The Degree
The End of Open World III

One minute towards the absolute destruction of the land called Open World, those who had yet to reach the Shelter craze, ran wild with tears, ignoring the wounds as well as the tormented breaths, in a hurry for their lives at this moment.

While for those who are seriously injured, weak and crying because they can not escape anywhere. Only grievances and tears could afford to be their current comforter.

“Hiks! Why is it like this ... how cruel you are for leaving me!”

“So this is the end .. I hope I never accept that invitation!”

“Sial! Anyone help me!”

“I don't want to die!”

Fear and sadness spread among them. Everyone knew that even if someone came to the rescue, in the end the person just committed suicide. Won't be able to go to the Shelter in just one minute.

They must accept this heinous fate, every living thing will eventually die. Either those who have triumphed over life, or those who have fallen into the lowest caste of life. Everything will die.

The Shelter slowly closed and seemed to be indifferent to the people left behind or on the way to the Shelter.

At the last moment before the door closed, two twin girls jumped in safely.

“Huh, thank goodness it's still time. You okay, Rani?”

“Yes. I'm fine Rina.” Rani got up and tidied herself up before clasping her sister's hand, “We'll be fine. Both now and in the future.”

“Ya.” The two soon blend in with the people and disappear from Ray's sight.

Ray just looked at it silently, not even inside the Shelter itself did one person make a loud noise. At least they just whisper about an apology or something like that to the abandoned colleagues.

“Regarding the previous conversation, did you find anything about that woman?” arthur whispered to Mona.

“Unfortunately no. It's just that I can see that the guy named Guren and Hiroshi are honest about his Degree. Fraudsters and Chuunibyou Samurai.” Mona replied in a whisper, then turned to look at Arthur's face. “Do you suspect something, Arthur?”

Arthur simply remained silent without answering him at all. You could say he had suspicions over this strange thing, but on the other hand he could not be sure if his suspicions were true.

“I can't be sure. Only ...”

“What's up?” ask Mona when Arthur doesn't finish his sentence.

“I think that woman, Indri has more purpose than destroying Virgo. I remember very well being on the same assignment as her, as well as Ray. The woman was full of oddities including her Degree.”

Arthur witnessed for himself how Indri acted through the obstacles in the third task. For him it was strange because people seemed to move according to Indri's wishes. I don't know what happened, but it was clearly unnatural.

“What will you do?”

“Nothing. For now I will be silent and an observer. Moreover, no one knows what will happen with the sixth task.”

No one knew what they would find after the fifth task, everything still looked gray. It could be that they will separate like a tutorial, or even be broken down into several small groups.

Just then, the Shelter started moving and shocked everyone. They had no idea what was really going on considering there was no window or screen for them to know of the situation outside.

“What we move down?” ask Terumi.

“No. I'm pretty sure we're moving up.” Ray immediately denied Terumi's question.

Ray was able to feel that this feeling was more like boarding a plane because his stomach hurt a little each time he boarded. After all, the thermonuclear has a very large explosion.

With time running out like this, going underground was a careless move. Ray confidently states that the underground facility that Secret built will certainly be destroyed with Open World.

“I'm not sure about that. Even if the underground facilities are destroyed, with Secret's amazing technology, I wouldn't be surprised they have a lot of underground facilities.”

There is no guarantee where they will go. Even so, at least Ray believes the sixth task and so on will be far more difficult than Open World which is full of conflict.

A moment later their huge vibe was clearly felt. Some lost their balance and fell, but not a few also managed to stand upright like Ray.

It can be concluded that the tremor came from the thermonuclear .. who just destroyed the Open World with an explosion that once nearly wiped out humanity.

“When all this will end ..” A person's words broke the silence that lasted for several minutes after the huge explosion.

“I have killed ... many people. Just to survive.”

“Is there no way to get out of this game? I can't take it anymore.”

“Whoever, please end this suffering! I'm sorry to accept the invitation!”

“Even with all the power and magic of Serum D, if the test is like this, anyone will not want to follow it!”

“If in the future man depends on Degree, then his chaos will be greater than this!”

Complaints, anger, and crying echoed. Many of the turmoil of feeling that was stored all this time exploded. People began to weep for sin at their hands and for the death of their friends.

Ray couldn't do anything about them, all he could do was shut up and listen.

“Everyone must feel tormented. Even I ... lost some friends.” Terumi said bitterly and sadly.

Leo who is always with him in the tutorial knows the pain. Anyway, Terumi's friend is her friend too.

“This is indeed a painful trial.” Ray agreed on this.

On the surface Ray looks to suffer from pain in his hands and chest. It's just the surface. No one will ever know the true heart of a person.

In fact, all of these things made Ray's heart beat violently, waiting for the great thing he would meet later.

It's not a story of beautiful friendship and togetherness, but it's a painful story where loss and betrayal are commonplace. Such an environment was created by Secret, an environment where killing to stay alive, sacrificing to build a ladder to victory.

‘I sure often say this ... Secrets, degrees, associates, puppets, enemies, traitors, even tragic stories. Everything swirled around me like a dancing butterfly.’

‘What kinds of things will I find next?’

No one saw Ray's face in the middle of the crying. If other people grieve and cry, then Ray is a strange person because he smiles widely waiting for the next thing he will meet.

‘This place will not bore me!’

...****************...

Arc 2 — Open World— End.

It's a very long arc because there are more than 50 chapters on Open World. I don't know about the other Arc coming up. There will be at least two to three more arcs for this story to end.

I wanted to say a few things about this Arc but due to some circumstances I decided to write it in the next chapter.

Regarding the next arc, at this stage it will not be revealed.

You can guess anything and what arc will come next. I'm looking forward to. Bye