A few seconds before...
Seventy and Nine Hundred-Eleven rejoiced at the damage Sixty had inflicted on the enemy group and emerged from the [Void Tunnels] to finish off the survivors. After removing the remaining barriers around the lake, they split up. Spotting a dark elf floating on the lake's surface, Seventy prepared to move when a sudden fluctuation in the air sent a chill down his spine.
His gaze snapped toward the source of the energy—a Spirit hovering mid-air, amassing a terrifying amount of energy and looking in his direction.
'It's the one that killed Twelve! His attacks are devastating!'
Realizing the danger he was in, Seventy activated every buff he had and pushed his speed to the limit. The energy beam fired, tearing through the air at monstrous speed.
Seventy barely managed to dodge it in time. However, as he turned to track its trajectory, his eyes widened in horror.
'Shit!'
The beam struck the ground, triggering a cataclysmic shockwave that obliterated Detroit in an instant. The shockwave expanded, swallowing city after city, leaving only dust and ruin in its wake. Frozen in shock, Seventy was pulled back to reality by a series of notifications. Quickly reading through them, he turned to his enemies, now encased in the familiar protective bubbles of the system.
Ignoring them, he tore open a [Void Tunnel] and followed the shockwave's path, hoping to contain the damage to human cities. Upon appearing above Toledo, his heart pounded in his chest. Though the city itself had vanished, thousands of people stood on the ground, protected by the system.
Wasting no time, he opened several portals leading to safe zones and sent messages to the survivors before vanishing once more.
Reappearing above Detroit, he began searching for anyone left alive. Seventy searched the ruins of Detroit, his eyes scanning every direction. What was once a bustling city had been reduced to an unrecognizable wasteland. A massive crater now marked its place, its depth immeasurable. The ground was scorched black, devoid of any trace of life.
There were no screams. No cries for help. No remains. Just... nothing.
His heart pounded as he expanded his search radius, forming larger and larger circles around the point of impact. Still, he found no one. Using his mental power to scan the area, he confirmed the grim reality—there were no survivors within a twenty-kilometer radius.
A wave of guilt settled in his stomach.
'This is my fault... Why did I dodge?' he thought, pushing forward toward the twenty-kilometer mark.
As he moved further, he finally saw them. Protective bubbles, each encapsulating players in a group of survivors. Some people trembled, while others sat frozen in shock. Some clutched their heads, shaking violently as they struggled to process the catastrophe, while others sobbed, mourning the ones they had lost.
Seventy landed near the first group he found. A dozen people huddled together, their faces pale with disbelief. A woman lied motionless on the ground, staring blankly at the sky.
"My husband… My son… Mom, Dad… They were home with us…" her voice, barely a whisper, was broken. "But they… just… disappeared."
Beside her, a teenage girl collapsed to her knees, tears streaming down her face. "Mom! I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at big brother. If I didn't, he wouldn't have gone back to his room…" Her body shook with sobs. "He's gone because his room was closer to the explosion..."
Seventy remained still, his mind struggling to process what he was witnessing. These people had been saved only because ten percent of humanity had perished before the explosion reached them. Had they been just a few meters closer to Detroit, they too would have vanished. Gritting his teeth, Seventy forced himself to look away from the grieving survivors. He couldn't afford to break down, not before he helped them.
Opening multiple portals, he sent messages to survivors across the region, instructing them to move through the portals to safer cities.
-----------------------------------
Sora stood in silence, watching as the last two clips he had chosen played for the viewers. The first showed a montage of high-level players his Alter Egos had eliminated while disrupting the raid.
The second showed the alliance retreating, abandoning the raid. The chat flooded with cheers—until the scene suddenly changed.
A giant hand shot into frame, seizing the player whose POV was being shown.
Then, Enkidu's massive face filled the screen.
"Not so fast, human. Stay with me."
The screen went black.
The moment Sora's face reappeared, the chat erupted in chaos.
But he wasn't in the mood to read it.
"This is the end of the stream," he said. "Thanks to everyone who subbed, followed, commented, or just watched today's live. There'll be more content soon. Goodbye."
Without waiting for a response, he clicked on the [End Stream] button and closed the interface. Turning around, he found himself surrounded by thousands of people, some standing, some floating in the air, watching him in anticipation.
Sora waved his hand, dispelling the barrier that had kept him isolated from the crowd. The moment it vanished, his senses were overwhelmed by the deafening roar of cheers erupting all around him. Before he could understand what was happening, people rushed forward, closing the distance in an instant, reaching out their hands, trying to touch him.
Startled, he leaped into the air, reappearing a hundred meters above the ground. Using mana to amplify his voice, he called out, "Please calm down. No need to bury me alive."
From his position, what he had initially thought was a crowd of thousands turned out to be a sea of people. Tens of thousands of players were swarming toward the spot where he had started streaming.
Scanning the crowd, he quickly identified a few familiar faces and sent out friend requests. The responses came almost immediately.
[Karim Baya has accepted your friend request.][Alius has accepted your friend request.][Emily Frekk has accepted your friend request.][Kim Dong has accepted your friend request.]
Seeing the growing list of confirmations, Sora selected a name and sent a message.
[Sora Hashino: I'll open a portal to a pocket dimension. Can you join me there?][Karim Baya: Sure. I'm ready.]
With precise control over mana, Sora created a small space beside him and opened a portal near Karim. The moment Karim stepped through, Sora followed, vanishing from Seoul's sky into the secluded dimension.
Inside, Sora observed Karim with quiet surprise. The last time he had seen him, Karim had been a young man struggling under Hannah's control, living a life without hope. Back then, he was just a level 150 fighter, working alongside his friends to raise their [Soul Levels] after Sora, Kara, and Alius had helped him escape his enslavement.
Now, however, Karim looked more mature, like someone in his thirties. Gesturing to a sofa he had created, Sora took a seat and motioned for Karim to do the same.
"You look quiet confident. You've grown," Sora remarked.
Karim smiled, but he was clearly perplexed. "So you do know me… I thought you were Alius at first, but Alius gave you a million [Soul Pearls] during the stream. And you have his face. All of your clones have Alius' face too! So… are you Alius' twin?"
Sora barely resisted the urge to slap his own face.
'Shit. I blurted that out without thinking.'
"It doesn't matter who I am," he said, his tone making it clear that Karim shouldn't push the topic any further.
Shifting the conversation, Sora leaned forward slightly. "Tell me what's happened in the last month. Where is everyone from the Sky Academy and the Alpha Division? What about your friends? Were they able to break free from Hannah's control?"
Karim's eyes widened in shock. The man in front of him knew about his past. After a brief hesitation, he answered. "The headquarters of [ARAM] were relocated. The Alpha Division moved to the United States, following Emily and Leader Kim Dong. The kids, though, stayed in Seoul. I'm one of the players looking after them, helping them train. All of my friends are free from Hannah's control, and are helping here or in [ARAM]."
Sora raised a brow. "You? Teaching kids? From what I've heard, you weren't exactly a genius at understanding the concepts behind your own techniques. How do you teach them?"
Karim's face turned red at Sora's remark, and he quickly retorted, "I'm not teaching theory! The kids focus on battle now... We knew Sir Eden and Madam Spirine loved to teach the basics of everything, but we were short on time. We had to shorten the learning period and make them ready for battle."
Sora frowned. The children they were training weren't students anymore... They were being trained as reserve soldiers for humanity.
His expression darkened as he recalled the friend requests he had sent to his parents earlier. "What about Marie and Henri Swanson? Do you know them? Where are they?"
Karim paused for a second, thinking, before answering, "They're with Kim and Alius. I've heard they've been training hard to avenge Sir Eden and Madam Spirine."
Sora' gaze turned cold as he stared at Karim.
"You sure give a lot of information about your allies, Karim… Are you always this talkative with strangers?"
Karim, who had initially tensed under Sora's piercing glare, relaxed upon hearing his words. He met Sora's eyes and spoke, "Sir… You may have changed faces, but I recognize the way you talk and the way you use mana. Not just anyone has this level of mastery, even at your current level."
His eyes reddened as emotion welled up inside him. "I don't have the words to express how happy I am to know you survived."
Sora sighed, the tension in his posture easing slightly. Without another word, he turned his head to the side, sensing the arrival of other guests.
Three more figures materialized into the pocket dimension.
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