Chapter 77: Red Line Defense (4)

Before the NOA-44 Eraser, which literally erased everything in its path, all beasts and monsters were equal.

The 30mm rounds, designed explicitly to hunt down beasts and monsters, left behind nothing but fragments of what once were formidable foes.

[Grade-3 Flying Species, Sky Whale, has been slain.]

[Damage dealt to Grade-3 flying Species, Sky Whale, has increased by 0.05%.]

[Grade-5 Plant Species, Growing Thorn Vine, has been slain.]

[Damage dealt to Grade-5 Plant Species, Growing Thorn Vine, has increased by 0.05%.]

[Grade-4 Arthropod Species, Poison Stinger Wasp, has been slain.]

[Damage dealt to Grade-4 Arthropod Species, Poison Stinger Wasp, has increased by 0.05%.]

.

.

.

[Grade-4 Stone Species, Gargoyle, has been slain.]

[Damage dealt to Grade-4 Stone Species, Gargoyle, has increased by 0.05%.]

Even Grade-5 and higher beasts, categorized as direct threats to Ark, were no exception.

No matter how thick their hides or how dense their muscles, they couldn't withstand the explosive 30mm rounds.

However...

Such overwhelming firepower didn't come without a price.

The immense recoil generated by the 30mm rounds fired at 20,000 rounds per minute was enough to throw off even the steadiest hands.

Moreover, due to the sheer weight and size of the NOA-44 Eraser, turning the barrel was incredibly difficult.

That was why three assistant gunners were always assigned when operating the NOA-44 Eraser.

'But right now, I'm operating it alone.'

The NOA-44 Eraser was a beast of a weapon that required at least four trained soldiers to handle properly.

Even for me, managing such a monstrous weapon alone was pushing it.

That is—if I were truly alone.

I felt the veins in my arms bulge, and my muscles strain to their limit.

Even with strength far beyond that of an ordinary human, handling the NOA-44 Eraser was overwhelming.

That's why I needed to wake up my long-slumbering partner.

'Time to wake up.'

[Gigit!]

Janus, who had been resting, woke up in response to my call.

While he couldn't openly reveal himself, he could still support my movements as usual.

But I didn't stop there.

Even with Janus assisting, the NOA-44 Eraser alone couldn't cover all 15 defense points.

'I can't use Janus too openly within Ark.'

But I still had one more method.

There was nothing to hesitate about.

This method was something Ark already knew about.

'Esther.'

Ark was already aware that I was an Ether Adept.

In fact, the reason I was cast out of Ark in the first place was because of my Ether compatibility.

So, there was nothing strange about me freely manipulating Ether.

["Our esteemed master only calls me when only he's in a pinch."]

Though Esther grumbled a bit, she didn't flat-out refuse like usual, given the urgency of the situation.

It wasn't just out of loyalty to me.

As a former member of the Shadow ORder, Esther did not wish for Ark's destruction.

Even though she had been forced to abandon her former role, her fundamental nature remained unchanged.

'Stop the ones climbing up.'

The moment I gave the order, the dormant Ethers stirred restlessly.

[Stop?]

[Stop...]

[Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop.]

The Ether, responding to both my will and Esther's, surged forward and blocked the beasts and monsters crawling up the fortress walls.

There was no need for overwhelming physical force.

Just obstructing their ascent for a moment was enough.

The rest would be taken care of by the NOA-44 Eraser.

Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat──!!!

The devastating firepower from the NOA-44 Eraser swept through the front line, impossible to believe that such a barrage came from a single weapon.

Everyone had thought it would be impossible, but here I was, single-handedly covering the workload of three platoons.

The true power of infinite ammunition was finally coming to light.

[Grade-10 Arthropod Species, Diligent Worker Ant, has been slain.]

[Damage dealt to Grade-10 Arthropod Species, Diligent Worker Ant, has increased by 0.05%.]

[Grade-10 Arthropod Species, Square-Jawed Soldier Ant, has been slain.]

[Damage dealt to Grade-10 Arthropod Species, Square-Jawed Soldier Ant, has increased by 0.05%.]

[Grade-8 Flying Species, Black-Feathered Beheader, has been slain.]

[Damage dealt to Grade-8 Flying Species, Black-Feathered Beheader, has increased by 0.05%.]

.

.

.

[Grade-8 Stone Species, Granite Golem, has been slain.]

[Damage dealt to Grade-8 S56tone Species, Granite Golem, has increased by 0.05%.]

After the three platoons had left, the Red-17 front, which initially seemed unstable, was gradually regaining stability.

Now, from R17-1 to R17-15, no beasts or monsters were breaching the walls.

'Hmm.'

With a slight sense of relief, I began to think about something else—specifically, Ark's attention.

'This is starting to get risky.'

I wasn't talking about the defense itself.

The NOA-44 Eraser, with its 24 rotating barrels and excellent heat management, wasn't in danger of overheating.

The real problem was that I was operating the NOA-44 Eraser alone—like an unstoppable war machine—right under Ark's surveillance.

'I'm already suspicious enough as it is. I can't afford to make it worse.'

When people see something they can't understand, they react in one of two ways:

They either fear it or revere it.

I wanted neither.

Eventually, Ark would inevitably become aware of my secrets, but I needed to delay that as much as possible—at least until I had earned enough trust.

What I needed now was time.

So I waited for the right moment—when the monsters aligned perfectly with my line of sight and the surveillance devices.

Thankfully, the opportunity didn't take long to present itself.

I deliberately let about five monsters climb onto the wall.

["Master! Be careful!"]

Of course, Esther, unaware of my plan, screamed in alarm.

'I left them alone on purpose.'

["What? Why?"]

'You'll see.'

Though Esther remained uneasy, she continued to hold back the others, knowing that losing focus could endanger the front line.

'Now.'

The moment the monsters and the surveillance devices were perfectly aligned, I seized the opportunity and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Boom───!!!

With a deafening blast that sounded more like a cannon than a gunshot, the 30mm bullet tore the monster's hide to shreds.

But that wasn't the only bullet fired.

The barrage that followed turned the remaining monsters into unrecognizable fragments, completely obliterating them from the wall.

The next rounds tore the already tattered beast to shreds, ripping it apart completely, before effortlessly demolishing the surveillance equipment positioned right behind it.

It was the surveillance device that had been directly watching my position.

Pssssshhh…

I didn't stop there.

I continued to break one surveillance device after another, carefully timing each shot to make it look like a coincidence.

Crunch!

Bang—!

Ark's surveillance devices were protected by bulletproof and reinforced glass up to 10 cm thick, but that didn't matter against a 30mm round.

Once I had successfully destroyed every pair of prying eyes watching me, I shifted my focus back to the frontline.

Now, Ark couldn't see me.

During a wave, it was common for surveillance equipment to be damaged by stray bullets or rampaging beasts, so no one would find it suspicious.

Besides, I made sure it looked like an accident during combat with the beasts, so they might have doubts but couldn't be entirely sure.

'This is just a temporary measure anyway. Eventually, they'll try to trace the origin of my bullets somehow.'

All I did was make sure the process of me firing the shots wasn't captured directly.

No matter how skilled I was, I couldn't afford to let them witness bullets appearing out of thin air.

'There's no avoiding suspicion.'

In other words, I had only hidden the critical moment.

The undeniable fact that I was single-handedly holding the line from R17-1 to R17-15 remained unchanged.

But that didn't matter.

Ark might be suspicious, but they couldn't easily label me an enemy.

They would start to realize that the things I had done for Ark weren't insignificant.

What I needed to do now was use the time I had bought to build trust with Ark.

As long as they believed that, regardless of who I was, I was working in Ark's favor, they would have no reason to see me as a threat.

'Then…'

I needed to do what had to be done.

Just like Lieutenant Colonel Banol had said.

I kept pulling the trigger.

Again, and again.

Until this battle finally came to an end.

* * *

A silent siren wailed.

The city, illuminated by the crimson warning lights, appeared desolate and barren.

A Grade-1 danger situation.

In other words, whenever a wave broke out, Ark's citizens were ordered to evacuate to underground bunkers.

Amidst the chaos of Ark's wartime system going into full effect, a man and a woman strolled leisurely along the quiet Red Line.

It was a surreal sight—so out of place that it was clear they weren't ordinary people.

And their conversation made the scene even stranger.

"There was no mention of Esther in the meeting records. It wasn't Ark that took her out."

Hearing Rook's words, the Commander's face darkened.

Esther was a key figure in the Shadow Clan's long-standing ambition.

For her to simply vanish...

The Commander had come to Ark to find some clue about Esther's whereabouts, but so far, it had been in vain.

"The only other oddity is that the dormant Ouroboros has awakened... Is it possible that the awakening is related to Esther?"

"Sophia and Crux went to investigate. We'll know when they get back."

But even as he said it, the Commander knew the chances were slim.

No matter how fearsome Ouroboros was as a regional lord-class beast, Esther's nature as a spectral entity made it highly unlikely that physical force could affect her.

It was hard to connect the awakening of Ouroboros with Esther's disappearance.

"Come to think of it... there was one more thing."

Rook added, as if recalling something that piqued his interest.

"Oh, that?"

"Yeah. My kin."

Among the information gathered from Ark, there was also the birth of a new Turncoat.

Turncoat Pawn.

At last, the vacant name had found an owner.

"Since when did you start caring about your own kind?"

"I guess our Commander doesn't know, but we do look out for each other, you know."

Rook added with a faint smirk.

"But it's strange."

"What is?"

"It doesn't make sense for there to be kin I don't know about. For someone born recently, it's way too powerful. It's probably been around for at least a few years."

"...Is that so?"

Coming from Rook, an expert on Skull Turncoats and one himself, it was a statement worth believing.

"The only possibility I can think of is that one of the Skull Knights lost control and got devoured, but... Honestly, that's unlikely."

"In that case, if we get the chance, should we try to recruit it? If it can go toe-to-toe with Ouroboros, it would be a huge asset."

"If it comes to that, I'll take care of it. If I leave it to someone as socially awkward as you, it'll just end in a bloodbath."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly that. You're not great at talking."

The Commander was momentarily speechless.

As they continued strolling down the line, the Commander suddenly halted and fixed his gaze on a single spot.

"Where are you looking?"

"There's something interesting over there."

Following the Commander's line of sight, Rook looked in the same direction.

Then he saw it.

A lone man on the Red-17 Gate's wall, single-handedly holding back a staggering fifteen zones.

"Now that's... interesting."

A faint smile tugged at Rook's lips.

Even at a glance, it was an absurd sight—so bizarre that even Rook, who was rarely moved, couldn't help but feel curious.

"Shall we go take a look?"

It was the Commander who suggested it first.

It was typical of him to act purely out of curiosity when it didn't involve their long-cherished goal.

"Do as you please."

Not that Rook needed convincing—he was just as intrigued.

Their decision was quick.

After all, there was nothing in Ark right now capable of stopping them.

Especially given their current status.

The Commander and Turncoat Rook.

The two moved forward.

Toward the Red Line front—where something unbelievable was unfolding right before their eyes.