How many times had this happened now?
How many times had he seen Maria’s worried, tear-filled eyes?
The high-mobility vehicle had come to a stop.
The effect of the physical shift had vanished, signaling that the vehicle had returned to three-dimensional space.
A familiar migraine pulsed from his neck to the back of his head, throbbing in time with his heartbeat.
“What’s wrong with you today…?” Maria asked.
Her thin fingers trembled as she clutched his arm. This was the first time she had let her anxiety show so openly since the strange events had begun.
Ever since Messiah had collapsed in the subway tunnel, drifting in and out of consciousness, she had felt as though he were somewhere far away. Even now, as transparent vehicles phased through the car and startled cries burst from a boy nearby, Messiah leaned against her, resting his head on her small shoulder as if asleep.
At first, Maria thought he was simply being affectionate.
But it was obvious—he had lost consciousness.
At the same time the vehicle stopped, a ripple of panic spread through the cabin.
After fully shifting into three-dimensional space, the priest stepped out of the vehicle. He gazed down at the massive trench before him, then lifted his eyes toward the giant fighting writhing tentacles several kilometers away.
He clicked his tongue in disgust.
The debris scattered by the battle had clearly struck the highway like stray artillery fire.
“We’re going down. Head for the spaceport,” he ordered, ignoring Messiah’s condition entirely.
“But Messiah—” Maria pleaded, tears swelling in her round eyes.
At that moment, Messiah awakened.
“Hurry. If we stay here, we’ll be eaten.”
There was no emotion in his voice.
His mind reeled. Having crossed the boundary between nightmare and reality, he no longer knew where he was or what was happening. His thoughts spiraled in chaos.
Urged on by the priest, Ilart hurried forward, his footsteps echoing. But near the entrance, his sister and the tall man remained seated.
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Elizabeth placed a hand on Messiah’s knee and peered at his face with concern.
“Do you have anything for hydration?”
A young soldier handed her a tumbler wrapped in a black, skin-like material from near the driver’s seat.
He couldn’t afford to let the savior die here—that thought was plainly written on Beald’s face.
Elizabeth offered it to Messiah.
“You should drink a little.”
With weak fingers, he grasped the tumbler and brought it to his dry, lead-colored lips.
Maria watched anxiously—then cast a dark, clouded glance at Elizabeth. Something close to jealousy settled in her chest.
Watching Elizabeth’s devotion calmly, Fan turned to the priest and asked in a voice as still as a lake:
“I have no objection to evacuation. However, before that, I would like an explanation of the situation.”
Though calm, his words carried a honeyed bitterness that forced the priest back into the passenger seat.
Adjusting his glasses and absently stroking the gun still in his hand, the priest hesitated. How much of the future could he reveal?
“You are all in a very critical situation,” he said, switching on the radio.
Static poured into the cabin as he adjusted the dial.
“Someone’s still broadcasting…?” Fan exclaimed in disbelief.
A broken voice emerged through the noise.
“This is an emergency broadcast.
At 8:23 a.m. today, multiple meteorites were confirmed by observatories. According to NASA, at least seventy meteorites ranging from several to over ten meters in diameter have been detected.
They have impacted dozens of locations worldwide. Current confirmed casualties include—”
The numbers followed—numbers no one had ever heard spoken aloud.
Faces froze as if encased in ice. Even Messiah, drifting in a haze, grew paler still.
What is happening?
Is this really reality?
The broadcast continued relentlessly.
“Following the meteorite impacts, natural disasters are occurring worldwide.
Mount Fuji, Mount Baker, Mount Ararat, Mount Cameroon, Erta Ale, and others have erupted.
Tectonic plate activity has triggered continuous earthquakes. Coastal regions are advised to evacuate due to tsunamis.”
The announcer spoke mechanically, devoid of any sense of reality.
“Unidentified lifeforms have appeared across the globe. Armed conflicts are ongoing.
Reports of nuclear weapon deployment remain unconfirmed but possible.
Repeat: take action to protect your lives.”
The priest turned off the radio and traced a cross over his chest.
The air inside the vehicle froze solid.
“…Has the end come? Armageddon made real?” Fan asked calmly.
The priest did not answer. Knowing the future, he could not.
“So this is happening everywhere?” Elizabeth asked, brushing her long hair behind her ear.
Finally, Father Max Dinger lifted his glasses.
“The scale is different,” he said.
“Not worldwide—universal. Multidimensional. Worlds and lifeforms humanity has never even known are being erased before we can ever encounter them.”
No one could truly grasp the reality of his words.
Yet the carnage outside, the death toll, the battle of giants—all of it gave terrible weight to his claims.
A moment later, a tentacle twice the size of the giant struck it sideways. Metal screamed like flesh. The colossal body was hurled through the air, crashing into the sea and vanishing beneath the waves.
“An HM retreating…” the priest muttered. “This is serious.”
He signaled his subordinate.
Within seconds, bundles of black rope were thrown from the vehicle onto the asphalt.
The youths understood then.
They were descending—
into a world crawling with monsters.
To be continued in Episode 1 – Part 10