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Pweeek!—
Ssh-clang-clack!
Dozens of bullets that had surged toward me now reversed course all at once, flying back to where they came from.
"Block them!"
With Colonel Beloga's shout, an ether barrier surged up to intercept the returning bullets.
[Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block. Block.]
But even for an ether adept of over Level 7, a hastily constructed barrier couldn't fully neutralize the bullets' power.
Thunk!
Thud-thud-thunk!
"Gah!"
"Ugh!"
"We have wounded!"
Dozens of bullets tore into the White Line's royal guard.
If they had anticipated this, perhaps they could have prepared. But since they knew nothing about the gravity glove, casualties were inevitable.
"Rrgh…!"
"Ugh…"
"Get the wounded to the rear!"
Brigadier General Douglas stepped in front of the royal guard, facing me directly.
True to their reputation, the royal guard's gear was no joke. Despite the bullet storm, it looked like there were only wounded—no fatalities.
That was good. I had no intention of causing deaths in this fight.
"Technology of the Machine Cult, I presume."
Douglas' sharp eyes ran over the gravity glove.
He had instantly grasped the anomaly he'd just witnessed.
"You recognized it?"
"There isn't a weapon in Ark I wouldn't recognize. That tech doesn't exist in the current Ark."
"Fair enough."
He wasn't wrong.
Among Ark's generals, Douglas was the most battle-hardened, and he had seen nearly every weapon that passed through the Ark.
"The wounded have been evacuated."
Once he confirmed that the royal guard's injured were cleared, Douglas gripped his weapon again and looked at me.
"You waited on purpose?"
"You looked like you needed time."
"I can't tell if you're generous or just arrogant."
"Calculated. Those are Ark's valuable soldiers, after all."
Douglas gave a bitter laugh.
"…Fair point. Then let's continue."
Douglas' barrel lifted toward me, and the trigger was pulled a beat faster than I could even register.
'First shot's aimed for the head.'
Even I can't dodge a bullet once it's fired.
What I can see is the barrel.
Guns are brutally straightforward weapons—and at this range, predicting the trajectory is easy.
[Activating 'Rift Space.']
I dodged the bullet's path and, at the same time, slipped a hand into the [Rift Space], retrieving the Ark-34 Automatic Conversion Rifle.
Switching it instantly to shotgun mode, I fired without hesitation.
BANG—!
The loaded ammo was standard rounds.
With opponents like these, there was no time to play around with tranquilizers.
Fsssssh…
The blast from shotgun mode, known for its devastating close-range power, scattered—but was completely blocked by the barrier Douglas raised.
The best gear for the best soldier.
It was like witnessing one of Ark's oldest sayings come to life.
Click—
Even though our opening shots failed, neither of us hesitated to continue the firefight.
Bang!—
Rat-tat-tat!
Even in this brutal close-quarters firefight, Douglas wasn't my only concern.
"Well well… I've heard the rumors, but I didn't expect anyone to face off against that old man head-on."
"Don't let your guard down. He's not ordinary."
"I know, I know."
Colonel Emily Croft and Colonel Beloga, who had been watching the situation cautiously, now moved in fully—and with the royal guard joining them, the onslaught against me intensified.
Without Janus' absolute defense, I'd have been minced meat in seconds.
"Beloga, assist."
"Understood."
At Douglas' command, ether surged around Colonel Beloga.
[Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die.]
A raging storm of ether looked ready to consume me—but only for a moment.
'Esther.'
["Yes."]
With a small gesture from Esther, the furious ether storm dissipated instantly.
Even a Level-7+ ether adapter like Beloga couldn't outshine Esther now—she had become a being beyond classification.
"…Ether interference has exceeded a standard threshold."
"Impressive. Seems you've earned that confidence."
Douglas nodded and gave a hand signal to Beloga.
Even with my deep knowledge of Ark's hand signals, I couldn't decipher this one.
"Let's begin."
Without even a moment to breathe, the gunfire resumed.
Only this time, something was different.
'The bullet trajectories have changed.'
Guns are intuitive weapons.
At long range, air resistance affects trajectory—but at close range, bullets go wherever the barrel is pointed.
So, if the trajectory changed mid-flight, there was only one explanation.
'Colonel Beloga.'
Using ether to forcibly alter bullet paths isn't effective against monsters.
Few have the reflexes to dodge bullets by watching the barrel—and even then, it's easier to just fire more rounds than manipulate the trajectory.
So Beloga's tactic was clearly designed for fighting humans.
'But if I know the method, I can respond.'
No need for words. Ether began to surge around Esther.
[Deflect?]
[Strike. Strike. Strike. Strike. Strike. Strike. Strike. Strike. Strike. Strike. Strike. Strike. Strike. Strike. Strike. Strike. Strike.]
[Too many…!]
Esther twisted, deflected, and blocked the distorted bullet paths.
A display of overwhelming control.
But while our strength exceeded theirs, they had the numbers.
"Ether team, move in."
A unit of the royal guard withdrew their muzzles and stepped back.
A new wave of etheric interference started pushing into the field where Esther was manipulating ether.
[Left?]
[Right. Down. Up.]
[No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.]
[There—down. Up. Again, up.]
Individually, these ether signals weren't threats, but their chaotic interference began to tangle Esther's control.
["Too many…!"]
Even Esther couldn't handle raw power and complex interference at the same time.
Proof of that came quickly—bullets bouncing off Janus increased exponentially.
Clang!
Crack-KRANG!—
Even I couldn't track all these muzzle flashes now.
The gravity glove's reversal commands couldn't keep up either.
At this point, even Douglas had to realize something was off.
"No visible barrier, and yet that armor's performance is absurd. Another Machine Cult design?"
"Who knows."
"We'll figure it out soon enough."
Classic Douglas confidence.
Still, he clearly acknowledged my armor's capabilities—his tactics shifted.
"A war of attrition is pointless. Use high-powered weapons. No matter how strong the suit, it can't fully nullify impact."
A warrior's intuition.
He was right—Janus' defenses don't absorb all internal shock.
If hit with high enough force, even I would feel it.
'Definitely no easy opponent.'
If I unleashed Janus' full power, I could end this deadlock quickly—but I intended to keep that secret for as long as possible.
KRAAA-BOOM!—
Explosions thundered again. Gunfire erupted.
Hundreds of bullets filled the air in seconds, yet none landed on me.
Despite his tactical shifts, Douglas had gained little.
"…Facing our anti-insurgent elite alone… We'll need to update everything we know about Carl Marcus."
"Agreed. How does a human withstand this? That armor's unreal."
"His ether interference is beyond normal. The ether team is nearing their limit."
Praise sounds strange when it comes from those trying to kill you.
Especially when it's accurate.
"We're taking too many casualties. My armor's nearly depleted. We need reinforcements and equipment resupply."
"But even with reinforcements, what could we really do here…?"
Emily Croft and Beloga exchanged concerns.
That alone showed how serious they considered this fight.
"No other choice."
Douglas made a decisive signal.
The royal guard repositioned in perfect sync, widening their encirclement.
Whatever they were planning, it wasn't good.
'Esther, get ready.'
["My head… my head feels like it's going to explode…"]
'You don't even have a head to explode. Stop whining.'
["…That was super rude, you know? It totally sounded like you were calling me empty-headed."]
The situation was critical—but not desperate.
Douglas still hadn't figured out how to breach Janus' defense.
'Time, I got serious too.'
I reached into the rift space and wrapped my fingers around the BLT-47 Plasma Launcher and the ICE-54 Plasma Chiller.
My longtime mainstay weapons—and still in active use.
I wouldn't use something like the Zeus-444 Railgun against humans, but these… these would do.
'They're coming.'
No matter what it was—I'd break it head-on.
"Stop."
A voice from the side cut through the chaos, drawing Douglas' attention.
"I'm sorry, miss, but I can't. Step aside. I'm enforcing White Line law through proper procedure."
"And if I refuse?"
Douglas turned to glare at Isabel.
"Do you intend to interfere as well, miss?"
Isabel glared back, eyes unwavering.
"If I must."
Her words made it clear—no more talk.
And around her, the ether began to stir.
===BREAK===
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