Chapter 358: O-Rank Combat Record - 『The Ember Beyond』 (2)
Chapter 358: O-Rank Combat Record - 『The Ember Beyond』 (2)
“This is the Management Bureau’s first record regarding the Phoenix. After the incident, a few individuals who chose not to undergo Memory Erasure investigated the records. They discovered that the Anomalous Entity known as the Phoenix had existed even before the incident, but at this point, that is a lost memory of humanity that can no longer be cross-referenced.”
“Ah, are you questioning why it wasn't an entity that controlled fire and earth? I see. Since I didn't know how many times you’ve had your memory erased, I failed to mention that beforehand. That... was a lie to conceal the true nature of the Phoenix.”
“Indeed. The Phoenix, as its name suggests, was an entity that governed life and death. Saying it stimulated every volcano on Earth was a metaphor. A metaphor for awakening the dormant terror residing deep within the human abyss.”
“It was a cover-up for the fact that something that should have remained asleep in the place beyond was awakened. A fictional truth, created so that no one would ever wake the Phoenix again.”
“However, it is true that it turned the world into a sea of fire. Life and death. Destruction and regeneration. People share the common concept of fire when it comes to those principles.”
“You seem to have another question. Lee Ha-ram. Are you wondering why he didn't receive Memory Erasure?”
“Yes. He is one of the very few Heroes who possesses truthful information about the Phoenix and did not have his memory wiped. Since he was the only Hero among those few with the Command Authority to handle classified information, most of the data on the Phoenix was gathered and organized by the team he led.”
“Those who belonged to that team, those who chose noble sacrifice, eventually saw the red fire in the place beyond, and many of them took their own lives. Yes, just like this.”
“I... will not cross over.”
“She couldn't endure it and joined me. She gave up on eternal rest.”
“Is it strange? That the being known as Lee Ha-ram did not choose Memory Erasure? That he remained even after seeing a twisted death and looking into the 'beyond' that other perfected Heroes had given up on? He is a more resilient being than you think. Though he is a bit twisted now.”
“It seems hard to accept from the perspective of one who has watched him since the days before he was perfected. Children grow. And he was tempered by the cold-blooded malice of people and the burning madness of the Awakened. You all are the ones who made him.”
“You’re sweating. Wipe it off. Are you nervous? About realizing what happened after this.”
“If you were afraid of that, you shouldn't have told others so much. To utter words that would later reveal an anomaly... it’s unlike you. Regardless, it’s just a small crack. The probability of it going unnoticed is higher.”
“This is the act of piling lies upon lies to cover a lie. Lies give birth to new lies, and the crack will only grow. It would be for everyone's benefit to leave a small crack as it is.”
“I see. If you wish to turn a lie into the truth, I shall say no more. That, too, is your choice.”
“Then, I shall skip ahead. It would take far too long to tell the entire story of the Phoenix’s existence.”
“This is a story from when more than half a year had passed—the year that was erased from human history after the collapse of society.”
“Yes. At this point, there were even fewer people left with intact memories of the incident. Therefore, this narrator is also….”
* * *
“God, this world is a piece of shit.”
I was lying on a ledge of a building somewhere in America. Feeling the biting cold wind, I broke my self-imposed smoking ban and put a cigarette in my mouth.
As for why I’d quit—well, for one, it had been a long time since my body stopped reacting to things like tobacco. There was no point in smoking when there were no stimulant or sedative effects left.
Also, since the establishment of the Management Bureau, I’d spent a lot of time crawling through the shadows, and I realized that the smell of smoke or the time spent smoking was extremely conspicuous.
But in a fucked-up situation like this, I just wanted to blow smoke out of my mouth without thinking about anything.
“Seriously, what a total piece of shit.”
I channeled my rage toward the entity that had destroyed the world into the smoke and exhaled.
After one puff, I crushed the cigarette—which had barely burned at the tip—against the building wall.
I tossed it toward the ground without even checking if an ember remained inside.
Thoughts of littering or fire hazards—things a Hero shouldn't do—crossed my mind, but who cares?
It’s not like there’s anyone left to complain about it anyway.
“…Damn, I never thought humanity would fall like this.”
The sight unfolding before my eyes.
To put it simply, it was a vision of hell.
The city itself remained intact.
Red flames were rising here and there, but they weren't large enough to significantly affect the city.
However, the city didn't emit the countless noises that usually accompany its vastness; it merely held silence within itself.
How did it come to this?
It had only been a little over half a year since I reported the entity responsible for this phenomenon to the Bureau.
Humanity, which had somehow endured for over fifteen years, was wiped out in just six months.
Yes, the world was ruined.
Awakened, Heroes, civilians, high-ranking officials—everyone was snatched away by that crazy Phoenix.
Since there was no one left to even conduct a census, I didn't know exactly how many people had perished, but I guessed more than 99% had been ground away.
Due to the nature of the Phoenix, it was a bit odd to say they were 'dead.'
But since no way had been found to bring back people in that state, they were essentially non-existent.
Others seemed to move forward, believing there was a way to bring them back, but…
“I have to consider the worst-case scenario.”
After muttering to myself, I brushed off any potential ash from my clothes, jumped between the ledges, and climbed through a broken window back into the building.
In the middle of a tall skyscraper.
This was a place where those unpolluted by the flames gathered to avoid the followers of the Phoenix.
Whether they were Heroes, Awakened-haters, Regressionists, civilians, or high-ranking officials.
Each held whatever weapon they could use, hardening their will to resist the whispers of the Phoenix echoing from beyond.
Someone was chanting the tenets of their religion.
Someone was staring at a photograph, muttering to themselves.
Someone was continuing an act of penance.
And someone was muttering while looking at a wide world map covered in X’s.
“Calavera. How’s it looking?”
I spoke to the one intently studying the map.
“…Did you go for a smoke?”
He asked, lifting a face that looked exhausted despite being heavily painted in white.
“How’d you know?”
Is it that obvious?
Just in case, I lifted various parts of my body and sniffed.
I could only smell enough to think, ‘They shouldn't be able to tell at this level.’
“The smell of cigarettes is stronger than you imagine. Stop doing things that could get us caught by the followers.”
Yeah, sorry.
I only smoked because I was so anxious.
I wanted to say that, but it was just an excuse.
I threw the rest of my cigarettes, metal case and all, into a corner and continued.
“So, any new info?”
“We’ve lost contact with the branches in East Asia, including Korea and Japan. It seems that region has finally fallen as well.”
…God damn it.
Geopolitically, I thought they might hold out for a bit, but they collapsed too.
I could understand Korea, since it’s connected to the mainland, but seeing as the island nation of Japan was trashed as well, it really felt like there was nowhere safe left.
“What about the UK?”
“Ireland is still holding, but a report just came in that London was attacked a moment ago. They say its fall is only a matter of time.”
Crazy. Just how insane are those Phoenix follower bastards?
Then we have to assume the entire Eurasian continent is effectively gone.
Is North America all that’s left?
The parts of the US bordering the Atlantic have already been hit, so only the Pacific side—where we are—is still standing.
“Where’s Meteor?”
“He said he was going to check the outskirts for a moment. To look for survivors…”
In the midst of this bleak situation, while we were discussing the current status.
“My daughter, my daughter…. Anna….”
A chilling, cold voice echoed through the area.
In a space where only discussions of future actions and the sound of prayers resonated.
That scream pierced everyone’s ears.
All eyes turned toward the man.
And everyone prepared.
For what was about to happen.
“Anna is…. Yes. She’s alive. She didn't die. Beyond. In the beyond….”
Heat began to seep into his voice.
A sign that a follower was about to be born.
However, no one moved yet.
At that stage, there was still a chance he could come back. If he could pull his will together at the last moment.
The people gathered here, regardless of who they were, had come together for the sake of humanity.
Therefore, they could wait for his return until the very last second.
“Ah…. Anna. Yes, you’re burning. Not dying, but in the flame of life…. Red… ah….”
He had crossed the distant line.
His voice began to carry heat.
Fwoosh.
Fire began to spread from within his body.
The cursed, immortal flame that kept him from dying.
The blood-red flame of life.
“Shit.”
He finally crossed over.
A new follower of the Phoenix had been born in this very place.
One who had succumbed to the Phoenix, who offers immortality from beyond death.
At this point, the people left here were mostly mental cases who didn't care about their own deaths, so the occurrence rate was low.
But he had ultimately knelt before the death of another, before the despair of death.
Because we had seen the ends of countless tempted souls whose lives were tethered to corpses scattered across the world.
Even though we knew all too well the horror of immortality without regeneration.
They were simply beings who had surrendered to the fear of death.
I immediately leaped toward him.
To grant him rest.
Before he could do anything.
Before he could turn into a mad arsonist who exhales the embers within him to consume those around him.
Before I, having leaped, could bring my hammer down on his head.
I saw his face.
A distorted face stained with tears.
A face rejoicing in having transcended death.
From his eyes, transparent liquid and red flames erupted.
I’m sorry.
Now, you will suffer the agony of a corpse that never dies.
But I suppose that was your choice.
Thus, at the moment I was about to bring The Hammer down for our safety.
Bang.
The sound of gunpowder echoed.
Thud.
Before my eyes, the new follower collapsed.
Splattering a bit of blood.
“....”
I quietly lowered my weapon and looked at the fallen man.
The man with a hole in his head was moving his body slightly, but he made no move to stand up.
He just twitched and moved his limbs in place.
As if a dead man, even if alive, could exert no influence.
He just rolled around on the spot, splattering blood.
The blood that flowed out still held red flames.
But as his life faded, the flames gradually grew smaller.
By the time the heat of the flames he emitted became as cold as the blood that had flowed out of his body, he stopped emitting fire.
Now, all that remained in this spot was a single corpse with a hole in its head.
And a single human who would continue an eternal life within that corpse.
The Phoenix’s flame is a definite return to life and guarantees eternal immortality.
This was something Calavera, who could see souls, had guaranteed, and other necromancers agreed.
However, that flame only guarantees immortality; it doesn't care about the body’s regeneration.
Even after death, life continues.
Trapped in the eternal, inescapable prison of a cadaver, uttering only pain.
Someone with a spare hand quickly approached and dragged away the man who had received that life sentence.
To a freezer somewhere.
At least to a place where he wouldn't experience the pain of rotting.
Though it didn't really matter if he was left alone as long as he didn't rot, since he couldn't exert any influence on the outside world.
‘…Anna…. Anna….’
‘Guehhhh….’
Sounds like that weren't good for one’s mental health.
After that one instance of corruption was dealt with.
I looked at the person who had fired the shot and spoke.
“…I could have handled it.”
“I thought the pain of being shot might be less than the pain of having one’s head crushed,” Meteor replied.
“…Wouldn't we only know that if we experienced it?”
“I’ve experienced it, so I suppose I’m qualified to speak. The gun hurts a little less.”
…That’s a joke that isn't even funny, Meteor.
Once you’ve crossed the threshold of death anyway, there’s no reason to care about such things.