This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 641

The girl’s hand slowly rose up.

It was so pale and delicate that it was hard to believe it belonged to a human, and it was small enough to make me think back to whether I had hands that tiny at that age.

However, the impact of that hand was anything but trivial.

As if it were connected to something invisible, the moment she lifted her hand, the things that had been pressing in from all directions suddenly retreated in unison.

It was a movement that seemed almost premeditated, and even if it had been foreseen, executing it would have been exceptionally challenging.

The sight was enough to raise the anxiety of those who had been facing the monsters.

But the problem was that it wasn’t just a simple display.

Though the situation looked somewhat unfavorable, I surely remembered it not appearing as if we were being overwhelmed…

Why had they suddenly drawn back?

That question didn’t linger for long.

Right before, the monsters had been charging in with murderous intent when the ground began to rumble ominously, like a warning.

“Wh—what?!”

“Everyone, be careful…!”

Perhaps others hadn’t anticipated this turn of events. Voices filled with panic began to rise everywhere as the ground started shaking violently, as if it were about to sweep away anything that had dared to settle on it.

Inside the base, the situation wasn’t much different.

In fact, it was arguably more serious rather than less, as the occupants were even more endangered than those atop the walls.

From their perspective, it was only natural.

Those on the walls could simply dodge into the air or anywhere else if the barrier started to collapse, but for those inside the base, such evasion was not easily achieved, and only a few possessed the abilities to do so.

In other words, if the base began to collapse, they would inevitably be buried under the debris.

Could that have influenced the situation?

Some of those waiting inside the base, perhaps out of caution for the uncertain situation, began to dash somewhere with grim expressions.

Where could they be heading?

I followed their movements through my anxious, shaking vision.

What I encountered was the sole passage connecting reality and Heogye, wobbling perilously.

To add to the predicament, the machine device installed by the World Hero Association’s dispatch team to stabilize the rift was enormous.

It seemed even they thought it wasn’t very adequate, as they mentioned in passing that headquarters was dealing with miniaturization and weight reduction, remarking that this was only a prototype.

Yet, that massive machine was now swaying dangerously.

It wouldn’t have been surprising if it collapsed at any moment.

And just to hammer that point home—

Boom—!

A mysterious object shot up near the ground where the massive machine was situated.

Wriggling tentacles.

No, they weren’t tentacles; they were the roots of some plant.

Though they bore the grotesque burden of thick, fleshy masses, their essence remained that of roots.

As they surfaced, they moved like snakes, snatching at the bodies of those rushing toward the rift.

“W—what’s this?!”

“Le—let go of me…!”

It goes without saying that those captured weren’t just sitting idly by.

Though not quite at the Hero grade, they were strong enough to resist.

Some started applying their talents to break free from the roots constraining them, one straining against their grip with all their might while another summoned blue flames from their palm to burn away what was entangling them—

“Tsk…!”

Another bent their body with remarkable flexibility to slip through the roots.

At that moment, the roots—yes, those roots—began to display a bizarre motion.

The large, bulbous growths that contributed significantly to the roots’ grotesque appearance shrank momentarily before flushing with vitality.

It resembled a heartbeat, prompting involuntary grimaces from onlookers.

What truly shocked them was what followed next.

The flesh that pulsed like it was a separate entity from the roots suddenly twisted and erupted like an explosion.

From it bloomed a flower made of flesh and muscle.

Its appearance was not just disgusting; it was horrifying.

Additionally, sharply pointed teeth resembling petals sprouted densely along its edges.

It was clear what kind of existence this was.

Unlike ordinary flowers, it wasn’t photosynthesis that sustained this entity.

Could carnivorous plants evolve to consume humans instead of insects and end up like that?

What once would have been typical stamen and pistil began writhing like earthworms, approaching those ensnared by the roots.

It goes without saying that anyone would find such an approach unsettling.

Those who had been biding their time, perhaps conserving strength in case of a worst-case scenario, began to resist with unparalleled fervor.

But—

“Ugh…?!”

The entities floating about entered the mouths of the captives far quicker than they could free themselves from the roots.

It was beyond belief that something like that had invaded not just their mouths, but their bodies.

The one who was first caught stood frozen in disbelief, eyes widened in horror.

They reached desperately for help, but it was too late as the vast, blooming flesh flower enveloped the unfortunate victim first.

There were no screams.

Instead… two stark white legs popped out from beneath the flower as thick, red liquid trickled down, revealing what was happening inside that horrific bloom.

The legs thrashed desperately, as if protesting they wouldn’t go down without a fight.

Though they revolted ferociously, kicking against the flesh flower that consumed them, that resistance didn’t last.

As if asserting they were still alive, the erratically flailing legs slowly calmed down and eventually stopped completely.

Slurp—

The legs, now unrecognizable, were drawn back into the flower.

The scene resembled that of leftover noodles being sucked back in—

“Wugh—!”

Once I crossed over to Heogye, bile rose for the first time.

Such ghastly sights unfolded across the Forward Base.

Of course, the defenders weren’t just standing idly by.

At first, they were too shocked to react accordingly, but there wasn’t a single fool among them willing to let such a carnivorous flower-monster run rampant.

Frosty blasts, fiery assaults, and resourceful shredding erupted throughout.

However, the number of new flowers blooming rapidly outnumbered those being dealt with.

And those newly bloomed monstrosities quickly reached for the rift, extending their tendrils.

Like jellyfish tentacles or earthworms, they sank into the stabilization device located beside the rift.

They wrapped around it… systematically disassembling it piece by piece.

It was as if to whisper, “This is your future.”