episode_0182

In the early dawn, the executives of Magnabyss and the academy’s board of directors faced an unexpected physical restructuring, receiving transfers to the underworld branch. Considering the clan’s future, which was soon to face a management crisis, it was an excellent outcome.

The Violets, who had unintentionally aided the clan’s employment flexibility, proceeded with their next operation.

6 AM. As the beheading operation and academy takeover progressed, seven balloons carrying Violets defied gravity and reached their target altitude.

Once ready, the Violets tied to the baskets simultaneously lifted their heads.

As the cold wind slapped their faces, the girls winced.

“It’s cold!”

“We ascended slower than expected. It must be because of us. Are you alright?”

The Violets, feeling the cold, grumbled, rubbing hot packs on their cheeks and wrapping their faces, murmuring.

Fortunately, the dawn weather was calm. Altitude and position were all clear.

Regiment Command issued new orders.

“Though slightly delayed, there won’t be a major problem with mission execution in terms of time. So, begin!”

The balloon Violets nodded and reached their hands out of the baskets.

Violets spawned and one by one descended to the ground.

The fall was short. The girls in black suits deployed their long parachutes.

Like dandelion seeds scattering on the wind, the Violets glided leisurely.

“Arrived at target area!”

The replicated parachutes guided the girls one by one to the target area. The Violets reverted their parachutes back into mana. As gravity fiercely pulled their bodies down, the girls spread their limbs and yielded. The wingsuit membranes flapped roughly as they clashed with the wind.

“Report to Regiment Command! Guided bombs are deploying!”

“Kyaa-ho! I’m flying! Remember me!”

The Violet guided bombs sliced through the dawn air and flew.

The first to deploy was Unit 545. From Unit 545’s perspective, a wide airfield with helicopters and anti-gravity airships parked was visible.

Suddenly, sharp beams of light struck the girls.

“Argh! Evade!”

Unit 545 and the Violets twisted their bodies to dodge the projectiles. Fierce explosions echoed along the light beams.

The Violets instinctively knew this had to be the enemy’s air defense network!

But it was too late.

One or two Violets caught in the barrage perished screaming, but the guided bombs reached their targets one by one.

-Boom!

The defense systems on the airfield were dismantled one by one with a roar.

Anti-aircraft guns fell silent and communication antennas toppled. Defense facilities and the control tower were engulfed in flames.

A shrill emergency alarm blared across the entire airfield, which had realized the situation too late.

“It’s an attack! Move it!”

Armed personnel rushed outside.

They saw burning gun emplacements. The commander hastily pressed his subordinates.

“This isn’t a drill. This is a real situation. It’s an airstrike!”

One of the personnel asked.

“Who’s the enemy? Beastmen? The Federation?”

“…Still identifying. First, call for reinforcements and assess the damage. Suppress the fires first and…”

The commander, who had been speaking, quickly ducked. A fierce explosion swept through the apron repeatedly.

“Ah, no. Our equipment!”

As the parked aircraft were engulfed in flames one by one, one of the personnel screamed.

Seeing this, the commander felt a shock so profound he wanted to pull out his pistol and put it in his mouth.

Because what was burning before his eyes was the clan’s main air force.

“…Damn it. What are those bastards?”

He cursed. While they hesitated, armed trucks and unidentified flying objects were swarming towards them.

“Idiots, snap out of it! The enemy is coming!”

Under the brightening dawn sky, the defending forces charged at the attackers.

A few minutes later, no one survived.

**

At 6:30 AM, while the beheading operation was underway, the Violets ravaged Magnabyss’s military bases and airfields.

“Enemy defense facilities destroyed! Alright, everyone, move in! Quickly, quickly!”

As the Violet guided bombs neutralized the first line of defense, a squadron of motorized hang gliders stormed into the base.

Following them, motorcycle units and armed trucks sped through the burning outposts and shattered barricades.

“No! Don’t retreat. Hold your ground! You must not give it up!”

They desperately charged at us to hold us back.

They had no choice; this was the airfield where their main air force was located. If this place was neutralized, half of their air power would be wiped out!

“They’re firing missiles! Where are the reinforcements?”

“Damn it! Headquarters, we’re under attack! Enemies everywhere! What? No contact from above? What kind of nonsense is that?”

The confusion lasted only a moment before the enemies, seeing us, collected themselves and attempted to resist.

Armored vehicles and Hunter-nim personnel, who had been deployed, swarmed from a distance.

“Artillery. Give them a taste of hell!”

Soon, a whistling sound echoed above the enemies’ heads.

“…Artillery!”

-Boom!

The Violet artillery deployed on the outskirts mercilessly pounded their clumsy resistance.

Above them, armed truck units fired machine guns as they trampled past.

“Anyone who resists is an enemy. Crush them!”

-Tat-tat-tat!

While the Violets ravaged the clan’s defenses from outside, a Violet special ops team, hidden in the sewers, secretly slipped out and moved through the shadows.

“This is the fuel depot. That’s the generator! And see that big building? That’s the ammo dump!”

“Attack helicopters, airships!”

“Whoa, let’s set it on fire!”

The Violets planted bombs on their designated targets and sprayed incendiary agents.

After a short while, Magnabyss’s expensive aircraft turned into scrap metal one by one.

“Planes, armored vehicles! Destroy everything you see that can be ridden. We need to tie their feet!”

-Boom!

“Hehehe! It’s exploding!”

The burning ammo dump exploded, spectacularly decorating the morning.

We destroyed their equipment one by one in that manner. Those who resisted were crushed by a barrage of machine-gun fire and high-speed grenade launchers.

“How about other places?”

“We’re suppressing! The resistance is fierce, but we can crush them all!”

We continued to destroy and burn.

I fired rockets at the clan’s forward operating base. Awakened soldiers dug in behind the defense line, armed with crossbows and staffs.

When an armed truck overturned from a magic attack, my anger surged.

“Ugh! We offered surrender, and they resisted? Artillery!”

The Violets hastily took out heavy iron chunks from their inventories and assembled them. Soon, field artillery rained hellfire upon the enemies’ heads.

-Boom! Bang!

“Third battery! Your shot grouping is sloppy. Adjust 5 to 10 mils to the left!”

“Understood!”

Observation data came in from the hang gliders circling above like eagles eyeing their prey. The next volley erased them without a trace.

Destroy the vehicles in the parking lot, burn down the company buildings, and smash all the factories.

Of course, not everything went smoothly. Those who were being beaten also put up their own resistance. Occasionally, we faced unexpected opposition.

“Emergency! Emergency! It’s the Vanguard!”

The Violets who infiltrated the Intellesia Manufacture factory encountered an unexpected enemy. There was a Vanguard!

“As expected, it was an important facility. We need to raid this place no matter what!”

“Anti-tank weapons deploying! Tie them down somehow!”

While one squad was being roasted by flames, other Violets injected themselves in the thigh and charged, firing their rifles.

“Ughyaaah! I’ll kill you!”

The Vanguard agent scoffed and raised his gloved right hand.

“How absurd. How dare an inferior non-Awakened rely on mere guns!”

Like a viper striking its prey, an electric whip lashed into our ranks.

Unit 763 frantically rolled to evade the attack. Thanks to her drug-amplified physical abilities, the whip barely grazed the Violet.

“You rat-like bastard, but there won’t be a next time—”

Unit 763 quickly grabbed the long rod beneath her rifle and injected mana.

“Eat this!”

An electric orb was fired from the short staff attached beneath the gun. The enemy was startled and deployed a defensive spell.

“Magic from a gun? How!”

While he retreated, the drugged Violets embraced bombs and charged.

“Violet Hu Akbar!”

With successive explosions, he was shattered to pieces.

When the Vanguard agent died, the resisting guards and Awakened personnel fell into despair.

“N-no way. A Vanguard died? To those bastards…!”

“Resistance is futile! Surrender or flee!”

The Violets rounded up the routed soldiers and destroyed the factory. As a bonus, they acquired a large number of strange-looking spoils and intelligent-looking prisoners.

“Look at this, it’s a Stregonix. And it’s a complete product!”

“I don’t think they’re complete products. There’s an empty space for a person. Let’s take them for now.”

Magnabyss’s factories, bases, and airfields crumbled and vanished one by one.

They swept everything they could into their inventories, and when they couldn’t blow something up, they set it on fire.

However, the most important thing still remained. Their headquarters.

“The engine was a bit slow to start, but it’s all done! Infiltration inside is also complete.”

“Then, let’s begin!”

**

Two hours after Operation Witch’s Hammer began, 7 AM.

When Albus Paxton hastily arrived on the rooftop by helicopter, he sensed an unusual atmosphere.

It was because the executives themselves were waiting in front of the helipad.

‘They’re acting like dogs waiting for their master. Why are they like this?’

It was the first time he had seen such a situation since taking on the role of chairman of the Magnabyss Group.

While descending with his bodyguards, an executive in a cloak rushed over, his face brightening.

“Chairman-nim. You’re here. I’m glad you’re safe!”

“Seriously, why are you making such a fuss over a mere terror attack…”

“It’s not a mere terror attack. You’ll see. The situation is urgent!”

At the executive’s urging, he hurried downstairs. Upon arriving at the conference room, he felt a strange sense of unease.

Despite being on vacation, he had rushed over since morning due to the emergency call, yet more than half the seats were empty.

“Where are the others right now? You said it was an emergency?”

“I apologize, I have no idea. We can’t reach them. We are under attack.”

“What did you say?”

Losing his composure, he stared intently at the faces of the other executives. The remaining executives lowered their eyes in dismay.

His face contorted at the subsequent explanation. Most of the people connected to the clan had lost contact, and rescue requests were coming in from almost all regions.

“What’s the damage situation?”

“According to the Command and Control Center’s report, there are more areas where the damage situation cannot be identified. Most important personnel have also lost contact, so it’s safe to assume the field is out of control.”

The executive, a current Hunter-nim who had managed to remain calm, continued to explain.

Looking at the map on the monitor hanging in a corner of the conference room, Albus felt dizzy.

‘Damn it, the map is completely red. Why is this happening precisely when I took over as chairman?’

Feeling perplexed, he sensed the gazes around him and composed himself. Now was not the time to lament his puppet chairman status.

“Everyone, calm down. We still don’t know the identity or intentions of the opponent. We must remain calm. If we waver, the employees below us will also become anxious. Haven’t we separated the headquarters and the Command and Control Center precisely for situations like this? Both locations are safe, so it cannot yet be considered a major crisis.”

At the chairman’s words, the executives wiped away their cold sweat and calmed their minds.

“First, no one has come to work, right? If there are any remaining people, evacuate them. We need to strengthen the defensive forces around the headquarters and maintain contact with the Command and Control Center. Chairman-no, where is the Arch-Magician-nim?”

The cloaked executive nodded.

“Given the situation, we’ve already contacted non-combat staff to not come to work. The defense line was reinforced a long time ago. The academy’s chairman has been staying nearby since yesterday, touring the newly opened project facility. There shouldn’t be any major problems.”

Feeling a small sense of relief at the executive’s words, Albus turned his head.

Below, through the window, he could see the group’s Hunter-nims setting up barricades and mobile turrets, constructing a defensive line.

“Just in case, I’ll tell the security team to strengthen their vigilance further. Pass it on… What? Why isn’t there any contact? Give it here.”

The staff member standing next to him handed the executive the radio.

“Security office, respond… No. Why aren’t the guys right below us answering? Is it broken?”

Still, there was no contact from the security office inside the company.

The Hunter-nims on guard duty below suddenly picked up their weapons, scanned their surroundings, and began firing.

-Engaging! Multiple unidentified vehicles approaching!

Information poured from the radio. A sense of crisis struck Albus.

He raised his head. Suddenly, he spotted something in the sky beyond the window.

‘What’s that?’

The black dot gradually grew closer. The unidentified object was flying towards the building.

‘Wingsuit? Wait, why is that here—’

“Get down!”

At the chairman’s shout, the conference room exploded. A fierce gale rushed in.

Albus took brief comfort in the fact that the crudely deployed shield had absorbed the impact, but with the flapping sound of parachutes, girls in black forms stormed inside.

“Oh, couldn’t kill him? Start!”

Albus cursed something and raised his staff.

At that moment, he felt an unexpected sensation of floating.

“…!”

-Boom!

The floor collapsed. Before he lost consciousness, the last report streamed from the radio.

-Chairman-nim! Headquarters is under attack…

**

A motorized Violet unit sped through the middle of the city.

Their target was a magnificent blue glass skyscraper, the headquarters building of the Magnabyss Group.

“To finish off the clan, we have to bring that down! Special ops, how’s the server room?”

“We’re ripping out everything that looks like a hard drive! There’s a ton, and they’re huge.”

“It doesn’t matter if you can’t rip them all out! We’re blowing it up right away anyway!”

Barricades and turrets appeared in front of the advancing armed trucks.

Their response was quick. But it didn’t matter. They had something prepared for just such a situation.

“Go! Bulldozer!”

A large construction vehicle, reminiscent of a square turtle, charged forward, spewing exhaust.

It was a siege bulldozer, painstakingly built by Osprey-nim and the technician team.

While the armed trucks fired missiles and machine guns to provide cover, the bulldozer demolished the defense line and cleared a path.

-Rumble!

As the bulldozer cleared a path, Hunter-nims rushed forward with swords. They intended to dismantle the bulldozer with sword energy.

“Tear it apart!”

However, the Violets riding on the bulldozer weren’t just for show. The machine gun muzzles rotated fiercely.

-Roar!

“Guh!”

While the Violets mowed down those who rushed at the bulldozer, the barricades were cleared, opening a path to the headquarters.

Several dump trucks lined up and plunged through the gap.

My heart pounded at the sight of their multi-ton mass, far larger than the armed trucks.

“Charge! Chaaarge!”

Despite the security guards’ attempts to stop them, the dump trucks charged directly into the headquarters building.

A colossal explosion, enough to tear eardrums, erupted.

Simultaneously, bombs installed on each floor detonated in succession. Some floors collapsed.

-Crash!

The blue glass adorning the building’s walls shattered and poured down like rain.

“This is working!”

“Really?”

The Violets, filled with anticipation, focused their gazes.

A short while later, the Magnabyss headquarters building, which had stood tall, completely collapsed.

“Success!”

While people screamed and fled, the Violets hopped and skipped, showered by smoke and debris.

They had succeeded in bringing down their headquarters.

“Don’t get complacent yet. There’s still more to do!”

They still had to kill the student council president and capture the chairman. There was still much work left.

“Time for a broadcast!”

“Violet, the big streaming star!”

**

Central District, 7:30 AM. Armed assailants stormed the LNN broadcasting station building, which had been busy reporting on the terror attacks.

“What is this sudden intrusion?”

“Occupation!”

The black-clad assailants who stormed into the control room threatened and bound the broadcasting station staff with guns.

One employee protested, trembling, but the Violets paid no mind and occupied the main control room.

As they cornered the staff, threatening them with guns and knives, Unit 998 dragged in a PD. The PD’s gaze fell upon a smartphone screen.

On it, several windows of an online streaming site were open, displaying “ .”

“In a little while, connect to this as we instruct. Don’t forget it’s a live broadcast. Understand? Hand over your cameras too!”

“…What is your objective?”

“Information dissemination!”

The Violet replied in a cheerful tone.

“Don’t you want to be a true journalist who delivers the truth?”

The broadcasting station staff stared at the Violets, bewildered.

The Violet chose to bluster instead of explain. There was no time.

“Girls! Preparation complete!”

“Alright, then I’ll start!”

One minute later, the streaming began.

-Instructor-nim! Please hold the camera straight!

-Alright…