Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 276

276. The Sky is Falling (7)

Kaga gagagak!

The moment Petrovich’s skull shattered, shards of ice shot out like blades.

The ice blades pierced through the surrounding hunters and even the walls in an instant, but Lee Jitae narrowly escaped.

He glared at Petrovich with a complicated expression.

[It’s no use.]

Petrovich, now with only his jawbone remaining, rattled as he spoke.

Hyeonmu once again scattered black smoke, pondering how to shut that guy’s mouth.

[It’s already too late to stop Fayroun. Admire death from the highest point. In every place your eyes reach, the dead will bloom like flowers……]

With those words, Petrovich crumbled into ashes.

It was the futile death of one of the rulers of the world’s strongest nation, but the Cheonru [Heavenly Fortress] was still falling.

“I will take control.”

Lee Jitae, who had approached unnoticed, pushed Hyeonmu aside and placed his hand on the crystal stone.

Startled for a moment, Lee Jitae trembled briefly before his gaze scattered. Hyeonmu clicked his tongue at his defenseless appearance.

However, as time passed, no noticeable changes occurred.

A slight vibration and a feeling of being slightly tilted came over him. But with no significant changes, Lee Jitae took a long breath and removed his hand. His complexion was somewhat pale.

“Why do you look like you’ve been chewing on shit?”

“……It’s too fast. Moreover, the amount of mana synchronized with Petrovich is overwhelming, so there are limits to my control.”

Lee Jitae spoke while looking at the scenery of Saint Petersburg visible below the crystal stone’s base.

“Trying to turn the Cheonru upwards now is meaningless. It’s only a few hundred meters to the ground. It’s high enough that it will still collide due to inertia. So, I changed the direction. To crash into the sea west of the city.”

“The sea? Then the damage will be less. But why?”

“If a giant object with a diameter of 18 kilometers crashes into the sea, that alone is a disaster. Saint Petersburg, as well as nearby fishing villages and cities, will be hit by a tsunami. It might even reach Finland. It’s better than a direct collision with Saint Petersburg, but……”

This was the best Lee Jitae could do.

Hyeonmu could feel it the moment he casually touched the crystal stone.

The amount of mana controlling the Cheonru was roughly 12% Petrovich, and Lee Jitae was about 8%.

It was a considerable amount considering the effort in a short time, but it was not enough.

The remaining 80% was entirely the Cheonru’s own will.

If this was a steering wheel, it meant Lee Jitae could only control about 8%.

“Would it be difficult even if I added my strength?”

“The acceleration is already too great. It’s not like a car driving at 200 kilometers per hour can suddenly go backward by putting it in reverse. Especially with such a massive object, the inertia is enormous. It would be a close call even if the Cheonru itself was using all its power.”

That meant there was nothing Hyeonmu could do.

If the opponent was just a powerful enemy, he would do anything to kill them, but this giant object is a natural disaster just by moving.

How could humans fight and win against a natural disaster?

Hyeonmu thought plainly.

“Well, whatever. Nothing we can do. We’ve done enough, so let’s get out of here. I don’t want to be soaked in the Baltic Sea.”

It was then.

With a sudden, large vibration, Hyeonmu and Lee Jitae both fell to the floor.

For a moment, Hyeonmu wondered if they had already collided with the ground. But the cityscape of Saint Petersburg visible beneath his feet was not yet that close.

Lee Jitae hurriedly placed his hand on the crystal stone again. And Lee Jitae, who grasped the situation through the crystal stone, murmured blankly.

“There’s something.”

“What is it?”

Lee Jitae looked down at his feet in disbelief and muttered.

“An invisible, massive something…… is forcibly stopping the Cheonru from falling.”

***

The sky was collapsing.

People were terrified as they watched the Cheonru getting closer to the ground. They could now see the Cheonru’s glistening surface.

Fluttering tentacles wrapped around buildings, leaving long scars on the ground.

The screams of people did not stop in the apocalyptic scenery.

Kwakwakwakwak.

Finally, a tall building that touched the Cheonru’s belly crumbled like a reed.

Compared to the enormous appearance of the Cheonru, the tall building looked like a toothpick.

People were suffering from claustrophobia even while standing in the square.

Some cried, some laughed.

None of them had ever imagined that they would meet the end like bugs crushed to death on the floor.

And one person was standing.

Adam Fault realized that no matter how fast he ran, he could not take Maria Keller to a safe place from the Cheonru as he watched the Cheonru falling rapidly.

Whether it was land or sea, disaster would occur if the Cheonru laid its broad belly down.

“Adam.”

Maria’s voice came from behind. Adam did not turn around.

“Do what you have to do.”

Maria Keller urged destruction.

It was not enough for the Cheonru to land on the ground. It had to be completely destroyed.

It was unavoidable that hunters had already boarded it.

They were bugs. Treacherous bugs who had decided to betray humanity.

He had to instill fear in the people left on the ground, even if only a little.

“Only hawks and bees can tame these beasts. Adam.”

Adam nodded.

Maria had reformed one beast like that.

She did not give up on a girl who was a madman, no different from a beast, even when her own skin was torn, her bones were broken, and her muscles were ripped apart.

There was a girl who was finally able to imitate a human, thanks to a professor who did not stop taming her even when her body was battered and half of her body was disabled.

“Become the hawk I wield, Adam.”

Adam raised the hawk.

The Chepesh Case [a powerful artifact].

The most powerful switch created by Chrome.

The sound of the sky sobbing and falling was heard. The wind screamed and ran. The sea surged and the waves bounced.

Adam did not even glance at his wet pants. Suddenly, her fingertips moved.

At that moment, everyone fell silent.

For a moment, the wind became calm as if it had been caught, and the sea became as flat as a mirror.

In the suffocating silence, Chrome’s agent and Maria watched Adam. It was not just a feeling.

Adam was really holding everything around him in place.

And Adam’s eyes burned yellow.

They were snake eyes, torn vertically.

“Oooooooo!”

Adam let out a scream, as if wailing.

But nothing happened.

The moment Chrome’s agent was seized by a strange feeling, a change began on the Cheonru’s belly.

A flash of light flickered.

The explosion looked small because it was far away, but he could quickly recognize it.

That the explosion was actually a huge flame that could swallow an entire building.

Such explosions spread throughout the Cheonru’s belly.

Kwakwakwakwakwang.

It was as if bombs were pouring from the ground into the sky. Chrome’s agent lost his words at the dazzling and splendid sight.

It was clear that the rumor that Chrome was hiding ‘the most powerful ability user in the world’ was not an empty boast.

The Chrome agent could see the heat haze rising around Adam. Tremendous heat was raging around her.

The surrounding stone fragments were crumbling. It was the heat caused by the fierce forces fluctuating and colliding.

Even the experienced Chrome agent had never seen such a sight before.

“Oooooooo!”

Adam roared wildly and pushed the Cheonru up into the sky.

It was not realistic because it was so close, but the Chrome agent was sure that it was working.

At least the falling speed was clearly slowing down.

“Professor, success…….”

He was about to say that it seemed to be succeeding when he faced Maria Keller’s distorted face.

Maria shouted at Adam with an expression full of anger.

“What are you doing, Adam! Why aren’t you using the Staff of God!”

The Staff of God meant a metal rod specially made by Chrome.

Only then did the Chrome agent realize that the explosion should have occurred on the back side, not the belly side.

And that such a dazzling explosion could not have occurred if he had used the Staff of God.

Kigigigigik.

The sound of scrap metal screaming was heard from the sea.

A fleet temporarily called in from Russia for the security of this meeting was deployed in the sea off the city.

But the number of ships had clearly decreased noticeably.

The moment he thought it might be, he discovered a huge shadow rising dimly from the darkness.

If the agent’s memory was correct, it looked similar to the Russian aircraft carrier he had glimpsed.

The aircraft carrier soared with all its power and collided with the Cheonru in an instant.

Soon, a huge explosion occurred that could not be compared to anything before. It was a flame caused by the simultaneous explosion of ammunition and fuel stored inside.

But Maria Keller still did not stop shouting.

“Use the staff, Adam! Those toys are meaningless!”

“Professor, even so, that’s quite…….”

“You idiot, battleships and aircraft carriers are just lumps of metal! The staff is a knife with a well-sharpened blade! Moreover, the staff gains falling acceleration due to altitude! The amount of impact is on a different level than a ship barely pulled up from the sea!”

Only then did the Chrome agent realize what Maria Keller was hoping for. And he could also understand Adam’s intentions.

Maria urged Adam once again.

“This is a safe zone, you idiot! Stop worrying unnecessarily and tear the Cheonru apart! You promised! They can only have the Cheonru’s severed corpse!”

The word safe zone is a lie.

Of course, they would not be directly hit by the Cheonru’s fall, but no one knew how far the aftermath would reach.

He would believe it even if a cloud of dust covered Western Europe.

But Adam Fault was planning to save Maria Keller without a single scratch.

However, Maria Keller was literally hoping to tear the Cheonru apart.

‘If that’s the case from the beginning, wouldn’t it be better to just take Maria Keller out……?’

Adam Fault was also capable of levitation with her skills.

Now that the situation in the air has been sorted out, it would be possible to escape with Maria.

But when he thought about it, he realized that Maria would refuse such a thing.

The current situation was a compromise between Maria’s order to somehow clean up the Cheonru and Adam’s instinct that Maria should not be hurt even a little.

“Adam!”

Maria shouted once again. But Adam did not look back.

Thousands of pieces of huge scrap metal embedded in the Cheonru were struggling to push the Cheonru up.

The sight of her pushing the Cheonru up alone was so unrealistic that the Chrome agent thought it was like a transparent giant with thousands of arms carrying and pushing the Cheonru up.

Adam Fault could no longer roar. Only a difficult groan flowed out from between his tightly clenched teeth. Blood was seeping out as his teeth were broken.

The sea, which had been as calm as a mirror, surged again and created foam. The moment the waves were about to cover Adam, the waves instantly turned into white steam and disappeared.

The Chrome agent looked up at the sky and had no choice but to agree with Maria Keller’s opinion.

He was not strong enough.

If he had torn the Cheonru apart and scattered it as Maria said, it might have taken less effort, but the inertia of the giant body was still being maintained.

“It’s still not enough…….”

Despite Adam Fault’s great strength, it was impossible to lift the Cheonru.

But.

She bought enough time.

***

“What happened? Something powerful is forcibly stopping the Cheonru from falling.”

“It means they’re not just playing around on the ground either.”

What Hyeonmu immediately thought of was Adam Fault. He could feel a similar ominous aura to when the Chepesh Case began in the Pyongyang Reclamation War.

If this was Adam Fault’s power, it meant her power was beyond Hyeonmu’s expectations.

‘That side is also a type where the balance is completely off…… I need to take a closer look.’

The Chepesh Case shown during the Pyongyang Reclamation War was just a taste compared to this power.

Adam Fault was literally going all out.

“It’s not the time to just watch. Kang Hyeonmu! If they’re buying time from below, we have to do something too!”

But it was Lee Jitae himself who said there was a limit.

Even if he turned the Cheonru’s direction upwards as much as possible, the inertia was already beyond the power the Cheonru could exert.

Nevertheless, Lee Jitae was still not letting go of the string of hope.

He placed his hand on the crystal stone and turned the direction of the Cheonru, which had been adjusted towards the sea, upwards as much as possible.

However, it seemed that Adam Fault would run out of strength first.

Unless the Cheonru showed the will to rise on its own with all its power, collision would come before ascent.

The moment Hyeonmu was about to lend a hand, knowing it was meaningless, a series of roars echoed.

Kwakwakwakwang.

The two felt the pressure pressing down on their bodies.

The Cheonru had suddenly stopped.

Lee Jitae belatedly saw the scene reflected on the floor and was shocked.

Thousands of tentacles attached to the Cheonru were all firmly embedded in the ground, stopping the fall.

Some tentacles burst out because they could not withstand the pressure.

Lee Jitae hurriedly checked the status. Then he confirmed unbelievable information.

The Cheonru’s will was 100% controlled.

But it was not Hyeonmu’s, Lee Jitae’s, or Petrovich’s.

It was someone else’s entirely.

Something completely different had swallowed even Hyeonmu and Lee Jitae’s will whole.

It was impossible. Even if tried from another cockpit, the limit would be at most 20%.

‘Who the hell?’

***

At that time, the room where the Cheonru’s heart was located.

People were looking at the Cheonru’s heart with shocked expressions.

An unidentified black smoke was swirling around the Cheonru’s heart. The heart was being dyed in a glistening, ominous purple color.

And Yumin was standing right in front of the heart.

Black smoke was pouring out of her eyes, nose, and mouth. The hand that pierced the Cheonru’s heart was already blackened.

“Hang in there, Yumin! You can do it!”

“Shut…… up……!”