Chapter 248 - Episode 31. Big Brother (13)
Chapter 248: Episode 31. Big Brother (13)
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“Hold the other side!”
“This side is still holding!”
Runald shouted as he blocked the Vicegerents breaking through the Assembly Hall’s Four Cardinal Gates.
“We’re still holding here too!”
A year earlier, after Jaehwan vanished toward the ‘end of the world,’ many things had happened in the 《Abyss》.
The gods had begun to splinter again, and powerful factions had emerged that the Committee could not control on its own.
“Move aside, you dogs of the Committee!”
Runald recognized the person forcing their way through the Assembly Hall’s gate at a glance. It was Bergetz, the God of Renown, who had ruled as the Second Site’s second most powerful god after being driven back by the Dragon God Droyan. Bergetz could not compare to the Three Ancient Gods of old, but while the other gods’ power waned, they had built up their strength and become one of the Abyss’s greatest powers, with World Force rivaling that of the former Eight Divine Thrones.
The 「White Revolutionary Corps」 led by Bergetz was a militant group of gods opposed to every policy enacted by the Committee.
“Damn it, there are too many of them!”
Runald shouted through gritted teeth. Trouble had erupted at the worst possible time, when the Committee’s strongest members, including Yu Seolha and Nameless, were away.
Karlton, who was holding back the Vicegerents at the western gate, shouted, “Everyone, hold on a little longer! The Chairperson will arrive in thirty minutes!”
“Hang in there, brat!”
Cheongheo, guarding the eastern gate, shouted at the top of his lungs as well.
A girl about Runald’s age braced him as he was gradually pushed back. Fragments of World Force rushing toward Runald bounced harmlessly off her spinning umbrella.
“I’ll help.”
Jin Eunsae, a former member of 「Rupture」. Having escaped 〈Metaverse〉 with Jaehwan’s help, Jin Eunsae was now a full-fledged member of the Committee.
Runald asked, “What about the southern gate?”
“Uncle Ethan is holding it.”
“What about Leader and Karavan?”
“We still can’t reach them.”
They were somehow holding out, but the situation was far from easy. Thirty minutes might not sound like long, but it was enough time for all of them to be wiped out and for the Assembly Hall to fall.
Runald frowned as he deflected the blades of World Force flying at him.
They’re trying to seize the Assembly Hall and establish a new 「Giant Setting」.
The Assembly Hall was an institution in the 《Abyss》 created by the Committee not long ago. Once a certain number of gods entered it, a 「Grand Assembly」 would automatically convene.
We have to stop them from opening the 「Grand Assembly」, no matter what!
The 「Giant Settings」 enacted by the 「Grand Assembly」 could exert immense influence over the entire 《Abyss》.
The Assembly Hall had been created to give every soul an equal opportunity through democracy.
Yet now it was about to be used against them. If Bergetz of the 「White Revolutionary Corps」, who advocated a worldview of might makes right, entered the Assembly Hall with their followers, the outcome was obvious.
They would reset every Giant Setting made by the Committee and rebuild an 《Abyss》 where gods wielded absolute power, as they had in the past. The years Jaehwan had spent changing the world could all be erased.
Damn it, Jaehwan-nim...
Watching the White Revolutionary Corps press forward in waves, Runald desperately thought of his god.
It had already been a year since Jaehwan left.
Everyone in the 《Abyss》 expected Jaehwan to fail. Like Mulack, they believed Jaehwan would never return.
Runald thought differently.
Even if he has grown weaker... I can still faintly feel Jaehwan-nim’s power. He must be somewhere in that distant sky.
Runald believed in Jaehwan.
Whether it took one year or ten, Jaehwan would accomplish it someday. Even if everyone else failed, Jaehwan alone would reach the end of the world.
Even if his conviction was wrong, even if this world never changed, Jaehwan would never give up until the very end.
Runald missed that Jaehwan terribly.
Jaehwan-nim.
Runald thought.
Wouldn’t this world have been more peaceful if Jaehwan had never gone up?
If he had stayed in the 《Abyss》 and continued ruling the world, unjust factions pursuing greater World Force and greater desire would never have appeared.
“Aaaagh!”
Committee members screamed as they were pushed back by the gods’ forces. Runald had been driven all the way to the threshold of the Four Cardinal Gates. He and Jin Eunsae desperately defended the gate, but they had reached their limit.
Leaning against the Assembly Hall’s gate, Runald bit his lip.
“Jaehwan-nim could sweep all these bastards away with a single Stab...”
Runald resentfully looked up at the sky where Jaehwan had vanished.
That was when it happened.
Something suddenly flashed down from the sky, followed by thunder that seemed to pierce heaven and earth.
The Assembly Hall’s walls collapsed, and horrible screams filled the air.
“Aaaaargh!”
Cheongheo and Karlton’s warnings rang out as well.
“Runald, get down!”
Runald could not get down. All he could do was stare blankly at the sky.
The sky flickered as though day and night had confused their places. It pulsed at regular intervals, like a massive lightbulb. Only after several more crashes of thunder did Runald finally come back to his senses.
A dreadful silence had fallen.
The area around the Assembly Hall had become a ruin.
Neither Bergetz, the God of Renown, nor their nearly thousand followers could be seen. A mere few lightning strikes had completely annihilated those powerful gods.
“What? What happened?”
“Runald! Eunsae! Are you all right?”
Cheongheo and Karlton, who had each defended the Assembly Hall’s eastern and western gates, ran toward the northern gate where Runald stood. They seemed just as bewildered by the sudden event. Everyone wore stunned expressions.
After calmly looking around, they spotted Bergetz’s Vicegerent, reduced to ashes by lightning.
For lightning carrying such power to strike out of nowhere, someone would have to punch holes in the sky itself.
But was there still a god in the 《Abyss》 powerful enough to do that?
As they stared blankly at one another, a strange light passed through their eyes almost at the same time.
“Could this be...?”
“Wait, no way?”
Their gazes turned toward the same place.
Other than the unsettling aura hanging over it, though, there was nothing unusual in the sky.
Cheongheo and Karlton shrugged as they looked at each other. Runald alone continued staring upward.
Cheongheo asked, “Brat, do you see something?”
“Runald?”
Of everyone there, only Runald had formed a link with Jaehwan. Runald’s eyes shook violently. Cheongheo looked ready to press him after realizing something was terribly wrong, but Karlton shook his head.
There was no point rushing him. Runald was clearly out of his mind.
How much time passed?
Runald slowly opened his mouth.
“An eye...”
“An eye? What about an eye?”
Despite Cheongheo’s urgent voice, Runald could not explain what he was seeing. Something utterly unbelievable was unfolding before him.
A massive eye, bleeding profusely in agony.
Huge holes scattered around it.
Lightning made of World Force bursting through those holes.
And an unbelievable sight of something falling.
Runald tried again and again to explain the incomprehensible scene, but his voice would not come out. Tears repeatedly blurred his vision. Only after he forced down his ragged breathing and moistened his dry lips did Runald finally manage to squeeze out the words.
“Jaehwan-nim did it.”
* * *
Jaehwan could barely hear now. Both arms had gone numb, and his legs felt as though they were floating somewhere in midair rather than standing. He could not trust what he saw, nor could he trust what he smelled.
Debris from ruptured time and space drifted endlessly around him.
[You really are incredible.]
[Who would have thought you could endure all our power?]
The transcendent ones who had descended into Jaehwan’s body sounded exhausted as well. Almost no World Force remained in Jaehwan’s soul. He had used every last grain of World Force, like wringing the final drop of water from a dry rag. If the transcendent ones had not shared their power with him, Jaehwan would have struggled even to remain standing.
The problem was that the transcendent ones’ strength was nearly exhausted too.
[At this rate, we’ll all perish together.]
8741, who had settled into Jaehwan’s left hand, snickered.
[You never know until we see it through. That bastard is in no shape to keep fighting either.]
Mulack stood across from Jaehwan, staggering in a form much like his own. Mulack’s entire body was so ruined it could only be described as half-destroyed. Their soul form hung in tatters like a rag full of holes, and a Part of Deus had replaced the place where their left arm once was. Both legs had been crudely replaced with Parts left behind by former 《Big Brothers》, while World Force continued pouring from their torn abdomen.
Mulack squinted their blinded eye and smiled.
[Impressive.]
Despite being in that state, Mulack was strong. Hundreds of weapons left behind by former 《Big Brothers》 still floated behind them, and the World Force saturating the area around them had not diminished at all.
Mulack slowly raised their mechanized arm. Just as Jaehwan gathered his strength again, expecting another Space Bombardment, Mulack spoke.
[Jaehwan-nim, how about we call a truce here? I believe you have vented your anger enough. I have also seen enough of your power.]
“What are you trying to do?”
[I will recognize you as the new 《Big Brother》. More precisely, I mean all the transcendent ones, including Jaehwan-nim.]
The noisy transcendent ones fell silent at the unexpected offer. Even Jaehwan could not help but be shaken.
Perhaps the transcendent ones within his soul agreed with Mulack’s words. If both sides would perish together, accepting Mulack’s offer might be the wiser choice.
Jaehwan did not think for long.
“No.”
Voices erupted in his mind.
[That’s the main body for you.]
[What? Again?]
[See? I told you I was right.]
[I thought this time would be different...]
[It’s been ten billion years, and you still don’t know what kind of ‘Clothes’ the main body is?]
Then there were even these voices.
[Hey, whoever lost that bet with me, hurry up and switch places! You descend into this upright part this time!]
[Ha, damn it...]
[Oh? Looks like the Stab rookie got picked this time.]
Apparently, some of them had even made bets.
All these idiots are me? Jaehwan shook his head.
In the distance, he saw Mulack’s lips move.
[Why?]
“If you’ve transcended everything, you should know why I’m doing this.”
[You have not even become a 《Big Brother》 yet. You do not know what role a 《Big Brother》 plays. You can reject it after you try it...]
“No.”
[Simply saying no is not a reason.]
Anger gradually filled Mulack’s eyes.
[I will ask again. Why?]
Jaehwan did not answer. More precisely, he could not.
There were too many reasons. They were too deep, too difficult to explain.
The current Jaehwan was the sum of all those reasons. The answer was already there.
[Do you simply want to destroy the System? Is that it? Could you possibly still hold such childish, violent fantasies?]
“...”
[Listen to me. If you had experienced Transcendence, you would surely be different now. You understand nothing. You do not understand what a 《Big Brother》 is, what kind of place 〈Panopticon〉 is, or what the System means.]
“At least I know one thing. If you transcend, you end up like this.”
The transcendent ones’ voices chattered noisily in his mind.
For some reason, Jaehwan felt like a child showing off before a group of elders, but he did not care.
Mulack did not speak for a long time, perhaps shocked. Maybe Jaehwan’s ignorant words had touched a fragment of the being still lingering deep within Mulack’s soul.
[You know nothing about Transcendence. Those who know nothing should not speak of it that way.]
Their voice carried deep rage and regret. Mulack truly believed it.
[The same applies to the System. This world, optimized to cultivate 《Big Brothers》, is the result of countless former 《Big Brothers》 innovating and reforming it. It is more stable than any other world, with a lower risk of collapse. Every being has already adapted deeply to the System and lives with their own measure of satisfaction. You want to destroy the System? What you are doing now is trampling on all their lives and free will.]
Jaehwan thought for a moment before answering.
“Maybe.”
[What do you mean, “Maybe”? Ha. I never thought I would have to borrow such an inferior language to say something like this, but... do you even know what happens when the System is destroyed?]
Then voices rang through Jaehwan’s mind all at once.
[Destruction.]
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