I Possessed a Broken Academy Instructor - Chapter 86



Chapter 86

“…….”

“……Oh God, save us.”

Silence descended upon the entire planet.

The tangled screams and chaos, the fear and rage, the desperation and despair vanished without a trace, leaving only a suffocating stillness in their wake.

“…….”

Whether human or one of the countless beings known as the inhuman, in that moment, none could utter a single word.

Indeed, not even the most common curse.

It was only natural.

It was not merely the sight of soaring through the sky, nor the overwhelming presence that stirred a visceral sense of revulsion.

‘…The air has changed.’

Superhumans like Jin Crow felt it in their skin, and even those ordinary souls who could not sense the psionic energy instinctively grasped it.

From the moment that being appeared in the heavens, any lingering hope would become a futile cry.

– Krrrrrrrr.

– Kyaaa.

All creatures held their breath.

Not just one or two.

Whether it was the beast that had just moments ago feasted on the shattered corpses of humans beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings, or the one that had been hunted, crawling like a worm with severed limbs, it mattered not.

– Krrrrr!

Even if the excitement of flesh did not subside, and the instinct to feast on the blood and carnage before them writhed within, all creatures raised their heads in reverence to their king, who had finally descended.

– Kyaaa!

With teeth that jutted out in wild abandon, they roared, whispering a grotesque dirge to bless the time of slaughter that had at last arrived.

– Kieeeeeee!

– Kuuu!

This was why humans felt their spirits crushed, forced to be wary of the newly emerged entity.

Yet paradoxically, it was enough to trigger the Black Mer’s loyalists, who, amidst the rapidly unfolding chaos, thought to themselves, ‘This is not right,’ and moved not by command, but by conviction.

[This is BMF-2 Squadron. We will sortie to secure air superiority. If this continues, we are likely to be fucked. Any squadron capable of responding, do so.]

[BMF-7 Squadron. Reception good. We will respond.]

[BMF-14 Squadron. Reception good. We will respond.]

[BMF-9 Squadron. Reception good. We will respond. …Damn it. Maybe I should have just stayed in the military.]

[Have you forgotten, Captain? The military we could have stayed in was devoured by that monster of a chairman over there.]

[BMF-7 Squadron transmitting. Communication is open. Shut up and move.]

[Reception good. I will shut up. You shut up too.]

The organization known as Black Mer was publicly recognized as a PMC filled with the staunch loyalists of Stero Mer, but the reality was somewhat different.

Of course, it was true that loyalty had been high until recently.

When Stero Mer commanded them to point their guns at the citizens, there may have been hesitation, but no one dared to defy that command itself—wasn’t that proof enough?

But the reason they pledged their loyalty was not out of admiration for the cause or character of Stero Mer, but solely for the promise of material wealth.

Black Mer guaranteed salaries twice that of any other PMC, and their benefits were the best in the industry.

‘But what if the planet to enjoy it disappears, and the company ceases to exist?’

No, when the very employer who had hired them suddenly went mad, merging with a creature and soaring through the sky, what more needed to be said?

Such a sense of crisis was etched into the minds of many Black Mer operatives, who found themselves unwittingly fighting against the creatures, and soon the results came into view for Jin Crow and the cadets.

Kugugugugu…

A series of black fighter jets emerged, tearing through the air, distinct from mere vibrations, beneath the gaping void.

These jets, piercing the clouds at a speed incomparable to any Jin Crow had ever known, soon began their bombardment on Stero Mer and the void turtle that was just emerging from the rift.

The cadets, witnessing this spectacle for the first time, along with Volk, couldn’t help but murmur in awe.

“…Wow.”

“Whoa.”

The squadron, swiftly maneuvering, unleashed hundreds of small guided missiles in unison towards Stero Mer.

As the air evaporated along their trajectories, mingling with smoke, Stero Mer reached out against the countless bombardments that soon enveloped his vision.

Kwaaang!

Gray clouds swirled around his body, now lifted into the air, and those on the ground gazed up with a flicker of faint hope.

Yet for Jin Crow, Baek Hwi-young, and even Satra and Volk, it was a futile struggle.

‘If it were to end with just that level of firepower…’

‘The Empire’s fleets wouldn’t have been wiped out in the first place.’

Those who sensed their future alongside Jin Crow could only pay respect to their efforts while harboring a bitter sorrow in their gazes.

Unfortunately, that was the reality.

And sure enough.

The fate of the Black Mer fighters, who had been resolutely continuing their bombardment, was soon rendered hollow by a single word from Stero Mer, revealed as the smoke cleared.

-What a bother, all of it.

A voice, thick with phlegm, a metallic rasp intertwined with pus, uttered that one phrase.

The moment those words were spoken, the nearest void turtle’s body cracked like parched earth, and from within, countless insect-like creatures with wings poured forth.

[W-What!]

Faced with a bizarre sight they had never encountered before, the pilots each veered off, continuing their bombardment.

But as the creatures settled above them, sharp blades like the forelegs of a mantis thrust into the cockpit, leaving them helpless to respond.

Puhuhuhuhung!

Kwaaang!

Explosions erupt across the darkened sky, dozens of them.

On any ordinary day, one might mistake it for fireworks, but alas, they were all fighter jets unleashing bombardments upon the creatures.

“…Can we survive this?”

Hinokanae murmured with a trembling voice as she gazed at the scene, yet no one could muster a reply.

It was only natural.

From the gaping void that tore through the overcast sky, countless void turtles thrust their massive forms into the world, as if to mock the heavens.

All around the planet, spire-like erosive protrusions rained down in a relentless cascade.

And in the skies—the only escape—Staro Mer, the architect of this chaos, soared as a creature of unimaginable power.

Even if one wished to resist despair, it was an inevitability.

And in that very moment.

—I, the one who has forged my domain, grant.

Staro Mer’s mouth opened once more.

—In this, place, history, belongs to me.

He fixed his gaze squarely upon Jin Crow and Baek Hwi-young, extending his hand toward the earth.

In an instant, an overwhelming surge of psionic energy, unfathomable for any human vessel, coalesced within his form, and as he yanked his outstretched fingers back, the ground trembled violently.

“Uh? Uhh!”

“Uaaah!”

The cries of the bewildered people echoed, unable to conceal their shock at the vibrations that defied mere earthquakes, as a transformation that shattered the laws of physics began to unfold.

The very earth quaked, and the horizon at the edge of their vision tilted askew.

Iron beams and concrete, deeply embedded in the ground, resisted the grotesque and violent fingertips, but ultimately, they were uprooted and severed.

‘Is it pentascale?’

Jin Crow, amidst the tremors and the psionic energy that rattled his mind, focused on Staro Mer, who seemed to scatter psionic energy as if it were endless, measuring the magnitude of his power.

‘It is both wondrous and terrifying. Had I been ignorant, I might have become a devotee the moment I witnessed such a miracle.’

Let’s consider it simply.

If one were to imagine that the very land they stood upon, a diameter of about 1 kilometer, was uprooted and tilted, would that not be a miracle straight from the pages of scripture or myth?

There was no need to look far.

In the ruins, amidst the debris, or at the brink of death, if one were to behold a figure standing arrogantly beneath the black sky with wings half-melted, some might call it an angel, while others might revere it as a demon.

Yet Jin Crow was not swayed.

Perhaps it was because he had reached a complete trinity.

He could faintly discern the manner in which Staro Mer wielded psionic energy, separate from the creature’s own realm, and the emotion that welled within him was one of ‘insignificance.’

“A child strong only in might. The epitome of inefficiency. One could believe he has no brain at all.”

The special duty officers do not process psionic energy through the virtual institution of Gira for no reason at all.

Psionic energy is powerful in its essence, yet it is coarse and inefficient.

From noble mtl dot com

Imagine the electricity meant for a typical household. Now, what if it were supplied in the quantities used by factories?

It’s simple.

Appliances that exceed the tolerable power will break down, and in severe cases, they may even catch fire.

It is, quite literally, a case of excess leading to ruin.

Yet, Stero Mer’s use of psionic energy was unmistakably that very scenario.

—Come to me, O deceived future.

Whether he knew it or not, Stero Mer murmured softly as he returned to the headquarters of the Mer Corporation, the destination of the slanted earth and the very source from which he had soared into the skies, reborn as the queen’s stronghold.

Soon, Jin Crow, who had been gazing momentarily at the receding figure of Stero Mer, turned his attention to the hundreds, thousands, and even tens of thousands of creatures surging forth, slowly drawing his pitch-black sword.

Srrr-.

And with a brazen air, he looked at Baek Hwi-young, who stood beside him with a spear, and spoke.

“Take care of the cadets and step back, Baek Hwi-young.”

“But the instructor said—”

Yet, unlike before, when he would have answered with careful hesitation, he now replied with a faint smile.

“Either way, the escape is doomed. All that remains is to capture that Stero Mer.”

“…….”

There were no further words to say.

In his heart, he wished to send the cadets away, believing they had no place in this, but facing the creatures surging beyond the slanted earth, he would need every hand available.

Thus, he took a sip from his flask, as if resigned, and replied to Baek Hwi-young.

“……This is the only time I’ll tolerate your arrogance.”

“Understood.”

Baek Hwi-young, with his characteristic ashen pupils, gazed intently at the hip flask Jin Crow had just drunk from, then took a step forward.

Thud-.

In that moment, not only Jin Crow but all the superhumans present could not help but turn their gazes toward Baek Hwi-young’s retreating figure.

“Do not worry, Instructor.”

His ash-colored hair and pupils suddenly turned a brilliant white, and he took a short breath while gripping the spear tightly.

And soon, he recalled the skills he had longed for in the past, the countless techniques he had once displayed, as he fervently spun the quad gears within him.

“The path, I shall carve.”

And soon, with that utterance, Jin Crow could not help but sense that Baek Hwi-young had indeed reached the quad.

「Penetration Overlap: Acceleration」

A flash erupted.

「Comet」

In that fleeting moment, the oncoming creatures’ vision was drenched in white.

What followed the brief silence was nothing less than—

KWA-aaaNG!

An overwhelming aftershock of violence, unlike anything that had come before.