Warfare Augmented Intelligent Frame Unit

Chapter 150 - We're Both Gays

Chapter 150 - We're Both Gays

I'm dead.

No, seriously. I'm dead.

My story should have ended right there, fading into nothingness. Yet somehow, I find myself in a place that feels like a dream, or perhaps a cruel joke. There is nothing here except an endless horizon, a sky painted in soft, pale blue without a single cloud, and a floor of shallow water stretching as far as the eye can see. It reflects everything above it, like a perfect mirror, creating an illusion of infinity.

I lower my gaze to my hands. They look perfectly normal, each finger whole and unbroken. But then I notice the strange sensation in my chest—a numbness, cold and hollow. When I touch it, my fingers sink into nothing. There is no flesh, no bone, only a gaping void where my chest should be.

I know what this means. My heart has been obliterated by the Cosmic Goddess' laser. My ribcage and lungs... gone. Even my spine must have been vaporized in that instant. By all logic, I shouldn't be standing, shouldn't be moving. And yet, here I am.

"I'm already dead, aren't I?" The words escape my lips, barely a whisper, carried away by the silence that fills this place. A helpless smile tugs at my face, though it feels strange, almost unnatural.

Shock still lingers in me like a dull echo, but there is nothing I can do now. It's over. I died fighting the Cosmic Goddess. At least I got to hold Myrrh's hand one last time. That small comfort is all I have left. I was too young to die; it feels like such a waste. But death never waits for the right moment. It always comes uninvited.

Now there is a bitter taste in my mouth, sharp and metallic, like regret turned into something physical. I know I've lost the battle. And if I have fallen... humanity will likely lose the war as well.

I turned around, and my breath caught in my throat. Before me stood a colossal tree of pure gold, towering so high that its crown vanished into the very edge of the heavens. It was no ordinary tree; this was the Cosmic Tree—the one Neil had created, the one Dianca gave her life to plant and protect.

Now it stood in its full glory, an overwhelming sight that dwarfed everything else in existence. Its trunk shimmered like molten sunlight, and its roots seemed to pulse with an otherworldly rhythm. The branches stretched endlessly, bearing leaves of crimson and gold that glowed like embers, scattering light across the void. They reached far beyond the skies, past the stars, grazing the galaxies and brushing against the very fabric of the universe.

"I guess we lost, huh," I whispered, my voice almost swallowed by the stillness.

The truth was undeniable. The Cosmic Tree in full bloom meant only one thing: the Cosmic Goddess' true form would soon awaken. And when that happened, reality itself would collapse. The entire universe would be wiped clean, turned into a blank canvas awaiting a new creation. Everything we fought for, all of it, would vanish.

"No... not yet."

The words echoed from behind me, soft yet steady.

I turned slowly, and my heart clenched at the sight before me. A familiar figure stood there. His brown curls framed a face I could never forget, his eyes still carrying that warmth I once relied on. But he was changed. His skin was pale, almost translucent, and from his neck crawled jagged scars resembling tree roots, snaking up to claim half of his face.

Despite it all, he looked calm. Peaceful, even. And he was smiling.

"Neil," I breathed, the name leaving my lips like a prayer.

Neil walked toward me with a calmness that felt almost surreal. His footsteps barely rippled the mirrored water beneath us. When he reached me, he placed a hand on my shoulder, before turning his gaze toward the towering Cosmic Tree. He pointed at it, his expression unreadable, as if declaring ownership of something that had already consumed him.