Chapter 149

The moment our Violet witnessed the explosion was just as we arrived at the safe zone.

“What’s that?”

190 pointed towards the giant cargo elevator. Several large trucks were careening towards the elevator.

The unmanned turrets near the elevator opened fire, and a number of guard hunters rushed in to take out the wheels of two trucks.

But it was too late.

There were multiple trucks, and they were too close.

Someone in one of the trucks leaned out the window and shouted.

“Help is coming!”

Right after that, a blinding flash lit up the scene, and a fierce storm surged forth.

“No way, what the hell happened?”

“Aaaah!”

People nearby flinched. Non-awakened ones were thrown to the ground in shock, while the awakened rushed to take action.

“It’s a bomb truck!”

“How did they use our skills!”

It’s a bit surprising. I didn’t think there would be anyone other than us using the Violets’ tricks!

And it felt disheartening. This was a copyright violation.

“They fled to the afterlife! We can’t sue them!”

“Those bastards!”

I surveyed the situation. The cargo elevators, which had been connecting hundreds of meters up in the air, had toppled over due to the earlier shock.

Understanding the situation, 190 internally screamed.

“Ugh! We’re trapped!”

The other team members looked grim, as if they realized the situation.

Everyone was at a loss for words with open mouths, except for Irene, who had one thing to say.

“…Well, we’re trapped again.”

I looked up. A white hole had appeared in the high ceiling, blocked by the structure.

According to the materials I had, there was no way to climb up there by hand.

The cliff on one side was made of indestructible rock, and it would be impossible to climb it by using ice picks and force.

“Should we fly up? If we’re lucky, we could bring in a hang glider.”

“It might be possible, but I don’t think we need to take that risk.”

There was no urgency. Any valuable cargo had already been smuggled outside through the inventory!

Watching the situation, I saw several pieces of equipment slowly being installed above us. According to what I heard, they were preparing an emergency elevator for situations like this.

“Ugh, it’s going to take time to bring the car up.”

They said it would take a day or two to restore things, so we’d have to wait.

Wait a minute, what about the students we rescued?

Just as we thought, the students were also trapped here. Fortunately, they weren’t injured. The problem was the current situation.

“The identity of those who committed the bombing is a religious group called the Unity Cult.”

The top officer of the Atlas Clan, in charge of managing the dungeon entrance, was explaining. This person, who introduced himself as the Chief, was currently briefing in front of people.

Inside a small meeting room within the forward base of the safe zone, several people were seated.

Notable figures from each clan, such as team leaders or heads, were mostly present. On one side sat Adela and a professor from the academy. She was the representative of Aegis Academy.

In this important place, Violet 12 and Irene were also present. The reason was simple, due to the scale. Moving with dozens of armed soldiers was quite impressive, perhaps.

“I might have brought too many people.”

“We can’t hide them all even with the recognition interference device.”

If you look at it positively, it means we’re regarded as important enough to be summoned to such a gathering; negatively, we may have drawn too much attention.

A stout man raised his hand and asked.

“Weren’t we already watching when they were interrogated? What’s important is the reason. Why did they do it?”

Interrogation refers to a somewhat destructive method of conversation involving physical means. The survivors who escaped from the truck that the hunters shattered had a bad time.

The Chief of the Atlas Clan sighed.

“Thank you for the good question. From what we’ve learned, they seem to be preparing some sort of ritual.”

“A ritual?”

When someone asked again, the Chief replied once more.

“Yes, they are merely low-level believers who don’t know much. It seems they planned to hold a ritual here using the rare relics they secured, as sacrifices for us!”

“What kind of relic?”

“This is it. What you are looking at is a photo secured from one of the believers’ phones.”

When a middle-aged woman asked, the Chief turned on the monitor in front of them. A peculiar square pillar of strange shape and color appeared.

A few people gasped or murmured upon seeing it. Our Violets were also surprised and whispered among themselves.

“Why is that here?”

“Ugh! We’re done for!”

“Indeed, some of you recognized it right away.”

As the Chief started speaking, the professor sitting next to Adela shook his head. His expression was deeply furrowed.

“There’s no way we’d not recognize it. That’s the Vision Prism, a mind manipulation relic.”

“Vision Prism? This is madness…”

“Why is that forbidden item here?”

A commotion broke out.

“Everyone, calm down! Let’s summarize the important facts. We are trapped here, and the cultists have secured that relic. And they are nearby. We must defend this place until the elevator is restored.”

While the Chief elaborated, I thought to myself. A Vision Prism, should I consider it fortunate that something I at least know has come up?

“We don’t have enough people. Will you help us?”

A plump hunter asked with a doubtful expression.

“Are you suggesting we stand guard instead? We have several injured in our team from the earlier collapse…”

“That’s not the case! All you need to do is stay alert! If you see anything suspicious resembling a relic, contact us immediately!”

The academy professor stated.

“Let’s not forget that any mind manipulation relic must be destroyed on-site after retrieval. We can’t treat it carelessly!”

Everyone nodded seriously at the professor’s warning.

“By the way, the Federal Army is nearby. What about asking for their help?”

When someone suggested, the middle-aged woman’s eyes narrowed skeptically.

“The Federals? Do you trust those guys?”

“What can we do? Under these circumstances, they’re likely to cooperate.”

As the Chief of the Atlas Clan explained, everyone seemed to somewhat accept it.

After the explanation, as people began to disperse, I also went outside with my friend.

“This is bad, how did the Vision Prism end up with those cultists…”

“Right? Of all times, it had to be when we were in the dungeon.”

Irene said, looking worried. I nodded in agreement. After all, a Vision Prism was more dangerous than a nuclear bomb.

In this world, where the country and laws are basically non-existent, powerful clans can do anything without worrying about others’ opinions. However, even the hunters and clans that indulge in drugs and pleasure won’t touch one thing—mind manipulation.

Relics or devices capable of mind manipulation are strictly controlled by both the clan and the Federal Army.

Perhaps because of that, the recognition interference devices like the one I’m wearing are undergoing rigorous quarantines and regulations.

Us common Violets aren’t even close to being able to approach such things. That’s why we imported it through Leslie, the manager of the labor agency.

If human-made magical items are this restricted, relics like Vision Prisms with large-scale mind-altering abilities are even more so.

The level of regulation rivals that of uranium or plutonium in reality.

“This is troublesome. What in the world happened?”

Well, the task was simple. If you see anything suspicious resembling a relic, report it without fail!

In addition, those who bring them in must be intercepted. They are most definitely in league with the cultists.

“Won’t the Federal guys take them all down?”

“That might be the case!”

As I pondered various thoughts, I heard faint gunfire coming from the dark corridor ahead.

Just as Violet thought, the armed followers of the Unity Cult carrying the relic were fiercely confronted by the Federal Army’s search team.

“Ugh!”

“Ah! It’s the Federals!”

The followers fired their antiquated automatic rifles and hurled grenades in resistance. The awakened believers charged with swords or launched small magical attacks from behind the walls.

The eyes of the followers were ablaze with determination.

“Do not obstruct the path to salvation!”

But their burning faith flickered in the face of even greater firepower.

-Ping!

A rifle bullet struck the chest armor of a Federal soldier. The old bullet crumpled and lost power. What the soldier felt was just a dull shock.

The exoskeleton on his arm whined to life, and the electromagnetic rifle that had finished aiming unleashed electric sparks.

The tungsten projectile, propelled at high speed, obliterated the heads and shoulders of the zealots.

“Ugh!”

Soldiers without bulletproof gear or sufficient Ether protection were shredded by the electromagnetic rifle’s fire.

“Ugh! My arm!…”

A believer who was calling out in despair about his severed arm instantly transformed into a cloud of blood. The electric machine gun of the armored vehicle left no corpses behind.

A smart grenade sailed through the air. A member of the Unity Cult who was preparing fire magic behind a truck was splattered with debris that exploded above him and became a tattered mess.

Small rockets, intercept lasers from the armored vehicle, the epitome of cutting-edge technology, ground down the enemies one by one.

The awakened believers injected syringes filled with Black Ice into their thighs, charging forward in fury.

“Die!”

-Zzzt!

Immediately, soldiers wielding Ether emitters advanced. The awakened who couldn’t withstand the magic wave poured onto them burned up and collapsed.

“Sa-save me…”

The last person, gasping for breath and begging for his life, had his head blown off. The zealots from the 60th mobile unit were annihilated. There were no survivors.

“We’ve secured the target. The relic is safe.”

As the commander communicated via radio, soldiers began to pull down the Vision Prism that had been transported in the burning truck.

The relic was as heavy as it was large, making it a struggle for even four adults wearing reinforced exoskeletons to carry it.

-Go… wait. The main unit is currently approaching that…! Estimated arrival in … minutes!

The words of Major Marius crackled through the laser communicator. The search team’s soldiers remained thoroughly vigilant.

“Hmm?”

While waiting for the main unit, a soldier on guard had a strange feeling. There should be no one around here. It felt familiar.

In the dark corridor, something fluttered beyond the building. Looking through his multi-pattern vision gear, he saw nothing.

“Hey, Sergeant! Do you see…?”

A crackling sound was heard. The soldier couldn’t finish his sentence. The last thing he saw was a white shimmering blade hovering over his chest.

“Ga, gag…”

As the soldier started to collapse from being stabbed, the hiding Vanguard agents revealed themselves one by one.

“It’s an ambush!”

The neck of the screaming commander was severed.

“A-monster!”

Seeing their commander die, the soldiers instinctively pulled their triggers. Their aiming was quick and accurate.

Heavy metal bullets, accelerated by electromagnetic force, struck the forcefield. The bullets that failed to perform their role lost their momentum and fell to the ground.

“What the hell…”

Before they could even register their confusion, the soldiers’ bodies were torn apart and ignited by the magical beams. The armored vehicle rushed to turn its turret, but the strike of lightning, like divine punishment, split it in two.

“Eat this!”

In despair, an awakened soldier activated his exoskeleton to maximum output and charged forward. He thrust his blade embedded with sword energy.

Moments later, a force akin to a hydraulic press gripped the sword away.

Before the soldier could comprehend what had just happened, the Vanguard agent holding the blade crushed the soldier’s head like a tomato.

“The Federals sure are easy. Isn’t that right?”

As the Vanguard commander shrugged, the concealment fell away from Lera and the team members from the Mystic Investigation Department.

“We don’t have much time until we meet the Federal Army. Move it.”

With Lera’s gesture, the team members loaded the relic onto the vehicle they had brought. As the mercenaries burned the corpses, the relic, made lighter by gravity-reducing magic, was loaded onto the truck.

“Ugh, this is the Federal Army, what the hell… Ugh!”

“Hey, rookie! Are you not moving properly? Do you think this is just a relic?”

While securing the relic, the female staff member nearly dropped it while retching at the sight of the corpses. Lera clicked her tongue inwardly at that.

“I didn’t think I’d have to send someone with such a resistance to murder here for their first time. With what happened with the gear recovery, I won’t let her handle any work again,” she thought.

After the members of Magnavis collected the relic and left, only the burnt corpses and vehicles remained.

The late-arriving Major Marius stomped his feet in anger.

“Which bastard did this! Uaaaah!”