LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 149
The end of humanity is predetermined, and if it’s not as painful as one might think…
Does it even hold any meaning for us to live?
Overwhelmed by the gentle whispers of black monsters, people began to dissolve into the wounds of the stars, starting from those who had suffered the most and those who feared living the most, gradually accepting the chaos of starlight.
[Restore.]
The black priests spreading the gospel of chaos appeared in various forms, endlessly multiplying and marching on. They denied their reason for existence and life with a language that touched human hearts rather than the language of the stars, whispering gentle endings.
[Restore.]
Following the guidance of the six resurrected beasts, human existence disappeared rapidly, retreating into the flow of stars. Countless cities were already completely empty, illuminated only by the lost streetlights and the starlight of the magical girls.
“Restore.”
“Restore.”
Humanity was slowly being divided, abandoned, and despaired by the gentle whispers.
Scenes unfolding across the world.
People disappearing faster than a blink.
Even in the waters off Busan, black sea serpents endlessly crawled ashore, and black birds descended from the sky, whispering the deception of chaos.
[Come back.]
[Come back.]
[To the embrace of the stars.]
The sea serpents that had entered the mainland through the silver mobile fortress laid down by the Cyber Brain magical girl were wandering through the city in low voices, and the monsters pushing through to the shelters encountered people.
[Come back.]
Their terrified eyes slowly became hazy, captivated by the golden starlight.
[Come back.]
“Return…”
“Return? What do you mean return? Get a grip!!”
Zzaaak!!
The young man, who regained his senses after tasting a hand like a lid of a cauldron, looked around with a bewildered expression. Just a moment ago, he had celebrated his acceptance to college, enjoying jokbal (pig’s feet) with his cheering parents. There was no golden scenery; only the hellish sight of Busan under a red sky remained.
“What, what is this?!”
“What do you mean what? It’s a lie.”
“A-Aunt, why are you hitting me?!”
“What? Aunt?!”
“N-Nun.”
Pahk!! Gotcha!
Mrs. Kim chased off the confused young man with a smack on the back and called Captain Hong and the others to build a barricade in front of the market to stop the monsters’ advance. If the sea serpents entered the market and tempted the people living tough lives, many would easily fall for that trick.
People began to doubt and give up on the magical girls.
They accepted and surrendered to the approaching destruction.
If the people who convey dreams to the magical girls continue to decrease this rapidly, it would undoubtedly become lethal for the magical girls, who are still fighting endlessly. Mrs. Kim sighed as she recalled the youthful faces and sparkling eyes of the White Wing Unit girls that Na-yeon had brought.
‘Na-yeon, this is no ordinary problem. Hang in there.’
She hoped her daughter, now navigating the open sea, wouldn’t fall for that vile voice and give up on her life. Mom and Dad have never regretted giving birth to you and have never wanted to give up everything.
Mrs. Kim snorted like a bull and confidently declared.
“Whose daughter would fall for such a lie?”
“Restore…”
“What? What kind of restoration? The only currencies you can mention in front of me are one thousand, five thousand, and ten thousand won!”
Zzaaak!!
The drunken Mr. Heo, who had foolishly slumped down, had his head spun around while chatting with the sea serpent, and when he regained his senses, he hurriedly fled. Mrs. Kim charged ahead, awakening many people’s spirits with a hand honed from twenty years of running a soup restaurant.
“Get a grip!! We can’t give up like this!!”
“Our daughters are fighting!!”
“Don’t you think all the years you’ve lived are worth something?”
Just as there were people who abandoned everything and surrendered to despair, there were also those who believed in the magical girls’ light and moved forward. Because of that, the Magical Girl of [Hope] could still maintain a considerable amount of starlight, even though it wasn’t infinite.
*
[Restore.]
“Eek!?”
Crash!
The composed expression of the woman in the horse mask, Misaki, finally crumbled as she sat surrounded by monsters. The black birds settled on lampposts and trees around her like iron filings on a magnet, and all the roads were surrounded by black horses and lions.
The shelter was already completely overturned by the monsters, and as Misaki fled in a hurry, the monsters caught up with her.
[Restore.]
“D-Don’t come!! Kyaaaa!!”
Despite having idolized the magical girl and created the most dazzling doll, a feeling of despair dug into Misaki’s heart, which felt empty. It touched upon the self-loathing for having wasted 35 years of her life on dolls and the lingering regret about her boyfriend, with whom she had parted ways for ridiculous reasons.
[Restore.]
“NO!! Help me!!”
Despair dug deeper into her heart.
She was filled with questions about what her life was for.
Misaki’s life was full of regrets and self-loathing, making the glowing golden starlight that had hidden her darkness seem terrifying.
‘Tadayoshi-kun…’
Unlike herself, who ran passionately towards her dream after graduating from the Fine Arts Department, her boyfriend graduated from Law School and was walking the elite path, carefully planning his future.
He was so diligent it was painful to be beside him because of her self-loathing.
‘I’m sorry.’
Had she not suggested breaking up that day and instead said, “Let’s marry with a bit of confidence,” would things have changed slightly?
Is he still alive?
Weeeeeeeee—!!
The sound of a chainsaw.
Golden starlight.
Weeeeeeeee—!!
“Lower your head.”
“Huh? Oh, okay.”
Crash
Crash
Crash
The golden surgical instruments and chainsaw glittering like ginkgo leaves fluttered around, tearing apart all the surrounding monsters.
The golden storm.
The Nursing Magical Girl calmly cut through and disassembled the monsters with each step taken.
In that vast golden storm, Misaki could only stare blankly at the beautiful girl’s dance.
Although not as striking as the white-skinned girl, she wanted to carve out her stylish and elegant dance.
Weeeeeeeee—!!
Kagawa-gagagak—!!
While expressionlessly slicing through monsters with her golden chainsaw, Himari glanced at Misaki.
“Are you unable to move?”
“N-No.”
“There’s a protective shelter that the guards have set up ahead, so please continue straight there. The police on duty will willingly offer help.”
“Y-Yes.”
“Do you have any other questions?”
“C-Can I create a Nursing Magical Girl doll after overcoming all trials?”
“Of course.”
“Wow?! So fast?”
Himari smiled slightly at Misaki and moved on to help people in need once more. Her appearance seemed like a flawless angel while also portraying the innocence of a pure girl.
The pristine white apron stained with the blood of monsters.
The noble golden nurse.
It was the moment Misaki decided on her second favorite.
As Misaki regained her senses and rushed towards the guards’ shelter, she chuckled at the image of herself looking forward to tomorrow.
She didn’t want to die.
She wanted to continue living and carve out the beautiful magical girls in another way.
*
The engine room of the Ark was filled with white light, but it had grown significantly dimmer since the departure.
It was due to the decay of dreams.
– Hikari, is the starlight returning again?
“Yup, it was a bit dangerous midway, but if this much remains, we can continue navigating to the moon.”
Although she answered Yuuki’s question with confidence, it was actually still precariously balanced.
The ark heading towards the moon had been created under the assumption of boundless starlight, being a miracle of immense proportions.
‘To think the amount of starlight would suddenly decrease like this.’
If it continued like this, they would need to exercise extreme caution against the Destruction Dragon waiting on the moon.
Failure is not an option.
We have only one chance.
The moment she felt the total amount of starlight was no longer infinite, an ominous premonition settled in. Sure enough, news about all the trial monsters reviving and mimicking the Destruction Dragon’s movements made her hesitate for a moment whether to turn the Ark back to Earth.
Humanity’s despair.
The decay of dreams.
As the very foundation of infinite starlight began to decompose, the Ark’s speed began to decrease rapidly. A significant setback was about to happen to their plan to reach the moon quickly.
What was holding it back was the magical girls and the people drawn to their light.
They were persuading those on the brink of giving up on life, rescuing them from despair.
The scales that had suddenly tipped into despair were slowly returning to a balanced state.
[Please believe in us.]
[We will not waver!!]
[Keep moving forward!!]
“……”
– This is Natasha. If the output of starlight is maintained, we will reach the moon in about three hours.
“Understood. Please let everyone know to start getting ready.”
– Understood.
With a gaze filled with divinity, what she saw was the rapidly diminishing souls of humanity and the moon slowly approaching the Ark.
And the divine presence felt there.
Three goddesses.
‘Though I can’t sense the will of the goddesses, they surely exist there.’
And another divine presence not born from the era of humanity existed.
A being close to primal chaos.
Perhaps an existence equal to the Goddess of [Start].
A presence imbued with the same force as the will of the stars.
That presence continued to shine immense starlight while gazing at them as they approached.
“……”
The sinister moves that lured people into despair, making her starlight finite, were chilling in its execution. Although they had never faced each other, that one move struck at their very core in an oddly foreboding way.
‘…What will be my next move from now on?’
Only the surface of the moon, gradually coming into view, could provide the answers to their curiosities.