Ch.198IF Side Story – And the Two Lived Happily (52)

Something massive tore through space and emerged.

The impact devastated surrounding buildings and facilities.

Just overwhelming mass.

A colossal form that seemed to declare that no elaborate weapons were needed to reduce modern civilization to nothing.

Those who should have assessed and reported the situation were either fighting for their lives or in similar states, having been caught in the shockwave due to their proximity.

Naturally, everyone fell into chaos.

Kuguguugu──────

As if declaring it wouldn’t give time for the confusion to settle, that mass began to move.

At the end of the long, massive body were five equally long appendages.

These five masses settled horizontally on the ground, as if creating support.

Like a snake slithering, the mass curved upward.

If anyone were watching this scene, they might have thought it looked like a hand pressing against the ground.

And as if to prove that───

“■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■──────!!!”

A thunderous roar erupted.

It pierced the air, shook the earth, and shattered the sky.

Fragments of the broken sky.

Between the cracks, blackness flashed and disappeared.

The sky somehow returned to normal.

Beneath it, something stood.

Arms and legs towering like skyscrapers, a gigantic body so tall that even if you tilted your head all the way back, you couldn’t see its head or even its chest.

People emerging from collapsed building debris and those who rushed to the center in alarm could only fix their eyes, as if entranced, on that towering figure.

And then.

“■■■■■■■■■■■■────────!!!!!!!”

The Colossus laughed.

***

“…Fuck.”

It was a situation where swearing was unavoidable no matter how hard you tried not to.

The screen that had been showing a massive fissure until moments ago had turned black.

Even beyond the darkened TV news screen, I could tell.

That Seoul was fucked.

Surely, what I saw just before the news cut off was…

“Eila, wake up, Eila.”

“Mmm…”

Eila whined.

She looked cute as always, but unfortunately, the current situation was far from normal.

So I shook Eila more forcefully.

“Wake up, it’s urgent. Eila.”

“Hmm…? Hero… sir…?”

Golden irises sparkled between narrowly opened eyes.

I explained the situation to Eila, who was still half-asleep and drowsy.

“Eila, the situation is urgent.”

“…Situation…?”

“Yeah, so I think we need to get back to Seoul quickly.”

“Then, what about me…?”

Her voice had a certain coldness to it.

It must be my imagination.

She just woke up, so her voice probably sounds that way because she’s tired.

“The situation is critical and time-sensitive, so I don’t think I can take you with me. I think I need to go alone…”

“So, you’re leaving me behind?”

I nodded.

I didn’t feel good about it.

No matter how I explained it, the fact that I was leaving Eila behind wouldn’t change.

But if what I saw before the screen cut off was what I thought it was…

-Thud.

I looked down at the soft sensation.

The first thing I saw was white hair.

Eila was hugging me, burying her head against my stomach.

“Do you really have to go?”

A mumbling voice, yet clearly audible to my ears.

Eila couldn’t see my face, but I nodded as I answered.

“I have to.”

“…Why?”

“Huh?”

“Can’t you just stay with me?”

Eila suddenly whined.

“You said I was all you needed. You said that as long as I was by your side, that was enough. So why? Why are you suddenly… trying to leave me alone…?”

What’s this?

Something feels off.

She would occasionally have mood swings, perhaps due to hormones, but never like this.

“I only need you, Hero, but you don’t feel the same…?”

That’s not like Eila at all.

Charitably, one could call it honest, but…

This definitely isn’t normal.

“Eila.”

“Was it… a lie? Did you lie too?”

“It wasn’t a lie.”

“Then why…”

I took a deep breath and thought about what to say.

“But I can’t just stand by and watch that thing.”

“…”

“I have the power to resolve this situation, and if I want, I can end it right now. And in Seoul, there are many things that remain.”

“…That’s true.”

“Our home, the stores we visited together, the park… the people we met. …Memories. I want to protect them.”

“…”

“Last time, I couldn’t.”

At my final words, Eila’s body trembled greatly.

Then, after a moment of hearing her breath, light rose from the floor.

“Huh?”

Softly glowing, colorful lights.

A warmth I’d felt before.

It didn’t take long to realize that this light was the blessing Eila had manifested.

I could feel my body growing stronger in real time.

“Eila…”

“You must come back safely, okay?”

“…I will.”

“If you don’t, I’ll really be angry.”

“I promise.”

The pressure around my waist loosened.

Eila turned around and flopped down on the bed.

“Go quickly.”

“Aren’t you going to see me off?”

“If I see your face, I might change my mind about letting you go.”

Despite her words…

She’s giving me permission, right?

I approached Eila, who was lying with her back turned to me.

Even with permission, leaving without a word wouldn’t be proper.

Carefully taking Eila’s left hand.

Chu.

I kissed it.

On her ring finger, on the ring.

“I’ll be back.”

***

“■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■─────!!!!”

The sound echoed.

With just that, roads, buildings, the evidence of civilization built by people—all crumbled.

Blood and groans seeped from between the collapsed debris.

“What is… this…”

Seongho crawled out from between the debris.

The world was red.

Judging by the throbbing pain in his head, blood from somewhere must have gotten into his eyes.

A thumping sound.

He thought it might be his heartbeat, but not only his body, but the entire ground was shaking.

“Are you alright?!”

At the voice, he raised his head and saw people in various uniforms running around frantically.

“…The situation?”

“…Well, that…”

A brief response that could hardly be called an answer.

It was enough to understand.

The situation had gone terribly wrong.

“Damn it.”

He surveyed his surroundings.

Buildings that should have stood tall had lost their form and become piles of concrete.

A bombardment named mass.

The epicenter was the dungeon entrance.

‘Was it a mistake to position personnel near the entrance in case of emergency…?’

When all this is over, someone would have to be held accountable, one way or another.

Being removed from office would be the lenient outcome.

In the worst case…

“■■■■■■■■■■───”

Well, that’s assuming the country remains intact…

“Association President!! Are you safe?!”

Someone ran over.

Not an unfamiliar face.

“…I’m not sure if ‘safe’ is the right word.”

“Still, it’s fortunate that at least you’re conscious, President. The military is trying to control the situation, but they’re in a similar predicament as us…”

That makes sense.

The military had also set up their command post near the dungeon.

“So──”

BOOM!!

A heavy sound shook the earth.

At that sound, the two stopped talking and looked at each other.

“…It seems we don’t have time to stand around chatting.”

“…Yes.”

The two moved quickly.

The road was covered in cracks, with large concrete chunks embedded with rebar scattered about, so they weren’t very fast.

But they moved as best they could.

“Currently, most people who were near the dungeon entrance are missing. Rescue teams are conducting operations, but… with that thing overhead, there aren’t many people who can move normally, so the work is progressing slowly.”

“Casualties?”

“None yet.”

“Yet” implies that there are people with injuries severe enough to be fatal without prompt treatment.

Kugugugu───

A deep shadow fell.

The massive body blocked the sun.

“…Is that thing moving now?”

“…It seems so.”

The colossus moved.

Wind blew, and shadows covered the ground.

Slowly, a gigantic pillar rose into the sky and then.

Came down.

KWAAAANG───!!!!!

“Whoa?!”

“Ugh!?”

The road collapsed.

The ground cracked, creating deep crevices.

Debris fell into those gaps.

Such destructive power from mere aftershocks.

“Damn it, the subway…”

Seongho muttered.

His gaze turned downward.

The ground is sturdy, but that’s because the buildings on it comply with regulations.

If something with excessive mass were placed without permission, it would collapse.

And that’s exactly what’s happening now.

Unable to withstand the overwhelming mass, the road cracked with a creaking sound.

How much ground would sink if that colossus started moving?

It must be stopped.

But how?

Most personnel are buried under that debris right now.

Form a separate unit with some of the rescue workers?

No, that won’t work.

It would only result in awkwardly divided forces, failing at both tasks and wasting precious time.

Should they abandon the rescue and focus on stopping it?

But then those people would die.

The trolley dilemma.

The damage that would occur if the monster moved versus the deaths that would result from abandoning the rescue.

After considering both options, Seongho reached a conclusion and raised his head.

KWAAANG!!!!

Something plunged down from the sky.