Episode 323: Wasteland
Yuma and the others peered out the windows at the airfield where the aircraft had landed.
It was a stylish airport with unusually shaped roofs. However, there was no sign of people, and it was enveloped in silence.
“There’s no one here,” Akito said, looking outside with a puzzled expression. Rui nodded and replied, “But the buildings themselves haven’t been destroyed.”
Yuma also felt a sense of incongruity at the sight visible from the window. He had expected considerable damage, so it was surprising that the airport remained intact.
“They’ve probably evacuated the humans somewhere. But we don’t know where the Monsters are, so we have to be careful,” Yuma said.
Yuma braced himself again, “Yeah, you’re right.” A soldier who had been acting as their guide called out to Yuma and the others.
“Since there are no airport staff, we can’t attach the airstairs or connect the bridge. You’ll have to disembark directly from the hatch, is that alright?” the soldier asked apologetically.
Akito waved his hand while raising the corner of his mouth, “No problem, no problem. This is plenty.”
“More importantly, are you guys going to be okay? Refueling when you go back might be tough, right?”
“We’re fine. We were able to arrive at the airport without detours, so we have enough fuel for the return trip. It’ll be close, but there won’t be any issues.”
“I see.”
The two pilots also came out of the cockpit to greet them. The soldier acting as the guide opened the hatch on the nose of the plane and took a step back, offering a smile.
“Please, be careful.”
“Yeah, you guys be careful on your way back too.”
Akito jumped out of the hatch and landed on the ground. Rui also greeted the soldier and pilots before jumping down.
“Thank you very much. Well, see you then.”
As Yuma was about to jump down, the soldier called out to him.
“Mitaka-san, the fact that you defeated the Blue King has become a topic of conversation even among the military. If it’s you, you can surely defeat the Yellow King in America as well. Good luck!”
“Ah, thank you very much.”
Yuma felt a little embarrassed. The British government hadn’t acknowledged him until the end, but the impact of what he had done was definitely spreading.
However, when he was thanked so directly, he didn’t know how to respond.
Yuma scratched his cheek.
“Everyone, please be careful on your way back.”
“Yes, may fortune be with you.”
Seeing the smiling faces that sent him off, Yuma jumped down. The aircraft began to move, timing it to when the three had moved away.
This was a dangerous place. It was best to leave immediately.
Yuma and the others watched the aircraft take off safely.
“Alright, let’s go,” Akito said, starting to walk ahead, with Rui and Yuma following. As expected, the airport was deserted, without a single person in sight.
The three walked along the long runway, looking around.
“What should we do from here? Should we start by looking for people?” Yuma asked, and Akito put his hand on his chin, “Yeah.”
“I’ll take a look at the city from the sky. You two should find a working car. If you drive towards the city, we should be able to meet up somewhere.”
“That’s right. Understood,” Rui said, nodding in agreement. Akito held Gae Bolg in reverse grip and threw the spear in a javelin-like manner. He caught the spear with Lightning released from his hand as it flew, instantly moving to the top of the spear.
“Don’t get attacked by the Gold Dragon!” Yuma shouted loudly, but Akito was already far away in the sky.
“Then, shall we go too?”
“Yeah… let’s go.”
Yuma and Rui left the airport to look for a car they could use. What they wanted to find, of course, was one that wasn’t locked and had plenty of gasoline.
If Monsters were rampaging and people were in a state of chaos, some people might have abandoned their cars while evacuating.
Thinking so, they searched, but all the cars they found were locked.
“There aren’t as many as I thought.”
“That’s right. Yuma and I don’t have the skills to steal a car like Mitaka-san, so finding one that isn’t locked is a must…” Rui said powerlessly, dropping his shoulders.
After searching for another thirty minutes, they finally found a car that wasn’t locked. It was a black 4WD, and the amount of gasoline remaining was not a problem.
“I’ll drive. Let’s head to the center of New York immediately.”
“Yeah.”
Rui got into the driver’s seat, and Yuma also sat in the passenger seat and closed the door.
They drove for a while, but still couldn’t see anyone. The sight of Germany spread in Yuma and Rui’s minds.
Germany had suffered so much damage that the country itself was in a state of collapse.
Yuma, who was looking outside through the windshield, considered the worst-case scenario.
“…There aren’t many cars,” Rui said.
Yuma looked puzzled at Rui’s words.
“Cars? There are certainly few, but what about it?”
“The fact that there are few cars means that the residents escaped in their cars, right?”
“…If you say so, that’s true.”
In Germany, many cars had been abandoned. In contrast, there were few cars here to begin with. As Rui said, many people must have escaped by car.
Tall buildings began to appear here and there. It seemed they had entered the business district. Yuma opened the world map he had received from Hans in England.
This area seemed to be a place called Brooklyn.
Since there was nothing blocking the road, the car moved smoothly. However, after entering the city to some extent, Rui said, “Ah!” and stepped on the brake.
The car stopped suddenly, causing Yuma to lean forward.
“Hey, what’s wrong! Why did you stop so suddenly?”
“Yuma, that!”
Yuma turned his gaze to where Rui was pointing.
“What… is that…”
Yuma was speechless at the abnormal sight. The city had suddenly disappeared. Until a certain point, there was a normal cityscape, but from a certain point onward, there were no buildings.
They approached a little closer in the car, and Yuma and Rui got out of the car.
There was nothing in front of them. Really, nothing. As far as they could see, it was a wasteland. As if the city had been scraped away, a vast expanse of earth continued from a certain point.
“What on earth is going on?” Rui also seemed to have no idea what was happening.
Akito, who had been scouting, called out from above the heads of the two who were standing still.
“Oーi! Things have gotten serious.”
He slowly descended from the sky, still riding on Gae Bolg.
Rui asked, “How was it?” and Akito raised both hands, shook his head, saying, “I don’t understand,” jumped off the spear, and stood in front of the two.
“I could really see how bad it was here from above.”
“Does that mean there are many destroyed areas?” Yuma asked, and Akito gave a wry smile.
“It’s not just a matter of many, this land has been flattened—”
Rui and Yuma also gazed at the land where everything had disappeared, where Akito had shifted his gaze.
They didn’t know how far it continued, but the next words from Akito made the two shudder.
“Half of New York is in this state.”