## Chapter 898 – #196_Cataclysm
1.
What sustains a nation?
Many answers could be given.
Sovereignty, laws and institutions, economy, security, culture.
Each is a major component that keeps the great machine of a nation running.
But if we were to give the most primitive and concise answer, we could bring up the single word, ‘power.’
All sovereignty, laws, institutions, economy, security, and culture are guaranteed stability by power.
This is why many people trust the system of a nation.
It’s also why they don’t dare to overhaul it, even if they don’t like it.
Because the nation possesses a power that cannot be overcome at the individual or group level.
Refined violence, forged from the wisdom and science that humanity has accumulated.
That is the military.
However, in this world, there exist transcendent individuals who can laugh at such disparities.
“Urshula von Himmelslauf. She uses geomantic magic that manipulates gravity, and her witch alias is ‘The Witch of Inverse.’
She has been confirmed as a 22nd-tier Hexe Nacht hardliner public enemy.
Today, at 04:25, the Witch of Inverse encountered the 7th Fleet, which was returning to the homeland due to abnormal homunculus activity, and launched a unilateral preemptive attack.”
Whether it was a coincidence or planned from the beginning is unknown.
There is a suspicion that this Legion landing is related to the Whispering Witch,
but the Whispering Witch is not affiliated with Hexe Nacht.
In any case, it was truly impeccable timing.
The timing when witches from all over the world were gathering to stop the Legion’s landing.
It was a sharp stab at the vacuum of power that occurred because the witches, who were scattered like fluffy cotton all over the world, were sucked in.
The Witch Point side, which was focusing all its attention on the subjugation operation, was not even aware of the attack taking place on the other side of the Pacific.
“In the early stages of the engagement, the 7th Fleet avoided engaging with Urshula as much as possible. It seems they were trying to avoid any conflict with the Great Witch in any way.”
Urshula was a European beauty, but she was wearing a red cheongsam.
With her left eye covered by a black eyepatch, she stood proudly on the deck of a stateless ship, overlooking the carrier fleet.
In fact, everyone gathered here knew what the result would be if a 22nd-tier witch used her skills against humans.
However, the video contained an even more one-sided violation than expected.
As if directing, Urshula waved her hand, and countless small, black beads appeared.
Each one was a device that controlled the direction and intensity of the gravitational field, and they were fired like claymores in all directions.
The devices, which were no different from alien technology to humans, easily tore apart a huge destroyer.
Although the ship was resistant to enemy torpedoes and air attacks, it could not resist the gravity acting in different directions from all sides.
The sea, which had turned blood red as if stained with paint, answered what fate the crew members had met.
“04:42. They eventually retaliated against the persistent attacks, but….”
The fleet’s struggle was desperate.
30mm machine guns, various multi-purpose missiles and torpedoes, bombings from stealth bombers loitering in the sky, and direct strikes through the launch of carrier-based aircraft.
An excessive amount of firepower to be poured on an individual was poured on Urshula and her old cargo ship.
What appeared amidst the unrealistically brilliant flames and splashes was a witch whose hair was not even singed and a cargo ship whose paint was not even peeled off.
Afterwards, Urshula destroyed everything around her with an expression that showed no emotion.
The carrier-based aircraft, which were flying in the sky and pouring down machine gun and missile fire, were disassembled and crashed like toys.
An attack submarine, which should have remained on the seabed, rose hundreds of meters into the sky before being carelessly thrown down.
What she aimed for to finish was the aircraft carrier, which could be called the heart of the 7th Fleet.
She literally folded a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier with a displacement of 100,000 tons, a hull length of 300 meters, and capable of withstanding 12 anti-ship missiles.
The aircraft carrier, with its back broken, raised its bow and stern high into the sky, creating a splash as it sank.
“04:59. After sinking the aircraft carrier, Urshula left leisurely. Afterwards, Hexe Nacht broadcast the video all over the world through radio jacking and broadcasting stations and the internet that had previously exerted influence.”
“……”
The emergency task force, which had gathered again without even having a chance to disband, fell into a long silence after the briefing.
Looking around, everyone seemed stunned.
In fact, Siwoo also felt a lack of reality.
It was like watching a B-grade alien invasion blockbuster with great CG but a poor story, after spending a lot of money on the budget.
After Keter supplied the reverse barrier to all witches, it was taken for granted that witches were beings shrouded in mystery.
After creating Gehenna, this trend was further strengthened, and even those who violated it were punished without mercy.
But to attack a fleet and then indiscriminately spread the video?
It was difficult to predict the repercussions of this reality, which violated all previous customs and inertia.
The first to speak was Eloa.
“What about the Secrecy Pact?”
“Various countries are cooperating and working hard to control the press and prevent the spread of information, but….”
“It’s a matter of time.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
It might have been different in the past when newspapers and radio were the main media.
But now, in the 21st century, it is not difficult to access the internet unless you are in an undeveloped or impoverished country.
No matter how much power the witches have and how much national cooperation there is, it is impossible to completely cover up an incident of this magnitude.
“What the hell is Hexe Nacht aiming for….”
“Then what will happen from now on?”
“Isn’t Keter moving even after this? Is he really dead?”
The internet had become a blazing furnace due to the unprecedented video.
Articles poured out, and videos uploaded by cyber-wreckers, who were everywhere in the world, quickly recorded tens of millions of views.
-It’s obviously fake
-They’re doing viral marketing like this these days
When the video was first released, the main public opinion was that it was CG, a noise marketing for a movie promotion, or a manipulated video.
-I’m a deep learning researcher. If you look at 3:14 of the video, there’s a mismatch in the image quality, right?
-Not just anyone can play world police. Do you think the US is a joke?
-When the US expressed anger during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the whole world held its breath. If this video is real, they would have already been fiddling with the nuclear card.
-It’s definitely a manipulated video. There are weapons that are not included in the 7th Fleet’s organization.
In the comments, self-proclaimed video analysis experts and military experts appeared en masse and passionately explained ‘why this video is CG,’ and they received the most likes and were placed in the top comments.
It was a perfectly normal reaction.
Wasn’t it a video of a single person facing off against the military, and that too the most powerful fleet of the US military, called the Space Defense Force, as if they were breaking a child’s wrist?
And that too, a slender woman was using superpowers.
Even in a hero story where power inflation is in full swing, this kind of development would be heavily criticized.
As everyone was unable to hide their confusion and was swallowing their groans, the door opened and a witch urgently reported.
“The White House has released an official statement! It seems they have judged that it is meaningless to adhere to the Secrecy Pact at this point!”
A live broadcast from a US public broadcasting station was being broadcast on a large screen.
The US president, with a miserable expression, opened his mouth after a long silence.
〈My fellow citizens. Today, I bring you the unfortunate news that the proud fleet of the United States of America has been attacked by an unknown hostile force.
Early this morning. Many citizens were sacrificed by a being that cannot be understood by human wisdom.
The authorities are doing their best to respond to this attack. We will also take all measures to ensure the safety of the nation and the lives and well-being of our citizens. We will resolutely respond through solidarity.
We will cooperate with the international community to develop an active response to this incident.
I extend my deepest condolences to the victims of this incident and their families. Thank you.〉
It was a vague reaction that was not what one would expect from the US, which had been preemptively attacked, without directly mentioning the witches.
They did not clearly state who the main enemy was, and they also remained silent about the existence of witches.
After a national leader confirmed the facts, it was truly a collective panic.
-wtf is that real? I can’t believe it!
-The existence of aliens has already been observed by many scientists. Humanity has not been thoroughly prepared for it, and now we are facing Doomsday
-That woman was wearing traditional Chinese clothing. Could it be a bio-weapon created by China for war, not an alien?
-It is as written in the Book of Revelation. The Lord said, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and plagues in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven. All these are the beginning of birth pains.” Many signs have already appeared. Even now, let us urge repentance and return to the bosom of Yahweh, and enjoy eternity with the saints who have been saved together in the holy millennial kingdom that you have established, Amen.
-Yoshi! Humanity reset is here wwwww(*´▽｀)ノノ
-The secret weapon of the great Xi Jinping Ping has slaughtered the evil capitalist pigs. The woman in the video has blue eyes and blonde hair, but she is wearing the traditional clothing of the People’s Republic of China, so she is clearly an honorary Chinese.
-What stocks should I buy now? Should I buy gold?
-By the way, that woman is so pretty
Even this much was enough to make one’s head spin.
But the rapid change of the situation did not stop.
“Tiferet, I have a report.”
She, who had not even properly tidied her disheveled hair, spoke in a somewhat dazed voice.
“The ‘gate’ of Gehenna has been closed. We are also unable to contact them at this time. In addition, reports of homunculus sightings are coming in from all over the world. The homunculi have begun to appear before humans without using the reverse barrier. There has been no damage confirmed so far, but we have been asked to prepare a response as soon as possible….”
Everything was unclear now, but this much was certain.
Both humanity and the witch society.
They had reached an unprecedented turning point.
