Otaku Witch-Chapter 782 - 518

782: 518.

Doomsday Comes

782: 518.

Doomsday Comes

Just like that, the apocalypse descended.

At first, it was only an insignificant volcanic eruption that nobody cared about, but by the time people came to their senses, various calamities had already taken over the world.

Droughts, floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, meteorites, acid rain, hail…

All sorts of disasters that would normally only occur once in a hundred or even a thousand years seemed to convene in a mere year, ravaging the entire world.

During this process, heaven and earth wailed, living beings were in torment, and Hell became reality, thus commencing the post-Doomsday era.

A year ago, the population of the Magic Republic approached 50 billion, but now, the remaining populace that could be accounted for was a mere 5 billion.

…..

In Pandora City, as the capital of the Magic Republic, this Holy City was still thriving even in this post-Doomsday era.

In fact, in just one year, this already massive city had expanded dozens of times in size.

On the outskirts of the original old city district, numerous satellite cities sprang up, connected to it; however, being hastily built in times of emergency, these cities inherently had numerous problems, the most prominent of which was the excessively dense construction of these new satellite cities.

The rows of skyscrapers, soaring into the clouds, were uniform and identical, as if someone had copied them countless times from the same template on a computer, then crammed them into the satellite cities just like that.

All the essentials of old-time cities—urban planning, green living, and so forth—no longer existed in these satellite cities; everything here was only to fulfill one purpose, and that was mere survival.

If one were to look down upon these satellite cities from high above, these so-called apartment buildings would seem more like “pigeonholes”, or rather, like rows of lifeless tombstones.

“No matter how many times I see this scene, it’s still filled with death.” Haila said, standing on the balcony, looking up at the dark sky filled with volcanic ash, with hardly any sunshine peeking through, and couldn’t help but make such a remark.

“Of course, it’s like this.

After all, it’s the end of the world.” Agatha, who was busy inside the house, heard her sister’s sigh and spoke with some sadness.

But soon enough, the young girl readjusted her mindset and cheerfully consoled her sister, who always seemed a bit listless and dispirited.

“At least we still get to see the sun and feel the wind occasionally, right?

That’s much happier than those assigned to the underground shelters, where it’s truly never seeing the light of day.”

“That’s true.”

Haila paused after her sister’s comforting words and nodded in agreement.

Not all cities were sturdy enough to stand unyielding amidst the unending calamities.

In fact, of the many thousands of cities, large and small, that were once part of the Magic Republic, now only ten remained.

These ten cities were once the most prosperous metropolises of the former Magic Republic, with excellent urban construction and complete defense facilities.

Even the apocalypse couldn’t destroy these top-tier cities that had become self-contained systems.

After the Calamity hit, countless refugees from small towns naturally flocked towards these colossal cities.

To accommodate these refugees, many satellite cities rose from the ground, constructed around these megacities.

Yet even with all non-essential facilities discarded and all space allocated for housing, there still wasn’t enough room to wedge 5 billion people into just ten cities, which proved to be quite a challenge.

Therefore, out of necessity, the megacities began to dig downwards, constructing countless underground shelters just to barely provide everyone with some place to stay.

Although people often complained about the small, pigeonhole-like apartment buildings that collectively resembled tombstones, happiness, it turned out, came from comparison.

When thinking of those who were literally “buried” in underground shelters, the “cage-kept pigeons” suddenly felt a strange sense of superiority.

The only problem was…

“It’s so cold.”

As the bone-chilling cold wind blew by, Haila shivered and tightened her coat before walking back inside.

“This damn wind doesn’t even have anything good about it,” she grumbled.

If it were just a normal, refreshing breeze, that would be tolerable, but in this hellish weather where volcanic ash covered the sky and the overall temperature of the world plummeted, the wind was nothing short of detrimental.

Even though the fierce winds had significantly weakened after being cut down by the windbreakers outside the city, the coldness carried by the wind remained unbearable.

Thinking about it, perhaps those underground “moles” actually had it more comfortable.

“Okay, sister, it’s time to eat,” Agatha called out, having finished preparing breakfast in the house.

“Hmm, what’s for today?

Ah, it’s porridge again.”

Haila, who had just been chilled by the wind and was rubbing her hands and blowing warm air on them, approached the dining table.

Mealtime was supposed to be a pleasurable occasion, but when she saw the two bowls of white sludge on the table that were anything but appetizing, her face immediately fell.

“It’s Liquid Nutrient Meal.

Well, yes, it’s technically porridge,” Agatha corrected her sister.

Yet upon looking at the two bowls of unappetizing sludge, a look of distaste crossed her own face as well.