Endless Evolution: Last Star

"Damn, I didn't think it would turn out like this." Adam scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "So, the Gamma Division is like eternal guardians who will always help restore the Citadel and humanity to their rightful place in the world, right?"

Douglas leaned forward.

"Yes, pretty much. You see, this is especially important in the first few years after the World Wipe. All we have left is the Citadel center, about a hundred K3-Phantoms, K4-Phantoms, and Second Rank Phantoms, along with the Gamma Division. Considering the current population of over 50 million, that's just crumbs."

Then, Douglas smiled bitterly, remembering the beginning after the many World Wipes he had survived.

"It used to be a matter of survival, the Gamma Division and Phantoms dying by the hundreds to survive the aftermath of the World Wipe, but now the situation is stable. The Phantoms are protecting the Citadel while the Gamma Division is quickly rebuilding it."

Adam leaned on his arm.

"I don't know if I should ask this, but how did it happen the first time? I mean, did the Phantoms and ordinary people fight the monsters until the Midnight Crystal fell next to someone?"

"Well, even I don't know that. The first Touched Human must have appeared before I was born. But your assumption is most likely correct. Some human must have been the first to absorb the Midnight Crystal to start the Gamma Division successfully."

Adam seemed to have no more questions, unlike Silvana.

"Douglas, you said that after the World Wipe, the Phantoms defend the Citadel and the Gamma Division restores it, right?"

Douglas nodded affirmatively in response.

Silvana was puzzled.

"But... Even if 250 years pass between the World Wipes, only its central part remains, not to mention the constant attacks by monsters, anomalies, and so on. How is it possible for everything to return to normal in such a short period?

"I mean. It's one thing to get metals and materials to rebuild areas, cities, and factories, but it's quite another to achieve a population of tens of millions of people in just 250 years! Considering that only the strong Phantoms and the Gamma Division remain alive, how many people is that? A few hundred?"

Douglas shook his head.

"A few thousand. That includes the Gamma Division. We don't have thousands of K4-Phantoms, although it would be very nice. Hah. Look, Silvana, I think I know what you're thinking."

"Hmm?"

"Even if we assume that all survivors of the World Wipe immediately start having children and a new generation appears every 20 years, there is no way to reach 50 million in just 250 years.

"That's without taking into account the high mortality rate from both natural causes and monsters, especially in the first few decades after the World Wipe. Am I right?" Douglas grinned as if he could read Silvana's thoughts.

Surprised, Silvana nodded.

"Yes. When I first learned that the World Wipe happens every 250 years, I thought it was an incredibly long time, practically an eternity! But considering that we need to rebuild the Citadel and restore the population with less than ten thousand people, damn, it seems impossible!"

Douglas nodded deeply with a warm smile.

"Well, that was true for part of the story. We were stuck, but technology helped us get moving! With technology, we were able to speed things up considerably!"

With an excited expression, Douglas took the bottle and filled his glass.

"Moreover, don't forget that we already have a lot of experience in this."

Silvana puffed out her cheeks, dissatisfied.

"Technology? Pffft, how can it help?"

Adam turned to her, looking at her as if he had seen a ghost. He seemed unable to understand how Silvana could not understand.

Douglas raised his hand. "Calm down. Silvana, you must understand that right now, between the Upper Ring and the Lower Ring, there are thousands of sealed warehouses containing everything necessary for survival and rapid recovery."

Puzzled, Silvana raised an eyebrow. She wasn't ready to hear this.

"Everything is stored there: monster parts, seeds, terminals with blueprints, high technology, artifacts, crystals, and everything else you can think of. The list is so long that the book would have to be the size of a mansion. Hahaha!

Douglas grinned.

"However, that's for non-organic objects. They're stored there too but in a very compact form."

"This…?"

Douglas nodded. "Yeah, incubators, ready to create tens of thousands of people in a few years, maybe even hundreds of thousands. They continue to work until we reach the desired number. When you have several million people, it's pretty easy to get to 50 million in 250 years, right?"

Shocked, Silvana gulped.

"Wait... Does that mean my ancestor was grown right in an incubator?"

Adam pointed to his chest.

"Just like mine?!"

"Hahaha! Well, maybe your great-great-great-grandfather was a K4-Phantom, but he died and had many children, and in 150-200 years the connection was completely lost, but that's a rare case. Most likely, it's just as you said."

Adam ruffled his hair.

"Damn it! Now I feel like I was raised in a laboratory! Although... I'll never know for sure."

Douglas shrugged.

"Sorry, Adam, but we do whatever is necessary to survive. You have to understand that practically no one from the K4-Phantoms and above and the Gamma Division has children. Because for your children to survive the World Wipe, they too must be from one of those two groups. Thus, incubators became our salvation as a race."

Douglas looked toward one of the many laboratories scattered throughout the Citadel.

"Strange as it may seem, in a world full of monsters and energy, it is science and technology that have prevented us from disappearing!"

Adam frowned as he turned eastward, where, as always, he saw shreds of darkness.

"Fuck! Why is everything so difficult for us? Wilfred said that there are currently billions of monsters in our world, tens of billions!" Adam complained. "How do they manage that if they don't have technology like we do?!"

Then, Douglas's face darkened as his mood changed dramatically.

"Agh... Adam, there's an answer to that, and you won't like it. But then again, nothing new."

Adam turned around. "Hmm?"

"You see. Among the two races, humans and monsters, only monsters should have existed. Humans are a mistake, because we have nothing but flaws, while monsters are the perfect race."