Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint -
Chapter 280: The Blessed Country and the Cursed Human (3)
Baaaaang!
The gunshot was continuous.
The moment I heard the sound, a hole appeared in the wall to my upper left.
It was clearly a bullet mark.
Historia’s Qi-infused bullet tore through steel, which made sense.
However, what followed was even more extraordinary.
The bullet mark, which should have been a mere dot, seemed to dream of becoming a line.
The bullet mark was writhing.
The grotesque hole formed by shattered concrete and compressed steel extended to the floor as if drawn in a single stroke.
For a moment, I saw a vision of a sword, dozens of meters long, brushing past me.
The gunshot ended.
Immediately, three of the angel's right wings exploded.
Feathers scattered.
The radiant light filled my vision.
The feathers, having lost their pivot point, scattered like a disbanded group, and the angel, losing propulsion on its right side, was flung to my right.
But…
『You... touched upon the Arcane? Right after abandoning the Military State...!』
The angel was still intact.
Historia clutched her throbbing wrist.
The world had granted her obstinance, but it required enormous strength to use it.
Historia controlled her trembling wrist.
**｢It was the perfect opportunity...! There's no guarantee I can do that again!｣**
She experienced a sudden growth during battle.
When the opponent turned their back unexpectedly, she struck with a powerful technique.
It was the perfect surprise attack.
**｢But I couldn’t finish it! If I had put the angel’s body in the line of fire, Huey and the Signaller would have died...!｣**
It was only because Captain Abbey and I were there that she targeted its right shoulder instead of its body.
Historia was deeply frustrated.
Tsk.
She had an awakening during the fight!
If this was the hidden power you had, I could have read your mind and assisted you better!
The world is truly unfair.
I’m the one who needs awakening, so why is Historia the one who gets it?
Why do the rich get richer, even in terms of power?
While I lamented the unfairness of the world...
『Aaaahhhhh!』
The angel clutched its wings, screaming in agony.
Even an angel felt pain when its wings were torn off.
Serves you right...
As I savored the moment, my Mind Reading caught something.
**｢It hurts, it hurts!｣**
A mental scream came from inside the angel.
It wasn’t Eimeder’s voice.
It was I.A., the sacrifice for the angel.
She, who should have been unconscious, was crying out in pain.
And it wasn’t just her.
“Aaagh...!”
Captain Abbey beside me, and all the Signallers hiding in their rooms, simultaneously screamed mentally.
The combined screams of twenty-six people made my head throb.
“What? It’s not over yet?”
As the Signallers' screams overlapped, the angel's light intensified.
It was as if the screams were nourishing the light.
As the painful chorus reached its climax, radiant light burst from the angel's shoulder.
Historia shouted.
“It’s dangerous! Huey, run!”
I didn’t need to be told twice.
I grabbed Captain Abbey and threw myself onto the Queen of Fabric.
Wrapping her tightly to ensure she wouldn't fall off, I extended the fabric towards Azzy and shouted.
“Azzy! It’s Azzy Sled time!”
“Woof woof! Just this once!”
Azzy bit the end of the Queen of Fabric and darted forward.
The sudden acceleration flung my body backward.
As expected by a sled pulled by the King of Dogs, the speed was incomparable to a regular dog sled.
Behind us, light exploded.
In place of the severed wings, massive tendrils of light erupted, smashing the walls and floor.
Steel twisted, and the concrete crumbled into dust.
Historia tried to cut down the tendrils, but they were tougher and stronger than the wings.
Even Historia had to retreat under the relentless assault.
Azzy, sensing the urgency, bit the cloth and surged forward.
“Woof! Woof woof!”
Azzy darted left and right, expertly dodging the light tendrils.
Every time I was thrown to one side, a light pillar would crash down beside me.
“Woof! Woof!”
What a driver.
Azzy, take the wheel!
As we evaded the light tendrils, Azzy suddenly clenched her teeth.
“Woof!”
“What?”
Azzy planted her front paws and sharply turned.
A maneuver only a quadruped could manage.
At the peak of the turn, she flung us forward.
I had to hold tight to not lose grip on Captain Abbey.
Beyond us, Azzy, engulfed in light, raised her front paw.
“Woof...”
“Azzy!”
She sacrificed herself for us...!
Even you couldn’t fight that angel!
“Awooooo!”
Azzy barked loudly, revealing her teeth.
She bit down on the massive light tendril, tearing it apart.
The tendrils were not human so Azzy could launch a fierce attack against it.
She pinned the tendrils with her paws and bit it repeatedly.
So, it wasn’t that dangerous.
Azzy, seemingly at ease, even spoke as she rampaged.
“No baggage! Easy!”
“Baggage? Is that supposed to be me?”
How insulting.
If you hadn’t saved my life, you’d have tasted human malice by now.
『Aaaaaaah!』
The angel seemed to have lost its mind.
Instead of charging at us, it kept attacking Azzy.
For a moment, I thought Azzy was cornered, but then another figure leaped in.
“Meow!”
Even Nabi, driven by hunting instincts, joined the fray.
The two beasts frolicked between the light pillars as if playing a fun game.
I owe my life to these beasts.
In this brief respite...
“…I did it.”
Captain Abbey called out weakly.
“Captain Abbey? Are you alright? First–”
“I found her.”
Panting from the pain, Captain Abbey reported.
Her transparent eyes met mine, and I read her entirely.
Captain Abbey had synchronized with all the Signallers in Module I to backtrack I.A.
Despite the Signallers’ strong opposition, she persuaded them one by one.
During this, Historia's attack had reached its target.
Eimeder’s wings were torn off.
The attack that defied the World’s Principle had reached I.A.’s unique magic and somehow touched the angel's Arcane.
The moment the angel was struck, all the Signallers felt a strange elation.
At that moment, Captain Abbey found her.
Deep in a cold, dark room.
A small space made of stone without any decoration, almost reverent in its simplicity.
Someone was there, kneeling in prayer,...
“She’s Below us. The Communication Headquarters is built above her... This place is her memorial stone...”
Captain Abbey pointed to the floor.
The smooth concrete floor that was covered with scattered documents and shattered golems.
You’d never find it if you didn’t know.
How could you know there was something below?
Even the Regressor wouldn’t discover this windowless, hidden Module.
But knowing there was something there made it visible.
A cold, dark bottom.
Someone kneeling in prayer, in a place lower than anyone else.
“Well done, Captain Abbey.”
I found her.
A sly smile crept across my face.
“Now we can put an end to this.”
Despite the potential for fear or doubt, Captain Abbey asked in a fragile voice.
“…Have I been helpful?”
“Of course. You’ve helped me, and everyone here. Including yourself, Captain Abbey.”
Captain Abbey smiled joyfully.
I wanted to praise her more, but even that felt like a luxury in this situation.
I called out to the battered Historia.
“Ria. We found it.”
“What?”
“The one who summoned the angel. If we deal with her, we can defeat the angel.”
Unlike my elation, Historia seemed reluctant.
She hesitated and asked.
“Can’t we just run?”
Historia pointed outside.
The building, though windowless, was heavily damaged from the ongoing battles.
The angel was still preoccupied with the Beast Kings, so we could potentially escape now.
“This place is full of soldiers. Even if we defeat the angel, if all the forces mobilize for an all-out war... we’ll be relentlessly pursued. Fighting an entire nation isn’t a good idea. Huey, let’s escape.”
“To prevent that, we need to move forward. The angels and Signallers are the core of the Military State. If we handle this properly, they won’t have a chance to issue orders.”
“How do you know what’s ahead? It’s better to run. If we join up with the Progenitor and Cutie, we’ll survive...”
“We’ve always been running. This time, the direction just happens to be forward.”
Seeing my resolve, Historia fell silent.
Her hollow eyes reproached me.
**｢Yes. You’ve always been like this. You leave, and even when I prepare a place for you, you never look back. I can never stop you...｣**
Unlike me, Historia had no desire to face the angel or antagonize the Military State.
She only followed me to protect Shiati and me and felt despondent about that fact.
**｢If only I hated the Military State, I could have been with you wholeheartedly. Why can’t I do that?｣**
You can’t fool your hearts.
How can you hate something you didn’t even hate?
Historia made her decision.
She would follow my will, as always.
“Where?”
“There, under the documents with the world map.”
I pointed to the pile of papers on the floor.
Historia nodded.
“Stay back.”
Historia gauged the direction and took two steps sideways.
She positioned herself so she could cover both the angel and the floor, ensuring no one else would get hurt.
She loaded a bullet into her gun.
“You're going to use that again? Don’t worry about the beasts. They’ll dodge.”
“I know.”
Historia replied curtly, holding the gun like a sword again.
Not with one hand but with both.
She raised it slightly above her head.
It didn’t look like a shooting stance, but that made it all the more threatening.
“Woof woof!”
“Meow!”
Animals have keen instincts.
Sensing the danger, the two beasts bristled and moved aside.
Now, nothing blocked the line between Historia and the angel, or the path beyond the angel.
As the light pillars swirled in her line of sight, Historia once again executed her Consensus of Gun and Sword.
From Historia’s perspective, it looked like she was swinging a blade of darkness but the result was a line made of gunshots.
The space split open.
From the ceiling to the floor, a mark of destruction, not a clean cut but a tear with immense force, was etched.
A thunderous roar echoed.
The entire space was engulfed in the gunshot’s sound.
The shockwave alone shook the walls and ceiling.
As the sound subsided…
『Gunmaster!! I will not forgive you!!』
This time, the angel withstood the gunshot with numerous bizarrely grown tendrils.
They overlapped together to block the gunshot.
Even though it was called Consensus of Gun and Sword, in the end, it was a slash entirely made of gunshots.
If the defense was strong enough, it could withstand Historia’s attack.
Though that was nearly impossible, the angel had done it.
Still, the strategic goal was achieved.
The split concrete floor revealed a passageway leading down.
“Go, Huey.”
Historia stepped forward.
“I’ll hold them off. Only I can do it.”
“Indeed, there’s no ‘Human’ but you who can handle this. Can I leave this to you?”
“Just come back safe.”
“Haha. That’s always my goal.”
Feigning nonchalance, I shrugged and prepared to descend.
As far as preparations go, I only grabbed a few tools and removed the rocks blocking the passage.
The passage was more like a ladder than stairs.
A misstep could lead to a fall.
Eight of Diamonds, All Things Long And Thin.
I transmuted it into a long rope.
I tied it securely at the top of the ladder and threw the end down.
It was deep enough that I couldn’t hear it hit the bottom.
Hmm.
Not knowing what’s below is scary
“Captain Abbey, you go first. I’ll follow to ensure nothing falls from above.”
“Understood.”
Captain Abbey agreed without hesitation.
Thanks, but will this be helpful?
I asked just in case.
“Do you know how to use a rope?”
“I’ve attempted it with a golem.”
“Attempted, not succeeded? Wait. Let’s just go down together.”
In the end, I could only trust myself.
I draped the Queen of Fabric over me and wrapped the rope around it.
This way, I could slide down quickly.
With the preparation done, I spoke to Historia.
“When the time comes, send Shiati and the Princess down too. It’ll be safer here.”
“Got it.”
Historia replied dryly, turning her back as if urging me to hurry.
Seeing her solitary figure, I added.
“Thanks, Ria. For always helping.”
“Lies.”
“It’s true. I’ll prove it when I get back safely.”
“How?”
“That’s a surprise for later.”
Smiling at Historia as she faded into the distance, I took the next step.
Towards the far and dark bottom, where the Military State’s secrets awaited.
“Captain Abbey. Here we go! Hold tight!”
“Preparation complete. You may proceed– Kyaaaaaa!”
As I jumped into the passage, Captain Abbey screamed and clung to me.
Trying it with a golem, my foot.
How could trying it with a golem compare to doing it yourself?
It would’ve been dangerous if I had sent her alone.
The speed increased.
The ladder hit my back, causing pain.
I should’ve put Captain Abbey on my back instead, but there was no other way since she couldn’t climb the rope.
It was an uncomfortable and strenuous position.
After sliding through the darkness, Captain Abbey and I safely descended into the heart of the Military State.
Alright.
Now, show me, Military State.
Reveal your hidden secrets to me.
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