BXBX NOVEL Chapter 68 – Sleepwalker VI
Chapter 68 – Sleepwalker VI
8
“Wheeeeeee!”
The area formerly known as Gimhae Plains.
This place had transformed into a chaotic mess resembling chunks of cheese in a Tom and Jerry cartoon, thanks to the urban development boom.
Pies here, pies there. After munching around, there wasn’t much left to call a ‘plain.’
In other words, if urban development were to halt, everything would revert to its original state.
When the balance of power between nature and civilization, environment and humanity, shifted back towards nature after the millennia-long tug-of-war in the Elysion, Gimhae Plains rapidly regained its former glory.
Of course, as payment for their victory, the eerie mercenaries who participated in the battle had to cede a significant portion of nature’s territory. Thanks to this, it became increasingly difficult to discern whether it was truly nature or void, and the chaos of nature was not much different from that of humanity.
Among them, Gimhae Plains fell into the category of areas where civilization was swiftly, perhaps too swiftly, removed.
“Wheeeeeee!”
About seven years ago, a sudden air raid alert was issued in the western part of Gimhae Plains, and a small-scale ‘bombardment’ took place there.
Exactly how the incident occurred near this area and what led to it remains unknown to this day.
It happened right at the moment when I was forcibly summoned to Busan Station to begin the life of a regressor.
Even obtaining information about a bombardment in the vicinity would have been difficult if I weren’t a regressor. There were testimonies claiming it was not a bombing but shelling, rumors of a sudden gate opening, and even whispers that a government research facility had exploded.
It was utter chaos.
Perhaps a small gate had opened in Gimhae Plains, and the bombardment occurred to eliminate it.
Perhaps Seoul had become a ruin, and losing Busan was not an option, a desperate decision for someone.
Perhaps, compared to other densely populated urban areas, there were relatively few people living there, so they thought, ‘This level of sacrifice is unavoidable.’
Perhaps there was simply an error in relaying orders, leading to the tragedy. Surprisingly, I consider this possibility the most likely.
But now, we can’t uncover the truth. Both the government and private organizations involved in investigating the incident have disappeared. Moreover, there is no way to obtain documents or witnesses related to the incident, as they are all missing.
Not only nature but also human history vanished into the void.
Yet, there is one clear fact: the Gimhae Plains where the bombardment occurred was truly just a ‘plain’ as its name suggested, and it was barren beyond imagination.
Even in a place where evidence is missing, people were still living.
9
Let’s talk about the aftermath.
[…Doctor Jang (General).]
[Please come to your senses, Doctor Jang.]
Blinking, I opened my eyes.
During the time I opened my eyes, I realized that I had briefly lost consciousness. A momentary blackout. Fortunately, I’ve experienced countless fainting spells while living as a regressor, so I wasn’t particularly surprised.
[Are you awake now?]
If I were to guess the reason for fainting, it was probably due to the influence of the lullaby sung by ‘Meteor Shower.’
Unlike other Awakeners, I was flying at the forefront. In other words, I was the furthest away from Tang Seorin’s white magic, the lullaby, which nullified it.
“Yes, I’m fine. You don’t have to worry, Saintess. How long was I unconscious?”
[It wasn’t long. About one second.]
“You noticed that I fainted in just one second? Impressive.”
I was genuinely amazed because, as I mentioned before, at that time, I didn’t know that the Saintess possessed the ability to ‘stop time.’
During this crucial battle, the Saintess intermittently stopped time to observe the battlefield. I must have been caught by her telescopic vision when I briefly lounged on the broomstick.
[We have a problem, General.]
The Saintess skillfully diverted the topic. It wasn’t just to avoid my suspicions; urgency could genuinely be felt in her voice.
A chill ran down my spine. Even if it wasn’t Tang Seorin’s magic, people resonated with emotions in others’ voices.
“This can’t be! You mean to say the suppression of Meteor Shower failed?”
[No. The suppression itself is almost certain to have succeeded. But… over there.]
Despite the ambiguity of what the Saintess was pointing at, I instinctively turned my head.
It was the night sky where Meteor Shower’s starlight had existed just moments ago.
The strike prepared by 700 Awakeners over several years was indeed sharp. Our created storm of Ora tore Meteor Shower to shreds.
Yes.
Torn to shreds.
“What…?”
My heart raced.
Meteor Shower was definitely suppressed. The sphere emitting strong starlight, gathered in one place, no longer existed.
And while there were eerie beings that scattered like smoke upon suppression, many left corpses like animals.
I muttered in astonishment.
“Corpses of starlight…?”
Have you ever seen a white phosphorus?
Exactly the same sight was unfolding before my eyes, no, before our eyes.
Torn starlight.
The fragmented starlight, shredded into pieces, was falling towards the ground.
“Oh.”
And a shiver shot up my spine from the back, ominously unsettling my heart.
Why didn’t I expect this?
If there were meteors falling from the sky, it would be a problem to intercept and destroy them, but even if successful, the fact that the fragments of the falling meteors would also be a problem.
“Damn it!”
Of course, no one, not even orcs or goblins, would have imagined that a being made entirely of starlight would leave behind a corpse. A corpse of light? Who could predict such a thing?
So, this was another case of ‘ignorance is bliss.’ Damn it.
Meteor Shower, shattered by the ambush of regressors, perhaps the last ace up humanity’s sleeve.
As a 42nd turn regressor, I had no choice but to fall into this trap card.
“It’s over! It’s all over! We really hunted down a top-tier entity!”
“Hurrah for the Korean Awakener Alliance! Hurrah!”
“This is insane… It’s the world’s first successful suppression of a top-tier entity. Could we really have done it as humans…?”
“The Constellation is invincible! The General is a god!”
Looking around, there were no combatants paying attention to the corpse of Meteor Shower in the sky battlefield.
Everyone was just excited about the overwhelming victory in the battle that would go down in history.
Only the Saintess and I were paying attention to the eerie tremors in the night sky and the fragments of starlight that began to fall through it.
‘If these fragments fall to the ground… No, wait. It’s fine. Even if the entire region of Gyeongsangnam-do turns into a wasteland, it’s not the worst-case scenario.’
I wasn’t the type of regressor who had confidence in myself. Such self-assurance was a luxury reserved for Diamond Spoon regressors who could save the world with just two or three regressions.
Naturally, I evacuated as many residents as possible from Gyeongsangnam-do, bearing in mind the possibility of my plan failing.
“Even if the infrastructure is completely destroyed…”
I could handle it. Well, the true infrastructure of this era isn’t capital or material; it’s the Awakeners.
As I swallowed the bitterness in my mouth, the Saintess spoke with a slightly more urgent tone than before.
[…General. The starlight fragments are spreading wider.]
“What?”
I stretched my neck and looked down.
Indeed, the starlight fragments were actively objecting to the concept of vertical freefall. It was a behavior typical of entities that questioned the laws of physics whenever they were bored.
[They’re not just falling into the airspace above Busan. It’s expected to surpass the entire Korean Peninsula.]
“No, does such madness exist?”
Although I muttered in disbelief as a 42nd, strictly speaking, it was hard to call it madness.
As I’ve described, if left alone, Meteor Shower would bombard the entire world over a staggering seven years. Hawaii, Ingria, China, France, and so on.
In other words… this guy isn’t an enthusiastic entity who pours out his power from his debut. Rather, he’s closer to a sinister force. A type similar to the World Tree Yggdrasil.
Having punctured the bloated belly of such a sinister force at once, it was inevitable that the aftermath of the power it had been hiding would unravel one after another.
The conclusion was simple.
Even if Meteor Shower reached death, he could still annihilate the entire Korean Peninsula with just his corpse fragments.
‘What should we do?’
Countless thoughts crossed my mind.
‘Abandon the Korean Peninsula?’
‘The 700 Awakeners are fine. We can abandon the main base and activate the multi.’
‘But what about the 900 non-combatant Awakeners backing us up on the ground?’
‘Will they die?’
‘Tang Seorin is fine, isn’t she?’
‘What about the Saintess?’
‘Can the Awakener Alliance maintain its strong unity even after the trust in the Constellations is shattered? Even after the last ethical restraint is removed?’
‘A wasteland.’
The starlight fell slowly.
The speed of judgment increased gradually.
‘We’ll abandon this round.’
‘But we must gather as much information as possible.’
‘Will Meteor Shower’s corpses also turn the ground into a wasteland? Will they simply fall and vanish without a sound, or will they remain as eternal mysteries, providing light indefinitely?’
‘Even if they die, they’ll struggle until the end.’
[General.]
A voice echoed quietly in my mind.
[General, please give orders.]
The shadowy figures of the Constellations, who issued orders to all Awakeners, were waiting for my instructions as a regressor.
I took out the radio.
“All forces, the battle is not over!”
All eyes were on me.
“Everyone, pay attention below! Meteor Shower’s corpses are falling into hundreds, thousands of fragments! We judge that instead of disappearing upon suppression, the corpses will continue to exist as a persistent type!”
The Awakeners roared. Though all were competent elites, it would take 5 to 10 minutes for their roar to gather into clear judgment and precise action.
The commander was a presence that shortened that time to mere seconds.
“According to the information from the Constellations, as soon as Meteor Shower makes contact with the ground, it will turn the area into a wasteland! And according to reports from the ‘Saintess of Salvation’ and observation agents on the ground, Meteor Shower’s corpses are falling across the entire Korean Peninsula!”
“What?”
“Damn it…”
Curses erupted everywhere. But at the same time, something remarkable happened.
The Awakeners’ roars subsided, replaced by silence.
I knew this was a crucial moment. Without any data, the Awakeners had no choice but to accept the Constellation’s testimony as fact.
I shouted, “We will stop them!”
The night sky undulated.
“There are still 900 non-combatant operatives on the ground! As long as they remain, the Korean Peninsula will not fall! Here, we entrust the future to the non-combatants and defy death!”
All the Awakeners were looking at me. In their pupils, I saw burning black fireworks.
“From team 1 to 12! All combat team members, follow your team leader’s orders! Do not allow a single piece of the entity’s corpse to dare touch our land!”
[Yes!]
[Understood, General!]
The radio crackled, transmitting the voices of the team leaders.
“Charge! All forces, charge! I’ll lead the way!”
“Aaaah!”
The tightly knit ranks of 700 fighters scattered in an instant, like planes taking off from an aircraft carrier.
But unlike taking off, we were not in an emergency; we were advancing.
“Aaaah—Aaaah—”
Even Tang Seorin, who was at the very back, didn’t miss the timing. Despite not being in the plan or schedule, she swiftly adapted.
7th Melody, Swift.
Our broomstick accelerated instantly. We quickly caught up with the fragments of Meteor Shower’s corpse that had started falling first.
“Aaaah—”
Tang Seorin’s magic burned brightly as she consumed her own life force. Therefore, it was usually advised not to sing above the 4th Melody, even in crucial moments, let alone above the 6th Melody.
The 7th Melody. That was the boundary line where one stepped into the realm of death.
With the speed she gained at the expense of her life, this time, I dashed forward on the diagonal.
“Kuk!”
I swung my sword close to one of the fragments torn from Meteor Shower. Just destroying a single piece of the corpse brought excruciating pain to my entire body.
It was natural. Just two minutes ago, I had exerted all my strength, both tangible and intangible, to deliver the final blow.
The amount of Aura remaining in my body had already reached its limit. My right hand, unable to withstand the output, had its flesh stripped away, revealing muscles vividly.
It would be like committing suicide to continue fighting even though I needed immediate hospitalization.
I managed to scrape together what remained of my Aura and wrapped it around my blade, but some parts of the fragments that came into contact with Meteor Shower’s corpse had turned into ash.
Nevertheless, I didn’t pause and immediately charged toward the next corpse.
The frenzy wasn’t mine alone.
[AAARGH!]
[11 o’clock! Another team, cover 11 o’clock! This thing, it’s spreading wider and wider! We have to eliminate it before it spreads further!]
[Team 12, all members down.]
[Die! Die, die, die!]
[Thank you, Grand Witch! We love you! Hooray for the Three Thousand Worlds!]
[Team 10, clear at 2 o’clock.]
All 700 of us disregarded our lives.
Certainly, there were those who participated in the battle while neglecting their own lives, and there were even Awakeners who quickly concluded that they would raise their guild’s position in the ruined Korean Peninsula. But at least, my pen existed to describe those different from them.
[Clear at 3 o’clock. Team 10, annihilated. Remaining personnel, 6. Heading to 4 o’clock.]
[Team 7, all down. Still, clear at 11 o’clock. Joining Team 10 from now on… Ah. Found one remaining corpse. Can’t join.]
[We’ll go first. General, thank you for what happened in Sejong. I’ll always be grateful.]
[Team 4, all down.]
The stars fell.
Embracing the remnants of starlight with the last of my Aura, my body scattered into ash.
And the night sky came to an end. The dark waves cast by the falling stars gradually faded from the edge of the sky.
Underneath the fading night sky, countless brooms, now devoid of owners, silently sank.
[General.]
[General!]
[General!]
Falling. Falling.
Endless descent.
How much time and noise had passed?
[General!!!]
Blink.
When I opened my eyes, I found myself falling. The sound of the immense wind hit my ears.
Losing consciousness in a hellish battlefield was not at all peculiar, but this time, it felt particularly strange. There were three reasons for this.
First, the world was upside down. I didn’t realize it immediately, being high in the sky, but I was currently falling. I couldn’t see any brooms. Perhaps this round’s sign would be a fatal fall.
Second, Tang Seorin was in front of me.
Simply saying she was in front of me wasn’t enough. She was without her cherished hat, and like me, she was falling from the sky.
And she had been embracing me for who knows how long.
“Tang Seorin?”
I struggled to open my lips. I tasted blood, lead, iron, and ash, all mixed together in my mouth.
With a strong conviction that this was reality, everything felt like a dream. Like an uncertain lunatic hoping to dream more.
Tang Seorin’s smile came closer to me. Closer and closer.
Eventually, her smile felt more like a contour than a sight.
That was the third, and final, peculiar thing.
“I, I love humans!”
Tang Seorin’s face, smeared with blood, sweat, and ash, smiled brightly once again.
“You, what did you just…”
“I hate people. They annoy me. Honestly, I can’t stand places with lots of people. I’m so sick of humans trying to suck up to me.”
Rrrrrrrrr-
The sound of the wind relentlessly pounded our flesh. As we were hit by the currents of the sky, Tang Seorin hugged my waist tighter.
“I hate this, and that, and I’ve hated the world before it even started to end, and I’ve hated it even after it ended. But still. Humans are amazing!”
“…”
“No one will remember, yeah. No records will remain, but we, we just saved the world! Right, Doctor Jang?”
“…….”
“And――please, don’t hate people too much.”
“…….”
The wind.
“I’m not usually the type to ask these things. Ah, I should have asked. Why you keep making that expression. What you did before, where you lived. Why you like café au lait. Why your eyes are sad. I should have asked so many questions, I could have.”
Ripples.
“Do you hate me? Doctor Jang?”
“Not at all.”
A quick response.
“Never.”
“Yeah.”
A smile.
My dream. My illness. The reason I decided to dream of life, my delusion.
“I knew. So, just as much as you like me. Just that much, a little more, love humanity.”
And then.
Sunset.
The night sky fades away.
The sunset spread.
When the meteor shower opened up the night sky, the world was still experiencing the sunset. Our battle took place during the time of sunrise and sunset.
So, as the meteor shower was vanquished and we were falling, the world was still experiencing a vibrant sunset.
“Oh.”
Not a sunset being swallowed by the night sky.
But a sunset pushing against the night sky, spreading out.
In this world, on this Earth, a reverse sunset that can only happen once.
“Oh….”
A redness that extends to the eternal horizon.
“Truly, truly――. A beautiful sky.”
The end.
Let’s end the story here.
Starting from turn 43, with no oversight on handling the bodies, all 700 awakened ones were able to return to the surface safely.
There are still many stories to tell about the meteor shower. Speculations about where and how it originated, experiments on harnessing starlight.
Yet, today’s turn must end here.
Because, the sunset that day was excessively red, and because humanity is a being that flies towards the horizon where the sunset never ends.
Boss Battle.
Monstrous Meteor Shower.
Aliases: Meteor Strike, Armageddon, Unnecessary Worry, Nuclear Lunch, Milky Way.
Danger Level: Lv.3 Continent-class.
Patterns: Phase 1 Appearance, Phase 2 Descent, Phase 3 Wide-area Submersion, Phase 4 Collision.
Number of casualties incalculable. Number of missing incalculable.
Multiple records of world destruction.
Successfully defeated.
– Delusional.