Chapter 23 : Things that sank beyond (3)

Before the battle began, all personnel were instructed to gather in the open space before the wall.
This was meant to convey key commands, guidelines, and precautions for confronting the enemies and to boost morale for victory.

However, it was a bolt from the blue for the four of us. The distance to the wall was no joke.

But what could we do? We had to go when we were told.
So we were diligently making our way there.
As we ran and drew closer to the open space, the sound of people chattering grew louder. It seemed like we were the last ones, as most people were already gathered there.

After running for a while, the open space we finally entered… literally only had people. No chairs, no podium. Only a large truck parked at the front.

The send-off ceremony. It looked quite modest for a gathering of only A-rank and above valuable personnel, but surprisingly, everyone seemed to take it for granted. Maybe because this was the battlefield, and even the S-ranks standing at the front didn’t seem to care much.

“Attention!”

A middle-aged man in an association uniform climbed onto the truck with a short, powerful command. The uniform he wore was one permitted only to association president-level. Whether due to the power of authority or maintained discipline, the chattering people instantly fell silent, and over three hundred gazes focused on him.

“Ah, mic test. One, two, three.”

Nodding with satisfaction as he saw the gazes gathered upon him, he began the sound check with a deep, clear pronunciation. Strangely, however, there was no microphone in his hand.

Some people tilted their heads at his eccentricity. Our group was the same; Yu-ha and Seok-jun whispered to each other beside me.

“Yoo Seok-jun. What do you think he’s doing? Is he going to use some kind of voice amplification magic?”
“I don’t know. I read about it in the command manual, but… I think it’s a wide-range telepathy activation command.”

As I listened to their conversation, I looked at him, and with a crackling sound, sparks started flying in my head. It was faint, so it was hard to grasp properly, but it seemed like a connection attempt by a mental attack.

I didn’t think it would be real. It seemed his ability was, as Seok-jun said, to speak directly through the mind.

*Click*

It couldn’t be helped. I created a simple mental camouflage so the man wouldn’t notice and disconnected. Unfortunately, I couldn’t allow this kind of access. I wanted to listen too, but if he tried to read my mind and suddenly started spewing blood from his seven orifices due to the influence of the magic book, it would be a disaster.

‘I should ask Si-eun later.’ Thinking that, I looked around.

Everyone’s expressions around me were changing every moment as they looked at him. What was going on within that mental link that made them like that…?

… I was curious, but if an ‘accident’ occurred, it would be hard to handle.

I didn’t want to be designated as a public enemy of mankind, so I decided to meditate quietly.

After a little while, people started pouring out of the open space without any conclusion. Our group did the same. It seemed like it was time to move to our assigned mission areas.

On the way there, I received a report from Si-eun about what she heard, and it was surprisingly insignificant.

It was about following the orders from the higher-ups and not acting up on the offensive since it was a defensive battle.
However, she said it took a little longer because he spoke wittily, whether to ease people’s tension or because he was originally like that.

Other than that, there didn’t seem to be any detailed rules about combat methods. It seemed to respect the autonomy of individuals in combat.

Well, it made sense. Most of the people here were veterans who had been through countless battles over the past three years.

*

Our mission as a group of four was to protect the observation team from any potential threats.

The observation team was located right next to the command center. The land from the coastline with the wall to inland gradually rose in a terraced structure, so that at the height of the command center, one could naturally look out over the ocean as well.

Moreover, since Yoo Seok-jun, who used earth magic, had created two golems, saying they were for guarding, I could enjoy the luxury of sitting on its shoulder and looking out over the ocean.

“…It feels like we’re having it too easy.”

Yoo Seok-jun muttered as he stared at the wall from beneath the golem. It seemed his body was itching to see the people on the wall concentrating, preparing magic, and finally, maintaining their weapons.

As if she heard Seok-jun’s muttering, Shin Yu-ha, who had tied back her blonde hair and was cleaning her sword, raised her head.

“Think of it as experience. We’ll only participate in the battlefield as trainees once. Let’s learn a lot from this opportunity. Most of those people over there were probably deployed in the rear at first.”
“Even so, doesn’t this feel too far back…?”

Seok-jun seemed deflated after hearing Yu-ha’s words. He must have really wanted to be on the front lines. While he was doing so, Si-eun, who was focused on the front, pointed ahead.

“…Something is approaching from afar.”

Our gazes turned towards the ocean. Indeed, a deep, dark blue, paint-like substance was spreading from beyond the horizon. No, it was approaching.

────.

Along with the loud siren, sparks flew in my head again. I couldn’t hear it because the communication was blocked, but I could guess what it was about. Probably something like ‘Protect your ears and brain.’

After confirming the three were using mana to protect their heads, I looked beyond the wall to observe the phenomenon that was about to occur.

Beyond the wall was a clear ocean and a blue sky.
And above the sea, a deep, moist darkness of the abyss was expanding.

*Bzzt—*

A creepy sound, like forcibly tearing non-woven fabric, suddenly rang out from all directions. An ominous blue current flowed in from beyond the horizon and began to swirl.

The sea gradually mixed and mingled, turning a deep blue.

*Rumble—*

A large vibration spreading through the atmosphere created a resounding, hollow sound. A powerful ripple could be seen rising from beyond the horizon, as if a stone had been thrown onto the calm surface. And following the undulation of rising space, a gray sky appeared.

Then, a chilling fog that made one shudder just by looking at it began to flow from the deep sea, adding to the eerieness. A thick, cold fog that seemed as if a monster would jump out at any moment. It flowed out through the sea and stopped its advance right in front of the wall.

The sky was now filled with dark clouds. They tangled and intertwined, forming a powerful current.
The crackling flow of electric charge pointed in one direction. This showed that all the flows of the world were converging towards a single point.

I slowly opened my eyes. My eyes followed the flow of mana. I saw all the magic power connected like a spider web through the atmosphere and sea, concentrating in one place. It converged from all the blue seas, gathering into one and appearing like an incarnation.

And then, a regular icosahedron gem, scattering blue light.

The Azure Phantasma.

It did not suddenly appear out of thin air.
It rode the flow of its domain, the blue sea, crossing space and resurrecting here.

My eyes and brain moved quickly.
I was busy analyzing its form, existence, and phase.

That thing babbled and spread its magical power throughout the sea. The spreading magical power resurrected the scattered remains of the dead in the deep sea. However… yes. They were merely wraiths. Beings who were unable to adapt to Earth’s oceans, or who died before even reaching Earth.

As proof, the bodies of the merfolk were intact, but dead. Their hearts were replaced by magical artifacts that didn’t beat. Their brains only had fragments left, repeating the glorious moments of their lives. Their souls had long left the world, and their mouths randomly replayed the language they spoke when they were alive.

Now, I could be certain. The formless, azure Phantasma was a complete inanimate object.

Like a broken radio that kept repeating the same syllable. Like the gears of an old machine spinning idly. The act of expanding its territory no longer had any meaning. It was just repeating the inputted action.

To put it simply, it was an escape pod launched from some world. It was probably the last ark, carved from an entire planet. But there was nothing left for it to protect. Inside it, there was no life remaining.

Yes. Those who rode it, those merfolk, had all died long ago.

All that remained was a machine that set up puppets and played with them to establish its own existence.