Seoul Cyberpunk Story-Chapter 114: Black Giant Agwi

Paradigm Directive Headquarters, Eastern Babel — Dominic's Office, Top Floor.

The crimson glow of the sunset washed over the office, tinting the room in deep red as Dominic Krilov quietly gazed through the floor-to-ceiling window at the cityscape beyond.

The once-bustling streets of the Eastern District had now devolved into a massive construction site.

Dozens of heavy machines moved tirelessly, clearing debris and hauling in new construction materials.

The buildings consumed by the Blue Mist Webs were riddled with gaping holes, like they’d been gnawed through by insects—inevitable, really.

A month of chaos ahead...

Dominic lifted the coffee cup in his hand to his lips, that thought lingering in his mind.

Paradigm Directive’s internal situation wasn’t much different.

Convoys of trucks transporting construction materials rolled into the underground parking facility without pause, ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) evidence enough of the state of things.

Most of the prototype units that had fought the Webs on the front lines suffered heavy damage and were now undergoing major repairs in the hangars.

The only small consolation was that, compared to other megacorps, Paradigm Directive's damage was relatively minimal.

Their Shadow technology had proven exceptionally effective in blocking the Webs, after all.

At that moment, a new notification appeared on the AR interface.

A semi-transparent holographic window flickered softly at the edge of his vision.

Dominic casually flicked his finger, opening the file.

The report from Riley unfolded across the screen.

<Report on the Black Giant and Outer God>

<Author: Riley>

Turning past the report’s cover page, the details compiled based on A's testimony about the Jinlong Incident appeared.

Dominic’s eyes skimmed the text rapidly, summarizing the contents as he read.

<Outer Gods are entities inhabiting the Color Universe, free from the constraints of known physical laws and causality.>

<Most Outer Gods show little interest in Babel or humanity.>

<Our capacity to counter Outer Gods is extremely limited. Conventional weapons or technology cannot even inflict a scratch...>

<...>

The majority was speculative, based on A’s theories—but it was still a valuable report.

Especially considering that mounting evidence had been emerging to support A's earlier hypothesis: “Babel itself is a gateway to the Color Universe.”

As he reached the final section of the report, Dominic’s expression turned more solemn.

<According to A's observations, the distance between Babel and the Color Universe continues to shrink. This suggests that future incursions by Outer Gods may become increasingly frequent.>

“Getting closer... huh.”

Dominic muttered under his breath.

If that was true, the situation was far graver than he had anticipated.

As expected, this wasn’t a crisis that could be solved by simply reinforcing defense systems.

Dominic immediately composed a message to Riley.

[Riley, coordinate a visit to Dino Park for Outer God countermeasure tech development. Send me the schedule.]

No sooner had he sent the message, a new notification arrived from the secretarial office.

<Hexa Core Armory has confirmed attendance at the 'Outer God Countermeasure Meeting'.>

A faint smile curled on Dominic’s lips.

Hexa Core’s participation had been expected.

After all, their pride—the Castle—had partially collapsed during this incident.

The Outer God Countermeasure Meeting was a project Dominic had spearheaded right after the Jinlong Incident.

In his position, it was a necessary step.

The recent events had nearly annihilated 99% of Babel; had things escalated slightly further, humanity would’ve been facing extinction.

The threat far exceeded the capacity of any single megacorp—uniting all of Babel’s megacorps was his only logical conclusion.

Yet, one detail nagged at him.

“Sakamata...”

Dominic reviewed the attendance list again.

While most megacorps had expressed active participation, Sakamata Media Network remained noticeably lukewarm. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Granted, Sakamata was notoriously secretive, not unlike Jinlong, so ignoring their indifference wasn’t unprecedented.

But that alone didn’t fully explain it.

Low casualties? Or something more...

Dominic rhythmically tapped the desk with his finger.

His instincts screamed that something was off.

Of course, Neo Japan, under Sakamata’s control, had sustained the least damage in this disaster. Their passive stance could simply stem from that.

“I hope that’s all it is...”

He muttered, staring at his reflection in the window.

A deep concern clouded his expression.

Dominic rose slowly from his chair.

Preparations for the upcoming Outer God Countermeasure Meeting were in order.

Before leaving his office, he cast one last glance outside.

Stars were beginning to emerge over the darkening city.

****

The festive heat had faded, and Dino Park had returned to its usual calm.

Rather than help clean the chaos left by the party, I found myself at a quiet clearing in the Incheon section of Dino Park, testing my new powers.

This abandoned space amidst ruined buildings was the perfect place to freely experiment with my abilities.

I had gained two things from the recent incident.

The first—Black Giant Form.

A transformation into an overwhelming existence, so terrifying even the Outer Gods of the Color Universe recoiled from it.

The second—More Complete Foresight.

Not mere intuition, but the power to glimpse potential futures.

“Hm...”

I slowly raised my right arm.

Focusing my will, my skin began to darken.

Like ink spreading through water, the transformation started at my shoulder and flowed down to my fingertips.

Once fully transformed, my arm looked pitch black, absorbing the surrounding light. Faint smoke-like wisps drifted from its surface.

More precise control than expected...

Initially, I thought I could only transform into the colossal, kilometer-tall Black Giant form.

But testing revealed much greater flexibility.

I could selectively transform specific body parts, freely adjusting their size.

Naturally, the smaller the transformation, the weaker the output—but in practical combat, that actually made this approach more useful.

I extended my blackened hand into the air—and space warped.

An unseen force drew nearby rocks toward me.

Large and small stones alike were pulled in, as if attracted by a powerful magnet.

In the same moment, I swung my other hand, cloaked in White Shadow.

Fsshk.

The instant the stones touched the White Shadow, they vanished without a trace.

As if erased from existence itself—not even dust remained.

A satisfied grin spread across my face.

Pull enemies close with overwhelming force, then slice them away with White Shadow.

Just imagining the unstoppable combo made me giddy.

Heh heh...

[A?]

[What’re you doing here?]

Suddenly, noisy, childlike voices echoed around me.

At some point, dozens of children had gathered, eyes sparkling with curiosity.

They chattered excitedly, circling me.

[Black arm!]

[So cool!]

A few tried to mimic me, cloaking their own arms in shadow—but it wasn’t quite the same.

The true Black Giant’s form radiated an oppressive aura nothing else could replicate.

Speaking of which...

An idea popped into my head. I called over one of the kids.

The nearest one bounced toward me enthusiastically.

“Stay still for a second.”

[Okay!]

I shared my Black Giant power through our connected abilities—and something remarkable happened.

The child's body began to darken.

In the end, they transformed into a palm-sized, miniature Black Giant.

Unlike the adorable Shadow Kids, this one gave off an intimidating, heavy presence.

[So cool!]

The other kids, however, were clearly jealous.

The transformed child looked momentarily confused, then started moving around curiously.

When they extended their tiny hand, nearby pebbles faintly drifted toward them.

Weaker than my version, but unmistakably the Black Giant's ability.

“...”

With time, further tests revealed an even stranger result.

I could grant Black Giant Form to Agwi as well.

The Black Giant Agwi vaguely resembled its original shape—but darker, more ominous.

Probably because Agwi was more sinister than a child, the transformation made it look almost grotesque.

“Gyuaaang!”

[Nooo!]

[Run away!]

Agwi roared, and the children giggled as they scattered in all directions.

They seemed to love the menacing Black Giant Agwi.

[Ah! Caught me!]

[Fun!]

Three hours later, they were still playing tag with Agwi.

A game of tag where the seeker could manipulate space to drag players in... ridiculous.

But apparently, fun for them?

Meanwhile, More Complete Foresight didn’t require testing.

That ability never did.

I was already satisfied that my heightened instincts had answered the one question I cared about.

Will I meet that foolish kid again?

Foresight provided the answer.

Someday, definitely.

Maybe that was why I couldn’t wait to see that kid again—and share pizza together.