Chapter 134 – Comparison

Huge lakes, like oceans, with waves rolling and crashing. These were the Great Lakes, said to contain about one-fifth of the world’s fresh water.

These five massive lakes, spanning the border between the United States and Canada, should have originally been beautiful blue sanctuaries for countless living creatures, but…

“What is this? Industrial waste?”

“Isn’t it something like radioactive material?”

Now, they were covered in a dark brown hue with a purple tint.

Seeing this, I narrowed my eyes.

‘It’s about to start.’

This was the reason I had quickly secured Water Ability Users, including Sua. Right now, it was merely a slight change in the color of the water and a severe stench, but soon, that water would not only become toxic but also a hazardous substance that rapidly corroded materials lacking mana.

And it wasn’t just the water. The ground often turned into soil that looked like crumbly bits of rubber. In extreme areas, the air itself became polluted.

In other words, the Monster Invasion was not simply about monsters arriving. It was more accurate to say that the monsters’ dimension itself was invading the Earth we inhabit. It was as if the world was being eroded.

East Asia, which had removed Giant Nests from the very beginning and kept the monsters in check to prevent them from operating properly, had not reached this point, but the situation in the United States was bound to be different.

They had been exposed for longer and more intensely.

‘The situation in Europe must be even worse.’

Although the Giant Nest in Siberia had been removed, I remembered there was one more Giant Nest in Africa. They hadn’t been struggling for nothing.

Furthermore, it was said that the Villain ‘Head Hunter’ was turning Europe into a wasteland. There probably weren’t many survivors.

And it was obvious that many of those survivors would have become refugees in the United States through humanitarian measures.

‘In my previous life, they came to Korea too.’

Now, ironically, I was the one crossing the Pacific to protect the United States.

Also, thanks to me cleaning up East Asia, the United States in this timeline generally focused its attention on Europe. Because of that, more Europeans and Africans who had fled to Europe managed to survive.

‘That’s a relief.’

However, I couldn’t let my guard down yet. Not only were there Giant Nests, but a considerable number of Villains and monsters still remained. Moreover, the appearance of even stronger monsters was still to come.

Among them, the most impressive species was the Hydra, a giant monster with eight legs, three tails, and five heads.

They stood about 40 meters tall—comparable to a 12-story building. Above all, their numbers were only slightly fewer than those of general monster-class creatures.

They were not opponents that Dragon Worms, which came in groups of a dozen at most, could even compete with. When you added their powerful regeneration and gills that spat fire and acid…

They were the very culprits who had driven humanity to extinction in the previous timeline.

‘No matter what I did, it was insufficient.’

At that time, my entire force consisted of Colossi fighting bare-handed without weapons and Magitech Artillery Units.

Although I eventually realized the true value of my abilities…

Because I couldn’t secure territory, I couldn’t secure Mana Facilities, and because I lacked Mana Facilities, I lacked the troops to secure territory—I was trapped in a vicious cycle.

‘Well, this time is definitely different.’

Rumble—

I calmed my heart while looking at the Photon Destroyers flying nearby. Furthermore, if I added the current research—

[Rate of Fire Amplification Research in progress… 31%]

—there would be no shortage of firepower in the future.

‘Before that, let’s remove the Giant Nest first.’

It was common sense to catch the opponent before they grew.

* * *

The location of the Giant Nest was in the middle of Canada’s great wilderness. I marveled at the vast forest of tundra pines from a high altitude.

‘It really is incredibly vast.’

At a glance, it looked similar to the Giant Nest in Siberia. But looking closer, there were many distinct differences.

First, unlike the area around Lake Baikal, which was dotted with various mountain ranges, the Canadian wilderness was almost entirely flat.

And the lakes!

As expected of a plain, there were an insane number of lakes.

Michigan, a U.S. state bordering this region, had the nickname ‘The Land of Ten Thousand Lakes’… but in reality, it seemed there weren’t just ten thousand, but eleven thousand lakes, each over 5,000 pyeong in size.

Sua and Seongjae, seeing this terrain, shook their heads.

“Wow… this really reminds me of Siberia.”

“Just looking at it is terrible…”

If we had to travel by land this time as well, it was obvious we would have suffered immensely in a muddy swamp even worse than Siberia’s.

However, unlike back then, we were leisurely flying through the sky in an Assault Landing Ship, enjoying the comfort.

The situations were incomparable.

“This is why people keep talking about aerial units, aerial units.”

I grinned.

* * *

Of course, that wasn’t the only thing that had changed.

“Kweeeeeek!”

This time, more and stronger monsters were attacking than in Siberia, but…

Zzzzzing— BOOM!

They were easily eliminated under the fire of the Photon Destroyers and the one-sided attacks of the Invisibility Interceptors. The number of Aerial Motherships escorting me was far greater than before, and as for the Ground Monsters that couldn’t attack the sky, I could simply ignore them.

Whenever the numbers started to pile up, I would deploy Rai, who would cheerfully collect Mana Stones as if he were ‘placing a product order.’

As we approached the nest, the resistance grew stronger, but it was only to that extent. Resistance. It was insufficient to stop me or push me back.

About an hour after my fleet passed through their resistance as if flowing like water, the Giant Nest finally came within the range of the Photon Destroyers.

Previously, I would have had to try everything to pierce that thick Mana Shield, but now it was different.

“Photon Destroyers, prepare for volley fire.”

Zzzzzing—

I simply concentrated the batteries of the Photon Destroyers into one point—

KABOOM!

—and fired them simultaneously.

After that, it was simply a matter of fate that only a large crater remained where the Giant Nest had been.

It was almost too simple. Seeing this, Sua tilted her head in disbelief.

“What? Is it over already?”

Knowing how much they had struggled last time, she was shocked by the difference between then and now.

Meanwhile, Seongjae, who had been snoring and napping on the bridge, was startled by the bright flash of the Photon Destroyers’ volley fire on the screen.

“Siwoo, I’m going back to take a nap…”

He headed toward his Private Quarters.

It was a stark contrast to the previous expedition, where everyone had to focus intensely on their assigned tasks.

‘Well… I guess I’ve grown quite a bit.’

It was perhaps only natural.

Not only the overwhelming firepower of the Photon Destroyers, but I also had Assault Landing Ships capable of deploying an unimaginable number of troops in an instant, and Factory Ships that could produce and repair machinery on-site. Furthermore, the firepower of the Aerial Motherships and the sheer volume of accumulated forces were on a completely different level than before.

So, all that remained was to deal with the surrounding Ground Monsters and recover the Mana Stone from the Giant Nest.

I began to slowly lower the Assault Landing Ship toward the ground.

Thump! Boom!

And then, the Colossi began their aerial descent.

True to the name Assault Landing Ship, the volume of troops was sufficient to clear the monsters in an instant.

I grinned and gave them an order.

“Wrap this up quickly.”

And soon, it happened exactly as I said.

* * *

At the same time, the White House. The Oval Office.

“Did you feel that just now?!”

The Mutants were agitated. The mana reaction of the Giant Nest, which had been supporting them in the Northern Region, had vanished.

“The Giant Nest is gone! And in an instant!”

“How on earth did this happen!”

Among them were veterans who had conquered numerous dimensions, but even for them, such a phenomenon was a first. Amidst the agitation, the Archmage Villain, Eugene Fitzgerald, explained in a calm voice.

“It was removed instantly by powerful firepower.”

Through information gathered from various magic users and Observers like Apoin, Eugene had a rough understanding of how powerful the Magitech Legion’s fleet was.

However, the Mutants, who had come from other dimensions and were unfamiliar with human civilization, looked as if they couldn’t believe it.

They soon began to criticize him.

“This is driving me crazy.”

“Do you really think that makes any sense!”

Eugene steadfastly pushed his claim.

“If it is him, it is possible.”

“Stop talking nonsense!”

“Do you even know how thick the Giant Nest’s Mana Shield is!”

“You foolish lower-dimensional inhabitant who didn’t even have mana originally. If it weren’t for that Anomalous Phenomenon, you wouldn’t have even come to a backwater place like this—”

They spoke of classified information without hesitation. Unlike most Mutants who were used and discarded, these were top-tier Mutants actively utilized in expeditions.

However, instead of answering their words, Eugene surged his mana. The blue mana swirling in his grip was an amount unimaginable to them.

Whoosh!

“Say that one more time.”

Most of them bowed their heads.

“Ah, no… that, it’s nothing.”

“C-calm down.”

“Even though it’s just a fake ability gained like a bolt of lightning due to an Anomalous Phenomenon, where do you get off acting tough!”

One Mutant, who looked like an octopus, was the exception.

“I am on a different level than an inferior species like you! As for me, I have trained in mana since ancient times—”

It was then that he shouted.

“7th Circle. Soul Extraction.”

KRA-KOOM!

Along with a piercing, powerful sound…

Thud.

He collapsed limply onto the floor.

He was dead.

“Anyone else who wants to say something?”

As Eugene growled and looked around, the Mutants became as silent as dead mice. It was a while before they spoke again.

“Don’t be too harsh. After all, our role is simply to wait a while until they arrive.”

“The Giant Nest and the monsters are ultimately just tools. Once that’s done, you too will be a proper high-ranking Mutant—”

At their words, Eugene shouted in frustration.

“Didn’t I tell you last time? He is getting stronger and stronger. At this rate… we will all be dead before they even arrive.”

“Hahaha… surely that’s not possible.”

The Mutant who denied it with an awkward laugh shut his mouth instantly upon seeing Eugene’s stern glare.

However, half of the Mutants still looked confused, while the other half looked vaguely terrified.

Only Eugene accurately understood the danger of the Magitech Legion. And he was doing his best to respond somehow.

“Since it has come to this, we must avoid a head-on collision with him. We must survive by any means and hold out while continuing to teleport the monsters.”

He began to explain the detailed operation to the Mutants. At first, the Mutants looked skeptical as Eugene explained calmly, but…

“Oho… that’s quite something.”

“It’s a brilliant idea. A brilliant idea…”

Soon, they began to nod repeatedly.

It was the moment the future began to change significantly.