## Chapter 692 – 692. Vanguard – Alien Invasion
692. Vanguard – Alien Invasion
The Nightmare moved like it was crawling on the ground, then grabbed Cloud by the neck from behind with both hands.
“Ugh, kghh…”
Cloud struggled, kicking the Nightmare with both feet. Her feet passed right through the Nightmare’s body. It didn’t inflict any damage.
‘Flash.’
I instantly approached the Nightmare and tried to cut off its head. But a black wind blew from it, sending me flying backward.
Dorothy slammed her wooden staff on the ground. A beam of light fell from the sky, searing the Nightmare’s shoulder.
“Blondie! Use the clouds!”
“Aaaah!”
Clouds erupted from Cloud’s body, engulfing the Nightmare.
“Cloud! Even for three seconds is fine! Use the clouds to hold it!”
I shouted and flew into the air. The white clouds that were billowing out tightly bound the Nightmare. Cloud was doing even better than I had expected.
“You, you…!”
The flustered Nightmare thrashed its hands, tearing through the clouds. But the clouds quickly regenerated, binding it again.
Now was the perfect opportunity.
‘Flash!’
In the slowed-down world, I gripped my sword and took a stance. Just before the Flash ended, I used it again, cutting off the Nightmare’s head at the fastest speed I could muster.
Its hideous head floated into the sky. It was smiling leisurely.
“Don’t think that just cutting off my head is the end.”
“This crazy…! Should I have split it instead of just cutting it off?!”
Come to think of it, the ghost tree I faced when I first came to the Underworld was the same. I could chop it into pieces with my sword, but I couldn’t completely kill or eliminate it.
“No. This is the end.”
It was Dorothy. She shook her wooden staff at the Nightmare’s head floating in the sky. Wind blew from the end of the staff, pulling the head toward it.
“Kuh! Witch! Are you going to turn against us because of these outsiders!”
“You’re getting ugly now that you’re at a disadvantage. Don’t be so pathetic. Wasn’t it you who tried to kill me with them?”
“Aaaaargh! I can’t just disappear like this…”
The Nightmare’s head was sucked into the staff and disappeared. Its body vanished like dust. Only then did Cloud kneel on the ground, gasping for breath. Her face was pale.
“Haa. Haa. I, I almost died…!”
I approached Cloud and checked on her. Aside from her bad complexion, she didn’t seem to have any serious injuries.
“Dorothy. What happened to it? Is it dead?”
“I just sealed it inside the staff. Nightmares are immortal in the Underworld. This is the best I can do.”
“In the Underworld?”
She nodded.
“In another world, like Earth, you can break the seal and kill it. It’s relatively easy to kill since it’s not the Underworld.”
Dorothy straightened her disheveled clothes and smiled seductively at me.
“And I lost the bet, so I have to go to Earth with you. Hmm. Please take good care of me on Earth, Master.”
•••
We stayed at Dorothy’s house for one more day before going to Earth. It was the house where Dorothy had lived and grown up for the past few decades. We might come back later, but we needed to tidy up before leaving. She also had things to pack.
And with Dorothy’s magic, we were able to reach the passage to Earth faster than when we came.
When we returned to Earth, the world was in chaos.
The internet was full of stories about aliens. I wasn’t flustered. It was something that happened in the original movie too.
‘The fact that people know about aliens… in terms of the original story, it’s the latter half of the movie.’
I calmly picked up my smartphone and dialed Brand’s number.
“Brand? It’s S. I’ve just successfully completed my mission and returned to Earth.”
“Oh! S! You’re finally back! I knew you’d succeed in your mission! I’d love to send a helicopter to pick you up right now, but things aren’t good here. You’ll have to bring the witch from the Underworld and Cloud to headquarters yourself. As soon as possible.”
Brand’s voice was trying to sound calm, but it was more urgent than ever.
“Brand, please explain briefly. Has the alien invasion started?”
“It started three days ago. But it’s not a full-scale invasion. They’re sending reconnaissance units to Earth, like they’re testing the waters before invading. It’s clear that’s not their only purpose… The whole world has already realized the existence of aliens and is in chaos. Right now, there are over 2,000 aliens invading the United States alone! Mr. S! Please come quickly!”
Click.
The call ended. It seemed pretty urgent.
This time, I contacted my wife in this world, Jenna.
“Honey?”
“Jenna, I’ve heard about the situation on Earth. Where are you now?”
“I’m in an underground shelter. It’s crowded and a bit noisy here, but it’s a relatively safe place. You should come to the shelter quickly too.”
“Sorry, Jenna. You know what my job is. I think I’ll have to run around like crazy to save Earth.”
“Can’t you leave that to the heroes? You’re just an ordinary person.”
“I’m not a hero, but I’m not an ordinary person either. You know how important my work is.”
I heard a sigh from the smartphone.
“…Honey. You know I love you, right?”
“I know. You can’t be satisfied with anyone else. I’ll make sure to pound you hard when I get back, so look forward to it.”
“How can you say that at a time like this?”
“It’s because it’s a time like this that I’m saying it. I’ll call you again later.”
“…Be careful.”
The call ended. I tried to contact Lacy, but there was no news.
I glanced to the side and saw Cloud looking at me with a dumbfounded expression.
“Listening from the side, I’m just speechless. You know, aren’t you being too shameless? I thought you’d at least feel sorry for your wife…”
“I love Jenna, I love Cloud, and I love Dorothy.”
“You piece of trash.”
“Doesn’t Cloud love me?”
“……”
Cloud didn’t answer right away, hesitating before finally turning her head away.
“I love Master.”
Dorothy, who had been quiet, came up behind me and hugged me. I could feel two large mounds of flesh pressing against my back.
“This old woman…!”
I stopped Cloud, who was glaring at Dorothy, with my hand. Normally, I wouldn’t care, but we didn’t have time for them to bicker right now.
“Dorothy, can you use magic to move to the city in an instant?”
“That’s difficult. I don’t know the geography of Earth. And long-distance teleportation requires thorough preparation.”
“I see? Then the only option is to move as quickly as possible.”
We headed to New York.
•••
New York was quiet.
There were few cars on the road, and no one was walking on the streets. Most people were either holed up in buildings or in shelters.
‘The big cities are fine. The heroes and the military are guarding them thoroughly. The problem is the rural areas.’
The military and police were extremely busy evacuating people in the countryside. The heroes were busy fighting the Braktasian invaders who were still attacking Earth.
I headed toward headquarters with Dorothy. Cloud received a request for help along the way and flew off in another direction. The heroes were also short-handed.
“This city is quieter than the Underworld.”
“That’s because of the situation. It’s usually a very crowded place. Oh, when we get to headquarters, a lot of people will talk to you. Please deal with them, even if it’s annoying.”
“Can I curse the rude ones?”
“Please, show some mercy.”
“I’m just kidding. I’ll endure it to some extent. I’m Master’s slave, after all. But before we go…”
Dorothy grabbed my right arm and hugged it. My arm was buried between two huge peaks. I could feel her body temperature and the beating of her heart through my arm.
“That blondie isn’t here… Can’t we rest for a bit?”
Her hot breath tickled my ear.
“…There aren’t any hotels operating nearby…”
“I’m fine resting outside.”
“We have to save Earth while resting.”
Dorothy and I went into a dark alley in New York.
“Haaah!”
•••
I met Lord Saber in front of headquarters. He looked more tired than when I first saw him. He looked at me, then at Dorothy next to me, and his face hardened.
“Ha, look who it is. The loser and the runaway?”
Dorothy sneered at Lord Saber. I grabbed Dorothy’s shoulder with my hand. If she caused trouble here, I would be the one who would be more tired.
“Dorothy…”
I was about to say something to Lord Saber, but I gave up and spoke to me instead.
“As expected of the best agent, you brought her back. I salute you, Mr. S.”
“I just did what I had to do. The sword you gave me was also a great help. Should I return the sword?”
“You don’t have to return that sword. I think Ausvider is a sword that Mr. needs.”
“Thank you.”
Even if he asked for it back, I was planning to hold on to it with various excuses. This sword was really useful.
“But Lord Saber, do you have something to say to Dorothy? You keep looking at her.”
“……”
“If you have something to say, why don’t you say it quickly? Honestly, just looking at your face makes me angry, but I can endure it to some extent for Eugene’s sake.”
Lord Saber clenched his fist nervously before speaking.
“…Dorothy. I was sorry back then. I couldn’t die for you, and I didn’t want to kill you either.”
“Ha. So, you chose to run away? If you’re going to make excuses like that, you should have kept your mouth shut. I would have been less disappointed than I am now.”
“I have nothing to say.”
Lord Saber walked away. I noticed Lord Saber’s strange atmosphere. Perhaps the old Lord Saber had feelings for Dorothy.
I watched Lord Saber walk away, then kissed Dorothy.
“Hmm… Mmm…”
She didn’t panic and actively responded to my kiss.
I could feel Lord Saber’s gaze turning back this way from afar. I hugged Dorothy tightly with both arms and kissed her. Lord Saber watched our display of affection for a moment before leaving.
•••
Dorothy decided to cooperate with headquarters. She immediately became a key figure in the headquarters.
This was because the astrology magic she used could predict the Braktasians’ invasion of Earth. Thanks to Dorothy, the damage to Earth was reduced by more than 80%, and the world regained some stability.
As time went on, the frequency of alien invasions was decreasing. The people at headquarters were happy that they had protected Earth, but I knew about the great invasion that would happen later. Only by stopping the great invasion would Earth truly be safe.
One day, Lacy came to see me.
“Hi, Eugene.”
“…Lacy. Weren’t you supposed to have escaped to a safe place?”
I had contacted Lacy several times during that time. But I had never been able to reach her. Even when I sent text messages, she didn’t reply.
“I did go to a safe place. My father had prepared a lot of things without me knowing. And now, my father and I are going to leave for an even safer place.”
I felt puzzled.
Leaving for an even safer place? Considering that Earth was stabilizing, it didn’t make sense.
‘…But if she knows about the great invasion like I do, then it’s a different story.’
The reason I know that information is because I know the original story. There are people who suspect the great invasion, but no one is so sure that they would evacuate to a safe place.
“……Are you talking about an underground bunker?”
“A safer place than that. Braktasia.”
“No way.”
“My father handed over all the information about Earth needed for the great invasion to Braktasia.”
“You’re saying he betrayed humanity.”
“I didn’t care… but my father was overwhelmed by Braktasia’s technology. Eugene, I liked you. Let’s go together. Earth will be dominated by Braktasia anyway. Isn’t it better to live as a master than as a slave?”
Lacy reached out her hand to me.
“Take my hand, Eugene.”
