Devouring World Dragon

Chapter 282 The Path to Becoming a Savior
The spaceship headed towards the sky, and in no time it had passed the clouds and all the floating structures.

The once smooth land gradually revealed its true form: a warped land, an arc-shaped world, a slender land extending into the clouds—a unique sight in the universe—a ring world.

But this world is about to be destroyed, destroyed in the gaping maw of the abyss behind it.

"Oh!"

He angrily punched the spaceship's cabin wall, leaving a shallow fist mark.

The man who had thrown the punch slammed his fist against the wall, then let out a suppressed roar.

"Jerome! Are you stupid?!"

He should have been the one to survive, not me.

People like me... people like me... shouldn't have survived at all. It's you who should have survived.

With eyes closed, beneath a calm and composed exterior, a storm rages within.

Self-blame, despair, confusion...

These emotions, which they never usually express to others, became uncontrollable because of their friend's sacrifice.

A cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Savior... Ha, savior? Someone like me is worthy of being called a savior?"

……

"Lord Gara, please don't do these lowly and menial tasks. You are destined to be the savior of the world; this is not something you should be doing..."

The maid placed her hand on her chest and pleaded earnestly with the boy.

The boy, who was enthusiastically weaving a bamboo basket, was caught off guard by the maid's words and looked bewildered.

A savior? What exactly is that?
Why does everyone call me that? Why does everyone avoid me? Do they dislike me?

The boy, who was not yet five years old, did not understand.

He didn't understand why everyone was so humble towards him.

"The priestess has received the decree of the Serpent Lady. You are destined to save humanity. You are special. You have been chosen."

The maid spoke in a tone of utmost respect.

The boy knew who the witch the maid spoke of was—his mother. But who was the daughter of the snake? The boy didn't know; even though people in the village sometimes mentioned the name, he had never seen her.

As the boy grew up, he gradually came to understand his confusion.

Thus, the boy, hailed as a savior, eventually fled with his mother from that small world, the "snake-man's lair" in the eyes of interstellar humans, the world on the snake's back, hiding in the ring world under an assumed name.

……

He knew that his hometown lay on the snake's back, the hometown he had once longed for but ultimately loathed.

"I am not a savior, I cannot save them."

Gritting his teeth, the man regained his composure.

He can't save everyone; right now, he can only save one person.

"Stars! Switch to manual control!"

While AI control is certainly sophisticated, it's not feasible at the moment, because as a sheriff, Hasegawa knows exactly what's in space right now.

This galaxy is both very large and very small.

Even the planets of the entire galaxy cannot accommodate the population of the ring world. Allowing the residents of the ring world to flee would only result in chaos, and then everyone would be unable to survive and would be dragged down. Therefore, the vast majority of humanity was destined to be abandoned from the very beginning.

Weapons in space are not only for defending against that world-devouring being, but also for shooting down those who dare to escape in their own spaceships.

In the past, Hasegawa did the same thing as those automated floating cannons: suppressing rebellions, quelling discontent, and arresting those who tried to escape. Because he was powerless, he had no other choice but to let as many people as possible live.

Right now, he has to keep one person alive, because he can save that one more person.

"Switched to manual driving..."

Listening to the AI ​​voice, the man became extremely focused, knowing that he was about to face layers upon layers of firepower.

The clouds in front of us gradually receded, and the pitch-black universe gradually unfolded.

Suddenly, the spaceship traced a strange arc, and in an instant, hundreds of beams of light shot towards the spot where the spaceship had just been standing.

AI is indeed powerful, precise, and calm.

However, there is one thing that AI cannot do: psychic abilities. Psychic abilities are unique to humans and can enable them to do all sorts of incredible things, including predicting the future.

Although it wasn't outwardly apparent, the man possessed psychic powers inherited from his father, the powerful psychic abilities of that demigod.

In the blurry vision before his eyes, the man had already foreseen the future, which was why he was able to avoid those beams of death.

But this was only one wave. In the following seconds, countless beams of light shot toward the spaceship, which it narrowly avoided each time.

"Well……"

A wave of dizziness washed over me, and I couldn't help but cover my head, trying to suppress my nausea.

The sudden, high-intensity use of psychic energy was difficult for both the brain and the mind to bear, but the man still forced himself to use psychic energy.

Faster, faster.

Once we get through this blockade, things will be fine. These floating turrets are designed to block escapees as much as possible, but they won't be a big deal if a very small number of people try to escape. So, as long as we avoid this blockade, we can save the child.

Just then, something suddenly crashed into us from space.

"Boom..."

A soft sound.

On the transparent window of the cockpit, a man wearing external armor crashed into the mirror. He seemed to see Gara inside the cockpit, his face filled with ecstasy.

"Help me! Help me..."

The survivor, who had escaped from the disintegrating spaceship, desperately released his psionic energy in an attempt to call for help.

However, all he received was Galo's silence and further acceleration.

During the sudden acceleration, the man failed to grab the mirror and was flung away. He was then hit by several beams of light and disappeared without a trace.

"I can't save everyone."

Galo's face grew increasingly silent; at this moment, there was only one person he could save.

Blood vessels began to bulge on his forehead, and his vision blurred with reality, making it difficult to distinguish between them. Despite this, Gara managed to hold on, but a sudden impact from the spaceship caused a malfunction.

"Energy leak detected, please land immediately..."

Oops.

My heart skipped a beat; the energy reservoir had been hit.

But there was no time to worry about anything else. Gritting his teeth, he continued to pilot the leaking spaceship forward.

Then, at some point, the beams of light behind them gradually stopped, as if they had determined that there was no longer any need to shoot them down.

"Stars, report on the energy situation!"

Once things had calmed down a bit, the man immediately urged.

"Currently, there is only 13% of energy remaining... It is determined that it cannot enter the intended orbit."

The AI ​​quickly determined that it could not enter the intended orbit, meaning that, in its view, the remaining energy was insufficient to propel the spacecraft forward, and it was very likely that it would fall into the ring world halfway through its journey.

The man frowned. "If that's the case..."

"What if we discard everything except for life support and hibernation devices and essential spacecraft components?"

"...the probability of entering the predetermined orbit is 7%."

After a brief calculation, the AI ​​reached a conclusion.

Even if we discard the excess items, given the remaining energy, there's still a very high probability that we'll fall back into the loop world.

It's still too heavy...

But how else can I lose weight?

The man clutched his head, which was throbbing with pain. His mind was spinning, and everything before his eyes was becoming chaotic.

What should I do... what should I do... Jerome, tell me, what should I do now...?

Suddenly, the man's pupils dilated.

Jerome...

The presence of his friend made the man suddenly realize something.

The man slowly lowered his hand, then looked up in the direction of the hibernation pod and said.

"What if... we discarded another hibernation pod and the weight of an adult?"

"...there is a 97% probability that it will enter the predetermined orbit."

The AI ​​replied.

A 97% probability? That's enough.

He dismantled all the unnecessary items inside the spaceship with his bare hands, then looked at the huge hibernation pod, forcibly removed it, and threw it out without hesitation.

Gazing at the little girl sleeping in another hibernation pod, he vaguely saw Jerome standing with his arms crossed, watching him and the spaceship depart.

After a moment of silence, he suddenly burst into laughter for no apparent reason.

Kid, you have to live on. Don't waste the sacrifices Jerome and I made.

"Stars, switch to autopilot and enter the designated orbit..."

He glanced at the hibernation pod, then strode towards the open hatch of the spaceship.

……

The spaceship headed towards the unknown starry sky, while behind it, a greedy giant serpent devoured the world, and the man transformed into a star and disappeared from sight.

"..."

The faint star fell toward the giant serpent, but suddenly a sigh came and a pale, slender hand caught the star.

(End of this chapter)