Chapter 97
The rescued items thudded and plopped down like raindrops, but the cascade of soil only grew in intensity. It started as drips leaking from a faucet, then swelled into a hose's steady stream, before erupting into an uncontrollable torrent from a massive waterfall. Whoosh— Staying here meant burial was only a matter of time. I wrapped my arm around Elena's waist.
"Elena. Hold on tight. We're punching through the ceiling."
"Pardon? I-is that okay?" Elena quickly scanned me up and down.
"No time. Hurry."
"R-right!" Urged by me, Elena wrapped her arms firmly around me.
But this... felt oddly strange.
I'm the one doing the saving here, so why the height difference? Usually, the damsel in distress is supposed to be slender and delicate, while the hero stands tall and sturdy, right? Reality's harsh truths drew a sigh from me.
"Ahh..."
"I-is something wrong?" Elena asked hesitantly, catching my sigh.
I glanced up at her for a moment before replying.
"...Nothing."
I needed to figure out how to grow taller somehow. This was too pitiful to bear.
I channeled my mana throughout my body into my legs. Rumble-rumble-rumble— As immense mana gathered beneath my feet, the ground shuddered violently like a convulsion.
"Here we go. Hold tight."
"Yes!" Elena gripped me with a tense expression.
I bent my knees slightly, then—
Boom!
—leapt straight into the sky in one explosive burst. A crimson streak surged upward, defying the pouring earth, sand, and crumbling bedrock that couldn't withstand the weight.
"Elena."
"Y-yes? Got it!" Fierce winds battered our ears, cracking her voice slightly.
"Sometimes, you have to learn to rely on others."
This was what I'd always wanted to tell her. Shouldering everything alone would eventually overwhelm anyone. So why not... set down that burden, just a little?
Elena's eyes widened slightly. I tightened my grip on her waist and spoke.
"Right now, lean on me for a bit."
Even amid the roar of mana space tearing and the ceiling collapsing, it felt like this moment alone had fallen into perfect stillness—an illusion, perhaps.
"If you need me, I'll keep helping you from now on."
A faint tremor passed through her hands clutching my body. Though her face was buried and I couldn't see her expression, the subtle sound of stifled tears and her quivering shoulders told me everything.
"Yes!"
Her eventual reply rang out bright and unburdened, without a trace of shadow. She was surely beaming with a radiant smile. That emotion flowed straight to me.
Not a bad feeling at all.
The crumbling ceiling rushed closer at breakneck speed. Cracks spiderwebbed through the bedrock as massive boulders tumbled down.
"Hold on! We're breaking through!"
I pulled one hand back, condensing mana into my fist. Her grip strengthened, and I could sense her smile.
"I'm ready!"
I swallowed, then swung my fist with all my might at the oncoming boulder.
"Hah!"
Kaboom! A shockwave that numbed my ears exploded outward, and blinding sunlight pierced my eyes. The 30-meter-thick bedrock shattered into dust, sending a pillar of earth skyrocketing kilometers into the air. Today, the world's light felt exceptionally brilliant.
Emergency sirens blared across the city as players scrambled to evacuate. An endless, heavy vibration spread throughout Paris.
Thud!
"Damn it! The ground's sinking!"
"You idiot, now's the time to grab gear? Evacuate if you don't wanna get swept away!"
"Did Libra go berserk?!"
"What the hell's happening in there?!"
All players on site: Evacuate immediately, regardless of reason!
Repeating: All players on site: Evacuate now!
The ground around Libra's mana space sank wholesale. Massive cracks spiderwebbed across building walls and asphalt; unable to withstand the pressure from the warped earth, stone fragments leaped up like fleas. Stone-block floors rippled like waves.
From deep underground came a sound like tough membrane tearing. In that instant, a deafening explosion and shockwave erupted.
Kaboom!
One spot in the sinking earth exploded, rocketing skyward.
"Argh! What the hell?!"
"Might be an enemy attack! Everyone, stay alert!"
Players drew weapons in shock at the impossibly towering pillar of earth. And what burst from underground was—
"Huh? Look! It's Elena and Sertina!"
"Did they take down Libra?"
"They look happy?"
Elena waved cheerfully at the ground, her face lit with a brilliant smile. Cheers and applause thundered from the players like a storm.
"Wooooah!!"
"Sertina did it!"
"Great job, Elena!"
The two glided down to land smoothly on the crumbling earth. Lumiere guild members instantly surrounded them amid a flood of cheers and questions. The Lumiere vice-guild master pushed through the crowd, briskly organizing the chaos. She was a woman about Elena's age, with a striking ice-blue bob haircut.
"Alright, everyone back up at least two meters! We don't want accidents."
The guild members reluctantly obeyed her orders. Once order was restored, she approached Elena and raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"Huh? Elena, you look... relieved somehow?"
"Oh, well... something like that happened."
Elena scratched her cheek with an awkward smile.
"Hmm?"
The vice-guild master leaned in suspiciously to study her face, then stepped back with a light chuckle.
"Well, if you're fine, you're fine. You look way better than before. Smile like that more often. I always felt sorry seeing you sigh all the time with the weight of the world on your shoulders."
"W-was I like that?"
The vice-guild master nudged the dazed Elena with her elbow.
"Sigh, you had funeral vibes. Honestly, it's a miracle you're still alive."
"Ugh... that's exaggerating!"
Elena puffed one cheek and placed a hand on her hip. The vice-guild master grabbed both her cheeks and stretched them.
"There, back to normal. Now that's the real Elena."
"Booo, what're you on about."
Sertina watched the bickering pair with warm contentment. A colossal 100-meter-wide sinkhole in central Paris was no big deal.
The Élysée Palace on Paris's Champs-Élysées, completed in 1722 and serving as the hub of administrative power and the president's office. There, the French president gravely stroked his jawline.
"So, cause identified?"
"Yes. Confirmed as a phenomenon from Libra's expanded mana space vanishing upon its defeat during battle."
The president flipped through documents with uneasy eyes, glancing at his chief of staff.
"No further damage risk?"
"None for now."
Letting out a long sigh of relief, the president sank into his leather chair.
"Man... I thought Paris was done for."
"Same here. Hearing the whole ground sinking had me terrified... At least minimal damage is a blessing."
The chief of staff shook his head as if the thought was too horrifying. Cities hit by world bosses were typically reduced to rubble. Neighboring Italy's Rome had crumbled like a sandcastle under a golem-type boss's seismic waves.
A 100-meter sinkhole against an awakened Libra? That's dirt cheap.
This level of damage could be rebuilt with time. The president nodded and lifted his teacup. The premium chamomile's herbal scent mingled with honey, soothing his nerves. His hand still trembled slightly on the handle.
"First, send thanks to the Korean government and Sertina, promise close cooperation going forward."
"Agreed. Solidifying ties with her can only benefit us."
The president set down his cup and gazed out the window. After contemplating the clear sky, he murmured softly.
"We owe her a debt."
The silent chief of staff spoke up.
"Speaking of, Elena seemed... brighter somehow."
"Elena? That stubborn one?"
The president's eyes arched with interest as he set down his cup.
"Yes. She used to seem perpetually rushed, but now... she has some breathing room, I'd say."
The president paused, then nodded.
"You can't rule emotions with fear alone."
He sipped his tea again, a faint smile gracing his lips.
"Perhaps what Sertina saved wasn't just Paris."