Chapter 459: Episode 87 – The Heart of Steel (1)
We headed back to Seoul right away.
The first thing we confirmed was the safety of the [Industrial Complex].
“We haven’t detected any other strange phenomena after that event,” said Aileen, currently in charge of the central situation room.
The display panel in the room was showing the footage shot near the Pacific Ocean. A gigantic island was rising up from the part of the ocean close to the American continent. I had no doubt that this was one of the ‘calamities’ I knew of.
Back in the ‘Ways of Survival’, the master of that island was a very powerful upper-rank Outer God. Our issue now would be whether it was the same guy or not,
“My mother?”
“She’s currently at the Eastern coastline.”
“....Eastern coastline?”
[The rise of the forgotten island has begun!]
As the system message resounded out, we witnessed the waves rushing in at the other side of the Pacific. An unprecedented scale of terrain alteration had occurred, so it was obvious that an equally-incredible volume of tsunami waves would crash into the various parts of the world pretty soon. Naturally, the one to bear the worst of it was the United States.
Horrible screams of Incarnation Bodies resounded out and the streets of New York were being swept away. Tsunami waves weren’t the end – using the waves themselves, the lower-ranked Outer Gods, the ‘Nameless Ones’ were rushing in, as well. These low-ranked creatures were flooding in unchecked to tear and devour the American mainland.
There was no time to ask for help, either. Almost half of the continent had disappeared in less than thirty minutes after the calamity began. One hour later, the whole of the USA was covered in a jet-black aura.
The scale of this calamity was so great that the [Dark Castle] or the [Disaster of Floods] couldn’t even remotely compare in the scope.
“Could it be that my mother....”
Aileen nodded her head and added something else. “I’m not... entirely sure if it qualifies as a good thing, but.”
Next up, the display panel switched to the eastern coastline of the Korean Peninsula. As expected, the tsunami wave had reached this far, as well. Although the height of the wave was much lower compared to the one that hit America, and there were no ‘Nameless Ones’ riding on it, a tsunami wave still presented an enormous natural disaster all on its own.
As soon as my mother’s yell came to an end, powerful gusts of wind exploded out from the folding fan she was holding. Pungbaek who acted all stiff and uptight back in the ‘Great War of Saints and Demons’, was pulling his weight this time, it seemed.
Even Jo Yeong-Ran, who could be called my mother’s right hand, was taking an active part in the event, as well.
[Great Fable, ‘Shindansu’, has begun its storytelling!]
<Hongik> must’ve been paying attention to this event, because the [Shindansu]’s Fable had planted its roots deeply into the ocean and was blocking the disaster by using the Korean Peninsula’s Probability.
While looking as if she just lost ten years of her life, Han Su-Yeong muttered dazedly. “....Anyways, isn’t that woman in the United States, too?”
There was only one person that Han Su-Yeong would refer to as ‘that woman’.
“Couldn’t she have used her [Precognition] to predict that?”
“I was about to speak to you in regards to that matt....”
Even before Aileen could finish, the side door to the situation room opened up and a certain someone made her entrance. Confirming the visitor’s identity, Yu Jung-Hyeok immediately reached towards the [Dark Heavenly Demon Sword].
“We didn’t come to fight, so stay your sword, Conquering King.”
Her [Eye of Great Demon] vibrated brightly.
They were the Prophet Anna Croft and the ‘Zarathustras’ she led.
*
“The alert has been issued five hours ago. Most have escaped to other parts of the world, but still, many failed to leave on time.”
“Why didn’t you ask us for help?”
“We simply didn’t have the leeway. And also, we couldn’t fully trust the information gleaned from the Precognition, too. It was the first time that such large-scale information on the future had gone through such a sudden change, so I....”
Anna Croft looked quite troubled just then.
A sudden change in the large-scale information on the future – that would be a pretty good indication that even her Precognition didn’t possess any merit when it came to the ‘Final Scenario’.
Han Su-Yeong asked as if she wanted to nitpick. “What about <Asgard>? They finished the ‘Great War of Saints and Demons’ successfully, so they should’ve started supporting you once more.”
Anna Croft bit her lip hard as her head dropped lower. She then muttered softly. “....They told me to abandon the USA.”
The Final Scenario was about to begin. Most likely, not even <Asgard> would have the room to dwell on the fate of some continent from one of the many planets out there.
Because, Earth wouldn’t be the only planet experiencing the signs of the impending apocalypse.
The “Ku-gugugu!!” exploding noise came out of the display panel.
[GaGaGaGaGaGak]
[WeareWeareWeareWeareWeare]
The ‘Outer Gods’ that captured the American coastline began howling out.
I recalled the 95th scenario I experienced during the 1863rd turn. The invasion of the Outer Gods began sooner in that world-line than ours. And soon, we’d end up in a similar state. Because, that’s the story the stinking <Bureau> wanted to see, after all.
“.....Does South Korea have any countermeasures?”
“Still thinking about it.”
“I heard that you secretly contacted a King of Outer Gods.”
It seemed that she was talking about the ‘Secretive Plotter’ here.
“Technically speaking, we have ‘captured’ him, actually.”
Anna Croft’s eyes visibly quaked when she heard me. She didn’t seem to be aware of that.
“I-in that case.... Can this calamity be stopped through him....?”
“He’s exhausted a great deal of Probability so that’s not going to work. Besides, he’s unrelated to this calamity.”
“You know something, don’t you?”
I didn’t reply right away and simply held Anna Croft’s gaze.
One needed to offer up their information first if they wanted to learn something new from the others. That was the basics of information exchange.
She must’ve figured out what I wanted from her, because she suddenly sighed out softly and began telling her story. “I don’t have a lot of info to give you.”
“You can start with those.”
“....Firstly, the current locations for the ‘Great Apocalypse Scenario’ are a portion of the Pacific and the American continent.”
I already knew that.
[Applicable location is currently undergoing the ‘Great Apocalypse’.]
I confirmed a transparent dome being generated over the American continent as well as the whole of the Pacific Ocean. The ‘Nameless Ones’ weren’t allowed to leave outside the dome, it seemed. That was probably the extent of the Probability the Outer Gods had been permitted at the moment.
“Secondly, the ‘Nameless Ones’ can’t be hunted down with regular weapons. Obviously, the weapons of the past don’t work, and even the Star Relics from lower-graded scenarios are useless, as well.”
Actually, the display panel did catch the sight of several Incarnations desperately struggling against the ‘Nameless Ones’. One of them was the owner of a pretty well-known Star Relic, but his axe failed to cut the flesh of the ‘Nameless Ones’ properly.
The flesh of the Incarnation Body ripped apart by the sharp fangs splattered onto the screen, causing Yi Ji-Hye to frown and turn her head away. I didn’t look away but continued to observe the scene closely.
[Exclusive skill, ‘Comprehension’, is activating!]
On the surface of the ‘Nameless Ones’ carapaces, I spotted faint letters floating around.
Yu Jung-Hyeok spoke up first. “It’s a Stigma.”
“It’s not just any Stigma, either. If it can stay in an uninterrupted activation like that, then its already in the ‘Visualised Fable’ stage.”
The Visualised Fable. Indeed, it was about time that such a level of Probability would be allowed.
Yu Jung-Hyeok nodded his head in agreement. “Most likely, the king of those ‘Nameless Ones’ must be a being possessing incredible defensive capabilities.”
The dependents of a king would naturally follow their boss’s Fable. Just like how the kkoma Yu Jung-Hyeoks, the dependents of the ‘Secretive Plotter’, had done so.
The ‘Outer God’ that raised the island in the middle of the Pacific was most likely one of the five kings mentioned in the book written by the Recorders of Fear.
⸢The calamity of the western world, the ‘Master of the Sunken Island’.⸥
I spoke up as if to reassure my companions. “Please, you don’t have to worry too much. Upper level Constellations should possess weapons that can kill them.”
“However, no Constellations are participating in the battle.”
For sure, I couldn’t see any Constellations inside the display panel. Not even the common Historical Figure-grades.
“We should start gathering them, then.”
I glanced at Biyu while getting ready to use my true voice. The channel was abnormally silent for some reason. Everyone must’ve seen that spectacle, yet there was not a single indirect message so far.
....It was possible that they were fearful of the ‘king’ that hadn’t emerged from the deepest part of the ocean.
“Jang Ha-Yeong.”
Our gazes briefly met and she nodded her head. If it was difficult to talk to Constellations through the channel, then it’d be a good idea to borrow her powers. And a short while later....
“....No one’s replying.”
“Not even one?”
But, that was not possible. There were so many Constellations in the <Star Stream>, after all.
“The Black Flame Dragon was the only one that sent me a reply, but.... even he said that he’s too busy and can’t talk....”
“Did you contact <Olympus>? What about the <Underworld>?”
“I called them first, but no reply either.”
Something was wrong here.
I could somewhat understand if it’s the <Olympus>, but <Underworld> should’ve replied for sure. Not only that, what about Uriel or the Great Sage Heaven’s Equal....?
Han Su-Yeong next to me clicked her tongue and spoke up. “It’s obvious what happened. This is the true nature of the creatures called the Constellations.”
Each and every Modifier of all the Constellations that cheered us on brushed past my head. There were so many of them, yet none wanted to help us?
Meanwhile, Han Su-Yeong continued on. “Many Constellations watched out Fables. Some cheered us on, while some were jealous of us. There were variety of reactions, sure. And we earned lots of Coins, too. But, that’s as far as it goes.”
“...”
“You think the world was truly moved by our stories? Do you really think you have managed to change the <Star Stream>?”
“I’m not that naïve, but still....”
“Constellations only subscribe to the channels that meet their tastes. They are no longer entertained, so they simply moved onto other channels. That’s all.”
I couldn’t be sure whether Han Su-Yeong was right or not.
[Next location for the Great Apocalypse is ‘North-East Asia’.]
[Time remaining until the start of the ‘Great Apocalypse Scenario’ is 14 days,12 hours, and 7 minutes.]
But, I was sure that the planet Earth would go down the drain if they continued to avoid us.
Jeong Hui-Won asked a question. “What should we do?”
“.....Well, it’s not as if I didn’t foresee something like this happening.”
My words caused Han Su-Yeong to narrow her eyes. “You got something?”
“If they are not willing to meet us, then we should go and speak to them, instead.”
“Where will you go first, then? As I thought, it’s the easiest of the lot, the <Underworld>, right?”
“I think you’re probably the only person out there who calls the <Underworld> the easiest.”
I ignored the smirking Han Su-Yeong and looked at Jeong Hui-Won.
Asking for <Underworld>’s aid was indeed a priority, but there was something else more urgent than that right now. We had about fourteen days left. With the minimum effort, we needed to get the maximum possible result.
“We should regain our lost comrade first.”
What I was looking at, was the Steelsword hanging on Jeong Hui-Won’s hips.
[Soul of the Character ‘Yi Hyeon-Seong’ is in slumber.]
The after-effects of the Steel Transformation 5th stage was worse than I expected, it seemed.
“We’ll go meet the ‘Master of Steel’.”
“The Master of Steel? Will someone like that help us?”
I nodded my head. “The Master of Steel is a powerful Constellation. Although he’s not a Myth-grade, there’s no doubt we need his powers far more urgently than any top tier Constellations out there.”
“How come?”
“I don’t have the time to give you a detailed explanation. For now, let’s get ready to move.”
We needed an emergency hotline, as well as the minimum level of defensive forces, so Jang Ha-Yeong, Gong Pil-Du, and Yi Seol-Hwa were left behind in the Industrial Complex. I felt bad about leaving them behind again, but after seeing their expressions, I got the feeling that I was actually doing them a huge disservice by thinking that way. When I thought about it, Yi Seol-Hwa said something similar to that, didn’t she?
“Come back soon. And leave this place to us.”
Them being left behind in Seoul wasn’t easier of the two jobs.
Just like how the ‘story’ continued on because there were things that hadn’t been told yet.
*
We got in the [X-grade Ferrarghini] immediately and entered the dimensional road network.
Our coordinate was OZ-7611. Resplendent stars of the <Star Stream> brushed past us, and tension gradually dyed the expressions of my companions.
“You don’t have to be that tense, everyone. Just think of it as going out for a fun outing..... Take it as an extension of that workers’ revolution or whatever you called it.”
“....But, isn’t it working hours right now?”
“I’m saying this because where we’re headed off to isn’t that scary.”
“Where exactly are we going?”
“Mm, well, as I’ve told you, we’re going to the stronghold of the ‘Master of Steel’.....”
“Just what the heck is that guy’s real identity, anyway??” Han Su-Yeong became too frustrated and shot me that question. “It’s more or less possible to guess the identities of other Constellations through their Modifiers, right? The ‘Prisoner of the Golden Headband’ is Sun Wukong, while the ‘God of Wine and Ecstasy’ is Dionysus. But this guy, I just can’t figure it out. And there was no info on him in the parts that I read, either.”
“Well, if you’re that curious, why don’t you take a guess through the [Predictive Plagiarism]?”
“You want me to use my ability on something this small??”
I shrugged my shoulders.
I took a look at the faces of my companions, and not just Han Su-Yeong but everyone seemed to be really curious about who this ‘Master of Steel’ could be.
Jeong Hui-Won asked me. “Is he someone from a myth that we know?”
“He’s not from a myth, but well, he’s a really famous Constellation regardless. Actually, there’s even a famous story that used his Fable as its foundation. But, uh.... I don’t think the kids know about it all that well, though.”
My words caused both Shin Yu-Seung and Yi Gil-Yeong to become dejected right away. Just before I could continue on, noises of explosions came from behind us.
“....Those sons of bitches!!”
Han Su-Yeong steering the vehicle cried out in sheer astonishment.
Shadows of battleships were cast on the rearview mirror. And it wasn’t just one or two, either. At a bare minimum, there were dozens of spaceships giving us chase while scattering Ether particles.
Shin Yu-Seung asked me. “Aren’t they from a Nebula? Why are they attacking us?”
I couldn’t be sure, but those things looked like Fable weapons belonging to great Nebulas such as <Vedas> or <Papyrus>.
Yi Ji-Hye frowned deeply and spoke up. “Should I just summon my Geobukseon?”
“No, don’t. We don’t have the time to fight them. Step on it, Han Su-Yeong!”
We didn’t have too much to go until our destination, anyway.
In the blink of an eye, the [X-grade Ferrarghini] shot forward and crossed the dimensional road in a shiver-inducing speed. And soon afterwards, a new message popped up in the air.
[You’ve arrived in the coordinate ‘OZ-1900’!]
Along with the loud screech, the vehicle came to stop in mid-air. The place we arrived in was actually a train station of sorts. And that station was a small wooden house.
I shouted out. “Everyone, get out quickly! And enter that house!”
Almost at the same time as everyone filed into this house, the [X-grade Ferrarghini] exploded into bits.
....Goddammit, I hadn’t even driven it that many times, too.
I confirmed that everyone was inside and closed the front door shut. Right after that, a powerful tornado was stirred up around the wooden house. The structure rose up in the air, before moving at a break-neck pace.
I shouted again. “Shut the windows and lock them!”
“You think closing the windows will actually help?!”
Han Su-Yeong threw out a tackle, but she still diligently closed the windows. I spotted the mystery Nebula reloading their weapons in the far-off distance. It was indeed an impressive spectacle to witness dozens upon dozens of battleships charging their photon cannons at once. An attack of that magnitude could probably blow up the Korean Peninsula in one go.
Yi Ji-Hye urgently shouted out. “Ahjussi, even if it’s now....!”
“Don’t worry. We’re safe here.”
Suddenly, the entire house went through a geometric transformation. Its interior expanded rapidly, and accompanied by loud metallic noises, steel pipes suddenly began growing throughout the house.
“What the heck? Wasn’t this a wooden house??”
[Docking procedure will now commence!]
The house floating in the air was secured to something as the loud docking noises resounded out. And at the same time, the burst of gunfire rained down on us. The firepower on display here was enough to blow away a continent to oblivion.
But then, an unimaginably humongous steel barrier suddenly grew around the entirety of the planet as noisy exhaust sounds resounded out. Streams of gunfire flying in crashed into that barrier and were extinguished without a trace.
My companions carried this rather scared-silly look on their faces from the sheer scale of the barrier as they all turned to look at me.
The exterior of the planet we arrived at could be seen through the windows. It was a city glimmering in a silvery hue. The giant planet that reminded one of a contracting heart.
[Welcome to the Heart of Steel, <Oz>!]
The Heart of Steel, <Oz>.
This was the planet where the strongest metal found in the <Star Stream> ‘grew’.
<Episode 87. The Heart of Steel (1)> Fin.