Pick Me Up Infinite Gacha! Novel - Chapter 305
Pick Me Up – Chapter 305 – Ragnarok (10)
I looked around the room.
In front of the desk where Tel was seated, there was a large round table.
There were exactly 32 chairs. It seemed that the directors used to gather here to discuss the main issues of the game.
«Why don’t you sit anywhere?»
Tel put her feet up on the table.
She wore black shoes on her white feet.
I closed my eyes and reopened them.
I could perceive every presence in the meeting room.
Not just what was visible, but everything that was hidden.
‘…There’s nothing.’
I had eliminated less than twenty directors.
This meant there were almost ten gods somewhere in this place.
However, their presence could not be perceived anywhere.
If those who were supposed to be here had disappeared, there was only one possibility.
I looked at Tel, who was smiling in front of me.
«You ate them all.»
«That’s right. I gave them high-ranking positions and they couldn’t do their jobs properly. There was no point in keeping them alive.»
Tel smiled.
Black veins pulsed on her neck.
«…Haa.»
Tel frowned, seemingly in considerable pain.
‘So that’s why she was buying time.’
Instead of attacking me along with her subordinates, she decided to devour them and face me alone.
She needed time to digest them. But it was a mistake. It was evident she wasn’t in her normal condition. The dark veins protruding from her skin were a disturbing sign.
‘Even if she’s a high-ranking god…’
There was a limit to absorbing the interference power.
Her power wasn’t infinite. Although she was stronger than other gods, she had a clear limit.
She could stop the server’s time and perform various other interventions, but she didn’t fully control the system. She only crudely harnessed the power. And that also had a huge cost.
«You’re really strong. I didn’t expect my guys to be defeated like insects. You impressed me. When I met you, you were just a young man who was good at games, but time flies.»
I drew the Dragon Scale Sword.
I approached Tel, who spoke with a relaxed attitude.
«Loki, do you intend to continue like this until the end?»
«…»
«Tonight, one of us will die. And a new era will begin. Who will be the victor? You, who have surpassed human limits? Or me, the supreme goddess?»
Bang!
I slammed the ground hard.
The Dragon Scale Sword drilled towards Tel’s heart.
«Really, I hate impatient men for this.»
Tel snapped her fingers.
The round table spun and overturned, and the magic circle engraved on the wall glowed.
Zzt! Zzzzt!
Gravitational energy of tens of thousands of tons.
I came to a halt.
«You don’t die, as expected. I used the power of three directors; you should have died without a trace. You’re a monster… truly a monster.»
«…Tel.»
«How can I kill you? Should I blow your head off? Stab your heart? Cut you into pieces? No, you wouldn’t die anyway.»
Tel laughed mockingly.
I extended my right hand and began undoing the interference bindings that spread like a spider web.
Tel was right.
In exchange for sacrificing my humanity, I was losing the concept of ‘death.’
I was already an entity on a higher level than her. This kind of trap wouldn’t stop me. If I had a little time, I could completely dismantle it.
‘Ten minutes.’
Zzt! Zzzzt!
The magic circle enveloping the entire room slowly faded.
«Fiuu.»
Tel whistled.
She got up from her chair and approached me.
«The one who has transcended fate.»
«…»
«Your end will be more miserable than mine.»
Tel caressed my neck.
«You will fight eternally in infinite time. No one will remember you. You will be a forgotten specter, feeling nothing. Is that really the end you desire?»
She softly blew in my ear.
«Is it really worth saving these beings, who only hate, resent, envy, and kill each other?»
«…»
«Why not choose another path? We can achieve a grander ending. With our power, we can face the Harvesters beyond the border. We can save Taonier and Niflheim, and also this Mobius. Actually, our goals are the same. Isn’t it foolish to fight? Think more rationally.»
«…»
«My sister’s desire was to protect Mobius.»
Tel moved away from me.
«I have the power to revive this world. You have the power to fight them. So…»
«Tel.»
«Yes?»
«I heard your will carefully.»
Zzt!
I took a step forward.
Part of the magic circle binding me was torn.
「I see that’s the way it is.」
Tel covered her face with her hands.
A sinister laugh seeped through her fingers.
「So you’ve decided this.」
Zzzzt!
I took another step forward.
Half of the magic circle disappeared with a blinding flash.
«One by one, I don’t like them. I gave them a company and set up an operational base, but they couldn’t keep up, that old idiot. Those sycophants who only bowed. And the inferiors who only thought of benefiting without effort.»
Tel looked to the side.
«You’re the same.»
Vuuuum.
In a corner of the meeting room, a dimensional portal opened, and someone emerged.
A girl in a white dress.
‘Ikar.’
The server’s computer of Pick Me Up.
She should be suppressing the fragments at the border.
«Her… sister?»
Ikar’s eyes turned to Tel.
Soon, her lifeless eyes shone like onyx.
«Sister!»
Ikar ran to Tel with a wide smile.
‘…She should have lost her personality.’
«I did my best for you…»
Blood spurted from Ikar’s chest.
«Ah…»
Tel pulled her hand from Ikar’s chest.
In her hand, she held a black heart.
«Useless.»
Thud.
Ikar’s body fell.
Soon, contaminated blood spread from the girl’s corpse.
«Ha, ha, ha!»
Tel crushed Ikar’s heart.
Forced fusion. A black halo enveloped Tel’s body.
«Did you go mad?»
«No, I’m perfectly sane.»
«Wasn’t Ikar your sister…?»
«Sister? This?»
Tel looked disdainfully at Ikar.
The girl’s body dispersed into a black-reddish mist.
«She sacrificed herself voluntarily and left me an impossible task. What? Save Mobius? Selfish. Because of this bitch, I… I…»
Thud!
Tel kicked Ikar.
The small body rolled and hit the table.
«Kuhuh… Ughh… Ha, ha, ha!»
Tel held her stomach and let out a burst of laughter.
‘She’s contaminated.’
The signs were there long ago.
From the first time I met her, her blood was stained black.
It was a clear sign of contamination.
That woman had been fighting the fragments for thousands of years, since before the creation of Pick Me Up.
She must have suffered a mental breakdown during the fight. Although she initially had a clear goal of reviving Mobius, today she seemed to have lost even that goal.
‘She’s completely insane.’
The symptom worsened by absorbing several gods.
She was engulfed in a much greater madness than I expected.
«Without Ikar…»
«Yes. They will come soon. Let them come. Let them come as much as they want! I planned to eliminate them all anyway. There are too many useless ones. I don’t need them. I’m fine alone. I… I…»
Tel wiped the blood on her cheek.
A crazed smile spread across her face.
「I will be the only goddess… and revive everything!」
«…»
「Kuhuh… Kuhahaha… Ha, ha, ha!」
Tel jumped back.
Crash!
The huge glass behind the meeting room shattered.
I extended my hand.
The magic circle was completely torn apart.
The disaster in the meeting room came into view.
A girl disappearing with wide-open eyes.
I approached Ikar and closed her eyes.
«Good job.»
Ikar.
Tel’s twin sister and the goddess of compassion.
She was once the reason Tel tried to protect Mobius, but now it no longer had any meaning.
‘So this is what she was plotting?’
She was buying time by sending pawns and then absorbing other directors.
Finally, she absorbed her sister. She probably wanted to reach a level similar to mine.
Her ultimate goal was to devour me. Then, she would literally destroy the company and become a new goddess. Although the plan was inconsistent, that was the general idea. There was no point in expecting logic from a madwoman.
Anyway, the first part of the plan had worked.
Ikar was dead and the border barriers were broken.
It won’t be long before the fragments invade this place.
‘A unique god.’
What a cute goal.
I smiled and jumped through the broken window where Tel had escaped.
Whooooosh!
The enormous city stretched out below my feet.
In the distance, Tel was descending.
「This is. This power. With this power… I don’t need anything else!」
I stuck my feet to the building’s glass behind me.
Then I started running vertically.
Crunch!
Blood sprouted from Tel’s back and soon black wings grew.
「My name is Tel Nasrissa Rosementari! I am the goddess of purity and compassion, and the ruler of this spiral universe! Kneel, insects! Only I… only I can save you!」
Slash!
The Dragon Scale Sword extended dozens of meters and swept at Tel.
The sharp blade tore her body, making her bleed profusely.
「This feeling! This pain! Ha, ha, ha!」
Tel’s torn body regenerated instantly.
Flap!
Tel’s wings unfolded behind her.
I slid my cloak while descending the building.
She unleashed all kinds of magic from her wings.
「Disappointing, Loki.」
Tel dissolved the advanced magic arts of the Blue King with a few flaps.
「Now it’s my turn.」
Pew, pew, pew!
Hundreds of steel feathers flew towards me.
I ran laterally across the building, dodging the rain of feathers.
「Allow me to grant you the goddess’s grace.」
Tel folded her wings and charged forward.
Along her flight path, she fired countless light projectiles.
Boom! Boom! Boom, boom, boom!
An indiscriminate bombardment of magical projectiles.
The city was engulfed in flames in an instant.
<Loki, can you hear me? If you can, respond.>
“Sijel, is that you?”
<Yes, it seems there’s an emergency. The barrier at the border has…>
“I know. It’s destroyed, right?”
<The beings from the border will approach. They will attack Server 1 first. If they destroy this place, they will go to Server 2. After that, it will all be over. All the servers will disappear at the same time.>
“You don’t need to explain. I know everything.”
<What happened? For this to happen…>
“Ikar is dead.”
<Ikar… really?>
“What you’re thinking is correct. Tel went insane. She seems to be out of her mind. She says she’s going to destroy all of Mobius.”
<Who is in the sky… is that the director?>
It seems she understood the situation.
“Yes. Evacuate the people out of the city.”
<…>
After a brief silence, Sijel continued speaking.
<He will soon connect as well.>
“Who?”
Beep.
The communication cut off.
I landed on the ground.
Explosions resounded incessantly.
The fire spread throughout the city.
<The one who has transcended…>
I heard the voice of an old man in my ear.
A voice I had vaguely heard a long time ago.
<I am… Rucadis. My title is… Alpha Zero.>
“I see you’re still alive.”
<I’ve been preparing for this situation for a long time. I was hiding… but thanks to you, I was able to escape. And just now… I met with that girl.>
“…”
<There are still people in this city… who follow me. They will be useful in this fight.>
Wee-woo, wee-woo!
Sirens blared intensely everywhere.
<Level zero warning! All employees in Eden are informed!>
<A black emergency state is declared throughout the area, ‘Kakt Pistol’ issued. Eden has entered a state of emergency defense. All employees prepare in your designated places.>
Common buildings transformed, and giant cannons and missile launchers appeared.
‘Why didn’t they use that against me?’
Well, it wouldn’t have done much good.
<Don’t worry. This city itself is a fortress. It can withstand a bit.>
“How long?”
<…About an hour.>
“That’s enough.”
I located Tel’s position and took a great leap.
I jumped between buildings, rising hundreds of meters into the air.
「Destroy yourselves! Explode! Ha, ha, ha, ha!」
Tel was throwing magical projectiles in an S-shape from high above the city.
I spun in the air and threw the Dragon Scale Sword.
Shing!
The blade pierced Tel’s chest.
Tel’s body crashed into a couple of buildings, making them explode.
「Kuh… Kuhuhuh…」
But soon, Tel emerged from the rubble.
「Loki! My Loki! Die, please. Die!」
Magical projectiles and feathers mixed and flew towards me like a machine gun.
I propelled myself in the air, zigzagging to dodge the bombardment.
I compressed the distance of hundreds of meters in an instant.
Crash! My fist sank into her face. Crack! Crack, crack! Every time my hand passed, all her joints twisted in the opposite direction.
‘Slash.’
I crossed my hands.
The Dragon Scale whip extended and tore through Tel’s blood-soaked body.
After a kick, I snapped my fingers.
She burned, froze, exploded, was crushed, torn, and shattered.
She regenerated in less than a second. But her body was destroyed at an even faster rate.
‘I can feel it.’
Every time I killed her, her power flowed into me.
Our fight was a mutual robbery of existence.
But the result was decided.
She might have temporarily reached a level similar to mine. But it was only similar, not equal. There was an insurmountable difference between her and me.
“You’re pathetic, Tel.”
「Pathetic, me?」
“Calm down. I’ll kill you soon.”
An hour.
No, it won’t even take me ten minutes.
You’ll die now.