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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 22: Shooting Star (6)
The essence of the hovercar was transportation.
More specifically, it was a vehicle created to transport undead soldiers through the gaps in the monster hordes.
That's why it was sturdy.
Hovercars produced during the transitional period between the Hunter Era and the Necromancer Era were especially durable.
The car body was made of ultra-high-strength plastil, and it was common practice to engrave energy shield magic circles on the exterior.
At that time, each undead was cherished, unlike today.
Among them, cargo hovercars capable of carrying more than twenty Death Knights had records of surviving dragon breath attacks.
It was strong enough to withstand missiles meant for large monsters.
Of course, this was assuming it was regularly maintained with specialized equipment.
"Ugh... Tory, how could you leave me like this..."
In the midst of a dense forest, a hovercar was lodged in the base of a giant tree, black smoke billowing from it.
The word "VICTORY" was written on a dented side of the vehicle, and that part was unusually shiny.
"Come back, Tory... Tory!"
[Car name = Victory | Nickname = Tory… Crazy shit.]
A man wearing an Ox Mask was lying face down, sobbing loudly.
He clutched the broken steering wheel tightly, calling out with all his might.
Chicken Mask and the Pig Mask patted his back to comfort him.
"Rest in peace..."
"He protected us until the end... Victory was such a good boy..."
Baek Ho clicked his tongue while smoking a black cigarette in the shade of a nearby tree.
"Crazy bastards. How old is that thing? It’s a miracle it lasted this long."
At Baek Ho's words, Pig Mask and Chicken Mask turned their heads quickly.
Although their eyes weren’t visible, it was clear they were glaring at Baek Ho.
"What? Did I say something wrong?"
Pig Mask and Chicken Mask quietly muttered insults, but fortunately, they didn't reach Baek Ho’s ears.
"What were they mumbling just now...?"
Amidst Baek Ho’s scowl, Edelin Nana was approaching the Liberation Army trio, her eyes filled with tears.
"What should I do... It's all my fault..."
She softly patted Ox Mask’s back.
Pig Mask and Chicken Mask began to cry as well upon seeing this.
"Victory... Huh..."
"Don’t go... Come back..."
Nana slowly leaned toward them, not realizing the intent, and patted their backs in return.
"I'm so sorry..."
Edelin Nana’s reaction was a result of Baek Ho’s actions.
As soon as the hovercar made an emergency landing, Baek Ho analyzed the reason for the attack and immediately came to a conclusion.
‘...I shouldn’t have told her to contact the others.’
Baek Ho trusted the capabilities of the Liberation Army.
Military hovercars were typically equipped with communication jammers, so he assumed the Liberation Army's hovercar was no different.
Besides, hadn’t the Chicken Mask given a thumbs-up in agreement?
Regardless, Baek Ho’s muttering reached Nana’s ears, filling her with guilt.
"Let’s go."
Baek Ho said as he lit a new black cigarette.
No one responded.
The four of them silently prayed for the old hovercar.
"Shall we pray for Victory?"
Nana's words made the Liberation Army trio tilt their heads.
"...What?"
"Pray?"
"What...?"
No matter how they reacted, Nana wiped away her tears with her sleeve.
She stood up, approached Victory, and knelt down, bringing her hands together in a prayer. She began to mutter, her lips moving in whispers.
"Heavenly mother, my dear brother has come to be by your side today. Please welcome him with your glorious light, and in that light, may he find complete peace…"
Pig Mask, Chicken Mask, and Ox Mask stared blankly at her.
When she first mentioned prayer, they had thought of the 'Fanatics,' one of the five major gangs. But they were relieved when they realized that there were no words of slaughter or massacre in her prayer, clearing up their misunderstanding. Still, they didn’t quite understand her actions.
Unlike in the Hunter Era, religion was now legally prohibited, as it could upset the necromancers.
“…What’s she doing?”
Baek Ho was equally confused.
Suddenly, she starts praying? Muttering prayers from the banned Church of the Light?
Neither of those was the case.
“…Though full of hardships and adversity, he never lost the light even for a single moment…”
It was the glow. Not the sunlight that had shone through the hovercar’s window earlier. This was a very dense, dark glow.
Was it like a sparkling black jewel? Or was this what it would look like if darkness itself emitted light?
Baek Ho could see the deep, dark mana spilling out of her chest, blackening as it met the sunlight.
‘What…’
Her appearance seemed angelic, like one descending from the heavens, but her body was exuding darkness. It was a dissonance Baek Ho had never seen before.
Swoosh—
Baek Ho released a blast of his manifested dark mana toward Nana.
Once he forcefully closed her mouth, she finally snapped out of it and stood up.
Her large eyes were wildly shaking.
Though she had been swept up by her emotions and prayed, now that it was over, she seemed worried.
"Let's go."
"Ah... yes, yes..."
Baek Ho looked at the Liberation Army trio. They stood stiffly, seemingly surprised by the act of praying itself.
Although they didn’t have the ability to perceive mana, they must have been startled by what had just happened.
"The attackers probably saw the crash, they will be coming this way. I don't know who they are, but for now, let's avoid them."
Baek Ho looked at the logistics cart that Frank was in. He debated whether to wake him up, but then decided against it. He worried that Frank might faint again.
The greatest enemy of someone who had turned into a Mad Eater was brain shock, after all.
"Goodbye... Victory..."
"I'll come back... until then, take care..."
Pig Mask and Chicken Mask began to pull Frank's cart, leading the way.
"Damned bastard..."
Ox Mask was still displeased with Baek Ho’s attitude.
"Is every necromancer like this? No matter how much the leader orders us to serve well... who raised him to be like that?"
It wasn’t that they were expecting comfort, but they shouldn’t be sarcastic.
Honestly, if it weren’t for Victory’s durability, they would have been dead the moment the missile shot them down, right? Chicken Mask and Pig Mask tried to calm Ox Mask down.
"Hey... has the necromancer's personality changed overnight?"
"I know, I know... but he's really not a sociopath or anything..."
"You know the necromancers' circumstances... we just have to bear with it..."
A few steps behind them, Baek Ho swallowed the blood rising in his throat and looked to the side.
Through the thick trees, a wide, green field spread out. The way the bushes swayed with the wind reminded him of the green sea he had seen in a video.
‘This is ridiculous.’
A place that looks so peaceful like this... is not paradise, but ‘hell’?
The thought that monstrous beasts could pop out at any moment made his mouth taste bitter.
"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have... it’s all because of me..."
Nana, walking beside Baek Ho, spoke.
She seemed even more withdrawn than before, probably due to the prayer she had just performed.
"I told you to contact them. If you think about it, it’s my fault."
"Still..."
"More importantly, what’s your connection to the Church of the Light...?"
Nana, meeting Baek Ho’s gaze, shrank her shoulders.
"...Forget it."
Baek Ho waved his hand dismissively and walked ahead.
Once this was over, they’d never see each other again. He didn’t really want to care about it any more than that.
＊ ＊ ＊
The room was filled with luxurious furniture and a massive aquarium.
A woman with golden threads woven into her hair and a man dressed in training clothes were sitting across from each other.
They were the president of I_Vu’s agency and Wataru.
"Didn’t I tell you there’s no need to be kind to the subordinates?"
"Shut up, or I’ll tear your mouth off before you finish speaking."
"So, how do you plan to catch them? Didn’t you just go outside?"
"Didn’t you hear me on the phone? The White Skull Syndicate shot it down. She’ll be caught soon."
"And if she dies?"
"Nana’s vessel won’t break. If anything, the body can be restored."
"Then there’s no problem. So what’s the matter?"
The woman spoke with a serious expression.
"I can’t trust the White Skull Syndicate. They’re the type to threaten us with Nana. Get some help from Izanami."
Wataru chuckled.
"You’ve gotten brave since you started making some money as a performer."
"...I’m still your superior. Show some respect."
"I don’t owe any respect to a retired commander. If you’re going to keep spouting nonsense, I’m leaving."
As Wataru stood to leave, the woman slammed her hand on the desk.
"Do you think the project will be completed without Nana’s help?"
"Is it because she’s an irregular? Listen, I don’t know if you’ve forgotten, but there are two or three irregulars with similar abilities to hers in the Grave. We can bring one of them over."
"Do you think they can compare to her? You know nothing..."
She furrowed her brow, then continued.
"Edelin Nana is special."
"What’s so special about her? Oooh, right, right… She's a good dancer, eh."
"Nana is..."
The woman paused before speaking again.
"She’s the daughter of Mother Selena."
"...Wait. Selena? The Saint?"
Wataru immediately shut his mouth.
The moment Nana’s face came to his mind, he thought it resembled that of the saint.
He quickly displayed a picture of Mother Selena on his SmartCore.
He couldn’t believe how much they resembled each other.
"That’s crazy..."
⋮
Mother Selena.
A figure who was a mandatory mention in every history book in the city and an unforgettable character for every military academy student.
The last Saint of the Church of Light, and one of the first awakened to become an undead.
⋮
Decades ago, when UnderHeaven was completed and the selected people moved in, there was a day when many waited near the gate for a chance to enter the remaining spaces.
On that day, a refugee caravan was attacked by the monster horde.
In the midst of the horrific slaughter, a small portal opened at the gate, and a woman walked out.
She had black hair, her priestly robes soaked in blood.
Iron shackles were locked around her neck and ankles.
Mother Selena stood in front of the monster horde and began to pray, blocking their path.
The picture of that day was included in the military academy’s textbooks, leaving a lasting impact on the cadets.
The awakened one who gave her life to protect the refugees.
In the academy, they showed her final moments and said this—
⋮
‘Sometimes, you need to be willing to abandon important people. Remember, your life is more important than your loyal subordinates.’
‘Professor, back then, you gave up a high-performance Reaper for the refugees. What was the reason for that?’
‘It wasn't for the refugees. If we had messed up, the gate sealing would have been delayed, and the monster horde could have entered the city.’
⋮
As Wataru recalled the memories from the military academy, his voice grew louder.
"Wait, how could the Saint have a daughter?"
"Necromancers back then were even crazier than they are now. Making a daughter from a corpse’s genes? It wasn’t that difficult. There was a time when digging up bodies on battlefields was all the rage."
"True… there were no laws back then either…"
Wataru started tapping his foot anxiously.
"Then where did you get something like that?"
"I bought it on the black market. Used up all my retirement funds to get it."
"Ha... the one who created it and the one who sold it... So, you really need the Saint’s daughter—or should I say, a replica of her—for this project?"
"Exactly. Even if we find someone with similar abilities, their power will be far weaker than Nana’s. It probably won’t work as we intend."
Wataru gulped hard.
"Okay, let's go get her. It’ll get messy if we involve Izanami, so let’s stick with the White Skull Syndicate. I’ll handle the threats."
"Should’ve done that from the beginning."
"Instead..."
Wataru's expression changed. A sly smile spread across his face.
"Let Nana be studied by Izanami."
"...Have you lost your mind? Even I haven’t done that."
"I’ll make sure she’s well taken care of and bring her back. We need to leave something behind if we’re going to help."
"......"
She wanted to cut off Wataru’s head right then and there. But once she decided to speak, she’d already steeled herself. It was better to let him have his way than lose everything.
"What are you hesitating for?"
"......"
"The election for the Supreme Commander is coming up soon. In a day or two, Masamune will present the Beowulf project to the Elders."
"So?"
"If the Elders are satisfied and they put Masamune in the Supreme Commander seat?"
"......"
"Then it's over, damn it. Hades? Yama? Forget the Seven Mega Corporations. Izanami will become number one. You deserve a comfortable retirement. Wasn't that the reason you joined the project in the first place?"
Wataru turned his head and looked to the side.
"You should stop looking after the kids now."
Inside the tank filled with dark mana, the three I_Vu members, excluding Nana, were unconscious and trapped.
They had tried to ask for help from the corporation after hearing about Nana’s situation but had been caught by Wataru instead.
"Hey. Do you know who she went out with? She couldn’t have escaped the city alone, could she?"
"I think… it’s the rebels. They're probably trying to use Nana for propaganda."
"That makes sense. What did the former Executioner, the one who helped her escape, say? He got caught, right?"
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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