Chapter 78: Landing in England

Finally made it to England—time to get off the submarine. But getting off is a pain in the ass, and there’s no docking point, so we jumped into an emergency rubber boat from out at sea, and then soldiers rowed us ashore themselves.

Once we hit land, the soldiers just hauled themselves back onto the sub.

"Hey, how’re we getting back?"

"Communication devices won’t work here—too much mana interference—but we’ve got other ways to stay in touch. Don’t sweat it."

Leo answered my question. Looks like the Sanctuary Knights (Sanctuary Knights) and the military had been preparing hard for this landing… I just lay around doing nothing. Feels kinda guilty now.

"First, let’s secure a vehicle. Outdoor stuff’s probably wrecked, so we’ll focus on indoor areas and underground parking lots!"

Right away, the Sanctuary Knights started moving. They’re seriously in sync—must be because Leo’s got their full trust.

We move through the pitch-black town of Wargh, something feels off… Yeah, the buildings are wrecked, like expected from a dragon attack—but it’s more than that.

"What the hell… Are there mountains here now?"

Luka muttered, and damn, he’s right. The terrain’s messed up. Can’t see much in the dark, but there are little hills—no, actual mountains—sprouting up all over town.

"There should be a supermarket or hospital nearby! Let’s check places where cars might be!"

Leo’s words triggered Luka and Anna to pull up maps and tablets, checking our location. Once we’ve got a ride, we can get to London—where the Abyssal Hole is—real quick.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

I was checking directions on a tablet with Luca, but something was bugging me.

“Luca… what do you think about Gojo?”

“Gojo? What about him…? Something up?”

“He noticed the Dragon long before Sonar even picked it up. Sonar only detected it from about twenty kilometers away. Could he have sensed it earlier—like, through ‘hostility detection’ or something?”

Luca paused, then shook his head.

“Normal ‘hostility detection’ or ‘space sensing’? No way. He must’ve used some kind of magic.”

Yeah… figured as much. I was thinking the same thing…

“Did you have Greys examine it? If there was something off, he’d be the first to notice, right!?”

“Greys said he was fine. But… lately, he’s been acting weird.”

Luca’s expression turned confused.

“Leo… he respects you. I can’t see him lying.”

Yeah… that’s true. If it’s just me overthinking it, that’d be fine…

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

We found a few cars in the hospital’s underground parking lot. Locked, but Greys started them with no trouble.

Ah… now I get why he was called in, even though he’s not a fighter.

We argued about whether to move during the night or wait until morning, but decided to wait. Probably figured fighting in the dark—like last time down under the sea—was too risky.

There were a few cars, so we each took a seat and dozed off. Just as I was drifting off, Wang came over and sat in the seat beside me.

“Wanted to talk a bit. Okay?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Wang lay back, eyes closing in a slow, reclining pose, as if drifting off to sleep.

"Was it Gojo who beat the dragon under the sea? You, right?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, that's right."

Knew it right away. Dragon vanished all of a sudden, and there you are—soaked to the bone.

Wang’s lips twitched slightly, like they were smiling… even with eyes closed.

"You're not saying anything?...You're the one with Leo and the Sanctuary Knights... I'm not mad at Leo or anything, but your strength is clearly superior. Wouldn't the success rate of the hunt go up if you led the way?"

Wang knows my power. Of course he does.

The Wang’s right. I’m not trying to hide my power on purpose… I’m just scared.

Scared?

I used to fight without a second thought. Figured using the power I’d gained would make people happy if I helped them. But reality? Totally different. I was feared more than I’d imagined… and ended up causing even more unnecessary conflicts.

Wang listened silently to my words.

If I ever go against humanity... no one’ll be able to stop me... I guess that’s why people’ll always try to eliminate me before it happens.

I know you're not that kind of person.

The Wang might be, but I don’t know what the others think.

Then why push yourself to fight? You don’t have to save the world. If it’s pointless suffering, just stop.

But if the world dies because I don’t fight… then I’ve got nowhere left to be.

...Yeah, that's true... but...

Wang made a face—somehow complicated, hard to describe.

"But Gojo, everyone who landed in England was a supernatural! In a way, we're all on the same side. I don't think you'd reject someone like that—like you do regular people."

I get it. We can’t hold back when taking down England’s Leader. Wang, when I go all out, you’ll help keep the others safe, right?

"Yeah, I’ll support you with everything I’ve got!"

Ideally, the Sanctuary Knights would take the front lines and handle England’s destruction, but that’s not really possible right now...

"Gojo! No matter what anyone else thinks of you, I believe in you! Just remember that!"

I’ve got the telepathy skill—knowing when someone’s being serious is easy. Wang always means what she says. One of the most trustworthy people I’ve got.

The next morning—

We’re moving in two cars. In the front minivan: Leo, Freyja, Luca, Elias, Alexander, and Gres. In the rear sedan: me, Wang, Liu-san Carlo, and Anna.

"Will we even find him? England’s Leader...?"

As we got in the car, Wang asked.

"Can’t say for sure... but Leo seems dead certain he can meet the Leader if he goes deep into the Abyss."

I glanced at the car ahead.

"Maybe he’s got something in mind."