Moon's Labyrinths

Like a jet doing a flyover, the tower was fast. It left behind a bright trail of light as it moved upward, which gave it the appearance of a comet. The tower soon came to a stop and floated around the trajectory of the Moon's original orbit around Earth. The light it continuously emitted started to change. It flickered in different patterns as if it were giving someone a signal.

The Moon had completely broken apart, but its fragments hadn't gotten the time to drift away; they had somewhat maintained the Moon's shape. When the light flickered, these fragments reacted. Everything started to move toward the tower, whether it were the rocks as large as a mountain or the dust as small as sand grains.

The tower shone in the dark space, resembling a lighthouse safely guiding the passageway of the Moon fragments. The four cities were amongst these fragments. The Connectors gathered at the capital continued to watch a sight that no one would see ever again.

When the Moon fragments reached the Moon's original orbit, they started to spin around the tower. They then lumped together with the tower at the center. The Moon fragments weren’t the only things gathering around the tower. Air, water, and most importantly, the magical energy of the Moon also gathered around the tower.

The lump created by the fragments quickly got bigger. As it grew in mass, gravity started to form. Then, water, air, and magical energy fell toward the surface. The water and the air settled on the Moon's surface, but the magical energy soaked into the tower at the center of the Moon.

Kwahhhhhhhng!

The capital of Planote landed on the surface of the newly-formed ground. An enormous force shook the capital, but the Connectors could endure it. They just frowned once to shake off the unpleasant vibration they had felt.

The Connectors then looked up. Rocks were still falling all around them as if the debris from a meteor were bombarding the Moon's surface. However, it seemed the capital was protected since none of the meteoroids hit the city.

Sungyoon was solemnly watching the sight when he heard a conversation between Emily and Grace.

“Do you think planets were formed like that in the beginning?”

“It must've been different. An incredible amount of fragments collided at once to create a natural satellite. In reality, gas and dust must have collided over time to form the celestial bodies.”

As Grace explained, if the Moon had been naturally formed, there would have been a magma ocean on its surface. The Connectors were fortunate that it didn't happen.

‘It became quite clean.’

Sungyoon thought as he looked at his surroundings. Meteoroids were still falling from the sky, resulting in clouds of dust and vibration. It wasn’t a clean process. However, neither labyrinths nor monsters could be seen anywhere. The new Moon was very clean in that aspect.

However, that wasn't entirely true. The filthiest being on the Moon was still there.

『Ggoo-uhhhhhhh!』

A cry filled with madness rang on top of the newly-formed Moon.

Kwah-jee-jeek!

The pale hands with black symbols tattooed on the skin erupted from the ground. The long fingers dug into the ground, and the ground cracked around them. Then, Grenoid pulled himself out of the ground.

“He should've just died in space!”

“I feel the same way, but we knew it wouldn’t be that easy.”

Bruce and Russell got ready to fight. The other Connectors also summoned their weapons.

“Are you all ready?”

Sungyoon, who stood in the front, turned to look behind himself. The Connectors shook their weapons to indicate that they were ready.

“According to what Mr. Hyunwoo had said, Grenoid should be very weak right now. For the Moon to be broken and reformed like this, a massive amount of magical energy was needed. Right now, Grenoid barely has any magical energy to command.”

Previously, the Moon's surface had been filled with magical energy. Now, it completely lacked ambient magical energy. All the magical energy had been absorbed into the tower when the Moon was put back together.

“There are no monsters here to help it. They couldn’t endure the Moon's revival.”

“Basically, it's very weak and has no one that can help it. Am I correct?”

“Yes, you are, Mr. Bruce.”

“Good! Let’s end this for real!”

The Connectors could see the end, so their eyes shone with light. When the monsters had started to act oddly, the world had come under threat. Now, the Connectors could end that threat once and for all.

“As Mr. Bruce said, this is the end game. Our tall mountainous task has been cut down into a manageable hurdle. Once we get over this hump, the serious threat to humanity will be gone.”

They had undergone a treacherous and dark tunnel, but a light had finally appeared at the end of the long tunnel. This light infused strength into the Connectors' hands.

“Let’s do this!”

Sungyoon ran out of the city. This would be the final charge. It would end the calamity humanity was facing, so the Connectors' steps were more forceful than before.

『Ggoooh-ahhhhhhh! Royaaaaaaaal!』

Grenoid roared when he caught sight of Sungyoon. He then opened his mouth to shoot his magic cannon, which could generate a terrifying force. However, something had changed. The magical energy that was supposed to flow into his mouth like a raging current was not here.

Puhhhhhhhng!

Grenoid shot his magic cannon, but the attack couldn’t be compared to before. The pillar of light in the attack was thinner now.

“Hoo-ahhhhhhht!”

Tim was overflowing with confidence, so he charged past Sungyoon and raised his shield to block the magic cannon.

Kooooooohng!

The enormous force pushed Tim backward, and his shield became hotter. However, Tim gritted his teeth and endured the attack.

Ssssk!

The magic cannon dissipated. Had the attack been as intense as before, it would've destroyed everything in its path before disappearing into space. However, Tim had just blocked it. It was proof that Grenoid had become weaker.

“Fucking kill it!”

Bruce yelled, displaying all his frustration and anger in his voice. The other Connectors snorted at his clear intent to blow off his steam on Grenoid, but most of them felt the same way. They wanted payback, and that was why they ran faster.

Kwahhhhhhng!

The first attacks to hit Grenoid were the spells. The mages hit Grenoid with their strongest spells. Flames burned Grenoid, winds ripped into his body, and the lightning cooked his insides.

Boom!

Grenoid swayed; the spells had massively damaged him. Deep wounds appeared all over his body, and a constant flow of blue smoke leaked out. His regenerative speed had also become slow. In comparison to before, it was like he had no regenerative ability at all.

“It's working! Continue to shoot the spells!”

Russell yelled, and the mages started to prepare their next round of attacks. However, this didn’t mean Grenoid was a doormat.

『Ooh-wuhhhhhhhhhhhh!』

Monsters started crawling out of his body once again.

“Shit! It still has that ability!”

In a flash, several hundred monsters appeared around Grenoid. Tim grumbled when he saw this. All of these monsters were powerful. Even though the Connectors could win against them, the monsters would be a nuisance.

Sungyoon shouted toward his comrades.

“A portion of our forces has to keep the monsters occupied!”

“We know!”

Russell divided the Connectors into two groups.

Kwahhhhhhng!

One group clashed against the monsters, while Sungyoon and the other strongest Connectors ran toward Grenoid. However, they couldn’t avoid being harassed by a small number of monsters.

“We have to quickly kill him so that we can end this absolute madness!”

Bruce said in an annoyed voice. It was absolute chaos as Grenoid continued to produce more and more monsters.

Suh-guhk!

After cutting down a monster in front of him, Sungyoon took up his halberd. Grenoid shot his hand toward him, but Sungyoon quickly dodged to the side.

Kwahhhhng!

A loud sound rang out when Grenoid’s hand created an imprint in the ground. However, the power behind the attack was pitiful when compared to the power Grenoid had shown before.

“Hahhhhhhhhhhhp!”

Sungyoon brought down his halberd with all his might. He cut open Grenoid’s already-ragged arm. This started the battle between Grenoid and the Connectors who specialized in close combat.

Russell sliced Grenoid’s ankle with his sword, Bruce’s gauntlet cratered Grenoid’s side, and Tim’s ax dug into his shin. Grenoid stomped and swung his arms around. He kept using his magical attack, but the Connectors skillfully dodged while attacking.

Of course, some of them died, but they only focused on offense as they hacked away at Grenoid.

“Get out of the way!”

One of the mages yelled. The Connectors quickly moved away from Grenoid, and the spells detonated once again.

Kwahhhhhhhng!

A fierce magical storm erupted, and Grenoid looked like a leaf blown around by fierce winds.

One of his arms fell away, and half his upper body disappeared. One of his legs barely hung on, and his horn that was a symbol of his arrogance also broke. Moreover, his regenerative ability had completely vanished.

As Grenoid swayed on its feet, everyone realized he was on the brink of death.

Puhhhhhhhhk!

Sungyoon used his earth magic, and stalagmites skewered Grenoid's lower body. Sungyoon ran up one of the stalagmites, toward Grenoid’s head.

“Ha-ahhhhhhhhhht!”

He reversed his grip on his sword and pierced it deep inside Grenoid’s forehead.

Poo-oohk!

The sword went halfway in, but Grenoid didn’t die. His eyes kept staring at Sungyoon, who was standing on his forehead. He then moved his remaining arm to catch Sungyoon.

Instead of dodging, Sungyoon took up his hammer.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The hammer kept pounding the sword deeper into Grenoid’s head. Grenoid’s hand moved faster in desperation.

“Ooh-ahhhhhhhhhhhhhht!”

Sungyoon didn’t even bother holding his shield. He grabbed the hammer with both hands and brought it down with all his might.

Kwahhhhhhng!

The blade completely went inside Grenoid's head, and only its hilt was visible. Then, lightning erupted inside Grenoid’s body.

Flinch!

Grenoid’s hand came to a stop right next to Sungyoon. After making sure his sword was completely inside Grenoid, Sungyoon turned around and jumped off.

After a moment...

Ssssssk!

Grenoid's raised arm fell to the side. There was no strength in the movement.

Sway!

Grenoid had refused to go down even after suffering all kinds of injuries. However, his legs started malfunctioning, and he tilted forward.

Kooooohng!

The enormous body of Grenoid fell toward the newly-formed Moon's surface. The blue smoke, which had been flowing out of him, intensified for a brief moment, then it snuffed out like a candle. Grenoid raised his head. His actions were very slow as if he were a patient on his deathbed.

『Plan…Carry out…Attempt…Fail, fail, fail. Planote defense program Grenoid… Irreparable damage...』

It stretched out its remaining hand toward Sungyoon.

『Fail… Protect Planote… P...protect Planote…? De...stroy? Protect? Destroy? Protect?』

It kept repeating its words like a broken machine. Sungyoon silently observed Grenoid.

『P...protect. Grenoid…. Inoperative… Therefore, Planote… Safe...』

Koo-oohng!

After he said those words, Grenoid’s head fell to the ground. Then, Grenoid never moved again.

“Did… we win?”

After crushing the head of an unruly monster with his foot, Tim mumbled to himself. For some reason, he and the others felt as if Grenoid would get up intact using its powerful regenerative ability.

However, Grenoid’s regenerative ability showed no signs of activation, and his body refused to move an inch.

The Connectors slowly realized what had just happened.

“Did... did we win?”

“We won! We won!”

The victory felt real now.

[Wahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!]

The Connectors yelled at the same time. The threat strangling humanity had finally come to an end.

“We won, Mr. Sungyoon!”

“It’s our victory!”

Emily and Grace gave a big hug to Sungyoon. Since Sungyoon was wearing his armor, it kind of hurt, but the two women didn’t care. They wanted to share their joy with the person they considered the most precious.

“Ooh-ha-ha-ha-ha! We did it! We really did it!”

Tim acted silly. It was unbecoming of his large body, but he hopped around like a little kid. However, everyone else reacted the same, so his actions weren’t awkward at all. In fact, a couple of Connectors acted sillier than him.

“Look over there, Russell! Look at it! It acted like a god, but it's mere scrap metal now!”

“Don’t be like that. In some ways, it might be the victim too.”

It seemed Grenoid’s last words bothered Russell, and he felt a bit solemn. Nevertheless, a victory was a victory. Soon, a smile appeared on his face as he humored the people rejoicing around him.

“You succeeded.”

Plu-El grabbed Sungyoon’s shoulder.

“It happened thanks to you all. I couldn’t have done it without your help.”

“No. Even though we helped, it would have been impossible to defeat Grenoid without you and humanity.”

As she said this, she looked toward Grenoid's corpse.

“However, in some ways, the one who did the most was Sung Hyunwoo.”

A complicated emotion appeared on Plu-El’s face. Sungyoon and humanity had only followed the road paved by Sung Hyunwoo.

“Let’s think about complicated things at a later date. For now, let’s celebrate.”

Plu-El smiled. Sungyoon smiled with her, then looked next to her.

Aruwen quietly looked at Grenoid's corpse. What was going through his mind? As someone who had caused a lot of trouble before, a lot of thoughts were going through his mind.

Sungyoon turned on his communication device, but he heard only static come through it.

‘It's to be expected. Satellites and all the communication infrastructure were destroyed along with the Moon's reformation.’

He would have to take out the communication device capable of emitting powerful radio waves. The Mayor and the people of Earth were probably waiting for him to contact them. He had to contact them as soon as possible to allay their worries and fears.

‘But...’

Sungyoon looked across the horizon.

‘No one will fault me for savoring this joy for a short time.’

As everyone cheered, Earth peeked out above the horizon of the new Moon. Sungyoon could finally let go of all his anxiety as he watched the Earth rise into view.

***

“It’s Daaaaaaaaad!”

Shinhae jumped into Sungyoon’s arms. A bright smile appeared on Sungyoon’s face as he hugged his daughter.

“How have you been while Dad was gone? Were you ok?”

“Yes! Yes! I was a good girl! I listened to Mom! I ate everything, and I washed myself really well!”

“Really? Shinhae did so well!”

“Eh-he-he-he!”

Shinhae let out a burst of silly laughter as she buried her face in her dad’s chest.

As he tightly hugged Shinhae, Sungyoon looked at Jimin, who stood off to the side. She watched the reunion between the father and daughter with red eyes.

“You did a good job.”

She spoke with a voice full of unshed tears. Sungyoon smiled. He moved Shinhae to one arm, then hugged Jimin with his other arm. Jimin quietly closed her eyes as she remained in his embrace.

For a moment, the family enjoyed their reunion by sharing the warmth of their bodies.

“Dad! Dad! What is that?”

Shinhae caught sight of the shopping bag in Sungyoon’s other hand.

“Ah! You mean this?”

A meaningful smile made its way to his lips as Sungyoon opened the shopping bag. The events from before unfolded in his mind like a panorama.

***

“You're amazing, Mr. Sungyoon! You're all amazing! All of you saved humanity!”

The overjoyed Mayor looked at Sungyoon and the Connectors who had just returned to Earth.

“You all are heroes! Do you want anything? We’ll do our best to fulfill the wishes of the heroes of the world.”

The Mayor was serious. These people were humanity’s heroes who had saved the world. The Mayor didn’t feel it would be a waste even if he had to spend millions of dollars. Of course, he had to negotiate the terms with the other countries, but he would do his best to compensate everyone.

Sungyoon didn’t really have anything he wanted, so he was about to turn down the Mayor’s offer. However, something crossed his mind at that moment.

“Will you really grant any wish I have?”

“Yes! Just say the word! I’ll do my best to make it happen!”

The Mayor pounded his chest. Sungyoon then told the Mayor what he wanted.

***

“Tah-dah!”

As he recalled his question, Sungyoon took out an item from the shopping bag.

Shinhae’s eyes widened when she saw it.

“Ooh-wahhhhhhhhh~!”

Shinhae, who had refused to separate from Sungyoon up until now, jumped down from his arm. She took the item in Sungyoon's hands.

The item was a doll from a very popular children’s cartoon show. It was almost impossible to purchase one right now.

“This is... How did you get this?”

“Your dad worked really hard to get it! Do you like it?”

“Yes! I really like it! Thank you, Dad!”

Shinhae kissed Sungyoon’s cheek, then ran into the house in joy. Sungyoon felt satisfied as he watched her back.

“Where did you get it? It's so popular around the world that it's hard to get even if you have money.”

“The Mayor said he’ll grant any wish I have because I had saved the world, and I asked for that doll.”

“…”

Jimin was at a loss for words. Even if the doll was hard to get, how many people in the world would ask for a doll as compensation for saving the world?

“Huh? Why are you also looking at me like that? Everyone, including my party members, looked at me like that.”

“… No, it's nothing.”

Jimin shook her head from side to side, then suddenly burst out laughing.

Even if he was a high-flying hero that saved the world, he was still her husband. He hadn’t changed since she had first met him.

“Why are you laughing?”

“It’s nothing. Let’s head in. It has been a while, but let’s have a family dinner.”

Jimin linked her arms with Sungyoon. She closed the door as she dragged him into the house. A small sound rang beyond the thick front door.

“Here, take this.”

“What is it?”

“This one is yours. I asked for it alongside Shinhae’s doll. There’s no way I would forget about my wife.”

“Oh my! This is…!”

Even their words faded away, and the only thing flowing out of that house was warmth. It was the bliss of a happy family.