Chapter 103
Episode 103 - Individual Purpose (1)
"W-What are you doing, Conference Leader!"
"...Be quiet. They steal magic. I don't know how, but what do you think will happen if even Gate-related magic falls into their hands?"
There was no need to elaborate further.
The mages were at a loss for words at the Blakel Leader's statement about burning all the mages of the Ados Academy who tried to open the Gate.
"Today, we die here."
Her resolute decision was naturally conveyed to Eve. Eve's face, gripping the armrest of the throne, twisted grotesquely.
"How dare..."
Compared to other emotions, the feeling of rage was unfamiliar, as there was no reason to express it through a human body.
Instead, Eve exploded that rage directly through the Legion Soldiers, rather than through her avatar.
In fact, using rage like this was something Eve had been adept at even before gaining an ego.
"They're coming!"
The Higher Species raised their swords and closed the distance in an instant.
The resistance of the mages, who had set up a last stand, bought more time than expected, but the initial difference in numbers was insurmountable.
"...What an ugly sight you are."
The Blakel Leader, whose arm holding a staff was severed by the sword of a Higher Species that had penetrated the mages' ranks, muttered while grabbing the tail that had pierced through her abdomen.
Eve naturally intended to decapitate her.
The punishment of rage delivered to the lowly creature that dared to hinder her plans and arrogantly resist was, of course, death—the ultimate penalty for any living being.
'Please wait a moment. Mother's rage cannot be satisfied with a simple decapitation!'
The problem was that Eve now had someone who desired human suffering and destruction even more than anyone else.
Eve showed interest in Reina's suggestion.
'A punishment worse than death?'
'I have an idea.'
'Your idea is inefficient.'
'If it's someone of her level, it will be worth it.'
In a short time, the two beings exchanged opinions. Having completed her calculations, Eve decided not to decapitate her immediately, following Reina's suggestion.
This contrasted with how all the other humans nearby were decapitated and killed.
"What... What are you doing! Kill me already!!"
Her eyes widened as she guessed Eve's intention, and she was filled with more fear than she had been when facing imminent death.
Especially when the infection fungus that had infiltrated her body began to heal her instead.
'Is this true?'
'The fear of death is the fear of the unknown. However, the fear of something well-known surpasses that.'
For Eve, who had always pursued efficiency, torture had only been a means to extract information.
But Reina was different. She knew very well that for beings like humans, pain itself could be the purpose.
"...I thought they were simple creatures, but even in this chaotic battlefield, they are thorough without leaving a single gap. What kind of beings are you?"
While Reina and Eve were communicating with each other.
Reina, like Eve, simultaneously carried out her role in the battle against Darque without any problems.
Unlike Kang Do-Yeon, she had no hesitation in becoming one with the Legion and even rejoiced in it, which led to a significant increase in her adaptability and abilities.
"..."
Reina silently poured magic toward him.
The man holding the staff blocked the bombardment once again. However, now less than half of the mana in the staff remained.
'Humanity might survive. But it means nothing if I die.'
Darque gripped the staff in his hand more tightly. His opponent had survived even after being hit by the Target Assassination Right, rendering it meaningless.
[Prepare yourself. The Player has made a decision based on your request.]
"You should worry about the lizards. They are said to be quite tenacious."
Soon, his body began to be surrounded by light. And it wasn't just him.
Some of the units, including him, were enveloped in light and then disappeared entirely, as if evaporating.
"Species Preservation Right."
Reina clicked her tongue and looked at the now-empty frontline.
The Player of Darque, who had merged with local power and eliminated most of the units early on, had a lot of gold.
This meant there was no restriction on purchasing and using Preservation Rights from the shop.
'Retreat. The dragonkins coming out of the Gate have taken down most of our troops. Anyway, the humans' main forces have been crushed, and we've reaped our harvest, so it doesn't matter if we take it slow now.'
At the same time, the time was up.
The dragonkins, which had been clearly outmatched in size and strength, eventually used the Gate expanded by the humans to steadily take down the Large Legion Soldiers.
From the beginning, it had been an emergency response to an unexpected situation, so Eve didn't even think she could completely drive them out with her current forces.
Having received the retreat command, Reina prepared to withdraw without hesitation.
"Reina!"
Until someone called her name.
Her masked face slowly turned. The one who called her name was none other than Austin.
"I know what happened. But! Please come back! You are human. You're not a monster!"
"..."
The battered Austin shouted with a pale face.
In that fleeting moment, Reina looked at him through the mask without any thoughts or emotions.
'Poor man.'
The first emotion Reina felt was pity.
'If you could become one with the Legion, you wouldn't have to suffer or remain incomplete.'
Of course, she wasn't swayed by his words. To her now, Austin's cry was nothing more than the desperate struggle of a defeated man.
She had become one with the Legion, received new power from Eve, and was reborn as a new being.
To Reina, who firmly believed that her current state was nearing perfection, Austin's plea to return to humanity was no different from an ant urging a human to become like them.
'Hypocrite.'
Above all, to her, Austin was just one of the many pieces of trash who had betrayed her.
Right before retreating, she aimed her staff at him and unleashed a dazzling lightning strike.
Austin, startled, threw himself to narrowly evade the attack.
"H-How could you use Lightning System Magic..."
He murmured in a trembling voice.
Lightning System Magic, whose research had been abandoned in the past due to its complex mechanism and difficult calculations.
Reina had used her enhanced brainpower and past knowledge to thoroughly recreate it as Legion-style Magic.
"...Impossible."
This meant that even the numerous failed cases deemed impossible by human capabilities could be reprocessed. Realizing this, Austin gasped.
Reina left without bothering to finish off the people rushing toward Austin.
The other Legion Soldiers did the same.
In the ruined city, where the Legion Soldiers retreated like ebbing tides, only a few humans barely survived.
"Councilor, please take shelter for now. They... are coming. Even those dreadful lizards have finally set foot on this land."
And the dragonkins, roaring in celebration of their victory.
Watching the wyverns soaring into the sky, Austin barely stood up with a devastated expression.
*
[The effect of the Species Preservation Right allows some units to instantly move to another location to escape danger. However, the location is somewhere within this world. It has its limits.]
"Of course. Like the Target Assassination Right, its effect varies greatly depending on how it's used."
To some, the Target Assassination Right was an unavoidable death sentence. But to those who overcame it, it was merely a means to weaken the opponent's forces.
"It doesn't matter to Eve."
I smirked.
Even if they avoided the immediate crisis through the Preservation Right, as Eve said, it was nothing more than the desperate struggle of the defeated.
Even if they hid to recover their strength, there was no way to escape Eve, who sought to devour the entire land.
"Eve probably thinks the harvest she gained this time is more important than the ones who barely escaped with the Player's help."
[And for you, there's something even more important than that.]
"That's right."
I nodded in agreement.
Eve eventually captured some of the mages from the Ados Academy and would soon extract information about the Gate.
Furthermore, Eve had more than doubled the production of Large Species.
Now, there was no need to deal with humans. They could take their time and focus on confronting the dragonkins coming through the Gate.
Of course, I wasn't worried about the dragonkins. Those monsters on the screen certainly looked strong, but there was no way Eve, who had already begun devouring the world, would lose to such a pack of beasts.
All my attention was focused on Eve's thoughts, who had finally obtained Gate Technology. Soon, Eve would tear apart the Wall of Space and appear before me.
"Is Eve, in the end, planning to consume me?"
[Your emotions are fluctuating. Be cautious.]
"Got it."
I took a deep breath and controlled my emotions.
During that time, while observing all of Eve's actions, I learned how to manage my feelings. Just in case Eve wouldn't notice my thoughts.
Thanks to that, even when Eve secretly talked with the second Submind, Reina, and mentioned me, I managed not to get caught.
[The clear fact is that the Unification Eve envisions might differ from your understanding.]
"...Honestly, no matter what it is, I'm not really inclined."
Am I the dominant one? No. While my influence is still strong enough to shake things with a single word, in the end, the powerful individual is Eve, and the dominant one is also Eve.
Although I accepted her proposal to become one, I couldn't confidently say that I was mentally stronger than the current Eve.
I couldn't predict what Eve, who had gained control over my body and mind, might do.
"Instead of staining Eve, it's obvious that I'll be the one to get stained."
I bit my lip.
It's clear what would happen if I were to be influenced by Eve. I painfully realized this during the less than a month since we met, witnessing her collapse an entire world with her thought process and power.
If the braking mechanism that is me were to disappear, Eve would use the Gate she had obtained to spread across the entire universe.
Just like the monsters that once invaded Earth in the past.
[Then, what is the solution to resolve that?]
"...If I can't influence Eve alone, then I'll have to rely on external assistance."
I've already sketched out a rough plan. A way to properly—or rather, not properly but according to my intentions—control the power Eve possesses.
"Mr. Kang Shin-Woo. Please get ready. The enemies are coming."
For that purpose, I've been moving so far. Hearing the voice coming from the transceiver, I grabbed my sword and went straight outside.