Beyond the Eternity

[The constellation, Architect of Destruction is shaking their head.]

[The Fable has reached a new development.]

Park Joonhyuk cursed. "That slippery bastard. Where did he run off to?"

"He couldn't have gotten far since he's injured. We'll find him eventually."

We started moving at once. No matter what, we had to find that person.

He was a kind of disaster that becomes stronger every time he kills a living being. He was similar to players, who can become stronger by investing coins into their stats, but the only difference is that he didn't need to use coins in this scenario.

I didn't know the exact number of seals placed on him but It was probably around dozens or more.

So far, seven seals has been released.

But the situation will become even more problematic if many people were killed and his seal would be released in a flash. Fortunately, most of the survivors had already crossed the Jamsil Bridge.

... The moment I thought the scenario couldn't get any worse.

Rumble!

The ground shook violently as if there was a bomb explosion somewhere. That bastard... A system notification was heard.

[The 8th seal of the disaster 'Keikoku Amane' has been released.]

[The 9th seal of the disaster 'Keikoku Amane' has been released.]

Everyone looked up at the air at the same time.

[The 10th seal of the disaster 'Keikoku Amane' has been released.]

[The 11th seal of the disaster 'Keikoku Amane' has been released.]

[The 12th seal of the disaster 'Keikoku Amane' has been released.]

[The 13th seal of the disaster 'Keikoku Amane' has been released.]

[....]

"F*ck."

Park Joonhyuk cursed at the stream of messages.

Impossible. There shouldn't be people that were still in Songpa-gu. Or was it people that were hiding from the monsters?

"Tch!"

I clicked my tongue. At this rate, the disaster will gain his original strength and everyone in Seoul will die. My HUD flashed a warning message.

[Warning: A massive energy spike has been detected. Unstable Anti-Matter signatures identified within 5 kilometers northeast from your current position.]

Antimatter signatures 5km northeast from here? That means that person was somewhere around there.

Park Joonhyuk must have noticed the same warning message and followed me towards that direction. There was no need for him to use his Clones.

The Def. Antimatter suit was equipped with an array of advanced sensors—cameras, microphones, and other detection tools—that could pick up on the subtlest vibrations of light, sound, and scent.

In addition, the suit allowed the user to view things like gases electromagnetic waves and more importantly, antimatter particles which was currently displayed on the HUD so all we had to do was follow the trail.

It was a suit with great functions to fight the apocalypse. But there was only one problem with the suit.

[Warning! System's energy core has been damaged!]

[Initiating core's repair protocols...]

[Error! Error! Core's repair protocols has been compromised!]

[Suit energy reserves has dropped to 65%...]

Those series message has been flickering on my HUD. It was a message that increased my anxiety.

No matter how good the protective suit was or how many functions It possessed, It was just a prototype suit that was modified in a hurry.

"He's this way."

Once we fully entered Gangdong-gu, we followed the trail of destruction left by Keikoku Amane. Buildings had been reduced to rubble, the streets torn apart, and corpses—both monster and human—littered the path he'd carved out in his escape.

There was the sound of groans and I took a sharp turn along with Park Joonhyuk.

Slash!

"Aaaaaack!"

"Running won't do you any good, so stay still and die properly."

Keikoku Amane was hunting a group of survivors. By the time we reached there, It was already too late.

[....]

[The 19th seal of the disaster 'Keikoku Amane' has been released.]

[The 20th seal of the disaster 'Keikoku Amane' has been released.]

[....]

I was filled with despair as I stared at those messages.

Keikoku Amane turned his head this way and grinned.

"Oho! So, you guys came after me? I was thinking of hunting you down myself, but it seems you saved me the trouble. Now it's my turn to repay the favour."

[The character 'Keikoku Amane' is charging the Anti-Matter Cannon.]

The space warped as pitch black energy condensed around Keikoku Amane's fist. It was an attack that screamed certain death.

"Quick! Avoid it!"

Park Joonhyuk and I rushed into an alleyway at the corner.

We barely escaped just in time to avoid a black flash that completely disintegrated everything in a straight line. Even with the protective suit, It would have been impossible to survive if we were caught in that attack. Most likely, we would have thoroughly erased along with the protective suit.

It was a scenario that inflicted a true sense of hopelessness.

Park Joonhyuk showed no signs of stopping his tremendous sprint despite his body was shaking. "Damnit... We're supposed to fight against that?"

"We can still win."

"How can you still say that? Didn't you see what he did back there? I don't think we have enough strength to face him as things stand. It's better if we just abandon this Fable."

Park Joonhyuk wasn't entirely wrong. The enemy had reached a level where even with the protective suits, fighting back seemed nearly impossible.

Maybe if Soo Jinyoung was with us, we'd stand a better chance, but she lay unconscious with one of Park Joonhyuk's clones looking after her. Angelica possessed a good stigma, but she lacked any defense against the erasing power of Antimatter.

Another candidate was the regressor Song Jaewon, but his current whereabouts was unknown.

It felt like a scenario completely devoid of silver linings. Even so...

"Still, there's one method we can use to defeat the disaster."

"... Really? What is it?"

"Haven't you heard of a skill called Sky Wind?"

"Sky Wind... Ah, I see. Are you planning on using that method? But you do realise that wind won't be able to contain antimatter, right?"

"Do you have a better idea?"

"Tch."

Even though Park Joonhyuk only clicked his tongue, my mind was still complicated.

Realistically speaking, wind won't be enough to contain or isolate antimatter. But I couldn't afford space-based skills with my current coins.

The only choice we have was to use the Sky Wind. Even then, none of us could use Sky Wind.

"Hey, where do you think you're going? Did I say you guys could run away?"

My blood ran cold as I heard a voice behind me.

"Ack!"

Before I could even turn, something slammed into my back. It was a powerful attack that would have torn my spine if my defence wasn't high.

Speaking of defense...

[Warning! The suit's integrity has received fatal damage!]

[Repair systems has been compromised! Defense levels has dropped to 65%... 55%...]

[Suit defence percentage has dropped to 40%. Suit energy reserves has dropped to 40%...]

"Hah... Hah..."

I was breathless for a moment before I managed to regain my bearing.

Park Joonhyuk who had received the same attack was also getting up as well. My gaze shifted elsewhere towards my attacker.

Sure enough, Keikoku Amane was standing there.

He had attacked us by using some sort of invisible attack. I didn't know what he used for sure, but it was definitely related to his antimatter.

"Tch."

I raised my hand and fired the plasma cannon installed in the suit.

A spear of light exploded from the gun and silently hurled towards the person infront of me.

It was more like a laser than a spear because of the afterimage attached to it.

Like the rumble of distant thunder, the sound arrived moments later. My sense of balance was partially destroyed as the overwhelming force of the recoil slammed into my arm, then into the rest of my body.

There was a loud crash.

The plasma blast slammed into the Keikoku Amane, but his expression did not change. He almost seemed like he was unimpressed.

"What the hell was that? Was that supposed to hurt or something? If I had known, I would have probably cried."

Keikoku Amane spoke so nonchalantly that he seemed like an ordinary boy.

There was no visible injury on him. Not even a stratch.

Plasma burns at extreme temperatures ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 degrees Celsius, while a human body would melt like a sugar cube at just 200 degrees Celsius. Even with a [Lv. 60 physique], it would be impossible to withstand a plasma blast without sustaining significant damage. In addition, that blast consumed about 20% of my protective suit's remaining energy reserves.

Yet he received no damage whatsoever?

Wait... Hold on.

There was something growing from the back of Keikoku Amane.

... Six wings?

I released those things as the same wings he used back in Gwanghwamun.

Those wings seemed like black ink that swallowed even the light. Perhaps that was what he used to defend against the plasma cannon.

[Antimatter Lv. 10]

"....?!"

By the time I realized, Keikoku Amane was immediately in front of me. It was an instantaneous speed that could never be achieved by raising one's stats.

I used the remaining suit's energy to summon the energy blade while Park Joonhyuk used his clones and fired several plasma cannons. Simultaneously, Keikoku Amane blocked our combined attacks using his six wings.

"Ugh!"

The newly clones were destroyed at once and I was sent flying through the air.

"Kim Jakga!"

"Why are you getting distracted for? Don't make this easier than it already is."

"Shut up and die, you unoriginal idiot."

As he spoke, Park Joonhyuk rushed towards Keikoku Amane with the rest of his newly created clones.

But...

"Keok...!"

An explosion occurred before his attacks landed with Amane at the center.

The clones were blown to pieces and Park Joonhyuk was blown away.

His protective suit was completely ruined and he flew 10 meters in the air before his body broke through a thin wall and into some room.

It was unknown if he was alive or not.

[The excitement of many constellations has reached the maximum.]

[A constellation has donated 500 coins.]

[A constellation that likes violence has donated 500 coins.]

It was ridiculous. How could Park Joonhyuk be defeated that easily? Maybe his body wasn't in peak condition because of the clones continuous production.

Just as I had that thought...

A cold hand grabbed my neck and raised me into the air.

"....!"

Someone was standing infront of me.

The dust prevented me from seeing who but there was no need since I already knew the person.

"You know, it gets dull when my opponents don't put up a fight or fall too quickly. Most of them barely last a minute, which honestly disappoints me. That's why I had a certain scientist design that suit you're wearing. But what a fucking disappointment It turned out to be."

Bam!

My stomach was hit. It was a fist filled with strength far beyond Lv. 60. Keikoku Amane's stats had likely surpassed the limits of the Fable's system entirely.

"Aaakk!"

"See! Even this suit can't withstand a simple hit like this. But your defence is rather good. Have you mastered the use of coins already? Who is your star contractor?"

I tried to free myself instead of answering. But It was no use. His hand won't even bulge.

Bam!

"Hey, it's rude not to answer when someone's talking to you. Didn't anyone ever teach you manners? Go on, start by calling me 'senpai."

Bam!

"Why won't you say it? Call me 'senpai' C'mon! C'mon! It's not that hard."

Bam! Bam! Bam!

As the punches continued to land on my stomach, I was washed with a overwhelming feeling of helplessness. Subconsciously, I remembered when I was bullied from the 10th to 12th grade.

The feeling was similar to when I was bullied by Minhyuk and his goons.

I was not the protagonist. I realised that truth, painfully so.

This situation was different compared to the death reaper at the station or the plaque spider in the hidden dungeon. The information contained in Song of Nightmares wasn't enough to defeat the disaster.

I calculated everything and prepared beforehand yet I was still losing.

Bam!

My body received a strong blow. I coughed out blood and my vision shook.

Damnit. Isn't there something I could do to escape from my current predicament? Something I can do?

Wait... what exactly can I do well?

Jakga, you idiot, why didn't you do this sooner?

What if I was not the protagonist?

[Personal skill, Black Box has activated.]

An overwhelming torrent of information and countless possibilities surged into my mind, hitting me all at once. My brain struggled to contain it and reeled from the intense shock of the information overload.

[Thanks to the blessing of your unique attribute, your cognitive processing speed has significantly increased.]

[The backlash from the overload has been mitigated.]

I had underestimated the power of information. Just because someone wrote information in the novel, doesn't mean that was the end of the information. Just like how the reader doesn't know everything, the author does not know everything. The power of imagery is not limited to the pen of the author.

If my calculations were correct, something would happen right about now.

"....!"

Keikoku Amane suddenly released his hand and jumped back. In the next instant, something flew from somewhere and stabbed into the ground.

It was a sword, but It wasn't a common sword too.

I turned my head towards where the mysterious sword flew from. Sure enough, Angelica was standing there.

"Jakga!"

Angelica distorted the space behind her, summoning more swords and hurling it towards Keikoku Amane.

Even so, all of those swords scattered when they came into contact with Amane's wings.

"What's up with her? Why is she so excited like this? Hey, Is she your girlfriend or something?"

I didn't answer and tried to move my body. For some reason, Keikoku Amane's grin widened and he laughed.

"So she's your girlfriend, huh? I guess that explains everything. Hey, I just thought of something interesting. Let me say to her real quick."

With a blur of speed, Keikoku Amane was in front of Angelica before she could react.

One of his six wings sharpened into a lethal edge. If it struck, she would likely be erased from existence before even realizing what had happened.

I wasn't sure It would work. But It was time to pay my part in this story.

[The Exclusive skill, 𝐙𝐞𝐫𝐨 𝐎𝐧𝐞 has activated.]

[Your Agility has increased to Agility Lv. 100]

[Your agility has temporarily increased beyond its maximum capacity.]

[Your stats has gone beyond the Fable's Limit.]

[Your body will be filled with the penalty of Plausibility.]

Sparks danced around my body. It was the result of using <Zero One> to go beyond the limit of the Fable and the Law of causality taking effect.

Still, I silently swallowed the pain coursing through my body and took a single step.

Time seemed to slow. The wing of death moved. At the same time, there was the sound of the ground scattereing underneath my feet.

Afterwards, all sound was erased from the world as my body was pierced and everything went dark.

There was only a single system message that flickered in the darkness.

[You have died.]