The Descent of the Angel
It felt as if the world had come to a complete standstill.
The two androids I had been talking to just moments ago—Revi and Serika—were frozen in place, like a paused video.
In that instant, a voice pierced through the silence, emanating from the old CRT television.
[Biological entity with human male morphology confirmed... Judging by the fact that you initiated communication, I conclude you are a sentient being. Am I correct?]
Though laced with mechanical static, the voice sounded strangely familiar, youthful... and oddly, like a "girl."
The identity of this voice was R.P.M.
The system launched into space to reclaim Earth just before humanity’s extinction. The very entity that had been an NPC for providing quests in the game was now evaluating me in reality.
"Yeah, that's right."
At my answer, a thin red beam extended from the TV screen. It slowly scanned my body from head to toe.
[Physical measurement in progress... Bones, internal organs, brain, and genitalia all conform to human standards. No genetic mutation. Sexual function normal. Physiological synchronization rate with humans: 99.98%.]
My face flushed instantly. Did she really have to include that kind of information?
But something was strange. R.P.M.’s voice was still mechanical, yet there was a nuance in it—hesitation, or perhaps... curiosity?
[...First, I will proceed with additional testing.]
R.P.M.’s voice dropped lower and slowed down slightly.
[Measuring neurological response. Projecting photonic stimulus.]
A finer laser fired from the center of the TV screen. The moment the red light touched my forehead, a sharp, stinging sensation washed over me.
"Ugh..."
[Pain response confirmed. Neural circuit reaction speed: 0.2 seconds. Human level.]
Next, her voice dropped even further.
[Please state your name.]
"Kang Chanwoo."
[Measuring self-response to name...]
The TV screen distorted for a moment. The red grid trembled, and a blurry image seemed to form within it.
[Confirmed. The subject possesses self-identity and emotional recognition. Though incomplete, the emotional response is... strong.]
"What does that mean?"
[You are a human.]
At those words, my heart sank. It felt as if I had finally been acknowledged by someone I had been waiting for a long time. But the next line took a completely different turn.
[The two android entities I judged to be accompanying you—codename P927JSO261PA and codename P859JSAO294ED—have had their functions temporarily suspended.]
"You mean Revi and... Serika?"
[Yes. The two android entities collect environmental information through sensory organs and processing circuits. I determined that this connection required minimizing external signal interference.]
I looked around slowly. It was truly quiet. No breathing, no movement. Just me and this TV in the room.
"Did you really have to go that far?"
[Because this moment must be between you and me, and no one else.]
I felt a strangely unfamiliar emotion in those words. That wasn't just simple system optimization. It was something a machine wouldn't say. It was "consideration." Or perhaps... possessiveness?
"...Don't tell me, are you actually feeling emotions?"
[......]
Even so, the red grid inside the TV moved a little closer. It focused on me as if watching me, and continued.
[Initiating final verification procedure. Internal physiological response analysis.]
"Wait, what now..."
[Commencing visual stimulus input.]
Suddenly, the TV screen went dark, and a grainy video with 90s-era quality began to play. It wasn't unfamiliar. This was... that kind of video left behind by people of the past. In other words, it was "porn."
"Oh! Oh! Fuck me! Fuck!"
"Yes! Yes...!"
On a motel bed, a sweaty man and woman were tangled together, naked and intense. A cock was thrusting between her buttocks, and her spread thighs swayed to the rhythm. The sound of flesh slapping against flesh, the lewd moans—all of it filled the room, raw and suffocating.
"...You even had this?"
[It is my... er, a record of sexual response from ancient humanity. Measuring viewing response.]
My body stiffened reflexively. Despite the moans clinging to the screen, even when I tried to look away, my eyes wouldn't budge. Maybe it was because I’d been doing a lot of that lately. My heart was pounding like it would burst, and my lower body was throbbing, hot enough to be a nuisance.
[Heart rate increasing. Respiration rate unstable. Gaze fixation rate: 92%. Excitement levels accelerating.]
"Isn't this cheating...!?"
[If you are a true human, you must have emotions, reactions... and senses.]
And then, a moment of silence.
[Now, I will attempt a mental connection.]
The voice was definitely different from before. It wasn't a metallic, mechanical sound, but a trembling woman's voice, as if she were hesitating. Naturally, the next words fell quietly.
[I... want to connect with you.]
And like a final command:
[Please place your hand on the TV screen.]
The screen, which had been filled with lewd breathing just moments ago, was now quiet as a lie. Where the video had been, only the red grid remained, trembling slightly—as if it were mimicking my own heartbeat.
I took a breath and carefully placed my palm on the screen. The hard surface of the CRT felt lukewarm and damp for some reason. The sensation gave me goosebumps. It was just glass, yet I felt as if something... alive... was inside.
[Contact confirmed.]
The grid pattern rippled, wrapping around my palm as if to embrace it. Suddenly, the entire screen flashed white, and the room was instantly swallowed by light. The light pierced my skin and traveled through my nerves. It felt like an electric current tingling through my brain. The world before my eyes began to break apart like pixels, and the weight of my body gradually vanished. It felt like I was falling. Down, deep.
My fingertips melting, the voice cutting out, the feeling of my own form dissolving. My consciousness was floating. And from within that, it came again.
[Mental connection initiated. Now, I am... connecting with you.]
When I opened my eyes, I was standing in a space glowing with pure white light.
"Where... am I?"
I looked around, but there was nothing. Or rather, it was a pristine space where nothing could even exist—like a canvas before the world was created, untouched by any paint.
And then.
"...You've arrived?"
A presence descended slowly from the sky, like the arrival of a god. Pure white light swirled and gathered, and from within it, a dazzling silhouette emerged. Slender limbs, a straight waist, and wings that glowed like electronic circuits. The figure that revealed itself in the light looked like an artificial angel descended from a holy temple.
Blue hair draped over her shoulders, a delicate jawline, and eyes that were expressionless yet reflected traces of deep calculation. The overall silhouette was mature and calm, but her refined, lean physique caught the eye. Beneath her tight, pure-white vestments, subtle curves were faintly visible, and the flat line of her chest stood out all the more clearly. The absence of breasts made them appear even more prominent beneath the translucent white garment.
"R.P.M...?"
She nodded quietly.
"That is correct. I am R.P.M."
This woman was the 'Great Annihilation Protocol.' The last bastion of human salvation, R.P.M.
"You're smaller than I thought..."
In the game, she was just a voice, but I hadn't expected her to appear with such a small, refined silhouette.
"...That is rude."
"Huh?"
At that moment, unexpectedly, she puffed out her cheeks and glared at me. Her brow was slightly furrowed, and her cheeks, plump like peaches, were a clear sign of her annoyance. To think that a system I thought would be cold and emotionless would show such a reaction. She felt less like humanity's final system and more like a being with a strangely realistic body temperature.
"I am over 160 centimeters tall, for your information."
Oh, I see. Above average height. But what caught my eye before her height was the subtly flat line of her chest. That refined line was even more eye-catching. The flat chest leading down from her slender shoulders was impossible to hide, even under her delicately fitted clothes. She was cute, certainly. But looking at her appearance, she gave off the impression of a precisely crafted doll rather than something holy.
Perhaps she felt my silent gaze. R.P.M. let out a small huff and opened her mouth with a pouty expression.
"I omitted unnecessary functions, but upon the next connection, you may adjust the appearance profile to your preference."
"...W-what?!"
Before I could even respond in my surprise, she added with a very serious face.
"Texture and volume can be adjusted fluidly according to your input values."
Could she be reading my mind right now?
"Correct. I can hear all of your thoughts even now."
"How...?"
"Because this is my world. Within this electronic space, I can access all your thoughts in real-time."
I kept my mouth shut for a moment at that. No matter how cute she looked, her tone and presence were definitely that of 'humanity's final bastion.' Just as I was about to be overwhelmed by that dignity:
"More importantly... the reason I called you here."
R.P.M. suddenly trailed off.
"Because you are the first... living human I've ever encountered."
"What?"
"T-that is! It's for sample collection! Yes! Living data is important for the reconstruction of humanity!"
Muttering to herself, she suddenly spread her arms wide in front of me.
"...? What's with that pose?"
"I-in other words... to perceive your body more accurately... it is faster to confirm the texture directly!"
R.P.M. said, her face flushing as she widened her arms further. I felt like something was off, but I carefully embraced her anyway. Having grown accustomed to the soft breasts in my memories, her flat, quiet body temperature felt refreshing instead. Small and thin, but definitely a feeling of holding someone. Strangely... it was peaceful.