Chapter 465
fruit of myth (3)
Immediately after a spark appears in the air.
Lightning struck the empty land..
It's so hard! Crying!
Beyond the noise of high-voltage current flowing and sparks bouncing loudly.
Since when had she been in that position? Inyoung, who was down on one knee and placed one hand on the floor, let out a brave cry..
“I'm here! Lightning that Burns Evil—Lightning Surfer!”
A man wearing a combat suit that shows off his unique charm with a harmonious combination of metal armor and spandex fibers that seem to have come out of a game, not reality, struck a cool pose and recited a line..
The skillful yet disciplined movements and the dazzling flash of lightning that accompanied them were so spectacular that anyone could not help but lose their attention..
“How dare you threaten the peace of the sacred Pantheon! I am the Guardian of California—as long as there is a Lightning Surfer···.”
“Ah, here comes another one..”
“Man, the situation is over..”
But despite the elaborate production, those around him just glanced in that direction and shook their heads..
The response was that there was nothing special about it now..
Because it has already happened several times before..
“······.”
Lightning Surfer, the hero who was standing alone in that delicate air, looked around carefully..
There were quite a few people here, but everyone seemed to be busy moving around and trying to clean up the messy scene..
“Big, big! I'm glad there wasn't any major damage. I came right away after receiving the request for support, but it was a bit far away.···.”
“ah! Are you a hero who came to help me? Thank you for coming here.”
When he awkwardly straightens his posture, clears his throat repeatedly, and mumbles excuses to himself that no one is listening to..
A priestess who was passing by with busy steps approached him and spoke to him with a gentle smile..
“Although the case was concluded faster than expected, we will not forget and thank you for coming at our request. So, by the way, what is your name??”
“ah! He's called the Lightning Surfer···.”
“Lightning Surfer! Yes, I will forward it to the administrative department. Thank you again for going this far..”
She quickly wrote down the name and smiled again..
This was also part of important work..
Although things worked out unexpectedly smoothly this time, there was no guarantee that it would work the same way next time..
Wouldn’t that make it easier to lend a hand when something really needs help arises??
Heinrich, looking out the window of his lodgings at the scene, let out a short sigh..
‘I can’t believe that not only the Association’s Guardians but also the Awakened and Heroes of the State of California came rushing in like this. It looks like Pantheon has built up quite a reputation over the years. Well, there's nothing wrong with having good relationships with clergy..’
It looked like the committee wanted to talk to him right after work was over, but he wasn't in the mood right now, so he put it off until later and was spending time alone..
Because I still needed some time to organize my thoughts..
‘For now, you can say that this work is roughly finished. In fact, the reason the situation escalated was entirely due to the Joker and the shadow of God he had summoned, so it is natural..’
This incident left a lot of scars on the Pantheon..
Fortunately, among those initially caught up in the purple-black smoke, not many suffered irreparable damage..
Although most of them showed signs of serious mental contamination, it was not to the point that they could not be helped in the Pantheon, which was overflowing with priests and was able to quickly provide first aid..
The problem was the cause of this incident itself..
The existence of traitors lurking within the Pantheon and the terror of Pandemonium that arose in the process of detecting and arresting them..
It was enough of a variable to create ripples in the pantheon's bond formed within the confines of religious unity..
‘Since the shadow of the evil god has arisen inside the Pantheon, this is an unavoidable problem. Of course, this will not break the union right away, but it will be inevitable for the denominations to act passively for a while by reducing external activities and regulating each other's homes..’
Although it was somehow resolved, this case was by no means an easy matter to overcome..
And amidst the chaos, there was someone who caught the attention of everyone in the Pantheon..
“···Well, it doesn't seem like a very bad result to me.?”
An angel from another world who single-handedly defeated the shadow of an evil spirit that attacked the Pantheon and put an end to this situation..
It was Saint Heinrich Saint Landgard..
‘This was an opportunity to unintentionally remind us of their danger. Also, thanks to this incident, my right to speak has become stronger, so if I can lead the Pantheon to keep the Buncheonhoe in check,···.’
Heinrich, who had been thinking up to that point, paused..
When I suddenly thought of Beoncheonhoe, my mind became complicated again..
It had to be that way..
Because it hadn't been long since I saw that fantasy of an unknown future..
‘Just dealing with them would be a headache... You said it was the fruit of myth, right? What on earth is that, so you showed me that??’
What was even more frustrating was the fact that although I felt like I had seen a lot, I actually remembered very little..
It's as if they locked away my memories because I wasn't qualified yet..
Heinrich looked down at his hands and clenched his fists tightly..
After becoming an angel, the muscle mass in my arms decreased significantly, but the strength within them actually became stronger than before..
He gathered divine power into his tightly clenched fist and focused his mind on something beyond..
Stay like that for a while.
“···It still doesn't work.”
He let out a short breath and opened his eyes, massaging his neck and twisting his head back and forth..
‘Immediately after receiving the light bursting from the ‘Fruit of Myth’ throughout my body..
He was able to realize that something unknown had been mixed into the seed of divinity he had been carrying..
In the object information window, only “???” was displayed, so detailed information was not available..
I tried to pull it out again just now, but no matter how hard I tried, that unknown energy remained locked deep within the seed of divinity and would not budge..
‘This energy must have been the cause of the vision I saw at that time. Have you awakened the ability to predict the future??’
Whatever it was, I thought I might be able to recreate what I saw before by using that power..
Eventually, Heinrich gave up the attempt and began to analyze the situation more realistically..
I decided to put everything else aside and just focus on the things that came to mind..
‘Was what I saw then really the future of the Earth??’
That was the first thing to consider.
The future he saw in fantasy.
Because, unlike now when it was at its peak of prosperity, it was like the Earth where everything had collapsed and was destroyed..
‘The possibility that it was just a world resembling Earth... No, no. It was definitely Earth.’
The second problem was the language used on signs and the surrounding environment..
I could instinctively feel it the moment I encountered the view of the world..
That must be the Earth.
‘Why? Why did the Earth become like that??’
I couldn't remember what caused the destruction..
Just like the Devore dimension that was completely occupied by demons... no, like the Cosiyas dimension where Ramu was picked up, the only thing that is clear is that everything has been devastated and has become a dead world..
But with that alone, it was as if what he had to do had already been decided..
‘···There's more work to do. I don't know anything else, but we can't wait for the Earth to end up like that..’
The Earth was the land where one had to live and the base where all the infrastructure was concentrated..
Wasn't it possible that he was able to move as he pleased until now because his main body was locked in a safe place on Earth??
“We need to move more actively. Okay, let's start with the Pantheon..”
The exact time of destruction is still unknown..
To prepare for an emergency, it was necessary to move immediately, even if it meant overdoing it..
‘Unlike other organizations, Pantheon, an alliance, cannot be completely controlled.···.’
However, it was also true that it would be a waste to just leave it like this..
As we received a lot of help from the forces under our command in resolving this matter, we did not know when and what kind of decisive help Pantheon would provide..
‘It just so happened that the right opportunity came up this time, so it could be said to be perfect timing..’
Heinrich, who had been quietly thinking, stood up..
Once the decision was made, there was no time to hesitate..
He took a quick step forward, opened the door, and went out..
wiggle—
As he left the room, a strange change occurred in the halo on the back of his head..
A subtle yet violent movement, as if trying to break open an egg..
The slight fluctuation of the faint light completely disappeared before Heinrich even noticed it..
As if waiting for the moment to come.
***
A space of nothingness where the concept of color goes beyond pure white..
Beoncheonhoeju, who was floating quietly in the center, slowly opened his eyes..
As a lot of things happened in this episode, I was confident that even if it was quite surprising, I would not overlook it..
But no matter how much he was like this, he could never just ignore this incident..
“The fruit of myth···.”
Among the plans made for the grand scheme, one arrangement that had been prepared twenty years ago, on which considerable effort had been put in, had just collapsed..
There have been many failures in the meantime, but this one was especially painful..
“···It's difficult..”
I had prepared this as the best way, but if it turned out like this, I had no choice but to move on to the next best option..
And if that happened, the survival rate of humanity would inevitably fall by about ten percent from what was initially calculated..
‘First, determining the cause is a priority..’
The fruit of myth was one of the important fertilizers that would be used to sprout mystery on Earth..
Of course, he was also particularly concerned about security, and was building a separate safety net from Joker, who was entrusted with overall responsibility for the Pantheon..
‘however···.’
however.
The results of checking with the outside world made even him furrow his eyebrows..
-“No shame, Hoeju..”
I already guessed that the oracle wouldn't be able to predict in advance..
Since the adversary, free from the cause and effect of the world, began his activities in earnest, there were limits to what she, the opposite of him, could do..
Still, her foresight, which had played a decisive role in growing the organization to this point, and her insight that had practically led the organization on behalf of Hoe Joo, who was busy traveling around various dimensions, and the Doctor, who did not care about anything other than his own interests, were not going anywhere..
He knew that not everyone is perfect all the time.
Even I was in that situation..
For that to happen, isn't it necessary to have an organization that complements each other's shortcomings??
-“I haven't been able to connect with the doctor for some time now. I guess···.”
The real problem started after that..
Lost contact with the Doctor, who oversees all emergency contacts, including the secret network..
It didn't matter if we just lost contact..
Even when he was absent for a long time due to the aftereffects of his resurrection, the automated system of Deus Ex Machina that he had built took care of everything.?
But this time things were different..
-“It seems like I suffered quite badly. After a quick investigation, the entire system was completely destroyed.···.”
The person who investigated it was confident that he could be counted on one hand in this lineage, but even he ultimately failed in his work to find out what happened to the Doctor..
I'm just guessing that I let my guard down and got hit by a special virus I've never seen before..
‘Coincidentally.’
From Oracle to Doctor.
Joker, who infiltrated the Pantheon, was hiding his identity even from members of the Buncheon Society, so the secret communication network prepared by the Doctor was essential when carrying out any work..
However, if you were exposed to such an extreme situation that your identity was suddenly exposed while all contact was cut off at once,···.
‘Simple coincidence? Or is it the world's deterrent??’
His frown frowned as he felt like everything in the world was going against him..
I've been especially careful about this because I'm afraid this will happen..
‘Better assume the worst.’
After hearing additional information from the Oracle, his transcendent insight led to one conclusion..
The intuition that I had already stepped into the realm of God added to my confidence..
‘The flow of the world was out of sync. Another adversary has been born on Earth.’
adversary.
Whenever Hoeju, who came back in time, tried to change the fate of the world, he was the one who always stood in his way..
Sometimes, with the foresight that seems to see through everything in the world,.
Sometimes, with overwhelming technological power that no one expected,.
Otherwise, it is a terrible violence that stops even time..
Each encounter with them was a series of pain and adversity..
But Hoeju did not give up until the end no matter what the situation..
Making the most of his abilities, he somehow found a workaround and used it to overcome his adversaries and move forward..
In the process, as Hoeju became stronger, the level of his opponents also increased steeply, but he was somehow able to advance toward his goal thanks to the 'subordinates' he acquired in the process..
‘After I set foot in the realm of divinity, I thought it was all over.···.’
I guess they don't plan on ending it that easily..
Beoncheonhoeju exhaled softly and closed his eyes..
I just haven't found it yet, but there must be a way out somewhere this time too..
A panoramic view of the destroyed Earth flashed through his mind..
No matter what obstacles stood in his way, he never intended to give up..
As always.
Comments