Ch.164The End (2)

The Foundation was already the apocalypse itself for humanity. In other words, it was part of the Fifth Apostle.

Even in a reality reduced to nothing but ashes, all Foundation personnel and facilities continued to function perfectly.

“The situation is worse than I thought.”

Robin gives a bitter smile.

“Dabin. Remember what I told you before? That thanks to your suggestion, this world’s end was simply compressed. I said that as long as we survived, our world wouldn’t perish.”

“Yes.”

“Can you tell us how long we need to hold out?”

Now the Foundation’s next target is right here.

The Global Occult Coalition where we are.

BOOM!

The cabin shakes violently.

Everyone screams.

“At this rate, we won’t survive three minutes.”

I couldn’t bring myself to answer.

Our chances of survival were slim.

“To be precise, we could prevent this world from disappearing because of Seven. That’s why I said we could prevent its destruction.”

“So. What’s your conclusion?”

“We need to deal with destruction from other causes ourselves. Just like now.”

“Wait. Dabin. Do you think that makes sense?! Why didn’t you say this earlier?!”

“Later. I’ll explain later.”

The situation is desperate, but we still have one last resort.

“For now, let’s just do our best.”

I held tightly to the bedpost in the shaking cabin.

The tremors stopped shortly after.

“Riko! How’s the situation?”

“Just a moment! I’ll connect to the central communication system and display it on screen!”

Riko scurries off somewhere.

Soon, all electronic devices in the Coalition building begin broadcasting live footage.

It showed the Foundation mobilizing to attack us.

A Foundation facility.

The camera captures a place that looks too intact for a post-nuclear apocalypse.

Robin recognizes the facility and explains.

“It’s the Foundation’s ‘Doomsday Preparation’ branch. They had a ‘Restart Program’ prepared for the end of the world…”

“Restart Program?”

“Yes. Even after a nuclear apocalypse, restoration would have been possible if the Foundation remained intact. The Restart Program literally means restarting the world. They would create clone humans from DNA samples stored in underground bunkers, and AI would control their lives for a certain period. Meanwhile, various devices would emerge outside to begin restoration. They could clean up radiation and debris from destroyed buildings, and restore the environment to its original state. But that’s meaningless now. This place has completely fallen into their hands too.”

“But why here specifically? If it’s showing up on screen, there must be some significant movement. I don’t quite understand what the Doomsday Preparation department can do now.”

“They’re probably trying to misuse the ‘Restart Program.'”

On screen.

Researchers in lab coats move busily between computers for calculations.

Machines activate, and numerous clone humans begin to be created.

They’re miniaturized in front of some device, placed into capsules the size of a finger, and this process repeats several more times.

From the silent screen, a researcher’s voice is heard.

“Preparing to launch toward the Occult Coalition headquarters. Estimated launch time is exactly three minutes from now.”

Armed Foundation personnel move in perfect coordination.

They place the capsules in a sieve and dip them into a red pool prepared at one side of the lab.

Yebin grabs my sleeve tightly and says:

“Dabin. That’s not… blood, is it?”

“Yes, it is. Human blood.”

Robin confirms it.

It wasn’t hard to guess what the Foundation was planning.

“Then could it be…”

“Yes. They’re trying to create an idol of the Fifth Apostle. And they’re going to fire it at us.”

Robin was right.

The blood-soaked capsules are placed in a small box.

And then,

“Launch.”

While everyone gathered in the cabin watches the screen, the box disappears in an instant.

And shortly after.

Someone points to the window.

“It’s coming. From over there.”

Windows are arranged at regular intervals along the almost infinitely expanded wall.

People cluster in front of them, looking outside.

“Dabin. Let’s go too.”

Sister Serim pulled my hand.

Others move along as well.

“Everyone be careful not to get separated.”

“Yes, Dabin.”

Yebin is beside me.

Behind us are Heo Yoon, Seok Hyunmin, and others—I confirmed their presence as we headed toward the window.

…The Occult Coalition headquarters, known as the “Cabin,” floats in a dimensional rift.

While aurora, clouds, or smoke can occasionally be seen floating by, the dimensional rift is fundamentally a dark and desolate place.

In that cold darkness, the box is flying toward us.

Growing larger as it approaches.

Not just because the distance is decreasing.

“Brother. It’s definitely getting bigger, right? That thing.”

Daju points out exactly what I noticed.

Even accounting for distance, the box is growing at an unnaturally rapid rate.

“I think it’ll be here soon.”

I turned around and shouted to everyone.

“Everyone move away from the windows! It’s going to hit soon!”

Heo Yoon and Seok Hyunmin too.

They all relay the same message to the people.

“Get away from the windows! Quickly!!!”

Fortunately, the refugees gathered here seem to have enough sense—they’re all moving away from the windows toward the opposite wall.

Soon, the “believers” of the Fifth Apostle will arrive here.

They will crave blood, create “idols” from human corpses, and try to spread the Fifth Apostle’s influence to the last safe place in the universe.

The box approaches.

In this crisis, Choi Yoon appears with a megaphone.

“Anyone with telekinesis or object manipulation abilities, please gather by the windows. A Foundation aircraft will soon collide with us. We cannot allow this aircraft to crash directly into the Cabin. To prevent the collision, we need people with telekinesis or object manipulation abilities.”

His voice echoes throughout the vast Cabin.

“Please gather as quickly as possible!”

Beside him, Sim Jihee is taking deep breaths, preparing for the end.

Her ability is “power amplification.”

An essential ability this time as well.

Before long, quite a few people gathered by the windows.

Telekinesis was among the more common paranormal abilities.

“On the count of three, we push together.”

“One.”

“Two.”

“Three!”

Standing by the window, I could see it.

The box approaching right before our eyes.

No. A massive paper wall pushing toward the Cabin.

Beside me, Jung Haewon mutters with his mouth agape.

“How are we supposed to stop that?”

“We have to!!! We must stop it at all costs!”

Choi Yoon shouts.

All the paranormal ability users gathered by the windows strain with all their might.

The box pauses momentarily in midair.

That was all.

Due to the weight and momentum of hundreds of thousands of clones inside, the box rotates in the air and slams into the Cabin wall.

BOOM!!!

A massive shock wave shakes the entire Cabin.

“No…”

Sim Jihee collapses to the floor, having used all her strength.

Choi Yoon supports her, barely maintaining his own balance.

Countless people fall and become entangled.

Lying on the floor, I quietly called out to someone.

“Daju.”

“Yes, brother.”

“We need to prepare to fight again.”

“I know.”

“Haewon too. Don’t be too scared, let’s see this through to the end. All of us.”

“Yes, sister.”

“Yebin, thank you for everything. Sister Serim. Sister Yoon too. Brother Hyunmin too. And the three people who came from the Foundation.”

In the dimensional rift where the Cabin is located, there’s no such thing as direction.

Thanks to that, we soon found our balance.

What was a wall became the floor, and what was the ceiling became a wall.

And there was a hole in the ceiling.

Through it, thousands, tens of thousands of “apostles” jump in.

All wearing something like patient gowns, covered in blood.

“Everyone hold hands for now.”

“Why? Didn’t you say we need to fight?”

Heo Yoon says this but still firmly grasps my hand.

With my other hand, I held Sister Serim’s.

Before long, everyone was connected, holding each other’s hands.

“Those ‘apostles’ who came in are still people, after all.”

Rumble-rumble-rumble—

The Cabin floor begins to shake.

“Well, that’s fortunate at least.”

Seok Hyunmin says jokingly.

He wears a bitter smile.

“At least we won’t die from being crushed by people.”

The Cabin, headquarters of the Global Occult Coalition, expands in size as more people enter.

This applies even if they’re believers of the Fifth Apostle.

The Cabin rapidly widens.

The distance between people increases.

The “apostles” who were trying to push forward with momentum upon entering suddenly found themselves like dogs who had lost the chickens they were chasing.

“Now we need to regroup.”

Choi Yoon seems to have the same thought as he shouts at the top of his lungs.

“We need to regroup now! Combat-capable paranormal ability users to the front! No—anyone who can fight, please come forward!”

His voice still echoes loudly even without a megaphone.

Though his voice is starting to crack, Choi Yoon doesn’t stop shouting.

“Injured to the back! Combat-ready to the front!”

Just a little more.

The negotiation conditions will soon be met.

Before the final battle begins.

I quietly thought to myself.

Words I couldn’t say earlier.

‘I have one last method in mind.’

‘To make a deal.’

‘The price is me.’

‘And everyone here.’

Sometimes you have to sell your soul to the devil.