Chapter 802

"In fact, our current form is what humans are truly meant to be."

"You can understand it using the word 'evolution'."

"In this state, we possess greater abilities and potential; what was there before was merely a cumbersome shell."

Its voice was calm, carrying the contempt D-14134 was familiar with.

"You think this is ugly because you are still trapped within that shell of yours."

……

The audience had heard such rhetoric several times before.

In "Ascension," a large group of humans collectively ascended with the help of "High Heaven Parasites."

In "Chaos Theory," the Overseer Council had even split into huge factions over whether this behavior was acceptable.

And now, another opportunity for "Glorious Evolution" was laid before humanity.

"Well, besides 'Ascension,' a brand new type of human has appeared... what should this type of human be called? 'Shadow People'?"

"If Professor Fermi were to handle this situation, what would happen?"

"Looking at it this way, it seems we need to define the concept of 'human' accurately first... otherwise, the Foundation protects 'humanity,' the Foundation protects 'normalcy,' but what exactly is being protected? There's no consensus even internally..."

"Indeed, simply protecting 'humanity' is not a complete enough goal... if humans can be allowed to ascend with the power of high divinity, they should also be allowed to use divine power to become something else."

"Shouldn't we first define what 'evolution' in the 'anomalous' field is?"

"Actually... whether it's 'normalcy,' 'humanity,' 'anomalies,' or 'evolution,' none of these things are important. What's important is who gets to explain it, and who gets to define it."

……

D-14134 stared at it, trying to show disdain.

But thinking that the lighting here wasn't very good, the shadow monster might not be able to see his expression clearly.

He instead made a few sounds that carried a mocking tone.

Only... the black shadow didn't even have the intention to respond.

The monster completely ignored his mockery and continued:

"This was meant to be our form."

"But for some reason, perhaps due to a curse brought by other factors, or a restriction, the power it represents has always been locked deep within our bodies—to be precise, in the heart."

"The heart is like a cage, imprisoning the power."

"As long as the heart beats, this cage is unbreakable;"

"but it cannot die or be destroyed, because the power inside is essentially attached to it; once the cage is damaged, the power will also perish."

The black shadow lowered its head and smiled at D-14134:

"But the great Lord gave us the 'key,' allowing the power to break through the confinement and emerge without harming itself in the process."

"When the heart loses the energy supplied by the body but has not yet completely died, we can use the 'key' to open the lock of the cage and release this power."

"And the Lord also needs us; as more people 'evolve,' the Lord's will will draw closer and merge, helping us reach a new height."

"Of course, it sounds simple, but it's quite troublesome to implement; just the preparation for the ritual is very complex..."

"But besides that, some other 'assistance' is needed."

Its words seemed to imply something.

D-14134 was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly remembered its first sentence—

"Thank you for everything you have done."

The pain in his chest became more intense.

A fear he had never felt before rose in his heart, greater than all the previous ones combined.

Cold sweat covered his forehead.

He was drenched in sweat.

He had fallen into a precise, sinister trap.

The depth of this trap was something he couldn't even begin to estimate.

Likewise, the consequences were unpredictable.

"When you see one 'monster' after another walking out of a heart,"

"isn't it easy to think that the monsters are produced by these poor, weak organs?"

As if to confirm the conjecture in his heart, the black shadow continued unhurriedly:

"Then when you want to solve the problem here, isn't the first thing you think of to destroy the source of the 'monsters' in your eyes?"

D-14134's whole body trembled even more violently.

He retorted sharply:

"Since those monsters have already been produced, then according to your words, the heart has already lost its function as a 'cage'!"

"Regardless, destroying them at least won't have any adverse effects!"

But at this moment, these words had no conviction; they were merely to suppress the unease in his heart, merely to maintain a false sense of victory.

His body was still trembling, and the tension and disbelief in his eyes had not eased because of the previous words.

The black shadow smiled at him again.

This time the smile was particularly obvious and very exaggerated, making it look incredibly eerie in combination with that "face."

Looking at this visage, the slight glimmer of luck in his heart slowly vanished, and his whole heart sank completely.

"Even having the 'key' is not enough."

"The 'key' can indeed release the power, but although the heart is fragile, the confinement is quite solid, and the connection is not just ordinarily tight."

"Even if the power is released, some of it ultimately remains on it."

"Just as you saw, it can be easily solved with a silver-plated bullet and a prayer."

"So they must be completely destroyed."

"But we..."

The black shadow paused.

"... perhaps it's because we carry this power, or perhaps it's a side effect of the 'key,' but we cannot cause damage to them."

"So we can only rely on other forces—that is, you outsiders."

It lowered its head, looking down at D-14134, triumphant.

"Haven't you noticed that we have 'helped' you?"

D-14134's trembling stopped at this moment.

In its place was a strong sense of powerlessness.

He understood many things now:

Why those monsters had automatically dispersed to make it convenient for him;

Why he didn't attract other monsters every time he destroyed a "stronghold"...

And he also understood what the sense of dissonance he had felt in his heart all along was about.

—Everything was easier than he had thought; how could hell be so easily ended?

What was truly ended...

was him...

"This kind of thing, where we have to wait for others to do it, is quite troublesome; the flow of time here is different from the outside, and it usually takes several months or even years to wait for an outsider."

The black shadow ignored D-14134's state and continued.

"In order not to arouse the suspicion of outsiders, we try our best to adjust our thinking ability to be almost indistinguishable from wild beasts, acting only on instinct."

"And when you start trying to destroy the heart, our remaining reason will automatically take certain measures to lower the 'difficulty' to cooperate with your actions."

"That is the whole truth."

It paused for a while, switching to a tone of consolation:

"But even in such a situation, it is very difficult."

"I have to say, you are quite impressive; passing the level alone on the first try, I thought we would have to wait another few months."

After finishing, it took a few steps back and let out a few strange whistles, as if giving some kind of order.

The entire house began to tremble and groan, and the surrounding monsters began to walk toward it...