novelraw Chapter 120 : Heart of Prometheus (2)
Chapter 120 : Heart of Prometheus (2)
Heart of Prometheus (2)
Jung-woo was in the laboratory he had already visited once before.
Back then, he had only observed it from a distance while talking with Leon, but now he could examine it more closely.
'As I thought.'
This was undoubtedly an object prepared for Alencia.
At least, the magical formulas that he could recognize clearly pointed to that fact.
"I'll tell you straight, I believe it's impossible,"
Leon said in a low voice, directed at Jung-woo.
"No matter if you are the returnee that Sarah spoke of, you are still a single life."
To replace the Heart of Prometheus?
It was preposterous.
He knew better than anyone what kind of object it was, simply because he had participated as a scientist in the creation of Heart of Prometheus.
The finest magic stone ever discovered in the world, the heart of an Over SS-rank monster, a dragon.
It was an object created by pouring all modern scientific power into a magical formula that Sarah herself had designed, using the so-called 'Dragon Heart' as its core.
"The Heart of Prometheus has an output capable of temporarily drawing all the power in Denver for three seconds."
Denver was by no means a small rural town.
Its area was approximately 400.7 km², with a population exceeding three million.
Heart of Prometheus could draw all the energy of such a city for three seconds.
And a single person would replace that?
Absurd.
"Alencia, over here."
"H-here? I just have to stand here?"
"Yes, as long as this symbol is centered beneath you."
While listening to Leon's words with only one ear, Jung-woo positioned Alencia at the very center of the apparatus.
By the composition of the magical formulas, when the device activated, electricity would be drawn to this point.
"... This is crazy."
Leon sighed at the sight of Jung-woo preparing to operate the device without any explicit explanation.
He already knew that Jung-woo was the "Park Jung-woo" from Sarah's story.
He understood that Jung-woo was an extraordinary person, but he was still human after all.
"You will die, certainly."
"I won't. Absolutely not."
To Leon's sharp words, Jung-woo examined where the Heart of Prometheus had once been installed.
Given the construction of the device, there should be a spare cable somewhere nearby for this kind of situation.
"If I died, I wouldn't be able to keep my promise to Alencia."
"Promise?"
"I promised to turn her into an S-rank awakener in one month."
It had now been three weeks, leaving about a week remaining.
The plan hadn't gone exactly as expected, but if this succeeded, he thought there was a slim chance he would make it in time.
"......"
Leon looked back and forth between Jung-woo and Alencia with complicated eyes, caught off guard by Jung-woo's words.
Then, after a moment, he tightly shut his eyes.
"... Pull the lever next to the device."
Leon pointed at the blue lever near Jung-woo.
When he pulled it down, a thick cable popped out.
It wasn't a mechanical hookup, but rather a jacket-form designed to be worn by a human.
"When Sarah said it would be needed, I just couldn't understand."
He had never imagined there would be a day when this equipment would be used on a human.
Could it be that Sarah had truly predicted all of this in advance?
"When you channel magic power into it, the device will activate. Then, an immense pressure will be exerted, no doubt."
All these devices ran on magic power, not electricity.
Although modern science was involved, to trigger a phenomenon bordering on a miracle, magical force was required.
"Just please, don't die. Alencia would be saddened."
At those sharp but concerned words, Jung-woo let out a small laugh.
Though he maintained his composure as before, there was worry in his tone.
"I told you, I won't die."
After checking the state of the jacket with cables connected near his heart, Jung-woo stepped to the place where Heart of Prometheus had been.
There was a lever that seemed made to be gripped tightly, as if prepared for Jung-woo himself.
'Compared to being sucked into a rift...'
He absolutely would not die.
That much, he could guarantee.
Because he was a returnee?
No.
He didn't know the reason why, but he just couldn't die.
That was why he had survived even when swept away inside the rift.
That's how, even in that hellish world, he had managed to live and eventually return.
"Whooo."
Jung-woo calmly awakened the blood slumbering within his body.
As the magic power dormant in his blood filled his entire body, the surrounding magic power began converging into him.
The magic power circulating through his body was focused on Jung-woo's heart.
And with every pulse, it began to swell exponentially.
So great that a normal human body would burst instantly.
'My God.'
Leon's eyes widened as he watched.
The device began operating, and displays in the facility showed the current status.
The output of magic power focused on Jung-woo's heart vastly exceeded Leon's imagination.
'Could it be...!'
The device activated, the laboratory ceiling opened, and a tower at the center began to rise.
At the top of the tower, a golden halo of light began to gather, like a blooming flower.
Originally, when using Heart of Prometheus, it would take about ten minutes to reach this phenomenon.
This time, it was only tens of seconds.
That meant the output of magic power flowing from Jung-woo's body far surpassed Heart of Prometheus.
Only then did Leon realize.
He who had been beside Heart of Prometheus for so long, who had watched Sarah all this time, knew it now.
'What Sarah truly sought to create was this.'
Heart of Prometheus was nothing more than an imitation.
The real thing was elsewhere.
"Your heart was the real one."
The light rising through the open ceiling of the laboratory grew ever brighter.
Golden light filled the lab, flowing into the patterns etched all around.
The light streamed inward, gathering at the very center.
Toward Alencia, who stood there.
"The Heart of Prometheus was really you."
Leon stared blankly at the gradually brightening light, murmuring to himself.
And then.
The instant the light reached its peak, all the light illuminating the laboratory disappeared as if it were a lie.
No—it struck not only the laboratory.
Just three seconds.
All electricity in America vanished somewhere in this instant.
As if something had swallowed it whole.
* * *
Colorado, USA—a crowd gathered in the streets, everyone stopping to watch a broadcast.
It was footage of the military confronting the newly appeared King of the Demonic Zone, Titan.
Some hastily assembled hunters were among them, but the force was far too paltry to face the King of the Demonic Zone.
"Over SS-rank—that's a dragon-level, right?"
"We're not... we're not going to have another incident like before, are we...?"
People watched the footage with anxious faces.
About twenty years ago, the U. S. had suffered a terrible disaster.
Numerous hunters had sacrificed themselves to stop a dragon that suddenly appeared from a gate.
The trauma still lingered, and many awakeners had since shunned becoming hunters.
Why was it that only in America did the hunter sport Challengers exist?
Because so many of America's awakened avoided becoming hunters, a great number remained outside the profession.
"Look, Titan...!!"
People screamed at the video.
Titan had started to move, having noticed the military's approach.
As the confrontation reached its peak—
Tudududuk.
"Huh?"
The city was plunged into darkness.
Videos on phones stopped in the middle of playing, every street lamp and building light vanished.
"Blackout?"
"So suddenly?"
If it had been just a simple blackout, the phones wouldn't have powered off.
But, fortunately, the darkness in the city did not last long; the lights quickly returned.
"... What was that?"
A perfect blackout that lasted about three seconds.
People only regarded it as a passing event.
After all, their concern was for the survival of those facing Titan.
"Huh?"
A man, about to casually replay the video, looked up at the sky without thinking.
"What's wrong?"
"No, it's just..."
He murmured absentmindedly, staring up.
"I wondered if it might rain."
"What? There's no rain in the forecast."
"Really? Strange."
The man, recalling the faint sound that had brushed his ear just now, muttered,
"I thought I heard thunder."
He sounded baffled.
Indeed, the night sky was clear and cloudless, just as his friend had said.
* * *
Countless people had gathered near Colorado in the United States.
About 300 hunters, and roughly 5,000 soldiers.
It was the largest force that could be assembled to subjugate the King of the Demonic Zone, who had appeared near Las Vegas.
"They want us to go up against that monster with just 300 hunters? What about the S-ranks?"
Young B-rank hunter Zelvin struggled to steady his trembling body as he questioned a senior hunter.
The numbers gathered were clearly too few to face an Over SS-rank monster.
"Eugene Garland arrived at the site first. Since he hasn't appeared in any footage, it seems something happened."
The hunters' expressions were glum.
Only B-rank and above could fight the King of the Demonic Zone; the rest would be no help.
"I should've quit being a hunter when I had the chance."
"Don't worry too much. Our job is at most just to stall the thing."
"R-right?"
"The army's assembled at division strength; their firepower should suffice to stop it. No need to worry."
Their role was to buy time until other S-rank hunters arrived.
Currently, America had sixteen active S-rank awakeners.
Given that there were only 52 S-rank awakeners worldwide, the majority were gathered in America.
Yet only ten were available for this battle.
The remaining six were deployed abroad to support countries without S-rank hunters.
'Yeah, the army's here. No need to worry.'
Against monsters radiating magic waves, the army's electronic equipment was useless. But missiles and other firepower had at least some deterrent effect.
If the division-level forces unleashed their arsenal, even Titan would have trouble advancing.
Zelvin tried to convince himself so.
Gugugugu!!
"... There it is."
Three hundred hunters and the army began to approach the King of the Demonic Zone.
It had been five hours since Titan appeared.
Beneath the moonless night sky, the colossal figure emerged.
'If only we could get fighter jets airborne...'
But the aircraft couldn't fly.
The strong emanations of magic power from monsters paralyzed electronics and made flight impossible.
Only hunters and ground forces could confront this monster.
「Graaaaaa.」
The ground shook as a massive being turned their way.
It was shaped like a giant gorilla made of stone.
Enormous in size befitting the name "Titan," covered head to toe in jet-black metal, with glaring red eyes, and an unearthly howl issuing from its maw that struck fear into living things.
'Fight that...?'
It was the same thought running through the minds of all the hunters and soldiers assembled.
To fight that thing—surely it was suicide.
"It's coming! Stop it now!!"
As Titan, seeing the army, slowly advanced, slamming its giant hands into the ground like a gorilla, some ordinary soldiers collapsed in terror.
Kwakwakwakwang!!
Shells from tanks and missiles—fired en masse—rained onto Titan's body.
But such firepower couldn't pierce the magical shield enveloping Titan, doing little damage.
「GRAAAAA!!」
With a roar, Titan spewed a torrent of black energy from its mouth, blasting near the army and the hunters. A single attack—
Just that, and the hastily formed defensive line was utterly destroyed.
"Where is it?!"
Smoke from the blast momentarily blocked vision.
Zelvin dashed through the smoke to search for Titan.
"What the—?"
But the monster had vanished without a trace.
Only a gaping hole in the ground told where it had disappeared.
"It—it's underground!!!"
Kwakwakwang!!
A gigantic hand burst from below, sending soldiers flying.
Hunters caught in its grasp screamed and struggled to break free.
Facing this pandemonium, zelvin felt all strength drain from the sword in his grip.
'What can I possibly do with just this blade...?'
That was not a monster people could fight.
The reassuring presence of the military proved useless.
The monster, despite its massive size, was clever, dogged, and knew how to fight humans.
「Grrrrrrrr......」
Slowly, Titan's red eyes, emerging from the ground, moved downward.
Finding Zelvin staring up at him, Titan slowly raised its right hand.
Zelvin felt as though Titan was mocking him.
"... Oh God..."
He gazed at the huge hand coming for him, whispering a bewildered prayer.
In ordinary circumstances, those would have been empty last words.
But his prayer, as if by miracle, reached the heavens.
Kwaaaaaaaaaang!!
At that moment, blinding lightning tore across the night sky.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
So Jung-woo is immortal?
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】