Chapter 176: A New Order (1)
“Hello everyone. You can hear me, right? The translator is operational.”
“No problems here.”
When we boarded this spaceship, we were welcomed not by soldiers, but by officials of the Alliance dressed in formal suits, not military uniforms.
“I am Christian, a councilman from the Ares body of the project.”
He briefly introduced himself as a councilman, checked his translator with an aide, and stood before us again.
“I’m sure you’re all aware of the schedule, but… um, it has changed slightly. We were originally going to head straight to the development site, but things have unfolded better than expected.”
He spoke about the schedule, which aligned with what Eve and I had anticipated. Despite Eve’s cessation of the invasion toward the development site, was there truly a reason to push forward with the hastily arranged schedule?
“So what do we do? I’ve heard that the so-called development site is in a rather dangerous situation.”
“Exactly. Instead, we’re heading somewhere else. Paul, explain.”
At someone’s question, he clapped his hands, nodded, and passed the explanation to the aide next to him.
The aide, seeming familiar with the task, utilized the device on his wrist to project images into the air.
“Am I seeing this wrong? Why is there a troll over there?”
“That’s not a troll. It’s just… a giant, perhaps?”
A stir spread among the hunters. The monsters fighting against what was presumed to be the Alliance’s armored division and infantry resembled purple-skinned beasts akin to the trolls of the demonic realm.
“That’s right. They are very wicked monsters.”
Christian chimed in to the murmurs. It shouldn’t have been a surprise by this point. With the dimensional walls torn down due to the game that spread across the universe, the appearance of extraterrestrial races was always a possibility.
Eve and I focused on another aspect: why the Alliance was fighting those creatures and why they were showing this to us.
“There’s a heartbreaking story there. We decided to assist them in liberating that place, standing against the wicked evil.”
“Now, please take a look at this.”
Following Christian’s somewhat exaggerated display of personality, his aide showed new material.
The name of that planet, as called by the locals, was Lakum. Recently discovered by the Alliance, it had approached the locals in a friendly manner, just as they had on Earth. However, one of the two factions divided among them was strongly resistant, rejecting the Alliance and massacring the opposition.
“Thus, we are waging battles to defend justice and freedom in response to the requests for assistance from the weaker factions seeking survival.”
‘Freedom? Justice?’
Eve snorted at the aide continuing his steady speech. Unlike Eve, while I didn’t outwardly express my skepticism, I felt the same way.
Other people, perhaps unaware of the truth behind the Alliance and the ongoing events beyond the galaxy, might not know, but both Eve and I were aware of what the Alliance was intending to do.
Their opposing force, the Rebel Alliance, was retreating while forming a new Multidimensional Alliance, gaining power compared to the previous times, and now they couldn’t afford to lose either.
However, the Alliance had a critically detrimental factor that the Multidimensional Alliance did not have. Namely, the absence of a life-threatening, monstrous force that could forcefully unify various factions that couldn’t communicate.
‘Is this their strategy to fill that gap? Divide and conquer? Humans…’
Eve openly mocked them. While it was a somewhat cringeworthy expression, I couldn’t refute her. Perhaps it was a characteristic of species.
“So, are we being told to go there and fight those… giants?”
“They are not mere giants, nor just living beings. The powers they possess are unique and strong enough to overcome a military’s firepower, which is why we believe your experience in such situations will be a great help.”
Christian acknowledged it openly. After all, the reason they brought us in as mercenaries had been clear from prior engagements, so there was little resistance.
“We can provide all necessary support and materials. Rest well; we’ll soon arrive at our base, where we can discuss everything in detail.”
And they did not push us straight into battle. Given a bit of free time, we scattered to our assigned quarters within the spaceship.
‘Their shallow schemes are all too apparent. And perhaps I might be able to use them.’
‘Use them?’
‘Those arrogant fools; the Alliance clearly sees me as a just sudden obstacle.’
To avoid any suspicion, we stood by a window showing space and communicated through our collective consciousness.
‘Weren’t they supposed to make the entire universe focus on you?’
‘…I chose to see reality. After all, even if we exhaust each other fighting to the end, I will win. So if they want to stall for time like this, I need to consider other methods.’
Eve grumbled, yet recognized that her past decisions had been misguided. Forcing herself to agree, she had significantly progressed compared to when she was filled with anger and hatred.
‘What are you planning to do?’
‘Though many things have happened, I’m still growing well.’
‘…Since the moment I became a hive mind, you’ve started to become strange as well.’
As I pat her head in a proud way, her eyes widened in surprise, and she flinched at my touch. Despite finding it strange, she didn’t reject the gesture. I reaffirmed that my influence still clearly existed in her heart.
‘It’s not that I’ve become strange; I’ve also grown. I couldn’t continue to be powerless and without presence forever. Just like you, I struggled to survive.’
From the moment I had become an imperfect hive mind, I had firmly set my path. Even now, I keep running.
My consciousness is here, but those who share my intent are still vigorously active in other realms.
My sister, my sister’s friends, their units… those are now secondary issues. We are a legion, many yet one. And we exist for a single purpose.
That purpose is my purpose. I, who was once an ambiguous commoner, neither a villain nor a hero, have always struggled and now, for the first time, I desire more.
I will have both. Eve and this world.
‘So, what’s the newly devised plan for the current situation?’
‘It’s simple. For the time being, we need to keep exhausting the Alliance’s forces with continuous battles. Once they see that, do you think the Alliance will remain still? From what I see, the Alliance seems to have exceeded its limit, doesn’t it?’
‘…They will definitely not remain still.’
I agreed with Eve’s plan.
Currently, the Alliance, or rather Ares, a faction within the Alliance, has turned on the ignition of a runaway train, accelerating forward.
Though I don’t know their true purpose, they think they’ve found a clue and are seeking power now.
When they gather sufficient strength, will they just sit back with it? A hollow laugh escaped me. Here, too, in this universe, humanity is again suffering from internal strife!
‘But what will happen if the Alliance, having fortified itself with power, sweeps away even us weakened ones?’
‘That’s something we must prepare for in advance. We’ll devour new planets, produce more troops, and create useful… subminds.’
Eve looked at me with a smile, as if she had already calculated everything.
And it was then that the automatic door of the room we were in opened with a whir.
“Ah… I’m sorry! I definitely sensed… I didn’t know you were together…”
Turning to confirm, the visitor was Chae Yeon. I was startled and hastily tried to catch her as she sought to leave, but Eve firmly pulled my arm.
“Come back later. For now, it’s just the two of us here.”
With that, she smiled widely. In that moment of shock, I was unable to stop her as she hastily exited.
‘Why so cautious? Chae Yeon is just…’
‘That girl is mine.’
‘…What?’
‘Seeing your reaction, it seems you’re coveting her too, but I can give you everything else, but not her. I’d rather have her than let you have her.’
Eve looked up at me, smiling sweetly. She was definitely serious.
*
“Is everyone doing well? We’re approaching the station soon.”
“Everything is ordinary. Information regarding interpersonal relationships and basic tendencies aligns with the materials provided prior.”
The spaceship had completed its warp to a point far from the planet, adhering to safety protocols, and was now getting closer to the planet.
Councilman Christian, who had guided the hunters, did not rest in the command center while everyone else took a break.
“Identify those with a high possibility of complete deflection through acquisition. Preferably those with remarkable skills.”
What he meant was the surveillance of the hunters. Cameras were eavesdropping on their voices to uncover their every move.
“We found some peculiar ones. They were mentioned in the materials provided for attention.”
“…A couple, huh?”
“They remained next to each other for approximately 49 minutes without saying a single word.”
The aide, Paul, presented the unusual data, showing the two individuals standing by the window. As mentioned, the two of them only occasionally made eye contact or had physical contact, remaining silent until outsiders would arrive.
“I don’t care as long as they have the strength. And if they’re in a romantic relationship, all the better. It will be easier to handle them by utilizing each other. Keep watching them closely.”
Christian looked at them casually, making a note to pay particular attention in the future.
