Chapter 174
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Heavenly Demon Supremacy Step
A commotion broke out inside the Foundation's colossal airship, "Humanity's Footsteps".
“The Earth is flat! Flat!”
“How can you believe the Earth is flat!? It'd be much faster to look for another way!”
Ever since Lee Seung-hoon's solution to the gravity anomaly had been revealed.
A sharp divide in opinions had arisen among the people.
“Just believe it! For about ten days? Keep believing it's flat like you're being brainwashed! Didn't the Outer Special Inquisitor say that? As long as you believe, you'll move to the surface on your own!”
Just as Lee Seung-hoon said, believe the Earth is flat.
They argued that since the human brain easily accepts repeated stimuli, it would work with a little effort.
“You think that's as easy as it sounds!? And what kind of people are our agents? They're mentally near-superhuman! Crude brainwashing like that won't work on them! It only succeeded because that inhuman Outer Special Inquisitor did it—it's impossible for our agents!”
That method was only possible for someone like Lee Seung-hoon.
They insisted on spending that time searching for other solutions instead.
“If it doesn't work, we make drugs!”
“What, you mean brainwash ourselves with drugs!?”
“That's the only way! The entity's traits are structured like that—what kind of agent are you if you won't even try!?”
The endless debate.
Watching it all, Kim Mi-ri let out a sigh.
< i>'At this rate, we're getting nowhere.' She agreed that simple belief alone wasn't enough to accept the flat Earth theory. But she disagreed with brainwashing themselves using drugs made here without proper equipment. < i>'Even if we get up there, it's not over. We still have to fight the enemy, and we can't guarantee victory if we've dosed ourselves with mind-altering drugs.' How could she unite everyone? How could they escape this place?
“......That's the only idea I have.”
She'd be teased for a while if she did that. Letting out another sigh, Kim Mi-ri headed to the broadcast room. -Please gather all agents and researchers at the onboard assembly point. After the announcement, before heading to the assembly point, she changed into her special agent suit. < i>'The special agent suit doubles as a spacesuit that can withstand space for extended periods, right?' Just in case, she put it on. Fully changed, she made her way to the onboard assembly point.
“What's going on?” < i>『Why the sudden assembly?』 “Eung? Isn't that the special agent suit? They told us not to wear it before combat because of battery issues.”
She didn't answer the questions. Instead, she scanned the crowd, checking that no one was missing.
“Everyone's here.”
She closed her eyes. She unleashed her inner instincts, the fragments of power she usually suppressed.
“!?”
The first to notice was Kim Go-deok. As a martial artist, he instinctively stepped back upon sensing his disciple's change. < i>『What's wrong?』 “No, my disciple right now......” < i>『Wait, no way!? It can't be!?』 At that moment, the air inside the ship grew heavy. Pressure came from all directions, as if they'd plunged into the deep sea. It wasn't physical damage—it was the instinctive reaction of prey facing a predator.
“Everyone's gathered, so let's begin.”
When Kim Mi-ri opened her eyes again, she was no longer Kim Mi-ri.
“From now on, the Earth is flat.”
She was an absolute master gazing madly upon the world.
Kim Mi-ri didn't know much about wuxia.
Even after learning martial arts from Kim Go-deok, she'd only read light, quick ones at best.
That superficial knowledge changed after taking the history exam at Deokcheon High School.
“What are you all doing?”
Because she had to experience history firsthand and change the world with her own power.
Among them was the history of unifying China.
She came to see the essence of martial arts as power itself, and becoming the strong one as the ultimate goal—which led her to superimpose a certain figure from wuxia onto herself.
“This is the command of the Heavenly Demon—carry it out at once.”
The Heavenly Demon himself.
It wasn't a split personality. She was simply suppressing her power and temperament normally; it was still her.
“You're not obeying.”
Everyone fell silent as if their mouths were glued shut.
How were they supposed to obey that?
“No helping it. I'll have to use force.”
“Disciple! What are you......”
“I am no disciple.”
She took a bold step forward.
“I am the Heavenly Demon.”
At that, every agent felt an inexplicable pressure and dropped to one knee.
“In wuxia, just walking makes the Heavenly Demon physically crush opponents to their knees.”
Kim Mi-ri smirked.
“Isn't that too crude?”
She took her second step.
Everyone dropped to both knees.
“Physically forcing submission is something even street thugs can do. How dare they call themselves the Heavenly Demon while doing such petty tricks with such fanfare.”
She took her third step.
Everyone slammed their heads to the ground in prostration.
“If you truly wish to become a hegemon, you must conquer their hearts.”
She took her fourth step.
Everyone sincerely submitted to her, acknowledged her, and pledged their loyalty.
“That is the true Heavenly Demon Supremacy Step.”
She took her final fifth step.
Everyone was prepared to end their own lives at her word.
“Thus I command you: the Earth is flat. Believe it.”
The moment Kim Mi-ri finished speaking.
Everything vanished except her.
Even the airship she was on.
Even the agents and researchers prostrated before her.
“As expected.”
Left alone in space, she looked up.
Thinking of her comrades who had moved to the flat Earth, she laughed nobly.
“Even the Heavenly Demon is helpless in space.”
At best, she was maintaining her position through qi control.
“Hurry and finish up so you can come rescue Yeo.”
A sudden vibration opened Ulysses's eyes.
He connected his phone, tucked in his chest pocket, and heard the urgent voices of his followers.
-Archon! Enemies! A massive airship has appeared!
“Everyone, stay calm.”
It was the Foundation.
One of the world's secrets, the shadow government maintaining global peace.
“This is our holy land. You will never lose. So sortie at once and crush the enemy.”
-Understood!
“Before you go, could you drop off a monitor in the garden? I want to watch the situation.”
-Yes!
Moments later, several followers brought a massive portable monitor and remote control down to the garden.
“Thank you all. For our glorious future. I'll guard this place.”
“Yes!”
Once everyone left, Ulysses closed his eyes again.
After finishing his brief nap of several dozen minutes, he activated the monitor.
“It's started.”
The battlefield unfolded on the screen.
Rock-like drones flew about, relaying the entire situation in real time.
< i>'That's the Foundation.' The airship, dozens of kilometers in size, unleashed attacks in every direction. However, compared to its size, the firepower was underwhelming.
“This is the holy land of conspiracy theorists. Without faith, even cutting-edge science doesn't function properly.”
The fact that it worked at all was proof of the Foundation's transcendent technology. But the followers' power was no joke either. Tanks several kilometers long tore across the ground. Colossal naval guns spat fire, and saucer-shaped UFOs freely flew through the skies, firing lasers.
“The Nazis were the first to conceive nuclear bombs and rockets, and to integrate cutting-edge science into warfare—their scientific prowess is the world's best.”
Reptilian humanoids clinging to those UFOs leaped onto the Foundation's airship. Automated defenses hit them squarely, but their scales deflected the attacks. They tore up the deck with their bare hands and infiltrated.
“The Reptilians' homeworld is a harsh place battered by constant powerful solar storms. Their scales block most physical damage, their strength is fifty times that of humans, and their lizard-like regeneration heals severed limbs in seconds.”
Stone airships kamikazed into the Foundation ship. From the ground, anti-gravity devices repeatedly tried to crash it, while outdated gadgets made of stone, rocks, and wood exerted mystical power surpassing modern science.
“Ancient civilizations capable of venturing into space—they didn't go extinct; they escaped Earth. The remnants evolved monkey-like humanity but couldn't withstand the flow of time and were all buried.”
All delusions, but here, they were reality.
“And finally, the Flat Earth Society followers......”
They simply prayed. Fanaticism poured down on the garden like rain.
“Are hastening the world's end.”
It would take another 24 hours for this world to encroach upon the real one. Ulysses closed his eyes again.
“The day I become a god is near.”
“Nothing's visible.”
He walked through the darkness.
Actually, "walked" wasn't quite accurate.
“I'm not even sure if I'm moving.”
< i>『You are moving. According to the pedometer app, there's consistent shaking.』 Where the hell was this place? He'd searched, but found nothing. < i>'No solid ground, no light, no sound—nothing.' Yet he could breathe without dying. No light, but his body and possessions were perfectly visible. It felt like his existence had been tossed into the void.
“Where is this?” < i>『Matching FES tendencies, it's likely a space born from conspiracy theories or belief.』 “If it's a conspiracy, it could be the Earth's hollow interior from hollow Earth theory. If born from belief, maybe something like religious hell.”
At least he had Sarang-i. After wandering for a while, he pulled out the Void Pocket.
“Let's try the paper boat.” < i>『Good idea.』 He put the paper boat on his head. He limited the target to “entities directly encounterable in the space I'm currently in.”
“See if anyone's there. If not, we can tell if this is an isolated dimension or a connected one. Can't cross dimensions, but if they're linked, it's possible.”
He didn't have high hopes. This place didn't feel like anyone was around. < i>'Connected to someone.' But it connected. < i>'Who?' He couldn't tell who. Like ants unable to learn human language. He too couldn't comprehend the thoughts of the connected beings.
“Ah.”
Every connection but one snapped. The moment they did, their emotions flooded into him. < i>'Disgust.' Rage, hatred, jealousy, contempt. < i>'Why these emotions?' He felt the remaining connection growing stronger. Then, after blinking a few times, the world brightened.
“Ah.”
Painfully so. Dazzling light dyed the world white. And he saw them. Burning eyes filling every direction. Infinite eyes blazing atop bands wheeling like chariot wheels encircling the world.
“Who are you?”
The largest one.
A colossal burning eye the size of a planet turned toward him.
He knew the instant he saw it.
This being didn't hate him.
It hated humans.