episode_0305

“Wake up, wake up. You must wake up.” He must have dozed off for a moment. Just now, he felt as if he had trampled several evil magical beasts. “What an embarrassment… I must be out of my mind too. What kind of situation is this?”

The super-heavy tank raced across the ground with surprising agility. The tank commander issued orders in a solemn voice, matching the crackling static of the radio network. “Attention, gentlemen. A large horde of magical beasts has currently breached the third defensive line. Threat level: unpredictable.”

The war situation was grim. The Red Zone expedition had failed once again. Immediately behind them were isolated young awakened individuals from the academy, recklessly deployed, and countless civilian laborers mobilized for the construction of the pioneering city. Contact with the main force was hopeless. Approaching troops were isolated individually, and even the closest clan hunters and mobile units couldn’t provide a clear arrival time. Protecting the main route was currently a single siege super-heavy tank.

“We must hold out until reinforcements arrive. Behind us are civilians, and academy students who are the hope for the future.” The tank commander shouted that, leaning his body out of the hatch. Thermal imaging equipment was distorted or frequently errored due to the influence of aether. The only reliable thing was human eyes.

The nuclear reactor vibrated with a magnificent roar. Metal armor plates groaned with fatigue, and the treads tore the ground to shreds. Breaking through miscellaneous rocks blocking its path, the tank charged forward.

The sight unfolding before them was that of magical beasts raising their heads in surprise at their presence. The filthy monsters, countless in number, covering the horizon, were as disgusting as cockroaches.

“Number 1 auxiliary turret. 7 o’clock! Fire!” The central auxiliary turret rotated with peculiar smoothness before unleashing a barrage of fire. As the autocannon shells, pouring out at a rate of 80 rounds per second, struck the magical beasts’ hides, the magical defenses of their skin were horribly ripped apart, unable to withstand the overwhelming impact. The magical beast evaporated, leaving only a part of its lower body.

“Driver, full speed ahead! Run them over!” The panicked magical beasts turned their backs, only to be crushed by the treads, screaming. “Good, let’s buy time like this until everyone else has evacuated!”

The tank commander now continuously orchestrated the entire tank like a conductor. The three auxiliary turrets and one main turret spewed forth their wrath, slaughtering the approaching magical beasts and embedding bullets into the backs of the fleeing monsters.

“Main turret! Fire!” A thunderous cannon roar echoed, and a flash of light burst forth. As a massive siege shell struck at close range, dozens of minor magical beasts evaporated in the blink of an eye. The cunning magical beasts, sensing danger, spewed smoke and attempted to flank and bypass from the rear. Using some trick, rock walls sprang from the ground, blocking the attacks.

Shots flew, loudly hammering against the armor. “Deflected!” The commander was relieved. This super-heavy tank was constructed from the pride of human materials engineering. It was Restraidna-made carbonite composite armor. It was not something to be scratched by mere beasts.

“Driver! Turn the chassis! They’re trying to climb aboard! Everyone, swivel the turrets around! Shake them off!” The veteran soldiers skillfully swung the gun barrels like weapons, shaking off the magical beasts. Clang!

“Who knew this would work.” The powerful incoming shots were deflected by twisting the chassis. More are coming.

“Number 1, Number 3 auxiliary turret gunners, commence free fire! Stop their approach!” Heavy weapons roared violently. The bodies of the magical beasts were torn to shreds. A nimble group cleverly slipped through the hail of bullets and approached the tank. Sharp claws scraped against the armor.

“Driver, reverse! Scatter grapeshot! Engineer, maximum reactor output. Activate arc emitters!” The treads churned over the rocks. Right in front of the magical beasts, a hemispherical electric barrier unfolded around the tank, and pouring bolts of lightning tore through the air. The magical beasts’ screams erupted. The smell of burning flesh filled the air.

“Main turret! Reload and fire immediately! 10 o’clock direction. Elevation -10 degrees. Shell type: earthquake warhead!” The loading mechanism rattled, pushing a massive shell into the black muzzle. As the siege shell plunged into the ground, the earth shook violently, disrupting the enemy formation.

Screeching noises. Magical claws imbued with magic scraped the armor plates. “Engineer, situation report!” “Armor, no issues!” “All turrets. Continue free fire!”

Consecutive explosions. Craters formed. No matter how many were killed, these horrifying monsters kept charging without end. Now, numerous flying magical beasts and medium-to-large ground magical beasts also joined in, escalating the attack.

Despair seeped into the commander’s heart. Was it their destiny to wage a war of attrition like this and be swallowed by this sea of monsters? Would it really end like this?

But that despair was only fleeting; soon, the light of hope shone through. “Here, reinforcements have arrived!” He raised his head to face the helping hand. Winged hunters bravely charged towards the flying magical beasts. Federation warriors and awakened strike teams struck down magical beasts, obstructing their approach.

Soon, the corpses of magical beasts formed mountains. “For the Federation! For humanity!” The commander’s roar echoed. “Advance!” The 15th model super-heavy tank never retreated.

A miraculous victory was approaching them, right before their eyes.

At that moment, the tank commander saw something in the distance. A danger beyond the hazy mist. A human-shaped magical beast with yellow fur on its head, from which ominous black aura billowed. Around this magical beast, there were other magical beasts that, while not as ominous, radiated powerful strength. Even for him, a non-awakened, he felt an eerie wave of aether. The tank commander instinctively knew. It must be eliminated.

“Emergency! Code Omega detected! All artillery, 12 o’clock! Concentrated fire!” The most dangerous enemy had appeared.

**

The First Dimensional Invasion brought countless innovations to Trist military science. At a time when machine guns had just appeared, and crude single-shot rifles and cast-iron cannons were still the main armaments of many armies, repeating rifles and breech-loading steel howitzers were widely introduced within a year and a half of the war. As the war entered its second year, the International Alliance utilized otherworldly resources to actually produce and massively deploy numerous war machines that engineers had only conceptualized until then, exchanging iron dialogue with the magical beasts.

Among them, the most prominent was the land battleship. This colossal metal monster, later named the super-heavy tank, could be said to be humanity’s most powerful conventional force, excluding aerial battleships and awakened individuals.

Unfortunately, the Vespeira students who had come looking for pocket money found themselves having to personally confront the military engineering advancements passed down from their ancestors.

“Hey, look at that. Why is the tank-” Tat-tat-tat-bang! A male student, immediately after curiously pointing at it, vanished before their eyes. The student evaporated without a trace, leaving only his shoes behind in the bizarrely shimmering baptism of flame.

Regrettably, Vespeira taught how to cooperate with human weapons, but not how to fight against them. The remaining students screamed and tried to flee. Crunch! The tank mercilessly trampled the fleeing academy students. Just before being crushed by the treads, the last thing they witnessed was a human figure on the massive chassis.

Immediately after ruthlessly crushing several people, the super-heavy tank moved to an advantageous firing position and mercilessly pounded the hunters who were conducting exploration work. The siege cannon, fired without hesitation, shattered the hunters into a shower of blood and fragments.

“Shit, goddammit. It’s a fusion!” A hunter, who had been pushed back by the barrage and slammed into the ground, staggered to his feet and shouted. A ghoul, tangled like a net on top of the tank, was flailing its arms wildly, letting out an incomprehensible scream. Due to the influence of aether, the tank’s armor plates had turned a pale white, and strange scratches and cracks, like peeled skin, spread like spiderwebs in various places.

“Ugh, aaaaaah!” “Get down! Aaaaaaaah!” “This is insane. Was that the true identity of the artifact?” Once again, a flash erupted from the thick, short main cannon, and the laborers fleeing the worksite evaporated instantly.

Someone shouted. “It’s him! The Eleven Fire-Breathing Maw of Cutlass Valley!” “What’s that?” “There’s been a rumor for ten years! An unidentified magical beast roaming the deep zones! Missing persons kept appearing, so it was a fusion!” “This is crazy. I heard that rumor too…”

The hunters made eye contact with each other. They were from different clans, and until now, rivals, but now was the time to cooperate. “So that’s what it was? Alright. Let’s try to catch it.” “Let’s flank! When I count to three, we’ll deploy multi-area smoke grenades! If we fight a fair gunfight in such a wide-open area, we’ll be outgunned!” A wizard shouted, folding the detector on his staff.

“The firing line will aim for that ghoul bastard and the gun barrel! That ghoul bastard. Its magical wavelength makes it seem like a weakness!” “Understood! We’ll take the lead. You cover our left flank! Team 1, Team 2, get ready!” Smoke deployed, and as several charging mages waved their hands, spells activated, deploying multiple rock walls for cover. Shields, projectile deceleration, interception. Every means was mobilized to weaken the tank’s attacks.

“Run!” Despite the pouring barrage, the tank remained steadfast, and approaching hunters tried to scratch its armor or climb onto it. The tank violently shook like a beast trying to shake off fleas from its body, hindering their approach.

Crackling! Immediately following, an aerial explosion erupted. While the close-range assault team, covered in fragments, flinched, lightning bolts extending from around the tank blocked their approach like a shield, scorching the hunters.

“Fall back!” From the direction of the firing line, two or three dazzling beams of light struck the tank. Melting ray attacks scorched the armor. A massive sword-shaped spell flew in. For a moment, the fusion, reversing while spewing steam, twisted its chassis.

The hunter holding a staff screamed. “Crazy! That crazy bastard! How can such a guy even exist!-” A perfectly timed angled plate deflected the magical attack. The muzzle turned towards the origin of the shot, and a mangled body flew through the air.

“Is that really a magical beast? It looks human.” “Of course it looks human! It’s a fusion! It’s mixed with a person, not a dumb beast!” From behind the bewildered people, a noise was heard. Armed jetbike squadrons and a line of heavy armored vehicles appeared, cutting through the mist.

Several people who turned their heads cheered. “It’s Luminexa!” Thank goodness. If it’s Luminexa, they’ll have a way to subdue that monster. The relieved people despaired as they saw a horde of magical beasts, as if waiting, swarming from behind the tank.

“This is crazy, run! We have to escape to the bridge!” The hunters, seeing Luminexa’s forces being overrun, starting with the Krystos horde swarming the jetbike squadron, chose to flee. However, the pursuit by the tank and the magical beast horde continued.

“Scatter! That way, there’ll be less damage!” “No! It’s coming! Why is it so fast!” While some fled and others prepared to resist, an unbelievable thing happened.

“Wha, what?” The fusion shivered its chassis, then changed direction and rushed off to another place. “Why is that thing acting like that…?”

**

A totalitarian-aligned killer tank was approaching. By the time the Violet Command understood the situation, it was too late. The super-heavy tank, which had been overrunning countless people, suddenly rushed towards them.

“I’m stuck in the treads again!” “Kuaaaaang!” As soon as the search teams gathered, it rushed over and trampled them.

“Why is it doing this!” “What sin did we commit! You bad guy!” This thing, as if it holds some grudge against them, left other people alone but specifically sought out and crushed the Violets.

“So, it seems best to stay far away from us! Our attacks didn’t work!” “A super-heavy tank?” “Exactly, just as it looks! Kyaaaak! It’s coming!”

A rattling sound grew closer, and sure enough, it approached their group’s location. The pouring barrage exquisitely blocked their path towards the passage. Boom! A squad on watch at the front was obliterated by a shell. The attacks from those monster things, firing shells as big as a Violet’s torso, were mixed with magic, making them hurt more than regular explosions.

“It seems like a fusion! Similar to the ship we fought!” No sooner had she finished speaking than the tank appeared. Truly immense in size. Radio Violet continuously chattered, spitting out information.

“I’m currently inquiring with Helios about its appearance, you see? The artifact excavation department uncle supposedly knows something-” Whish! Radio Violet, who had been crawling, made a tearful face at a fragment that burst above her head.

“Ugh, Daphneya. The radio’s cut out. You and Levi need to put up a shield!” “Ah, sorry, I’m sorry!…” Unit 454, who took over the radio role, spat out the information coming from Helios headquarters.

“Ah, here it is. The manager said to just write it down as is. 15th model super-heavy tank! Federation Armory! 2nd generation tank. Equipped with an old-style nuclear reactor! A total of 11 weapons! Short and thick cannon, so it’s for siege warfare only!-” Enrica, crouching in the temporary trench, widened her eyes. “A nuclear reactor? Wow, so is it the same kind of being as me?”

“Is that so? Ugh!” Fortunately, perhaps because its gaze was fixed on their group, the search teams scattered across the mist and rocks were frantically rushing over. Faint red dots on the Violet map indicated that magical beast reinforcements were also coming, but if they overwhelmed it with numbers, they might have a chance.

The problem was firepower. They had faced the magical bombardments of the Vanguard and the power of Arch-Mages, and fought against fusion battleships and Apostles, but such persistent attacks were entirely new to them. There was an obsession in its attacks. They had never before felt such tenacity, meticulously scraping and hitting behind trenches and cover.

“Violet, what do you think?” Among everyone who was bewildered, Sophieel Unnie, the only one who remained calm, asked.

“The numbers are starting to gather, you see? They said the reactor is old-fashioned, so it’s a weakness! I think Enrica and Levi can attack while I pin it down with numbers!” “And we definitely need to deal with that thing too.” Sophieel Unnie pointed at the ghoul with its upper body protruding from the tank. Where facial features should have been, there was only a large, distorted black hole and a hideous mouth.

“Yes, they’ve gathered. Then, let’s go!” “Command instructs! All units, charge!” A thick shield unfolded at the front. As the shielded Violets sprinted at full power, the tank reacted fiercely.

Boom! “Ugh! It’s flying again!” The impact of the explosion created large, consecutive holes in the wave of Violets. Sprinkling smoke everywhere to maximally disrupt its firing accuracy, the Violets ran tirelessly through the zone of death.

The fusion, slowly reversing and retreating, suddenly sensed danger and rotated its turrets this way and that. “Haha! You noticed!” 180 degrees, fifteen hundred Violets charged. The turrets spun in all directions, unleashing a hail of bullets, but since the firepower was more dispersed than before, it was more manageable than earlier. It was limited to the initial charge, but there was also Daphne’s shield support.

“Magical beast reinforcements! Eagles are flying in! Watch the ground too!” “1st Company! 2nd Company! Flank! Stop the magical beasts!” While they intercepted the magical beasts attempting to aid the fusion, a white beam of light tore through the air.

As the flash from the ballista flew towards the tank, a clear, almost refreshing sound echoed. A large bolt buried itself in the front armor. “Hee-hah-ha! Even tanks are just weak trash in the end! Die! Die!” Following that, a slow-moving plasma orb flew in. Suddenly, something small popped out from the top of the tank, leaving a frivolous sound behind it.

“Smoke?” “It’s escaping!” The fusion, sensing danger, maneuvered violently to evade the attacks. Enrica’s attacks were slow, and it narrowly dodged them.

“This isn’t the end!” “Get down!” Unit 3212 and its team, having perfectly moved to the tank’s predicted path, flattened themselves on the ground. They wore bomb vests and carried improvised explosive devices. At the same time, several Violets who had approached within range activated their arcane memory chips.

“Melting ray ready! Lightning whip activated!” “Cut off its treads. Let’s turn it into a turtle!” If they blocked its movement from the start, no matter how sturdy it was, it would have no answer. The ghoul, which had been surveying its surroundings, turned its head towards me and let out a scream.

“###-!!” The massive body twisted as if applying brakes. It angled its chassis to the right. The treads crushed the bedrock below, emitting steam. The magic narrowly hit the side armor.

Crackling! “Ugh! Electricity around the tank!” As lightning enveloped the tank like a shield, the Violets holding bombs exploded in place. The Violets preparing their next spells were shredded by autocannon fire.

“Tch, it’s dodging. But it can’t dodge this, can it?” If it comes to this, I’ll just use a cheat. “Protagonist’s Power!” A black figure dashed as if flying among the Violets. Sophieel Unnie, using the Violets as bait and shields, approached. Sophieel pulled something from her back. A long halberd unfurled. A spear rotating in mid-air.

Bullets, clashing with the burning magic, deflected in mid-air. The ghoul pointed at Sophieel Unnie, opened its mouth wide, and let out another monstrous shriek. “######-!” The fusion turned its chassis and began to flee frantically.

The electric barrier unfolded once again, but the spear’s thrust sliced through it. “Haha! You’re dead! Now!” The tank resisted, swiveling its turrets as if to say, “Get away!” But it couldn’t escape.

The tank, firing its guns as it fled, drove itself into a death trap. To its right was a cliff, to its left, the Violet horde. Behind it was a scholar (true). Then, what about in front?

It seemed it hadn’t seen it in its haste to drive, but a pillar-like towering strange rock formation blocked its path. “Win! Win!” Encouraged by their cheers, Unnie lightly leaped onto the tank. The next moment, the fusion did something strange. It indiscriminately fired at the pillar directly in front of it.

“Huh…?” Crash! The tank collided directly with the pillar. Just as Sophieel Unnie, who had flinched slightly from the impact, was about to raise her spear. The space above her head went dark.

So that’s why it fired. “…Oh no!” The pillar, weakened at its base by the gunfire, toppled onto the tank from the impact of the charge. Unnie quickly leaped off, retreating behind the edge of the cliff.

At the same time, the ghoul hid inside the chassis, like a mole in a whack-a-mole game. Rumble! As the pillar collapsed, a small cloud of dust rose. Just as Unnie took up her combat stance again, a louder crashing sound was heard.

“Deploy shields!” “Be careful!” The Violet shield wall was the first line, followed by Daphne’s shield as the second. It had avoided close combat with a shallow trick, but that was all; the Violets’ operation was perfect. Counterattack? All predicted by the Violet network.

“There are no openings!” That was true, until its shell struck the wrong part of the ground, not Unnie or me. “…Huh?” Boom! A large shell burrowed into the ground. The explosion felt smaller than expected.

Violent tremors, followed by the ground collapsing—that’s what I thought until then. Their position, unfortunately, was right at the edge of the cliff.

“Ughyaaaak! It’s collapsing!” “No, they’re falling!” A group of Violets fell. Among them was Sophieel Unnie.

“Violet! Someone, anyone, catch me!” “Ugh! Me! I’ll catch you!” Unnie agilely plunged her spear into the cliff and slid down. Her speed decreased, and she stopped in mid-air. Immediately below, she safely landed on a small, protruding ledge.

“Unnie, you’re alive!” Unit 3346, hanging from her shoulder, smiled brightly, but Unnie shook her head as if in dismay. “Yes, I’m alive. The problem is…” Unnie pointed to one side. The tank thing had quickly crossed the bridge and escaped.

“Uh… that direction is.” “That’s right. It’s the area leading out from the deep zone towards the dungeon’s entrance. I don’t know the extent of that fusion’s intelligence, but what a fusion that has crossed the entire bridge might do is perhaps…” No sooner had the fusion vanished into the mist than a loud explosion echoed. The bridge collapsed.

“Ugh… we can’t go home now.” “Ugh, it’s my fault. I was too careless. Let’s deal with that first and then climb up.” At the bottom of the cliff, Sophieel Unnie sighed, watching the approaching eagle horde.

The sounds of explosions continued.

**

“Attention, gentlemen. We are currently facing an unknown threat.” It was regrouping time. The tank commander muttered, staring blankly into the air. Not only had the expedition failed, but they were in the gravest crisis. What caught the commander’s eye was the most threatening magical beast, secretly reported to frontline commanders.

Identification name: Code Omega. Its ability to continuously multiply and grow was an unpredictable supernatural power in itself. Seeing it herd its prey, it was undoubtedly a highly intelligent magical beast, as reported.

And that wasn’t all? The magical beasts assisting Code Omega were also quite threatening. One possessed powerful firing capabilities, and another deployed a very sturdy shield. The slow-moving orbs were easy to dodge, but a direct hit would have caused significant damage.

But the most threatening presence was the black magical beast that appeared in the latter half of the battle. Unlike previous magical beasts, it displayed overwhelming close-combat prowess. Its sheer momentum made even the super-heavy tank’s thick armor plates feel precarious. If not for the quick thinking of toppling the pillar right in front of them to shake it off and using the earthquake warhead, they surely would have been defeated.

It was grim. The reinforcements had been annihilated by those evil magical beasts, and contact with the main force was lost again. Ultimately, the commander had to make a decision.

“We have blocked and destroyed all access routes to this area. Until communication is re-established or reinforcements arrive, we are the only ones left to stop Code Omega.” With the tank’s siege cannon, blocking the connecting passages nearby wasn’t difficult. Nevertheless, for some reason, the commander couldn’t feel at ease with just this. Their opponent was a being designated as an unknown mutation with the worst abilities in Federation reports. The time to confront it head-on would surely come.

It was unknown how much progress had been made with the evacuation. But the situation had changed. If they couldn’t stop the threat before them, they had to at least contain it. Otherwise…

“We must never let it pass. The people behind us will be in danger.” Could they stop it? No, there was no room for doubt or question marks in a soldier’s mission. They would stop it.

The tank commander, the ghoul, ignited its will once more. “If we meet again, I will absolutely kill you, no matter what it takes.”

A whistling sound sliced through the air and echoed. He raised his head, and the next moment, he spotted a human-shaped entity flying towards him, shimmering with blue light. “It’s flying! Found it!” The autocannons immediately intercepted the attack in the air.

However, the tank commander, realizing its true identity, couldn’t hide his astonishment. The variant magical beast’s actions were madness beyond imagination. To use itself as a projectile! Truly an act befitting a magical beast devoid of sensibility and humanity.

‘What a truly heinous magical beast!’ The moment something like that set foot in human society, a terrible disaster would strike.

“Main turret, activate acoustic system and ballistic radar. Switch to indirect fire mode! It’s beyond the mist!” Good, if it’s an artillery duel, I’ll accept. “But, it will never pass.”

No sooner had he hardened his resolve than countless beams of light surged up through the hazy mist beyond the broken bridge. “Violet Artillery! Coordinates confirmed! All units fire!” Dump trucks, having finished their cooling, unleashed barrages of rockets. Field artillery and mortar units continuously launched shells. Catapults launched their masters one by one towards the target.

“Violet simultaneous impact fire initiated!” Rockets, shells, and Violets soared into the sky.