Chapter 226

Nero, wearing Felix's face, quickly tied knots after weaving iron chains between the barrier stones on both sides. Occasionally, he turned around and flapped his hands at other members, gesturing them to come quickly.

"Ah, this way, this way!"

His voice was somewhat irritable, as he felt like he was about to burst watching these Council bastards who were like slugs.

It had already been more than 20 minutes since the entire search team had arrived at the target point. Yet the installation of barrier stones was still not complete, prolonging the preparation time for the rescue operation.

He knew they had to be thoroughly prepared, double and triple-checking for any contingencies. But the inside of the barrier was already filled with smoke, making it impossible to see anything, and the Captain's mana, which seemed to be screaming, kept scratching his cheeks. He felt like just smashing through the barrier and jumping in to find the Captain, to hell with it all.

'If Senior Taylor had come along, she would have moved ten at a time. Do these bastards even train regularly?'

Meanwhile, it seemed like only weaklings were here, as the sight of them groaning while moving not-so-heavy stones was utterly pathetic. If that self-proclaimed princess of Armsilver's 11th Squad had come, the situation would have already been resolved.

The weight of clothes that senior, who loved shopping immensely, bought monthly with her salary was incomparable to these barrier stones. Considering how she used to walk around easily carrying numerous clothes and accessories in both hands, it seemed she alone would use her strength better than all these guys combined.

Nero, who had been grumbling that he should have brought that senior along, finally couldn't stand the frustration and sprang up from his seat. He had been trying to refrain from using his strength as he had already drawn too much attention... but the passing time seemed too precious to leave things as they were.

Nero, his face reddened, approached the members moving the barrier stones and squeezed in between them. As he pushed shoulders aside and took a position in the middle, the trembling members exchanged glances as if to say, "What's with this guy?" But that was only for a moment, as suddenly the heavy stone was lifted so lightly. They all stared at Nero with surprised looks, their eyes wide.

"Come on, quickly over there!"

Nero firmly supported the bottom of the barrier stone with both hands and moved towards the designated position, gesturing with his chin. As the weight was reduced unbelievably with just one more person helping, the members followed Nero, albeit bewilderedly, almost as if being dragged along.

As three or four members rushed together like this, Meterion, who had been watching them with folded arms nearby, glanced to the side. There lay the iron chains Nero had left half-knotted. Although it wasn't certain as it was only half-tied, the knot pattern looked unfamiliar yet somehow familiar.

'...Imperial Army?'

It was definitely not a method commonly used in the Council, but one occasionally seen among those from the Imperial Army. Meterion slightly furrowed his brow with a strange expression.

Eventually, he carefully examined the iron chains tied elsewhere, then shifted his gaze back to Nero, who was mixed in among the members.

The sight of a mere member going around interfering here and there as if giving orders didn't look particularly good. But the reason no one said anything to him was that this member was the one who had flown here first, finding the location of the survivors.

It was also him who had found the appropriate place to install the barrier stones and fired the flares from the vanguard. He was leading the on-site situation, demonstrating abilities no less than a commander's, to the point where one might wonder if there was such a person among the 3rd Battalion's members.

Of course, without thinking deeply, one could consider him just an enthusiastic member. But Meterion, who had been watching his actions since discovering the 3rd Battalion mark attached to his battle uniform, increasingly felt that he was no ordinary member.

Setting aside finding the survivors' location, he was the one who had maintained the lead of the search team throughout the journey here, overtaking even himself. He couldn't possibly be an ordinary person.

'Felix Montero, was it?'

Meterion, narrowing his eyes, unfolded his arms and finished tying the chain knots. All the while, he kept mulling over the member's name engraved on the battle uniform.

Kugung-

At that moment, thunder vibrated in the darkness-dyed sky. Occasionally, flashes of lightning pierced through the smoke screen, leaking beams of light.

As the thunder sound reverberated, Meterion, sensing something, quickly turned his head towards the inside of the barrier. The atmosphere, which had become low pressure due to the volcanic eruption, seemed to be fluctuating, and the flow of air felt ominous. Moreover, whether by coincidence or not, 'his' mana that had been surging until just now was suddenly cut off.

"...?"

And Nero, who had just put down the barrier stone, also suddenly raised his head at Leonardo's abruptly cut-off energy. His face rapidly stiffened, and he scanned the black background in front with cold eyes.

'What's going on?'

Nero left the rest to the members with him and immediately rushed to the front of the barrier. Then, placing his palm against the transparent membrane, he rolled his eyes, all his nerves on edge.

It was no ordinary matter for the fluctuating mana to be cut off so suddenly. Worried that something might have happened to the Captain, Nero tried hard to sense his energy with an anxious heart.

But the mana that had been like an active volcano had subsided like extinguished embers. On the other hand, judging from the faint currents remaining in the air, it didn't seem like he had moved to a completely different place.

'...It seems he's nearby, but why did it suddenly become quiet?'

Nero tilted his head and looked around. He wished he could see the light he had been emitting, but apart from the lightning flashing in the sky, nothing like that was visible.

Instead, the more he concentrated, the more strongly he felt the Commander's mana, unlike before. As a chilling cold that was repulsive enough to give goosebumps undulated inside the barrier, Nero felt an unpleasant sensation for reasons he didn't understand. He couldn't exactly pinpoint why he felt this way, but it was like the Captain's energy had been devoured by the Commander's energy... such a shitty feeling...

Shwaaaa-

At that moment, the lake water inside the barrier began to swirl violently. At the same time, waves crashed against the transparent membrane, making splashing sounds.

The lake water, undulating like a massive tsunami, gradually increased its water level, and Bruno, who was checking the final placement of the barrier stones, hesitated for a moment upon discovering this phenomenon.

Assessing the situation, he carefully examined the surface of the barrier and instinctively created several light balls, sending them close to the transparent membrane. Although shining light from outside wouldn't allow them to check the situation inside filled with smoke, seeing this strange phenomenon made him think that the Commander might be sending some kind of signal.

And as Bruno had expected, faint traces could be discovered on the surface of the barrier illuminated by the light. With each friction of the lake water, it gradually expanded its range, revealing large letters etched by ice crystals on the transparent membrane.

"What's that?"

The members who had been focusing on the finishing work also noticed it and began to murmur. Meanwhile, inside, lightning and thunder continued to pour down in succession as if a storm had occurred, asserting their presence.

Each time this happened, the whirlpool's current grew stronger, pounding the membrane as if about to destroy the barrier, etching sharp strokes on its surface.

Those relentlessly scrawled strokes soon became the shape of some characters. Bruno inhaled softly as he saw it.

The Commander inside was ordering the members outside like this:

'BREAK'