NOVEL NEXT Chapter 17
The tension in my entire body released at the thought of finally entering a proper battle.
‘What is this?’
The wolf that had collapsed in vain… or rather, a puppy.
It looked completely harmless, as if the fierce appearance it had before was a lie, showing no signs of danger at all.
The puppy-shaped [God] was crying out in pain, howling piteously.
If I filmed this and posted it on NewTube, it would get thousands of comments saying how adorable it is, and even I couldn’t help but feel a pang of conscience at the sight.
So my conscience was still alive, after all.
“Looks like this isn’t some kind of operation…”
The shocked expression of the Alliance Leader.
That’s not a reaction that can be faked.
In other words, this means it was an unexpected accident for them as well.
“What, no way! Could it be [Skoll]?!”
‘[Skoll]?’
Come to think of it, I had called the silver-furred puppy [Hati].
[Skoll] and [Hati], the wolf brothers from Norse mythology.
And the trigger for the mythic [Ragnarok]…
Kugugugung—
Before I could finish my thoughts, ripples quivered in the air.
The blood-red sky began to tremble precariously, as if it might collapse at any moment.
This wasn’t an earthquake.
It felt as though the whole world was shaking…
Chjjeok—
“That’s….”
The red sky shattered, creating cracks.
The sunlight seeping through the fractures felt almost as if it was purifying the world, or was that just my imagination?
■ [Myth Level Anomaly – Ragnarok] Destruction (1/1) conditions have been met.
An alarm sounded at just the right moment.
As the barrier crumbled, the sunlight shone down upon the ruined city as if doomsday had arrived.
Describing it like the content of a myth, it appeared so holy, it was as if destiny had arrived with the light.
However…
Tragically, there were no humans left inside the barrier to receive that salvation.
“What! No way!”
Amidst the crumbling sky, the Alliance Leader’s scream echoed.
In less than an hour, thousands had been slaughtered, and yet his scream sounded quite pitiful.
*
In mythology, the occurrence of [Ragnarok] is preceded by various omens.
It isn’t simply one event but a culmination of many events forming one end.
Yet still, there must be something that serves as the origin of it all.
[Skoll] and [Hati]
Since the birth of the sun and moon, beasts have been racing to devour them since the very beginning of time.
And in the end, the beast that would swallow the sun and moon and bring about an endless ice age is the harbinger of doom.
The end of the gods, [Ragnarok], began with the demise of the sun and moon.
“This story is more predictable than I thought.”
With the Alliance Leader’s scream, the contact-less apartment, and the crumbling barrier, all the clues quickly led me to a conclusion.
The wolf known as [Skoll] attacked the apartment and died.
That [Hati] god is ultimately a set with [Skoll].
If one side is dead, something must have been affected.
Although it feels slightly unsettling…
“Anyway, I don’t have to worry about that side now.”
Looking at the state of things, I highly doubted their combat effectiveness.
“Youseong!”
From a distance, I saw a small figure dashing towards me.
A bear-sized creature, smaller than an average baby, scrambled toward me, clutching a camera that was as big as itself, creating a surreal scene like something out of a fairy tale.
Especially against the apocalyptic background, it felt so out of place.
“Now you’re a fine [Abnormality], huh?”
“Yes? What do you mean? No, there’s a big problem! A wolf has come to the apartment!”
“I already know that.”
The speculation was spot on.
With [The Ashen King] rampaging like that, it was hard to understand how the apartment was breached, but if the opponent was [God], it wouldn’t be impossible.
The bear had said a [Security Guard] had spotted the enemy and sent it out.
That was a wise judgment.
In the case where the apartment had been penetrated, a bear wouldn’t have helped anyway…
And unlike the continuously produced entities, this bear would cease to exist with one more death.
Besides, considering they even managed to send a camera in such chaos, it felt like they were paying attention.
Too competent…?
It was somewhat frightening how capable they were.
I took the camera from the bear and reconnected to the broadcast.
Then the screen came back to life.
– The world has brightened again…!
– I’ve come to appreciate the light’s value.
– Whoa, I think I know where my brother lives. It’s a mess right now!
“Hmm, there was a temporary mishap in the broadcast.”
Though some steam had escaped, things actually went quite well.
The most problematic barrier of [Ragnarok] had collapsed on its own, and what I thought to be a formidable foe, [Hati], had been neutralized without me lifting a finger.
The Alliance Leader seemed to have lost his mental stability, aimlessly screaming at the crumbling sky.
In the end, the [Alliance]’s plan had completely collapsed.
No, the situation was probably more serious than that.
Having the barrier of [Ragnarok] fall apart now doesn’t merely mean a single operation failure…
– Huh…? Did you see the news just now?
– Is that in Seoul?
– Is this for real…?
What the [Alliance] had done, revealed the hidden information about the [Abnormality] to the world.
The disaster hidden by the barrier was now exposed.
To the residents of Seoul, it would look as if their perfectly fine neighboring area suddenly crumbled…
Hwaruk~! Puwong! Kwaang!
In the midst of all this, it would be impossible not to notice.
[Ragnarok] had been unleashed, with the [Ashen King] venting its fury on the remaining shadow soldiers.
A giant made of ash, bigger than the buildings visible a kilometer away, spewed flames from its entire body as it rampaged.
The gases ignited by those flames exploded in a chain reaction, creating noise as all the chaos played out on the screen.
No matter how much people wanted to deny it, they would have no choice but to accept it.
The evidence of the [Abnormality], which had been concealed until now, was now flaunted in front of everyone.
“No, no, no!!!”
The Alliance Leader screamed madly.
Wasn’t it said he had been alive since the time of myths?
Thousands of years ago.
Back when human civilization hadn’t developed.
When [Abnormality] was considered [God].
A time when all kinds of transcendent beings reigned as masters of the world.
A time when [Abnormality] was not called [Abnormality] but rather [Miracle], [Magic], [Spirit].
A man who had lived through those times.
Of course, just because the mythic age had ended, the memories of it didn’t simply vanish.
Until the things that were taken for granted over generations were no longer taken for granted, he had manipulated, concealed, and sometimes even attacked directly to erase [Abnormality] from humanity’s memory.
So that humans could remain human.
Thoroughly excluding the non-human entities.
That was thousands of years of blood, sweat, and effort, the lifelong ambition he had devoted himself to.
What was it like to watch all of that crumble into nothingness in an instant?
Silluk.
Oh man, this is really not good.
“You…”
“Puhuh.”
“What are you doing right now…”
“Puhuhuhuh!!!”
You just can’t stop that laughter, can you?
Puhahaha!!!
No, but come on, right?
Sending kidnapper-types my way when I was just living fine.
Attacking my home.
Going as far as to attack me directly and ruining my city, they’re the real culprits.
It wouldn’t be wrong to call them my enemies.
And to see that old man in despair!
To hold that in without laughing?
Really?
At least I don’t know how to hold back like that.
“Kuwoheheheh, serves you right! Kuwoherg, keck, keck!”
I laughed so hard that I started to choke.
Oh man, I’m on air and looking ridiculous!
“You!!!”
“That old man sure can yell, I’m not deaf.”
The Alliance Leader, who had been pretending to be dignified all this time, revealed his true nature.
That must be his actual personality.
The moment I saw him, I realized his character was terrible.
Anyway, this is it.
“With the barrier broken, the shadows will soon vanish, and that [God] I was counting on is in that state.”
Huh?
Isn’t there nothing left for that old man to do now?
I looked at the Alliance Leader and smiled as I said,
“I’ll leave you with just your body for the rest of your life. Wasn’t that it?”
Even thinking about it now sends chills down my spine.
A human who claims to be for humanity has that little love for humanity.
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to kill you cleanly.”
I have no interest in collecting the old man’s body.
– Bro, you’re definitely the good one, right?
– Why do you look like a villain…?
– Old man attack…
I noticed some people in the chat trying to defame me, but I just ignored them.
Usually, villains can take a bit of punishment.
Look at heroes in predecessor works, they often gang up on villains, right?
When villains are in anguish, it’s only right to do a bit of teabagging on the side.
“…!”
The Alliance Leader glared at me with a face that turned bright red, whether from understanding my jab or because he was enraged by the situation.
His face seemed like it would explode any moment, which made me worry about his blood pressure, but the expression wouldn’t last long.
They say when someone gets too angry, they become unexpectedly cold, right?
The Alliance Leader’s expression gradually settled.
“Yeah, so it’s all over now.”
The Alliance Leader muttered in defeat.
He thought to himself.
Where did it all go wrong?
Nowhere.
No matter how many times he thought about it, he knew he hadn’t done anything wrong.
Everything was for humanity.
He had dedicated his life to humanity and wished for its peace and progress.
Yes, what was wrong was…
“I will cut off your limbs, gouge out your eyes, and rip out your tongue.”
Surely, he would capture that bastard and extract every last drop for humanity, turning him into a slave for life.
The Alliance Leader declared in a cool voice, not out of rage, but with chilling determination.
“You’re still babbling insane nonsense, huh?”
No longer would I be swayed by such talk of [Abnormality].
The Alliance Leader drew his sword toward the approaching [Abnormal Entity].