episode_0153

While the Violets fled with the prism, various escape processions continued throughout the safe zone.

“What a mess! Let’s evacuate quickly!” “Evacuate? To where? This *is* the safe zone!”

The ghoul Federal Army attacked from all directions, and the turrets were suddenly neutralized. To make matters worse, monsters that had dug tunnels were invading from the rear. Unable to hold out any longer, the Clan hunters salvaged only their weapons and bodies and retreated.

“All the defense lines are breached! They say the rear is fine, so let’s go that way!” “It won’t start!”

Unfortunately, the enemies targeting them were not just the fanatics and the Federal Army.

“Proceed with Plan No. 4.” Before the Vision Prism was activated, Magnabys agents who had secretly exited through the back gate observed the situation and gave orders. Mercenaries and agents hidden along the expected escape route moved.

“Die, heretics!” “Aargh!” Mercenaries, disguised as fanatics beforehand, pulled out crossbows and fired. People caught in the surprise attack fell to the ground. Since there were non-awakened laborers among those fleeing, the damage was extensive.

“In the name of the Savior, strike down the heretics!” Arrows of violence also flew towards the Violet team, who were exiting through the back gate.

“Be careful!” “Argh! When did those cultists get here?” Kalia, startled, slapped away the incoming arrows. Thanks to her shield, she wouldn’t have been hurt even if she hadn’t blocked them, but she seemed quite surprised.

“Dammit! Get lost!” The mercenary, who had shot an arrow and was fleeing, became a pincushion from the Violets’ counterattack. However, the enemy attacks continued. From behind, monsters; from the right, snipers; from the left, Federal Army ghouls rushed forward with their exoskeletons activated. Such incidents were happening everywhere.

“Enemies everywhere! Aargh!” While fleeing, the Violet team encountered a deputy leader of the Atlas Clan who was guiding people.

“This way!” Although his appearance was a mess, the deputy leader was, surprisingly, alive amidst the chaos, evacuating other subordinates and people. The Violet team, while doubtful, ran in the direction the deputy leader guided them.

*It’s a complete mess!* Just as Violet thought, the situation descended into utter chaos, making it impossible to see what would happen next.

**

As everyone rushed with their own objectives, there were those who observed the spreading chaos, like dishes piled in a sink, as if it were none of their business.

“It’s truly a witch’s cauldron, isn’t it?” The Vanguard Commander spoke. He was on the rooftop of a commercial building in the perimeter zone, directing the extermination of survivors. The rooftops of the old commercial buildings forming the arcade offered a good height and position for observing the surroundings.

“A witch’s cauldron?” Lera, who was beside him, looking at a map on her tablet and urging the recovery of the artifact, raised her head at the unexpected remark. In response to her question, the 30-year veteran combat mage of Magnabys recounted an anecdote from ancient war history.

“Ah, you don’t know? It’s a famous analogy from the First Interdimensional War.” The Witch’s Cauldron is a metaphor referring to a messy and chaotic battlefield. It implies that the battle between monsters and humans was as complex and tumultuous as the scene of a witch from an old story chopping various ingredients into a large cauldron and stirring them vigorously.

“I know what the story is about. What does that have to do with the current situation… Ah.” Only then did Lera understand what the agent was getting at.

“The dungeon’s visibility is poor, and distinguishing friend from foe is difficult. Just a little off the main road, alleyways spread out like a spiderweb in all directions, and the building interiors are like labyrinths. Above all, communication is impossible. Even if we don’t lift a finger, those guys will fight among themselves and destroy each other.” Beyond the darkness, a group of figures moving with flashlights could be seen. The hunters, while being chased by a pack of monsters, encountered other hunters coming from the right alley. Startled, they mistook each other for enemies and all fell. As the lights went out completely, the incident was swallowed by darkness.

“However, even a cauldron has a master. The initiative to control this battlefield is ours. We have superior communication, firepower, and mobility. So let’s finish this quickly and move on.” As he spoke, he clenched and unclenched his mechanical hand as if testing it.

A new contact came in. Immediately after the telepathic communication, Lera felt bewildered and had to ask again. “Lost it? Is that even possible?” “What?” Everyone present who heard the telepathy was dumbfounded. That important artifact, lost?

“In my 30 years of Clan experience, I’ve never seen such idiots! Hey, Belestan! Where did you bring those fools from?” The commander grumbled. Over the psi-wave radio, the dejected voice of a subordinate repeated. “I’m sorry! The Vision Prism suddenly disappeared!”

**

The large transport drone carrying the Vision Prism crashed some distance away after being attacked by monsters led by the Unification Society. They had contacted other agents, so a recovery confirmation should have come by now, but the moment the awaited call came, the agents of the Mystic Investigation Department, who were fiercely engaging the Unification Society cultists, felt a chilling sensation run down their spines.

*Where did our artifact go?* Their feelings were similar to those of a person who, having gone out without realizing they left their wallet at home, reaches for it to pay at a restaurant only to find an empty pocket.

“The artifact is gone! Emergency!” “What?! No way! That huge thing just vanished? Check again!” “It’s gone! Someone must have taken it!” The moment they were horrified by the newly received telepathic communication, the cultists who had been charging at them suddenly took a step back.

“What cunning bastards. To smuggle out the artifact during a fight!” Karnan, who was riding atop a high-level monster and directing the battle, bellowed.

“How dare they! I’ll kill them all!” Instead of explaining their situation in response to the Unification Society elder’s words, the agents chose to flee.

“Eat shit!” Smoke and flashes erupted between the agents and the cultists.

“Team Leader-nim! The artifact is gone!” “Received!” Lera contacted the surviving forces.

“This won’t do. I’ll temporarily halt the extermination of witnesses. We’ll begin artifact tracking immediately!” The attack ceased, and the forces withdrew. Those evacuating, though bewildered by the unknown reason, decided to accept their good fortune.

“What, those cultists… are they running away?” “Who cares? Let’s just run!”

***

The Violets, at a frantic pace, fled with the Vision Prism. They had no destination. They simply moved wherever their feet took them, avoiding enemies.

“First, we need to put some distance! From the team members’ location too!” We thought. We didn’t know what was so great about this heavy artifact, but everyone was desperate to get their hands on it. If we brought it to where people were, the enemies would surely follow.

“The Feds are obsessed with this, and the fanatics are trying to steal it…” Unit 761, who was struggling to carry the Vision Prism, whispered. It didn’t make sense. It was just a sparkling, really big rock!

“Even those guys from before! Those strange ones tried to take this too! They’re not chasing us, are they?” Unit 481, who was in the lead, replied to Unit 761’s words.

“Probably not? The squad survivors are still there! They’re too busy fighting.” While the ten Violets diligently ran with the prism, the other survivors of the squad had long since de-spawned or died. Only a few remained at the scene, including Unit 120. To gather information, I hid under a car or behind a building and observed the surroundings.

*Ugh! What a mess!* When I shared Unit 120’s vision, I saw the safe zone turned into a disaster area. The term ‘safe zone’ no longer suited it. Hunters fought and fled, laborers fled, and monsters ran wild as if it were their own territory, attacking people. In the midst of all that, ghoul soldiers moved in groups, indiscriminately firing their guns.

“Damn Feds, making a fuss whether alive or dead. Aargh!” A hunter was shot until his body became a rag and fell. Thanks to the exoskeletons attached to the soldiers’ bodies, the ghouls moved nimbly. Every time they pulled the trigger, people hit by bullets fell.

*Those guys’ guns are fine, aren’t they?* I wondered. I had clearly seen not only my own but all the other hunters’ firearms malfunction while escaping this area, yet the Federal Army ghouls sprayed bullets without caring about misfires or gun malfunctions.

“Look!” “Damn it, this won’t start!” “Forget the car, there are fewer monsters near the back gate. Let’s go that way!” Amidst the chaos, a laborer tried to start a car, gave up, and retreated. Seeing that, a certain setting came to mind.

*Could it be…?* I needed to test if my hunch was correct. Unit 120 took out several lighters from their inventory. They spun the flint and pressed the piezoelectric button. “It’s not working! It won’t light!” Gas simply hissed out of the lighters, but nothing else happened. We remembered, there was only one cause for this strange phenomenon.

*Isn’t it combustion-blocking magic?* The identity of this phenomenon was an infamous magic that restricted the use of firearms. It was clearly combustion-blocking magic. Its principle was unknown, but it was a technique that rendered all firearms and internal combustion engines within its range unusable!

*Come to think of it, the Federal Army guys use electromagnetic weapons, don’t they?* I heard the Federation’s army uses railguns. Weapons that accelerate projectiles using electromagnetic fields. Those would be safe even from the grasp of combustion-blocking magic. That would explain why the ghouls were firing their guns.

*What? Who did that?* The problem was that this magic was extremely tricky. Human mages had clumsily mimicked a technique used by monsters. Even those who used it didn’t know its principle, they just used it.

*It’s not the fanatics or monsters! If it were, the Clan people would have noticed.* Just then, contact came from Violet, who was with the team members.

“Look. Now the bullets fire! It wasn’t a problem with the guns or bullets after all!” As they ran far outside the safe zone with the team members, the rifle worked perfectly again. That meant the source of the problem might be somewhere nearby.

*This is crazy. Who used this magic, and why?* “Just shut up and run! We have to hide the artifact!” We didn’t know for sure, but we had to run as far as possible with this. An organization capable of using such powerful magic wouldn’t be easy to deal with!

Despite the crushing weight on their shoulders and their fatigue, the Violet squad ran with the artifact.

*Ugh! They’re not chasing us, are they?* “Don’t say such unlucky things! We won’t get caught. Definitely!” Unit 761 rebuked Unit 481’s words. For now, it seemed they hadn’t noticed them.

But perhaps words had become seeds [an idiom implying that what is said may come to pass]. Above Unit 120 and the Violets at the outpost, something flapped.

*Huh? What’s this?* When I turned my head, I frowned at the blinding light. It was a jet bike!

*Ugh, ugh-gah-aaah! We’re discovered!* *Over there, hide inside the building!* As they hurriedly entered the building, a bolt of lightning flew from the jet bike. The lightning struck the building above them.

“Hiyyah!” I fell from the impact. With an explosion, the entrance to the makeshift building collapsed.

“Kyaaah! It’s blocked!” Unfortunately, the building entrance collapsed right in front of Unit 120.

*Ugh, ugh-gah-aaah! They’re catching me!* My vision turned white.

“Aargh!”

**

Near the commercial street in the perimeter zone, some distance from the outpost’s back gate, cars were parked in a spacious area with their lights off. People with various weapons waited silently. To them, the commotion in the safe zone seemed like someone else’s problem.

“I, I… turned people…” Among them, a female agent was crouched beside the largest truck, trembling. Her comrades scoffed at the sight.

“Why is she like that?” “Oh, her? She’s been like that for a while. Says she killed people or something.” “Must be a bookworm, I guess? To react like that over something like this. She has a weak stomach.” Whatever her comrades whispered, the woman paid no mind. In fact, she had no energy to. She was in shock after witnessing the catastrophe caused by the artifact she had helped activate.

*I… I turned people into ghouls…* Her superior, watching her, snorted.

“Oh, for goodness’ sake, such an act…” The agent slapped the woman’s head.

“Hmph!” “Snap out of it! There’s a mountain of work to do. Can you afford to be lying around?”

“B-but. People died… the base personnel too…” “Such hypocrisy. Do you think it’s good to act like you’re the only good person? You did it all. Get up! We need to prepare to track the prism!” The female agent sniffled as she stood up. The team leader, seeing this, felt exasperated. The artifact was gone, and his subordinate was in this state.

Soon after, four jet bikes arrived at the location where the investigation department agents and mercenaries were waiting. The bikes landed on the dark ground from beneath the dungeon’s hazy ceiling.

“What is this?” “They are prisoners. We brought them in case they know anything about the artifact’s whereabouts.” An agent on a bike dragged a person in a black combat uniform and threw them down. The prisoner’s hands were bound with thick handcuffs, and their small stature, like a young girl’s, stood out.

The prisoner was Unit 120. The agent handed Violet over to the team leader. As Unit 120 was dragged along, they met the eyes of a sniffling woman. The woman’s eyes, upon seeing Violet, shook as if an earthquake had struck.

*What, did she get dumped or something?* Violet felt bewildered as they were dragged into the alley.

A brief interrogation began.

“A shriek!” Unit 120 was slapped several times from the start. The investigation team leader’s rough hand turned off Unit 120’s perception-inhibiting device and pulled at their mask.

“What, a perception-inhibiting device? And a voice changer too. Who the hell are you…” The mask seemed stuck and wouldn’t come off.

“Anyway, why won’t this come off?” Unit 120 thought it was a good idea to have applied adhesive to their face. It was one of the standard security procedures for Violets, from squad leaders to company leaders. The double-layered mask, clinging tightly to the skin, was very uncomfortable, but it had the advantage of not coming off easily.

“Well, I can just cut it off later. You, tell me your name and affiliation.” Unit 120 quietly observed their surroundings as they answered. They were curious about the identity of these people.

“…I’m Bin Laden from the Al-Qaeda Clan! And who are you?” Unit 120’s face snapped sideways from a punch.

“Ugh-aah!” “What nonsense are you spouting? Do you think you have the right to ask questions? Just answer what I ask.”

“But it’s true…” Not knowing the idol of violence and terror that marked a century, Unit 120 spat out a broken molar.

*These guys are really naive. They don’t know Bin Laden!* By the way, Unit 120 was sad about losing a tooth. Now, until they de-spawned, their gums would be sore and ache when eating.

The agent, who had been pressing for more information, stood up after hearing a new directive over the radio.

“What is it?” The mercenary asked, and the investigation team leader replied.

“They’re telling us to stop interrogating the captured ones and deal with them quickly? They’re starting the artifact search.”

“Understood. Hey, Bin Laden, follow me!” As the vehicles waiting at the location began to move, Unit 120 was grabbed by an agent and dragged into a narrow alleyway. Upon seeing the scene there, Unit 120 was slightly surprised. There were over ten people who seemed to have been abducted just like them. Among them, there was a familiar face.

*Huh? Isn’t that the person who sold me the thunder spear?* The Thunder Spear couple they had seen last time were also here. Both of them were severely beaten and covered in blood. The woman struggled to comfort the man who was groaning in pain.

“Oh no, darling… your handsome face is a mess…” “Ugh… because of me… I’m sorry…” To one side, laborers in work clothes were also tightly bound. They were non-awakened.

“Hey, line up there!” Violet shuffled forward and stood with the other prisoners. As armed agents and other mercenary fixers aimed their crossbows, everyone screamed.

“N-no. Save me!” “Don’t shoot!” The team leader, with practiced movements, loaded a bolt into the crossbow and infused it with magic. The moment the mercenaries were about to aim their magic-infused crossbows, a female agent suddenly grabbed the team leader’s crossbow.

“W-wait a minute! C-can’t we just erase their memories and let them go?” “What are you talking about? Let go of this!”

“W-we can erase their memories if we take some time. I’ll take charge of deleting them!” The investigation team leader scoffed at the woman’s words.

“Erase their memories? That takes a long time. And you need machines. And if I just lodge this into their skull, that’s memory deletion, isn’t it? Don’t you think?” As the team leader swaggered and lifted the crossbow, the mercenaries snickered. The woman, on the verge of tears, pleaded with her superior.

“Look over there. There are unawakened people too. No matter how important the artifact is, this isn’t right! They’re innocent people…” “You crazy bitch!” The exasperated team leader struck the female agent with the butt of his crossbow. The woman fell to the ground.

“Kyaaah!” “I’ll deal with you back at headquarters. Now, start quickly!” The investigation team leader and the mercenaries aimed their weapons once more.

“Don’t shoot!!” “Stop it!” Screams echoed through the alley.

“Kuaaaah!” Bolts pierced the mercenaries’ heads and exploded. It was the result of the Violet squad’s clean sniping skills, who had rushed in for the rescue.

“What in the…!” The team leader, startled, belatedly realized that his arm, which had been pulling the trigger, was gone. This was because Unit 120, who should have been bound by handcuffs, had swung a knife.

“H-how.” Instead of explaining that they had broken free with object transmission, Unit 120 pulled out a knife and stabbed the team leader in the neck.

“Cough, gasp…” “Why were you so late!” “Sorry, the roads here are so complicated! First, let’s free those people!” While the Violets freed the people, Unit 120 approached the female agent who had fallen from the butt strike. She seemed unable to fully grasp the situation, staring blankly around in confusion.

“W-what exactly is going on? T-the team leader suddenly… Who are you?” Violet replied to the woman’s words.

“You don’t need to know who we are, just know this!” Thinking of asking this person their affiliation and the identity of the organization that had been smuggling the artifact, Violet handcuffed the woman’s arm.

“From now on, you are our prisoner. Don’t worry, we’ll adhere to the Geneva Conventions!” *P-prisoner?* The agent, contemplating what the Geneva Conventions were, belatedly realized the reality from the cold sensation on her wrist. Frightened by the situation that would follow, the woman burst into wails.

“Hwaaaang…” The sounds of battle continuously echoed from the open space beyond the quiet alley.