The Queen's Words: The Empire's Administration is Cold and Calculated
By the queen's word, the empire's administration was cold and calculated. Humans scattered across the galaxy were treated as less than rare minerals. Go when told to go, die when told to die. That was the fate of imperial citizens. So, the fact that he had a family and a child on the way wouldn't have been factored into the empire's spreadsheets anywhere.
Should I have run back then, Shaoran?
When he received the call to national service and landed a glorious position, he'd been thrilled. He thought he might never return to this colony, but his own glory mattered more. No, with the massive salary, he could fund his wife's business—it was a win-win, or so he'd believed. There had definitely been a time when he'd thought that.
Wonrang stared gloomily at his hands. Where had it all gone wrong?
If he opened the blue container in his hand, this colony was finished.
Maybe I dragged it out too long.
Wonrang held up the container sample and looked at Shaoling.
"Shaoling. Are you really going to do this?"
At his words, Shaoling smirked, lifting the corner of her mouth crookedly.
"What, scared? Should I do it myself, Chief?"
Wonrang took a deep breath at Chaoryeong's words and drew a pistol with one hand. It was a small-caliber plasma gun that could punch through an implant body.
"Chaoryeong. Under Imperial Law Article 13, Section 22, I am arresting you on suspicion of illegal ether substitution."
"What?"
Chaoryeong snorted a laugh and raised both hands.
"Now you say that?"
"We can negotiate with the inspectors, but this is irredeemable ruin. Think of the future."
Despite Wonrang's words, Chaoryeong strode toward him confidently.
"What? Now you wanna play daddy? After ditching Mom and running away."
"…Shaoling."
"I've known you were my biological father since you showed up here. Traitor. Coward."
As she approached with a sneer, Wonrang aimed the pistol and fired in front of her.
Bang— With the distinctive crack of plasma, the special alloy deck melted away.
"……."
As Wonrang glared at her and tried to tuck the container into his jacket, Shaoling lunged.
"You—!"
Thud— Because Shaoling tackled him with her full body, Wonrang fell backward, their bodies piling up.
With her top-grade implants, she instantly tore open his jacket, found the container, and crushed it with brute force. The adamantium alloy, impervious to ordinary explosions, crumpled, spewing green vapor.
Shaoling, straddling him with a triumphant grin, giggled.
"We're both done for…."
"Shaoling."
"Let's drop to hell together… Dad."
With the sound of his daughter coughing, Wonrang's memory cut off.
Rumble rumble rumble— Feeling the massive vibration, I dragged my weary body up from my seat.
"Shasha. This is the final act now. Let's wrap it up and get some rest."
Shasha nodded at my words.
"Please. I miss the beautiful starry sky of Byeolbada."
"…You're surprisingly sentimental, huh?"
Shasha blushed at my remark.
"Sh-shut up. You think everyone's like you, the emotionless Sugar Demon King?"
I smacked Shasha on the head with my staff.
Smack—
"Aaaah!"
I grinned at Mus.
"See? This is killing two birds with one stone."
"You see?! I told you not to do it!"
[Next time, explode before I swing you.]
Shasha shot the staff a look that said too much. A fist-sized lump was swelling on the top of her head.
"Look at this! A normal human would've died!"
"Hmm, yeah… Did I hit too hard?"
She's so tough, I sometimes lose control of my strength. Smacking my lips, I opened the door to Chaoryeong's house.
"Chaoryeong, Mus. They might not be here, but send people to the shelters. Or at least up high."
"Y-yes, sir. Inspector."
I patted Shasha's lump.
"Alright, let's go, Shasha."
The last target should be where the smoke's rising in the distance.
3-level Enhancement
Stella Maris
A vertical city built of various alloys. I traversed it by scaling the outer walls of the massive buildings. Leaping high to reach the city's ceiling, I spotted two enormous monsters.
Landing on the rooftop of a tall building, I glared at the writhing abyssal entities.
"There are abyssal entities on both sides too."
"Ah, wraiths?"
[No, that's not it.]
The staff vibrated in warning.
[That's bio-corruption. A forbidden technique that forcibly drags humanity into abyssal forms. The demons' doing.]
"Demons?"
[If it's hard to grasp, think of them as rivals, Guide.]
"Like a corrupted Guide?"
[Close enough. Guides who borrow chaotic, malevolent power instead of ordered strength like Iolde or Nis.]
"Hence demons…."
I got the gist.
I leaped lightly from the building and landed before the massive monster smashing the colony.
Grrrrr— Human arms and legs dangled like thorns from the hulking flesh mass.
"What a nasty design."
Grrrrr— The massive flesh rolled toward me. Atop it, a recognizable human torso was impaled.
"Oh, are you the great Chairman?"
Grrruk— Not fully lost to madness, Chaoryeong drooled green saliva and opened her mouth toward me.
[The great one... His will descends upon me... You die here today... Inspector.]
I nodded at Chaoryeong's stammering words.
"Yeah, about 4th-grade level, I suppose."
[Kuhuhu... Power overflows. You all die.]
"Yeah, yeah. For dragging it out this long, it's a pretty lame finale."
I injected ether near the staff.
[What? Why ether on me? Wait, no way, right? Guide! No!]
I gripped the staff tight and charged, smashing the massive flesh mass with it.
Splat— Like when I'd hit Mus before, ripples spread through the huge flesh, sending it flying back.
Boom— A building of unknown metal crumbled and toppled.
"Well, 4th-grade won't take long."
As I approached, the flesh burst open, oozing green sludge.
"Hmm…."
Inside the ruptured flesh were grotesquely swollen organs mixed with implant-like machinery.
[How?! This bio-weapon! These are the monsters that destroyed our planet!]
I shrugged at Chaoryeong's furious words.
"Is that so? Sorry, but even an 11-year-old could handle this level."
[What does that...]
"It's just some 4th-grade trash."
Swinging the staff once more, the massive flesh exploded, leaving only Chaoryeong's upper body to hit the ground.
"If Stella Maris at 3-level is enough, then…."
Even an immature kid like Isara could handle it. I clapped my hands and approached the flustered Chaoryeong.
"Oh, and I think you got something wrong."
[Impossible... If you'd come while our planet was falling, before our ancestors abandoned it...]
While Chaoryeong stared at me with hollow eyes, I explained that I wasn't an imperial inspector, but an ether Guide.
"From now on, maybe I should introduce myself as a Guide instead of inspector. Avoids messes like this, right?"
[......]
Chaoryeong looked at me in disbelief, then breathed her last.
For the queen who ruled the mega-corp dominating the entire colony, it was an anticlimactic end.
Boom— Even after dispatching one monster, another remained, locked in fierce combat with Shasha.
"Jeez."
I tapped the staff on the ground and gathered ether.
"Staff, can you shoot a beam of piercing light just to there?"
[......]
No response from the staff. Probably sulking from the earlier fight.
[Me, burrowing into that disgusting body? Using me like a club? This noble, superior form!]
"Got it. Sorry about that."
[Sorry doesn't cut it!]
"Hey~ Shasha's gonna die."
As I tried changing the subject, the staff vibrated strongly and yelled.
[Do that again and you're in for it! This body is the staff of Iolde, a holy relic! The living power of a god!]
A massive surge of ether poured into the staff like a torrent.
Aether Scan: COMPLETE
Aether Synchronization: STABLE
[Behold! The power of Goddess Iolde descends here! The demon apostle shall turn to dust!]
Secret Transmission Dynamics
Iolde's Light
Unlike usual, a sparkling golden beam shot toward the massive abyssal entity and exploded. Golden dust glittered around it.
"Huh."
Looking up, a massive golden angel hovered overhead.
"Staff? What's this…? It's super flashy…."
The staff trembled as if laughing at my words.
[Ehehe. First mission as Guide complete. Enjoy.]
A golden beam descended like an angel's advent. Beneath it stood I, leaning on my massive staff. Exhausted Shasha saw the scene and giggled.
"Looks like they'll erect a statue here too, like in the underground city."
"……."
"Here."
Shasha tossed a man before me, as if ripped from the flesh mass. The torso-only man coughed raggedly.
"Looks like demon work. Know anything?"
Wonrang just shook his head.
"We could keep you alive and torture the truth out. Speak plainly."
"Demons? I swear on my memories, nothing like that."
Wonrang, laughing hollowly at my words, showed me something in his hand.
[Imperial Inspector Wonrang]
"……."
"……."
Shasha and I stared blankly at the bewildering nameplate.