Hanna removed her hand from the stone slab, and even after I put away my spear, the magic circles drawn on the ceiling and walls continued to remain active.
Now that it had started up, human hands were no longer needed.
From now on, these ruins would continue operating without any external intervention.
The water that had filled the hall had all drained away.
“I pushed all the water outside the ruins and raised a shield around them. They won’t be able to enter easily.”
As I looked around, Hanna told me that she had done it.
Clearly, these had been terraforming ruins.
And yet, Hanna had called this place a sanctuary, and now it could raise shields like the sanctuary of Trappist…….
Perhaps because my knowledge of magic was lacking, I couldn’t really understand it.
[This isn’t something you can understand simply by having a lot of magic knowledge. Religions that follow prophets and guardians don’t form for nothing.]
Sop, too, didn’t seem to know what had happened.
At any rate, if what Hanna said was true, ruins covered by a shield had come into existence at the bottom of the Antarctic rift.
“A building where you can breathe inside boiling Antarctic water…….”
It was enough to bring to mind fairy-tale mermaid kingdoms or underwater cities from sci-fi movies.
[But no one knows, and no one ever will.]
Just as Sop said, there was no one who could come here without my help.
Hanna was no exception.
While I clicked my tongue at the unexpected sight of the ruins, Sop finished checking all the magic circles and holograms.
[It’s running smoothly. A barrier has been placed over the rift that formed on the continent. No more carbon dioxide or methane will gush out from this continent.]
The sanctuary was operating as Sop had predicted.
Unfortunately, having become a sanctuary hadn’t granted it any new functions.
“There wasn’t enough stellar energy, so there was nothing to be done.”
Hanna apologized, but neither Sop nor I could ask for more.
[We should simply be grateful that it’s operating this well thanks to Heukseok.]
“I’m thankful enough that you got it running, and you even raised a shield. There’s no need to apologize.”
After telling Hanna it was fine, I asked Sop.
“This doesn’t mean the climate crisis is over, does it?”
I knew very well that it couldn’t be.
[It will be enough that things don’t get worse. It will be difficult to reverse what has already happened with just this.]
Sop’s words were no different.
Even I could read the information on the hologram.
The methane and carbon dioxide that had been erupting from Antarctica were decreasing rapidly.
If things continued like this, there would be no further rise in temperature.
Until Demon King Heukseok ran out, it would remain like this for at least a few years.
“Still, the temperature in the Northern Hemisphere will rise further.”
[That’s because of the change in seasons, so it can’t be helped.]
It was now turning to spring in the Northern Hemisphere.
But Korea was already in summer.
Which meant that in a few months, it would become like the Australia I had seen.
A world where mountains and plains burned, where people could not step outside.
To an ordinary person, it might not look much different from annihilation, but it was truly a different story.
“So instead of Earth ending this summer, it means hell will simply continue.”
Even if Earth became like hell, as long as people could survive, even one more person could be saved.
[Sunlight will be scarce, and the seas are in that state, so it will be hard to find food starting this autumn. Even so, there will be survivors.]
Though Sop spoke more despairing words, there was still hope.
Unlike Trappist, Paradise and Taepyeong could move many ordinary people in a short time.
Moreover, the two countries that possessed shelters—the world’s strongest nation and the second strongest—still maintained their states and militaries.
If we delivered the news that we had bought time to these two nations, we would be able to save more people.
With such expectations, we returned to the Baekdu Mountain base via spatial movement.
After arriving at the base, I thought the people would be happy to hear the news.
It had been difficult, but we had gained time to save people.
However, at the Baekdu Mountain base, I heard unexpected news.
“The military has launched a rebellion. Djibouti has been occupied by rebel forces, and contact with Paradise has been severed.”
It was news delivered by Samuel, who came rushing out to us as we surfaced.
It was news that crashed my spirits—which had been soaring at the thought of relaying word that destruction had been delayed—straight down to the ground.
Hanna and I headed back to the command tent.
Outside the tent, signal soldiers and officers were clamoring with radios in hand, while inside, the Allied Forces commander and his staff were gathered.
When I entered the tent with Samuel, the noisy interior fell silent.
Everyone’s gazes gathered on us.
The soldiers I had seen before.
Unlike last time, their eyes held expectation as they looked at me.
Magreta and Catherine were inside the tent as well.
Originally, the two had planned to contact their home country and depart for America or Djibouti.
It seemed all those plans had been canceled because of the rebellion.
“All flights were grounded when we heard about the rebellion. Flying transport planes is out of the question, and even managing the troops doesn’t seem easy.”
I nodded at Magreta’s words.
“It’s fortunate you didn’t go.”
On Earth, Magreta and Catherine were just ordinary people.
If a rebellion broke out on a transport plane or on the American mainland, rescuing the two of them would not have been easy.
After confirming that they were safe, I asked the commander of the Allied Forces, the highest-ranking soldier present.
“What on earth happened?”
“Information has been chaotic, so it hasn’t been easy to grasp, but I’ve more or less figured out the situation. Part of the US Navy, the Marines, and part of the base defense forces rebelled and seized the Djibouti base.”
The US Navy, the Marines, and even the defense forces?
“Doesn’t that mean a significant number of US troops in the Middle East have rebelled?”
“Rather than saying a majority of US troops, it’s more accurate to say a significant portion of the command has risen up in revolt.”
That amounted to the same thing.
“At that scale, it must be division-level or higher.”
“More than twenty thousand, on the scale of at least three divisions, it seems.”
I cocked my head at the commander’s words.
Given humanity’s current state of annihilation, there should have been far more US troops near Djibouti than that.
Moreover, it hadn’t even been half a day since Hanna and I had gone to Antarctica and returned.
And yet, they said it was already occupied?
“Occupied already? Was even the US President captured?”
“The President was indeed captured, but the rebellion succeeded because Djibouti had Paradise, a destination they could reach.”
Huh? The US President was really captured by the rebels?
“In fact, it seems preparations for the rebellion were made simultaneously with the one here at the Baekdu Mountain base. We stopped the rebellion here, but Djibouti fell. Unlike here, Paradise is a place ordinary people can go.”
Unlike Trappist, where only energy user candidates could go without me, Paradise was accessible to anyone as long as there was enough Heukseok.
Samuel continued after the commander’s explanation.
“With annihilation right around the corner, the soldiers had to stand by and watch others depart for Paradise. And in the midst of that, the President arrived in Djibouti, so unrest was inevitable.”
The US President came to Djibouti?
It wasn’t strange for the heads of government to flee before Earth’s destruction, but this seemed enough to incite a rebellion.
If the President had tried to leave with the refugees, the soldiers and generals alike couldn’t help but worry about being left behind.
After letting out a sigh, I asked the commander again.
“If the base was taken by rebels, is combat underway now?”
The commander shook his head.
“The fighting has stopped.”
Once again, an unexpected answer.
“Don’t tell me the US forces surrendered to the rebels?”
“They are in a standoff. The rebels are holding the President who came to Djibouti and all the refugees hostage.”
From the explanation, it seemed the rebels had taken the entire transport fleet that arrived in Djibouti hostage. The President, cabinet members, and tens of thousands of Americans aboard the ships.
With hostages to consider, fighting did not seem easy.
“What do the rebels want?”
“They have made no demands on their home country. What they want is to personally select the people who go to Paradise.”
Thinking about it, it was only natural.
“The rebels themselves would be included among those going to Paradise, wouldn’t they?”
“Yes. Because that was the reason for the rebellion.”
Rebels occupying the base and ruins, screening refugees to send to Paradise…….
At a glance, only the ones choosing had changed; what was being done remained the same.
But there was no way this could be such a simple matter.
Samuel brought up precisely that point.
“We obtained information from an agent at the base that the rebels are minimizing the number of people sent to Paradise. They say they won’t move all the refugees, nor even all the soldiers who joined the rebellion.”
Hearing Samuel’s words, Catherine nodded.
“That’s welcome news even in Paradise.”
Indeed, for those already living in Paradise, it was a story worth welcoming.
The people of Paradise couldn’t possibly want tens or hundreds of thousands of refugees pouring in.
The one who had openly expressed that had died by my hand, but the others wouldn’t be any different.
“It’s just one obstacle after another…….”
As I raised my head and sighed, the commander opened his mouth.
“It’s all because there isn’t enough time left. With annihilation right around the corner, everyone can’t help but put their own lives first.”
It was understandable, but there was no longer any need to be so understanding.
I lowered my head, looked around at the people, and spoke.
“First, the trip to Antarctica was a success. We couldn’t stop the destruction, but we were able to extend the time remaining. At least for a few years, things will remain as they are.”
At my words, the expressions of the people changed.
“My God!”
“Is that really true!”
The staff officers and officers listening all cried out to me in surprise.
The others hadn’t known why I went to Antarctica.
I had definitely told Samuel and the commander before departure, but the two had not passed on my words to anyone else.
That was because they had not believed me.
“Good heavens. Was that really possible?”
“Th-that was something human power could stop? Then, could we perhaps turn things back to how they were…….”
Hearing my words, Samuel’s jaw dropped, and the commander trembled as he asked again.
I shook my head at the commander’s question.
“Reversing things to how they were is impossible. This wasn’t accomplished by my power either. Hanna here simply revived the Antarctic ruins using Demon King Heukseok, whom she captured with a hydrogen bomb.”
“No, I didn’t do it alone.”
At my words, Hanna waved her hands in denial, but everyone looked at her with surprised eyes.
“Anyway, since we’ve bought time, the rebels no longer have any reason to run wild, do they?”
At my words, the commander said with a bitter expression.
“Even so, those who launched the rebellion won’t lay down their guns.”
At the commander’s words, I took the spear on my back into my hand again.
“I know. It means the guns they hold must be shattered by even greater force.”
I couldn’t let the time I had bought go to waste.
As I took up my spear, the commander asked.
“Are you planning to go?”
“There's no one but me who can go.”
Right now, only I could go to Djibouti through spatial movement.
“Then I’m going too. You’ll need me to talk with the Paradise side.”
As I was about to leave, Catherine approached my side.
“I’m going too. I’ll handle the American side’s aftermath.”
Magreta was the same, standing by my side.
Finally, Hanna waved her hand toward us.
“This time, it’s my turn to wait. Come back safe.”
Though I was going off to fight a legion-level force, there was no one worried.
I wasn’t worried either.
Just before leaving the tent, I asked the people.
“Is the 6th Fleet the force escorting the transport fleet that arrived in Djibouti?”
Though puzzled, the commander answered my question.
“The 6th Fleet, responsible for the Mediterranean, is anchored in port, and nearby the Middle East’s 5th Fleet and NATO naval forces should be deployed.”
I asked again.
“Then a nuclear submarine must be there too?”
“A nuclear submarine?”
“A submarine loaded with nuclear missiles.”
At my words, the expressions of the people changed.
Everyone seemed to realize what I was saying.
“……If it’s the Ohio-class, it is affiliated with the escort fleet.”
After a moment, one of the staff officers answered me.
That was enough.
Together with Magreta and Catherine, I went underground.
Fwoooosh.
A moment later, we used spatial movement to travel to the Djibouti ruins.
Refuge (2)