Chapter 300
Chapter 300
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 300
Chapter Title: S5. Stellar City Stellaria ~The Dawning Light Rises Again~ -3
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Boom—!!
A single punch crashing down from above slammed the Great Kaiju into the ground.
The output was on another level. The Meteor, forged by harnessing the full might of humanity's prosperous modern civilization, wielded truly overwhelming power.
The Great Kaiju writhed on the ground, sprawled out flat.
Despite the visible damage, the internal pilot's reaction was markedly different. Kim Yunseo harbored a hint of wariness and concern.
"It's tougher than before?!"
The outer shell was harder than the recorded Great Kaiju. In theory, that single strike should have pushed it into Phase 2. But the beast had endured.
Gordius formed a hypothesis.
"It's preserving the power meant for shattering the world and igniting a nuclear war. So it's got higher specs than any Great Kaiju I've faced... but!"
Boom!!
Then just keep pounding until it does go down. The current Meteor Unit 3 was dozens of times stronger than anticipated, far outpacing the beast's unexpected resilience!
────!!
Kaboom—!!
With every strike, chunks of the Great Kaiju's white exoskeleton burst apart. This revealed swirling black vapors churning within.
"Is that its form before becoming dragon scales...?"
"So it was all squishy before hardening into those spikes?!"
"Looks like it's struggling to change outfits. Let's give it a hand."
Crunch.
The Meteor's grip seized the Great Kaiju's exoskeleton.
"You got it! Activating Meteor Booster!"
Vreeeeem—!
The engines roared as rocket thrusters fired from in front of the fist. Flames exceeding 3,000 degrees scorched the monster's surface while simultaneously shoving the fist in the opposite direction.
Whoosh, sizzle—splatter!
Screeeeech—!!
Along with the Great Kaiju's scream, the white exoskeleton tore away. The black steam, not yet solidified, wailed in a hazy, gelatinous form. Forced entry into Phase 2.
Clatter!
Black scales aligned rapidly, shaping up in a hurry. The Great Kaiju thrashed desperately to escape the hulking metal giant. It was trying to flee.
It kicked off the ground nimbly. The Meteor's movements were relatively sluggish, so if it could just create some distance—
Thud. Crunch!
Screek—?!
But the Great Kaiju, attempting to leap, snagged on the dense forest of buildings it couldn't pass through.
In this area, spared from total devastation, most structures remained intact. The city, built upon the bedrock of radiant modern civilization, had become a trap in itself. It wasn't dense enough for an 80-meter behemoth to move freely.
Before the Great Kaiju appeared, Stellaria had anticipated this and installed magic engines in the surrounding buildings, enchanting their outer walls for reinforcement. To serve as obstacles.
Like ropes encircling a ring. No escape!
"How's it feel? Getting snagged by the very civilization you toyed with like a plaything. Activating Meteor Strike!"
"Activation command confirmed. Auxiliary magic engines three types online. Output at 50%, 75%... ready!"
Clank, clank!
The Meteor's arms compactly deformed, sharp spikes ejecting from its palms. Magic flowed through copper conduits, enchanting the entire metal assembly.
Groan.
The Meteor's palm zeroed in on the Great Kaiju's chest from close range. Even as the monster writhed in instinctive dread of death, the magic-reinforced buildings held it fast.
The Meteor's eyes gleamed, backed by the blazing sunset glow. Memories flashed through Gordius's mind. All those efforts and deaths... for this moment.
"—This ends it, Great Kaiju!"
To place the final punctuation on the tragedy.
"Meteor Strike—fire!!"
Gordius slammed the control panel button.
Vroooom—!
The entire machine shuddered with vibrations. Internal temperature spiked wildly, the roar building to world-shaking levels... until a brief hush.
Then, an impact like a star plummeting from the heavens struck the Great Kaiju.
Kaboom—!!
Screeeeeeeeech—!!
Thud, thump!
The Great Kaiju's piercing scream mingled with the heavy clanging of metal on pavement. The Meteor's right arm, charred black from overexertion, lay in ruins.
Humanity's nightmare lay sprawled at the giant robot's feet, a gaping hole punched through its chest. But they knew this wasn't the end.
The strike—concentrating strength, speed, and mass—had robbed the Great Kaiju of its core. Sensing its life was done, the monster marshaled its remaining power for a final self-destruct.
Rooooar.
Vast magic began swirling from the hole in its chest.
Kim Yunseo, once down an arm herself, spoke with emotions crossing her face. After the long battle, they'd finally reached this point.
"...It's the last stretch now, wizard."
"Yes. Prepare Meteor Pole. Switching Meteor to discharge mode!"
"Roger! Switching to discharge mode! Joseph, you start up Project Hera too!"
Clank, clank-clank!
Wing-like structures sprouted jaggedly from the Meteor's back, while stakes from its leg parts anchored it firmly to the ground.
The remaining left hand transformed into a form that sucked in energy.
The magic engine's power-magic conversion function. This would convert all the Great Kaiju's magic into electricity, averting disaster. And that massive power generated...
Sproing!
Lightning rods erupted across the area. They'd absorb the electricity, channeling most into the earth and storing some to rebuild Joseph's fortune.
Hummm—
The Meteor Pole made contact with the Great Kaiju's death throes.
Crackle—!!
Lightning arced wildly in all directions. Most radiated outward from the machine through the rods into the ground, but the excess shot indiscriminately toward sky and buildings.
Crackle, zzzap—rumble!
Thunderbolts cracked across the sunset, rising from earth to heaven. Streaks of scorch marred building facades. At the center, the Meteor resembled a plasma orb.
If they converted it all before explosion, success. But...
Kim Yunseo glanced at the gauges and reported in alarm.
"Decomposition at 32%... 30 seconds till explosion. Isn't that too tight?!"
"Phase 3 had more residual magic than expected. But calculations say we'll make it... barely."
"53%, 20 seconds to explosion. We're short! Ramp up decomposition?"
"That'd endanger us. We're already at the machine's limit. Don't worry—I have a plan."
"74%, 10 seconds!"
At this rate, 5% unconverted magic would remain. The magic engines were maxed out, no reserves... or so Kim Yunseo thought.
But Gordius knew of one untapped magic engine left. He grinned confidently.
"Converting magic into something else? That's not an engine's job—it's a wizard's specialty. Looks like you forgot who I am for a second."
"...Wizard!"
"Direct disciple of the Golden Magic Tower Master. Genius of the Golden Magic Tower. Head of the faction splitting the Academy... I, Gordius. Watch closely what I can achieve."
Vreee—!
Under Gordius's controls, internal bulkheads opened, exposing the machine's heart pulsing with blue currents: the magic engine. The Golden Tower wizard placed his hand on it without hesitation.
Crackle—!
Jolting electricity coursed through his body. But with lightning resistance magic already cast, it didn't paralyze him like Woo Chaerin's stun gun once had.
Since witnessing her death in the cryo pod, he'd vowed never to fall to lightning again. And handling half-powered machines required wards against electrical mishaps anyway.
Who knew the spell he'd crafted would prove useful till the end.
"291 souls, one soul, 37 souls. Vanished deaths of the past, upon the bedrock where you lie buried, a monument of victory finally rises!"
Chanting, he channeled crackling magic to weave a spell. The ground trembled as a form rapidly assembled.
"—Stellaria's Monument!"
It was a gravestone.
Rumble—!!
The massive monument, inscribed with every Stellaria fighter who'd battled the Great Kaiju, engulfed even its corpse, solidifying into permanence.
In the heart of downtown.
A 100-meter robot with soot-blackened arms and a 50-meter monument marked the end of the Great Kaiju subjugation battle.
"Oh, that sister's a news anchor."
A face familiar from New Stellaria appeared on TV. She looked utterly baffled by the sudden fantasy outbreak.
Hardly surprising. A kaiju showdown had erupted in the city out of nowhere.
The internet ablaze, public outrage boiling, government officials and reporters swarming to assess—amid the chaos.
Joseph, sucking on a candy, addressed Gordius.
"So, how're we gonna spin this and slide by? Time to explain, wizard."
"Pardon?"
"Pardon? You built a war machine that could topple nations in secret, siphoned space industry parts, committed every crime under the sun in a country that bans guns. A little fund tracing and they'll see that money's... mine. Fix this. Yeah?"
"Tricky. I'm not a Violet Magic Tower wizard."
"Hey—!!"
Joseph grabbed Gordius by the collar and shook him silly. Saving the world? Great. But he'd preemptively smashed the threat before it even endangered anyone?
He could foresee the fallout: demands to surrender the robot, accusations of breaking laws, doubts on the value of their deeds...
"I told you to invest properly from the start, you punk! Now I'm facing the backlash and headed to the slammer—is this proper investing?!"
"...Hold on, Joseph? How do you know that?"
"Uh, wha? Uh... huh?!"
Confusion clouded Joseph's face. He wasn't that close to the bandit wizard, so what was that investment talk slipping from his mouth?
Gordius froze briefly, then glanced smoothly at Woo Chaerin.
Kim Yunseo sprang into action.
"...Joseph! Quit being dense and come here. Now!"
"Kid, if I lacked tact, how'd I lead New Stellaria? Kids these days get all the world's unfairness... Huh? Who're you, and why would I be the boss?"
"Get over here, old man!"
With hyper-energetic Kim Yunseo dragging him off, only Gordius and Woo Chaerin remained in the clearing.
News droned on beside them, the anchor's face twisted in bewilderment.
The Great Kaiju's final vortex... Had some magical effect lingered? Reviving memories of a past and future long erased?
If so.
Gordius asked cautiously.
"...Chaerin?"
"Yes? What is it?"
"Just maybe."
"Nope, no memory."
I see. No memory.
"I never suggested a contract over drinks, or said weird stuff by the cryo pod."
I see. She remembers nothing at all. Her blushing embarrassment seemed genuine.
Gordius pulled Woo Chaerin into a tight embrace.
"...I said I don't remember."
"Never again. Never..."
"Sorry about then. But... my call was right? It worked out. You really had to go inside, uwahmywife don'tpullmycheeks..."
"I'll collect that debt for life. With 10 years' interest. By my math, about 137 years together to pay it off."
"What kinda slavery contract is that...? Darker than my old lab."
Woo Chaerin beamed.
Gordius pondered what to say first to his reunited love, then realized it didn't matter. What counted wasn't size or shape... but the heart always dwelling within.
He lifted her chin with a finger. Her throat tickled, drawing a soft giggle. She gently closed her eyes.
First time kissing someone. Heart engine revving wildly, head overheating. But courage and impulse won out.
Gordius slowly leaned toward her lips—
......
Eyes open, a crazy wizard loomed overhead.
"Ah, you're awake. Retract those lips and come with me. Someone wants to meet you. I'll send you back after the meeting."
"......"
"Wait, don't get mad—hear me out. I didn't wanna interrupt. But there's reasons. You weren't planning just a kiss. Can't wait that long. Logically, cut the scene now, before everything starts..."
"...Weapon Forging."
Awakening in the simulation, Gordius quietly forged a bat and gripped it. Rage overwhelmed him, body beyond control.
"Gordius?"
"...Have you no human heart?"
"I get it. I do. But this could be a turning point in your life—a golden opportunity. Know who's here? None other than—"
"Have you no human heart—aaargh—!!"
"Kyaaah!"
The crazy wizard fled in panic as Gordius chased, swinging the bat. How could this be?
The pursuit raged on.
The mad wizard burst into the reception room, ducking behind a tall young man sipping tea.
Gordius stormed in bat-first, then froze.
"...Crazy wizard. Using a prince as a shield? Isn't that playing with fire?"
For the Empire's Second Prince awaited within.