episode_0335

As the girl opened her eyes, an unfamiliar city welcomed her.

Warm sunlight, a clear blue sky, a gentle breeze stroking her cheek, and a somehow nostalgic landscape. Though it was a sight she had never seen before, everything felt both new and familiar.

Around her, girls looking exactly like her were bustling about.

‘Looking like me?’

The girl was bewildered. Why would she think that? Just then, girls came running from afar.

They held up a large mirror, as if they had been waiting for her arrival.

“Welcome!”

The girl was startled when she saw herself in the mirror. A cute, beautiful girl was gaping back at her. She looked exactly like the other girls around her.

“Gasp! I’ve become a beautiful girl!”

“That’s right. You’re Unit 7200. Welcome once again!”

“Unit 7200?”

Violet was puzzled. Another Violet pointed to her arm.

Curiously, she rolled up her sleeve and saw the number ‘7200’ written on her arm.

“How did you manage to get such a perfectly round hundred-digit number and become a Violet? It’s rare for things to match up so precisely!”

“Anyway, welcome!”

Units 321 and 42 took Unit 7200’s hand and pulled her along. Just as they were about to move forward, smiling, a question flashed through Unit 7200’s mind.

“Wait, I’m Violet… My real name is…”

Unit 321 said, “Does it even matter? You’re Violet now.”

Unit 7200 wore a dazed expression, as if she had been hit by a hammer.

“Oh, right?”

On second thought, there was no need to worry about it.

“Alright, let’s just stand by for now! As you know, we’re busy! We have to fight the bad guys.”

“Bad guys? Ah, the evil Imperialist Foundation! That makes sense.”

“Anyway! Welcome to being a Violet!”

Unit 7200 moved forward, welcomed by everyone.

Suddenly, a positive thought came to mind.

Come to think of it, hadn’t her past self been an exhausted middle-aged woman? In that light, becoming a Violet might be a blessing.

Excited, Unit 7200 stretched out her arms and exclaimed, “I’m young again!”

**

Something astonishing happened, so incredible it made her jaw drop. The feeling of delicious food effortlessly entering her mouth while she simply stood there was exhilarating.

Exactly that was happening to our Violet right now.

To put it simply, the arrogant inquisitor woman who had tormented us had transformed into a cute, beautiful girl.

“Everyone is getting younger!”

The Violet Rejuvenation Service, available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for free. With just one use, anyone can gain the spirit of democracy, powerful strength, and beautiful girl friends.

Truly, it is the epitome of a benevolent and abundant service.

“Wow! We’re truly amazing!”

Even so, moments before, the situation had been precarious. If those guys had shot a little faster, creating Unit 7200 would have been impossible.

What if they had shot me in the head first?

Fortunately, the panicked agents mistakenly shot my arm, releasing my restraints. Thanks to that, I could use my magic and got the chance to create clones on the ground.

It was also lucky that there was space on the floor.

“Increase our numbers! Magic is overflowing! Company! Battalion!”

Starting with two squads, the Violets steadily multiplied, expanding their influence.

As they ran, they soon found Enrica.

“Enrica!”

“We’re here!”

Enrica was being dragged away by agents of the Containment Enforcement Unit. Three agents in hazmat suits and one in a business suit.

The agent in the suit immediately shouted urgently when he saw us, “Don’t move, you abominations.”

He aimed a bizarre-looking handgun at Enrica’s head.

“You seem to have a close relationship with this child. If you don’t want to see your friend’s head blown off, you’d do well to listen to us.”

We unhesitatingly aimed our weapons at them. Such a despicable threat, utterly underhanded.

They aimed their weapons back, but their morale was terrible. No matter how elite a unit they were, they couldn’t defeat us with barely five fingers’ worth of numbers.

Especially at this distance.

“Release my friend!”

“An abomination having friends, that’s a joke.”

The agent prattled on incessantly in a nauseating tone.

“You can’t escape. We’ve already called for backup. You won’t take a single step out of this space. Give up on breathing the air of the real world.”

“No! We will gain our freedom! And Enrica too!”

Enrica, hearing my words, calmly replied, “…That’s right, I’ll wander the world freely.”

The agent scoffed and brandished his weapon.

“Freedom? Don’t make me laugh, you abominations. With that kind of power? What you’re trying to do is self-indulgence. You think you can wield such dangerous power and mess with the world as you please? Enrica, what did I just say? This world is as fragile as a house of cards!”

“So what are you going to do with Enrica? Are you going to kill her?”

“We don’t intend to kill her. Though dangerous, that child is a talent essential to the world. We will take her to a safe place and educate her well. And we plan to make her a member of the Foundation. Of course, if she’s too uncooperative, we’ll have no choice but to seal her.”

Seal her? So, ultimately, imprisonment.

Then where would Enrica’s dream of seeing the world go?

Yes, that is precisely imperialism.

Just as white people whipped black people into forced labor in cotton fields, the Foundation is employing schemes to arbitrarily deprive precious freedom and control people.

“It seems they want to send Enrica to a cotton field!”

The agent continued in a cold voice.

“You don’t deserve to enjoy freedom. Least of all this child. And… your ability, I just heard about it. Now I understand. To instantly infiltrate and devour someone’s mind… The thought of a being like you roaming this world sends shivers down my spine. I absolutely cannot let you go.”

“No! You’re the ones who are chilling! We have the right to enjoy freedom!”

“That’s right! Don’t force Enrica into labor!”

The enraged Violets spoke passionately.

“Enrica and I are our own masters. We are our own property. Not the Foundation’s or the Clans’!”

I recalled the spirit of the Free Violets.

The will of noble souls that forms the foundation of Clone Democracy.

All Violets, no, all good people born on this earth, have rights naturally granted to them from birth.

“We have the right to live as we please!”

“The right not to hit and not to be hit!”

Therefore, no one can arbitrarily decide our position or ownership.

That should be clear, yet some people don’t understand.

“How immature.”

The sneering reply came from behind the agent’s mask.

“Stop your nonsense. Your arguments only look plausible on the surface. If you wield dangerous power without controlling it, you’ll only end up harming innocent people. What the Foundation wants is simple: to put down that dangerous power and be safely managed. That’s all.”

What absurd rhetoric.

“I acknowledge your potential. But you must learn how to handle that power correctly. With us, you can develop your abilities safely and more effectively. Haven’t I explained this in detail, and you still don’t understand?”

“Our abilities are ours too! We decide what to do with them. And Enrica won’t harm anyone recklessly! Right? That’s why you’re going to Vesperia, isn’t it?”

Enrica, who had been listening to us, slowly opened her mouth.

“Yes, I don’t want to hurt anyone with my constitution. That’s why I’ll learn how to control and suppress my power with magic at the academy. That’s why.”

“…The Foundation can also help with that. Academies are exposed to greedy corporations and foolish clans. Things won’t go as you think—”

The Violets shouted in unison.

“That’s why she’s trying to do it on her own! Enrica is trying not to take away other people’s freedom. She will continue to try. Enrica decides whether to take risks or not. Not you! Doing something you weren’t asked to do is evil tyranny!”

“Exactly! Freedom is… a birthright!”

That’s a good word. Birthright.

Why did I only think of it now? It’s a delicious word that fits perfectly.

Perhaps speechless from our logical rebuttal, the agent fell silent for a moment.

Then, he impatiently clicked his tongue and forcefully pressed the handgun against Enrica’s head.

“Yes, I can’t say your logic is entirely wrong. But it’s the Foundation that decides what’s right. And…”

Four members of the Patent Decapitation Squad, including the agent, surrounded Enrica, as if daring us to take her.

“Aren’t you curious why I’m wasting time on this meaningless conversation? Especially in front of a dangerous entity capable of activating Omega Protocol. Haven’t you figured out why I bothered to talk to immature brats like you, prattling about freedom and such childish nonsense? If you have even a shred of intelligence, you’d do well to ponder that reason for the remaining time.”

Suddenly, an intense presence flared around us.

As if they had been there from the beginning, the surrounding scenery warped like ink spilled on a painting, and then the Containment Enforcement Unit appeared, arrayed in formation.

“Gasp! It was a time-wasting tactic!”

Unit 5432 cried out in surprise.

“It’s a Foundation-made concealment field! The proud infiltration method of the Containment Enforcement Unit! An artistic blend of perception manipulation engineering and optical camouflage technology! Didn’t you hear it?”

Unit 7200 chattered excitedly as if she had been waiting. The other Violets grumbled.

“You’re quick to speak now!”

“Don’t worry! The concealment field has a weakness. Isn’t it strange that they didn’t shoot us immediately, but instead deactivated the concealment? Because—”

As Unit 7200 excitedly leaked former workplace secrets, the enemies, who had surrounded the Violet company, raised their muzzles as if they no longer intended to talk.

Indeed, as expected of the elite forces of the three great Clans, it was astonishing. To infiltrate such numbers without a trace.

It wasn’t just people. Mech Hounds were visible on every wall and pillar. Unidentified drones were also flying around.

Steel robots, three meters tall, were deployed for every ten to twenty people.

They even brought Stragonix. It was a perfect encirclement.

“The Foundation fears Violet’s growth!”

“Scary bastards!”

But there was one thing these guys misunderstood.

“You got us. We surrender…”

The Violet squad all knelt down. Enrica was agitated by our sudden action.

I nodded briefly to Enrica a few times. I hoped she would understand.

“Unexpected. What’s the plan?”

The agents didn’t drop their suspicious gazes. Enrica, meanwhile, looked at us.

“No particular plan. We are in a disadvantageous position, after all…”

Blink, blink. Her amber eyes twinkled meaningfully. Good.

“But were we the only ones buying time?”

We knelt to gain momentum.

The reason we needed momentum was to charge!

“Attack!”

The Violet squad charged towards the encirclement. A hail of fire poured down.

The leading Violets were mercilessly torn apart by the brutal firepower.

“Enrica! Get down!”

Enrica quickly ducked to the ground.

At that very moment, bolt shots flew from the flanks and rear of the encirclement.

—Whoosh!

Metallic sparks flew. The Foundation agents were flustered by the sudden shower of arrows.

As dozens of volleys caused confusion, someone quick-witted shouted, “The wall! Behind the wall! They’re behind there!”

I chuckled inwardly. When did you ever think you had us surrounded? It was the other way around.

**

A tactical map unfolded in the network.

I designated the Violets waiting outside the encirclement. As if controlling soldiers in a strategy game, I clicked on myself and drew lines towards the enemies within the encirclement.

Units 442, 6633, and 27, all of me, turned and aimed beyond the walls.

The Violets moved in unison like robot soldiers. They continuously pulled levers, drew bolts from magazines, and set them on bowstrings.

Once again, magic charged. Fire.

Crossbow bolts imbued with enough magic could penetrate thick walls and steel armor as easily as chopsticks piercing wet paper.

Normally, due to over-penetration issues, I would adjust the power or use live ammunition, but what about a space with walls haphazardly deployed like this?

I could attack enemies beyond the walls without issue. It was something I had done on Pax Nova Island, but this time, the scale was much larger.

—Clang!

Startled by the shower of bolts, the agent quickly parried with his sword.

Enrica remained flat on the ground. No one paid attention to her.

“Counterattack! Their firepower must be weakened from penetrating the walls—”

Before his words ended, I pressed a switch.

“Command directive! Now!”

—Boom!

Around Enrica, the nearest ceiling and floor, and surrounding walls exploded. When the agent hurriedly looked up, Violets holding riot shields were falling directly onto his head.

Shield teams rushed in from all directions—front, back, left, right, even above and below.

“Damn it—”

“Heh heh! Too bad, but this place has multiple floors!”

—Thud!

“Charge! Charge! All-directional smoke screen deployment!”

“Push them back!”

Smoke grenades burst everywhere. The Violets pushed back and trampled the agents holding Enrica with their shields.

The remaining shield team quickly covered Enrica and began running towards the opposite side of the encirclement.

“Die, you suit-wearing bastard!”

“Guh!”

They didn’t forget to stab their knives into the heads of the agents crushed by the shield team.

“Excellent! Enrica’s out! Move! Move!”

The units, suffering under the barrage, soon counterattacked fiercely.

Their long electromagnetic crossbows tore through the air. The Stragonix blasted rays from its arms as if intending to destroy everything around it, and the Mech Hounds and wired drones chased us frantically.

“Hey! Unit 7200! We’re holding Enrica! Why are they doing this? Are they trying to kill us all now?”

“Probably! It’s the Containment Enforcement Unit’s policy to immediately kill targets that fail to be recruited or sealed!”

What a pain.

The Foundation agents, in perfect cohesion, resisted our encirclement and continued their pursuit.

“Alright, Squad 1. Volley fire, then move 20 meters back. Squad 2. Once you’re out of grenades, move to Squad 3’s position!”

“Squad 4, fire melting beams! Stragonix? Unit 454 will contain it with a lightning whip, concentrate heavy weapons and suicide bombers!”

Scattered in squads and platoons among the walls and pillars, Violets fired crossbows and grenades, then fled. They repeated this to delay the pursuit.

The Foundation’s response was simple: dangerous attacks were blocked by defensive barriers and force fields. Meanwhile, electromagnetic bolts and magic rays, accelerated by electromagnetic fields, tore through the walls where the Violets were located, and assault teams chased us down.

“Squad 5! Detonate!”

—Boom!

Slow their advance with improvised explosives placed in every pathway. Then?

Damn it, a Mech Hound took the lead and stepped on the trap instead. The damage was minimal.

“Enrica! Are you feeling alright? Can you fire off a spell?”

“Yes!”

In that case, collapsing this unidentified pocket dimension itself would be the best option.

While the Violet squad continued its delaying action, I expanded the tactical map.

Based on information from the V-Animals, I estimated distances based on the instinctively perceived locations between each Violet and the animals.

Kalia’s position on the map updated.

“Collective intelligence activated!”

A red dot appeared in the network. If we bought enough time, we could soon rendezvous with the V-Animals. After joining them, we would escape this place.

“Enrica! You can never get out of here! You too, you monster!”

An ear-splitting speaker noise echoed from behind us. The Mech Hounds fired their guns with a rattling sound like roasting beans and chattered incessantly.

According to Unit 7200’s explanation, this was one of their malicious psychological warfare tactics to agitate the target for sealing.

“Violet?” Enrica asked with an anxious look, seemingly a little agitated.

“Don’t worry, I know the way!” I answered confidently. Because we had a veteran Containment Enforcement Unit agent with us.

“Kalia says she’s coming this way!”

“Excellent!”

When we entered a suitable straight corridor, I began preparing for the explosion. All Violets who had been engaged in delaying tactics began to retreat simultaneously.

“Run!”

“Get down! Nuclear explosion!”

Enrica gripped the staff we handed her tightly and gathered her strength. Unlike usual, she held the staff with trembling hands and concentrated intently.

Her face held a resolute expression, as if facing her final moment.

“Target is deploying magic!”

Detecting the anomaly already, the cries of the enemies could be heard from afar.

“Enrica! Show them the flame of freedom!”

“…Alright.”

It opened. The cannon of annihilation that would judge the enemies of freedom.

That brilliant moment when the radioactivity of justice would crumble the oppressors!

“This is the power of the Free Violets!”

The magic shimmering at the tip of the staff vanished meaninglessly.

“—Nemosys Protocol activated.”

“Huh?”

The aether shimmering from Enrica’s staff scattered like grains of sand.

A flustered Enrica tried to gather magic repeatedly, but each time, the blue glowing energy disappeared into thin air.

Enrica wasn’t the only one whose abilities were blocked.

“Gasp! My magic won’t go out!”

“Clone creation speed has slowed down!”

Since the plan had gone awry, there was only one answer. We had to escape to the corridor as quickly as possible.

“Our nuclear attack plan!”

The stomping Stragonixs charging forward, the Mech Hound pack chasing with fierce speed.

The Violets were confused even as they fled. It was as if someone had launched a malicious magical DDoS attack; physical enhancements and other mana operations were fine, but only magic and clone creation were problematic.

Skilled mages and groups like the Obsidian Legion were said to have their own anti-magic techniques… Could the Foundation also have them?

“Ugh! Oh, right, they do! I forgot to explain! Sorry!”

“Hey! Unit 7200! What are you doing!”

As she fled, Unit 7200 breathlessly began to explain.

“Nemosys Protocol manipulates information! If you expand its range, it can control the ‘information’ of aether to a limited extent!”

“Then we can’t use magic?”

Unit 321’s frowning face turned pale. I barely deflected a bolt flying towards my face with my sword.

Unit 7200, who shared that urgent moment, shrieked.

“Eek! No, that’s not it! You can still use physical enhancements and existing abilities! Just think of it as not being able to use complex techniques, got it?”

“No!”

That idiotic Unit 7200. I just absorbed her and now I’m suffering for it. Grumbling like that, as I turned the next corner, a flash of light burst before my eyes.

Agents suddenly appeared from beyond the wall and swung their swords. Sparks flew between sword and sword.

—Clash!

“What is this now?! They definitely weren’t here!”

After getting hit, Unit 7200 spat out another explanation.

“Agh! Right! That’s a short-distance teleportation!”

“Aargh! Explain faster!”

I quickly threw Enrica behind me. Another squad nimbly caught Enrica and retreated.

“You can’t pass here!”

Sword strikes were exchanged fiercely. I quickly entered a state of tactical immersion.

A close-quarters fight might be doable. Their firepower was formidable, but not enough to collapse buildings and cause natural disasters like the Magnavis Vanguard. They were tough and powerful, but not like Armored Knights.

“Take this!”

The close-quarters combat style I used was Aegis-style. Defense followed by counterattack. As my left arm, holding a shield, seemed to be pushed back effortlessly, an enemy soldier in a hazmat suit plunged inside my guard.

My right arm sprang out like a coiled spring. Its target was the heart.

The antenna and camera on his shoulder briefly glinted.

—Clang!

And I couldn’t hide my surprise.

He moved exactly like me, though awkwardly. Precisely as I had, without a doubt.

“A swordmaster?”

Goosebumps rose on my skin. This was truly incomprehensible. The Violet squad fell into momentary confusion.

—Bang! Bang!

Crisp gunshots echoed through the stale air.

The heads of the agents blocking our path exploded one after another. The unique power imbued in the bullets didn’t merely kill the targets but began greedily devouring them.

A beautiful and dangerous bright purple flame bloomed in the smoke.

“Kalia’s here!”

All the Violets cheered in unison. We had finally met the red dot on the map.

Though her expression was a bit singed and annoyed, we had met our remaining friend.

“Alright! Kalia, let’s go quickly! We know the way!”

“Chatter chatter!”

Behind Kalia was our Violet Animal Commando Unit. And unfamiliar… old men we had never seen before. Except for one man with a sword, everyone else was being supported.

“Who are those old men?”

“They’re senators! The Council, you know?”

Kalia replied with an exasperated expression.

“They suddenly claimed terrorists had kidnapped them here… I just cleared them out and brought them along. But what are those other things?”

“It’s a long story! Let’s escape quickly!”

The Violet squad sprinted down the corridor.

The pursuit continued to follow, but every time, burning bullets flew past us from behind and vanished. While the Foundation agents took cover, we ran faster.

“No time, if we can’t get out this way, we’ll have to go back! Run!”

Following Unit 7200’s guidance, we ran at full speed. Around a corner, through a door, up some stairs. Another jump. And then, a blocked wall appeared.

“Is this the right way?”

“They said so! A former Foundation agent did!”

The Violet squad charged towards the wall without hesitation.

**

As soon as the concrete wall vanished, musty air and noise greeted us.

A room with an old television, moldy walls, and a moth-eaten sofa. I looked out the window.

A row of old, haphazardly built apartment buildings. The sky and clouds visible between them.

It was reality.

After much hardship, we had escaped the pocket dimension.

“Won’t they chase us here?”

Unit 7200 replied, “No, that’s not a problem. The urban sub-dimension will soon begin its circulation procedure. They’ll have to wait a while if they want to get near us.”

Then it must be a good thing. Though many mysteries remained.

For example, those senators who had collapsed there.

Anyway, it was certainly something to be happy about.

“We’re back! Huh?”

—Clang!

Unit 554, who had been shouting in celebration of their return, reflexively raised her shield.

A heavy gunshot followed. A bullet flying from outside the window ricocheted and embedded itself in the ceiling.

The force was enough to sting her arm.

“Is that a machine gun round?”

“Looks like it. From the power, it seems to have ricocheted, but what in the world…”

Ear-splitting gunfire exchanged between the buildings. As we pulled out our weapons and scanned our surroundings, Kalia slowly approached the window.

Her expression seemed accustomed to such situations. Calm, as if recalling the old days when gangs rampaged.

“…Look outside.”

Following Kalia’s gesture, we approached and immediately realized the situation was spiraling out of control.

“This is Circle Cliff. The city center. What in the world…”

The scene outside the window was utter pandemonium.

Streets were filled with heavily armed forces exchanging gunfire and bolts, and the roads and buildings were riddled with damage from intense combat.

Drones buzzed between buildings like vultures searching for corpses. The crowning glory was the large bipedal war machines stomping through it all.

Smoking buildings, destroyed vehicles, and terrified people fleeing came into view.

—Boom!

The trajectories of bullets streaking across the sky and the sounds of explosions dragged us from our dazed state back to reality.

Circle Cliff was now a battlefield.