The Curtain Falls

Only Chlorine Sodium appeared in the crimson viewfinder, with nothing else in sight, charging forward without hesitation.

The metal armor covering her body began to peel away as the giant charged.

The armor covering its already battered exterior continued to fall away. Even the intact pieces were constantly crushed and torn off by the movement of its bones. The giant no longer looked like any kind of humanoid weapon.

It looked more like a gigantic beast.

And now, the beast bared its fangs and lunged at the girl with a roar.

Inside the pitch-black cockpit, the cushioning fluid had long since begun to boil. Amid the rising bubbles, a pair of eyes filled with murderous intent glared out.

"Kill her. Kill her... Kill her!!!"

Although she was practically submerged in boiling water, with the seething liquid scorching every inch of her skin, the pilot felt nothing due to the painkillers that had long exceeded the safe dosage.

The pilot's frenzy matched that of the machine, growling like a beast.

"Interesting... I didn't expect there to really be someone who came back from the dead."

When Chlorine Sodium saw the black giant completely enter its bestial state, she suddenly grinned.

It was a smile that could make anyone tremble with fear, much like a predator at the top of the food chain spotting its chosen prey.

"I thought you were just a rabid dog, but it turns out you're a resurrected ant."

"But unfortunately, a resurrected ant is still only an ant."

Purple light suddenly flared on her completely Herrscherized right arm. Honkai Energy churned and surged through her blood, and the air instantly became incredibly viscous.

It was a tiny-scale Honkai eruption caused by the release of Honkai Energy into the surrounding area.

Yet even that minuscule amount of energy was enough to unconsciously distort the surrounding space.

The Gate of Reason covering half the sky opened all at once, resembling a purple dome.

"Let's see how many hits you can take. I hope you don't die too quickly~"

With a malicious smile, the girl gently waved her palm.

The next moment, purple "rain" fell from the sky.

Countless Subspace Spears flew out of Imaginary Space.

The chaotic Honkai Energy contained in every Subspace Spear exploded with power comparable to a battleship's main cannon.

And the downpour composed of countless Subspace Spears could practically transform this entire area into a deep crater!

"BOOM!!!!"

A scorching sphere of light exploded at the center, and a white shock wave snapped every tree in the vicinity.

The orange-red ground had melted halfway. Originium Crystal that had originally been buried underground, half-melted before rapidly solidifying in the wind, lay exposed across the earth.

Most of the permafrost had completely evaporated. The entire ground looked as though a section had been gouged out, while large amounts of white steam billowed from the crater.

That beast would have been completely unable to continue fighting in terrain like this.

But!

There was no sign of it across the ruins.

Only then did the howling wind begin to sound. Despite its enormous size, it had moved with incredible agility, leaping during the one-thousandth-of-a-second opening just as countless projectiles struck the ground. It had endured a wave of attacks from above with its back armor, then used the vast cloud of smoke from the explosions as cover!

That wasn't a beast. It was clearly an elite warrior!

It was merely a rabid dog that fought by instinct, yet it had actually managed to reach this level?

The gigantic humanoid weapon plummeted rapidly through the air!

It had used the terrain and its opponent's attacks to give itself an advantage in battle, carrying an indomitable will to press forward.

What an unyielding creature.

After discovering that long-range attacks were completely ineffective, it had resorted to every possible means to close the distance, making use of everything available to it. It had clearly put a great deal of thought into this.

"Fine, I'll reluctantly revise my assessment of you."

"A rabid dog with a brain. Reaching this level means you do have some ability after all..."

"But unfortunately, you aren't the protagonist. Your battle ends here, rabid dog!"

Countless Imaginary Gates opened around the girl again. This time, she did not use Subspace Spears. Instead, countless weapons that looked extremely valuable poked their heads out of them, all aimed at the humanoid weapon hovering in the sky.

Countless weapons shot upward. The enormous weapon plunging downward at tremendous speed truly had no ability to alter its course. Everything it did was to close in on Chlorine Sodium, so how could it change its flight posture?

But its falling speed had already reached the limit. In just a few seconds, it would land in front of its opponent!

Just a few seconds!

Even if it had to force its way through the countless weapons thrown by its opponent, that would be enough for it to land!

Just a few seconds!!!

And it did indeed manage it. The first wave of weapons pierced straight into the machine's vital organs, yet the enormous body did not die. The giant crashed to the ground!!!

"██████＆*...＆...＆%!!!!!!"

Its soundless roar accompanied the iron fist it swung.

Victory was within arm's reach...

Yet that short distance was as far apart as the ends of the earth.

Because the giant's limbs froze in place as it swung them...

The trembling clatter of metal chains rang exceptionally harshly across the silent battlefield.

They were golden chains shot from countless Imaginary Gates, now wrapped around the giant's body!!!

No matter how fiercely it struggled, it could not break free from the forced restraint!!

Judas's chains possessed a special enhancement against enormous creatures.

The girl sneered viciously, while the two Subspace Spears behind her instantly disintegrated into golden whips of light.

Their tips, already moving faster than sound, swept across the giant artificial weapon's limbs in an instant.

Slicing through metal was as easy as slicing through butter.

With a mocking smile, the girl asked,

"How does it feel? Despairing...?"

"Or have you finally felt the absolute gap between our powers?"

P.S. Here's the second update.

By the way, Dog 2's perspective feels really strange. And the handling of that car is just absurd. Has Ubisoft's The Crew team collectively vanished? How did they manage to make the driving feel this terrible???

And even after selecting offline mode, you still have to register a Uplay account. It's genuinely disgusting. I just want to play the game; I don't want to become a Ubisoft user. Damn it, are they holding their users hostage?

Section 37: Chapter Thirty-Seven—The Finale

"We've lost contact with the cargo!!"

"What?! How could that happen?!"

On the plane, the man who served as the deputy director of the Sarcophagus Research Institute's project department and should have carried himself like a superior in his white lab coat had now lost control like a madman, slamming his fist onto the communications officer's desk.

His widened eyes were bloodshot as he stared blankly at the receiving terminal that had lost its signal.

No matter how furiously he raged or struck the precision machine worth tens of millions, the screen only displayed the words: No Signal.

The machine's transmission range was more than sufficient to reach the location where the cargo had been dropped. How could they possibly have lost contact?!

There was only one conclusion, but the middle-aged deputy director refused to believe such an absurd possibility.

How could it be!

How could it have been destroyed!

Impossible! Absolutely impossible!!

It had to be a problem with the machine.

It had to be!!!

Yet no matter what, the machine had already lost its signal. To investigate the problem, they would have to turn back, fly to the drop site, and inspect the scene.

But flying back would be tantamount to seeking death. The airspace above a battlefield was not somewhere one could simply return to at will.

The crew members looked at one another. In the end, they all decided not to mention it, hoping that the deputy director's mind had not completely broken.

Especially after seeing that the deputy director appeared somewhat deranged, the crew members were even less willing to say anything and invite trouble.

Yet they had still underestimated the man's madness.

"Go back."

"Sir... what did you say?"

The cabin was deathly silent, save for the muffled breathing from behind the helmets.

"I said... go back!"

The man's eyes were full of blood vessels, and he was as agitated as a maddened lion.

His former refinement and reserve had long since been cast into oblivion.

Of course, this was perfectly normal. His expression was just like that of a gambler who had gone all-in and lost everything.

He could not believe what lay before his eyes.

He stubbornly clung to self-deception.

But although the man had gone mad, the crew members had not.

Returning would be suicide.

But if the man insisted on going back, they truly had no choice. After all, he was the deputy director, one of the people closest to the peak of power.

"Turn back first, but don't follow our previous route."

Seeing that the stalemate was not going to end, the captain finally ordered the return flight.

But they would not follow the original route. That would take them directly over the battlefield again. His intention was to circle back from this side and observe the scene from a distance.

That would minimize the danger while also silencing the deputy director, who was on the verge of madness.

It was the best possible compromise.

The enormous aircraft began to tilt slightly in the air, adjusting its course to fly back.

They had not gone very far in the first place, so the return trip was quick.

Before long, the plane descended below the clouds, and the scene below appeared before everyone's eyes.

It was a sight straight out of hell.

"What... what happened here?!"

Large areas of white steam rose from the ground amid enormous ravines, making it seem as though they were flying above a volcano.

The land, which had been extensively vaporized, was completely charred black. The permafrost beneath it had entirely turned into steam.

The terrain of the former battlefield had been completely transformed.

The deputy director's eyes, however, remained fixed on one corner of the ravine.

There lay a gigantic arm, still wrapped in remnants of metal armor.

"No..."

Yet the vast cloud of blood at the center of the crater added another color to the black pit.

Crimson—the bright red blood slowly flowing from the enormous corpse and seeping into the earth.

"No... no! This is impossible! Why did it lose?! How could it lose!!!"

The man screamed hysterically inside the cabin, as if shouting at his subordinates could somehow make the thing rise again.

"Go down! I want to go down and see what really happened!!!"