Chapter 271: To This Person, This Love
In the outskirts of the self-reflecting city of Orazen, a massive explosion was heard.
Cardinal Serakto Moom of the Black Order, leading their priests over the city walls, glanced back momentarily.
'What's happening?'
With the last Kraken's assistance, entry into Orazen had become possible, but that was not the end of their mission. If the Kraken could control the city's underground and sewage systems from upstream, it would greatly aid Serakto's mission.
'Are we being obstructed?'
A huge battle seemed to be underway somewhere, but it was not visible from Serakto's position. It couldn’t even be said it was the Kraken’s fight alone.
Like their followers, the Black Order's god, Deep Light, had staked everything on this battle.
'May the grand plan be achieved. That's all we can believe.'
Serakto rushed into Orazen amidst the blaring sirens. They had much to do with their priests that night.
***
"What is this?"
Ion Iolkaf was taken aback by the sudden air raid alert. Since all personnel related to rocket launches practically lived inside the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency, other staff members also appeared confused. After a brief discussion, they concluded that it was a drill and were about to return to their work when Ramin burst through the door of the astronomy section.
"Why is everyone standing around? Move it!"
Ion, standing right in front, looked up and asked, "Why? What's going on?"
"The Black Order is launching its final assault. Chaos has erupted from the coast of Orazen, so head to the underground bomb shelters."
"What?"
"Oh right, you've been trained for protective evacuation, haven't you? Please lead the staff. I have to go. You have 3 minutes."
"What?"
Ion, a researcher unaccustomed to such urgent situations, was initially disoriented, but after hearing about the evacuation training, he swiftly sprang into action. During his travels with Mando, Ion had learned how to evacuate in case of potential threats, according to the Intelligence Agency's training manual. It wasn't anything extraordinary, but it was better than being completely clueless.
As Ramin, dressed in astronaut training gear, left, Ion quickly led the staff to the agency's underground bomb shelters. Disturbed by the sudden interruption and chaos, the staff members grumbled in discontent initially. However, as thunderous explosions resounded from outside, loud enough to shatter the city, everyone hurriedly moved.
At the entrance to the bomb shelter, Ion confirmed the presence of facility guards and checked those going inside.
'Good, the headcount matches.'
As he was about to enter the shelter himself, he felt a shift in the air behind him.
'...This is.'
He turned around to see the intelligence agency agent Mando Hwae-Sa awkwardly standing, filling the hallway.
"Oops, sorry about that. My size, you know. Excuse me. I...I should have stayed outside..."
The staff, following Mando, squeezed past them on either side, while Mando tried to squeeze their massive frame aside, apologizing. After everyone had passed, Ion greeted Mando.
"Are you here looking for Ramin again?"
Mando sighed. "Yes. She seems to forget the existence of her cell phone every day. She's too old-fashioned."
"Well, it's only been a few months since cell phones were introduced. If you've lived without it your whole life, it's understandable. She doesn't like using guns either, right?"
"But she sure doesn't forget to claim welfare points as soon as they're available."
Ion, unable to defend Ramin, scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Ramin should be upstairs, looking for people who haven't evacuated yet. Should I just stay back here?"
"Oh, wait, let me think... How do we do this..."
"Pardon?"
Mando closed their eyes briefly, then reopened them. "Are you willing to take a risk?"
"For what?"
"Lide is nearby. I was escorting the Fairies in a vehicle when..."
"Let's go."
"...Okay. You've been with me long enough to know, but stay behind me, you'll be safe."
Ion considered himself more cowardly than brave. He could humbly accept the general perception of Kobolds being cowards. But right now, it was an opportunity.
'If not now, when will I see her again?'
Moreover, despite Mando's warning of taking a risk, Ion felt safe with the walking protective wall that was the Ogre.
"But what's going on? You were escorting people in the middle of this?"
"I was escorting the converted Fairies from a re-education facility to another welfare facility. It seems like they were targeted on purpose."
"...The Black Order is targeting converted Fairies?"
Mando nodded. "From their perspective, they're traitors. And the Fairies I'm escorting now are key figures. If they cooperate with us, they can be of great help in the strategic positions of the Empire."
Even Lide Oboren herself was a rocket scientist. Although she had delayed Ion’s research, her abilities were not false. In fact, it was her competence that helped her discern what was important and what was not.
"Then we must protect them."
"Yes. Once we're out of here... Just a moment. Hm."
Suddenly, the entire main building of the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency went dark.
Mando silently gestured to Ion to stay put and then drew the Ogre pistol from behind them. The gun, though called a pistol, had a caliber equivalent to a large sniper rifle.
After observing for a moment, Mando said, "It seems that they have entered the building. They haven't gotten here yet, but they will soon. There might be a fight."
"What about the Fairies?"
"They're in the annex building over there. The lights are off, so they're approaching from behind. To get to the Fairies, they'll have to go past us."
"Good. That's a relief."
"When I command, duck down. You'll be fine... Now!"
As Ion ducked, he thought Mando was shooting at nothing.
Bang!
The sound was more like a grenade explosion than a gunshot, and screams followed the bullet's release. Mando continued to pull the trigger of the pistol, which would have been too powerful for other species to handle.
Ping!
A speargun, a symbol of the Deep Ones' unit, grazed over Ion's head.
'Mando’s...?'
Mando was already gone. Despite their large size, Mando moved faster than most monsters, appearing more agile than a Cockatoo Ion once saw.
Taking advantage of the Deep Ones priests' distraction due to the darkness, Mando silently went around them. Close combat in modern warfare seemed absurd, but with an Ogre, especially Mando Hwae-Sa, it made sense. With a final leap, Mando sprung toward the Deep Ones like a bowling ball striking pins.
Crunch!
The impact was more horrific than an average traffic accident. Despite their protective gear, the Deep Ones were thrown like scarecrows when Mando barged into them. A Deep One priest, barely avoiding the impact, quickly aimed a speargun at Mando's head.
Ping!
Mando caught the incoming speargun with their left hand and struck the priest with their right. The priest flew over four meters high before crashing to the ground.
As Mando turned around, Ion lifted his head.
"Th...that was incredible."
"Duck down! It's not over yet."
Ion, puzzled, looked behind.
Outside the main lounge of the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency, a monster as big as a house was approaching.
"Wh...what is that?"
Though he said so, Ion already knew what it was.
It was a Hermit Crab judging by its appearance alone. But this hermit crab was about 10 meters tall, dark, damp, and oozing a disgusting green luminescent fluid on the ground.
'That is not a normal creature. It's an Abomination from an evil god!'
Mando charged at the Hermit Crab monster with all their might, firing the Ogre pistol.
One of the panes of the front glass shattered, but the bullet was blocked by the Hermit Crab's raised claw, which seemed as hard as a tank's exterior.
"Uwaaaab!"
Mando Hwae-Sa charged at the Abomination, striking the Hermit Crab's head. However, the Abomination was quick to react.
-...?
The Abomination easily blocked the sudden attack, but was soon taken aback. Despite being smaller, this Ogre’s strength was enough to push it back.
While struggling in a battle of strength, Mando said, "Ion! Go to the annex! There's a car in the parking lot with the keys in it! Drive around the parameters a few times to avoid them tracking you!"
"Okay!"
Suddenly, the Abomination twisted its body, and its smaller front limb struck down at Mando's head.
Mando took the hit with their forehead, then clenched their right fist and struck the Abomination.
The Abomination staggered back a few steps in pain. But it didn't seem fatally wounded, as it lightly clenched and unclenched its large claw, looking down at Mando.
'Goodness, I can’t believe such a thing is roaming around in the city.'
Ion hurriedly escaped through the broken front glass window and ran toward the annex. Fortunately, there were no other obstacles on the way to the annex. After entering the annex, Ion looked around and caught a murmur.
'The small conference room.'
Entering the room, Ion saw various species pacing nervously.
"Oh, uh, I..."
"...Ion?"
As Ion pondered what to say, a familiar face recognized him. It was Lide Oboren. This Fairy, who had the appearance of a Yeti, had lost some of the shine on her fur, but still looked the same.
"Lide, that is, um, everyone, follow me! We're going to escape from here!"
The Fairies exchanged anxious glances at Ion's words.
Lide stepped forward and said, "This is the lover I mentioned before. It's okay to trust him."
With that, the Fairies' attitude changed. So did Ion's. Trust was always welcome.
"We're going to the parking lot. The Ogre guiding you bought us some time. Everyone, crouch down a little, and taller folks, lower yourselves more."
Lide caught up to Ion with quick steps.
"What happened?"
"Me and the agent saw each other often so we got close."
"So you're running around playing agent without evacuating? It's dangerous!"
"I came to see you."
Lide's expression changed slightly.
Ion continued, "What vehicle did you come in? Are there twelve people here?"
"There's a bus. Twelve, excluding the agent... Wait, do you work at the space agency?"
Ion shook the employee card hanging around his neck. "Yes, thanks to you."
"...Oh."
"No, no, don’t take it the wrong way. I'm not being sarcastic."
"Then?"
"The process was a bit twisted, but in the end, it worked out, didn't it?"
There was a moment of silence.
As they quickly exited to the parking lot behind the annex, a foul smell lingered. It should've been an ordinary smell of the sea, but it was unpleasant.
After hesitating for a while, Lide said, "I wanted to say I'm sorry."
"I know."
"...You know?"
A vehicle was right in front. It seemed small for someone with a stature like Mando's, but it was a regular bus.
Ion said, "I never doubted that we loved each other."
"...."
"I know there was a mission. That's why you had to lie and make it seem like my research was worthless. But I believed all that was separate from our relationship."
"...Why?"
Ion's face turned slightly red. Ion always thought hairless species were at a disadvantage because it showed immediately.
"When our lips met, I just knew then."
"Wow."
"...You just smiled, didn't you?"
Lide said with a hint of a smile, "No."
Ion looked back at Lide. Surprisingly, Ion still liked Lide. Even though he had been deceived by this person, their love had never betrayed him.
"I liked you from the first time we met. The higher-ups told me to go harder on you, but I didn't listen. I told them we had to go as safely as possible."
"You were protecting me."
"I deceived you."
"I've forgiven you. So don't keep it in your heart."
Tears welled up in the Yeti's eyes.
Ion also felt a lump in his throat.
"Alright, let's get on the bus first and then talk more. I wonder if I can drive it?"
Ion was about to board the bus, but then he halted his step and put his hands up, slowly backing away.
It was a Human woman. She was holding a rifle, and it didn't seem likely that she was actually a woman of her species. The muzzle of the rifle was pointed at Ion's head.
Lide looked at the Human woman and called out, "Junya!"
It was a name Ion recognized.
'She was one of the Fairies who led the Power of Reality. She’s not Human, but a Fairy.'
Not all fairies had been captured. If one evil god moved, another would follow suit.
Junya raised her head. "Long time no see, everyone. Got a lot to talk about, don’t we? Get on the bus."
"Junya, leave the Kobold alone."
"Shut up. You think you can win because you're in a Yeti's body? You won't get the chance. I'll give you 5 seconds. Everyone, get on. One, two..."
Ion closed his eyes, resigned to his fate, following the training he received for being taken hostage.
'And then pray to the gods, I guess.'
But it seemed the gods of the Pantheon were busy today. Otherwise, Orazen wouldn't be in such chaos, even with the evil gods running amok.
The Fairies, similarly resigned, began to board the bus one by one.
"Okay, now only Lide and this Kobold are left. Lide?"
"Okay. I’ll get on."
Lide boarded the bus slowly.
Junya turned around and said, "Right, you should listen. We are all family. Fairies can only trust Fairies. You'll understand soon."
Lide slowly turned to look at Junya.
Junya was pointing the gun at the back of Ion's head and had her finger on the trigger.
"Things you thought were precious become useless over time."
"...No!!"
A loud gunshot rang out.
Ion, who had his eyes tightly shut, thought it wasn't as painful as he expected.
'Will I see the Prairie of Beginnings when I open my eyes?'
But that wasn't the case. He was still seeing the dark parking lot of the annex. When Ion turned around, it was the Fairy Junya who had fallen.
Ion looked into the distance from the parking lot. It was Ramin. Ramin was holding up her index finger. The power was so strong that sparks of lightning still crackled from the tip of her finger.
Ramin approached and muttered annoyedly, "This is faster than a bullet, you know?"
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