Chapter 114
Chapter 114
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 114
Chapter Title: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
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Being intoxicated by the moon's madness didn't grant one the power of immortality. The man's head, struck directly by Cecilia's bullet, burst open like a balloon. Blood and brains splattered in every direction, and the evil spirits cackled wildly at the killing that had occurred in the tunnel.
Ian ignored it. He gritted his teeth at the gunshot that exploded right next to his ear and steadied his staggering body.
Beeeeeeeee—
Perhaps his eardrums had suffered minor damage, as tinnitus began to ring. His hearing hadn't gone numb, but maintaining his balance was a bit difficult.
He ignored it this time too. The situation wasn't one where he could afford to complain.
Kwaaaang! Kwaaaaaang!
Even after shattering the man's skull, Cecilia kept pulling the trigger. Ian endured as best he could, but when it seemed impossible to hold out any longer, he pulled out his lighter and lit it.
Whoosh!
The lighter's flame neatly devoured the surrounding noise. But the tinnitus pounding in his head didn't stop, and his staggering footsteps remained precarious.
He ignored it to the end. Clenching his molars as if they might shatter, Ian dodged the residents of the moon charging at him and sprinted out of the tunnel. He nearly tripped over the scattered entrails but barely regained his balance.
“Ugh!”
The moment light entered her vision, Cecilia squeezed her eyes shut tight. She had heard that she must not look at the moon. Clinging to Ian's body again, she focused solely on his warmth. The scent of blood and gunpowder flooded her nostrils.
“Huff……! Huff……!”
He kept running straight down the extended road. There were only one or two pursuers behind him at most, but the massive moon floating in the sky continued to swim directly above him. Like the eye of some entity, it fixed its gaze solely on Ian and floated majestically through the cosmos.
It couldn't have been more fucked up. Ian spat curses as he headed toward the now-visible bike.
‘If I'd known it would be like this, I should've made the Veil of the Mortal Realm instead of the Chalice of Souls……!’
The Veil of the Mortal Realm, which allowed one to hide between the otherworld and the present realm. It would have been perfect for this situation, but he didn't even have the completed item, let alone the materials. Making one on the spot was impossible.
Regretting it now was too late.
If I'd known, I would've made it? Isn't the reason I didn't make it precisely because I didn't know?
Self-recrimination wouldn't help, so Ian neatly cleared his mind, mounted the bike, and had Cecilia sit in the back.
Vroooom!
He started the engine and twisted the throttle without hesitation. The gears shifted automatically with the speed, quickly climbing to third and fourth.
“Set it to autonomous driving. Destination…… home or the officetel. Or the Management Bureau building.”
[Settings complete. Initiating full autonomous driving.]
The bike proceeded along the set route on its own.
Vroooooom!!!
At the same time, a truck driving in the opposite direction sped down the road. The driver of the truck barreling straight toward Ian floored the accelerator with a gloomy expression.
Proof that the moon's madness had spread not just to the village but elsewhere as well. Ian clicked his tongue, firmly gripping Cecilia's hands wrapped around his waist to keep them from loosening. Then he twisted the throttle to full.
With a roar, the bike charged madly toward the truck. A speed where collision would crush their bodies flat without question. Yet no fear showed on Ian's face.
Because he knew what magic was enchanted on this bike.
Kagagagak!
At the moment of collision, the bike's front wheel precisely mounted the truck's front bumper, slid sideways as if running along a wall, and smoothly accelerated past.
An act that blatantly defied gravity. Thanks to it, Ian successfully returned to the road without much impact. He glanced back at the truck speeding away in the opposite direction and flashed a sinister smile.
“Don't drive like shit, you Outer God bastard!”
Screeeeech!!
Taking his words as provocation, the truck sharply whipped into a drift and began charging at Ian. But it was still just a truck. It couldn't keep up with the bike's speed.
Confirming the growing distance from it, Ian pulled out his phone. The signal, which hadn't worked inside the village, started connecting as he neared the city.
Ding.
Along with it, a flood of countless messages poured in.
[Grandmother: Ian, the situation isn't good right now. Are you outside Seoul? Please say you are. The sky right now…….]
[Grandmother: I don't think I can hold out much longer either. The song keeps playing. The song, the song. The moon, you…….]
[Grandmother: The moon feels so beautiful. The more it does, the deeper my melancholy grows. Finally, toward the moon, summon the demon…….]
[Grandmother: Attack failed. Ah, I can't hold out anymore. I'll say goodbye here.]
[Grandmother: If there's an afterlife, may we meet again.]
[Han Yu-na: I-Ian! Ian! Something's wrong with me! The song, the song keeps playing! What's this? From speakers I didn't even turn on…….]
[Han Yu-na: Ah. A community notice just went up. Says not to look at the moon. The moon must be acting weird. Are you okay? I've already…….]
[Han Yu-na: Yeah. Dying scares me, but it's okay. Better than losing myself.]
[Han Yu-na: Guess I'll say it now. Honestly, when you pretended to be my boyfriend back then, I got a little excited. Hehe.]
[Han Yu-na: See you tomorrow.]
[Lee Seo-ah: Ian.]
[Lee Seo-ah: The Busan Management Bureau has been wiped out. They suddenly started fighting among themselves. Ridiculous as it sounds, it's true. As for me…….]
[Lee Seo-ah: I'm in the subway right now, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is playing from the speakers. Listening to it over and over is driving me insane.]
[Lee Seo-ah: Saw the community. The situation's gone completely to shit. I was gonna handle the school anomaly and head to Seoul, but what the hell…….]
[Lee Seo-ah: Ian, you're okay, right? Why isn't this read? Are you dead already?]
[Lee Seo-ah: Haha. Could be. It's fine. I'll follow soon.]
[Lee Seo-ah: Let's be friends again next time!]
Ian's face twisted savagely as he scrolled through the messages. He gripped his phone so hard it might shatter and glared up at the moon.
“You fucking bastard…….”
Mages despised the idea of their minds falling to another with extreme loathing. They were the type to end their own lives rather than lose their sense of self. That was what mages were. So there was no need to dwell deeply on what actions they had actually taken.
Ian always prioritized his own safety above all else and treasured it most, but he wasn't some pathetic fool incapable of grieving or raging at others' deaths. He felt an impulse to smash that moon down and crush it right then and there.
But…… but, yes. He had no viable means right now. Until he found one, he had no choice but to hold his breath and stay hidden.
Even if the world ended, even if the finale was utterly pathetic. That thing, he would kill without fail.
“…….”
Ian vowed as much and lowered his head again.
The more something boiled within him, the calmer his mind settled. He checked the very last message, a letter from Kim I-seo, and let out a long breath.
[Kim I-seo: Wizard, an Outer God has descended. It appeared before the Prophet could even notice. One of the extinction scenarios I mentioned…….]
[Kim I-seo: Requesting urgent support. Repeating: requesting urgent support. Please pick up the phone.]
[Kim I-seo: Ah.]
[Kim I-seo: Support impossible. It's over. Do not come to the Management Bureau building. Anomalies intoxicated by the moon have escaped the containment zone.]
[Kim I-seo: Thank you for your service.]
[Kim I-seo: We're heading to the Management Bureau's central hub for the final operation.]
[Kim I-seo: Peace be unto you, Wizard.]
[Kim I-seo: If you're still alive, sorry.]
Messages that had arrived just three minutes ago. About thirty minutes had passed since the moon began its full activity, and this was tantamount to the Management Bureau being occupied at an astonishing speed. Even the organization fighting desperately for humanity's preservation couldn't resist the hand of a god swimming through the cosmos.
However, the mention of a final operation suggested they had some means.
Perhaps a regression device, or maybe something that launches a spear to slay gods. Longinus's Spear was still vibrating with longing for divine blood even now.
Whatever it was, all Ian could do, as Kim I-seo had said, was wish them peace.
He tossed aside the now-useless phone and, with a cigarette in his mouth, pulled out two Grimoires and opened them. The moon, having confirmed no less than two Outer God Grimoires, vibrated briefly, but Ian ignored it and flipped through the pages to check for any magic that could break the current situation.
Even at speeds exceeding 200 km/h, the Grimoires turned their pages smoothly without a single flutter.
And they stopped at the same page simultaneously.
With a rustling sound, the opened page bore only a brief description.
[Summoning]
[The Recomposer of All Things, author of this Grimoire, is called forth.]
[Material: Death.]
[Descent]
[The Master of the Outer Sea descends. The price is the life of this Grimoire's current owner.]
Ian's face stiffened slightly upon reading the contents.
At that moment, new text engraved itself below the Hand of Recreation.
[Trust.]
“…….”
Ian bit his lip lightly.