Ch. 180 - Unreal (5)

Chapter 180: Unreal (5)

Even when an unimaginable monster appeared, Flame's daily routine remained unchanged.

Instead, she persevered in her own way.

She mastered the art of combining spells rather than making them stronger, and assembled a scientific team to analyze the patterns and appearances of the monsters to identify weaknesses.

She no longer thought about her daily life.

"My daily life is this."

She continuously fought and killed the monsters that began to appear relentlessly, protecting the world.

"Miss Flame?"

"Ah."

"Seems like you dozed off for a moment. We've arrived. Shall we proceed with the operation?"

"Yes. Please proceed."

Traveling around the world, Flame relentlessly hunted monsters.

She achieved results in her own way.

Even the most formidable monsters could be defeated with the help of science, and hunting became more efficient and faster.

She didn't forget to contribute some of her magic to scientific institutions for research.

For the advancement of the world, she was willing to reveal magic to some extent…

But magical research made no progress at all.

Even the world's top scientists couldn't understand it at all. It seemed like the world regarded magic as solely Flame’s domain.

The more this happened, the harder she tried.

She fought tirelessly, and even reduced her sleeping time.

And so... A year passed.

Two days ago, a monster appeared in Vilnius, Lithuania.

The ecosystem is being destroyed due to the herd of monster bulls occupying the Tibetan Plateau...

The monster that appeared in the Colca Valley of Peru has the ability to manipulate the climate, causing abnormal global temperatures…

A monster that emerged in Moscow, Russia is spewing lava, turning the downtown area into a wasteland...

No matter how hard she tried. No matter how much she pushed herself to the limit.

Some things just couldn't be done.

Saving the world with just herself...

Was it only possible in movies?

When she realized that her efforts were futile, an endless emptiness engulfed her.

"Flame, are you okay?"

"... Yes. Where to next?"

"Please decide. Currently, monsters have appeared in fifteen locations."

Now, simultaneous appearances of two-digit monsters were commonplace.

She had only one body and only one place could achieve salvation.

The remaining locations were discarded based on her decision.

So, the selection had to be as efficient as possible.

They sorted out places based on their eligibility for a missile attack. In the places where missiles couldn’t reach, she would defeat the monster herself.

She was getting tired.

Suddenly, why did that phrase come to mind?

'You have to choose death for yourself.'

She quickly shook her head.

'No. That's not going to happen.'

She didn't want to give up this life.

‘I'm still happy.’

‘To save the world. And to carry everyone's expectations on my shoulders… That’s my duty.’

‘If I continue to strive like this, I will surely lead this world to peace.’

… It was that night when Baek Yu-Seol appeared.

————

When it came to the trendiest city in the world, undoubtedly, it would be New York.

A city where people of all races gathered, where past and present cultures coexisted. It always bustled with tourists, and the dazzling neon signs were lit 24 hours a day.

But today's New York was dead.

It was because of the monster alert.

With heavy steps, Flame set foot in such a New York.

The streets of New York were devoid of crowds, and it felt awkwardly cold.

Seeing the once bustling streets now dead, the dream she had a year ago suddenly came to mind.

‘Get it together.’

There were monsters here, so she shouldn't let her guard down with unnecessary thoughts.

But.

"What the...?"

The monster was dead.

Seeing the corpse which resembled that of a dog lying coldly, Flame unconsciously searched for someone.

"... Baek Yu-Seol."

On the opposite side of the street, there was that boy.

He looked unusually embarrassed today. He still held the shining sword without sheathing it despite having defeated the monster.

She instinctively tightened her grip on the staff.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Several helicopters noticed the signs of the disappearing monster's energy source.

They might be there in case Flame got injured, requested support, or to deal with the monster’s body.

"Stay back and wait."

Flame gave them a brief command before approaching Baek Yu-Seol.

"It's too late, Flame. It's time to go back."

"Where to?"

“To where we originally came from.”

“My home is here.”

"... Yeah. But, this isn't where you belong."

He pointed to the cold street.

"The happier you become, the unhappier the world becomes. But still, are you going to stay here?"

This time, she couldn't answer immediately.

Flame bit her lips tightly.

Blood oozed out.

"What do you want me to do?"

"You have to leave this world."

"Where to?"

“You know where.”

Baek Yu-Seol’s expression remained unchanged, which made Flame resentful.

Who was this boy to so easily tell her to die?

"It's for your own good."

"I can't believe this."

"I understand. That's why I waited. Until you could accept it. But... I can't wait any longer."

Baek Yu-Seol still wore his school uniform. The name, IlwolHigh School, was written on the name tag on his chest.

“It’s almost over. For the sake of this world, you and I need to leave.”

"But I..."

"So just stay quiet."

That was the end of the conversation.

[Flash]

In the blink of an eye, Baek Yu-Seol was right beside her.

'Huh...?'

A white flash split her vision in half.

Bang~!

However, her muscle memory kicked in, and she raised her shield to block the sword's attack, preventing it from slashing her.

Yet, the impact didn't just disappear.

Flame staggered from the shock of her mana shield being broken.

"D-damn it..."

She had no intention of dying quietly.

Flame spun her staff and slammed it into the ground.

Thud!

A pillar of light surged, striking Baek Yu-Seol who was wielding his sword.

But sensing that he didn’t have a scratch, she prepared another spell...

Crack!

"Argh!"

In an instant, Baek Yu-Seol, who had somehow returned behind her, swung his sword, shattering her shield into pieces.

Sensing the sword aimed at her neck, Flame rolled forward with all her might.

“Flame, are you okay?”

Despite feeling dizzy, she ignored the ringing radio and continued rolling on the ground.

Thump!

As light exploded, Flame’s body soared above the buildings.

Baek Yu-Seol used instant high-speed movement to chase after her, but she scattered orbs of light in the air like confetti.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Crash!!

She intended to obstruct his path, but the effect was stronger than expected, causing an entire side of the building to blast off.

Finding that it was a rather fortunate incident, she slipped into the crevice of the building and caught her breath.

“That lunatic… He’s really trying to kill me?”

She wasn’t going to let that happen.

When she touched her hand on the ground, giant vines grew and covered the building.

She planned to use the vines, which moved according to her will, to pressure Baek Yu-Seol if he entered this confined space.

No matter how fast he could move, he wouldn't be free in such a cramped space.

Thud!!

“Damn it…”

However, Baek Yu-Seol couldn't be unaware of it.

As he moved to the lower floor of the building, the floor completely collapsed, and Flame fell without even resisting.

"Damn it...!"

With no other choice, she quickly escaped outside the building using the recoil from the explosion and shielding her body with light.

Thududuk!

As the debris of the building collapsed, the spot where Flame had fallen sank deeply.

If she had been even a little late, she would have died for sure.

Crash!

"Here it comes!"

Unlike her, who couldn’t move freely in the air, Baek Yu-Seol was able to maneuver with agility.

However, she had just finished preparing for that.

Kudududeuk!

Dozens of vines sprouted from the collapsing building, connecting buildings like bridges, and Flame landed on top of them.

Swoosh!

As the wind scattered, Baek Yu-Seol’s figure blurred again.

She could sense it.

‘Behind me!’

Without turning back, she swung her staff downward to create a pillar of light behind her, but... there was no sensation of impact.

When she looked up, she saw Baek Yu-Seol, who had moved forward as she expected, swinging his sword.

Clang!

"Ugh...."

Half of her shield shattered, and her internals were severely twisted.

Blood oozed from her mouth.

But she didn't give up and flipped the vines with all her strength.

Kwa-duduk!

The vines transformed into material resembling steel. It twisted around Baek Yu-Seol’s body like a snake, preventing him from teleporting away.

But he deflected or cut through even the steel with his sword to approach her.

‘I’m at a disadvantage in close combat.’

She was sweating profusely.

She manipulated magic and weakly propelled herself to the opposite building.

Crack!

Snap!

Fragments of magic burst forth, causing the neon sign to explode and fall.

Baek Yu-Seol trampled over the fallen sign, leaped, and dashed towards her.

‘I have to stop her.’

But no matter how much she spread her shield or attempted any attack, nothing worked.

It felt like hitting a giant wall.

The opponent simply moved swiftly, swung their sword, and none of her colorful magic could counter it.

Was it because this was her first magical battle?

The overwhelming gap in experience was glaring before her eyes.

"You bastard!"

No matter what she tried, she realized she couldn't be a match.

But no matter who the opponent was, she wouldn't give up.

Flame used the magic to traverse between buildings and shot beams of light, while Baek Yu-Seol relentlessly pursued her.

The whole of New York glowed with light, vegetation sprouted, and thunder rumbled; all because of the battle between the two.

"Hah. Hah..."

With her magic dropped, Flame landed on a rooftop and knelt down, hesitating.

In the distance, it seemed like she could see the city's skyline.

Now that she thought about it... this place was supposedly the famous Empire State Building.

"... To come to see New York's landmarks like this." Having futile thoughts, Flame struggled to rise.

Thud!

She heard the sound of Baek Yu-Seol landing behind her, and she turned her head.

Their eyes met.

They were sharp black irises.

"Why..."

She no longer cast any spells.

Slowly facing Baek Yu-Seol approaching her... She said, "Why do you want to kill me so badly..."

She was resentful.

‘If I die, everything will be resolved, won't it? Where in this world is such a law?’

She was happy.

Every single day was filled with happiness. Whether eating, walking the streets, studying, playing with friends, watching movies, hunting monsters, or sleeping.

Every moment was happy.

But in fact, the reason she was happy was because she pushed the world into unhappiness.

The world veered towards destruction because of her existence.

"That's too much..."

Tears welled up in Flame’s eyes.

Despite trying to deny reality, she couldn't help but accept it.

She knew.

She had sensed it a long time ago.

Despite living as if she were the protagonist of this world, she had always harbored doubts.

'Why am I the only one so happy?’

Baek Yu-Seol, who had approached close by now, aimed her sword at her neck.

Without resistance, she lowered her head.

Closing her eyes and gritting her teeth hard, she asked, "If I were to disappear... would this world really become happy?"

"Yes."

"Then what happens to me...?"

It was truly a strange question.

After all, she was going to die, so what would happen to her?

But unexpectedly, Baek Yu-Seol immediately provided a refreshing answer. "You'll still be happy even if you die."

"... Haha. That's ridiculous. How can one be happy while dying?"

This time, he didn't answer right away.

Baek Yu-Seol hesitated.

But ultimately, he didn't finish his words.

There was no need for it now.

He smiled.

Laughing while killing someone appeared truly insane, but Baek Yu-Seol seemed relieved, almost as if he had relieved himself of all burdens.

"No, you'll truly be happy. Because I'll make sure of it."

"What? What does that...?"

She couldn't finish her sentence.

From the sky above... White light chunks were descending.

"Isn't it beautiful?"

"Uh. No. That's, wait a moment..." "

It was a feature of the monster she hunted. Its main body wasn’t much, but when it died, a pillar of light rose from its corpse. It appeared as if an angel had descended, so its nickname was Heaven's Gate...

Baek Yu-Seol started babbling.

Had he ever talked so much before?

But now, it was as if he was talking to a close friend. He opened his mouth and continued the conversation, which made her feel that they were some kind of cafe friends.

It didn't reach her.

'Haha...'

‘So this is how I die now.’

Sensing the time had come, she humbly accepted this moment.

In the gradually whitening world, Baek Yu-Seol took her hand and stood her up.

He said something, but it was completely drowned out by the huge noise.

But she could clearly see his lips moving.

'Let's go back.'

Only then did Flame remember the identity of the boy holding her.

'Ah, right.'

Why hadn't she remembered until now?

Like a fool.

'You came to take me back all the way here.'

In the highest place of the city covered in pure white light.

Flame could finally smile brightly.

Compared to any time she had spent in this world, it was... a happier smile.

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