LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 153
─!!!
That was a scream.
The humans composed of three dimensions felt a vibration resonating from a dimension they couldn’t hear, one that shook their entire bodies instead of just their ears.
Civilians started fainting one by one from the intense tremors that were way beyond anything a tiger could produce in low frequency, while the members of the Evil Organization watched, trembling and gritting their teeth.
Up there—it’s hard to describe if it’s above or in front—there was a coiled monster gazing down at them.
“Damn it.”
We call those who exist in the invisible realm and merely make their presence known ‘gods.’ In that sense, the Evil Organization was witnessing a god.
The god was expressing its wrath by sending down an angel wielding the trumpet of doom. A Saintess, enlarged to the size of a considerable building, was waiting for them.
In this seemingly hopeless situation, the only thing they could lean on was another angel that crossed the stars.
“You think we can really drive that thing away?”
Filled with doubt and uncertainty, the Evil Organization stood against the god reaching out to me.
* * *
[This is Echo-1. I repeat, this is Echo-1. We have arrived at the destination.]
─What do you see?
[……A monster. I see a monster.]
Reacting to the sudden appearance of the giant beast, the administration ordered the military into action. The pilots of the fighter jets dispatched from the base grimaced at the sight of the enormous monster right in the heart of the city.
It was an ugly sight that made one feel queasy just by looking at it. I felt an overwhelming urge to unleash every weapon on my fighter jet right then and there.
After managing to suppress the boiling impulse, the trained pilot awaited orders from the base. Luckily, the base seemed to react similarly.
─What the heck is that…… Echo-1. Authorization for launch granted.
[Copy that. Echo-1. Engage.]
From the fighter jet that had surpassed hypersonic speeds, the super-science creations made via super science poured out like rain. Powerful military weapons meant to crush a city single-handedly prevented even S-Class villains from dreaming of national overthrow.
The super-sonic missile, accelerated by supernatural abilities, struck the monster’s body. Not only was the sheer force of impact overwhelming, but the explosion it triggered was astonishingly powerful, almost defying physics.
After firing several missiles, the monster let out a scream.
“Guuuuooo-!”
That wail sounded almost pitiful, echoing as the fighter pilot abruptly paused at the sight of a round sphere appearing before him. Before he could comprehend what it was, the hypersonic Echo-1 collided with the sphere.
There was no time for the pilot to escape, and as the fighter jet exploded, Ayle gasped in shock, clutching her staff.
“A-A person…….”
Was dead.
Right in front of her.
She thought she could keep them safe, but was that just her arrogance?
Bitten lips, Ayle cast her magic to prevent such a thing from happening again. She cast the veil of evil, the signature rite of the Evil Magical Girl. A long shroud of darkness overshadowed the entire city while something in the sky looked down at her.
“Hiiik…!”
Ayle, shivering under the gaze assessing her, screamed and unleashed her magic wildly. However, her attack, shifting through xyz coordinates, had no chance of hitting the monster beyond. The gaze remained firmly on Ayle, never leaving her.
‘H-how do I get out of this……!’
Ayle, squinting her eyes tightly and retreating into her own world, pondered how to escape that gaze. Then, she recalled something Eight had told her earlier—the method of drawing a fourth-dimensional figure and retrieving an object from a box without touching it.
After practicing those two methods consistently, Ayle could clumsily visualize a four-dimensional figure in her mind. Though it was more a shameful elongated rod than a figure……
That was undoubtedly something that could touch the fourth dimension, and Ayle was an ability user able to make her imagination a reality.
‘4, drawing a four-dimensional figure─.’
She conjured the long column she had been practicing in her mind. Originally, it should have been a box within a box inside a square, but anyways.
Ayle aimed the created column at whatever she could see through her goggles. She used magic again for this.
Create, aim, fire. The four-dimensional column, propelled by the power of magic, soared towards the monster in the fourth dimension. Moments later, Ayle heard the scream she’d heard earlier once more.
─^%&^%Dfgæ!
“Hiiik…!”
The previously blank stare turned into one filled with pure malice directed at her. A torrent of emotions she’d never experienced before surged through Ayle.
The monster’s malevolence was far worse than anything a pure human could ever send her way. The pure intent to kill seemed to stab at her like a knife, making her feel as though she was facing a true murderer.
This was an unnaturally heavy emotion for a girl who had just turned into adulthood. Ayle sank in mid-air, shuddering repeatedly, desperately praying for something to save her.
[─Thank you for waiting.]
Could it be that her prayers had reached someone? A voice echoed from her goggles. The voice that had always given her hope, the one she had relied on.
[Thank you for holding on. Please step back a bit.]
And the next moment.
Something launched from a building shot down the god.
* * *
The universe is vast.
The first thing scientists who left Earth created was a way to traverse this immense universe. More precisely, it was a way to find shorter routes.
After a long journey to discover the hope summit of the universe, humanity devised a method to cut down on the lengthy distance. Rather than sending a vehicle at the speed of light, never to allow that human to say goodbye to modern humanity, they developed a method that dramatically reduced distance without a time gap. Four-dimensional navigation……
─%$^r@&(*^&Ж
Needless to say, there were plenty of obstacles in the four-dimensional realm. From multi-dimensional creatures sprinting through space to gigantic planets obstructing the path…… Encountering such things in a universe that was one dimension broader than the three-dimensional universe was rare, but it wasn’t unheard of. Humanity had to prepare for such cases.
That’s when devices were created. A digger to clear out obstacles blocking the route. Though it wasn’t made to combat living beings, it still proved effective against them too.
I smirked as I watched a four-dimensional creature fleeing far away.
‘I’m sorry.’
That creature had probably been here long before. So, before this planet was formed and humanity was even initiated……
In other words, driving such creatures away was akin to a laborer destroying nature under the guise of development, just like a landowner who violates animal territory and claims it as their own. All actions that prioritized human rights.
I truly felt sorry, but it couldn’t be helped. Just like shooting a bear or a tiger that appears on the main road isn’t because those creatures are villains, driving that creature away wasn’t due to its malice, but simply because it posed a danger. It was solely to save humanity.
[What? All done?]
Galm, drenched in sweat from battling the four-dimensional creature, inquired. His bravado seemed ridiculous given he looked like he was about to collapse. I tried hard to stifle my laughter while answering.
“Yes. For now, it’s done. How’s the Saintess doing?”
[She’s calm. She doesn’t seem like she’s going to attack us. Though it’s a bit gross when she twitches now and then.]
“I’m headed that way, so please keep an eye on her to make sure others don’t approach.”
Having said this, I immediately opened a gate and reached the front of the Saintess. In front of the church where crowds had been bitten. No matter how much I looked up, there was an enormous creature that seemed to have no end waiting for me.
It didn’t seem believable that this was the Saintess. I felt as though a shockwave had hit me similar to witnessing a painting of a wall made of chests. But what can you do? She was also aware she was a victim.
“─Have you arrived.”
“Yes. Galm.”
“What are you planning to do about this? I know you saved Levitan, but…… this looks tough.”
“It is tough. Of course.”
Unlike Levitan, whose cells simply exploded, the Saintess’s cells elongated all the way to the fourth dimension. The original size cells had just grown larger, but remaking her would leave remnants, after all.
In other words, restoring her to her original state would be incredibly challenging. Even if I managed to restore her, it was highly questionable whether she could go back to living normally……
“I’ll have to try somehow.”
It was indeed the scientist’s job to make that happen.
I made a pained expression as I pulled out surgical tools. As I marked the Saintess’s skin that oozed fluid at just the touch of the tools, screams echoed from above.
“G-guuuuulrrr……”
“I apologize. It will hurt a lot, but I can’t give you anesthesia.”
I was unsure whether the Saintess could withstand this pain……
But all I could do was my best.
In response, the Saintess let out a sad growl. Honestly, I wished she wouldn’t do that.
I had a long dream.
A dream of becoming a monstrous size, receiving all the resentment from the people.
It was a painful dream. Like feeling the sensation of falling while actually falling in reality, every bit of resentment was excruciatingly torturous.
Yet, I endured. Hope appeared. What that hope was, I couldn’t quite recall. However, it was an incredibly reassuring sentiment. It felt like it came from a real divine entity, not from a god she half-heartedly believed in……
“Mmm……”
“Ah, you’re awake.”
“……Huh-.”
The moment her eyes opened.
The Saintess widened her eyes at someone standing before her. Her still blurry vision made her confused about who was in front of her.
All she saw was a bright white light, with the form of a human being that shone through her hazy sight.
“G-god?”
“Good morning. Lizbel.”
There was nothing else to be said.