Chapter 63: O-Rank Combat Record 『Cyber Emperor Colossus』 (Part 1)
Chapter 63: O-Rank Combat Record 『Cyber Emperor Colossus』 (Part 1)
It happened suddenly, without warning.
Every communication network on Earth went silent; every electronic device ceased to function.
At first, it was just a bit of noise. Experts dismissed it as a minor discrepancy caused by the strengthening of Otherworldly Powers.
Then, the networks died.
Rumors spread that the laws of physics themselves had shifted as every device connected to a network shut down.
Even then, people didn't think it was that serious.
Society could still function, they thought, even if communications were broken.
And then, the world collapsed.
Whether it was a closed network or an open one, almost every electronic device stopped working.
The only things that moved were simple electrical circuits.
At most, vacuum tubes functioned.
Anything more complex than that was dead.
Then came the Public Enemy Designation.
Only then did the world realize.
This was the work of an Otherworldly entity.
『Cyber Emperor Colossus』
That was the name of the monster that rose from the Pacific.
* * *
"They only crawl to the Awakened at times like this. Scum."
The friend beside me grumbled, clutching his hammer.
He has a foul mouth, but he’s a decent guy at heart. Unlike other Awakened who used the broken trackers as an excuse to flee the fight, he was heading to face Colossus of his own volition.
His sense of justice is different from mine; I’m only here because I’m the "Enemy" of the Story and have no choice but to fight.
Of course, Lee Ha-ram wasn't the only one.
The Heavenly Demon Sword God, the Thunder God—Heroes of that caliber were on this ship.
Awakened from other continents were likely scrambling to mobilize as well. This had already become a global crisis.
"Don't be so harsh, Lee Ha-ram. They're desperate too," our squad's Blue, Park Hyun-seok, said, chiding him.
"Why? Did I say something wrong? You saw it too. Those bastards from the ministry literally got on their knees and put on a show, begging us to save them."
He raised his voice, venting his anger regardless of whether the soldiers nearby heard him.
"If they acted like that normally, there’d be twice as many Awakened on this ship. Vermin, the lot of them, only coming around when their own asses are on the line."
"Society changes slowly, piece by piece. We just happen to be caught in the middle, enduring this indignity."
"Must be nice, Blue. Being able to think so positively."
Lee Ha-ram seemed to calm down slightly after venting. He threw himself back into his chair and stared at the ceiling.
Despite his tone, no one disagreed with him.
Everyone was likely thinking the same thing. Lee Ha-ram was just the only one giving voice to it.
It was always the same.
Whether the Awakened were being attacked or criticized, he was always the first to grab his hammer and jump into the fray to cause a scene.
He claimed that since his transformed appearance was different from his usual self, he’d never be caught.
In truth, it was likely his own way of being considerate—taking the burden off others.
Even after his true identity was exposed and he faced countless sanctions, he never stopped.
Thanks to that, he was well-liked among the Awakened and lower-ranking soldiers, though no other Awakened appeared on the news as often as he did.
Aside from that minor disturbance, the Scrap Metal ship surged forward through the waves in heavy silence.
* * *
Boom!
In the middle of the night, while everyone was asleep, a massive explosion jolted us awake.
"Everyone, up! Enemy attack!"
I wasn't the only one who heard the roar. Everyone scrambled to their feet, staring at the gaping hole in the ceiling.
In the center of that hole stood a small Awakened, swinging a hammer while dodging falling metal.
It was Lee Ha-ram who had woken everyone up, clutching his rugged Golden Hammer.
"Don't just stand there dazed! Abandon ship and run! The next attack is coming! Move!"
The next attack? What did he mean?
And what was that hole?
I realized what was happening in the very next moment.
A massive shell was falling.
A 16-inch main gun shell—something rarely used in this era.
It was a relic from a past world war, rusted into a grotesque color and encrusted with sickening barnacles, plummeting toward the ship.
"What about the ship?!"
Yellow screamed at the Awakened who were trying to escape.
The others seemed to realize it too, stopping their flight to look around.
Right—there were soldiers on this ship.
"They're already dead. Run."
It was Blue, appearing suddenly.
"...Dead?"
"The ship has already fallen under Colossus’s control. I just checked with Green."
...I see.
At those words, the Awakened began smashing through the walls to break out of the ship's interior.
While the Magical Girl remained alone on the deck, swinging her hammer to intercept the pouring bombardment.
"Sav—"
"Run—"
The words were buried under the endless succession of explosions.
We couldn't even hear each other anymore.
Even as we escaped, people were being swept away by the shells, dying one by one.
Lee Ha-ram was doing his best to block the incoming fire, but even he seemed to be reaching his limit in protecting the ship.
Leaving behind numerous casualties, we escaped the ship, only to be met by...
"A ghost fleet?"
"..."
"I sense a great negation."
Countless steel vessels were rising from The Sea.
Sunken ships covered in barnacles and coral, stained with brown rust.
Spewing stagnant seawater from holes riddled throughout their hulls, these relics of a bygone era stood upon the waves once more.
The steel warships that had been submerged deep beneath the ocean were resurrected by Colossus’s guidance, forming a battle formation.
"Is that the one?"
A bronze-colored figure stood in the center of the circular formation.
It was a humanoid enemy with a smooth, featureless head, yet it possessed distinct eyes, a nose, and a mouth.
Countless circuits were etched into its bronze skin, glowing with a blue light as it turned its head toward us.
"48 65 612 612 615 212 20 77 615 72 612 64!"
A rapid stream of numbers flowed out, mixed with a toneless, metallic sound.
It was an incomprehensible language. Not surprising, since it wasn't human to begin with.
"1114128 113147 1271215 11121112 1115144?"
"What the hell is he saying?"
Lee Ha-ram drifted over to us on a Rubber Boat he’d scavenged from somewhere.
His clothes were scorched in places and his skin was smudged with soot from the explosions, but he didn't seem to have any major injuries.
"The ship?"
"Sunk. Obviously."
He spoke curtly, glaring at The Enemy.
"Looks like we have to fight now."
"Now?"
"That thing is constantly salvaging ships, and they're freakishly strong. If we leave it be, it'll get completely out of hand."
Following his gaze, I saw massive vessels still rising from the depths. If we waited any longer, we truly wouldn't be able to break through that wall of steel.
But...
"Not all the Awakened have gathered yet. And military support hasn't arrived."
We might lose. Shouldn't we wait and see?
"The military commander died earlier. And we don't know when the other Awakened will arrive. That's what Lee Ha-ram is trying to say."
Park Hyun-seok, clad in his blue suit, walked up beside me to back him up.
"Or, the Awakened from other nations might have been wiped out by the bombardment just like our ship was. If that's the case, we're essentially the only force left."
A crushing weight settled on my shoulders.
The number of people who had survived and were now floating on The Sea, staring at Colossus’s fleet...
It was fewer than thirty.
This was humanity's last hope?
"But as you said, reinforcements might come. The choice is yours, Red. I'll respect the leader's judgment."
The other Awakened nodded at his words. Lee Ha-ram clicked his tongue and lay down in the Rubber Boat, though he didn't seem intent on charging in alone.
It was as if they were all waiting for my decision.
The Enemy of our five-member squad's Story.
They were leaving the judgment regarding that thing to me.
Leader.
I had never liked that title in my heart.
Why was someone as weak and indecisive as me chosen to be Red?
The red suit hid my face.
Because I didn't have to show my distorted expression to others, I could hide my face and give orders.
And that performance had finally led me here.
A choice that carried the weight of all humanity.
Should I wait for reinforcements that might never come while watching Colossus grow stronger?
Or should I assume there are no reinforcements and push the wounded Awakened into a death trap?
It was a choice so heavy I could hardly bear it.
My face contorted.
My gaze drifted to Lee Ha-ram, who was lying there nonchalantly.
Ha-ram. I was always envious of you.
Envious of how you could move forward without agonizing over your choices.
He was the one advocating for us to charge in alone.
Even standing at death's door, he insisted on moving forward.
I felt that if I were with him, we could somehow win.
His choice must be the right one.
"Let's go."
We are humanity's last defenders.
* * *
"Damn it! These aren't just normal shells!"
"Don't try to parry them! Deflect them! These things are crazy enough to withstand my hammer!"
With the uninjured Awakened in the lead, we began our breakthrough toward Colossus.
"Kickloop is down! Send the next one in!"
They threw their entire bodies into blocking the shells, doing everything they could to get us in front of Colossus.
Because this was our Story, they wanted to send us—the ones who could fight Colossus most effectively—forward in pristine condition.
"Heavenly Demon Sword God is down! Thunder God, you're up!"
"It's tough over here too!"
And at the very front was Lee Ha-ram, the one with the strongest physical body.
While others were being rotated out, the Magical Girl stayed at the vanguard, launching the ships blocking our path into the air and slamming her bare body into incoming shells.
"53 74 615 70."
"What the hell are you saying, you bastarrrrrd!"
The one once called an F-Rank Awakened was now carving a path to victory.
He, who reached the top through sheer effort. He, who always stood at the front lines of humanity.
Was this okay?
Shouldn't we go forward and support him?
If he failed to break through because he was protecting us, it would all be for nothing.
It would be better to preserve the strength of those stronger than us—the Heavenly Demon Sword God, the Thunder God, Lee Ha-ram—and let us...
"Red! Look out!"
A moment's distraction.
While I had looked away, a fighter jet had apparently been diving toward us.
A fighter jet.
It really was using everything.
Despite its broken wings, the jet flew through the sky as if it were natural.
The gun mounted on it aimed right at me.
The muzzle flashed brightly, and time began to slow down.
I'm going to die.
Because of my mistake, everything was going to end. The squad's giant robot, the ultimate techniques—they all required me, the leader.
Because I was weak.
In the midst of that agony, a green shadow crossed my vision.
Splat.
Squelch.
Blood and flesh splattered across my visor, and I survived.
"Green! Wake up!"
"It's okay... I'm not dead..."
Instead, I saw Green in front of me, one of her arms blown away.
It was my fault.
"Don't stop! Support her and run!"
Lee Ha-ram’s voice rang out again.
While I stood paralyzed, people began to run again, following his command.
Blue and I took Green's weight on our shoulders and started running.
Countless shells fell behind us.
My shoulder, where I supported Green, began to feel damp.
My red suit was being stained a deeper crimson with blood.
"I'm... sorry..."
If only I had kept my head straight.
"Don't worry about it. I can die... but you can't... That's all..."
Green replied in a fading voice.
From a tactical standpoint, she might be right.
If I died, most of our techniques would be unusable. If Green died, our destructive power would just be weakened; they could still be used.
"..."
"Just get me to the robot... until the end... I'm going with you..."
"...Right."
I finally came to my senses.
The burden on my shoulders wasn't mine to carry alone.
It might be piled a little higher on me, but we were carrying it together.
And the people standing here had stayed behind to help carry it.
Even if everyone else fled, even if the weight on our shoulders caused us agony, they were people who could not set the burden down.
"Old Man!"
"I know!"
The Heavenly Demon Sword God and Lee Ha-ram charged forward.
To break through the final wall.
A massive battleship blocked our path at an impossible speed, its giant main guns shaking off barnacles as they aimed at us.
Boom!
A massive Golden Hammer rose from beneath The Sea.
The impact sent a colossal pillar of water into the sky, scattering all the surrounding ships.
Slash.
The Heavenly Demon Sword God's blade struck.
The ship that had risen with the water pillar was sliced clean through.
The towering pillar of water was split in half.
The path was open.
Splash. Splash.
The battleship, cut in two, belatedly fell back into The Sea.
"Go!"
At Lee Ha-ram’s roar, the Awakened quickly scattered.
They moved to ensure the other ships wouldn't interfere with the battle between us and Colossus.
The transformed Hero whose arm had been blown off.
The Thunder God, gasping for breath as her electricity ran dry.
The esper whose eyes and nose bled from pushing past his limits.
The Martial Artist who had exhausted his internal energy and could barely perform the water-walking technique.
They all gritted their teeth and scattered.
So that we could have a one-on-one showdown with Colossus.
Toward the battlefield they had prepared, I, Blue, Yellow, Green, and Black ran.
To see The End of the Story.
To save the world.
"57 68 79?"
Colossus, who had been floating quietly on The Sea, turned its face toward us.
Still spouting its incomprehensible nonsense.
We drew our weapons.
The Red Flame Sword.
The Blue Cooling Unit.
The Shining Electric Field Cannon.
The Pure Decomposition Field Shield.
The Dark Gravity Projector.
With our respective weapons in hand, we lunged toward Colossus.