I Became A Ghost In A Horror Game-Chapter 77: The Machine God of Great Chaos

“Carol! That thing—!”

Without hesitation, I called Carol.

She answered immediately, as if she had been expecting it.

Her voice carried a rare note of distress.

“That’s right, Alice. It’s an emergency.

We’re dealing with an unanticipated attack.

The response team is already on its way—we’ll focus on securing the civilians’ safety first.

Alice, you have to stop that thing!”

Even as she said it, I could hear the uncertainty in her voice.

But I only had one possible response.

“Got it!”

I was about to hang up.

As long as the civilians were still in the area, I couldn’t use the nuclear missile inside the mirror.

This meant I’d have to fight this thing without any cheat codes—which meant I had to be extremely careful.

I started running through my mind, picking out which anomalies might actually be effective against the Machine God.

But then—

“Alice, wait!”

Carol called out to me.

“What?”

“We’ll be sending reinforcements, but this fight is going to be brutal.

Especially if you can’t use any cheats like last time.

If you start losing ground... if something terrible happens...

You must not let it shake you.

Prepare yourself before the battle even begins.”

She had said something similar before.

Right before I entered the factory.

Every time Carol said something like this, it meant a massive disaster was waiting for me.

...No, scratch that.

The disaster was already happening.

“Carol, I don’t think we should be thinking about losing already.

Believing in success is a virtue of young adults like me—”

“Don’t say ridiculous things—just remember!

Do not waver.

This is both a warning and a plea!

Do. Not. Waver.

Stay calm.

Even in the worst-case scenario, the right answer may be closer than you think.”

Did she just call my words ridiculous?!

I couldn’t afford to get mad at her.

Because at that moment—

The Machine God crashed through a building.

I couldn’t waste any more time listening to Carol’s suffocating concerns.

I cut off the call.

“I get it already! Save the ominous warnings for later!”

“I wasn’t done—”

I ignored her.

And looked up at the metal giant descending from the sky.

It was several times bigger than what I had seen in the factory.

Covered in bizarre mechanical attachments, making it even more threatening.

This thing was far more dangerous than the half-formed demons I had fought in horror games.

If we didn’t take it down now, humanity wouldn’t be able to handle what came next.

“Well, this is unexpected. I didn’t think it would happen this soon.”

I spun around at the sudden voice.

Pinocchio.

I hadn’t sensed his presence at all.

His joints creaked slightly as he approached me.

“Are you ready, Alice?

Then let’s take off.”

Pinocchio climbed onto the back of one of his wooden cuckoo dolls.

Since I still couldn’t fly on my own despite being a demon, I followed his lead and hopped on.

From the sky, we could see the Organization’s personnel moving frantically.

“Those are Organization operatives.

Why aren’t they wearing military uniforms?

Civilians would feel safer seeing them in army gear.”

To a confused public, police or military uniforms would be the most reassuring sight.

But the Organization’s people were wearing slightly odd uniforms.

When I voiced my thoughts, Pinocchio chuckled and revealed a tidbit of information.

“You mean digital camouflage?

How naive.

If this is framed as a war, a certain unwanted entity might descend.”

A war? Who?

I was about to ask when—

“No time to explain, Alice.”

The cuckoo doll soared forward.

In the distance, the Machine God was locked in combat with the Organization’s helicopters.

Oddly enough, the helicopters were painted in bright, playful colors.

Why the hell would they paint military aircraft cute?

Even with dozens of helicopters launching a full-scale assault, the Machine God barely reacted, merely deflecting the attacks.

But then—

It turned its gaze toward us.

And spread its arms wide.

[Let the performance begin.

A grand spectacle for all to witness.]

A small stage appeared behind the Machine God’s head.

With a wave of its hand, theatrical props rose into the air, and thin, almost invisible strings spread across the battlefield.

Then, it grabbed one of the Organization’s agents—

—and threw him onto the stage.

“You goddamn monster!!”

The agent snapped.

His sanity already cracking, he began firing wildly at the stage props.

But the props transformed into miniature versions of the Machine God.

And then—

His body stiffened.

His movements became artificial, as if he were acting in a low-budget stage play.

And he shouted:

“This can’t be!

Even with enhanced firepower, I cannot scratch it!

How could I not call it the strongest?

I give up, so you should give up too!”

Then, with an exaggerated motion, he took his own life.

[Your weapons cannot so much as scar the divine body of the Machine God.]

A chilling voice echoed through my mind, cementing the fate we had just witnessed.

The Machine God’s reality-warping abilities had activated.

The helicopters’ bullets and missiles could no longer even burn its body.

“H-Hah...! Why isn’t anything working?!”

Then it chose its second victim.

The captured agent grabbed a bow and arrows from the ground and attempted to resist.

But he, too, was ensnared by the performance.

His mind shattered, he missed every single shot.

And after reciting his lines, he took his own life.

[And your arrows shall never reach the divine body of the Machine God.]

Once again, the final scene engraved itself into reality.

Now, all of the Organization’s long-range attacks warped away before reaching the Machine God.

I realized—

Numbers alone wouldn’t win this fight.

This was the bare minimum of power needed to wipe out humanity alone.

If the Machine God grew any further, it would become completely unstoppable by physical means.

But right now—

I was still unaffected by its fate manipulation.

Meaning I could still fight back.

“Let’s begin.”

Pinocchio pointed his rough wooden hand at the Machine God.

In response, countless hidden wooden puppets, planks, and trees disguised as scenery emerged and merged together.

Four gigantic wooden constructs—half the size of the Machine God—rose.

Wielding metal weapons, they charged.

The impact shook the earth like thunder.

But—

Not a single scratch appeared on the Machine God’s body.

It turned to Pinocchio.

[Pinocchio.

A demon, yet made of wood and steel—a machine in your own way.

And the only one I cannot control.

We meet again.]

“Then you should remember my power, you piece of junk.”

[Of course.]

For once, Pinocchio shouted boldly:

“Our attacks shattered that damned hunk of scrap.

It was nothing but an empty husk, a fragile, hollow shell!

It doesn’t matter if that’s a lie.

Because if I believe it, it becomes the truth!”

Pinocchio lied.

And his long wooden nose shrank.

And then—

A crack appeared on the Machine God’s body.

Now I understood.

Why Ariel had chosen Pinocchio to defeat the Machine God.

A clash of fate manipulation versus reality-altering authority.

A battle where both could rewrite the world.

“It worked.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“Too bad it’s not all-powerful. The Organization’s attacks are still missing their mark.”

“Still, this is good. Just finding an opening is more than enough!”

I summoned a large mirror.

From within it, Radio Head emerged, glaring at the Machine God.

“Time for a revenge match!”

The monstrous entity crawled out of the mirror, dragging its massive frame forward.

It looked eager to fight.

I gave it a simple request.

“Broadcast.”

[BZZT—]

[Garbage collection will begin now and continue until midnight.

We accept all discarded items.

Machines, however, will be specially destroyed before collection.]

Radio Head’s transmission echoed through the city.

Using its ability, it gathered all the junk in the area into one mass.

As the trash pile grew, its form expanded until it stood eye-level with the Machine God.

Electric waves crackled from its body.

“Not enough.”

I summoned another mirror.

This time, I called forth something born from humanity’s primal fear of beasts—

A legendary monster from France.

“Run wild.”

[Awooooooo—!]

The Beast of Gévaudan let out a howl.

“Let’s go!”

I leaped off the cuckoo doll and mounted the beast.

It was razor-sharp, its fangs strong enough to tear through metal.

Wounds began to appear on the Machine God’s body.

But it wouldn’t just stand there and take the hits.

The Machine God revealed a hidden speaker and blasted an ear-piercing noise.

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP—!

The sound was lethal to the beast.

It howled in agony, slamming its head against nearby buildings.

“Damn it!”

The stunned beast was immediately struck by the Machine God’s massive fist, sending it crashing through a building.

I barely managed to escape by diving into a mirror.

As I watched the beast retreat back into the mirror, I bit my lip.

It was as strong as expected.

“Alice! More! We need more! Throw everything you’ve got at it!”

Pinocchio shouted.

Even while locked in a battle with Radio Head, the Machine God still managed to destroy one of Pinocchio’s dolls and spoke.

[How foolish.

Do you think a pile of junk can break solid steel?

You, who are not even a true machine, merely a plaything—I shall inspect you.]

“Tch!”

Radio Head was losing ground.

It was one of the strongest anomalies we had, but we couldn’t afford to lose it now.

We needed to act—fast.

“Alice! Destroy the stage!

The Machine God’s fate manipulation is affecting your monsters, too.

Even though my lies are suppressing it, our attacks aren’t landing as hard as they should!”

“Got it!”

I summoned another creature and mounted its back.

The Machine God seemed to have anticipated this and took action.

[Hmph...]

“AAAAAAAGH!”

It hijacked the controls of a nearby helicopter.

The pilot screamed as the aircraft was forced toward the stage—

—and crashed into it, exploding.

Before dying, the pilot recited an unnatural line of dialogue.

[Your vehicles shall lose their function,

and for daring to challenge the heavens, you shall be punished.

Like the Tower of Babel and Icarus, your arrogance will only repeat itself.]

The brief performance burned itself into my mind.

Once again, the Machine God’s fate manipulation activated.

No—this was reality-warping at its finest.

My mount lost its ability to fly and began to plummet.

Every fighter jet and helicopter the Organization had sent crashed and exploded.

In a matter of moments, the Organization’s aerial forces were annihilated.

I clenched my teeth and shouted at the Machine God.

“Don’t think this is over!”

As I fell, I summoned a small mirror.

From it, a massive, elephant-like yokai emerged.

“A metal-eating demon.

Ever heard of the Bulgasari?”

A Korean yokai, infamous for its iron-hard body and ability to consume metal to grow larger.

Its most terrifying trait—it could not die.

[HMM.]

The Bulgasari struck the Machine God with a heavy blow, causing it to stagger slightly.

It worked.

In pure physical combat, Bulgasari was even stronger than Radio Head.

A small grin formed on my face.

“The Bulgasari is unkillable.

It eats metal and keeps getting bigger.

It’s a lot like you, don’t you think?”

I expected the Machine God to show some reaction.

But instead, it simply spoke.

[Child.

You are lying.]

“...”

[There is no such thing as something that cannot be killed.]

“...Damn it.”

It saw through it.

Bulgasari’s legend stated that it could only be killed by fire.

A flawed immortality.

The Machine God opened its mouth and unleashed a molten blast from its core.

I gestured to Pinocchio.

And Pinocchio shouted a bold declaration.

“Its body shall neither burn nor melt!

A truly immortal body!

The monster has slain the giant!”

The searing heat—powerful enough to resemble a beam attack—should have incinerated Bulgasari.

But Pinocchio’s lie protected it.

Though it was slightly melted, it still stood.

I felt irrationally pissed off.

“Don’t act so cocky.

Your body is still taking damage, too.”

[You speak the truth, child.

However, if this becomes a battle of attrition...

You will lose.]

The Machine God destroyed another of Pinocchio’s giant puppets and continued.

[And your friends...

They will all perish.

Perhaps they are already dead.

I do not even need a performance to kill them.]

“...!”

“Don’t lose focus, Alice.

Stay in the fight.

You didn’t send them away because you’re careless—you must have trusted something.”

“...You’re right. Thanks.”

The Organization, the Church, and the Fairy Tail Tea Party would keep them safe.

They should be fine.

I steadied myself.

And began summoning dozens of mirrors.

I glared at the Machine God and declared:

“The Hyakki Yagyō starts now.”

Back at the school—

“What the hell is happening?!”

Heavily armed special forces had set up °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° barricades at the school.

Some soldiers were fighting monsters, while others were heading toward the students.

The sight of a massive giant and rampaging creatures threw the students and teachers into chaos.

The short, nightmarish performance that had burned itself into their minds only made things worse.

“Did you guys see that?”

“Yeah... and for a second—”

“It was Alice! I saw Alice!”

The calmest members of the club couldn’t hold back their curiosity.

Ha-rim pulled out a telescope she had borrowed (stolen) from the science lab and looked outside.

“No doubt about it—it’s Alice!”

Kyung-min took the telescope next.

Through the lens, he saw Alice—not fighting against the soldiers but leading her own monsters against the Machine God.

“Why is Alice there? Ah! Alice just got hit by the giant’s fist!”

A thunderous impact shook the air.

But Alice climbed onto another monster and charged back in.

Sweating, Kyung-min shouted:

“W-We have to help her!”

They should have been questioning what Alice really was.

But right now—

Helping their friend came first.

“How?!” Soo-ho demanded.

Before Ha-rim could answer, the doors burst open.

“Alpha Team, secure the first and second floors.

Beta Team, take the third and fourth.

Gamma Team, cover the rest.

Civilians! We were sent by the government—do not panic!

Teachers, guide the students to safety!

We’re moving to the gym.

A tight space isn’t ideal!”

Ha-rim and the club members turned to face the soldiers who had burst in.

Their eyes weren’t filled with fear—but with calm analysis.

That alone made the agents feel uneasy.

When one of the soldiers finally got a proper look at Ha-rim’s face, recognition flickered across his expression.

“These kids...! Secure them first! Director Carol gave specific orders about them.”

“Move them first!”

“Alright, kids. Follow us. Don’t worry, just come this way.”

Eun-jung hesitated.

“What should we do?”

Ha-rim made a quick decision.

“Let’s just go with them for now.”

“Alright! We’ll follow you.”

The agent was startled.

They spoke as if they actually had a choice.

As if they had been considering running away if they had any doubts.

‘They’re too composed. These aren’t normal kids.’

“Ansen! You’re with me! We’re escorting them out.”

“Understood!”

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The agents led the kids out of the building.

As they stepped outside, an earth-shaking noise made them all look up.

In the distance, a colossal battle was raging.

The Machine God was locked in combat with two demons.

Though they couldn’t see it clearly, the sounds of explosions, the distorted skyline, the sudden bursts of lightning and rain, the giant puppets and monsters, the falling debris, the beasts’ howls, and even what appeared to be a spaceship—

It was pure, unfiltered chaos.

“Holy... What the hell is that...?”

“A battle between transcendent beings.

Hard to believe one of ours is mixed up in that.”

They had almost reached the gymnasium when—

A mechanical horror came charging toward them from behind.

It had a humanoid shape, but its body was twice the size of an average adult.

Instead of hands, heavy iron spheres were fused to its arms.

“This one’s different! Ansen!”

Ansen opened fire.

Another agent shoved the kids into the gymnasium and slammed the doors shut.

“Kids! Do not come out, no matter what!”

The agents turned back.

The monster stood unscathed, aside from a few bullet dents.

“Bullets aren’t working!”

“Damn it! Why is it here?! Did the other barricade break?!”

The agent quickly radioed another team.

After several tense rings, a frantic voice responded.

“Barricade deployment failed!

We were ambushed before we could even reach the site!

The Little Mermaid appeared near the school, and the church is attacking both her and the Quick Build team! They’re in combat!

Just now, the Little Mermaid was shot down by a holy arrow, and the priest leader was killed at the same time! The battle is ongoing!”

“What the hell—?!”

-----

The kids had been pushed inside as if they were prisoners.

Outside, the sounds of gunfire and monsters put them on high alert.

Eun-jung, visibly shaken, spoke first.

“What do we do?”

Kyung-min placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Calm down! We need to stay calm.”

“I don’t understand what’s happening, but... we’re definitely in danger.

Let’s not make any rash decisions. We should wait for the soldiers.”

They waited.

Ha-rim stared at the locked doors in deep thought.

“Why was Alice fighting that giant?”

“So Alice was a ghost after all!”

“That’s not the kind of ghost I know.

Ghosts don’t fight kaiju-sized monsters like a superhero.”

“Either way, I’m worried about her.

What if she... dies out there?”

The club members tried to suppress their anxiety, voicing their thoughts.

Then—

Soo-ho, his expression grim, spoke.

“Ha-rim.

Something’s not right.”

“Huh?”

“...The gunfire stopped.”

CRASH—!!!

The doors were obliterated.

A hulking mechanical beast stood in the doorway, its iron-sphere hands drenched in blood.

Its body was riddled with bullet marks, but it had pushed through unscathed.

Ha-rim’s stomach twisted.

And she yelled.

“Scatter—!!!”

The monster charged, and the kids darted in different directions.

Soo-ho grabbed a sturdy wooden plank, using it as a makeshift shield.

When the monster turned toward Eun-jung, Ha-rim signaled Soo-ho.

“Soo-ho!”

“Got it!”

Soo-ho stepped in front of the monster.

Ha-rim quickly issued orders.

“Don’t bunch up!

Spread out in a circle!

And don’t attack recklessly!”

The monster swung its iron ball at Soo-ho.

Soo-ho didn’t block it—he dodged.

It swung again.

This time, Soo-ho lifted his shield but only barely deflected the hit.

Ha-rim’s eyes narrowed.

Something felt off.

She shouted.

“Soo-ho! Roll—!!”

The monster lunged, thrusting its iron ball like a battering ram.

Just like when it had smashed through the gym doors.

Its speed was unnaturally fast for its size.

“It’s fast!”

Soo-ho barely dodged.

“No... It’s slow overall.

But its attacks are fast.

Kyung-min, help Soo-ho stall for time!”

“Uh—Got it! Screw it!”

Kyung-min grabbed a jump rope and a ball from the ground.

Whenever Soo-ho struggled to keep up, Kyung-min threw the ball at the monster to draw its attention.

Giving Soo-ho time to reset his stance.

“How is Soo-ho even holding out?!”

Eun-jung was shocked.

Ha-rim explained.

“He’s not blocking.

He’s baiting the attacks.

He’s making it look like he’s blocking while shifting his body back to avoid the full impact.”

A defense method for someone too small to endure direct hits.

Ha-rim didn’t know why Soo-ho was so experienced at this.

But right now, it was a blessing.

“This thing... it’s not smart.

The shield and iron ball never even touched each other, but the monster thought it was attacking.

Because it believed it was being countered, its attack patterns got simpler—making it easier to dodge.

If it had just swung randomly, Soo-ho would’ve been—Wait...!”

A sudden realization hit Ha-rim.

A puzzle piece clicked into place.

A clue.

A way to win.

A voice echoed in her mind.

—“It’s like a riddle.”

...Alice?

Did Alice ever say something like that to her?

No time to think.

“Eun-jung!

There should be all sorts of stuff in the storage room.

Grab whatever you can!

I’ll keep watching and figure this thing out!”

"O-Okay!"

Eun-jung sprinted toward the storage room while Ha-rim turned to face the monster, her expression resolute.

"Over here, you ugly bastard!"

But the monster didn’t even look at her.

Ha-rim’s gaze sharpened.

She was analyzing its every move.

It reacted when Kyung-min threw a ball or lightly tapped it with a jump rope—

But not when she shouted.

...Could it be?

The monster kept attacking Soo-ho.

Soo-ho dodged, expertly weaving around its strikes, but once again, his shield and the iron ball briefly brushed against each other.

That was when Ha-rim issued a command.

"Soo-ho, now! Roll!"

"Uwah—!"

Just as she suspected.

The monster moved mechanically, following a set pattern, yet it ignored sound and relied mostly on sight and impact detection.

‘Think. Find the logic behind its behavior.’

Soo-ho had been using a feinting technique, making it look like he was blocking while actually dodging.

Because of that, the monster registered his shield as an attack—and tried to knock it away.

But the moment Soo-ho’s shield actually made contact with the iron ball, even lightly—

The monster stopped treating it as an attack and instead recognized it as an obstacle.

“...It also used that charge attack to break down the gym doors earlier.”

Does that mean... whenever its attacks hit an obstacle, it instinctively tries to destroy it?

A simple but effective combat pattern.

And if it relied on sight and impact detection, then...

Maybe they could use that against it.

But they needed time to set up a plan.

"I-I got it!"

Eun-jung returned, carrying cleaning supplies—detergents and soaps used for scrubbing the school pool.

Ha-rim’s eyes lit up.

“This is perfect!”

She tossed a bottle of detergent to Kyung-min.

"This is...?"

"Spread it on the floor while you run!"

Kyung-min immediately understood.

He threw another ball at the monster to get its attention, then dashed away, spilling detergent across the floor.

The monster stepped onto the slippery surface—

And slipped.

By the time it got its footing back, Soo-ho had already returned from the storage room with two ladders and a large red curtain.

While Kyung-min continued baiting the monster, the others moved the equipment outside through the gym windows.

Then, Soo-ho, now standing outside, threw a baseball at the monster to pull its aggro.

As expected, the monster ignored the wall between them, calculated the distance between Kyung-min and Soo-ho—

Then chose to attack Soo-ho.

"Kyung-min! You’re done! I’ll take over!"

The moment the monster locked onto Soo-ho, it didn’t even consider trying to go through the window.

Instead—

It charged through the wall.

And outside, waiting for it, stood Ha-rim and Eun-jung.

They stood on two ladders, holding up a massive red curtain behind Soo-ho.

"If it only relies on sight and simple logic, then this should work.

Soo-ho, get ready!"

"Leave it to me."

The monster swung its iron ball.

Soo-ho dodged, making sure his shield lightly brushed against it.

That was the trigger.

The monster registered the shield as an obstacle.

And obstacles must be destroyed.

"Now!"

Soo-ho rolled away at the last moment.

The monster, seeing nothing but red in front of it—

Charged.

Its piercing attack drove straight through the curtain.

—SPLASH!

Behind the curtain—was the pool.

Heavy metal doesn’t float.

The monster sank immediately.

And in the deep water, it stopped moving, its glowing eyes simply staring up at them.

It wasn’t dead.

But it was completely immobilized.

"We did it."

"Holy crap. We actually won?!"

The kids cheered.

But only for a moment.

Because Ha-rim spoke again.

“...Alice.

We need to find Alice.”

"You’re going outside?"

Ha-rim nodded, determined.

“...I’ll go alone if I have to. Stay here.”

"What?!"

"It’s dangerous!"

She knew that.

The others thought she was crazy.

But what was funnier was—

They all felt the same way.

They wanted to help Alice, too.

"Let’s go together."

"Even though it’s dangerous?"

"Adventure is always dangerous.

We’re just kids—what do we know about the world?

Doing reckless things is our privilege."

"Pfft... Alright! Let’s go!"

Kids who weren’t like kids at all grinned at each other.

And then—

They ran toward the unguarded back gate.