“What is it?”
The man firing signal flares was unable to hide his perplexity. After all, he had only fired the flares to draw the monster’s attention, nothing more, nothing less. And yet, even in a situation where it was uncertain whether that would work (with the probability of it not working being higher), the scene unfolding before his eyes had not only defied expectations but had completely fallen apart.
But if one were to ask whether this was a good or bad thing—
“Could it be…?”
It seemed to lean toward the good side. As if to confirm this, the confusion that had previously filled the man’s face slowly began to transform into a feeling of hope. Still,疑问 lingered. He blinked and stared at the falling monster.
The monster, which had been firing a dark red beam toward him, started to plummet after being struck in the face by a signal flare.
It was natural for him to feel bewildered. The signal flare was just a flare. Of course, if a human were hit by one, they might suffer burns, but for such a monster, it would mean very little. He had intended to use the bright light to irritate it and lure it closer rather than actually damage it.
However, the monster that had been struck in the face by the signal flare was clearly plummeting. Upon closer inspection, it was evident that it wasn’t falling because of the signal flare.
The body of the dark red monster falling from the sky was convulsing as if it had a cramp in its leg. Muscles—or possibly blood vessels—twitched, and its crimson flesh rippled like waves. It was violent enough to make one feel as if a cramp might rise from their own leg just by watching.
The man’s mind began to entertain a peculiar thought amidst the violent reaction, convinced that it wasn’t the signal flare causing this.
‘Could the flare’s lighting be its weakness?’
His reasoning wasn’t entirely absurd, given his past experiences. Among the Singularities he’d encountered, there were often ones with peculiar, almost absurd weaknesses. Some were neutralized by a flashlight, and he’d even heard of a Singularity that could be appeased simply by catering to it, like a puppy.
So… it wasn’t entirely impossible for this Singularity’s weakness to be signal flares. But as the situation unfolded before him, the probability began to decrease.
Ku-oom!
The Singularity plummeted with a roar and, even after the signal flare’s glow faded, continued to twitch. It seemed likely that the fall was coincidental.
Then what had caused this to the Singularity?
The answer was already in the man’s mind. The only variable in the current situation that could influence the Singularity…
‘Could she really have succeeded?’
It was Lime.
The man watched the convulsing Singularity, smashed into the ground, with a slightly incredulous expression. It looked as if possessed, like something out of a movie—someone walking backward on all fours before being doused with holy water, screaming and writhing.
Although it was closer to the truth to think that Lime was rampaging within the crimson Singularity, from a distance, that was the best appreciation he could give.
In any case,
As the scene unfolded, the agents scattered around the man and Hwang Bo-yul approached. The agents, with the exception of Bo-yul, all had dumbfounded expressions as they gawked at the crimson Singularity. It seemed they couldn’t understand why it continued to wriggle grotesquely.
The man glanced at Hwang Bo-yul, who had seemingly known this would happen, before returning his gaze to the Singularity.
When one thought about it, it was still difficult to say it had been completely subdued. The Singularity was violently twisting its body as if resisting something (most likely Lime). Thus, he couldn’t take his eyes off it.
Though it seemed like Lime had somehow gained the upper hand for now, without a finishing blow, it was only a matter of time before the situation reversed.
Especially since there was no sign of Lime herself, which made it all hard to believe.
Still neutral in his approach, unlike the man, Hwang Bo-yul appeared convinced Lime was responsible.
The other agents seemed to feel more fear than joy or excitement at what was unfolding before them. It was commendable that they hadn’t attempted to flee outright.
‘There’s no choice but to wait and see for now.’
It was the best option for the moment, leaving the man with little to do.
Still, the feeling that he had somehow taken down the Singularity with a signal flare lingered, leaving him with an odd sensation.
Meanwhile,
The Singularity, lying on the ground and twitching, slowly began to rise. The crimson creature wobbled as if searching for something nearby.
The agents were about to scream, thinking it was searching for them, but managed to suppress the sound by clamping their hands over their mouths. Yet a palpable sense of fear and anxiety began to spread like ink dropped into water.
What’s going on?
How did this happen?
Should we run?
Is it looking for us?
They barely managed to suppress the urge to flee, trembling legs and all. Had they not gathered around the man, the option to abandon him and escape might have been considered.
The only reason they could endure was twofold: one, Hwang Bo-yul’s calm demeanor beside them; the other, the peculiar observation that the crimson Singularity’s movements somehow seemed different than before.
Ku-kung.
Before long, it seemed to have noticed them, for the crimson monstrosity began lumbering toward them. The heavy steps reverberated through the ground with a thunderous rhythm, making it feel as if the earth itself were rocking.
Not long after, a great shadow loomed over them. Up close, the crimson flesh of the Singularity still writhed, but curiously, there was a hint of stability now. The agents, who had been trembling earlier, noticed there was less of the oppressive aura they had felt before, and it created a strange sense of dissonance.
Then,
It was as if reprimanding their sense of dissonance, the crimson Singularity’s massive maw opened with a thunderous roar. The sight of its cavernous mouth, lined with rows of sharp teeth, caused even the composed man to flinch, while others who had lost comrades to the beam emitted from this same maw either collapsed or shook uncontrollably with fear.
“Um?”
The curious voice that pierced through the tension belonged to Hwang Bo-yul. Trusting as ever, she stared silently at the crimson Singularity and immediately noticed something.
On what appeared to be its tongue, a blue protuberance was visible. Like a barb sticking out of the tongue, a tuft of hair atop it swayed back and forth. As the massive mouth opened wider, almost close enough to touch the ground, the identity of the small blue protuberance became clear.
“Of course.”
Hwang Bo-yul’s lips curved into a faint smile as she looked at the Singularity’s tongue. There, atop the massive pinkish surface, Lime waved at her. It was an odd sight—like remnants left uneaten—causing everyone but Hwang Bo-yul to fall into a state of cognitive dissonance.
What is it? What’s that thing left like uneaten food?
D, did she fail…? But she looks too cheerful for that…
As they watched in confusion, the enormous dragon’s head slammed to the ground with a thunderous impact, sending up clouds of dust. Soon, the creature’s tongue stretched out, and atop it, the expected blue girl was clearly seen.
The blue girl Lime pressed her hand against the tongue and pushed. Slowly, her body, embedded in the tongue like an object being pulled from quicksand, emerged. Finally, when her toes touched the fleshy surface, they were able to feel its softness.
“Huh!?”
“It, it’s collapsing!”
The crimson body, lying flat and extending its tongue, began to crumble. The immense form, which someone had called a dragon, collapsed with a resounding crash, resembling the collapse of a building.
Its wing, which had soared through the sky, snapped and kicked up clouds of dust, and its massive body, seemingly capable of swallowing everything, tumbled down with a deafening roar.
The same was true of the massive dragon’s head. The sharp horns that seemed capable of tearing anything apart had served their final purpose, falling like shed antlers and crumbling into pieces.
On the collapsing tongue, Lime stumbled about in surprise, clearly having no prior expectation of the body collapsing after it had been vanquished.
Lime, who had ultimately caused the collapse, now ran frantically across the collapsing tongue to escape.
Thomp, thomp, wobble, wobble.
Her cute yet urgent sprints across the tongue led her to slide off the tip before finally landing on the ground with a soft thud.
As Lime’s feet touched the ground, the crimson body completely collapsed. The monstrous form that had been terrifying enough to be called a dragon had now turned into a heap of crimson clay, malleable as though someone could mold it into anything.
The collapsed mass was inspected by Lime as she hastily moved toward Hwang Bo-yul.
Hwang Bo-yul, silently watching Lime approach, unconsciously hunched down and opened her arms.
Lime, though not intending to be hugged, naturally fell into her arms as if out of habit, likely due to Han Seori constantly picking her up.
Once in Hwang Bo-yul’s embrace, Lime became aware of the gazes of the surrounding humans and felt a hint of embarrassment.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Still, she had no intention of leaving Hwang Bo-yul’s embrace, claiming she was too tired to do so.
