Chapter 197. The Broken Egg (2)
“So this is the decision you’ve made.”
No. 2 muttered as he watched the interior of the base slowly transform.
Until now, he had served Alpha as Commander and managed the other Archons.
It was not because of any particular loyalty or sense of duty.
He had simply been created for that purpose.
So he had fulfilled that role.
And that had not changed even now.
“Then let it be as you wish.”
No. 2 closed his eyes.
A mass of flesh surged in from every direction and quickly swallowed his body.
“Alpha... what are you trying to do?”
Reuben muttered in terror as he watched the flesh and tissue spreading through the base at a frightening speed.
How had his daughter become like this?
She had loved listening to storybooks.
A single word of praise from him had once been enough to make her beam with happiness.
Reuben trembled faintly.
Then a realization suddenly came to him.
“I see.”
“This is punishment.”
Long ago, humans had built the Tower of Babel in an attempt to reach God.
But it had been an act of unbearable arrogance.
God had become angry, destroyed the tower, and scattered humanity.
And now the inside of Abraxas’s base was collapsing in much the same way.
Remembering that old story, Reuben could only mutter,
“This is punishment.”
“Punishment for arrogant humans who coveted the Wisdom of God...”
It slowly opened its eyes.
Like a bird breaking free from its egg, it gradually raised its body.
Its outer shell cracked.
Then it slowly lifted an arm.
Drawing in a ragged breath, it experienced the sensation of possessing a body for the first time in what felt like an eternity.
So this is what it feels like to have something real.
Overwhelmed by an emotion it could not quite identify, it released a long sigh that became a cry.
“Ooooooooooh.”
A tremendous roar stretched from its mouth toward the world.
Only one thing remained now.
Pure destruction directed at everything that existed.
Driven by that single desire, it began moving forward.
[...A mysterious life-form has appeared in the Pacific Ocean.]
The news reporter delivered the update in an urgent voice.
Translated captions rapidly scrolled along the bottom of the screen.
Through the blurry footage, something enormous could be seen wildly moving its arms and legs as it advanced blindly forward.
It was easily several kilometers in size.
[...The unidentified organism is continuing to grow and is moving toward East Asia.]
[At its current speed, it is expected to reach Japan, Korea, and China before long...]
[Leaders of multiple countries are currently holding emergency meetings to prepare for the situation...]
The frantic news report continued.
“Ah...”
“Finally... Ahhh!”
A delighted smile spread across No. 11’s face as he watched the broadcast.
He could barely contain his joy.
“At last!”
“The god who will destroy this world has awakened!”
How long had he waited for this moment?
The god he had desired for so long had finally descended.
And now she was beginning to fulfill her sacred duty of destruction.
After such a long wait, No. 11 was so moved that tears streamed down his face.
“Doctor! Something’s wrong with my child!”
“The children collapsed and won’t wake up!”
“Please look at my child!”
“They’ve lost consciousness!”
“Hurry! My child collapsed!”
Then a crowd of parents came rushing toward him in an uproar.
They were the ones who had volunteered their children for the Aeon Project.
No. 11 openly sneered at them.
“Hahahahaha!”
“You fools.”
“A good university?”
“A wonderful future?”
“None of that exists anymore.”
“Not for you, and not for your children.”
At the same time, No. 11’s body began to blur.
Little by little, it dispersed into a pale mist.
In that state, he shouted with manic joy,
“Because this entire world is about to be completely destroyed!”
With those words, No. 11 spread his arms wide.
The distance was great.
But as an Archon, he could hear it clearly.
Alpha.
The goddess he had always desired.
She was calling him.
That fact alone filled No. 11 with ecstasy.
“Alpha, I’m coming!”
“Please use me however you wish for your great work!”
“Hahahahaha!”
Soon, No. 11 completely disappeared from the sight of the screaming parents.
Only the urgent voice of the reporter continued from the television he had been watching.
“This was when he first entered kindergarten.”
“And this one was taken at Christmas.”
Megumi took photographs from the album one by one and showed them to No. 5.
The pictures captured a young boy slowly growing up.
No. 5 stared at them as though entranced.
“He’s beautiful.”
“I documented every moment.”
“Watching Hikaru grow was nothing short of a miracle to me.”
There was unmistakable pride in Megumi’s voice.
No. 5 stared intensely at the child in the photographs.
“It’s strange.”
“No one ever taught me this.”
“But whenever I think about Hikaru, I feel like I could do anything for him.”
“That’s love.”
Megumi answered.
“Humanity reached that answer at the end of its evolution.”
No. 5 tilted her head.
“Love?”
