Nikke, something’s seriously wrong with this evacuation point! Chapter 33 33: Doble Kill: Gluttony

"Storm Bringer… you're weak now."

Liliweiss landed lightly on the ground. Within a hundred ters around her, no Rapture could even approach.

With a single wave of her hand, even the air itself could turn into blades that tore everything apart.

Her speed surpassed anything known for speed-type Raptures.

That overwhelming, absolute crushing power made even Liliweiss, who had prepared herself ntally, feel slightly intoxicated.

Not long ago, she still saw herself as human. But now, she had begun to feel like sothing close to omnipotent.

She shook her head hard, forcing her mind to calm down.

If her lifespan were like those fictional machines, endless replacent of parts, she didn't even want to imagine what she would beco with this power.

She could break every system, rewrite every order, reshape the world into whatever she desired.

In that case… she would beco a god of this world.

Fortunately…

For the first ti, she felt relief.

Her lifespan was short enough that she didn't need to think about eternity. She didn't need to think about ruling the world. She didn't want to beco sothing she would hate.

[Liliweiss, stop spacing out.] Charon's voice ca through the comms. [The battle isn't over yet. Kill everything around you before you start imagining yourself as a conqueror, alright?]

"I, I wasn't–" Liliweiss' face turned completely red.

Her embarrassing inner thoughts had been read perfectly.

[This is normal. Honestly, it would be weird if you didn't think like that at least once. Anyway, feel it?]

Liliweiss' expression changed.

"Yes, Commander. It's coming."

The ground trembled.

This wasn't an ordinary earthquake, it felt like sothing massive was moving beneath the earth at extre speed.

The surrounding Raptures suddenly scattered, as if fleeing from sothing far more terrifying.

Liliweiss didn't chase them. She simply stood still, waiting.

BOOOOOOM–

The ground ruptured violently.

Then–

Her footing disappeared.

She began to fall.

Below her feet, a "platform" of earth, about ten ters in radius, had detached and started descending like an elevator.

From an outside perspective, the scene was simple:

A gigantic, blood-colored maw erupted from the ground.

And when it closed–

One-tenth of the ruined city vanished.

Buildings, structures, and even escaping Raptures, everything was swallowed whole.

Liliweiss had been eaten.

At least, that's what any observer would think.

Until–

BOOM!!!

The massive body of Gluttony shook violently.

Then again.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Continuous internal explosions forced the colossal Rapture off balance, preventing it from properly "feeding."

It let out a roar never recorded by humans before.

Gluttony's "diet" was extrely wide. After discovering its digestive fluid, humanity finally understood part of its chanism.

The fluid could break down anything, organic or inorganic, into usable material.

Or possibly… even convert it into new Raptures.

Even Liliweiss, if fully subrged, might be broken down into raw components.

If Gluttony trapped her for even ten minutes, it could an defeat.

But unfortunately–

It couldn't.

BOOM!!!

A final, massive explosion erupted.

A crater opened on Gluttony's back.

And from it–

Liliweiss jumped out.

She landed lightly on its massive body.

Not a single stain was on her.

Only a trace of tension remained on her face.

"That… scared a bit," she muttered.

Even she had underestimated it.

She hadn't expected Gluttony to attempt direct internal consumption.

Too bad.

Before the digestive fluid could even circulate, its internal structure had already been shattered by brute force.

As expected–

Gluttony was no match for her.

"Mission complete, Commander!" she said into her comms.

But there was no response.

Silence.

She checked her headset, no damage.

Then she frowned.

Signal interference again?

Probably.

She decided not to dwell on it.

Charon wasn't even on the battlefield, so there was no reason to worry.

She would report everything after finishing the mission.

Without Gluttony, nothing here could stop her anymore.

Even Tyrant-class Raptures were nothing more than targets she could crush in a single blow.

Her gaze shifted toward the city center.

Toward the logistics hub.

And above it–

The sky-piercing Orbital Elevator.

The highest achievent of human technology.

And also the beginning of humanity's rise to the stars…

…as well as the beginning of its downfall.

Her next objective was there.