episode_0160

Furthermore, abandoned military uniforms, equipment, and weapons on the battlefield can all be recycled.

After the command post declared a ceasefire, the majority of the Violet Company headed towards the outpost.

“Hey, Command! Wasn’t our battle over? Why are we still fighting?”

“Command reports: Because dealing with them isn’t fighting.”

From the moment they crushed Magnabyss’s elite forces, for the Violet Battalion, eliminating the remaining demonic beasts or Federal Army ghouls wasn’t a battle but a cleanup or disposal.

Compared to the enemies they’d just faced, they were too weak. It was merely a matter of rushing in and overwhelming them with numbers.

Although slightly reduced by the battle, their numbers, approaching a thousand, could neatly clear out surrounding threats with the help of the map.

-Rat-a-tat-tat!

“Wipe out all the guys on the map!”

“I’ll mark the green locations. Capture the Federal Army guys gently if possible! We need their weapons.”

With a rumbling sound, Ruzilin’s Iron Fist and Tank No. 2 advanced.

The two tanks, which had been blocking the retreat path and acting as shields, had their front armor scorched and dented all over, but they still performed their duties perfectly.

“Our friend is sturdy!”

Survivors who emerged from beyond the barricades gasped when they saw us.

“All those enemies, in an instant…”

“My goodness, they really are Vanguards. Look at this equipment, this armor and helmet!”

As we led the people back to the outpost, recovery operations were underway in the Lion’s Fountain Plaza.

Unit 432, searching among the corpses, lifted a sealed helmet that looked like a fishbowl.

“Wow! This is Vanguard armor!”

“The helmet’s big!”

“It’s broken. Let’s take it for now.”

Our friends, who had been staring blankly at us, finally spoke.

“What have we been doing all this time?”

“Yeah, I don’t know if we were any help…”

“No, guys! You were a great help.”

I consoled my friends, who were smiling wryly. They had watched our encirclement and annihilation formation up close and were deflated.

Most of the casualties lying here were probably created by the Violets.

Still, it’s a relief that no one’s stomachs were turned by the corpses scattered in the plaza.

Among them were some barely clinging to life.

Awakened individuals are like that. Stronger and tougher life force than ordinary people. Some were so tough that even after being caught in a bombing, they weren’t completely destroyed.

So, even while recovering items, the Violets didn’t forget to confirm kills.

A low groan came from the floor.

“Ugh…”

“Look here! A survivor!”

Surprisingly, the leader of the fanatics was alive. His entire body was so severely charred that he looked no different from a lump of coal, but his chest was rising and falling, and he was muttering something.

“Ah… no, the holy war…”

“Should we kill him?”

“Not now. Let’s take him before the people and execute him. He’s a war criminal, right?”

The disaster was caused by the Clan members, but these guys weren’t good either.

I injected a recovery potion into his neck, lifted him, and placed him on a stretcher.

The bizarre golden crown he was wearing on his head fell to the floor with a clink.

“What, it’s broken.”

The ring-shaped golden crown had shattered into several pieces.

Judging by the name ‘ ‘ that appeared in the status window, this fanatic must have used it to control the demonic beasts.

“Let’s keep it for now.”

While diligently searching among the corpses, the Violets felt something strange. What should have been there wasn’t.

“Let’s see, there are six Vanguard guys here… where did she go?”

“Did she explode? But that’s strange. Shouldn’t there be at least a single strand of hair?”

Violets, numbering about a company, picked up and arranged the corpses in the plaza, but the distinctive orange hair was nowhere to be seen.

She had clearly been hit by a lightning spear near the fountain and lost an arm when last seen.

For her to have evaporated or burned away in the bombing, there was simply no trace left.

“This is weird, isn’t it? Could she have teleported or something?”

“Search for her now!”

Zhuge Liang Violet, upon hearing the situation, cried out in the network.

“No! It failed like Hulao Pass. She clearly escaped like Sima Yi!”

The company members searched the surroundings.

Then, one Violet discovered a strange trail. There were drops of blood near the passage leading from the plaza to the upper outpost.

Even though there were no corpses there.

The bloodstains continued intermittently beyond the alley. Command issued an order:

“All Ward Violets near the outpost above Lion’s Plaza, pay attention! Report any strange movement immediately!”

The Ward Violets brought large searchlights and surveyed the area, looking down from under the rooftops. Hang glider squadrons flew overhead, dropping flares.

“There! Something’s moving!!”

As a Ward Violet shined the light, bloodstains that looked freshly dropped glistened.

Immediately, a search party appeared around the Violet and descended below. As they activated their tactical lights and illuminated the surroundings, a blurry figure entered a building.

“What, is it a ghost?”

“If it’s a ghost, let’s drive it out!”

As soon as we entered the building, we pulled our triggers wildly. A bullet sparked in mid-air, and a short scream was heard.

The familiar orange-haired woman appeared right before us.

“Indeed, our suspicions weren’t wrong!”

“How did you get here…?”

“No one in this world can escape our pursuit. Surrender!”

“Don’t make me laugh!”

Violets with guns on their backs slowly approached, hammers in hand. She raised her remaining right arm and fired a magic bullet. I flinched in surprise.

Even with her left arm gone, Lera’s resistance was fierce.

“Ugh! She’s attacking! Charge!”

Arrest teams with shields rushed into the building and overwhelmed her.

As they tried to grab her limbs and tie her with ropes and chains, the enemy struggled violently.

“Let go of me!”

“Ack! She’s so strong!”

“She’s escaping!”

Where did she get such strength? Lera managed to shake off the arrest team and tried to flee to the other side.

How dare a war criminal defy our non-violent attempt at arrest! The Violets, feeling indignant, raised their electromagnetic rifles and aimed.

-Thud thud thud!

“Aaaargh!”

Blue flashes filled the living room. Her two legs were shredded.

“Cough…”

The arrest team Violets wrapped tourniquets around Lera’s legs and placed her on a stretcher. They didn’t forget to tie her up tightly in case she tried to escape.

“Her condition is bad, she’s trying to escape to the underworld!”

“Let’s take her to Daphne quickly. Where does she think she’s going to escape to?”

**

The woman thrashed in the darkness. A moment of her life flashed before her eyes like a broken film.

It hurt. Her left arm felt like it was burning. Her stomach and legs felt like they were tearing apart. It hurt so much.

‘So, why am I here again?’

“What’s all that blood? My goodness, her condition…”

“Daphne! She’s going to die like this. Fix her quickly!”

Her business failed. Her parents cried. Mom and Dad worked hard. She didn’t want to see that.

She studied hard. She accidentally discovered she was an Awakened, but she didn’t have great talent. Instead, she was recommended for a research aptitude.

With her professor’s recommendation and even financial support, she went through graduate school.

Time flew like an arrow, and before she knew it, she was almost thirty.

“Duct tape? You should’ve made it easier to peel off.”

“Bandages weren’t enough. Her limbs are like this, and her stomach burst open.”

With a recommendation from an acquaintance, she entered a research position. The Four Great Clans, no less. Slowly, her life began to improve.

High numbers appeared in her bank account.

She went to a fancy restaurant with her family after a long time. Her parents cried again. She got promoted.

“Here, please tidy up the tools. I’ll take care of the rest.”

There were rumors of dangerous experiments being secretly conducted within the Clan. She brushed them off. They sounded like mere rumors.

She was told to go on a field assignment. It would be reflected in her performance review.

She saw people die. She was told to get used to it. It was terrifying, but she endured it.

An order came down to activate an illegal artifact.

She protested that it was too dangerous, but her colleagues laughed at her. Her superior pressured her.

If she didn’t do as she was told, she wouldn’t leave here in one piece.

The corpses she’d just seen floated into her mind, and she was terrified. A demon whispered in her head.

‘There’s nothing I can do. Just do as I’m told. I have to live, don’t I? And nothing bad will happen.’

People died.

Soldiers clutched their heads and wailed, then turned into ghouls. Demonic beasts stormed the defensive line. The outpost collapsed.

‘No, I didn’t do that!’

She made excuses. She said there was nothing she could do, that she had just done as she was told.

Once again, she felt an intense pain.

From a distant place in the darkness, a woman approached and whispered.

‘Don’t make excuses. You’re an accomplice, aren’t you? You caused those people to die.’

Screams echoed in her ears. Save me, why did you do that? It’s your fault.

As the cold truth stabbed her heart like a knife, she shed tears.

‘…You’re right. It’s my fault. I’m sorry… I’m so sorry.’

She begged for forgiveness, but the woman scoffed and pushed her backward. She fell into the darkness.

‘Am I going to die like this?’

It hurt. What would happen now?

I’ve done a lot of bad things, so I’ll probably go to hell. I’ve sinned, so I deserve to be punished.

Accepting the truth finally brought peace to her mind.

Suddenly, her parents’ faces came to mind. What about Mom and Dad?

Terrified, she struggled.

No, I don’t want to die. I miss Mom. Please save me!

‘I’m truly a selfish bitch…’

I’m sorry. I want to live. I’m sorry. But please, someone save me. I haven’t even had a proper relationship yet. I’m still here…

“Hah…!”

Ennis sat up on the cot, breathing heavily. Medical staff were moving around.

Hearing the noise, the silver-haired girl turned her head. Her friendly blue eyes curved into a smile.

“Don’t worry. This is the outpost.”

“The outpost? Ugh…”

Ennis tried to stand up but felt a piercing pain. The girl gently but firmly laid her back down.

“Just lie down and rest well for now. We’ve treated you, but it’s not fully healed yet.”

Only then could Ennis see her condition. Bandages were wrapped around her stomach, legs, and arms.

‘My arm…’

Moreover, her left arm was back in place. It had definitely been severed just a moment ago.

“It was almost a disaster. If I didn’t have the know-how from healing my friends so many times, it would have been hard to fix you completely. For now, when you leave, go to a hospital and rest well. And…”

While the girl was busily explaining, black-clad girls carrying a stretcher entered the makeshift infirmary.

“Daphne! It’s urgent. Fix her quickly. She’s going to break down!”

“Lay her down here. And her legs and arms?”

The black-clad girl whispered something to the silver-haired girl. The warm gaze that had been anxiously looking at the patient instantly turned cold.

“I see. You couldn’t find her body parts? Oh dear, they’re lost. Well, there’s nothing we can do about that then…”

Ennis glanced at the cot next to her. A woman who looked heavily injured was receiving treatment. The silver-haired girl diligently performed the treatment, but her movements were rough.

‘Who is that? She looks familiar…’

**

While waiting for rescue teams and elevators after recovering the outpost, representatives from each surviving clan and soldiers gathered in the makeshift conference room.

At the head of the table were us Violets. Considering our contributions, this was a natural arrangement.

“Filming ready. One, two, three. Start!”

I splashed water on the vice student council president’s head. Lera groaned and opened her eyes.

“Hey, war criminal. Wake up!”

The monitor screen in the conference room showed the warehouse across the way. The person tied to the chair painstakingly lifted her head.

“I’m telling you in advance, if you try anything, I’ll press this. See the red button?”

I held a red switch in front of her eyes, threatening her.

Currently, her body was wrapped in bombs. If need be, we could turn the vice student council president into tomato ketchup.

She was currently confined in the warehouse. Due to the case of the Vision Prism, people decided to imprison the captive and interrogate her from a distance.

There was also a violence prevention aspect. Outside, countless people were determined to tear her to pieces.

“Ugh… let me go!”

As soon as Lera woke up, she struggled.

She was still full of vigor, but with ropes, chains, duct tape, and even the Chains of Will wrapped around her, she absolutely couldn’t break free.

I watched her thrash, arms crossed.

As she furiously struggled, she seemed to notice something strange at some point, and her eyes slowly widened.

“Fool. You’ve realized!”

“What… what did you do to me?”

Instead of answering, I took out a prepared mirror and showed it to her. Lera’s eyes filled with horror as she saw her reflection.

“My, my legs…!”

Of course. In the mirror, only her right arm was attached to her body.

Her left arm had been blown off by a lightning spear much earlier, and both her legs below the thigh had been shredded by an electromagnetic rifle during her capture.

“They fell off during transport, didn’t they?”

“If it were Daphne, she would have attached them somehow. Though she’d need something to attach…”

We chuckled.

Currently, her two legs are well-packaged in our inventory.

Thanks to the nature of the multi-dimensional bag, which preserves everything except living organisms as if time has stopped, they’re probably still fresh.

A wildly wicked but amusing idea popped into my head.

“Let’s take her legs and neck and show them to the student council president! She’ll love it, won’t she?”

Seeing her flare up when I mentioned the student council president, I’m curious about their relationship. Will she get angry, or will she just brush it off coolly?

“Damn it…”

“Why are you getting so angry? You can get prosthetics! The Vanguard guys are full of mechanical arms anyway. And with time, regeneration is possible too.”

“…”

“Now, I have a question. Lera Belestan. Why did you target the Vision Prism?”

She shut her mouth and glared at me.

“If you don’t answer, I’ll sell you to the Stygian Lane gang. You know, that place is full of perverts.”

The Violets in the warehouse taunted her, mentioning the infamous underworld district. She trembled with rage.

“Or I’ll throw you to the people out there. They’ll tear you apart. Like a toy!…”

I threatened her multiple times, but she was a well-trained professional agent, and she didn’t respond to my dirty threats.

“Oh, young lady. Your current statement is quite disappointing.”

“What do you mean?”

A man with a chubby face, who had been watching the scene from the conference room, suddenly spoke.

“Do you think our employees are beggars who pick up cigarette butts from the ground to smoke? They’re all respectable people with homes and children.”

“Exactly! No one would take trash like that even if you paid them. Haha!”

Other clan members, sitting at the edges, casually chimed in.

“Ack, I’m sorry…!”

Oh no, I treated decent people as if they were perverts from the underworld’s red-light district.

Since it had come to this, there was only one answer.

We took out an electric cable, connected it to her, and flipped the switch on the wall.

“Lightning Bolt!”

“Aaaaargh!”

We watched for a long time, but Lera wouldn’t open her mouth.

People grew bored, and Director Harbor turned off the conference room monitor.

“Well, everyone expected this much, didn’t they? An elite agent of a Clan isn’t going to talk easily under torture. Let’s get down to business.”

We began the meeting. Opinions were exchanged on how to respond to this incident.

“Let’s formally protest and inform the media, the Inspectorate, and the Federation! Even if they are one of the Four Great Clans, this has crossed the line!”

“They attacked Federal soldiers. This is a clear act of terrorism.”

“Let’s also inform our other allies and take action. If we unite, even a giant Clan won’t be able to easily withstand us!”

Field representatives from the affected small and medium-sized Clans and Captain Klein spoke up. Their opinions largely converged on hitting Magnabyss hard.

Director Harbor, who had been quietly observing, spoke.

“But who will bell the cat?”

“…”

The Clan members fell silent and merely exchanged glances. The Captain stood up.

“The Federal Army won’t stand idly by. Once we leave the dungeon, I’ll report to headquarters. Surely measures will be taken…”

“Captain-nim, it’s Magnabyss. The Clan where that Great Sorcerer is. As some of you may know, the Federation once had a huge setback from that war hero. It will be difficult to move easily.”

As the Director explained in a serious tone, the Captain scowled and sat back down.

“Burnt by a Sorcerer? What in the world is that about?”

“So you have an alternative, right? You’re just opposing without offering any solutions!”

“Hear, hear! Coward!”

Director Harbor, subjected to criticism, finally couldn’t hold back and burst out in anger.

“Damn it, let’s look at reality logically. Our Atlas lost most of its Clan assets and personnel this time. How do you expect us to fight those bastards in this state? Do you think I don’t want revenge?”

When faced with the practical problem of how to deal with a giant Clan, people wavered.

Soon, an argument broke out.

“What a pathetic person. Then I’ll step forward. Let’s challenge them to a duel!”

“As if they’d accept. What can a freelance representative do? No, the title ‘individual business owner representative’ is laughable. You’re just a nobody!”

“What? What did you just say? You piglet!”

Amidst the loud voices, the conference room door burst open. Everyone’s attention turned to the door.

“Sorry I’m late. It took some time to check on the junior students. Excuse me, but may I have a chance to speak?”

“Adela Unnie!”

Adela smiled with her eyes at me, approached the conference room, and placed a signal device and a black box on the table.

“A moment ago, the forces of Magnabyss Group tracked and attempted to harm my dimensional signal device, belonging to me, Adela Cascadia.”

“That’s right, Adela was here!”

Adela continued to speak, not as the student council president of Aegis Academy, but as the next head of an old noble family.

“I have no intention of overlooking this incident. I consider this a challenge and a threat to the Cascadia family, and as soon as I return to the family, I will report this incident to the family head and the elders. In that process, I plan to order every possible countermeasure.”

Everyone held their breath at her statement. Director Harbor quietly spoke.

“Are you really… sure about this?”

“Sure? Innocent people died. Furthermore, they are clearly plotting some scheme with dangerous artifacts. Whatever it is, I absolutely cannot let it pass!”

Someone asked.

“…While I appreciate you taking the lead, a war will break out.”

Adela replied in a calm tone, different from what I usually heard from her.

“Cascadia always stands at the forefront. Even if the entrance to hell lies there.”

When I heard her family’s motto from Adela’s lips, I knew how serious she was.

“Oh no, Adela’s family isn’t powerful enough to overwhelm or defeat the Four Great Clans! It’s dangerous. The Academy City will be a mess.”

“Is there really a need to cause such a huge conflict?”

Unit 10, who had been sitting idly watching the meeting, raised a hand.

“Vi… no, Ariel? What do you have to say?”

I replied.

“Do we really need to shed blood directly? Leave it to me!”

“What do you mean?”

Everyone’s attention was focused on me. They all seemed curious about what I would say.

Unit 10 explained the entire plan, omitting the academy-related and sensitive parts. The expressions on people’s faces darkened for a moment, then hardened.

“Young lady, your mind has completely snapped.”

“However, it’s subtly plausible. If we do this, we can completely drain their power. We’ll only need to handle the cleanup.”

I asked Adela.

“How is it, Adela Unnie?”

She looked surprised.

“To think such a plan existed…”

Hehe, everyone seems to be engrossed in Violet’s wonderful plan.