episode_0363

‘Wow! It’s so big! This is amazing!’

But the joy of their first-ever infinite walk was short-lived, as the puppies’ eyes gradually began to dim. This space, without a horizon or an end, was too empty, filled only with desolation.

‘Where is it? Where is it?’

‘There’s no one! And no treats either!’

With their tails drooping, the puppies’ steps grew heavy. A walk without an owner to run with, offer treats, and gently stroke them had no meaning. Now, having lost their purpose, they merely trudged along.

Then, one puppy suddenly sniffed around and barked, looking somewhere.

‘Found them! It’s a person! They’re sleeping over there!’

‘Where? Where are they?’

‘Look over there! That’s the one who’ll be our new owner!’

At the edge of the boundary where consciousness met consciousness, a girl lay peacefully asleep. The puppies’ eyes sparkled, and their tiny paws all rushed towards her. Up close, she appeared to be both a girl and a mature woman at the same time. Though questions arose, the fluffy yellow creatures, fond of human warmth, instinctively rushed forward.

“Pant pant!”

‘Play with me! Play with me!’

With the puppies’ passionate licking and clinging affections, the girl finally opened her eyes. Opening her eyes amidst deep fatigue and pressure, Violet witnessed the puppies licking and rubbing their noses against her, their bright eyes looking at her.

“…What day is it? Damn it. This place is…”

“Woof!”

‘Play with me! Hug me!’

The witch Violet retorted sharply, her voice laced with annoyance.

“…What has that fake brought in again? Get out of here right now!”

Instantly, the puppies were pushed away by an unseen force, falling back.

“Whimper!”

The witch immediately gritted her teeth against the surging pressure of the network. Without time to ponder when all of this had grown so vast, she had to fall back into a deep slumber.

Only the wounded puppies remained. The young animals, having been coldly pushed away, turned their backs with sad eyes.

‘She’s a bad person…’

‘That’s too much!’

**

Nowarak-32F. It was one of the dungeons originating from another dimension, not Trist. Looking up, ancient fern plants sprawled densely overhead, and strange, magic-twisted creatures roamed everywhere. Among them, the most peculiar thing was…

“Screech!”

No, let me correct that. Not peculiar, but perfectly dinosaurs. There were many beasts resembling dinosaurs, like the Kranos, but these were real dinosaurs.

“Hyaaak! It’s a raptor!”

Wandering this jungle, we frequently encountered hordes of beasts that resembled dinosaurs… no, that were just dinosaurs. They were theropods, a little larger than humans, but there was a reason they received a mid-level or higher danger rating. It was because of their intelligence.

If this were back in my rookie hunter days, I might have already been bitten to death. But we, the Slaughtering Violets, who seek Buddha’s enlightenment through slaughter, are a cut above these beasts. High intelligence means high combat power. We just need to exploit that for slaughter.

“Come at me!”

“Kreeegh!”

A wide swing, Polaris Swordsmanship. The two-handed sword drew a long arc.

-Slice!

They were hostile to humans, but thanks to their high intelligence, they seemed to understand the fear of death well. Even the beast’s distant relatives who fled with their tails tucked were diligently given a ticket to heaven.

「Next time, be born as a human!」

One of the Foundation’s outposts was hidden, using this beast horde as a shield. A place with no access terminal, deep within the dungeon, making outside communication impossible. Its scale was also rather small.

The reason we came to such a place was simple.

「They’re conducting their secret weapon project here!」

As we raided their airships one after another and investigated their navigation systems and records, we found more minor outposts, contrary to our original goal of finding a mobile aerial base. This was one of them. Though small in scale, it was said to be a quite important location according to records. We didn’t know what was there, but we figured we’d smash it first and see.

-Rat-a-tat-tat!

As soon as we passed the habitat of the beasts, sharp beams of light shot out from between the bushes. They were the Foundation’s defensive turrets, gleaming with cold metallic light.

「All personnel, prone!」

「Deploy shields! Magic reinforcement!」

The Violet company, advancing in single file, quickly dispersed. We swiftly approached, staying low and using the terrain for cover. Mortar shells rained down overhead. The sound of shrapnel hitting the shields was like hail. Thanks to the magic-reinforced shields, fatal injuries were avoided, but our advance speed significantly slowed.

「Just as expected! A predictable development!」

With a ground-shaking tremor, a massive shadow appeared. They were the Foundation’s armored walking weapons. Metal legs, emitting the characteristic mechanical sound of hydraulic cylinders, blocked our path.

「Heavy Weapons Squad! Ready?」

「Target locked!」

Immediate responses came back over our comms. Crimson flashes cut through the air. It was a laser cannon from a multi-legged tank destroyed in a previous raid, temporarily modified. Our new weapon roared at the enemy.

-Whoosh! Boom!

Intense beams of light pierced through the armored walking weapons. Armor instantly melted, enemy machines exploded in a chain reaction. Mechanical debris scattered everywhere.

「Battery pack replacement! Continue suppressing fire!」

The Heavy Weapons Squad skillfully replaced the chemical laser’s battery pack and resumed firing. We advanced, using their suppressive fire as cover. However, soon a sturdy blue-tinged shield blocked our path. If we just breach this, it’s the enemy’s stronghold.

「Contact the rear! Now!」

The moment we swiftly dispersed.

-Boom!

A huge mushroom cloud rose from the enemy stronghold’s location. It was Enrica’s support fire. With a powerful magical strike, the shield shattered like glass.

「Charge! Break through!」

As we plunged through the broken shield, enemy proxies poured out like a flood. Gateways appeared in the spot where we instantly cut them down. More enemy forces appeared ceaselessly.

「Is this a deadlock zone?! Looks like there was a route we didn’t know about!」

But the enemy’s resistance ended there. While the 3rd Company cleverly stalled for time, three support companies from the rear surged in from the flank.

-Thump!

It was as expected. The enemies, preoccupied with close-quarters combat against us, were annihilated with their flanks exposed to the Violet reinforcements. The Foundation’s guys were crushed like squashed tomatoes.

「Victory is ours!」

While the remaining enemies fled through the gateways they came from, we leisurely occupied the stronghold.

「No personnel! Did they retreat? Was that last battle a diversion?」

While searching the facility, a Violet shouted from underground.

「Look here! There’s something unusual!」

What was found in the underground hangar was an object of bizarre shape. At first glance, it resembled a moth. Its fuselage traced soft curves, as if it were a living organism. And an alien material that earthly technology seemed utterly incapable of creating. Membranes too thin to be called wings extended from both sides.

「What is that?」

Deep inside the hangar, it lay half-disassembled, surrounded by various research equipment. Its surface was etched with unknown patterns, so bizarre they made one dizzy just by looking at them.

「Is it an artifact!」

「It looks like an airplane. Someone could probably ride in the middle.」

We examined it with curious eyes. The strange patterns on its surface became more mysterious the more we looked at them. They even gave the illusion of being alive.

Just then. With a sharp sound cutting through the air, a shuriken flew in.

-Whoosh!

「Enemy!」

Before we could even deploy our shields, a second attack followed. We couldn’t tell where the attack was coming from.

「All personnel, magic sense! Locate the enemy!」

**

What Violet faced were assassins. Assassins, with full cloaking devices activated, infiltrated the hangar. The cloaking devices covering their bodies perfectly distorted even traces of magic, hiding their forms. Moving silently along the pipes entwined like spiderwebs on the ceiling, they approached their target.

-Destroy the Foundation’s artifact. It must not fall into enemy hands.

The assassins’ movements were as fluid as water. Their movements, honed by years of training, were lighter than shadows. When the first attack failed, they immediately changed positions and attempted an attack from a new angle. Gray eyes, filled with killing intent, gleamed in the darkness. Taking advantage of the Violets’ confusion, the full-scale assault was about to begin.

-Boom!

“Kyaaah!”

Another shuriken flew in from an unseen location. Violet cried out in alarm.

“Hyaaah! It’s a ninja!”

**

“First test – starting.”

In the control room of Raphlaaxia, the lead researcher spoke into a microphone. The container holding the control device and brain tissue slowly glowed in a special solution.

“Magic reaction beginning. Detecting residual aetheric wavelengths of Ariel Group…”

Complex data streamed across the monitors. Brain tissue collected from test subjects began to react subtly. A subtle trembling was observed in the solution, as if searching for something.

“There’s a reaction… We’ve detected a clear signal!”

Joy flickered across the researchers’ faces. It was a success at last. The possibility of tracking Ariel Group’s magic network had opened up. It was still in the research phase. But there was a possibility.

“The board has approved. Once the first orbital test is complete, we will immediately begin preparations for mass deployment.”

The Foundation soon requested cooperation. While they had the technological advantage, it was time to seek support from allies skilled in surveillance and information.

Thus, Arcyt’s single-stage orbiter soared through the sky. Inside it was a small satellite. The first prototype, which might become a new eye to silently monitor Trist without anyone knowing, headed beyond the atmosphere.