202nd Episode
Meteo.
A mythical annihilation magic rumored to be capable of causing the downfall of a nation.
Its core principle can be summarized as a “magic that induces artificial celestial collisions through ultra-long-distance Gate creation.”
The theory itself was plausible.
However, for centuries, Meteo was deemed absolutely impossible to execute.
To even attempt it required breaking down the movements of celestial bodies within a star system into units smaller than microseconds and accurately measuring them down to millimeters, which was an absurd premise in itself.
Starting with the rotation and revolution of the planet underfoot, there were far too many variables to consider when dealing with space-scale coordinates.
Additionally, even the slightest miscalculation would prevent achieving the desired result.
Celestial bodies floating in space often moved relative to planets at speeds easily exceeding tens to thousands of kilometers per second.
Nevertheless, the legendary arch-mage Resina ultimately succeeded.
After identifying the celestial body intended to strike the ground, she deployed large-scale exploration magic across space to gather all information about its precise trajectory and form, minimizing variables as much as possible.
This process alone required an immense amount of resources and time.
It wasn’t a problem that could be easily solved by mere talent or high attainment.
Resina herself was aware of this fact.
Thus, Resina managed to pass on what was needed to Luna, bridging a gap of several hundred years.
[Communication relay from Aptel.]
[Request for access to Obelisk System by Resina Record Accessor.]
[Verifying permissions granted to accessor…]
[Highest Administrator Permissions confirmed.]
[Welcome, Master.]
[Obelisk System Online.]
[Data transfer and highest administrator assistance initiated.]
In Luna’s vision, a cosmic map unfolded.
The trajectories of countless celestial bodies came into clear focus.
This was the arrangement infused with Resina’s malice, madness, and desire.
It was a mechanism designed to drastically shorten the preparation time required for Meteo, allowing her successor to bring about destruction alone.
The Obelisk System assisted Luna’s calculations.
Resina’s incomprehensible talent, surpassing even herself, combined with her legacy, striving to reach even greater heights.
[Celestial search initiated. Calculating candidate objects meeting input conditions…]
Luna scanned the cosmic map.
For a naturally falling meteor to destroy a subterranean city buried 2 km underground, it would need to have a diameter of at least 500 meters.
However, this was assuming a natural fall.
Natural meteors lose power due to oblique collision angles, speed limitations, and damage incurred upon entering the atmosphere.
Meteo was different.
It could implement much steeper collision angles and allowed for adjustable relative speeds.
If the relative speed was high enough, even a smaller-diameter meteor could generate sufficient destructive force.
[Candidates finalized.]
Twelve celestial bodies were marked on the cosmic map.
Among these, Luna selected the one closest to the planet with the most stable trajectory to reduce variables.
The celestial body had a diameter of approximately 340 meters, composed of solid rock. When Meteo was cast, the expected impact velocity was estimated to reach 50 km/s.
Once it fell, everything within a 100-kilometer radius would be utterly devastated.
Luna decided not to care.
“Huff…”
Blood gushed from her mouth, streaming down her chest.
Even with Resina’s arrangements and Luna’s extraordinary talent, casting Meteo with only four Circles was an imprudent feat.
Four Circles couldn’t handle the spell formula of Meteo, and the total amount of mana was insufficient.
If there had been one more Circle, Luna might have solved the problem on her own, but that was impossible for her current state.
Thus, Luna used ‘Valerius’ as a substitute for the missing Circle.
Crackling sounds filled the air!
Valerius absorbed the reverse-flowing Mana Vein and Dragon Heart mana while collapsing, yet still fulfilled its role as part of the ultra-long-distance Gate setup.
The deployment site for Meteo was high above in the vast sky.
Since it was a spell that must not be interfered with, connecting the ultra-long-distance Gate near the ground was impossible.
Therefore, Meteo always descended from the lofty heavens.
Whoosh!
The sky began to tear open.
At that moment, Luna coughed up another mouthful of blood.
Her concentration momentarily faltered, cracking the barrier that concealed the massive flow of mana.
Kaaak!
The tower where Luna stood collapsed, and the shockwave generated by the flow of mana spread beyond the underground city in all directions.
This was clearly Luna’s mistake.
She should have hidden the manifestation of the magic for as long as possible, but it was exposed about 30 minutes earlier than planned.
After the wave of mana dissipated,
it wasn’t long before demons and devil worshippers rushed into the underground city in a frenzy.
While such minor enemies weren’t concerning, if a Lord-class Demon arrived, Ray and Ulte alone wouldn’t be able to handle it.
Even though the distance between here and the underground fortress was considerable, a Lord-class Demon could reach here within an hour.
From now on, it would be a race against time—or a game of nerves.
In the past, Resina had once faked deploying Meteo by linking empty space in the cosmos to the sky, tricking enemies into fleeing before plundering their vacated bases.
Historical records stated that Resina’s magic had “failed,” but it was obviously part of a deception strategy.
Lord-class Demons observing the sky splitting apart at an abnormal speed would undoubtedly feel confused.
Bound by memories of the past, a Lord-class Demon wouldn’t dare leave the underground fortress unattended just because the sky opened.
That brief hesitation would be enough for Luna.
Having abandoned concealment, Luna focused all her spirit and mana on completing the spell.
Crack! Crack!
Through the surging waves of mana like liquid,
the struggles of Ray and Ulte reached Luna.
Luna clenched her fists tightly, lamenting her inadequacies.
She was still lacking—still so far behind.
Aware that she needed to take the next step quickly for his sake,
this was Luna’s best effort for now.
BOOM!!!
Finally.
A pillar of light surged upward, reaching the blue sky.
The heavens cracked.
Beautiful starlight descended from the fractured sky.
Massive amounts of air were sucked into the starlit night sky.
Clouds flowing smoothly twisted their forms and shot upward toward the newly appeared night sky.
As typhoons raged and reshaped the heavens,
a colossal meteor pierced through the night sky.
Instantly, the meteor turned into a fiery ball.
Luna, covered in blood, extended her hand toward Ray and Ulte.
The almost shattered Valerius emitted its final light, pushing Luna, Ray, and Ulte into the void of space.
Above the vanished ground, the fiery ball shone brightly.
Traveling at 50 km/s (equivalent to 180,000 km/h), it didn’t take long for the meteor to reach the ground.
Barely the time it took to blink.
The moment the fiery trail steepened and touched the ground,
a flash of light erupted.
A massive flame resembling the sun erupted from the ground.
A fireball with a diameter exceeding 10 km engulfed the surface, causing the ground to collapse and melt into red-hot liquid.
Inside the underground fortress, a Demon with six pairs of eyes watched helplessly as everything around crumbled.
Though fortified against external impacts, the underground fortress proved utterly insignificant.
Before ordinary human cognition could register anything, the end had already arrived.
As the Demon with six pairs of eyes stretched out its hand toward the merging corpse,
the underground fortress completely collapsed.
The fragments of the meteor penetrated further, digging nearly 1 km deeper into the earth after annihilating the fortress.
While the underground structure collapsed, the surface was consumed by flames.
Thermal radiation and steam explosions set ablaze most living beings within a 50-kilometer radius of the impact site.
Even those 100 kilometers away would suffer horrific burns without proper protection.
The calamity didn’t end after the heatstorm passed.
An earthquake exceeding a magnitude of 7 on the Richter scale occurred, splitting the earth and causing buildings to collapse.
Windows in cities hundreds of kilometers away shattered easily due to the tremors.
And then,
the air compressed by the meteor’s impact exploded, sweeping over the scorched land.
Debris from the Forbidden Forest mixed with the air and flew dozens of kilometers before crashing down.
Even Rioshuko, a city nearly 100 kilometers away from the meteor’s impact site, was hit by the aftermath.
Buildings already half-collapsed from the earthquake couldn’t withstand the aftershock and were torn apart.
Knights-level warriors managed to endure the aftershocks, but ordinary citizens were flung into the air and died with shattered heads upon falling.
The meteor struck,
the Forbidden Forest burned,
and three cities belonging to the Alimo Kingdom were obliterated simultaneously, with one-third of the kingdom’s territory suffering direct damage from the Meteo’s aftermath.
Had the meteor fallen on the capital of the Alimo Kingdom, the consequences would have been several times worse.
What felt like an eternal, hellish time eventually passed.
The wind subsided, and dust floated in the air.
Gilland, the captain of the Silver Cross Knight Order, finally rose to his feet again.
The knights had survived.
The aftereffects of the meteor impact weren’t strong enough to annihilate even knights with superhuman physical abilities.
With the aid of Mages, they relatively smoothly endured the onslaught of the aftershock.
However, if the Meteo had landed closer to Rioshuko, even Expert Knights might have struggled to survive.
“Huh, hahaha…”
A surviving Mage laughed maniacally.
Gilland wished he could lose his mind and laugh without knowing anything.
Turning his gaze, he saw the remnants of Rioshuko, almost entirely destroyed.
All buildings had collapsed.
Fires broke out everywhere, smoke rising, and severed human limbs could be seen scattered about.
Pray.
The words of the Mage echoed in his mind.
Now he understood why the Mage had said that.
How powerless were we against such a cataclysm?
Even as he raised his sword and shield and urged the Mages onward, all they could do was pray that the point of Meteo’s descent would not be directly above them.
Gilland looked again at what was left of the Forbidden Forest, now a barren wasteland.
“Ron…”
Gillant’s muttered words, devoid of meaning even to himself, reverberated through the murky air.
Extinction (2)
