Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: Somnambulist VI: Shin Noah
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Somnambulist VI
Shin Noah
8
-Weeeeeng!
The area once called the Kimhae Plains.
Due to the urban development boom, it had fallen into the sorry state of a chunk of cheese from Tom and Jerry.
Dug here, dug there. Nibbled at from all sides until there was hardly any space left that could truly be called a "plain."
In other words, if the urban development just stopped, everything would return to its original state.
When the balance of victory in the 10,000-year war between nature and civilization—where environment and humanity had staked their fates—tipped back toward nature, the Kimhae Plains swiftly reclaimed its past glory.
Of course, they had to cede a considerable portion of nature's territory to the anomalies that had joined as mercenaries in exchange for their help in the victory. Thanks to that, it was hard to tell if this was truly nature or the Void anymore. Nature's course of events wasn't all that different from human history.
Among them, the Kimhae Plains belonged to the category of areas where civilization had been removed particularly swiftly—perhaps too swiftly.
-Weeeeeeeeeeng!
About seven years prior, a sudden air raid siren had gone off on the western side of the Kimhae Plains, and a small-scale "bombing" had taken place there.
It was impossible to know exactly what circumstances had led to the incident occurring right around here.
It had happened at the very moment I was forcibly summoned to Busan Station and began living the life of a regressor.
Even the information that a bombing had occurred nearby would have been hard to obtain if I hadn't been a regressor. There were testimonies that it was shelling rather than bombing, rumors that a gate had suddenly exploded, and even rumors that a secret government research facility had detonated.
It was a complete fog of war.
-Kwaaaaaang!
Perhaps a small-scale gate had appeared in the Kimhae Plains, and they had bombed it to eliminate it.
Perhaps it was a patriotic decision by someone who thought they couldn't afford to lose Busan too after Seoul had already been turned to rubble.
Perhaps, compared to other densely populated urban areas, the sparse population there led them to conclude that "this level of sacrifice is unavoidable."
Or maybe it was simply a tragedy caused by an error in command transmission. Surprisingly, I rated this possibility the highest.
But now, it was impossible to dig up the truth. With the government and private organizations that should investigate gone, what could be done? Not to mention how elusive it was to even find related documents or witnesses.
It wasn't just nature that the Void had devoured. Human history had also vanished into the Void.
Nevertheless, one obvious fact remained: the Kimhae Plains, where the bombing occurred, couldn't have been just an empty "plain" as the name suggested.
Even in places where proof had vanished, people had simply been living there.
9
Let's talk about the aftermath.
[—Undertaker.]
[Snap out of it, Undertaker.]
Blink. I opened my eyes.
As I opened them, I realized I had briefly lost consciousness. A split-second blackout. Fortunately, as a regressor, I'd experienced fainting countless times. I wasn't rattled by something I'd grown used to long ago.
[Are you back?]
If I had to guess the reason for passing out, it was probably the influence of the lullaby sung by the Meteor Shower, which had made my eyes close without me realizing.
Unlike the other Awakeners, I had been flying at the forefront. In other words, I was the farthest from Dang Seo-rin's white magic, the anti-resonance song that neutralized the lullaby.
"Yes, I'm fine. No need to worry, Saintess. How long was I out?"
[Not long. About one second.]
"You noticed I passed out in just one second? Impressive."
I was genuinely surprised. As I mentioned earlier, I didn't know at the time that the Saintess possessed a "Time Stop" ability.
During this crucial battle, she had been stopping time intermittently to observe the battlefield. My broom-riding figure must have caught her clairvoyance while I dozed off for a moment.
[There's a problem, Undertaker.]
The Saintess deftly changed the subject. It wasn't just to dodge my suspicion; genuine urgency was evident in her voice.
A chill ran down my spine. Even without Dang Seo-rin's magic, human emotions resonated through voices.
"No way! Did we fail to subdue the Meteor Shower?"
[No. Subjugation seems almost certainly successful. However... look over there.]
Even though "there" wasn't clearly specified, I instinctively turned my head.
The night sky where the Meteor Shower's starlight had existed just moments ago.
The strike prepared by 700 Awakeners over several years had been sharp indeed. The Meteor Shower had been torn to shreds in the storm of auras we unleashed.
That's right.
Torn to shreds.
"What...?"
My heart pounded.
The Meteor Shower had definitely been subdued. The spherical mass that had gathered in one place and emitted intense starlight no longer existed.
And while some anomalies dispersed like smoke upon subjugation, many left behind corpses like animals.
I muttered in a daze.
"The corpse of starlight...?"
Have you ever seen white phosphorus bullets?
Exactly that kind of sight was unfolding before my eyes—no, our eyes.
Torn starlight.
Shredded and mangled starlight was falling toward the ground.
"Ah."
Goosebumps rose along my spine, piercing my heart with an ominous throb.
Why hadn't I anticipated it?
If a meteor fell from the sky, intercepting and destroying the meteor itself was one problem—but...
Even if destruction succeeded, the countless fragments raining down on the ground were another problem.
"Shit!"
Naturally, I hadn't imagined that an anomaly made of 100% pure starlight would leave a corpse, unlike orcs or goblins. A corpse of light? Who could predict that?
Thus, this fell under "you have to get hit if you don't know." A total bullshit situation. Damn it.
The Meteor Shower, shattered by the regressor's ambush, had saved its final big fuck-you for humanity.
In the 42nd regression, where we "first" succeeded in subduing it, we had no choice but to fall for this trap card.
"It's over! We're done! We really hunted a Special-grade anomaly!"
"Long live the Korean Peninsula Awakener Federation! Long live!"
"Crazy... Subduing a Special-grade anomaly is a world first. To think humans actually pulled it off...?"
"The Constellations are invincible! The Undertaker is a god!"
Looking around, none of the combatants in this aerial battlefield were paying attention to the Meteor Shower's corpse.
They were simply excited about the overwhelming victory in what would go down in history as a great battle.
Only the Saintess and I were focused on the eerie undulation in the night sky and the starlight fragments beginning to pierce through it and fall.
'If these fragments hit the ground as is— no, no. It's okay. Even if the entire Gyeongsangnam-do area turns into a field of ashes, it won't be the worst-case scenario.'
I wasn't the type of regressor who had blind faith in myself. That kind of self-assurance was a luxury for diamond-spoon regressors who saved the world in just their 2nd or 3rd loop.
Naturally, I had anticipated the possibility of my plan failing and evacuated as many residents as possible across all of Gyeongsangnam-do.
"The infrastructure will all be destroyed..."
But we could handle it. Besides, in this era, weren't the true infrastructure the Awakeners, not capital or materials?
As I swallowed the bitter taste rising in my mouth, the Saintess spoke in a voice even more urgent than before.
[...Undertaker. The starlight is spreading wider and wider.]
"Yes?"
I poked my head out and looked below.
Indeed, the starlight was vigorously objecting to the very concept of vertical free fall. True to anomalies that questioned the laws of physics whenever they got bored, it was anti-intellectual behavior.
[It's not just falling over Busan. It's expected to easily cover the entire Korean Peninsula.]
"No, what kind of insane bullshit is this."
The 42nd me muttered unconsciously, but strictly speaking, it was hard to call it bullshit.
As I described earlier, if left alone, the Meteor Shower would bomb the entire world over a full seven years. Hawaii, Ingria, China, France, and so on.
In other words... this guy wasn't a hot-blooded anomaly that poured out all its power from its debut. It was more like a sneaky power-hoarder. Similar to the World Tree Udumbara.
Having stabbed the belly of such a power-hoarder in one hit, the aftershocks of its long-hidden power inevitably spilled out one after another.
The conclusion was simple.
Even in death, the Meteor Shower could easily annihilate the Korean Peninsula with just its corpse fragments.
'What should we do?'
Countless thoughts crossed my mind.
'Abandon the peninsula?' 'The 700 Awakeners are intact. We can abandon base and go multi.' 'But what about the 900 non-combatants backing us up on the ground?' 'Die?' 'Dang Seo-rin is fine?' 'What about the Saintess?' 'After the Constellations' trust breaks, can the Awakener Federation maintain this unity?' 'Even after the last ethical safeguard is removed?' 'Field of ashes.'
The starlight fell slowly.
My judgment speed accelerated.
'Abandon this regression.' 'But acquire as much information as possible.' 'Will the Meteor Shower's corpses turn the ground into a field of ashes too? Will they simply fall and vanish silently? Or remain as eternal light sources?' 'Even in death, struggle until the end.'
[Undertaker.]
A voice echoed calmly in my head.
[Undertaker, give orders quickly.]
The Constellations' black curtain, awaiting my commands as the regressor to relay them to all Awakeners, was waiting for my decree.
I pulled out the radio.
"All forces, the battle isn't over!"
Eyes focused on me.
"Everyone, look below! The Meteor Shower's corpse has been torn into hundreds, thousands of pieces and is falling! Judgment: It persists in tangible form even after subjugation instead of dispersing!"
The Awakeners buzzed. They were all competent elites, but it would take 5 or 10 minutes for that buzz to coalesce into clear judgment and precise action.
A commander shortened that to tens of seconds.
"According to Constellation intel, the Meteor Shower turns the area to ashes upon ground contact! And per reports from the Saintess of National Salvation and ground observers, the corpses are falling across the entire Korean Peninsula!"
"What?"
"Shit..."
Curses erupted here and there. But at the same time, something wondrous happened.
The Awakeners' buzz quieted, and silence fell.
I knew this was the critical timing. Without any hesitation, I had to convey absolute confidence in the commander's data-based judgment.
'Saintess.'
I hadn't given her any prior instructions.
['Saintess of National Salvation' issues an emergency quest!]
But as if reacting to my innermost thoughts, she displayed a message before every Awakener's eyes right then.
――――――――――
[Meteor Fragments]
You have succeeded in subduing the continent-grade anomaly "Meteor Shower" for the first time in the world.
However, it's too early for celebration. The Meteor Shower's corpse is falling.
Stop the Meteor Carnival.
Good luck.
-Reward: Survival
-Failure: Annihilation of the Korean Peninsula
――――――――――
Perfect timing.
With no data and judgment lost in fog, the Awakeners had no choice but to accept the Constellation's testimony as fact.
I shouted.
"We stop it!"
The night sky rippled.
"There are still 900 non-combatants on the ground! As long as they're there, the peninsula isn't done! Here, we entrust the future to them and face death!"
All Awakeners looked at me. In their pupils, I saw a momentary blaze of black powder ignite.
"From Squad 1 to 12! All combatants, follow your squad leaders' orders! Do not allow even a single fragment of the anomaly's corpse to touch our land!"
[Yes!]
[Understood, Undertaker!]
The radio crackled with squad leaders' voices.
"Scramble! All forces, scramble! I'll lead!"
"Waaaaaaaaah!"
The conical formation of 700 combatants scattered in an instant. Like fighters launching from an aircraft carrier.
The difference was that we weren't ascending—we were descending.
"Aaaaaah—ah—aaaah——."
Dang Seo-rin, at the rear, didn't miss the timing either. Though unplanned, she responded swiftly.
7th Melody, Swiftness.
The brooms we rode accelerated in a flash. We quickly overtook the first-falling Meteor Shower corpses.
"Aaaaa——."
Dang Seo-rin's magic burned brightly, consuming her lifespan. Thus, she shouldn't normally go beyond the 4th Melody, not even the 6th in truly critical moments.
The 7th Melody. That was the boundary line into the land of death.
With the speed gained from her evaporating life, I charged into the line of fire.
"Urk!"
I swung my sword close to one torn-off Meteor Shower corpse. Even slicing away just one fragment wracked my body with agony.
Naturally. Aura or no aura, we'd squeezed out every last drop for that final strike just two minutes ago.
My remaining aura was depleted. My right hand, unable to withstand the output, had its skin peeled off, exposing raw muscle.
Continuing to fight when I needed hospitalization immediately was suicidal.
I barely scraped the bottom for aura to coat the blade, but part of it turned to ash upon contact with the corpse.
Yet I charged straight at the next corpse without rest.
I wasn't the only moth to the flame.
[Aaaaaaagh!]
[11 o'clock! 11 o'clock is covered by another squad! This bastard's spreading more! Destroy it before it disperses!]
[Squad 12, wiped out.]
"Die! Die, die! Die already!]
[Great Witch, thank you! Love you! Long live Three Thousand Worlds!]
[Squad 10, 2 o'clock cleared.]
I won't say all 700 staked their lives.
Some certainly stood back, pretended to fight, and saved themselves. Perhaps some even quickly decided to bolster their guild's position in the peninsula's ruins.
But at least my current pen existed to describe those who were different.
[3 o'clock cleared. Squad 10, routed. 6 survivors. Heading to 4 o'clock.]
[Squad 7, wiped out. But 11 o'clock cleared. Joining 10 o'clock now... Ah. Found one last corpse. Can't join.]
"I'll go first, Undertaker bro. I haven't forgotten what happened in Sejong. Always grateful.]
[Squad 4, wiped out.]
Stars fell.
Burning their last true essence, embracing the starlight debris, bodies scattering to ash.
And the night sky ended. The waves of darkness spread by the Meteor Shower grew fainter from the edges inward.
Amid countless ashes—thud, thud—the ownerless brooms sank silently.
[Undertaker.]
[Undertaker bro!]
[Undertaker—.]
Descent. Descent.
Endless falling petals.
How much time and noise had passed?
"Undertaker!"
Blink.
Opening my eyes, I was already plummeting. Deafening wind battered my ears.
Losing consciousness in this hellish battlefield wasn't strange at all, but this time had three peculiarities.
First, the world was upside down. High in the sky, I didn't realize immediately, but I was falling. No broom in sight. My cause of death this regression would likely be impact.
Second, Dang Seo-rin was right in front of me.
"Right in front" didn't suffice. Her precious pointed hat gone, she too was falling from the sky like me.
And at some point, she was holding me.
"Dang Seo-rin?"
I forced my lips open. Blood, lead, iron, and ash mingled in my mouth.
Along with a vivid conviction that this was reality, everything felt like a dream for some reason. Like a somnambulist uncertain if they wanted the dream to continue.
"What's the battle situation now..."
Dang Seo-rin smiled brightly. We were plummeting, death awaiting at the end.
Was it a dream after all?
Dang Seo-rin's smile drew closer. Closer still.
Soon, her smile felt not visual, but as an outline.
That was the third peculiarity.
"I—love humans!"
Her blood-, sweat-, and ash-smeared face smiled brightly once more.
"You, what did you just..."
"I hate people. They're annoying. Truth is, I can't stand crowded places. Humans fawning over me make me sick."
Flutter—
Wind repeatedly lashed our skin. Squeeze. Against the sky's current, she hugged my waist tighter.
"I hate this, hate that. Hated it before the world ended, hated it after. But, humans... are amazing!"
"......"
"No one will remember, yeah. No records left. But we just saved the world! Right, Undertaker?"
"......"
"And—don't hate people too much."
"......"
Wind.
"I'm not the type to ask that. Ah—should've asked. Why you always make that face. What you did before. Why you like café au lait. Why your eyes are sad. Should've asked a ton, could've."
Waves.
"Do you hate me? Undertaker?"
"No."
Instant reply.
"Not at all. Absolutely not."
"Yeah."
Smile.
My dream. My illness. The reason for my somnambulism, the life I resolved to dream.
"I knew. So, as much as you like me. Just that much more—love humans a little."
And.
Sunset.
The night sky faded.
Sunset spread.
When the Meteor Shower unfurled the night sky, the original world was still in twilight. Our battle had unfolded from one sunset's start to end.
Thus, as the Meteor Shower fell and we descended, the world still basked in full sunset.
"Ah."
Not sunset swallowed by night sky.
Sunset pushing back the night sky.
The one-and-only reverse sunset possible on this earth, this planet.
"Ah......"
Crimson stretching to the eternal horizon.
"Truly, truly—a beautiful sky—."
10
Let the aftermath end here.
From the 43rd regression, we didn't overlook countermeasures for the corpses, so the 700 Awakeners safely returned to the ground.
There was much more to say about the Meteor Shower: speculations on its origins, experiments on capturing and using the starlight.
Yet this episode must end here.
Because that day's sunset was excessively red, and humans are beings forever flying toward the horizon where sunsets fall.
Boss Battle.
Anomaly: Meteor Shower.
Alias: Meteor Strike, Armageddon, Needless Worry, Nuclear Launch, Milky Way
Threat Level: Lv.3 Continent-grade
Patterns: Phase 1 Appearance, Phase 2 Fall, Phase 3 Wide-area Sleep, Phase 4 Collision.
Casualties: Unestimable. Missing: Unestimable.
World-End Records: Multiple.
Subjugation Complete.
- Somnambulist. End.