Chapter 119

〈 119 〉 Pursuit, Annihilation

Now, Asha had to bear the burden of feeding a massive group of 60,000 people, including the Steel Regiment, refugees, and those who had been in the capital… but Asha still had over 400,000 Tokens left in her account. Even as she watched the Tokens dwindle day by day, she maintained a calm expression.

“If we just hold on a little longer, ahem…”

Thanks to Asha’s ability to procure food, those who had been rescuing essential supplies and people were now bringing out the food that had been stockpiled in the capital. Creatures like chickens had all died along with the Tentacles, but animals like cows and horses had survived in the capital, so the rate of food self-sufficiency was expected to continue to increase.

Asha, who was watching a cart filled with sacks of wheat with a satisfied look, turned her head when she felt someone tugging at her hand.

“Hmm? What’s wrong, Lucy?”

“Mama, how long are we going to be here?”

“Who knows?”

Lucia had been sticking close to Asha ever since Asha was injured yesterday. Lucia thought that if she couldn’t get rid of all the humans in front of her, she would divert her Mama’s attention elsewhere. Asha pondered Lucia’s question and then looked at the quest window before answering.

“I think it will take at least four months?”

“Four months?”

“I mean 120 days.”

Lucia’s eyes widened as if she had never thought about such a time. Asha realized anew that Lucia had just passed her first birthday. Three months was close to 30% of the time Lucia had lived so far. Lucia, whose eyes were spinning, pouted.

“120 days is too long…”

“I’m sorry, but it’s hard to leave the people here… Can Lucy be patient for a little while?”

Lucia didn’t meet Asha’s eyes as Asha hugged her and looked at her apologetically. She avoided Asha’s gaze, feeling a little resentful.

‘I don’t want Mama to spend time on other people or suffer.’

Asha, who was flustered by Lucia’s refusal, which she had never shown before, realized that this was natural.

‘Lucy is too kind, she is only two years old and can’t even talk yet, so this is awkward.’

Asha turned Lucia’s head, who was feigning disinterest, and kissed her. Lucia was startled because Asha rarely kissed her on the lips, although she hugged her often. Asha looked at Lucia, who was surprised by the sudden display of affection, as if she were cute, and whispered in her daughter’s ear.

“I won’t lie and say it will be over soon. I think it’s wrong to deceive you because you’re young. But I promise you this one thing. When all the work here is done, let’s go on a trip together again like we used to. This time, it would be nice to travel around for a year. Right?”

“How long is a year?”

“365 days?”

“Wow!”

Asha chuckled as she watched Lucia, who had been sulking just a moment ago, wave her arms and rejoice as if it had been a lie.

“Mama, I’ll be back!”

“Huh? Okay. See you later!”

“Okay!”

Asha looked at Lucia, who was running off somewhere as soon as she finished talking to her, with a puzzled expression, but she brushed it off.

‘It’s not like she’s going to get beat up somewhere. In the first place, is there anyone who can hit Lucy?’

“But Lucy’s eyes were a little… red, weren’t they?”

Lucia, who originally had sunny golden eyes, had a reddish tint in her eyes when Asha saw her today. It wasn’t just bloodshot, but the color of her pupils themselves had changed.

“She wouldn’t have changed the color of her eyes on purpose…”

Asha was a little worried, wondering if she was having a change of heart or if there was something wrong with her body.

“Wizard, please come here!”

“Ah, yes! I’m coming!”

Asha put her thoughts aside and ran to the people who were calling her.

Contrary to Asha’s expectation that she would just wander around for a while, Lucia disappeared as soon as she was out of Asha’s sight and flew into the sky. Lucia, who had grown up in an instant and spread her wings, flew north, creating a whirlwind.

‘Papa is definitely up there. If only Papa wasn’t there…’

If she couldn’t stop Asha from being stuck here, she could just eliminate the source of the problem. Wrapped in the will of annihilation, Lucia headed to the place where tens of thousands of people and the Mind entity were.

Lucia had long since become a moving natural disaster. The space around her, who had unleashed all her power, crackled and distorted repeatedly, and just by Lucia passing by, the Tentacles in her path had their minds burned out and died.

Lucia, who had killed the Tentacles en masse just by passing by, finally reached a place where her senses were completely blocked. The Tentacle Nests that interfered with her senses were lined up everywhere, and there was a production factory made up of humans running underground, the place where the Mind entity was.

Guuung–

Lucia, who had killed all the Tentacles on the ground just by coming to the base, looked at the underground.

Kwajak-

When she threw her fist, the ground was hollowed out as if it had been scooped out with a giant spoon with a roar. Every time she compressed the land there and threw her fist, a Tunnel leading to the underground was created in an instant.

[That’s enough. If you come in here any further, it will be destroyed to the point where it is difficult to recover.]

Lucia’s movements stopped at the voice she heard in her head.

“Papa…”

Lucia’s eyes narrowed as she thought about what the Mind entity, who said it would be destroyed, had said. It was a very uncool sight to call it a reunion between father and daughter after a year. Lucia, who had lost her energy, pointed to the Tentacle Nests.

“Papa, you made those to be wary of me, didn’t you? What the hell are you doing?”

[What I’m doing hasn’t changed. Everything is being prepared for Ascension.]

“Ascension? Are you making such a fuss because of Ascension?”

[That’s right.]

Lucia, frowning, asked.

“Can’t you stop?”

[I have no intention of stopping.]

“Then die!”

Lucia put an unannounced strike that transcended space into the underground where the Mind entity was.

Kururureung!!!

Even though she attacked the underground, the Tentacle Nests that were lined up on the ground tilted or burst with a thud, and a radius of dozens of miles was shaken by a strong shock. Lucia, who attacked her father without any hesitation, stomped her foot again and inflicted a Second Strike.

Kwakwang!

The continuous impact shattered the giant pillars of the underground cavity like reeds, and the ground collapsed. Lucia, who was alone in the scene as if a meteorite had fallen, watched the aftermath of the destruction spread with an expressionless face. She frowned as she stood still.

“I can’t kill him easily with this much… Tsk, there weren’t any humans inside either.”

Lucia grumbled when she sensed that there were only Mind entity and Tentacles underground, as she had intended to get rid of the humans who had become seed bearers as well.

[There is no reason to put all strategic objectives in one place. Wasn’t your goal to save humans?]

“What are you talking about? I came because Papa was bothering Mama.”

[…It’s unique. Your affection for your mother should be aware that it is artificial?]

When Lucia reunited with Asha, she had already realized that her affection for her mother had been injected by the Mind entity while absorbing the remnants of the Tentacles.

“Yeah, it’s the affection Papa instilled in me. So what? I just love my mother because I like her. Instead of worrying about that, it’s better to smash Papa and worry about what to do with Mama.”

[It’s unexpected. Your power, which exceeded your expectations, is presumed to be the result of the development based on your affection for your mother.]

Lucia frowned at the Mind entity, who was saying things she didn’t want to hear or know.

“Do you think I can’t attack anymore? If Papa doesn’t die even if I hit him twice, I’ll hit him ten times, a hundred times!”

[No, your attack is impossible now.]

“What are you, keueueut!!”

The wings behind Lucia’s back collapsed and she suddenly fell. She tried to regain control of her body, distorting her face, but it didn’t work as she fell underground and hit the ground as it was.

Kuoong!

Dirt splattered everywhere and hit the floor, but Lucia’s body was fine. But the problem she was facing now was not the fall.

“Euh, euheuk… What the hell did you do!”

[You must have absorbed the Tentacles I created before. Ordinary Tentacles would have lost their will and melted just by you absorbing them, but those are different.]

Lucia’s eyes, which had been reddish, were now completely red.

“I… can’t move because of the Tentacles I absorbed?”

[Most Tentacles are just your prey, but if you add subtle craftsmanship, it can be a counterattack. You must be careful about what you accept into your body.]

“Don’t advise me! Uaaaaaaa!!”

The cavity shook again just by Lucia emitting her will. In front of her, a huge purple mass of flesh approached. Lucia realized that what was in front of her was her father. Her pupils were stained with blood as she faced the source of her torment.

“Dieeeee!!”

But unlike before, Lucia’s cry was just an empty echo. She was embarrassed when no reaction occurred.

[The closer I get, the weaker your control becomes. If you hadn’t come here now, it would have been impossible to interfere like this.]

Lucia resented everything. She resented the annoying humans, her father who was holding her back now, and even herself for deciding to come here so rashly.

“Why are you bothering Mama! If it wasn’t for you, if it wasn’t for the humans! I would have been living happily with Mama!”

[All other preparations are complete. I only need your mother.]

Lucia’s eyes rolled back at the Mind entity’s words. It was a completely different matter to target her Mama, not just targeting humans.

“I only need Mama too! How dare you target Mama? Don’t interfere… I’ll kill everything that gets in my way!!”

Lucia’s Thought waves, amplified by breaking through the suppression, spread out like an explosion and shook the sky. Tens of thousands of people who were caught by the Tentacles could not breathe at the threat to their lives that they instinctively felt as a distant hatred spewed out, and the Tentacles nearby were crushed by the transcendent momentum and hardened as if they had been struck by lightning.

Lucia’s will was shaking the world, even distorting the clouds floating above the sky, but she could not change the situation. She stared at the sky with bloodshot eyes and eventually lost control of her body and knelt down.

“Uaaaaaaaaa–!!!”

Blood dripped from the mouth of Lucia, who was screaming desperately, and she collapsed. Soon, her figure, which had stopped moving, was buried in the mass of flesh and slowly disappeared.