Chapter 68 |
Sleepwalker VI
-Waaaaah!
The area once known as the Gimhae Plain.
This place had fallen into a state resembling Tom and Jerry's cheese block due to the urban development boom.
It was dug here, and dug there. As it was nibbled away here and there, the area that could truly be called a ‘plain’ had significantly shrunk.
In other words, if urban development stopped, everything would revert to its original state.
When the scales of the 10,000-year war between nature and civilization, environment and humanity, tipped back towards nature, the Gimhae Plain rapidly regained its former glory.
Of course, a significant portion of nature’s territory had to be ceded to the anomaly who fought as mercenaries in exchange for victory. As a result, it was hard to tell whether it was truly nature or the void, making the plight of nature not much different from human affairs.
Among these, the Gimhae Plain was an area where civilization was removed swiftly, perhaps too quickly.
About seven years ago, an air raid alarm was suddenly issued from the west of the Gimhae Plain, and a small-scale ‘bombing’ took place there.
The exact cause and details of the incident were unknown.
It happened at the exact moment I was forcibly summoned to Busan Station and began living as a regressor.
Even the information that a bombing occurred nearby would have been hard to obtain if I were not a regressor. There were testimonies that it was shelling rather than bombing, rumors of a gate suddenly opening, and whispers that a secret government research facility exploded.
It was all a mystery.
-Boom!
Maybe a small gate appeared in the Gimhae Plain, and the bombing occurred to eliminate it.
Perhaps it was someone’s desperate decision to save the nation, thinking they couldn’t afford to lose Busan after Seoul had been devastated.
Maybe it was because the area was sparsely populated compared to other densely populated cities, making the sacrifice seem acceptable.
Or perhaps it was just a tragic mistake due to an error in command transmission. I considered this possibility the most likely.
But now, there was no way to uncover the truth. With the government and civilian organizations that were supposed to investigate the truth gone, what could be done? Especially when documents and witnesses related to the incident were also impossible to find.
Not only nature but also human history was swallowed by the void.
Nevertheless, one clear fact remained: the Gimhae Plain, where the bombing occurred, could not have been a mere barren plain.
Even in places where there was no way to prove it, people lived.
Let’s talk about the epilogue.
[――Mr. Undertaker.]
[Wake up, Mr. Undertaker.]
Blinking, I opened my eyes.
I realized that I had briefly lost consciousness. A momentary blackout. Fortunately, as a regressor, I had experienced fainting countless times. I was not startled by something I had grown accustomed to long ago.
[Have you regained consciousness?]
If I had to guess why I fainted, it was probably because of the lullaby sung by the Meteor Shower that made my eyes close involuntarily.
Unlike other awakeners, I was flying at the forefront. In other words, I was the farthest from Dang Seo-rin’s white magic, the ‘Antiresonance’ song that nullified the lullaby.
“Yes, I’m fine. You don’t need to worry, Saintess. How long was I unconscious?”
[Not long. About a second.]
“You noticed I fainted in just one second? That’s impressive.”
I was genuinely astonished. After all, I hadn’t known at the time that the Saintess possessed the ‘Time Stop’ ability.
During this crucial battle, the Saintess periodically stopped time to observe the battlefield. Her Clairvoyance must have caught the moment I slumped on my broom.
[A problem has arisen, Mr. Undertaker.]
The Saintess skillfully shifted the topic. It wasn’t just to avoid my suspicion; there was a genuine urgency in her voice.
A chill ran down my spine. Even without Dang Seo-rin’s magic, people’s voices resonated with emotions.
“Don’t tell me we failed to subjugate the Meteor Shower?”
[No. The subjugation itself is almost certainly a success. But… look over there.]
Even without a clear direction, I instinctively turned my head.
The night sky where the starlight of the Meteor Shower had been.
The strike prepared for years by seven hundred awakeners was indeed sharp. The storm of aura we created had torn the Meteor Shower apart.
Yes.
It was torn apart.
“What…?”
My heart pounded.
The Meteor Shower was certainly defeated. The sphere that emitted a strong, concentrated starlight was no more.
And while there were anomaly that disappeared like smoke upon being defeated, many others left corpses like animals.
I muttered blankly.
“A corpse of starlight…?”
Have you ever seen white phosphorus?
Exactly that scene unfolded before my eyes, no, before our eyes.
Torn starlight.
The fragments of starlight, shredded to pieces, were falling towards the ground.
“Ah.”
The chill that surged up my spine pierced my heart, making it throb ominously.
Why didn’t I foresee this?
If there was a meteor falling from the sky, destroying it mid-air would be a problem――
Even if the destruction succeeded, the countless fragments of the meteor falling to the ground would still be an issue.
“Shit!”
It was simply unimaginable that an anomaly composed of 100% pure starlight would leave a corpse. A corpse of light? Who could have predicted that?
Therefore, this was another instance of ‘you suffer if you don’t know.’ Damn it.
It was like the final parting gift from the Meteor Shower, shattered by the regressor’s ambush, to humanity.
In the 42nd cycle, where we succeeded in subjugating the Meteor Shower for the ‘first’ time, we had no choice but to fall for this trap card.
“It’s over! It’s really over! We actually hunted a top-class anomaly!”
“Long live the United Awakeners Alliance of Korea! Long live!”
“Unbelievable… This is the world’s first subjugation of a top-class anomaly. We actually did it…?”
“The constellations are invincible! Undertaker is a god!”
Looking around, there were no combatants paying attention to the Meteor Shower’s corpse in this aerial battlefield.
They were all just excited about having won a historic battle.
Only the Saintess and I were focused on the strange undulations in the night sky, on the fragments of starlight starting to fall.
‘If the fragments fall to the ground like this― no, it’s okay. Even if Gyeongsangnam-do becomes a territory of ashes, it’s not the worst situation.’
I was not the type of regressor who had faith in myself. Such self-confidence was a luxury only diamond spoon-type regressors, who could save the world in just two or three regressions, could afford.
Naturally, I anticipated the possibility of my plan failing and evacuated as many residents from Gyeongsangnam-do as possible.
“The infrastructure will be destroyed…”
But it was manageable. In this era, the true infrastructure was not capital or material but the awakeners.
Swallowing the bitter taste rising in my mouth, the Saintess spoke in a voice even more urgent than before.
[…Mr. Undertaker. The starlight fragments are spreading wider.]
“What?”
I quickly leaned out and looked down.
Indeed, the starlight fragments were actively defying the concept of vertical fall. As expected of anomaly, who questioned the laws of physics when bored, their anti-intellectual behavior was showing.
[They’re not just falling over Busan’s airspace. They’re expected to easily cover the entire Korean Peninsula.]
“Damn it, this insane setback.”
I muttered without realizing it, but strictly speaking, it wasn’t exactly a setback.
As already described, if left unchecked, the Meteor Shower would bombard the entire world over seven years. Hawaii, India, China, France, and so on.
In other words… this thing didn’t pour out all its power in its first debut. It was more like a stealthy powerhouse. Similar to the World Tree, Udumbara.
We had stabbed such a stealthy powerhouse in the gut, so the ripple effects of its hidden power were bound to be unleashed.
The conclusion was simple.
Even in death, the Meteor Shower’s fragments alone could easily annihilate the Korean Peninsula.
‘What should I do?’
Countless thoughts crossed my mind.
‘Abandon the Korean Peninsula?’ ‘The seven hundred awakeners are fine. We could abandon the main force and deploy a secondary unit.’ ‘But what about the nine hundred non-combatants providing backup on the ground?’ ‘Will they die?’ ‘Dang Seo-rin is fine, isn’t she?’ ‘What about the Saintess?’ ‘Can the Alliance of Awakeners maintain the same solidarity without the constellations’ trust? Even after the last ethical restraint is removed?’ ‘Territory of ashes.’
The starlight fragments fell slowly.
My decision-making speed increased.
‘Abandon this cycle.’ ‘But gather as much information as possible.’ ‘Do the Meteor Shower’s fragments also turn the ground into a territory of ashes? Will they disappear silently upon falling? Or will they remain as mysterious, eternal sources of light?’ ‘Even if I die, I struggle until the end.’
[Mr. Undertaker.]
A voice echoed quietly in my mind.
[Mr. Undertaker, give the order.]
The Saintess, the mastermind behind the constellations, awaited my command as a regressor.
I took out my radio.
“All units, the battle is not over!”
Attention focused on me.
“Everyone, look down! The Meteor Shower’s corpse is falling in hundreds and thousands of pieces! Even after subjugation, the fragments persist instead of disappearing!”
The awakeners murmured. They were all highly competent elites, but it would take five to ten minutes for their murmuring to coalesce into clear judgments and refined actions.
The commander was the one who shortened that time to tens of seconds.
‘Saintess.’
I hadn’t given any prior instructions to the Saintess.
[The Saintess of National Salvation issues an urgent quest!]
But as if reacting to my thoughts, at that moment, a message appeared before all the awakeners.
――――――――――
[Debris of the Destroyed Meteor]
You have successfully subjugated the continental-class anomaly ‘Meteor Shower’ for the first time in history.
But there is no time to celebrate. The Meteor Shower’s fragments are falling.
Prevent the Meteor Carnival.
Good luck.
-Reward: Survival
-Failure: Destruction of the Korean Peninsula
――――――――――
The timing was perfect.
In this moment of uncertainty without any data, the awakeners had no choice but to accept the constellation’s testimony as fact.
I shouted.
“We must stop them!”
The night sky rippled.
“There are still nine hundred non-combatants on the ground! As long as they remain, the Korean Peninsula is not finished! Here, we entrust the future to the non-combatants and face death without fear!”
All the awakeners looked at me. I saw black gunpowder ignite in their pupils.
“From the 1st to the 12th squad! Follow your team leader’s orders! Don’t let a single piece of the anomaly’s corpse touch our land!”
[Yes!]
[Understood, Undertaker!]
The radio crackled, transmitting the team leaders’ voices.
“Launch! All units, launch! I will lead!”
“Waaah!”
The formation of seven hundred combatants, shaped like a cone, scattered instantly. Like fighters taking off from an aircraft carrier.
The difference was that we were not ascending but descending.
“Aaah―aaah――”
Even Dang Seo-rin, who was at the very back, didn’t miss the timing. Although it wasn’t in the plan, she responded swiftly.
The seventh melody, Rapid.
The brooms we were riding accelerated instantly. We quickly caught up with the falling fragments of the Meteor Shower.
“Aaah――”
Dang Seo-rin’s magic burned brightly, consuming her lifespan. Therefore, she usually didn’t sing beyond the fourth melody, and never more than six melodies even in crucial moments.
The seventh melody. That was the boundary line where she stepped into the land of death.
With the speed gained by burning her life, I charged into the line of fire.
“Ugh!”
I swung my sword at one of the fragments torn from the Meteor Shower. Just destroying a single piece caused my whole body to suffer severe pain.
It was expected. I had just squeezed out every bit of my aura and strength to deliver the final blow two minutes ago.
The remaining aura in my body was already depleted. My right hand, unable to withstand the output, had all its skin peeled off, exposing the muscles.
Continuing to fight in such a state was practically suicide.
Barely scraping together the remaining aura, I wrapped it around the blade and attacked the fragment. Part of it turned to ashes upon contact.
But I didn’t stop and immediately charged at the next fragment.
I wasn’t the only moth drawn to the flame.
[Aaaaargh!]
[11 o’clock direction! The 11 o’clock direction is covered by another team! This bastard is spreading out more and more! We have to destroy it before it spreads!]
[Twelfth squad, annihilated.]
[Die! Die, die! Just die!]
[Thank you, Great Witch! I love you! Long live Samcheon World!]
[Tenth squad, 2 o’clock direction clear.]
I wouldn’t say all seven hundred ignored their lives.
Some combatants pretended to fight while prioritizing their survival. Perhaps some even concluded to elevate their guild’s position in the ruined Korean Peninsula.
But at least my pen was for recording those who were different.
[3 o’clock direction clear. Tenth squad, annihilated. Six members left. Moving to the 4 o’clock direction.]
[Seventh squad, annihilated. But the 11 o’clock direction is clear. Now moving to join the 10 o’clock squad… Ah. Spotted one remaining fragment. Unable to join.]
[I’ll go first, Undertaker. I haven’t forgotten what happened in Sejong. I’ll always be grateful.]
[Fourth squad, annihilated.]
Stars fell.
Burning the last of their vitality to embrace the remnants of starlight, their bodies turning to ash.
And the night sky began to fade. The dark waves spread by the Meteor Shower lightened from the horizon.
Under the fading night sky, countless ashes fell― alongside the silent descent of brooms that had lost their owners.
[Undertaker.]
[Mr. Undertaker!]
[Undertaker――]
Falling. Falling.
Endless descent.
How much time and noise had passed?
“Undertaker!”
Blink.
When I opened my eyes, I was already falling. The deafening sound of wind struck my ears.
It was not strange to faint in a hellish battlefield, but this time, three things were particularly strange.
First, the world was upside down. I hadn’t realized immediately because of the high altitude, but I was falling. The broom was nowhere in sight. My cause of death this cycle seemed likely to be falling.
Second, Dang Seo-rin was in front of me.
Simply saying she was in front of me wasn’t enough. Her beloved pointed hat was gone, and she, too, was falling from the sky like me.
And at some point, she was holding me.
“Dang Seo-rin?”
I barely moved my lips. The taste of blood, lead, iron, and ashes mingled in my mouth.
Despite the intense conviction that this was reality, everything felt dreamlike. Like a sleepwalker uncertain if they wanted to keep dreaming.
“What’s the situation…?”
Dang Seo-rin smiled brightly. We were falling, and death awaited us at the end of this fall.
Was this a dream?
Her smile grew closer. Closer and closer.
Eventually, her smile was felt not by sight but by touch.
That was the third strange thing.
“I… love humanity!”
Her face, covered in blood, sweat, and ashes, smiled brightly again.
“You… what did you just…?”
“I hate people. They annoy me. Honestly, I hate crowded places. I’m sick of people trying to curry favor with me.”
Flap—
The wind continuously battered our bodies. Hugging me tighter against the sky’s resistance, Dang Seo-rin spoke.
“I hated everything before the world ended, and I’ve hated it all since. But still, humanity is amazing!”
“……”
“No one will remember, no. No record will remain. We just saved the world! Right, Undertaker?”
“……”
“And― I hope you don’t hate people too much.”
“……”
Wind.
“I’m not the type to ask such things. Ah—I should have asked. Why you keep making that face. Where you used to live and what you did. Why you like Café au Lait. Why your eyes look sad. I should have asked a lot, and I could have.”
Waves.
“Do you hate me? Undertaker?”
“Not at all.”
Immediate reply.
“Not at all……. Absolutely.”
“Yeah.”
A smile.
My dream. My disease. The reason I chose to dream of life, my sleepwalking’s cause.
“And just like me, as much as you like me, just a little more, love humanity.”
And…
The sunset.
The night sky disappeared.
The sunset spread.
When the Meteor Shower spread the night sky, the world was just beginning to see the sunset. Our battle took place between the start and end of the day’s sunset.
Thus, when the Meteor Shower was defeated and we were falling, the world was still experiencing a grand sunset.
“Ah.”
Not a sunset swallowed by the night sky.
A sunset pushing away the night sky.
An inverted sunset that could only happen once in this world, on this earth.
“Ah….”
A red that stretched to the eternal horizon.
“Truly, truly― A beautiful sky―”
This is where the epilogue ends.
From the 43rd cycle, we also devised measures for the corpses, allowing the seven hundred awakeners to safely return to the ground.
There was still much to discuss about the Meteor Shower. Speculations about its origins, experiments on harnessing starlight.
Nevertheless, today’s story ends here.
Because that day’s sunset was too red, and humanity was simply a being that flew towards the eternally setting horizon.
Boss battle.
Anomaly Meteor Shower.
Aliases: Meteor Strike, Armageddon, Worry, Nuclear Lunch, Milky Way
Threat Level: Lv.3 Continental
Patterns: Phase 1 Emergence, Phase 2 Descent, Phase 3 Mass Sleep, Phase 4 Impact.
Estimated casualties: Unknown. Estimated missing: unknown.
Numerous world destruction records.
Subjugation complete.
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
Comments 1