Chapter 245
Chapter 245
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 245
Chapter Title: Aerial Battleships
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5
Aerial battleships.
Hovering in the skies over the sea off Busan, they cast shadows over millions, revealing forms as heterogeneous as most anomalies.
-Clunk.
-Kiiiiieeeek!
-Clang, clink! Clank.
Countless gears. And steam.
No crew manned the aerial battleships. Thus, the distinction between exoskeleton and endoskeleton was meaningless.
Every battleship exposed its spine—like a keel—in places. Clunk! Gears spun ceaselessly between the ribs, spewing noise into the world.
A veritable fleet of steel.
Even if Chungmugong returned, he’d offer the cool assessment: “Hmm, twelve ships might not cut it.”
“Uncle!”
Back at National Highway Management Corps HQ, only three people stood on the terrace. No Do-ha, Sim A-ryeon, and O Dok-seo.
No Do-ha was busy issuing orders via radio to frontline units. She didn’t even glance our way.
Sim A-ryeon… couldn’t look at me for other reasons. The veil of her saintess robes draped like a curtain over her face.
A-ryeon didn’t so much as twitch.
“Eek, you’re totally covered in blood!”
O Dok-seo recoiled and tossed me a towel.
It was dirty from someone else’s use, but at least it gleamed cleaner than my skin.
I roughly wiped my face with the towel and asked.
“Where’re the others?”
“All off to hold the line! Yohwa sis is in the safest spots since she has to survive to the end, so don’t worry.”
O Dok-seo glanced at Sim A-ryeon, kneeling in the terrace’s center.
“Well. She doesn’t seem like she’d die even in danger zones, though…”
“Nyaa! Undertaker!”
Then, with a tap in midair, a blonde magical girl descended.
It was Manyeopyo. The Awakener cursed to end words with “nya” or “nyang.” Inside the Magical Girl Council, she was a prime “pro-Undertaker faction” figure.
“Wh-what the heck’s going on, nya! I came at Undertaker’s call for reinforcements, and the world’s ending, nyang!”
“What else? The world’s literally ending. Japan’s islands are probably already blown away by those aerial battleships, so forget heading home.”
“Aaaah! Shibaru! We’re screwed, nyang…!”
Amusingly, Manyeopyo spat “shibaru” in thick Korean, not Japanese. She’d caught it hanging around here.
“H-ho, you didn’t call us knowing this would happen, did you, nya?”
“No way. Pure coincidence. Did you think I’d know these few days were the world’s finale?”
“Nyang. Super suspicious, nyaa…”
It was a lie.
Magical girls all had broken brains, but surprisingly, their wrinkles bore “hometown love.”
The will to defend home.
Even if I’d sent a letter saying, [The world’s about to end, so gather in best-defended Busan and hunker down together?], the Magical Girl Council wouldn’t approve.
They’d choose death with their homeland instead.
So I switched tactics.
[Busan’s about to fall. Sorry, but can you send reinforcements?]
Letters like that brought loyal magical girls marching as aid. Usually led by Manyeopyo or Phantom Sword.
Sure, reinforcements numbered just dozens, but better than nothing. Dozens of magical girls could hold a frontline.
“So… what’s that monster, nyang?”
“As you see, battleships flying the skies. Remnants of civilization, you could call them.”
“Remnants of civilization?”
I glared obliquely at the heavens.
“Visual screams eco-terror, but surprisingly, they’re anomalies recycled from scraps.”
“Honya, nyang?”
“New York, London, La Défense in Paris, Hong Kong, Tokyo. The ‘building materials’ from skyscrapers and factories in megacities worldwide formed those aerial battleships.”
“……!”
Remnants of civilization. Sky fleet. City devourers.
If wraiths formed from human corpses, these millions of battleships afloat were forged from “corpses of cities.”
My finger pointed skyward.
“See there. That spire jutting sharp from the prow? Tokyo Tower.”
“Eh? Eeeek… R-real, nya! Th-that shibaru bastard! Who gave it permission to steal, nyang?”
Manyeopyo’s tail shot up stiff—kyaaang—. Her “shibaru” carried local veteran spice.
“I’ll lead my squad right now, smash those scrapheaps, and sort the recycling, nya!”
“No. Hold up.”
I gripped Manyeopyo’s shoulder.
“You can’t take them with normal means. You can’t see it, but over a million ships swarm their ‘head.’”
“Eeeeek…?”
“Dokseo-ya. Called Dang Seo-rin?”
“Oh, yeah! Called her before you, so she’ll be here soon. Probably finishing frontline cleanup, so a bit late. Call again?”
“No. It’s fine. She’ll come. You join in soon too.”
“Uh, o-okay!”
I drew a deep breath.
“Whew.”
…A light fatigue settled in.
Natural. I’d spent 60 hours straight on the battlefield without rest.
Moreover, I always dashed to the most critical frontlines to fight.
A bit heavier burden than other Awakeners—but mere newt’s blood compared to the battle ahead.
‘Come on, city devourers.’
The regressor is ready for you.
-Oo, oo, oo, oo, oo.
-Ooongooongooongooong.
As if answering my silent declaration, the aerial battleships glowed in unison.
Blood-red, ominous hue.
The red surged from spines like current, like blood spray. One. Two. Three. Four.
Five battleships at the fleet’s vanguard blazed red. Gears screeched—screech-screech-screech.
-Weeeeeooooweeeeooooweeeeooong!
Then, annihilation beams spewed forth.
Spotting the beams launch from the prows, I bolted that way.
As fast as possible. Timing perfect.
Thus, just before the five beams from above converged to smash Yeongdo in Busan.
I’d reached the beams’ nose.
-Kwarrrrumble!
Swinging Doha full-force, I “deflected” the beams.
A heavy sensation thudded into my palms.
‘Past turns, first sight of you brought only overwhelming despair.’
Step. One step forward.
‘Now, you feel endlessly light.’
Power surged through my body, flowing the beams aside fully.
The ominous destruction beams warped course, plunging into the sea.
A colossal water pillar erupted. Steam blanketed all Yeongdo.
Splatter-splatter-splatter-.
Downpour rained on my head.
The shower nicely rinsed my sweat-soaked body.
I raised my sword tip, pointing at the aerial battleships.
“First, one down.”
-…………….
Truth be told, that single volley could’ve vaporized a city district.
Indeed, it had razed countless cities till now.
But look. The final defense line stood firm.
A small tsunami hit the port, but coastal residents had evacuated. The battleships’ attack nullified perfectly.
A first for that anomaly.
-Oo, oo, oo, oo, oo.
-Clunk-clang, clunk!
-Oo, oo, oo, oo, oo.
The “thing’s” gaze snapped to me.
Mere mechanical scrap piles in form, but a single anomaly of millions of ships.
I’d deflected an attack no human ever withstood—like snapping chopsticks. It had to notice.
Millions of mechanical gazes fixed on me.
“…….”
-Weeengweeengweeengweeengweeeng.
-Weeeeeooooweeeeooooweeeeooooweeeeng.
Eerie wails spread.
The battleships’ bones twisted, booming like air raid sirens.
The long, long siren soaked into Haeundae’s sands.
“Hm.”
My provocation drew the enemy surely.
Not five ships now—but 1,000 times that. 5,000 battleships blazed spines red at once, prepping annihilation beams.
Thud.
I landed on Haeundae.
Countless battleship cannons swiveled toward me—clunk-clunk.
“Whew.”
Gazing alone at the sky-blanketing monstrosities, I drew another deep breath.
Deep.
Just before my long exhale slipped through gritted teeth, 5,000 blood-red beams surged.
“―――.”
To deflect, I swung Doha.
The unified 5,000-strike mass seemed enough to obliterate Haeundae by volume alone.
Thus, I had to expand aura massively from the blade.
“Hup!”
Arm muscles screamed like tearing.
Just 5,000 of millions attacking, yet the palm’s pressure was terrifying.
Pop! Drip, drip-drip!
Arm muscles snapped real-time. Nerves and joints shrieked. Blood vessels burst in my eyes.
Yet I spoke no pain.
Everyone on the battlefield watched my form via “broadcast screen.”
“Aaahhh!”
Just roaring battle cry, I withstood the deathblow from the heavens, swinging the sword to the end.
Kwaaaaaaaaang!
The 5,000-layered beams deflected too.
The red beams grazed the sea, barely skimming the surface, streaking to the horizon.
The grand fleet’s attack nullified again.
“Whew, ha. Hueh, whew…….”
Breath heaved.
My near-infinite aura had plummeted from 60 hours’ struggle and this clash.
But I wasn’t alone.
Rustle.
Green leaves sprouted where muscles tore. Vein-like vines softly wrapped my forearms.
Sim A-ryeon’s touch caressed my wounds.
Mist flowers bloomed on the vines, falling away. In the quiet petal fall, I seemed to hear A-ryeon’s whisper.
……Ar-are you okay?……
‘Yeah. The Guild Leader’s still fine.’
A smile tugged my lips.
I raised my restored arm, thrusting the sword tip once more at the sky’s battleships.
“Now, two down.”
-…………….
-Weeengweeengweeengweeengweeengweeeng.
The red sky glowed redder.
5,000. 10,000. 30,000. 50,000.
Battleships spun ceaselessly, unleashing waves. Attacks I couldn’t fully deflect birthed tsunamis.
The city endured.
My body couldn’t.
Right arm. Legs. Flank. Right eye.
As scarlet beams targeted the lone me on the sand, chunks tore from my body.
Yet I advanced step by step, swinging my one sword unfailingly.
Humanity’s last city at my back.
Aware all eyes watched.
One step.
-…….
I didn’t groan in pain.
For those who survived grueling turns—this turn and others. For those who remained human in an age humanity was scorned.
While they fought endless ground-rushing anomalies, I showed I blocked the sky foes here.
Another step.
-…….
-…….
This turn’s doom mattered not at all.
Humans were thus. They lived though death loomed.
Blood pooled in my sand-buried footprints, but petals drifted there too—life too dear to lament.
My lament deferred eternally.
Another step.
-……, ………!
-……… .
Ears rang deaf.
Yet I felt Awakeners roaring cheers from distant frontlines.
Apart, struggling separate lines, my step and their cheers pulsed as one.
-……………!
Conversely, the sky-surfing anomaly struck discord.
Had it realized trifling attacks wouldn’t fell me?
Some three million ships blazed red in unison. Ominous sirens shook heaven and earth.
City devourer. Having razed countless cities, it now gathered full might for a decisive blow on me.
“Whew, hueh. Hup, whewww…….”
Ragged breaths leaked from my throat.
Sim A-ryeon’s petals wrapped me ongoing, but healing lagged wounds. Blood dripped along vines.
I was a total wreck.
‘No way to block that attack.’
Honestly, lasting this far was valiant.
‘Not just Busan—whole remaining ground’ll vaporize.’
Vision noised. Head blood-starved? Sight flickered.
But I wouldn’t topple.
Squeeze. Grip.
Someone braced my left arm, another my right.
Red hair and black hair flying, they gripped my forearms from both sides.
O Dok-seo. And Dang Seo-rin.
“Sorry I’m late.”
Dang Seo-rin spoke first.
“Frontline collapsed without you. Pushed hard to get here. Not too late, right?”
O Dok-seo followed.
“Leave the rest to us, Uncle! Whew, always wanted to say that! Bucket list checked!”
I smiled faintly.
All aggro pulled to one regressor—me—and now the foe mobilized its full fleet.
This moment—we awaited.
-Weeengweeengweeengweeengweeengweeeng.
-Weeeeeeeyiiiiiiiing!
The aerial battleships ignored Busan, ignored the absolute defense line—targeting only me, firing millions of beams.
Sky and sky-reflecting sea drowned red.
Blinding crimson charging us this instant――.
“Dokseo-ya.”
“Yeah.”
O Dok-seo tossed her cap away.
Stepping one pace forward as if to shield me, back turned, hands outstretched.
“――Absolute Defense.”
A redder-than-red barrier unfurled wing-like around O Dok-seo.
Absolute Defense. Aka AT Field.
O Dok-seo’s unique Awakening ability.
As self-described by Mansang Yu-hee, who chose her as shrine maiden:
――――――――――
*AT Field (S)
: Ability to reject external interference.
Provides an absolute barrier against all physical forces attempting to impact or affect you. Limited to once per day. Barrier duration: 1 minute.
You observed all world events from an ‘omniscient’ viewpoint. You are clearly a higher existence than the novel’s characters.
Bad endings to happy. Or crueler bad ends. You were born to become this world’s protagonist.
May fortune be with you.
――――――――――
An ability ignoring even mightiest attacks by deeming them “lower existences.”
The translucent barrier from Mansang Yu-hee’s shrine maiden’s hands embraced all Haeundae. Like wings humanity spread for final flight.
And soon.
Kwarrrrrrrrrumble!
Annihilation beams from heaven clashed with earth’s wings.