episode_0357

The first report that an unidentified object had descended upon the entrances of Point B and Point C didn’t feel very threatening. Only the fact that it approached at an intercept-impossible speed caused a slight unease.

“Is that the hypersonic missile?”

“Looks like a dud! I’ll go check!”

A moment of carelessness brought about a catastrophe. Violets were swept away in the blink of an eye. The only entity to appear before the dumbfounded operatives was a single presence. Just one enemy, that was all.

An enemy wearing a relatively simple white protective suit approached us. Strangely, its clean silhouette and the way its face was completely hidden reminded one of a straitjacket from a mental hospital. It meant there was no way to guess what it was hiding inside.

“What is it! Was there such a monster in the Foundation?”

Absurdity soon morphed into astonishment, and astonishment into shock.

Bang bang bang! Bang!

“Aargh! It’s coming!”

The entrance guards were instantly wiped out. Though they were caught off guard, an entire company vanished without a trace. We escalated the enemy’s threat level by one stage. Soon, we felt the gravity of our situation. Its overwhelming combat power was a problem, but the direction of the red dot approaching at high speed on the tactical map was even more ominous.

“Emergency! Its target is! The terminal access room!”

I yelled towards the people accompanying me.

“Evacuate the Helios operatives immediately in the direction I guide! The enemy is approaching!”

“You said it was just one person? You can’t handle it?”

Seeing Irene’s surprised reaction, it seemed she sensed the seriousness of the situation. I decided to warn her more strongly.

“No! It’s absolutely impossible for Irene’s subordinates! They’ll definitely be annihilated!”

Compared to us individual Violets, the allied forces had superior individual combat power and specialized functions, so we couldn’t sacrifice them here. In a networked battlefield, moving independently was also more efficient, considering friendly fire and tactical aspects.

“…Is it that dangerous?”

As ominous explosions and screams were heard, Adela Unnie’s expression also grew serious.

“Evacuate the others immediately! I’ll buy time until the upload is complete! All other tasks are finished, right? Then the monkeys and mice will guide you along a safe path!”

Even as I shouted this, I felt the red dot approaching on the map. They’re coming. The enemies.

“Command, orders!”

Time stretched strangely in the tension. I organized the matters to consider: the update status of the central archives, the allied forces who had performed data collection and operations with us. My friends. And even the personnel who needed to be evacuated.

Fortunately, their path was a straight line. Other personnel wouldn’t be swept away, presumably.

“Draw their attention!”

Numerous options spread out on the table. Command ordered.

“Stop them with all your might!”

“Kill them!”

**

The Violets’ first strategy was overwhelming firepower projection. Long-range interception was impossible due to the nature of indoor combat, but it had its pros and cons, as the enemy’s space to evade bullets was also limited.

“Tactical immersion activated! Sensory amplification!”

Each Violet’s vision split into dozens of paths. Innumerable visual images unfolded like an insect’s compound eye, and network allocation was precisely distributed to each entity facing the enemy. For accurate shooting, the minute movements of arms and fingers were controlled down to decimal points. With all senses maximized, approaching footsteps were heard.

Clang!

Each step was heavy and threatening. According to information transmitted through the network by the vanguard who had already fallen, its speed was abnormally high even compared to other awakened individuals.

“But this, it won’t be able to avoid!”

All Violets around the corridor aimed their weapons. The Violets behind the walls peered beyond them. The muzzles of the Violets hidden behind the door also pointed in the same direction.

“To get to the terminal access room, it must pass through this corridor! Turn it into Swiss cheese!”

There was only one entry point: this corridor.

Thud!

“Now! Fire!”

As soon as the white figure rounded the corner and appeared, countless bullets struck that spot. Following them, slow but fatally penetrating crossbow bolts flew in. In a fleeting moment, the enemy witnessed the bullet curtain and took a stance, lowering its body as if a sprinter waiting for the starting signal. Then, it raised its head.

Boom!

The ceramic floor was deeply shattered and caved in. It charged through the bullet curtain as if dissecting it, like a lifeless white human projectile. The Violets couldn’t help but be horrified by the information captured by tactical immersion.

“The enemy is swatting away the bullets!”

The faint outline of the enemy captured in their vision. The collective consciousness was engulfed in shock. Despite all senses being maximized and thousands of Violets meticulously analyzing, this was all they could decipher. In the time slowed by adrenaline, it dodged what could be dodged. What needed to be blocked, it parried with its sword. Grenades cut through the air between bullets, and rockets streaked with white smoke. Shells and explosives rained down from the sides and above.

The opaque white helmet sharply scanned its surroundings. For a brief moment, it swept through the air, identifying threats. Instinct and training harmonized perfectly. The magic imbued in its sword explosively amplified.

In the instant an explosion occurred, a bright yellow barrier unfolded.

Boom!

“It blocked it!”

The enemy swordsman rotated its saber. It had deployed a sword-barrier, perfectly neutralizing the fatal explosion. The enemy, emerging through the smoke, was almost unscathed, save for some soot and fragmentation marks.

“It’s not ordinary!”

There were many awakened individuals who deflected bullets, and warriors who charged through bullet curtains, but no human dared to leap into a barrage of fire so boldly. The Violets relentlessly unfolded their next hand.

“Heavy weapons squad! Commence suppression fire! Concentrated barrage!”

Whirrr!

The collective consciousness of Command calculated the optimal response. While the machine guns and missile launchers from the front and sides poured out ferocious firepower, a gigantic steel giant, waiting behind the Violets, revealed its might. The low-recoil main cannon mounted on the walker’s right arm roared with an ear-splitting boom.

Boom!

The shell cut through the air. Rockets from its shoulders filled the corridor with smoke, and the rapid-fire ballista on its left arm unleashed a volley of bolts. Just before the shell made a direct hit, it was precisely split in half. The swordsman immediately re-leaped, at a speed even the collective consciousness couldn’t track.

A roar, cracking floor. And—

Sliiiice!

“Huh…?”

The pilot Violet belatedly realized that both the walker and its own body were being diagonally severed. Putting the shock aside, the Violet unhesitatingly pulled out another card.

“Self-destruct!”

Boom!

The moment the enemy leaped between the ranks, the Violets simultaneously activated their explosive vests.

“Remember me!”

Just before detonation, the enemy kicked away the Violet in front and then used the walker’s armor plate as a shield. The enemy, rolling on the floor, instantly stood up. As it raised its head, three armored knights plunged their greatswords directly in front of it.

The enemy raised its sword at an oblique angle. A textbook parry stance. The massive iron sword and the nimble saber collided head-on.

Clang!

The greatsword bounced into the air. The armored knight, caught in the surreal phenomenon, flinched and recoiled. The swordsman did not miss that fleeting opening. A clean riposte followed.

Guh!

The essence of saber combat, a perfect lunge. The outstretched right arm pierced through a gap in the armor. The leading Violet let out a death rattle and fell. Fresh blood flowed from the helmet’s gap.

Thwack!

Without a moment to breathe, once again, the swordsman used another armored knight as a spring-board and shot out into the opposite corridor. It pierced, dashed, and penetrated.

“It broke through the defensive line! Interception failed!”

“It’s coming! It’s coming!”

**

The situations unfolding at Point B and Point C, though different in method, yielded the same result. If the swordsman had neutralized the defense line with overwhelming close-quarters combat ability and skill, the archer pierced projectiles and cover with arrows that flew as if alive.

“Track! Focus! Calculate!”

Dozens of guided blades poured out simultaneously, filling the corridor. The archer suddenly slid backward across the floor as if collapsing. Immediately after, three arrows sliced through the air, deftly avoiding the magical swords by tracing different trajectories. As fireballs rained down, the archer, having set down the bow, drew a claymore and cut through the magic. It was a traditional stance, yet a lethal swordsmanship.

Sizzling!

A melting beam chased its shadow, cutting through the air.

The archer sharply kicked off the wall, spun perfectly, and dashed across the ceiling. Movement born of supernatural agility and reaction speed. It was as if someone could move through a downpour without getting a single drop of rain on them. A terrible paradox flashed through the Violets’ collective consciousness network. What appeared was the ancient fable of a hero racing a tortoise.

“It feels like it’s going to hit! But it won’t land!”

The hero chasing the tortoise runs endlessly. When he closes half the distance, the tortoise advances another half. The closer the hero gets, the more infinitely divided halves lie before him.

The collective consciousness wavered at the overwhelming sensation. At this rate, would they even be able to inflict damage?

“Here! Luminexa’s archer!”

The Violets instantaneously maximized the intensity of their tactical immersion. While one line vanished, a Violet wielding a blazing blade, following behind, swung its sword, creating a wave of flame. A sharp thrust flew towards the enemy emerging through the flames. A magic-imbued claymore and a rapier clashed. The sound of footsteps tapping on the floor vibrated in their ears.

Countless sword trajectories traced in a fleeting moment. Sword auras clashed, shining blindingly.

Slash!

Before the Violet, severed into four pieces, could scatter on the floor, the enemy was already charging towards the next defensive line.

Engulfed in urgent crisis, the collective consciousness desperately checked the tactical map.

“The enemy is right before us!”

The Violets keenly realized the reality that this archive hacking operation might fail. The data transfer was still not complete.

“It’s okay, Violet. This isn’t everything. Its goal was merely to destroy this terminal, so we used this opportunity to evacuate the people, didn’t we?”

“Ugh…”

Even in its gloomy mood, the Violet pulled itself together. The enemy’s objective didn’t seem to be to kill the prisoners. Thanks to that, helicopters and airships carrying evacuees were soaring into the sky amidst the chaos.

“Is the archive that important?”

As it listened to its comrade’s comfort, the Violet’s eyes shone fiercely.

“Alright, I’ll definitely kill you…!”

**

Thud!

A powerful kick shattered the shield line. Facing the black soldiers charging forward, regardless of death, the swordsman thought in its hazy consciousness.

These demons were truly incredibly tenacious. And even the atmosphere they exuded. The swordsman gritted its teeth slightly whenever it encountered them. Despite the numerous neurological and psychological suppression devices implanted by Laplaxia, the tiny remnants of emotion that lingered made it feel displeasure.

Splat!

Perhaps that was why. With a punch imbued with emotion, a Violet burst open as if exploding. It was the moment it attempted a suicide attack using the corpse of a fallen comrade as a shield. The shockwave following the punch scattered the surrounding Violets in all directions.

Immediately after breaking through the third shield formation, the swordsman finally reached the point where the terminal access room door was visible.

“It’s here!”

Once again, the enemy launched a frantic charge. Black soldiers poured out through numerous doors, all glowing with golden light. Immediately after thrusting its sword, the swordsman changed its stance, attempting to retreat. Because the enemy’s durability had sharply increased.

“It noticed! But it’s too late!”

Enemies it hadn’t managed to eliminate earlier also swarmed from behind. A 360-degree encirclement. At this rate, the operation would be hindered. The swordsman drew upon its magic. And then, it powerfully swept its sword horizontally through the air.

The collective consciousness witnessed the strange elongation of the magic gathered on the saber’s blade.

“Did it amplify its power? It seems to have discerned Irene’s unique ability!”

In the stretched time, the magic gathered on the sword bizarrely expanded. Its appearance was truly wondrous. Of a radiant color, twinkling distantly like starlight, yet possessing an eerie aura reminiscent of death.

Crescent-shaped magic explosively unleashed from the blade. A fatal blow swept through the Violets like a wave.

Slash!

A massacre occurred. Severed bodies rolled on the floor. Beyond the blood-stained corridor, the slash, still undiminished in power, pulverized the corridor’s door. As the shattered door fell away, the terminal being worked on appeared beyond it. The swordsman advanced towards mission completion.

Boom!

“Aargh! The machine! It’s only 80% done!”

“Calm down, the terminal itself is still safe!”

After speaking, Irene immediately confronted the swordsman charging through the door. The swordsman’s helmet turned. An enemy with a small stature but sturdy robustness. Amidst a subtle admiration that couldn’t be suppressed even by its brainwashed mind, the saber and the long spear clashed. This enemy, appearing like a girl, seemed to possess astonishing durability. While the plunging saber deflected off the shield, the aforementioned black soldiers reformed their ranks. A perfect phalanx formation.

“Push them!”

Boom!

With an overwhelming roar, the formation collapsed. Violets fell along the arc drawn by the saber. Irene, who had endured the decisive blow, thrust her spear, but the swordsman had already moved out of its trajectory and plunged in.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The saber mercilessly struck down on the shield enveloped in golden magic. Irene, who was thrusting her spear, staggered from the savage blow.

“Kugh…”

Beneath her mask, her golden eyes flickered. Her spear was severed, and her shield shattered. But the real problem was something else.

‘What is this impact…?’

Blood flowed from the deep wound that had dug into her left arm and shoulder.

“Gasp! It’s bleeding!”

“I’m fine! To the next stage!”

Without time to be flustered by the fact that she was injured, she drew a dagger and created distance. Furious Unit 521 and its squad charged forward, shouting once more.

“How dare you injure our comrade! Unforgivable! Die!”

The moment it cut down the clumsy charge once more, the swordsman belatedly detected the sound of flapping wings circling around it. A flock of crows surrounded it. Sensing unstable magic and scanning its surroundings, it realized that a swarm of rats emerging from among the corpses also surrounded it.

“Squeak squeak! Trap! Prepare!”

“Haha! You’re caught! Now!”

The rats and crows surrounding it on all sides glowed red and heated up. The V-Animal encirclement trap, saved for this very moment. The swordsman moved its saber, searching for a point where the bullet curtain was relatively thin. There was only one spot: the area devoid of rats.

Starlight burst forth as if exploding. The slash collided with the magic, causing an explosion.

Boom!

The swordsman, barely surviving, covered in soot and with its armor destroyed, staggered and took its stance. Watching Irene being helped out and escaping, the Violet smiled.

“Hey, swordsman!”

Just as expected. Seeing that it wasn’t pursuing the retreating allies, its goal seemed to be only that terminal.

“Why was there no magic specifically there, of all places?”

In the fleeting moment it tried to steady its wavering stance, the ground beneath its feet vibrated.

…!

Boom!

The ceiling collapsed and the floor exploded, as countless Violets poured out from between them. Endless grasping hands seized its limbs, giving no chance for counterattack. A swamp of humans engulfed it.

The swordsman’s explosive strength shook the Violets. It desperately tried to escape. Lightning struck down onto its flailing arms.

Crackle!

Lightning whips flew at the swordsman as if to burn it. The moment it struck the whips with its sword, a Violet finally took the sword with its body. The swordsman realized a fatal mistake. An enemy that wouldn’t let go of the saber even as it was torn apart. The weapon disappeared into the swamp of humans.

Having lost its weapon, the swordsman resisted with its bare hands.

“What is its identity! Its strength is too great!”

Gyah!

It shook off the Violets with superhuman strength. Each time, a new Violet clung on. The moment it struggled to escape the human swamp, finally, a Violet clung to its back.

“That spirit loyal to a rotten Foundation! I’ll correct it!”

The Violets’ hands gripped the opaque helmet. The collective consciousness initiated its last resort.

“Mental concentration! Initiate!”

The swordsman stiffened for a moment. The Violets’ magic began to penetrate deep into its consciousness.

The next moment, a thin groan escaped its throat. As cold chemicals sequentially penetrated its brain, the monster began to struggle again.

“What is it! The infiltration is blocked! What is this!”

The Violet lost its grip. It immediately tried again. When one fell off, another clung on. The barrier obstructing its consciousness, just a little more and it can be broken!

Crack!

The swordsman, who had been consistently unresponsive, suddenly roared.

“Aaaargh! Let go! You demons!”

“Th-this! It’s speaking!”

The monster resisted with all its might.

“…You filthy aliens! No matter what you do! I will not surrender!”

The swordsman screamed, fighting its way out of the human swamp. A strong will desperately resisted the enemy’s hostility that was eroding its consciousness with all its might.

Grasping hands continuously fell off and re-attached. The network attempting mental infiltration captured unexpected fragments of memory.

A desolate battlefield flickered in the Violet’s vision. An officer was shouting from above a barbed-wire-fenced trench.

“Lieutenant Colonel Valefor! Where are you! Enemies are everywhere! Fire support from the Mage Soldier Corps is urgent! Concentrated barrage at 3 o’clock! Major Adriana! Multiple large demons have appeared in front! I’ll give you two platoons of hunters, break through!”

The swordsman screamed in front of the corridor.

“You repulsive, arrogant Executor…! Even if you are an Apostle…! No matter what you do to my mind! …I will not yield!”

“What nonsense! Just a little more upload! Just a little more!”

“Major General Jemont! Where is the Arnor 1st Royal Guard Armored Division!? It’s time to deploy the knight corps and heavy tanks! We must retake the high ground!”

As the Violet fell off, the monster’s hand barely reached the dagger at its waist.

Whizzz!

“Aaaargh! It has a dagger!”

Immediately after escaping the swamp, the monster’s foot was caught. Violets climbed on again.

“It’s 90% now!”

The swordsman swung its arm with resolute will.

“…I will crumble, but I will not surrender!…Do not underestimate humans! Eidos!”

The magic-imbued dagger cut through the air. The trajectory’s destination was the disk inserted into the terminal.

Clink!

The black monitor displayed [Connection Failed]. The power of the Violet swamp instantly drained away.

“Oh…”

“Ah! No!”

The Violets let out a hollow sigh. Sensing it was freed from restraint, the swordsman weakly looked back.

“Apostles…your trickery, it won’t work again…”

The muttering swordsman’s body trembled. The voice from beyond the helmet, directed at the Violets, trembled slightly.

“…Who are you?”

“What? What are you talking about?”

As the bewildered Violet replied to the sudden question, the enemy continued.

“Who are you? Are you human? No, an Apostle? What exactly are you…?”

The mumbling voice stopped as if it were a lie. The swordsman returned to its original, emotionless demeanor.

The Violets also belatedly emerged from the strange afterimage of those memories.

“Damn it! What were those memories?”

“Let’s just kill it anyway!”

The moment they prepared for self-destruction, the swordsman hastily retreated back through the corridor it had come from.

“Huh? It’s running away!”

“We have to catch it!”

What stopped the pursuit was an emergency report that suddenly came in.

“Emergency! Multiple reinforcements approaching! Estimated to be Lestrade and Arcite! Immediate retreat recommended!”

The Violets checked the tactical map based on the flight squadron’s report. The enemy’s large-scale reinforcements had finally arrived. And then, an additional report followed.

“Point B is also breached!”

“Uwaaah! Is it time to withdraw!”

“The operation failed!”

The surviving Violets swiftly reverse-generated after recovering only the core equipment. They didn’t forget a final gift.

“Commence demolition!”

Two 5-ton bombs were dropped at each point. Immediately after Lestrade’s reinforcements arrived, they witnessed explosions that shook the earth.

“Failure here, of all places!”

Bearing a regrettable defeat, the Violets withdrew. It was after Luminexa’s core stronghold had been razed to the ground.