< Final Chapter-013. >
“Damn, they’re coming real fast.”
After putting a bullet in the head of the monster charging at him,
Ortega spat out the foam rising in his mouth and looked up at the sky with a satisfied smile.
Roar-
Airships appeared one by one, cutting through the thick clouds.
From their wide-open bomb bays, incendiary bombs rained down like precipitation to burn away the monster’s contamination. From the special airship positioned at the center of the fleet, Korhonen Autonomous Region’s automaton corps was descending.
A separate unit to suppress the monster contamination and strike their secondary target – the monster production facility.
From the airships in the sky, a signaler with a searchlight was sending light signals.
[All troops descent complete. Comncing Operation 2.]
– New enemies. They’re targeting the production facility.
– Carlos and Zeplant. The two corps commanders will handle it.
– Approved. Now that the King’s feet are bound, defending alone is possible.
– Respond.
– Respond.
Sharp bastards.
When Ortega’s gaze turned back after thinking that, two pure-breed monsters were already trying to leave the battlefield.
Four-legged monsters specialized in high-speed movent.
The sight of them being ridden, well…
“Looks exactly like those knights playing at horseback riding.”
“What should we do? Stop them?”
“Just containing the ones here is enough work for us. They’ll have to handle that much themselves. Besides…”
Just as Matt said that while watching the two pure-breeds move away,
Boom-!
Along with the thunderous sound, trendous heat burst out from one side of the battlefield.
“…With the captain like that, what good would it do for us to run to the outskirts?”
“True.”
Eugene’s spell, Heliosphere.
The sight of an entire city block lting from a single spell was nothing short of avant-garde.
“To still have magical power left after using sothing like that, what a monster.”
“And a monster that can contain soone with such monstrous magical power… It’s mind-boggling all over again.”
After saying that, Matt threw away his empty magazine and loaded the next magic bullet.
Ortega, who had thrown away his shotgun with its flower-shaped barrel, did the sa.
Even while pulling out a new shotgun from the holster on his leg, his gaze was fixed on the adjacent block where Eugene was.
“What exactly is that? I thought Irene was just… Eugene’s girlfriend or sothing…”
Just as Ortega said that, still seemingly unable to comprehend,
– Mind your tone, human.
Along with the unfamiliar voice, a pure-breed monster charged in.
Clang–!
“Ugh?!”
“This bastard’s magical power level…!”
The monster’s claws struck straight on.
Through the barrier, Ortega imdiately gritted his teeth at the transmitted impact.
At least seven stroke, on par with a family head’s magical power.
The imprint glowing on its chest was also a familiar pattern.
“Elcryer?!”
The imprint of the magic noble defeated by the Special Magical Power Unit was embedded in the monster’s heart.
– That which you casually speak of is our Queen.
“What? Queen?”
– The one who will bring about the destined destruction, and using that as power, guide us to the Promised Land. The one who will beco the new heart of our race. From long ago, it was prophesied…!
Crash–!
An explosive spell flying in from the side sent the monster’s body flying far away.
The one who cast the spell was Guille, who had been commanding the troops.
The other two prepared for the next attack, centered around him who spat out what had gathered in his mouth.
“For a monster, you speak quite academically.”
“Academic my ass. It’s giving
the creeps. What is this, a romance novel from two centuries ago?”
“It’s surprising enough that a monster can speak human language, but to even attempt conversation… The researchers would go crazy if we brought it in alive.”
The three people loaded magic bullets into their weapons while each adding a comnt.
Perhaps uncomfortable with their words about it,
Boom–!
The monster, throwing off the building debris covering its body entirely, lowered its stance while looking at the three.
– Your manner of speech is utterly vulgar. Human.
“That’s not sothing I want to hear from a monster.”
Let’s see how long you can keep running your mouth.
Even while engaging in dialogue, there was a sense of common sense being turned upside down.
Sharp killing intent, emotion.
What they felt from this monster now were things they had never experienced in all their years of killing monsters.
Crunch-!
Just as the monster finished preparing to charge with its muscles compressed to the extre,
Crash–!
With a thunderous sound, the monster charged in a straight line, trying to smash through Guille’s barrier head-on.
“Urgh?!”
It was no small force.
Overwhelming strength.
And physical specs optimized for magical power manipulation.
A seven stroke imprint, but with magical power exceeding that of a seven stroke mage.
‘If sothing like this breaks through us and crashes into the main battle line… I don’t even want to imagine it.’
Though there was the option of avoiding engagent and supporting allies, Guille changed his mind after blocking the first attack.
Leaving this one unchecked would be dangerous.
It needs to be eliminated here.
“Ortega! Matt!”
Almost simultaneously with Guille’s shout, the two circled around to the monster’s flanks.
“Don’t need to tell us!”
“This bastard needs to be crushed right here!”
?!
Screech–!
Along with a cry, Matt’s shot aid for vital points.
Though it was a penetration spell fired at point-blank range, the monster imdiately twisted its body to dodge it.
A reaction speed unimaginable for humans.
However, just as the monster that had even avoided the surprise attack was preparing its next attack,
“Hey, beetle.”
Ortega’s two shotguns in both hands were thrust right in its face.
“Felt good running your mouth just because you’ve got a tough body?”
– …!
With a demonic grin showing his teeth, Ortega imdiately pulled the triggers.
One spell per magic bullet.
Six magic bullets in each shotgun.
Twelve total from both sides.
Boom-boom-boom–!
As twelve explosive spells detonated simultaneously, they tore the monster’s armor to shreds.
“Kahahahaha-!”
“Ortega! You crazy bastard, even for a seven stroke, using that much…!”
“Then what else could I do?! If we hold back carelessly, your neck would be flying off!”
Ortega’s imprint, glowing red-hot and smoking.
Though Guille shouted seeing this, Ortega paid no mind and said to Guille:
“Maybe not
or this guy, but you need to survive and go up! To where Eugene went!”
“…!”
“Right, Matt?!”
Why drag
into this too.
Muttering that, Matt tapped Guille’s shoulder.
“…Ha.”
Guille let out a sigh as if exasperated by Matt’s words.
anwhile, the monster with its upper body destroyed was struggling to raise its broken body.
– The Queen, oh Queen… Us… Take us there…
Crack-!
Guille rcilessly stepped on the monster’s head to finish it off, then turned his gaze to assess the battle situation.
‘Though we’ve lost quite a few troops… There aren’t many wounded. We still have magical power left, and our combat sustainability is excellent. At this rate…’
While Eugene holds off the Queen, they could clear a path to the rift smoothly.
Just as he thought that,
Clang–!
A massive explosion occurred in the middle of the battlefield.
“…Wait.”
Unlike earlier when it charged in physically, this ti it was a long-range bombardnt spell that ca flying in.
Just as he was feeling a sense of déjà vu from the familiar spell structure,
Thud- Thud-
When they confird the appearance of the monster approaching them, Guille’s eyes widened at the sight.
“That imprint, I’m not seeing things, right?”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding…”
The imprint carved into the monster’s chest.
Seeing it, the three let out sighs as they raised their weapons.
Though it was in pieces, there was no way they could forget that form.
It was the imprint of their superior that they had been seeing for decades.
“Wings of Crimson.”
A monster bearing Eugene’s magic imprint was aiming magic at them.
***
“A new model airship designed for mages aboard to control and operate automatons.”
Steel rain was pouring from the sky.
Just when I thought rain of bullets and shells had beco cliché from overuse, now it’s raining automatons.
“Giving them autonomous state status might have been a mistake.”
Isn’t their technological advancent a bit too fast?
Isn’t that sowhat threatening even to us?
While thinking that as I watched the automatons falling from the sky,
“Wow~”
Irene too seed impressed by the sight, clasping her hands together with exclamation.
“They’re trying to destroy the monster production facility while also preventing
from regenerating my body.”
“In this case, ti is running out on your side rather than mine.”
Saying that, I burned away the surrounding shadows by releasing magical power.
Whoosh-!
“?!”
“Ti to wrap this up now.”
Saying that, I drew out the magical power in my magic circuit to its limit.
The Queen’s power, the power I had as a monster.
And Irene’s tactics that had continuously evolved while watching my battles.
But precisely because of that, it was much easier to counter.
What I couldn’t do, where I was weak.
After all, I knew best how to exploit ‘Eugene Lorentz’.
Boom-boom-boom–!
In an instant, I fired six magic bullets, unleashing spells in succession.
Advancing while beating back tentacles with explosive spells.
Using [Eye of Horus] to detect and intercept tentacles and shadows rushing to stop .
Advancing like that. And advancing further.
“…!”
As things weren’t going according to her will, Irene’s expression began to harden gradually.
– Screech–!
The mana core that jumped out from the shadows glowed with magic.
The magic noble’s spell that I had personally fed and taught Irene to acquire.
Even while firing without gaps, I knew how to break this.
Thinking about it, it was natural.
From that day I took in Irene.
From the mont I pulled her out of that dark basent.
I had been thinking about how to kill Irene.
Clang–!
The greatest weakness of the tactics I created is close combat.
Simultaneous firepower projection, synchronized aiming from all directions.
Most of these beco useless at point-blank range.
If even I, who had trained for this throughout rolling across battlefields, was like this, Irene’s main body couldn’t possibly respond to it.
Therefore.
Click-
The cold muzzle touched Irene’s white chin.
Hundreds of tentacles. Thousands of streams of shadows.
Countless spells and interference.
After breaking through all of them, I was able to point my gun at Irene.
“…!”
Now only one thing remained. Just pulling the trigger.
Thinking that, I put strength into my finger without hesitation, and…
…
……
………
“…Haha, really.”
Not long after, Irene looked at
with a smile as she spoke in a dejected voice.
“You’re soft in the strangest ways, Eugene.”
Crunch-!
Dozens of tentacles pierced through my body.
Irene’s body tissue spreading throughout my body the mont it entered.
Shadows were endlessly invading my body, trying to rge.
“But thanks to that, you ca to , Eugene.”
Irene approached
with a brightly smiling face.
With that bright smile, she slowly reached out to
and embraced my bloodied body.
“Let’s end it all now.”
Burying my face in her chest, she spoke in a gentle voice.
“Put down the heavy responsibility, the pressure, everything that causes you pain.”
“…”
“And beco happy. This ti for real.”
Consciousness gradually drifted away, and my vision turned black.
Psychology that wasn’t mine.
Sothing different from
seeped into my mind, beginning to send my consciousness elsewhere.
A massive torrent of emotions.
Everything that had happened until now.
Leaving behind everything that flashed by like a kaleidoscope, what appeared before
was…
Ring ring ring-!
“Yes, this is Team 1 Assistant Manager Kim Dong-ha from Sales.”
“About the Youngil Trading matter? Their person in charge changed last week. Yes yes. The contact number is 010…”
“Really? Section Chief Oh? Wow~ I had no idea…”
“Hahahahaha!”
Papers ssily scattered on the white desk.
A well-used mouse and a laptop covered in stickers.
Nurous ssages on the ssenger screen and a smartphone vibrating in my pocket.
“…Huh?”
What appeared before my eyes was, before falling into this ga world.
The office of the company where I used to work.
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