Chapter 123

The underground space of the Under Castle.

The space filled with endless corridors and countless stairs evokes the image of a labyrinth or maze from a fairytale.

After descending for quite some time, the surrounding air grew damp and clammy, and an icy sensation began to prick the body.

“Haha, the atmosphere is a bit off, isn’t it?”

“Indeed, it’s quite eerie.”

“That’s because this place is located at the lowest level of the fortress, and for security reasons, there are also deliberate efforts to make the facilities look outdated.”

The lieutenant said this while manipulating the terminal device.

“If we let them eat well and live comfortably in a place meant for punishment, there will be problems, won’t there?”

“That’s also true.”

Pikvik.

The thick iron door opens with a tremendous sound.

“Damn it! This is mutiny, mutiny I tell you!!!”

A voice filled with indignation resounds from within.

“…Let’s go.”

“Hmm.”

Passing through the rows of iron bars, heading towards the innermost part of the prison, there is certainly a middle-aged man dressed in pristine purple military uniform, unlike the other prisoners.

“You little bastard! Open this immedia-… ?!”

The man, who was raising his voice towards the lieutenant, freezes upon seeing the Chancellor.

“…This is the person.”

A contemptuous statement.

“…Is this guy really the Commander of the 2nd Legion?”

The Chancellor too frowns as if finding it hard to believe, and asks.

“That’s right. Villen Lathias, this guy was the commander of our 2nd Legion.”

“You bastard! How dare you call someone of higher rank ‘this guy’ ?!”

Villen turns hostile towards the lieutenant just a minute after being frozen upon seeing the Chancellor.

The sudden arrogance and unusual body movements remind me of something. A word suddenly comes to mind.

“Royal Blood…?”

The muttered word causes Villen to flinch.

But that reaction confirms it.

“Director. This guy seems to be from Sunrise Street, doesn’t he?”

“From there?”

“Yes, don’t you remember?”

“Hmm.”

At my words, the Chancellor stares intently at Villen’s face.

When Villen tried to raise his arms to cover his face, the Chancellor’s cold warning stopped him.

“If you do not put your arms down immediately, I will ensure they never rise again.”

“…Yes, sir.”

The Chancellor’s chilly warning makes Villen behave obediently.

After observing his face for a while, the Chancellor turned his head towards me.

“Hmm, I don’t remember him.”

“Could it be? That’s strange.”

“He might not be from there, right?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

While the concept of elitism can be found in various places, the ideology of Royal Blood is unique to the 3rd Fangju vessel.

If it were an unknown term, there would be no reason for Villen to flinch.

Additionally, the unconscious actions and gestures during Villen’s fits of rage were exactly the same as those of the Royal Blood group I saw in the AOE.

“Strange. If he were from the 3rd Fangju, he would have passed through the Academy, so there’s no way I wouldn’t remember him…”

The Chancellor mumbles to himself.

At that moment, footsteps are heard from the distance and a group of people come towards us.

The purple uniforms are the emblem of the 2nd Legion.

The one who appears to be the commanding officer steps forward and salutes us.

“Director Ryuje, you have come at just the right time.”

“You…?”

“Ah, apologies for the late introduction. I am Ravan Balmus, in charge of the command and facility operations of this fortress, the Under Castle.”

Ravan bows politely.

“I see, you’re the commander of this fortress?”

“Yes, Chancellor.”

Just like how there is a captain for a ship, the fortress also has a director responsible for maintaining and operating the facilities.

“Thank you for trusting me. But, why is the Commander of the 2nd Legion in such a state?”

“Yes, let me explain that. But…”

Ravan’s gaze shifts towards me.

“Hmm, I understand. Edu, could you please wait for a moment?”

“Yes.”

The Chancellor leaves me at the iron bars and walks away with Ravan, maintaining a proper distance.

After a prolonged conversation, the Chancellor returns, but…

“Um, Director…?”

“…Edu, can you leave the room for a moment?”

The Chancellor’s distorted expression.

At the strange pressure, I nod, and Ravan approaches me immediately.

“Edu, please allow me to carry you.”

“Oh, yes. Excuse me for a moment.”

“Not at all, I can carry you all day if needed.”

“…???”

…

As Edu and the people of the 2nd Legion move away, a sense of unease and fear glimmers in Villen’s eyes who is left alone with Ryuje.

“T, there…”

“Be quiet.”

An unusually domineering tone for Ryuje.

Raising his right hand, Ryuje slightly moves his arm, causing a weapon to materialize in his hand.

“Gear Liberation.”

[ I will convert the gear into combat form, Miss. ]

A large scythe appears with the voice.

With the razor-sharp blade of the scythe facing him, Villen flinches and sits down hard.

“Wh-what? Why… Why are you doing this?!”

A desperate cry.

But Ryuje’s gaze remains coldly fixed on him.

“Can it be that you really don’t understand why I’m acting this way?”

With a chilling response, Villem’s lips quiver, but before he has a chance to come up with a plausible excuse, Ryuje continues.

“It’s a tough time, which is why I believed in the potential of people.”

A reflective statement that isn’t directed at Villen, but rather at himself.

“However, upon observing scoundrels like you, I find myself questioning whether or not I’ve been too lenient in my assumptions.”

A great amount of mana erupts from Ryuje’s body.

The waves of mana spread out like a bird unfurling its wings, and they are stained a deep crimson, reflecting Ryuje’s anger.

“I intended not to use this power against people if at all possible… but it can’t be helped.”

The gem-like eyes fixated on the hideous abomination.

Ryuje’s left hand stretches out towards Villen.

“Wait a minute! Just hear me out-”

“Hemomancy – Bloodletting.”

A heavy voice declares the incantation.

A crimson stream flows down Villen’s cheek.

The blood, with a distinct acrid scent, flows from Villen’s mouth and nose despite his desperate attempts to stifle it, only increasing the flow.

“Guuuh…gk….”

A pool of blood quickly forms on the floor, and Villen starts to choke on the blood gushing from his neck and nose.

The pale complexion, and the shaking of his body are soon cut short as Villen’s eyes roll back, and his breath leaves his body.

Puk.

The body dries up like a twig.

“…”

As Ryuje extends his hand, the blood that oozes out wriggles like a sentient being, gathering towards him.

The blood ascends his boots and is absorbed into him, gradually replaying Villen’s life and memories in Ryuje’s mind.

The majority consists of memories of atrocious crimes.

Among the turbid flow of original sin, a memory that Villen had carefully hidden comes to light.

In the late night, at a backstreet that seems to resemble the 3rd Fangju city.

Here, Villen is engaged in conversation with someone.

“Uh, will this really help if I just eat it?”

“Of course it will. Hurry up, or not.”

While Villen’s voice is desperate, the voice urging him forward sounds rather annoyed. It’s likely a female by the high-pitched tone.

“…Alright.”

Villen lowers his gaze and resolves.

An alien object wriggling in the palm of his hand.

“Ugh?!”

At this memory’s revelation, Ryuje opens his eyes, raises the scythe, and strikes down.

Swish-

A piercing strike through Villen’s desiccated body.

When the blade is raised again, something unusual is impaled on it, the same object witnessed in the memories.

– Keek, kiik…

The creature emits a pitiful sound before falling silent.

On careful inspection, Ryuje’s eyes widen.

“This is…!”

A mysterious creature about the size of a finger, resembling a small grub.

But to Ryuje, this creature’s identity was instinctively known.

A Cryptid.

One of the monstrous groups occupying the Earth along with the Invaders and the Ustan.

“…”

After a moment of dismay, Ryuje calmly examines the situation.

Carefully removing the Cryptid parasite from the scythe’s blade and clenching it in his hand makes it disappear.

Ryuje immediately leaves the area.

Her steps toward Edu are noticeably brisk.

…

The above-ground section of the Under Castle.

The observation post, situated at a distance from the fortress, is where soldiers of the 2nd Legion look up into the sky.

The alien fleet that fills the fortress sky, casting a shadow over the land.

Had all these been enemies, their trousers would undoubtedly have been drenched with fear, but thanks to the communication from the command center, their trousers remain safe.

“Phew…”

An involuntary sigh of awe.

The senior soldier gently shoves the junior soldier, whose eyes are shining with excitement.

“Hey brat, aren’t you supposed to be standing guard properly?”

“But, Senior, aren’t you just looking at the sky too?”

“So, can you resist?”

“That’s why I’m looking at it with you.”

The playful exchange between the soldiers.

As the conversation dies down, both their gazes naturally turn skywards.

“Seems like something is changing, huh?”

“That’s true. Who knows, maybe we’ll survive to complete our service?”

“Stop that. Such talk will get us in trouble.”

“Still-”

Before the junior soldier could finish his sentence,

Puk.

A disharmonious sound tears the peace.

“Kuh?!”

A particle sword piercing through the abdomen.

“Senior Officer Yu!”

The junior soldier, startled, picks up the rifle slung over his shoulder, but before he can react, a strike comes.

Whiing-

A single horizontal sweep.

The head of the junior soldier rolls off, and the particle sword piercing the senior soldier’s abdomen gradually rises, piercing through his chest.

Thud.

In a single swoop, the trench is subdued.

Behind the dead soldiers, the previously empty space distorts as the attackers reveal themselves.

Human-like, but their bodies move not with flesh and blood, but black steel and fuel.

Instead of faces, a crimson sensor glows eerily.

The steel invaders, the Invaders.

“Report: Suppression Complete.”

The heads of the completed missions turn to the side.

“Urgh.”

“Kuh-…”

Whispers of final agony echo from other locations.

A surveillance post that was home to dozens of personnel falls into enemy hands in an instant.

“Report: Suppression Complete.”

“Report: Suppression Complete.”

Rough robotic voices continue in succession through the communication network that connects them all.

“Great work, troops.”

However, the response that comes back is unexpectedly fluent in vocabulary and even carries emotion.

“Crisis can often be an opportunity depending on the situation.”

Among the Hunter Bots that have seized control of the facility, a mechanical being strides forward.

With a cloak covering his massive frame, six arms, and unicorn-like horn sprouting from his helmet-like head, he looks distinctly different from the Hunter Bots.

But among many differences, what stands out especially is the sensor’s color.

Instead of the Invaders’ iconic red, it contains a soft green hue.

His gaze locks onto the Under Castle, and the Hunter Bots align behind him.

“Then, troops, it’s hunting time.”