Chapter 75- The End of the World

I waited patiently until the news finally settled within the group. One by one, their faces turned dark, as if they had just seen a ghost. I don't blame them; they've just received the heartbreaking news that Earth will be overrun with monsters. It's highly possible that many- and I mean MANY people will die. If I had to give an estimate, I'd say at least one billion minimum will succumb to the monsters. If they aren't prepared, that is.

"…Pathetic," one of them quietly murmured. Everyone snapped their heads at the person who uttered that word.

"…. Are you guys not high-ranking superhumans or what?" Joel stated, straightening himself. "Why are you sulking like babies when we should be finding a way out of here? The people of Earth need all the help they can get, and we're here moping around? Absolutely pathetic. We swore an oath that as Dungeon Conquerors, not only do we exist to complete Dungeons to prevent Dungeon Outbreaks, but we also exist to serve and protect the Earth. How can we do something as simple as that when we are depressed and in low spirits? As members of The Six Hunters, Murim, and Olympus, we have to duty to fulfill, and it's definitely not here."

"Y-Yea! Joel is right!" Sophie added in. "Think about our loved ones back on Earth! If we aren't there to protect them, who will?! The D-Rank superhumans? The F-Ranks? While they may be stronger than a small platoon, I'd rather be there for them myself!"

"Heh. You didn't need to say something so obvious," Darion chuckled. "I was only dejected for a moment, no biggie. I can't die here when I haven't achieved my goal yet."

"I'm up for whatever you guys are planning," Chen Ling winked. Iris crept up behind Chen Ling and nodded her head.

"Now that we're all determined, let's head back to where Camila is. Right now, she should be all alone with Sam, and Leo…" Joel's voice faltered at that last bit, but it was brief. He knew that he couldn't go back to being sorrowful when he just said a motivational speech.

"Yea! Let's go back!" Sophie shouted as she ran out of the building. Soon enough, everyone else followed along, leaving Isaac, me, and the dragon.

"Aren't they a feisty bunch," I mumbled.

"Yep. Reminds me of us when we were still with Solgen and the others…" Isaac lamented. I patted him on the shoulder just so I can offer some consolation.

"Mhm. Not a day goes by I don't think of them. Though we should never forget them in our memories, we must keep moving forward, like we always do, right?" I lifted a fist, waiting for Isaac to fist-bump me back.

"Yep. As we always say. We must keep moving forward." He reciprocated by bumping fists with me.

"Kyuuu!" The dragon on my shoulder raced along my arm and smacked a paw on top of our connected fists.

"…Ah, right, I almost forgot you were here. Aren't you a cute little dragon?" I gently lifted the dragon with one hand and placed it back on my shoulder.

"I would give you a name, but I don't think I should. I saw you curled up in Sophie's arms. Is she your trainer?" I asked the dragon. It shook its head as it stroked its face against mine.

"Oh? If not, then how about I become your trainer? You seem fond of me, so…."

The dragon's head perked up at my proposal and scuttled around excitedly. I couldn't help but let out a warm laugh.

"Woah. I think the dragon likes you very much. I'm kind of jealous… I want a dragon myself," Isaac pouted. He reached out and stroked the dragon's back just as it stopped pacing around my shoulder. It let out a small whimper. I could feel my heart being stabbed repeatedly by this otherworldly cuteness…

"Laila, why not give the dragon a name? I'm sure it would love that."

"Hm… Good idea. This creature seems extremely intelligent. Not surprising since it's a dragon. What's a good name, I wonder…"

The name should be fitting. I can't half-ass it as that would be disrespectful to the dragon. The name should also hold some significance, so a plain name is out of the question.

I picked the dragon off my shoulders and held it up close to my face, inspecting its features. It had white scales that reminds me of a fluffy cloud, a cute face that was too irresistible to pinch, wings that are small for the dragon's overall size, and a thick tail. Its most striking features though are its eyes. They were of a deep lavender color. White skin, and lavender eyes… I could only think of one name that would surely fit.

"…Solgac. Your name will now be Solgac. It's a combination of Solgen and Morgac, two people very important people who have done much for Isaac and I."

At the sound of its new name, Solgac gave me a cheery smile, revealing its sharp fangs as it giggled excitedly at its new name.

"Oh? You like that name? Hm. It's strange. Whenever I look at you, you remind me of Solgen."

"I think so too," Isaac agreed. "Laila, I think we've stayed here too long. The others are probably already there, waiting for us."

"…Yea, you're right. It's time to get moving." Just as I was about to place the dragon back on my shoulder, a thought came rushing in.

"Before we go, I have to confirm something."

Let's see here… It's very important to know whether you're a male or a female.

"Oh, so that's what you are…"

Solgac tilted its head in confusion, wondering what the hell I was searching for, but it doesn't need to know that. I have now confirmed that this dragon here… is most definitely a female.

"Alright, the inspection is over. It's time to go." I dropped Solgac back onto my shoulders.

"Hold on tight if you don't wanna fall over, Solgac," I warned. In response, it buried itself deep inside my hoodie and stuck its little head outwards and under my chin. It would flick its tail from time to time and brush against my stomach as it cried out cheerfully.

"Good girl."

And with that, we both exited the ruined cathedral and went on to catch up with the rest.

****

Truly a trustworthy individual indeed. I was not disappointed by the Cardinal's timely delivery of the Cube. I'll have to give that man a reward later for his hard efforts. It's good to throw a dog a special treat once in a while.

"I should probably inform Demos that I have the Cube…"

Like a dinner bell, a holographic blue screen appeared right before my very eyes. As I peeked at the sender's name, I could only click my tongue.

"…Speak of the devil." I accepted the oncoming transmission just to see Demos sitting on a chair.

"Artoic. I see that you have the Cube in your possession."

I rolled my eyes at Demos' sarcasm. "Did you doubt that I would attain the Cube?"

"No, not at all. As I said, I knew you had this under control. My faith in you is not misplaced," he responded curtly. "…Enough about that. It is now time to enact the first phase."

"…Do you want me to bring the Cube over to the island and call the others?" I suggested, preparing to send a transmission to the rest of the Pillars.

"There is no need for that," said Demos, casually standing up. "We are already inside your palace."

"…Excuse me?"

As I looked up from my throne, in my view I could see all six of the Pillars standing right in front of me, side by side.

"…How long have you been there?" I asked, not surprised in the least as I removed myself from the throne and walked up to them. The reason why they're able to enter my domain so casually is that I registered them as co-owners of my own pocket dimension. The only permission granted to them is to enter and leave my dimension freely with no restriction.

"Not for long," Demos replied. He grabbed the Cube out of my hands and inspected it all over. "You know how easy it is for me to move from place to place. All it took was a single wave of my hand to bring everyone along. Shadows and all that."

"Is that the Cube we've been searching for? It's kind of plain, don't you think?" Bolaan mused.

"Yes, while its appearance seems… lackluster, its power is extraordinary. It is made from 'it' after all. A relic of the past, hidden within Tartarus."

Suddenly, after he finished speaking, he crushed the Cube inside his hands, reducing it to a pile of mush.

"Demos! Why'd you destroy it!" Luna complained.

"I fail to see the reason why you would crush it within your palm when we went through all the trouble," Solis pondered, pacing around Demos.

"…Is it possible that what we are looking for is inside the Cube?" Xalan voiced with a hand on her chin, thinking. Bolaan and Luna glanced at Demos, waiting for his answer.

"…You are correct, Xalan. The Cube is merely a vessel for the power within…"

Demos unfurled his fingers to reveal a floating red teardrop crystal. "The Oracle isn't the only power that's been bestowed to mortals. This red crystal right here was also created by 'it'. It has the power we need to complete the process."

Eight months ago, the conversion Earth underwent has only completed half of the process, allowing only humans to travel to Athiens through these portals. They had the misconception that these were Dungeon portals and that their sole mission was to exterminate.

"With this crystal, we can finally complete the process of combining both worlds into one. That, in turn, will make it easier for us to monitor the residents to how we see fit."

The red crystal was now levitating higher, where it was now touching the ceiling of the icy palace. A dim light then started to radiate out of it.

"This is only the beginning for us, and the climax for those mortals. We will regain our divinity, even if it kills us!"

The floating objects' light grew brighter with every passing second. I could feel an ominous, but powerful power being released.

"Oh, Creator! Hear me now! I, Demos, will be the first to announce!"

The palace ground shook with ferocity. From above, the palace roof was uprooted and tossed aside like a toy, and a warm sunrise light enveloped the room.

"The day of reckoning will begin at this very day, this very hour, this very minute, the very second!" Demos screeched at the top of his lungs. His voice could probably be heard from across the world if I could describe it. To match Demos' intensity, the crystal shot up towards the sky. I waved my hand across the air and created a live feed of the crystal. All the other Pillars did the same as we watched the red crystal glide across the vastness of space.

"…Where is it going?" Luna whispered.

"…Judging by its trajectory… It's going towards… Earth?" Solis answered, but I simply shook my head. It was not going towards Earth… but between both planets.

The process of combining the planets has started.

****

"…Mr. Reed, there are still no signs that The Labyrinth has been conquered yet," a superhuman informed. I and a slew of superhumans were stationed in front of the glowing violet portal. There were occupied tents pitched all over the abandoned church. Everyone had a solemn look on their face, bracing themselves for the worst possible scenario. Even then, they all had a determined look behind those scared faces. They have loved ones to protect, and they don't want to witness the carnage that would befall the citizens nearby. They would rather fight than be cowardly. Honestly, I'm surprised we had no deserters amongst the pile of D and F ranks. All I could do was hope that my gut feeling was wrong.

"S-Sir! We have an emergency!" A C-Rank superhuman cried out as she busted through the entrance of the church. She was sweating bullets as her teeth clattered like a nutcracker.

"What is it? What's the problem?"

"L-Look outside! There's a red light emanating from space!"

A red light from space?

The superhumans behind me quietly chatted with each other, their nervosity growing ever before. Ignoring them, I followed the frantic superhuman outside to find myself craning my neck upwards at the sky. Without knowing, I felt my jaw drop as I stared at a flashing red light growing brighter. The light was positioned between Earth and A1.

"What in the absolute devil is going on up there?" I murmured. What used to be blue skies sprinkled with white clouds was now a sky of a dark crimson color. I've seen a lot of things as head of the Department of Mythical affairs. Heck, I've even entered a Dungeon before… but I would've never been prepared for a scenario like this...

"Dear mother of god..."

Hundreds of portals of various sizes were forming in front of our very eyes. A portal as small as a penny and a portal as big as the empire state building was opening left and right. What came out of them were monsters that should've only been plentiful on the other planet. Not only were they forming in the air, but on the ground too. Land and air monsters were being transported to Earth. As an Athiest, I couldn't help but think; Is this God's way of passing judgment on us humans?

[The conversion of Earth and Athiens has resumed]