episode_0306

Our new enemy, the super-heavy tank fusion, was a despicable creature. Monsters are inherently beings fueled by animosity towards humans. Even a somewhat intelligent one would eventually charge headlong without caution. Most of them were ultimately just beasts, excluding sentient beings like Apostles. They were savage creatures that would recklessly charge when it seemed advantageous, then flee when the tide turned against them. However, the fusion we encountered was different.

“Coward! It fled!” “Don’t run away, you scoundrel!”

The more I thought about it, the more my stomach churned. Not only did it escape with clever tricks, but it even destroyed the bridge. Such villainy was befitting of a wicked monster. Our Violets always had to fight monsters under unfavorable conditions.

“Still, Violet, didn’t we win? It ran away.” “Did we?” Enrica’s unexpected remark held a point, and as I pondered it, Levi blurted out.

“B-but we can’t go back to our dorm. What about class? Teacher Sophieel is also at the bottom of the cliff…” “We can just go around to where the bridge is intact!”

After a furious outburst, Levi seemed to cool down, as if the heat had subsided. Perhaps due to some depleted mana, she was gulping down a mana supplement.

“Then what are you going to do?” “I’m not sure yet. Let’s think!” Answering Enrica’s question, I launched a hang glider to ponder our next move. Although the fog was thick, I would be able to gauge our location.

“We have two options.” While the other two friends slumped to the ground as if at a loss, Daphne, who had been silent, raised a question.

“One is to bypass this place and head elsewhere, as Violet pointed out earlier. The other is—” “To smash that fusion! It’s a despicable creature, so I’m going to kill it!”

Daphne chuckled hollowly and continued. “Is that possible? Even if we ignore the broken bridge. The key is whether we can pierce that fusion’s armor. We saw it earlier, didn’t we? With our current capabilities or the means Violet possesses, we couldn’t completely destroy it. It’s a more intelligent monster than we thought.”

I nodded. “The methods we’ve used so far are insufficient!” Daphne’s words had merit. Even if it wasn’t here, there were countless ways to reach an exit. Bypassing it would take time, but we could skillfully avoid the fusion. However, I didn’t want to.

More than anything, the moment I saw it, my heart pounded violently. Could this be the feeling of love?

“Can’t we use that? It’s a tank!” “It’s a fusion. The deformation is severe, so it would be hard to control.” My mental network quickly began to compute strategies. For some reason, the creature persistently harassed me as if I were its sworn enemy. Could I perhaps use that to my advantage?

“First, let’s distract it!” If we couldn’t cross the bridge to the bedrock, long-range artillery combat was our best option. We needed time to lay a trap.

“Let’s overwhelm it with shells!” Coincidentally, other hunters were under attack and evacuating in different directions. Those who had witnessed or heard the previous fierce battle wouldn’t dare approach. The surroundings were covered in fog, so even if we made some noise, it wouldn’t attract attention.

“Command reports! Deploy the artillery batteries!” We took out components from our inventory and began assembling them. Field guns and mortars started radiating heat everywhere. Meanwhile, other Violets were attaching pre-prepared launchers to the cargo beds of dump trucks. Elsewhere, they unfolded the walkers that had been hidden behind them and started their engines.

“Command reports. All personnel, report!” “All batteries! Firing preparations complete!” While attack preparations proceeded smoothly, ominous news arrived.

“Eek! They’re falling!” “Flight wing! Report! What’s happening?” “Monsters! Eagles are attacking!”

The hang glider squadron that had risen above the fog was attacked by a swarm of flying monsters swooping between the cliffs. They had only observed us, who were gathered on the ground, but seeing them attack the fewer hang gliders in the air, they seemed as cowardly as the fusion.

“This is the flight squadron! Reporting to Command. We are maintaining flight, but are experiencing difficulties due to relentless interference from the monsters! Argh!” “Understood!”

I composed myself and repeated a self-affirmation. Repeat and obey.

“Command orders the deployment of ground drone launchers!” “Ground drone launchers, ready!” One by one, Violet catapults stood tall among the artillery batteries.

“Enrica, please!” A blue-glowing nuclear Violet drone shot into the sky.

“Enemy spotted! Violet tactical map coordinates are 1-3-2! It destroyed all the bridges!” —Tat-tat-tat! As if it had discerned our intentions, bullets poured from the tank. The Violet gliders were shot down instantly, but the artillery battery, having already secured the coordinates, immediately commenced firing.

A fiery barrage of V-3 rocket volleys erupted from the dump truck cargo beds. The thunderous roar of field guns and mortars ceaselessly spewing shells. And Violet suicide drones, enhanced with bomb vests and Enrica’s magic. The ground atop the bedrock beyond the cliff was heavily shrouded in gun smoke and flashes.

“Attack! Attack! Keep pouring it on! If we hit it enough, it’ll break through!” “Drone team! How’s the cryogenic body dispersal reaction?” Unit 4431, twisting its body to escape the anti-air fire, replied with difficulty.

“No reaction! They’re only focused on us. I’ll continue the dispersal!” The Violets, ceaselessly soaring with the power of catapults and thrusters, performed three missions. They would hurl themselves at the tank, or circle around to report coordinates in real-time, or…

“Command orders! Move!” Through the drones’ vision, the fusion’s form could be seen amidst the flashes of explosion. A heavy, rumbling metallic sound carried on the wind. Despite our fierce attack, the super-heavy tank continued to run, dodging left and right, turning its main gun. It seemed even the fusion found this density of artillery fire challenging to endure.

“Then we can wound it! If we can wound it, that means we can capture it!” “All batteries! Change positions! Move! It’s counterattacking!” The next moment, the fusion’s main gun, its elevation adjusted, spat out flames while running.

“Everyone, take cover!” Shields were deployed over the predicted impact zone, critical assets, and personnel. Soon after, a sharp whistling sound grazed their ears, and a massive shell exploded. —Boom!

It didn’t just endure; it counterattacked with counter-battery fire. “Report!” “One mortar lost! 20 dead! 45 injured! Rocket truck inoperable! Shrapnel damaged the engine.”

Dozens of Violets clung to each field gun, frantically moving from their original positions. I continuously repeated to myself. I am the commander and the staff, the radio operator and the loader, the gun chief and the observer. According to the information received from Helios, it was a second-generation super-heavy tank. Its armor was tough, so targeting the top armor with my field guns or mortars was the best option. Still, through the previous engagement, we had identified its weakness.

“Its main gun has a slow reload speed!” Moving the gun’s position immediately after firing had worked. Losing one mortar and one Violet squad was a worthwhile trade.

The radio Violet signaled Levi, who was looking through a rangefinder and scope on a moving walker. “…Wind direction 3m/s to the left. Humidity 95%. Temperature 18 degrees Celsius. Gravity 1.2G… Barometric pressure average, altitude difference 15m… Considering wind direction, to the right…!”

“Alright, Levi, are you ready? Enrica, how about you? Can you do it?” “Yes, leave it to me!” “I can do it too. I’ve practiced shooting a lot here!”

As the walkers moved about, large bolts fired from them disappeared over the cliff one after another. A white line swiftly streaked past, and one of the left sub-turrets broke off. Then, directly in front of the creature as it moved, a dazzling plasma sphere slowly descended. —Boom!

“Did it hit? It must have hit, right?” I shook my head. “It swerved right in front of it!” Despite its massive size, it was too nimble. Although we had drawn its attention with rockets and field guns, that fusion subtly maneuvered its body, trying to avoid fatal attacks as much as possible.

Once again, the fusion counterattacked. We exchanged fire across the deep, wide canyon. As time passed, the fusion became riddled with scratches. The drone Violets could see ballista bolts stuck in its armor plates like toothpicks.

—Thud! “No! The catapult!” Darn it, the catapult had just disappeared. At this rate, we wouldn’t be able to lay traps around the fusion in time.

Suddenly, a good idea came to mind. “Daphne. Come here!” “…?” “Hit me!”

Daphne, taken aback by my sudden request, demanded an explanation. I explained what I wanted. “What did you say?” “But it’s possible, isn’t it? If we don’t do this, we can’t catch it. Hurry!”

“It’s possible, but… Ah, alright… Ugh, you’re out of your mind…” Daphne made a tearful face. Then, she powerfully struck me, who was wearing a wingsuit, with her staff.

The moment the staff, wreathed in hexagonal, intricate force fields, made contact, Violet shot into the sky propelled by the impact. “Agh! I’m flying!” With the help of Daphne’s catapult, the Violets continuously hurled themselves over the cliff.

**

The commander caught his breath and surveyed his surroundings. The area had been laid waste by the furious shelling of Code Omega and its subordinate monsters. “That horrid monster.”

He couldn’t fathom when the monsters had learned artillery tactics. Every time the opposite cliff face emerged from the fog, sharp white beams arcing through the air had already neutralized two of his sub-turrets, and he had narrowly avoided direct hits from slow-moving magic orbs five times already. The armor was on the verge of falling off due to the explosions, and some weapons and equipment had been neutralized.

Gradually, the monsters’ shelling was subsiding. The commander fell into thought. Perhaps they were reaching their limits. Maybe he could hold out until reinforcements arrived.

Just as hope began to rise, the sudden silence that followed the cessation of artillery fire made the tank commander instinctively feel a sense of crisis. For some reason, his senses were excessively heightened, allowing him to detect even subtle movements within this sparsely fogged Red Zone. He himself attributed it to training and tension. His mind felt rigidly fixed, causing his thoughts to keep veering in the wrong direction, making it difficult to detect anomalies.

“Strange, the thermal imaging equipment isn’t detecting any monsters, and there are no anomalies on the radar… What is it? Technician, check. Sub-turret 2. Report.” There was no reply. As he disregarded his subordinates’ silence, he heard something burst beneath the chassis.

“…?” The commander, who had thought it was the sound of bedrock breaking, turned his head. Because it was an oddly unnatural sound. It wasn’t the sound of a hard ground rubbing against the continuous tracks, but rather similar to the sound made when trampling something softer and more pliable. Like when stepping on a monster.

He leaned his stiff back out as much as possible, sticking his body out of the hatch. Immediately afterward, the commander was in shock. The things crushed by the tracks on the surrounding ground were indeed monsters. And yellow-furred monsters. Code Omega.

Now, looking around, there were many monster corpses lying on the ground. Excessively clean and neat. ‘On the ground… why?’ A monster, which had been silent like a corpse, suddenly lifted its head. The tank commander faced it. Faced that cruel, red gaze filled with malice. Now he saw that monsters were scattered all around the tank like corpses. Why?

In an instant, the corpses strewn across the ground sprung up and rushed the tank. “It’s an ambush! Driver, full speed ahead! This is a trap!” In the midst of chaos, the tank commander muttered. The path was blocked. He had shot down everything flying and killed everything that landed. But how?

He recalled the monsters’ behavior: ceaselessly hurling themselves as projectiles, and circling around like reconnaissance planes. Certainly, the explosions upon hitting the ground were threatening, but he prided himself on having dodged or avoided all of them. Even amidst hazy memories and confused sensations, the Ghoul came to a shocking conclusion. ‘Could it be… their purpose was to disperse their own corpses here! For a close-quarters ambush like this? Revival?’

Had Violet known, she would have been impressed. His deduction was almost correct. “All cryogenic Violets. Awaken! Find intact bodies and quickly enter them! Charge!” Command chuckled and clicked on the fusion on the map.

“As expected, our prediction was correct.” Violet pondered the fusion’s peculiar trait of detecting them, and the process of colonizing the Karnak Archipelago.

The environment of the Karnak Archipelago constantly tormented living Violets. There was only one type of Violet that the Red Zone didn’t torment.

“Cryogenic Violets suffered no harm! And…” “Our hypothesis was correct! The fusion didn’t recognize the cryogenic bodies either!”

The Violets launched by the catapults continuously circled, generating cryogenic bodies and flinging them onto the ground at the edges, relatively far from the battle. Some sustained fractures in their arms or legs from the impact of the fall. Still, the numbers were sufficient.

Once again, five hundred Violets awakened from their slumber and charged. This time, from 360 degrees. An unavoidable distance. Resistance was weak. Because the ruthless bombardment had neutralized most of its armaments.

“You can’t escape now!” “Target the tracks! Get on!” The Violets’ melting rays and lightning whips struck the super-heavy tank’s tracks and seared its chassis. By the time the last sub-turret, pitifully firing alone, fell silent, the fusion was immobilized.

—Clang! The tracks broke off. The tank commander screamed, grabbing the chassis machine gun. “Damn it! Die! Just die already! You monster bastards!”

—Boom! Immediately after what would be its last point-blank main gun shot, a Violet emerged from the smoke, staff in hand. “Die, you monster!” Unit 3421 slammed the tip of her staff hard onto the ground. A clear, crisp sound, like a tombstone breaking, echoed in the Violet’s ears.

Soon, a gigantic magic circle filled the surrounding ground and air. Feeling a sense of crisis, the tank commander quickly hid inside the turret and closed the hatch, but it was too late. “High-tier magic, prepare! Mana concentration, activate arcane memory chip!” “Adriana’s Flashstorm. Deploy!”

A massive lightning storm swept over the tank and its surroundings, excluding the caster herself. Heat and electricity struck the fusion. A white flash bright enough to burn the eyes. The decolorized tank was now a charred mass of scrap metal.

As the light faded, all the gun barrels lost power and drooped to the ground. Violet sensed the strange magical wave that had been tingling her skin disappear. “Alright, we did it!” “We won!” The Violets cheered for having hunted another fusion and slowly approached the tank.

—Clink! The turret hatch opened, and something in the shape of a charred human burst out. The Violet company tilted their heads, drawing their swords. It was that Ghoul from before. What a truly tenacious creature it was.

The Ghoul’s behavior was somehow strange. As the Ghoul stumbled out and looked at them with a distorted face, there was a sense of injustice that surpassed mere hatred. Just as the Violets wondered why they felt that way, they were utterly astonished by the subsequent situation.

“You, you damn monster bastards… What’s your reason?!” “W-what? That thing. It’s speaking human words!” The Violets murmured and whispered, agitated. Now, the girls could understand the Ghoul’s screams.

The tank commander panted in pain and shouted. “Damn it, what is your reason?! You disgusting worm-bastards! You filthy monster bastards! Why, why are you so desperate to kill powerless, innocent people?!”

“Huh? Hey, Ghoul. We’re not those kinds of people!” “It seems like it can’t understand us…?”

“You damn devil bastards! You’ll never get through. I don’t know what kind of mutated monster you are, but I won’t let you commit any more atrocities. You won’t take another step past here!” —Crackle! As the Violets, frozen by the unexpected situation, stood blankly, the Ghoul shouted.

“Technician! Overload the reactor! Our service ends here!” “Huh? Th-that guy. He’s trying to self-destruct! Stop him!” “Omega, let’s go to the underworld together!” The light emanating from the Ghoul gradually intensified, threatening to spread throughout the entire tank.

“This is for those who died in the expedition. And for my father!—” A black line flew towards the fusion. —Clang! The Ghoul’s scream was futilely cut short mid-sentence. Part of the turret was cleanly severed and slid off, and the powerless upper body, detached, rolled onto the dark blue rocky ground.

—Slash! The magical energy spreading throughout the tank had its flow severed by a baptism of sword energy. Sophieel lightly shook her halberd to clear it, then awkwardly scratched her head. “Sorry! I’m too late, aren’t I? It took a while to climb up. The Krysetos swarm was just so aggressive.”

“No, not at all! You stopped the self-destruction just in time.” “My hunch was right… it was a good call to quickly subdue it given what a desperate struggle it was making. More importantly. That thing…” Sophieel’s gaze, as she continued speaking, fixed on one spot. The being that was once the Ghoul was weakly mouthing words.

“I-is anyone there? I, I can’t see anything…” “What? Why did it suddenly become gentle?” “Did it turn human?”

“What, can you hear us?” “…Wh-who are you? Which… clan do you belong to? Are you from the Federation…? Was the Third Expeditionary Force’s withdrawal completed safely?…”

The moment the words ‘Third Expeditionary Force’ were mentioned, tension filled Sophieel’s face. “Uh, I’m Ariel. I belong to a clan.” “Ariel, was the evacuation completed? The students, the civilian evacuation…” Violet, bewildered about how to respond, met Sophieel’s eyes. Seeing her slightly complex expression, Violet soon chose what she deemed an appropriate answer. “Everyone, all safely evacuated. The withdrawal is complete.”

The Ghoul let out a strange groan, like air escaping from a balloon. “That’s a relief…” With those words, the Ghoul fell silent. Feeling an unidentifiable pity, Violet placed her hand on its head.

“Hmm, I don’t know who you are, but you fought well, even if you were an enemy. Rest well!” A brief flash of light gleamed from Violet’s fingertips.

“Huh?” The Ghoul’s corpse crumbled into dust along with the combat uniform it had been wearing. Then, two colors of light, red and golden, slowly surged upwards before scattering like dandelion seeds in spring. “Uh, what was that?” “…?”

Sophieel and the Violets, unable to comprehend the situation, frantically looked around. The magic disappeared into thin air. “I, I didn’t do anything! Really.” “Violet, I’m not blaming you. It must be the fusion’s influence, don’t you think?” The two pondered the nature of the strange phenomenon for a moment, but no answer came.

Meanwhile, a faint golden thread of light vanished into the tank.