[Warning!]
[SSS-Rank Portal, the Gate of Death, is about to be completely opened.]
[Gate Synchronization Rate: 80% → 85%...]
[The residents of Earth aren't capable of defeating the being beyond the gate.]
[All the awakeners are advised to close the portal as soon as possible.]
—
"Aren't you afraid?"
Amid the chaos of rubble and broken walls, a middle-aged man leaned against a massive pillar and looked at the sky above as if in a trance.
While one hand tightly grabbed his vertical sword lodged deep on the floor, his other hand unconsciously caressed a round watch in a familiar motion. His body, bloodied and covered in wounds, was rapidly healing from the light emanating from the pillar.
Roaaaar!!!!
Suddenly, a loud and fearsome roar echoed in the entire area, followed by a volley of fire that devastated everything in its path. The destruction was so massive, not even a dreg remained.
Fortunately, the fire was stopped by the faint light emanating from the pillar, saving him. But he was still discovered, as a large number of grotesque, uneven monsters flew in his direction with blood-red eyes, ready to tear him apart.
Their hatred was palpable.
"Tch… you should have just gone with the evacuation team. Why wait here just to die?"
Hearing no response and seeing the dull look on his face, the voice sounded slightly irritated.
Yet his gaze was still fixated on the sky. The very sky that was blotted with numerous shadows.
Shadows of monsters.
Hell Spawns!
"Boom!"
—
[Warning!]
[Gate Synchronization Rate: 95% → 96%...]
—
"What is the point of leaving now?"
The man finally lowered his gaze to the small figure before him and answered absently. He didn't seem fazed at all by those attacks on him nor with the prompts.
"The point? Heh… that's funny coming from you. Don't you think so?"
The small figure chuckled while flicking its tail, its claws extending and retracting in a playful rhythm.
"Honestly, Liam, you are quite stupid."
The cat suddenly tilted its cute head, mocking him in faint laughter.
"You gave your life saving this world, and what did they do? They ran with their tail between their legs."
"Tch… tch… now you are all alone, hiding beneath the Pillar of Heaven. But… for how long?"
The pure sarcasm dripping from its small mouth was as obvious as daylight.
"You know it was never about them or this world."
But the man didn't care about his sarcasm at all. Instead, he mumbled as if trying to convince himself.
"It was always about living… living till the end of this world."
His voice grew a little stern at last.
Despite knowing his death was likely near, his eyes held no fear.
"Tsk… see? Like I said, you're stupid." The cat muttered in a low voice, "That so-called promise of yours… it wasn't even serious. You've been chasing a ghost all your life."
It was clearly annoyed.
"Haha… you are right."
Yet Liam just laughed, surprisingly agreeing with him.
"But… that's just how I am. A promise is a promise and I will fulfill it to the end of the world."
After saying that, he looked at the cat and asked instead,
"What about you? Aren't you afraid? After all, Protocol clearly said that the Pillar of Heaven isn't immune to an SSS rank monster. You, as a spirit, might not survive." He looked curious.
"Tch… think about yourself first."
—
[Warning!]
[Gate Synchronization: 99% → 99.99% → 100%]
[Synchronization Successful!]
[SSS-Rank Portal: The Gate of Death is about to open.]
—
"Swoosh!"
As soon as the sudden announcement ended, everything in the world stopped as if time itself had frozen.
The stifling silence pressed against the earth while the tide of heavy pressure engulfed everything, including Liam's figure.
Roaaaaaar!!
[Hellgorge, the master of the Abyss, has appeared.]
[Hellgorge's roar has applied fear, chaos, and debilitating effects.]
[Hellgorge is hungry.]
[Warning! Pillar of Heaven is ineffective against a Lord Class monster.]
[All your stats have been automatically reduced by 99%.]
"Ugh!!!"
Liam clutched his chest as he felt all the strength leave him forcefully while darkness began to cloud his mind. It was as if someone had sucked every bit of his strength away, leaving him with the bare minimum.
"So, this is the Lord Class Monster?"
Liam mumbled, barely able to tilt his head to look at the massive portal in the sky which was filled with a massive eyeball scanning the world below.
He was a level 370 Swordmaster, yet he couldn't move before the Lord Class Monster fully appeared.
"No wonder the Protocol Envoy asked us to run away."
He mumbled while fixing his gaze on the red portal ready to see a SSS rank monster before his ultimate death.
"Heh… you still believe in those so-called Protocol Envoy?"
Hearing his thoughts, the cat, previously silent, suddenly spoke while floating in front, its gaze fixed on the sky.
Liam noticed that as Hellgorge appeared, the cat visibly relaxed, as if some restriction on it had been lifted.
"What do you mean?"
He asked, puzzled by its strange behavior, but the sudden system announcement cut their discussion short.
—
[Warning!]
[Appearance of the SSS-rank Dragon Hellgorge has significantly increased the speed of the tutorial.]
[Tutorial is now in the final stage.]
[Alert! It is deemed that Earth isn't capable of defending against an SSS rank entity.]
[Activating automatic safety protocol…]
[An Unknown Authority recognized — initiating floor control transfer to designated entity…]
—
"Tutorial? Floor?"
Liam was totally surprised by the barrage of information he received from the system.
"Wasn't the tutorial completed decades ago?"
"That's why I said, you are stupid. Well, to be honest, it cannot be blamed on you completely though."
Liam was surprised by the cat's snide remark, who faintly smiled with his large blue eyes.
"Hey, Liam, didn't you say a promise is a promise and you will complete it even if the world ends, can you promise me one thing too?"
It suddenly asked seemingly out of nowhere.
"Hmm?" Liam was confused but seeing him being so serious for the first time, he nodded naturally,
"Sure, you know how I am."
He could feel the urgency in the cat and with the sudden system announcement, he felt that the things didn't seem to look the way it is.
Moreover, he was about to die anyway. One or two promises didn't matter much.
"Good, haha. Then, let me help you this time." The cat suddenly beamed with a smile.
Then, before Liam could react, the cat dug its claw into its own forehead, pulling out a glowing blue gem; then crushed it.
As soon as it did that, another announcement from the system began to ring loudly yet again.
—
[Alert! An unknown source of energy has suddenly stopped the Authority transfer.]
[Initiating transfer sequence. Failed.]
[....]
[....]
[Due to the failure to transfer authority, this safety protocol has been abandoned.]
—
"What are you doing?"
Liam couldn't help but ask about his weird action that led to the announcement right after.
"Helping you! Now that the transfer of Authority has been stopped, the protocol has no choice but to continue the normal sequence."
The cat smiled, appearing much fainter than before as if its existence was about to get erased along with the pillar.
"Anway, I don't have much time. So, for my promise, remember, you just have to help me get out of the Endless Prison."
"And by the way, don't forget to finish the tutorial this time."
After saying that, his figure slowly disappeared, not giving Liam a chance to talk back.
"Hey, hey, what do you mean by that?"
Roaaaaar!!!
Liam wanted to ask when a sudden loud roar echoed through the entire world followed by the heat that was unbearable.
It seemed that while they were talking, Hellgorge had already entered this world through the portal, evident by the massive, unblinking eyes staring straight at him.
'Hey, didn't you say help? Why is this guy still here?'
He couldn't help but complain speechless, when suddenly, his movements along with even his heartbeat stopped followed by a searing pain that tore through his chest.
[Warning!]
[You are locked by Hellgorge's Eye Skill: Abyssal Glare.]
[You cannot move.]
[Hellgorge is using his innate skill.]
[You are being devoured from the inside out.]
Just a glance, just one, and he was nearly dead.
'Fuck, so you were trying to kill me by giving me hope?'
'Fuck you!'
The cat's words had clearly suggested a second chance. Now, he just felt like a fool.
But there was nothing he could do as his body collapsed, vision fading into black ready to embrace death.
However, just as his body hit the ground, suddenly, the dull watch on his hand gave off a faint glow. A soft light wrapped around him, barely noticeable, yet strange.
He couldn't move.
He couldn't breathe.
He wasn't dead.
But he wasn't alive either.
Suspended in between, everything around him froze.
And then came the announcement which Liam could no longer hear.
Ding.
[Tutorial has failed.]
[Number of survivors: 0]
[Conditions satisfied — activating Protocol: Last Chance.]