Chapter 147

After parting ways with Adela, the Violet Team moved forward.

Passing through the twisted road, going past an eerily glowing hotel, and walking by three big and small fountains, they entered a residential alley surrounded by three-story houses.

At the front of the line, Irene, who was looking at the map, asked, “Is this the right way to the Abandoned Factory Area?”

“Of course! I told you earlier. The path we’re taking has already been scouted by the search team.”

Violet is a rational girl who always prioritizes safety, except during self-destruct missions.

She would never recklessly drag her teammates into a street filled with monsters or dangerous elements.

That’s why the Violet Squad always operates a search team. The more Violets perish beyond the map, the safer the main unit and teammates become.

The search team diligently performs their duties as mobile wards and teleport markers.

“Hurry up! There are monsters surrounding us! It’s suffocating to hide here!”

“There’s a lot of magical power! If we’re in a pinch, we’ll create it ourselves.”

As the search team hid under a camouflage blanket on the factory roof, the main unit entered the factory area.

“Enemies!”

As soon as they came out of the alley, they were greeted by swaying human-shaped enemies. Ghouls. By size, they were about double our numbers.

“Hide!”

The Violets and teammates crouched behind a nearby old car and some boxes. Strangely, there were barbed wires placed sporadically along the roadside.

Peeking the camera around the box, they observed the enemies on screen.

Looking closely, these ghouls were dressed in old military uniforms. Some wielded rusty guns while others had iron chains wrapped around their arms.

In the center was a ghoul dressed like an officer, holding a flag in one hand and a saber in the other.

“They’re soldiers, but they look a bit old.”

As I muttered, Irene explained, “They were soldiers during the First Interdimensional War. I heard they sometimes appear, but this is the first time I’m seeing them.”

It must have been a long-ago war. Unit 652 looked back.

“Do we want to retreat? Or do we want to break through?”

I turned on the power of the laser communicator and cautiously whispered while examining my teammates’ faces. Everyone unanimously decided to advance.

“Wait! The Second Search Team will report back to the Command Center. What we see isn’t all there is! There are quite a few lurking around, so be careful.”

“This is the Third Search Team. We see it with our own eyes!”

The two search teams positioned on the sides shared their vision. Enemies that were not seen from the main unit’s perspective appeared. The ghouls were lying or huddled among the roughly stacked obstacles.

“Open fire!”

The Violet Squad sprang from their cover and unleashed a hail of gunfire. The suppressed, muffled sounds of the gunshots echoed as they blasted the ghoul’s heads off.

Recognizing the attack, the ghouls swayed and started to move toward us.

“V-Violet! That mustache!”

Levi, unfolding the ballista atop a small building in the back, called Radio Violet in a frantic tone.

I glanced in the direction Levi pointed.

The officer ghoul, holding the flag, bellowed a terrifying scream and pointed its saber toward us with its other hand. The thick iron chain wrapped around its arm swayed.

“Grr…grunt!”

“What’s up with that guy?” Lucian exclaimed.

The next moment, something astounding occurred.

A popping sound echoed, and glowing bullets began to fly from that direction.

The ghouls were firing guns!

The firepower of their shots was beyond imagination. I was horrified to see holes being blown into the car and wall where we were taking cover.

“Kyaaa! I can’t hear anything!”

“Be careful! The power is beyond what you can imagine!”

Unit 268, firing away, ducked in shock behind the barrier. His left ear was blown off.

Daphne hurriedly treated his ear and deployed a shield. The bullet rain fell like hail, hammering upon the shield incessantly.

Those ghouls moved like living soldiers, shooting and taking cover. Do they recognize that our bullets are a threat?

“From the Second Search Team: They’re about to use grenades!”

The search team, observing from atop the factory roof, reported urgently.

I was left with no choice but to be horrified once more.

The ghouls were swaying and pulled out stick grenades, removing their safety pins.

“Get down!”

“Aaaah! The corpses are using grenades!”

Daphne hastily spread a circular shield.

The strange glowing ghoul grenades flew through the air, exploding in the sky and on the ground. The shield held against the shards and flames.

“Those corpses! Lucian, blow them away!”

“I was already ready without you telling me!”

As soon as the shield lifted, Lucian’s magic arrow barrage tore through the air.

The controlled blue arrows swooped down steeply like predators targeting their prey.

The ghouls firing from behind cover were shredded apart.

“Eat this!”

The grenades fired by the Violets struck the ghouls hard as well. The corpses mimicking humans shattered into pieces.

“From the Third Search Team: We’ve got more coming from the front. I’ll provide sniper support!”

“But where’s that mustached guy? I can’t see him!”

The Violet search team hiding on a nearby factory roof readied their combat rifles.

The heads of the swaying ghoul squad popped one by one as they walked closer.

The soldier ghouls recognized the sniping and twisted their necks bizarrely, scanning the area and firing back.

I flinched at the bullets flying towards the rooftop.

“From the Command Center: Good head as well. Prepare for close combat. Let’s push through in one go!”

Golden magical power enveloped the Violets. The assault troops, armed with shields, spears, and swords, advanced under covering fire.

A swarm of small bolts flew overhead. It was Levi’s flechette fire.

With a loud crash, a squad of swaying ghouls approaching in formation was annihilated.

“Die!”

The moment I rushed in alongside Irene, I witnessed something peculiar. The officer ghoul, which had been invisible before, suddenly reappeared.

The mustached ghoul vigorously waved the flag.

“What the heck? Who’s that guy?”

A white light emanated from the flag, enveloping the surrounding ghouls. And then, a horrifying event unfolded.

“Grrr!”

“Grrr!”

The ghouls dashed toward us as if fast-forwarding through a video. The worn-out rifles with bayonets and folding shovels clashed against spears and shields.

“Ugh!”

Unit 115, who blocked the swinging iron chain of the officer, nearly fell. The shield rapidly spread to block the second attack, and Irene rushed forward.

“Swordsmanship? A ghoul?”

Calm Irene looked a bit bewildered. The spear and saber clashed, sparking flying.

To my surprise, the mustached ghoul was showcasing swordsmanship!

Kalia also joined in, but the ghoul skillfully wielded the saber and flag, along with the iron chain wrapped around its arm, managing a 2:1 fight.

A swordmaster ghoul? What the heck!

Each time the flag fluttered, the ghouls around were filled with vitality, and the iron chain around its arm effortlessly deflected the attacked spear and sword. It swung like a whip.

“It even uses dual-sword techniques?”

The soldier ghouls around were shrieking and thrusting bayonets and swinging rifle stocks.

“Ahh! Violet, help me!”

Granite, shocked by the fierce attacks, was backing away helplessly.

The shield and sword moved to the front and clashed fiercely with their rifles.

The problem was speed; the speed of the ghouls suddenly escalated. It felt as if they were on some kind of drug. Why was that?

The Violets quickly reviewed the situation. They activated the Violet Network.

“Simulation activated!”

After a five-second marathon simulation, I concluded.

The ghouls acted that way because of that mustached officer. The flag of his must be an artifact.

“Both of you fall back!”

The rooftop search team urgently changed weapons. As Irene and Kalia leapt back, a powerful sniper rifle bolted into action.

-Ka-ching!

Light flashed from the ghoul’s neck, and bullets ricocheted. The shield finally lost its glow after three consecutive shots.

“It’s an artifact!”

My mind snapped to attention. Goodness, that ghoul was a treasure trove. I had to capture it at all costs.

“Others, intercept the ones rushing from the back! We’ll take down the mustached one!”

Hearing my command, Irene and Kalia nodded and leaped over the ghouls’ back. As the ghouls stood bewildered, the shield wall charged forward.

“Crush them!”

Lucian’s guiding magic arrows staggered them, and Daphne’s simple binding spell ensnared their feet. We crashed head-on into the ghoul squad.

The officer ghoul, wildly swinging the saber and flag, fell down. Just as it was about to get up, a pale green flat shield appeared over its body. It was pinned beneath the shield.

“Give me my artifact!”

As the shield wall butchered the surrounding ghouls one by one, squad leader Violet Unit 312 severed both wrists of the officer ghoul.

As the shield lifted, the Violets pounced on the ghoul’s remaining limbs.

“One, two, three!”

As they diligently stabbed with daggers, with a squelching sound, the ghoul’s head and parts of its limbs were ripped away. The light vanished from the flag the ghoul had been holding.

“We killed it!”

Simultaneously, the ghouls that had been moving like living beings stiffened once more. Seizing that momentum, we annihilated them all.

“We won!”

I cheered and kicked the ghoul’s head away.

While organizing the battlefield, I examined the artifact that the mustached officer ghoul had been holding.

[Flag of the Last Stand ☆☆☆☆]

An unidentified regiment’s standard fluttering during the fall of Vittorio City.

The soldiers remained until the end, fighting the monsters for the sake of evacuating the citizens.

Though their names and affiliations are forgotten, the spirit and dedication of that time remain in the flag.

*Inject magical power into the flag and swing it energetically to activate its unique effect. Abilities within range do not overlap.

—

Well, it must have been a four-star artifact.

I was able to check the officer’s other artifact as well.

[Chains of Will ☆☆☆☆]

The weapon that soldiers and officers used for close-quarters combat when they ran low on ammunition.

Long and not easily broken.

That day, the soldiers’ regiment was robust and firm like a chain.

—

[Mustached Officer’s Locket ☆☆☆☆]

A locket containing the officer’s memories.

Inside were faded memories and hopes.

Intense memories and hopes created miracles.

*Once every 24 hours, it can defend against up to three lethal long-range attacks.

—

Unfortunately, the officer ghoul’s saber was just an ordinary sword.

The guns and grenades possessed by the soldier ghouls were merely old trash.

“How strange, they could pierce through rock and iron when they shot. ”

It had lost that power upon the user’s death. The world of artifacts is truly mysterious.

By the way, I was pondering who to give these artifacts to.

The flag is perfect for us, but the chains and locket are tricky to use.

“I guess I’ll give the locket to Daphne!”

While the Violet Squad rummaged through the soldier ghouls’ corpses and opened their bellies to search for artifacts, my teammates helped me clean up the bodies or kept watch around us.

“Ugh…is that… a person?”

“We didn’t attack a person, right?”

The siege weapon couple appeared gloomy. It seemed they felt conflicted about killing the ghouls.

“Oh no! Now that I think of it, we only injected the combat will for monsters!”

The ghouls looked similar to humans at first glance. So it’s natural to feel uneasy.

Seeing this, Lucian said to the two of them.

“Hey, why so conflicted? Take a good look. Do you see a person there?”

“…”

“They’re not people. They’re monsters. So you don’t have to feel uncomfortable.”

The two reluctantly nodded.

While the two were busy, I approached Daphne and handed her the locket.

“What is this?”

“Yeah, it’s a gift! I found out it’s a good artifact.”

I glossed over how I learned about the artifact’s abilities.

“Thank you!”

Daphne brightened up and received the locket. She carefully examined the artifact.

“It’s a locket. Normally, people keep photos in these.”

She fiddled with the locket. As her thin white fingers touched the hinges, the lid popped open.

“What’s this…?”

Inside the opened locket was a faded black-and-white photo. A mustached man was smiling alongside a woman.

“It looks like family.”

“Maybe it’s a lover?”

Our gazes turned toward the place where the officer ghoul’s corpse lay.

Daphne’s blue eyes expressed pity as she looked at the rolling head of the ghoul.

After we finished organizing, I conversed with Irene before we set off.

“Those ghouls weren’t low-level monsters, were they? While they weren’t high-level monsters, they were quite tricky.”

The ghouls I used to face were just slow, moving targets.

But those ones moved like human soldiers. It seemed something was amiss if the powers of the flag alone could explain their actions.

“I agree. It’s the first time I’ve seen ghouls so skilled in combat. No way could their brains melted enough for such complicated actions. Why is that…”

Irene appeared puzzled, unable to fathom it either.

“Speaking of, something comes to mind.”

“What is it?”

“I heard once that some ghouls retain fragments of their memories and habits from their previous lives. That’s why they demonstrate varied behaviors. The ghouls we faced…”

I glanced back at where the skirmish had occurred.

I didn’t realize it at the time due to the fight, but now that I look, the configuration of the stacked obstacles, boxes, and cars was strange.

It had only seemed like disarray, but it had a clear purpose. Just looking at the barbed wire demonstrated a clear intent.

“That might be a barricade, right?”

“Looks that way.”

I recalled the phrase from the artifact’s flag status window.

The story of the soldiers who fought until the city fell.

We envisioned it.

Violet’s simulation gradually enacted the events that took place in the factory area.

An army of monsters covered the sky and land, storming toward the city. Citizens fled in terror.

The courageous mustached officer Violet encouraged the soldiers.

“Everyone, we must hold out until all citizens have evacuated. Our regiment will defend this place!”

“Yes! Understood!”

While citizens were exiting the city, the soldiers erected barricades using nearby objects and barbed wire to confront the monsters.

“Don’t retreat! The lives of the citizens depend on us!”

The soldier Violets faced the waves of monsters with vintage bolt-action rifles, grenades, field shovels, and bayonets.

As the weapons ran low, some brought out chains and fought while wrapping them up.

“We will die standing! Gaargh!”

“Mom!”

As the soldiers fell one by one, the officer Violet wielded the standard and sword, holding out to the last.

Suddenly, the sky of the city turned dark. The soldiers and officers were swallowed into another dimension.

“Grrr!”

As the imagination faded, I felt a bitter taste in my mouth.

“Those ghoul fellows probably thought we were monsters, right?”

“Ghouls can’t think like that! Their brains were cooked by ether.”

Those who tried to protect humans from monsters met their unfortunate end by becoming monsters themselves.

What a pity. They wouldn’t die properly and are trapped in a dungeon, enduring an unending war.

Before leaving, I spoke to my teammates.

“Hey, wait a moment!”

As I explained what I needed to do, the looks on my friends’ faces dimmed slightly, but they understood my purpose.

I gathered the ghoul corpses and stacked them neatly. I also made sure not to forget to piece the officer’s body back together with its blown-off head and limbs.

Once prepared, I set the bodies ablaze. The ghoul corpses ignited. The Violets gave a brief fright.

“Rest in peace…”

Daphne gazed sadly at the rising flames. After a short moment of silence, we turned our backs to the fire and moved forward.

“Let’s kill more monsters!”

Holding the artifacts left behind by the nameless soldiers, we headed along the next path.

After searching the factory area and moving, we accidentally stumbled upon lost students from Aegis Academy.

“I found it! Just like the photo Adela gave me!”

The unfortunate part was that the situation the students were in wasn’t good.

“D-Don’t shoot!”

“We’re students!”

While wandering the roadside, the Violet Squad headed towards a strange noise.

There, a fearful group of students was being harassed by a band of evildoers.

The students were terrified for a simple reason. The armed bad people were threatening them.

“…It’s the Federal Army.”

Kalia, who followed behind, spoke up. Her face was filled with disdain. No wonder.

“We are students from Aegis Academy. We’re just lost. Please let us go!”

“Those scoundrels! What gives you the audacity to lie like that?”

The soldiers of the Federation were barking at the poor students, forcing them to kneel. Stripped of arms, the students’ swords, spears, bows, and crossbows lay abandoned on the ground.

In the front was a man who appeared to be an officer, pointing a huge gun at them, droning on.

“Listen carefully. We are the Federal Army. Currently, we are executing a special military operation within the Vittorio Dungeon. So it would be wise for you to cooperate. What’s your affiliation? Speak!”

“We’re students from Aegis Academy. Here’s our student ID. It’s real!”

“Shut up! Aren’t you honestly answering?”

I sighed. After the monster soldiers, I was now seeing monster-like soldiers.

“Adela’s request.”

“Looks like we have to help, right?”

---