Chapter 139: The Sky Opens Again
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 139: The Sky Opens Again
The Abyss vanished, and the earth was overturned. That day, the land found its floor, and the sky shone down into the depths of the Abyss.
The evening sky, as the sun set, was closer to darkness than light, but all things in the world are relative.
Compared to the endless blackness of the Abyss, it was no different from a lamp, and those who had been inside felt they had reclaimed the sky.
Shei, who had lifted the ceiling with a single Jizan, collapsed from exhaustion and fell backward. Her Stepping Cloud, its power spent, vanished, and her body tumbled down.
Tyrkanzyaka caught her with darkness. Seeing Shei twitching weakly, she asked urgently.
“Where's Hu?”
Shei felt a little hurt. She had pushed up the very earth, yet no one seemed to care.
Still, she was just as curious about him, so she grunted and managed to answer.
“…We have to find him. That guy… he wouldn't have died…”
But she was in too poor a state to do anything. Shei tried to lift her upper body, only to flop back down. When she tried to speak, only a faint, broken moan escaped her lips.
Finally noticing Shei's condition, Tyrkanzyaka seemed a little sorry. She carefully placed her on Ralion's back and said,
“You must be exhausted. Shei, you rest for a while. I'll go look for him…”
Just then, Rasch and Callis, who had been holding their breath for fear of the ceiling collapsing, approached now that it was safe. Tyrkanzyaka asked them urgently.
“You've come at a good time. Have you seen where Hu went?”
Rasch answered.
“The Teacher? Didn't he go up ahead?”
“Up ahead? The sky was blocked by the earth… I don't quite understand what you're saying. In any case, how could Hu have gone up?”
“How should I know! But when he made eye contact with me, he gestured that he'd go on up ahead!”
“He gestured?”
Tyrkanzyaka raised her head and looked up out of the Abyss.
The Abyss, with its ceiling gone—no, the pit that was no longer the Abyss—was still quite deep even after regaining the sky. Even from the peak of the Corpse Mountain, one would need a near-flight-level ascent to reach the surface.
As Tyrkanzyaka remained half-convinced, Rasch's voice added.
“That's right! He disappeared after that, so I couldn't see how he went up, but the Teacher must have had a way, right? He could have clung to the ceiling and climbed up like the beast missies!”
Just then, Azzy's cry was heard from the surface, followed by Nabi's. The two beasts were howling with joy at reaching the surface for the first time in a long while.
Those two had been on the opposite side of the Abyss, yet they had remained stuck to the ceiling, reaching the surface by holding on as it flew upwards.
Of course, that was only possible because they were Beast Kings.
“If it's Hu… nothing he does is surprising. He might have climbed up hanging from a single thread.”
“Wouldn't he? Otherwise, you're saying he's here but not showing himself? Even if the Teacher likes to play pranks, surely not.”
Still, she couldn't quite picture him flying through the sky, and Tyrkanzyaka kept tilting her head in confusion.
“No. Hu might be behind the mountain. I'll go there and look.”
“Well, while you're at it, ask the Earth Sage. Wouldn't she know better?”
Rasch said, pointing to the summit of the Corpse Mountain. The Earth Sage was kneeling there before the Grand Master, her posture deeply reverent as if to pay the respects she couldn't earlier.
The sight of her missing arm was even pitiable, but that was of little concern to Tyrkanzyaka.
To dare oppose the Progenitor and get away with only losing an arm was practically an act of mercy.
“I'll see.”
Tyrkanzyaka promptly headed that way.
Though the earth had just been overturned and the Abyss freed from its long confinement, it seemed to have nothing to do with the Earth Sage. With her head and shoulders covered in concrete debris, she struggled to set up a cup with one hand and tilt a bottle.
Tyrkanzyaka approached her side.
First, Tyrkanzyaka checked the other side of the Corpse Mountain. Not even his shadow was visible behind it. After a brief look around, Tyrkanzyaka turned to the Earth Sage.
“Look here. Do you know where Hu went?”
The Earth Sage replied without even turning her head.
“Why do you ask this humble one of his whereabouts?”
“Were you not the last to see him? Just answer my question.”
“Until a moment ago, we were fighting.”
“The victor and vanquished were clearly decided. The loser must obey the winner's will. You should answer more faithfully.”
“…Heh heh. What a farce…”
Letting out a short, dry laugh, the Earth Sage struggled to put down her cup and pointed a finger upward.
“…He went up.”
“How?”
“There was a rope. He drove it into Tantalus, and when the ceiling flipped, he grabbed it and went up.”
“Is that true?”
“What reason would this humble one have to lie?”
Having said her piece, the Earth Sage calmly poured another drink. Seeing her detached demeanor, as if she had let go of everything, Tyrkanzyaka didn't press further and muttered to herself.
“Where could he have gone without a word?”
“If he left without a word, has he not departed?”
“Departed?”
“If he stayed here, he would be pursued by the Military State. To avoid that.”
Just then.
The surroundings grew noisy. At the same time, familiar circles of light shone from all directions. The murmuring voices of confused people drew closer.
“The ground! The ground has risen!”
“An earthquake…!”
“Corpses everywhere…!”
“All sorts of junk is falling from the sky! Major, we have to evacuate!”
“Calm down!”
The murmuring subsided at the angry voice. Among the chaos, one particularly prominent voice rang out.
“When an unusual situation occurs, we hold our position and send a minimum number of personnel to report! Is that not the ironclad rule of our search party!”
“Sir!”
“If you understand, then hold your positions! We must prevent those demon-like bastards from coming out of the Abyss again!”
At the commander's voice, footsteps scattered in perfect order. Soon, they appeared all at once around the rim of the Abyss. The sight of human silhouettes bobbing against the circular slice of sky was quite intimidating.
“Tch, I can't see inside! Bring the searchlights!”
The soldiers couldn't pierce the gloom of the dark pit. Just as they were looking for the searchlights.
“Oh! Soldiers!”
“…Tch. Rasch, I'm going to hide for a moment.”
“Huh? Ah, right! You said you had to hide!”
While Callis hid herself, Tyrkanzyaka surveyed her surroundings.
Shei was wheezing with exhaustion; the Beast Kings were already outside and unlikely to interfere in a human fight; and the Undying one, while he couldn't die, wasn't much help.
I need to find Hu.
But he wasn't in the Abyss. He must have gone outside.
It could be troublesome if he was discovered by the Military State, so maybe he hid himself first. Like Callis.
In that case, he must be hiding somewhere nearby. Then, my job is…
To break a path through.
Taking a deep breath, Tyrkanzyaka created stairs out of darkness and trudged up them.
Just then, a round searchlight beam moved to illuminate her. Right before the light touched her, Tyrkanzyaka frowned, pressed the tip of her finger, and flicked it.
Clang, clang.
The moment the circular light approached her, the lamps shattered in unison. The soldiers operating the searchlights fell backward.
The commander shouted.
“Something! Something's approaching! Everyone, firing positions!”
And so, cloaked in darkness, Tyrkanzyaka walked up to the surface and was met by a military force numbering nearly three hundred.
They had dozens of vehicles and all sorts of equipment, and they stood in a standoff with Tyrkanzyaka.
A beautiful girl with long silver hair and crimson eyes, emerging from the Abyss. For a moment, all the soldiers of the Military State were stunned, but only for a moment.
They felt an instinctual fear toward this bizarrely beautiful being that had risen from the endless depths and gripped their weapons.
And Tyrkanzyaka, too, was inwardly tense.
What kind of weapons they had, what their skills were like—she knew nothing.
In the past, when she had no fear of death, she would have simply repelled them first. But now, her heart was beating, and there were people behind her who hadn't escaped. She had something to lose.
Should I try to talk first?
The Progenitor, who knew no compromise, took a step forward, feeling the fear of loss—however slight—after gaining a heart.
Of course, Tyrkanzyaka's tension was nothing compared to the soldiers'.
“Signaller! Report the situation! Signaller!! Dammit, communications have been down since the ground flipped…!”
The commander, who had been shouting while holding a golem that had collapsed like a kite with a snapped string, threw it aside and gritted his teeth.
“Colonel! What do we do?”
“What do you mean, what do we do! We handle it by the book!”
Saying that rules existed for times like this, the commander snatched a megaphone and shouted at the top of his lungs.
“We are an army! No matter how strong the enemy is, a single individual cannot defeat an army!”
A shout meant to boost morale.
Hearing that shout, Tyrkanzyaka grew even more tense.
The armies she knew were of two types. One was a rabble of an army, its numbers padded out by handing weapons to ordinary farmers, meant only to wear down the enemy.
The other was an army like a well-honed blade, made to wage war, with every single member an elite.
Naturally, Tyrkanzyaka imagined the latter. Having only recently awoken, the impression of those who had entered Tantalus was still strong in her mind.
The Earth Sage, the lieutenant general, the colonel. Beings who had reached a certain level of strength. Seeing only them, she had forgotten just how weak the weak could be.
It was the trap of averages.
“Let's talk.”
Rarely, the Progenitor who had once painted the world in fear took a humble stance, completely different from the attitude shown by the historical Progenitor Tyrkanzyaka.
Unfortunately, however, this served only to instill useless confidence in the momentarily terrified unit.
Naturally, this misfortune belonged to the military unit.
The commander shouted triumphantly.
“Surrender, trainee! Return to where you came from and await your punishment!”
“Don't be ridiculous…”
“Follow the order! If you don't, we will open fire!”
Rat-a-tat.
A warning shot landed at Tyrkanzyaka's feet. An attack filled with sufficient threat, it naturally caused her expression to darken.
“…You seem confident. Against me…”
Seeing the weapons she'd never seen before, the countless gun barrels surrounding her, and the soldiers of the Military State all dressed in the same uniform.
She got serious.
“In that case, I'll use my full power from the start.”
It was now night, after sunset. The shadow-filled earth is a vampire's domain. Her red eyes took in the darkness and unleashed her power.
From all directions, dark knights rose. The shadows were their base and their supply line. Their numbers were nearly a thousand.
With the tide of battle suddenly reversed, the soldiers panicked. The commander, his face pale with terror, pointed a finger.
“Fire! Fire!”
Dududududu.
Following the order, a barrage of fire erupted. A rain of bullets tore at the dark knights.
But the dark knights, risen from darkness, either endured the bullets or let them pass through and advanced. The bullets were too small to clear away the darkness.
The bullets, which would have been somewhat effective against humans, were weaker than a farmer's flail against the dark knights.
“Th-they're not going down!”
“The enemy numbers are increasing!”
The commander shouted urgently.
“Ah, I get it! This is a hallucination. They're not real! Everyone, hold your positions! Don't waste your bullets…!”
Just then, an approaching dark knight pounced on a soldier. The soldier screamed and rolled on the ground.
The commander quickly reversed his order.
“Everyone, group up! Back to back and tighten the firing line! And equipment! Hurry up and get the lights on them!”
The soldiers cursed their commander as they followed his orders.