Chapter 73
7.
Most of what a Space Marine faced was Mogs.
In other words, they didn't face only Mogs.
There were often times when they faced humans.
Naturally, those opponents were criminals.
The likes of a Deserter Space Marine or a Wanted Psycher Agent.
Kim Seojun had faced such types before, and through that experience, he had learned one thing.
Never believe the words "I surrender" coming from an opponent's mouth.
In fact, there were more than a few cases where stopping an offensive at that declaration of surrender resulted in a counterattack.
So Kim Seojun could be confident about one thing.
He was confident that he would never stop at the words, "I surrender."
[I surrender!]
However, in the face of this particular Declaration of Surrender, even Kim Seojun, who had experienced the All-out Space Defense Battle, couldn't help but feel bewildered and stop.
And as mentioned earlier, that was a very dangerous thing to do.
The opponent before his eyes wasn't some clumsy Space Marine.
It was a being that treated a Psycher Agent wearing a special suit like a soccer ball.
Furthermore, the damage Kim Seojun had inflicted on the enemy was merely a single punch to the face at best.
The opponent's damage, confirmed with the naked eye, didn't look very significant.
There was no basis anywhere to let up on the attack.
Crucially, the time given to Kim Seojun was not long.
“What is that?”
What caught Kim Seojun's eye was none other than the necklace worn around the neck of the being before him, the Xeno.
The moment he saw it, Kim Seojun could no longer choose the option to attack.
"Where did you get that necklace?"
Because that necklace's pendant was none other than an empty cola can.
[This is a gift from a friend.]
He received an answer to his question, and the moment he heard that answer, Kim Seojun asked another.
"What is your friend's name?"
[It is Jo Woo-Jung.]
8.
When they heard of Doctor Space's death, everyone in Kim Seojun's Group received a massive shock.
Of course, the one who received the biggest shock was Jo I-Hyeon.
“To think Grandfather passed away...”
It wasn't simply because it was the death of a blood relative.
‘Let's just accept that.’
Rather, because they shared the same blood, Jo I-Hyeon didn't find it strange that Doctor Space had chosen death.
“But his final legacy is a weapon?”
However, Jo I-Hyeon couldn't believe that Doctor Space's final posthumous work was a weapon.
It made sense, as while many of the things Doctor Space created were capable of threatening Humanity's existence, he had never genuinely created a tool meant to kill something.
That was the reason Jo I-Hyeon had walked the path of a weapon developer and mechanic.
“And to make a suit like this, at that...”
Crucially, whatever Doctor Space did, he created something so overwhelming that others couldn't even fathom it.
‘By Grandfather's standards, it's too underwhelming.’
Although the Xeno Suit was amazing, an incredible thing that no one else could make, in Jo I-Hyeon's eyes, it didn't suit Doctor Space's level.
If Doctor Space's posthumous work was a weapon, it should have been something like an antimatter bomb at the very least.
At that point, Jo I-Hyeon was somewhat certain.
That the Xeno Suit was not a weapon.
‘Maybe Xeno isn't the name of the suit but refers to a specific alien race. And this might be a tool to communicate with that alien race, like an avatar.’
It might be a tool for communication, not a weapon.
That was why.
"Wh-what did you say?"
"An Alien Race has just surrendered."
"Hold on, hold on, hold on. Wait a minute. Seojun, I know it's a really urgent situation, but give my brain some time to process this."
While all the Comrades' thoughts ground to a halt upon hearing Kim Seojun's words, Jo I-Hyeon spoke.
"By any chance, is it an Alien Race that looks similar to the Xeno Suit?"
"That is correct."
And the moment she heard that answer, Jo I-Hyeon felt her heart pounding more fiercely than ever before.
This was a historic moment.
The fact that life existed in outer space had already been confirmed to the point of exhaustion.
“A real alien civilization!”
However, they had never once encountered an advanced civilization.
But to encounter such a being?
From a scientist's perspective, there was absolutely nothing more heart-fluttering than this.
“Huh?”
At that point, Jo I-Hyeon felt something strange.
"Um, Staff Sergeant Kim, did you say surrender?"
Kim Seojun had used the expression 'surrender'.
"Yes."
"Um, Staff Sergeant Kim, do you know how to speak alien languages?"
"I do not possess such an ability."
And usually, such a surrender was only possible between beings who could communicate, and even Kim Seojun, who possessed all sorts of extraordinary abilities, did not have such an ability to communicate.
A question naturally arose, and Kim Seojun answered it.
"The Alien Race raised both hands and made a Declaration of Surrender."
"Excuse me?"
The other side had said it.
"In Korean."
"What?"
At that moment, Jo I-Hyeon's thoughts also ground to a halt.
In such a situation, Kim Seojun didn't say anything else in particular.
It was impossible for their brains to understand the current situation anyway, and there was only one thing that could provide an answer.
"Let's talk with him first."
8.
[We are the Xeno, the beings who maintain the Balance of the Universe.]
The incredibly massive alien, reaching 5 meters in height, described itself as a Balancer.
[I heard about the Human Race from Jo Woo-Jung.]
And he told the story of his connection with Doctor Space.
The content itself was simple.
Doctor Space had encountered Kasaknat of the Xeno tribe a whopping 25 years ago, and afterward, the two had shared many conversations in a restricted environment.
In other words, it was a tale of friendship between two different species, the kind often seen in movies.
The difference from the movies was this.
[Jo Woo-Jung said that Humanity threatens the Balance of the Universe. He said he would stop Humans himself, but ultimately, Human Greed would spread into Space.]
That Doctor Space was a being with the power to change the future of humans.
[Finally, he conveyed his will along with a gift. He said that when this arrived, he would be dead, and asked me to stop Humans in his stead.]
And Doctor Space had given Kasaknat a final gift, along with a request to stop Humans, including a translator to communicate with Humans.
In other words, he asked him to kill Humans.
[I agonized over it. The Human I encountered, Jo Woo-Jung, was a righteous one who understood the Balance of the Universe. I thought Humans were beings fully capable of adapting to the balance, so I decided to come here and judge for myself.]
Of course, as an intelligent being, Kasaknat wanted to make a cool-headed judgment rather than outright massacring Humans.
[After coming here, I concluded that Jo Woo-Jung's words were correct.]
And the Humanity Kasaknat saw was none other than that of a Chinese person, and the moment he saw that, Humanity became a species that rightfully had to be eradicated from Space.
"I can't even refute that."
"Me neither."
"Anyway, those Chinese guys cause trouble in all sorts of ways."
Furthermore, at that point, no one, including Kim Seojun, dared to spout things like, "Humans have a peace-loving heart! Please give the Human Race a chance!"
It made sense, as what China had done was ruthlessly killing and torturing their fellow Humans on Planet Kingclench.
China had even intentionally supplied Beta Gas to the Mogs, showing a willingness to control those Mogs to massacre their own kind.
No matter how vast Space was, there surely wouldn't be many species that committed such nonsensical acts.
[Humans are beings that destroy the balance. In particular, intentionally raising Mogs is an act that greatly twists the Balance of the Universe.]
Therefore, Kim Seojun couldn't offer any counterargument to Kasaknat's words.
He merely had a question.
"Then why did you surrender to us?"
Why on earth did Kasaknat, who had made up his mind to drive Humans to extinction, surrender to Kim Seojun?
[I realized that you are connected to my one and only Human friend. I received many gifts from my departed friend, but I have never given him a gift.]
And at his answer, everyone shut his or her mouth.
Because they could feel it.
The being known as Kasaknat had a heart, and a warm one at that.
At the same time, they thought.
‘He might be Doctor Space's only friend.’
For Doctor Space, who was god-like yet alien among Humans, his only friend might have been the non-Human Kasaknat.
Right away, when they heard of his death, everyone in Kim Seojun's Group was only surprised; they didn't offer condolences for his death.
On the other hand, Kasaknat had risked his life to surrender in order to offer even a small repayment for his close friend's death.
[It is also to make a request.]
Of course, Kasaknat wasn't someone who moved solely based on emotion.
[We are Balancers; the Balance of the Universe must be maintained.]
He had a purpose.
[I must catch the subadult.]
The moment they heard those words, a question popped into everyone's minds.
"What's a subadult? My studies are a bit lacking, you see."
Right off the bat, the word 'subadult' wasn't easily understood.
Jo I-Hyeon provided an explanation for it.
"It means a youngling before it becomes an adult. In a dictionary sense, that is. It's an expression usually used for insects or reptiles."
"If we compare it to a person, is it roughly like a child?"
"Yes? Ah, yes."
Even after hearing those explanations, everyone tilted his or her head.
Was there anything here that could be called a child?
[Humans call the subadult a Behemoth.]
However, the moment they heard the following words, everyone couldn't help but freeze in place.
"That thing is a youngling?"
Behemoth.
To think that the being, whose very appearance was no different from a disaster from humanity's perspective, was merely a youngling?
It was something they had never once considered.
No, it was something they couldn't even imagine.
"Seojun, can you believe it? It says that thing is a youngling. That thing. At that size, it is a youngling."
Even Kim Seojun, who had seen the Behemoth directly, who had seen it closer than anyone else, couldn't help but be dumbfounded.
To such humanity, Kasaknat spoke.
[The subadult eats everything. It eats everything alive, and after that, it even eats stars. Eventually, the moment the subadult finishes its sufficient feeding and becomes a cocoon, and an adult is born from that cocoon, the Balance of the Universe will be greatly shaken.]
The true identity of the Behemoth.
[Why are you surprised? Have you not already seen it?]
"What do you mean we've seen it?"
What was even more surprising came next.
[An adult passed through here.]
Only after hearing those words could Kim Seojun's Group finally understand.
Why had the Gate stopped?
And why everything in Space had vanished in an instant.
[It was only for a moment; it merely brushed past, but you couldn't have been unaware of it.]
In the face of the fact that it wasn't even an engagement, but merely its brushing past, it was impossible to open their mouths.
Silence fell.
[Since there is no answer, it seems you were unaware of it.]
At that silence, Kasaknat opened his palm and showed it to them.
Four very long fingers could be seen, and Kasaknat soon explained their meaning.
[This is the meaning of the consolation we share.]
Everyone now understood the meaning of that consolation.
Kim Seojun's Group had now learned the true danger of the Mogs that Humanity faced.
Because they had gauged the size of the despair.
Therefore, Kim Seojun quickly snapped back to his senses.
Thanks to having already experienced countless despairs, he was then able to not miss the important part in his conversation with Kasaknat.
"Kasaknat, you said you were going to catch the subadult."
That the other reason Kasaknat had come here was precisely to catch the Behemoth.
[That is correct. That is the reason I crossed the distant Space.]
Everyone was surprised by those words.
[It is also the reason I have lived all this time.]
And the moment they heard the following words, everyone was even more surprised.
Because they understood immediately.
“Self-destruction.”
What Kasaknat was trying to do right now was to die together with the Behemoth, to self-destruct.
While Humans were exploiting Mogs out of greed, a certain Alien Race was prepared to sacrifice itself to protect Space.
Everyone became solemn at that fact.
Only one person, Kim Seojun, was different.
"Do you have a way to catch the Behemoth?"
He asked for the method.
[Catching the subadult with an External Attack is very difficult. Therefore, one must go inside.]
"Are you going into its mouth?"
[That is correct.]
And the answer was enough to astonish everyone.
However, the three who had faced the Behemoth were different.
"Inside its mouth?"
"It withstood a nuclear bomb exploding inside its mouth, didn't it?"
When Humanity faced the Behemoth, the first method that came to mind was to reverse-engineer the Behemoth's ruthless Gluttony Ability, and the very first thing they tried was to make it eat a nuclear bomb.
And surprisingly, the Behemoth withstood it.
Of course, it wasn't completely without damage, but there were several limitations to its use.
In particular, the biggest problem was that the moment anything entered the Behemoth's mouth, it was pulverized immediately.
Even if a nuclear bomb exploded, when it got near the mouth, it was only for a moment.
The moment it entered the mouth, the nuclear bomb simply became scrap metal.
From the Behemoth's perspective, it just ended up eating some radioactive material.
Anyway, by humanity's standards, feeding it a powerful bomb was not a very effective method.
But he was going to use that method?
[We have a special weapon for hunting the subadult. It is not simple physical force but sucks in space. I believe you call it a black hole.]
To that question, Kasaknat revealed a method that Humanity couldn't even dare to imagine.
And the moment he said that, Kasaknat closed both his eyes.
Naturally, there was no chance that the Behemoth would eat such a tremendous thing on its own, and in order to feed it to the Behemoth, someone ultimately had to go into the Behemoth's mouth with it.
And that someone was Kasaknat himself.
In that way, Kasaknat had settled his life.
To such a Kasaknat, Kim Seojun spoke.
"Could you give that to me?"
[Hmm?]
When he heard those words, Kasaknat was not surprised.
He understood.
[Thank you. However, this is the destiny a Balancer must bear and the fate I must face. There is no need for you to become dust for the stars.]
Kim Seojun was showing a noble heart, trying to sacrifice himself in his stead.
"That's not it."
Of course, Kim Seojun hadn't spat out such a proposal to die here in Kasaknat's stead.
He had merely seen it.
"There is a way to detonate the bomb without dying."
A way for everyone to live.
[What is it?]
To Kasaknat, who was surprised by that fact, Kim Seojun answered.
"I just have to go into its mouth, place it, and come back out."
And the moment he heard that answer, Kasaknat hesitated for a moment before speaking.
[Is that what you call a joke? Our species does not make jokes, so my reaction was delayed. I apologize.]
To those words, Kim Seojun answered.
"It is not a joke. If you give me that bomb, I will go in through its mouth and come out. Then no one has to die."
At that answer, Kasaknat looked at Kim Seojun, then soon looked at the Comrades next to him, and then opened his palm toward those Comrades.
He sent his consolation.
Of course, Kasaknat realized a moment later.
Kim Seojun was being sincere.
[...Oh, Jumara.]
Kasaknat lamented that fact.
That was it.
That was as far as they could converse.
"Huh?"
Private First Class Park Boseop, who had been listening to the conversation, spoke.
"I-I hear something massive coming from over there."
A moment later, everyone could feel it.
RUMBLE!
The ground was shaking.