll make it.”
“I saw a samurai slice straight through the wall! Of course, everyone around him got caught in the explosion. I barely survived.”
“Where’s the hole now?”
“The wall started moving, the edges meshed together, and it vanished.”
“Please, at least save my child…! I’m begging you!”
“P-please calm down. We’re trying to find a solution.”
No clear answer emerged.
-BOOOOOOM!
The wall kept moving, detonating everything it touched. The office had already been pulverized into dust. Even Fossil’s corpse had been obliterated. Yet his final will continued to unfold. Concrete began to explode. Display cases shattered. Everything the man had devoted his life to collecting turned to ash.
People were driven farther and farther inward… tighter and tighter toward the center. Even the revived ancient creatures, in order to survive, quietly gathered in the center alongside the humans.
“This is the end…”
One of the agents tapped the bottom of his cigarette pack, trying to fish out the last smoke of his life. He pulled out a neatly arranged cigarette and moved to light it.
“Aaaagh, fuck!”
Suddenly, an unidentified hand burst from the floor beneath the seated agent.
I had gone to retrieve the Spear of Longinus, but the spear flew off somewhere as if it possessed a will of its own.
Damn. I really wanted that thing. Is it rejecting me?
-Crack!
Ouch. My whole body aches. It’s been a while since I threw down in a proper brawl, so every joint is screaming.
I’d love nothing more than to sleep in this world of shadows like usual, but right now I have to save the kids outside. As long as I don’t touch the wall, it should be fine. I figured everyone was doing okay… but after I dragged that angel out, what the hell is this chaos?
“Aaaaaagh! A m-monster came out of the floor…!”
What? Who are you, mister? Dressed so neatly yet screaming like that. And wow, everyone’s staring at me. This is embarrassingly awkward. I have new respect for idols who endure these gazes every day. Seriously, respect.
“Thanatos!”
Lure suddenly ran toward me. Beside her was what looked like her newly made friend—a massive dinosaur skeleton lumbering along as well. She threw herself into my arms and hugged me tight.
“You suddenly disappeared. I was so worried. Are you okay?”
Huk! As expected, the only one who believes in me and waits for me is you, Lure! Everyone else looks at me like I’m some kind of monster! I’m a person too, you know. It hurts when you look at me that way…
But this wasn’t the time for that. Before we all touched the wall and died together, we needed to get out of here.
-WHOOOOSH!
I exhaled a torrent of black smoke from my mouth and shaped it into a dome. In an instant, everyone inside the museum was pulled into this world.
“Th-that black smoke…? Does this mean it’s a being from the Demon Realm…?”
Aha. There’s my friend from the Abyss Cult. I’d better warn him not to try anything funny.
I set Lure down gently and walked over to Typhon. Leaning close to the frozen man’s ear, I whispered,
Because I kept my voice low, the usual slurred baby-talk vanished completely. Instead, the relaxed confidence of the strong resonated. It must have sounded like the voice of a fearsome sovereign perfectly matching my skeletal appearance.
“Y-yes, sir…! O mighty being of the Demon Realm!”
Good. Communication works. Unlike that idiot in the other neighborhood who ended up as meat at the butcher’s while praising some mutt. You have to be quick on the uptake.
I snapped my fingers. Black flames flickered into existence, visible even from afar. Then I stepped into the smoke.
As I moved forward, the smoke parted on both sides like the Red Sea, opening a clear path.
“E-everyone… please follow us!”
At first they hesitated, but once Lure moved, Liz followed, and Professor Ellyer joined in, the entire Class 1 began walking. Soon everyone present was trailing behind me.
As Thanatos raised his hand toward the sky, the smoke receded. The darkness split apart, and the descendants of ancient beings walked upon it as if it were solid ground. The smoke formed walls on their left and right, keeping them safe.
This really makes me feel like one of the major figures from the Bible! Haha, look at me! I am God!
Once I had guided them all to safety, I released the smoke.
“What? We’re outside!”
“This isn’t the museum anymore?”
“Where did the walls go?”
They scanned their surroundings warily until they spotted one enormous, elongated shape in the distance. It was the museum wall that would have eventually swallowed them all. The sections of the wall meshed together, converging toward the center and then—
-KABOOOOOOM!
A deafening roar and blinding flash erupted as it vanished.
I mixed protective smoke into the surrounding air so the explosion wouldn’t blind anyone, preserving their sight.
“If we hadn’t escaped, that would have been us.”
“Oh my god…”
People stared blankly at the mushroom cloud blooming in the sky. I gazed at it too. The Galosa that Lifter had been carrying slowly began to disintegrate. The loyal servant who had carried out its master’s orders to the very end watched the outcome in his stead, then quietly faded away toward Fossil.
At the same time, every revived creature—including the Continentalisaurus—began returning to their original fossilized forms.
“Huh…? No, don’t go…”
Lure watched through tears as the Continentalisaurus gradually reverted to an ordinary fossil. The creature gently stroked its weeping master’s cheek with its bony skull, then slowly embraced death.
“Hic…”
Liz stayed protectively by the grieving girl’s side.
Well, everything finally seemed resolved. Dealing with that angel and pulling so many people into my smoke world had used up a lot of energy. I needed to return to Lure’s shadow and sleep. It felt like I’d be out for a long time today.
“Th-thank you…”
Just as I was about to slip into Lure’s shadow, a small child grabbed my hand.
“Thank you…”
“Thanks to you, we survived.”
“The s-summon understands us too, right? Anyway, thank you for saving us.”
People crowded around me. Some patted my shoulder. Others hugged me. A strange warmth bloomed in my chest. I don’t usually like places packed with strangers, but this kind of atmosphere… I liked it.