The massive 80-meter frame poured all its weight into a powerful blow. With the added force of mana, Meteor 's punch landed squarely on the face of the Great Beast.
BOOOM—!
A rumbling, silent scream as the monster that had destroyed civilization reeled back. Meteor seized the opportunity and followed up with another strike aimed at its face.
BZZZZZT—!
BAM! BOOM!
With two jabs that echoed with engine noise, the punches, though quick, carried the weight of skyscrapers. Each fist was as massive and heavy as a small building.
Under the relentless barrage, the Great Beast staggered, unable to regain its footing. It wavered, pressing against a half-collapsed building for support.
In the control room, cheers and whistles erupted at the sight on the monitors.
“It’s working! Meteor is driving the Great Beast back! We did it!”
“We actually did it!”
“Everyone, quiet! Focus on the monitors and check the cameras. The pilot can't see everything!”
Woo Chae-rin quickly calmed the excited room. Though it would be ideal if they could end things with such overwhelming force, something felt off. It was almost too easy.
The Great Beast was known for its cunning, able to disrupt communications and instigate nuclear wars. It was clearly intelligent, and they couldn't afford to let their guard down.
Then, one of the dozens of body cams attached to Meteor caught a glimpse of something.
“Lower camera. Something’s... moving!”
“It’s the tail! Pilot, it's wrapping around your ankle! Don’t let it trip you up—if you fall, it’ll be a huge loss!”
-Got it!
Even for a massive 80-meter machine, standing was a challenge. If it lost its balance and fell, lifting that weight back up would consume an enormous amount of energy.
BZZZT—!
The pilot reacted swiftly to Gordius’s instruction. Meteor lifted its left leg, narrowly escaping the tail’s grasp, and stomped down.
THUD—!
CRACK!
The tail’s tip burst apart, scattering white flesh everywhere. But the Great Beast showed no signs of pain; instead, it twisted its body with eerie speed.
The earlier staggering had been a deceptive act.
“It’s coming—a tail strike, with its full weight behind it!”
“Our output is higher. If it braces correctly, we can block it!”
-I’ll give it a shot!
Meteor braced itself, crossing its arms in front. The tail, sweeping in a destructive arc, aimed to topple the robot with its enormous force.
THUD—! CRUNCH!
The impact dented the outer armor, pushing Meteor back. But with its feet firmly planted in the ground, it didn’t fall.
“Left arm sustained significant damage! Armor integrity at 45%!”
“What? The design specs indicated this level of damage was unlikely...”
“For a shield, that’s minor damage. Continue the fight!”
-Yes, Doctor!
Rumble...
The Great Beast and Meteor clashed once more.
THUD, THUMP, THUD!
Giant and monster charged at each other, both throwing punches with ferocious strength.
White slime splattered, and metal armor buckled. Each swipe of the Great Beast’s claws sent sparks flying and left deep scars on the steel plating. Bits of broken metal scattered to the ground.
“Chest armor damage at 32%!”
“Right arm damage at 25%!”
“... ...”
The display was a wash of red warnings, as the durability of each part dropped faster than Gordius had expected.
The abilities of both the Great Beast and Meteor were within their calculations so far, but only one variable could explain the rapid deterioration.
“...The pilot's skill level.”
Pilot Kim, though a novice mage, was not a seasoned fighter. He was clumsy with punches and barely adept at mana manipulation.
Already, the joints of Meteor showed signs of overloading. Although stabilizing the mana flow could help, the pilot lacked the skill to do it under such stress.
Theory and practice were proving to be worlds apart. Gordius held the microphone tightly.
“Pilot, listen closely. I’m going to readjust the engine ratio. Mana at 7, power at 3. Repeat, mana at 7, power at 3.”
“Goldy, won’t that affect operation time...?”
“Performance is dropping faster than expected. We’ll have to make this a short fight.”
-Understood, Mage. My apologies.
BZZZZZT—!
The mana engine roared, emitting a red glow, and Meteor gained a speed advantage over the Great Beast.
WHOOM— SMASH!
Steel fists tore into the Great Beast’s body, indenting and distorting its form. It lashed out with its claws, but the robot's punches landed first.
-Die, Great Beast!
BAM, BAM, BOOM—!
Blow after blow, the red-glowing Meteor pounded the monster. The aggressive assault took a toll on Meteor 's parts, but it was effective.
The Great Beast was driven into the ground. The once looming creature now had to look up at the giant robot, half-collapsed.
-I’ll bring you down and secure our future!
WHAM—!
The meteor-shaped fists rained down like nails, pinning the monster. Its flesh tore and hung in shreds.
Inside the cockpit, the pilot was drenched in sweat, but he grinned with a sense of duty and exhilaration. Victory was near. The reverberating explosions sounded like drums of triumph.
Creeeak. Creeeeak.
“...Something's wrong!”
“Abnormal reaction from the Great Beast—!”
It wasn’t a victory drum after all.
===============================================================
Rip. Tear. Shred—!
The white, gelatinous surface of the Great Beast split open, revealing sharp black scales beneath. Its initial form, white and snail-like, was only a shell. From within—
A black dragon clad in razor-sharp scales burst forth, laughing maniacally.
“Was this... what we observed from inside?!”
“Stay calm, Pilot! The Great Beast’s size and mass have actually decreased!”
From an original 100 meters to a now reduced 80 meters, the same height as Meteor .
Unlike the bulky and slow first form, this second form was sleek and bristling with scales. Its mass had decreased, making it easier to crush with brute force!
-Understood, I’ll handle it!
WHOOOSH—
Meteor swung a punch once more. But the sound was different.
CLANG—!
The second form of the Great Beast was lighter and gave way more easily. Each punch bent it like reeds. However, only a few scales fell; the damage was negligible.
Without any defensive stance, the Great Beast embraced Meteor , as if taunting it to kill.
CRUNCH, SCRAAAAPE.
The claws, sharper and more dangerous in this form, dug into Meteor 's back, piercing steel as if it were paper, reaching deep inside.
“Mana conduit to the lower half is severed!”
“We can’t hurt it!”
“We’re lacking power!”
The control room filled with tension.
Though Meteor kept hammering away, the Great Beast merely squeezed tighter, its claws sinking deeper. They needed a powerful hit to break through those scales.
However—
“The Meteor Strike ...”
“It’s impossible to deploy it immediately!”
The weapon, powered by a rocket propulsion system, was a week away from completion. Rushing it into battle was impossible, and deploying it before Meteor
fell was out of the question.Gordius sensed defeat. Woo Chae-rin reached the same conclusion, yet clung to a sliver of hope.
“If we overload the mana engine—”
“It won’t work. The design can’t handle that output, and the pilot... He’s not experienced enough to execute such a maneuver.”
“Then... there has to be something, anything!”
“There’s nothing, Chae-rin. There’s no way to push the output further...”
“...”
A chilling silence descended over the control room.
One week. If only they’d had one more week, they could have savored the thrill of victory. If only the Western world had held out against the Great Beast for one more week... Or if they’d started development a week earlier!
BANG!
Woo Chae-rin slammed the table. A few tears fell, signaling defeat.
“Evacuate. Continue the evacuation and leave now.”
“Yes, ma’am! Initiating evacuation!”
“And the pilot... activate the emergency escape system—”
-I... lost. I’m sorry, Doctor. I should’ve trained harder.
“No, you did your best. Everyone here knows how hard you worked, pulling all-nighters. Just retreat for now. There will be another chance...”
Crreeak. Crrrreak.
The damage levels on Meteor skyrocketed. There was no time to delay using the emergency escape system. But instead of an “Understood,” from the speaker, a different message came.
-The evacuation isn’t... finished yet, right, Doctor?
BZZZZZT—!
Meteor ’s arms locked around the Great Beast, trapping it in an iron grip.
The meaning was clear. The pilot intended to hold the Great Beast in place until the very end.
“Wait, hold on.”
-I know it’s unthinkable for someone under thirty to say this. But... I’m entrusting the future to you.
“Wait...!!”
The connection abruptly cut off.
Woo Chae-rin’s repeated calls to the cockpit went unanswered. Pilot Kim had accepted his fate, and continued to maneuver the robot with grim determination.
Ten minutes later.
Rip. Crunch.
The Great Beast’s sharp tail stabbed through Meteor ’s head, piercing the cockpit. The desperate struggle was over.
“Cockpit... no life signs. The pilot is deceased.”
“...”
Hope had turned to despair.
===============================================================
Evacuation began. Everyone in the control room gathered their belongings and sprinted for the vehicles, leaving only Woo Chae-rin and Gordius behind.
Despite the urgings of others to escape, they both stayed, aware there was still work to be done. They realized simultaneously.
Cackle. Cacklecackle—!
The Great Beast sped toward Stellaria ’s underground bunker, moving much faster than in its first form, bounding on all fours like a puma.
Calculations confirmed it would catch up to them faster than they could escape.
Scientist and mage exchanged glances, then spoke at the same time.
“I’ll go, Chae-rin. No one knows the mana engine better than I do.”
“Fine. That’s reasonable. But first, how about a hug?”
“...”
Gordius was relieved by Woo Chae-rin’s calm acceptance, having expected a fight over who should go.
He had several reasons to volunteer. He was from another world, and he had been given advice by the Crazy Professor, who assured him death here wasn’t real death.
There was even a tattoo of a clock on his arm, meant to be used in life-or-death situations. Many reasons, but they hardly mattered.
The truth was, he simply didn’t want her to go.
Woo Chae-rin wrapped her arms around Gordius, trembling slightly. He felt something against his side as she moved.
He should have known she wouldn’t accept this so easily.
“Chae-rin, you—”
ZAP—!
His vision turned white. He managed to raise his mana resistance, but it was too late. He could barely hold onto consciousness.
Paralyzed by the stun gun, Gordius slumped in her arms. She dragged him over and opened a capsule hidden in the wall by typing in a special code.
“Huff, here we go...”
Thud. She laid him inside.
“Do you know what this is? A cryogenic capsule. The billionaire who funded this bunker had it installed in case of a nuclear war, so he could wake up a century later when the world was habitable again.”
“No... don’t...”
“I told you, if we failed, Gordius, you couldn’t be the one to take this on. I still believe that.”
If anyone had to survive, it had to be the only mage, not just any scientist.
“Honestly, even those evacuating are a lost cause. How far can they get? You have to live, Goldy. For the future, you have to—”
No.
Woo Chae-rin gently stroked his cheek.
“Maybe, somewhere along the line, you became more precious to me.”
“...”
“This capsule will descend below ground. I’ve set up mana crystals, and there’s backup power. The Great Beast could flatten this place, and you’d still be safe. You’re an earth mage, so you can dig your way out.”
Even if everyone else died, Gordius would survive.
“I’ve informed everyone who could be reached about you. They’ll know that the developer of the mana engine is here.”
So someone would come to rescue you.
Using a mana engine would require a mage’s help.
Hiss—
The transparent lid of the cryogenic capsule sealed. Machinery hummed as it began the rapid-freezing process. Gordius tried to move, but he couldn’t.
Woo Chae-rin looked back at him with a sorrowful expression before turning to the prototype.
Beyond it lay death.
-Prototype, launching.
The control room, now empty, displayed the external view.
The prototype, not quite as advanced as Meteor , rumbled along the ground on treads. It fired ineffective rounds at the Great Beast to distract it.
The Great Beast laughed like a child with a new toy.
Metal and scales clashed, pieces falling away with each step as the Great Beast tore into the prototype, bit by bit.
Only now did Gordius understand his feelings. He realized too late.
Love.
Despite all their quarrels, he liked Woo Chae-rin, who always rose to the occasion, facing reality with all her strength.
Time. Damn it, time!
If only he had known sooner. If only!
The battle was one-sided. The prototype couldn’t land a single effective blow, and the end was near. Then, in the final moment, the Great Beast’s tail shot toward the cockpit.
Before it could strike, the prototype’s engine revved to over 200%, a clear sign of overload.
She intended to self-destruct.
Gordius reached out with his numbed arms, leaving only a handprint on the fogged glass of the capsule.
-Please take care of the future. Goldy!
Right after the final transmission...
BOOM!
The prototype exploded, tearing the Great Beast apart as black scales rained down. The dragon scales were not invincible—they merely needed more force.
Before his grief could fully settle into Gordius’s chest...
Shhhhhh. The capsule’s air froze completely.
“Chae-rin...”
The mage’s eyes closed.
===============================================================
After the Great Beast incident, Stellaria constructed Meteor , a giant robot, to combat the monster. But they were defeated.
Ten years later—Anno Domini 2037.
A 7-meter humanoid robot was searching through the ruins of the Stellaria underground bunker. The robot threw aside rubble and dug into the ground.
The robot moved with an odd fluidity, its right arm smooth as a human’s while its left was stiff and awkward.
“Are we sure about these coordinates?”
-It’s correct. Dr. Woo left them for us. I even wrote it on paper, stamped it on a plaque, and etched it into a gold bar. Satisfied?
“I’m not seeing anything here. Just be patient. I’ll contact you if I find anything. Terminating communication.”
-Hey, wait! You little—
The call ended, and the robot resumed digging. Before long...
“Huh?”
A metallic clang. Something caught on the robot’s fingers.
Carefully brushing away the dirt, the robot knelt and powered down the engine with a hiss, opening the cockpit.
A one-armed girl emerged.
Despite the missing limb, her balance was perfect. She ran along the surface of the 3-meter robot, landing softly on the ground below.
She checked the cryogenic capsule and pressed the release button.
Hiss...
Smoke vented as the figure inside became visible. Though slightly different from her memory, the face matched.
The man slowly opened his frost-covered eyes.
The girl took a deep breath, extended her remaining hand, and spoke.
“──Apologies for the delay, Mage. Thank you for saving us.”
“...”
“It might be a bit odd for someone who’s just been rescued to say this, but... We need your help. Will you join Stellaria once more?”