Chapter 246

“Hey, stupid! Do you want to die? Follow me!”

A hunter roughly grabbed the male student and pulled him to cover.

Thanks to the sacrifice of the two, everyone quickly managed to take cover from the falling sniper fire.

Violet found the troublesome sniper.

“Ugh! We could have been friends, but you killed him!”

“It’s revenge for Vesperia!”

As the line came to a halt due to the sniper shots, the scattered other Violets ran between the ruined buildings.

“Go on! Shoot me! Shoot me!”

Bullets flew at the charging Violet, who taunted them.

The Violets from the command center pinpointed the sniper’s location based on sensations and records from the moment of death.

-Crack!

“Aaargh! It came from the right!”

“More to the left! Ow!”

Just after the Twelfth Clone died, the other Violets took out a large sniper rifle, a crossbow, and combat rifles, unleashing merciless gunfire at the predicted location.

“There!”

In the scope of the sniper Violet, a ghoul wielding a large sniper rifle that fused with its arm appeared.

“Die, sniper!”

-Boom!

While the hunters flinched at the noise from the roof, the ghoul was shot and died.

“I got it!”

The thrill of taking out the enemy was short-lived, and Violet grew a bit depressed.

“A Vesperia kid died…”

“I gave them delicious gum!”

Violet felt once more that she and the others were different.

“Still, we need to get to the barrier quickly. Others are going to die.”

“Let’s find our friends too! Levi and Older Sister Sophie El might be in danger!”

The Violets, who had planned to wait leisurely for the rescue team, changed their minds.

It seemed wise to exert themselves a bit.

Before long, the Violets reached the boundary of the barrier before the hunters who had set out for exploration.

“How about we experiment a bit?”

First, the Violets attempted to escape. Naturally, the barrier refused their exit.

“What about something else?”

Violet tried to create a clone outside of the barrier. The magical power that flowed out was immediately blocked by the barrier.

“Oh, it won’t work.”

It seemed this barrier blocked the flow of magical power.

After that, they tried stabbing with a sword, shooting magic, and firing guns, but none of it worked.

“Hmm, what could be the principle…?”

As Violet sat inside a nearby building contemplating, an exploration drone appeared beyond the translucent barrier.

The drone stopped right in front of the barrier and spun its camera several times to observe the surroundings.

-Whee!

Then it entered the barrier without hesitation.

Surprisingly, the barrier did not stop the drone from going in.

“What? Going out is impossible, but…?”

Due to the influence of the barrier, the connection was severed, but the drone entered without issue.

Soon after, drones of various sizes kept approaching, and later, the Mech Hounds began to enter one by one.

“Bark! Bark!”

Seeing the robot dogs patrolling the area made the Violets realize that there were indeed some principles to the barrier.

“Looks like going inside is possible.”

“Oh? Then the rescue team will be here soon.”

Just after finishing that thought, a tremendous weight was felt approaching through the hazy barrier.

A unique sense of oppression was felt even beyond the translucent silhouette. The sight of countless armored vehicles and airships rushing in captured the attention of the Violets.

“That’s the Restraid! Those tin cans!”

“There’s the Federal Army too!”

The unexpected appearance of reinforcements shocked the Violets.

They didn’t seem to be planning to enter right away, but preparations were evident.

“Those tin cans must think they’re coming to save people!”

Seeing that, Violet felt a little relieved.

They were bad guys, but surely they would save the others somehow.

“Let’s just save our lost friends and sister!”

As the decision was made, a singular Violet multiplied into dozens of Violets.

-Swish!

With the rescue mission in mind, the Violets scattered across the Asteria region.

*

At that moment, a hulking man with a sleek head entered the temporary command post set up outside the barrier, flanked by guards.

“Hey, Special Operations Commander. Is it true that Code Omega has been detected near the convention center?”

Cordo asked bluntly. The man with the rank of brigadier general answered, smiling obsequiously.

“Haha, that’s correct, Commander. The last report on that mutated monster came in just an hour ago.”

Cordo, treating it like his own living room, took a brief pause before speaking to the brigadier general.

“As previously discussed, the 44th Special Task Force is clearly set to assist us primarily in protecting and rescuing the scattered civilians inside.”

“Does that mean only Your Excellency and the knights are going into combat? Are you sure that’s alright?”

Upon the brigadier general’s question, who was nervously rubbing his hands, Cordo glared, as if to ask if he didn’t understand.

“I thought we had already concluded this.”

“Haha, it’s not that. I’m just curious. Code Omega falls under the mutated monster classification, right? It’s quite dangerous, so I was wondering if… assistance might be necessary. Of course, the knights will handle it simply, but it might take some effort.”

Cordo sneered and stood up, speaking briefly.

“Don’t worry about that. The Steel Guard will be participating in this operation.”

Hearing that the elite troops of Restraid would be participating, the brigadier general couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

“Steel Guard! I see. Then there shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Oh, by the way, I almost forgot. It seems a few more measures will be necessary.”

“What do you mean…?”

At Cordo’s ensuing words, astonishment filled the general’s face, the earlier obsequious demeanor evaporating.

“Your Excellency, tactical nuclear artillery support? And the distribution of stabilizers? What’s that about…?”

“The 44th Special Task Force has tactical nuclear launchers deployed for this operation. There might be a time when we’ll need to use them. And as for stabilizers, be sure to encourage them to take it if necessary as per instructions. There should be guidelines regarding Code Omega.”

The special operations commander muttered with a sullen expression.

“…Yes. There are. There are. But this was just the operation to deal with the mutated monsters, wasn’t it? What exactly are we up against…?”

“Yes, just mutated monsters. Don’t ask more. Once again, I’ll say that it won’t be necessary for you to be involved. If you want to know more, you can inquire with your superiors.”

Under Cordo’s pressure, the general fell silent.

After finishing the simple tea service, Cordo came outside, muttering.

“Stupid federal fools, I knew they were morons, but seeing them babble trash is astonishing. No matter how much they hide information, a ‘mutation,’ seriously?”

The federal idiots are far too terrified.

The apostles from the other world that had slowly started to appear since a century ago after the Great War were a public secret among those who could get close to the truth.

“Well, I can’t say I don’t understand. If the truth about those things and those behind them leaks out, the commoners won’t be able to handle the resulting chaos.”

Most of the world’s highest echelons, including him, knew. What kind of being was a monster witnessed by the pinnacle mage at the very end of the war, and what kind of calamity it represents.

Yet Cordo was confident.

“What kind of monster can they even be? Just monsters, easy enough to hunt!”

At first, it was a duty to eliminate a dangerous enemy invading his territory.

How much he had troubled religious organizations and so-called secret societies over the past few months.

However, on the other hand, pride swelled within him. Just how great was the monster that his great-grandfather had spoken of?

What kind of being made that grand mage flinch every time he brought it up?

The monster’s head would make a splendid trophy for a tale dedicated to the heirs of the royal family.

Its corpse would serve as excellent fertilizer to fulfill his great aspirations.

“Commander of the Guard, is everything ready?”

At the commander’s words, the Ostro commander pointed to a massive trailer bound with equipment, grinning proudly.

“The check is complete. There are no issues, Commander!”

Lying on the trailer was the Steel Giant.

As the waterproof cover was pulled back, a gigantic armored suit, incomparable in size to existing knights, revealed its presence.

“It’s a scaled-down version of the Goliath plan. Even an apostle from the other world wouldn’t stand a chance if they match the records’ classification. We can easily bring it down.”

While it was only a one-fifteenth scale experimental device compared to the original, its power was overwhelming.

Not only that, he had devised several contingency plans with advice from the pinnacle great mage and the Vanguard of Magnavis.

‘My great-grandfather hunted them. We will do the same.’

Based on Violet’s prediction of the scene outside the barrier, only about half was correct.

They had come to hunt. Like the knights from old tales capturing dragons, they stood here with weapons, steeds, and military might.

“What’s Sebastian doing? He’s not complaining, is he?”

Currently, his immediate successor was in a position of doing menial tasks after being stripped of his armored suit.

He would surely still be doing chores for other knights even now.

“It’s quieter than expected. I had prepared to give him a severe scolding per your instructions, but he seemed too well-behaved.”

“Hmph, seems Violet taught that kid a lesson.”

A man that would get schooled by a girl, how pathetic.

Cordo was once again reassured that his choice to disinherit him had been correct.

And it didn’t matter. There were plenty of other children to become heirs.

“What about the others? They should be preparing well, right?”

“Of course. Competition has already gotten fierce.”

His other three children had come to assist their father’s hunt.

“Tell them. This isn’t just a hunt for honor or a war for dealing with enemies. This is not an easy prey, and its body itself is an incredible relic.”

If it was a monster powerful enough to make a mage tremble, the research value was anticipated as high.

After chatting for a while, Cordo felt thirsty.

“Commander of the Guard, do you have anything to drink? I’m feeling rather parched.”

“Apologies, but I don’t have anything right now…”

While contemplating how to quench his lord’s thirst, the commander of the guard noticed a passing officer.

He gestured to the officer.

“Hey, Major! Yeah, you! Come here for a sec.”

The major approached with a perplexed expression, and the commander of the guard ordered him.

“Hey, major. Go get us something to drink over there. Quickly!”

“…Yes, understood.”

The officer left quietly to fetch something to drink at the commander’s order.

Major Klein adeptly concealed his irritation and completed the task.

“Here you go.”

“Good, now scram.”

With a casual wave, the commander of the guard shooed him away like a fly.

As Major Klein left, he muttered to himself.

“Damn it, what’s the Ariel Group doing letting guys like that go free?”

After being tormented by the armored knights for months, the stress felt by him and his subordinates had long since hit the ceiling.

“I wish I could awaken with a power-up like in the cartoons…”

As he felt a sense of futility while leaving for the command post, the barrier shimmered. The translucent veil maintained its calm presence.