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[Kik, kikik, kik, kikik, kik, kikik, kik, kikik, kik, kikik, kik, kikik, kik, kikik, kik, kikik, kik, kikik, kik, kikik, kik, kikik, kik, kikik…]
As Isabel's ether finally began to engage the situation in earnest, Colonel Beloga's expression was the first to harden.
"…I see. So, this is the young lady. If anything, the rumors might've understated it."
"Scared?"
"Yes. To be honest."
Colonel Beloga and Colonel Emily Croft trembled slightly as they looked at Isabel.
Yet even then, Brigadier General Douglas stood firmly before her without the slightest retreat.
"Do you understand what it means to intervene directly, miss? Depending on how this unfolds, you could be charged with treason against the White Line. High treason."
"If that's what it takes, then so be it."
"Then I have no choice. I offer my apologies in advance for the offense we are about to commit."
"I'm prepared."
"Then let's see just how prepared."
At Douglas' signal, reinforcements and new equipment began pouring in through the hole in the ceiling, as if they had been waiting for the cue.
Though perhaps not as well-known as Colonels Croft or Beloga, these were the White Line's hidden blades—equally skilled.
'And they've resupplied their gear, too…'
All the effort spent draining their armor was now meaningless.
'Well… no matter.'
I've fought in hopeless battles more times than I can count.
Waves of beasts filling every inch of the battlefield.
Battles where no matter how many you killed, they kept coming—facing despair itself.
Compared to those, this fight was honestly too easy.
'Even with Isabel joining in, our forces aren't enough.'
In the hideout, the only remaining Shadow Order combatants besides Isabel were One-Eyed Crux and Turncoat Rook.
But excluding Isabel, the other two were monsters.
One-Eyed Crux mainly used human firearms, so that wasn't an issue—but Turncoat Rook couldn't use his strength freely. The risks were too high.
'Knowing Rook, he might charge in anyway… Better restrain him now.'
I signaled Janus quietly, and Janus responded with a soundwave inaudible to humans.
[Gi-git.]
"…Grr."
Turncoat Rook froze.
Then glared at me.
"…Damn it."
He bit his lip and, following Janus' will, withdrew alongside Crux.
They should be able to break through the encirclement during the chaos.
If they couldn't contribute meaningfully here, it was better they escaped.
"Begin."
Douglas spoke quietly, completely ignoring Turncoat Rook's departure.
At his word, the reinforcements now flooding the Shadow Order's hideout aimed their weapons at Isabel and me.
That wasn't all.
["Master! That way!"]
Esther's shout drew my gaze to an unfamiliar group among the soldiers.
Ether soldiers and Skull Knights.
Special units of Ark had joined the battle against us.
"Sorry for dragging you into this."
"This was bound to happen eventually."
"…Yeah. I figured you'd say that. Let's wrap this up first. We can talk afterward."
"Of course."
Isabel nodded, then raised a hand toward the approaching ether.
"Ark's really stepped up. To produce ether adepts of this level."
Around her, a massive etheric surge began to rise—dwarfing every adept present.
"But still not enough."
Her voice was calm.
Then—an ether explosion erupted.
[It hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts.]
[Kyaaaaaaaah────!]
[Scary. Scary. Scary. Scary. Scary. Scary. Scary. Scary. Scary. Scary. Scary. Scary. Scary. Scary. Scary. Scary. Scary. Scary. Scary. Scary.]
The storm of ether tore out in every direction—signaling the true beginning of battle.
Ratatatat!
Gunfire rained from all sides.
Their equipment was clearly a tier above what the royal guard had shown before.
'Looks like it's time I stop holding back.'
Kiiiiing—!
[Bullet trajectory calculation complete.]
[Position lock initiated.]
The gravity glove lit up again, freezing the storm of bullets mid-air.
Douglas shouted:
"Empty your mags—now!"
A full-auto barrage order.
Shockingly, the command worked.
[Bullet trajectory reversal complete.]
[Reversing positions.]
Sh-clack!—
Sh-clack-clack!
As I reversed the bullets again, those fired at me collided with the returned ones mid-air, producing deafening roars.
KAAANG!—
CLANG! CLANG-CLANG!
They'd created a bullet curtain.
'They've figured out how to counter the gravity glove already…'
As expected of Douglas.
But I wasn't going to just watch.
Zzzzzzz—
Sparks flared from the barrels of the BLT-47 Plasma Launcher and ICE-54 Plasma Chiller I held in each hand.
Weapons too dangerous to use on humans—until now.
But if they were playing dirty, I'd respond in kind.
"Don't die on me."
Scarlet flashes and icy blue vapor erupted from both hands, sweeping across the battlefield.
"Plasma weapons! Deploy reverse shields!"
Led by Douglas, the royal guard's arm shields activated their plasma barriers.
KRAAAACK!
Light and frost scattered in every direction as plasma clashed with plasma shielding.
To a bystander, it might've looked beautiful.
To us? Pure hell.
"Urgh!"
"My arm… I can't feel my arm!"
"First and second rows, rotate! The shields won't hold!"
The BLT-47 and ICE-54 combo had enough power to remain viable even in late-stage operations.
Humans lacked the exoskeleton and vitality of beasts—they couldn't withstand it, shields or not.
"Plasma energy won't last long. Just hold out!"
Douglas barked orders, accurately judging plasma weapons' biggest flaw.
But he was wrong about one thing—mine wouldn't stop unless they overheated.
"The shields are failing!"
"We can't take this anymore!"
Screams rang out as the plasma barriers began to collapse.
Fsshh!
Fshh-shhh!
Once the front line barrier fell, the rest followed like dominoes.
No matter how many of Ark's top shields they brought—there was no withstanding endless plasma bombardment.
"Beloga!"
"We're overwhelmed here too!"
Douglas called for ether support—but Beloga was already losing to Isabel's ether.
Honestly, it was impressive they'd lasted this long.
[Keh-heh, keh-heh-heh— keh-heh, keh-heh-heh— keh-heh, keh-heh-heh— keh-heh, keh-heh-heh!]
The twisted laughter of Isabel's ether echoed through the room.
Their countermeasures were exhausted.
And now, the results began to show.
"Gaaagh!"
"Request backup armor support—!"
"It's too late—!"
The red flare and icy breath from my twin plasma weapons swept across the area.
Even with protective gear, they were essentially naked before plasma.
KWAKWAKWA!—
The scarlet flash and azure frost engulfed the royal guard—Douglas, Croft, and Beloga included.
Those three at least resisted with fresh shields and ether, but the rest weren't so lucky.
"GUAAAGH!"
"My leg—my leg!"
Most of the royal guard was instantly incapacitated.
Their supposedly impregnable Ark-grade armor hung in tatters, exposing scorched skin and frostbite—a testament to what they'd endured.
"…Unbelievable."
Douglas' gaze swept across the ruined battlefield.
Only a handful of ether soldiers, Skull Knights, and a few surviving White Line troops remained.
"So, it wasn't ordinary plasma tech? Another Machine Cult invention?"
"Who knows. Think what you want."
"I see. Then I was mistaken."
Douglas nodded.
"It's fair to say the operation has failed."
"Giving up so easily?"
"Of course not. A soldier obeys orders—even dishonorable ones. Following them is still a soldier's honor."
He pulled up a massive gun from the ground—far too large to be called a sidearm.
The NOA-540 Anti-Colossal Behemoth Cannon.
Normally used against massive beasts—Douglas had modified it for personal use.
"Let's see if your armor can withstand this."
The cannon's barrel began to spin with a low, thunderous growl.
Just as I was preparing to counter it, I felt someone approach from behind.
"Urgh… General, mind if I join?"
Colonel Emily Croft, her armor shredded, stepped forward with a plasma sword—two R-4b models, rare even in Ark.
"And we're not alone."
The Skull Knights, who'd barely held against the earlier blasts, now joined in.
An eerie tension filled the air again.
'Skull Knights…'
Highly versatile elite soldiers, yet shunned more than ether adapters due to their origins.
The fact that White Line deployed them showed how desperate they were.
'Which means… they're exploitable.'
Douglas didn't know.
What it meant to bring Skull Knights before me.
The moment they appeared, this battle had effectively ended.
'Janus.'
[Gigit!]
'Subjugate them.'
A simple command.
Executed just as simply.
[Gigit.]
No special moves.
Just a command in Janus' language—only Skull Knights could hear.
"…Huh?"
And with that, every Skull Knight present fell to their knees.
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