Chapter 155

After a hectic period of time, we arrived at the forward base and disembarked the soldiers.

—

“Alright, let’s march in unison and chant battle cries! On the count of one, we tear through, and on two, we kill!”

” tear through, kill! Tear through, kill!”

The soldiers advanced in sync, shouting fierce battle cries.

Witnessing this scene, Freya’s expression shifted into something subtle.

“…Edu, weren’t you supposed to bring back soldiers? Why did berserk warriors show up?”

“Haha… I’m not quite sure myself.”

To be honest, the fallen warriors I saw were closer to fanatics rather than berserkers, but I avoided complicating the situation by mentioning that fact.

“Hmm… still, their fighting spirit is commendable. Alright, I’ll take care of properly assigning these people.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t worry; after this, are you heading off to find something you want to confirm?”

“Yes.”

“Is it dangerous?”

Her voice carried concern.

To soothe Freya’s unease, I responded with as bright a smile as I could muster.

“It should be safe if everything goes according to my expectations.”

“But if your expectations are wrong, it’s dangerous, right?”

“…A little?”

I answered cautiously, gauging her reaction.

Hearing this, Freya stared at me fixedly before sighing softly.

“…That expression of yours means even if I tell you not to overexert yourself, you won’t listen, right?”

“I’ll be careful… I will…?”

“Yeah, I trust you.”

Freya hugged me tightly.

Her warmth spread through my body, creating an itchy yet pleasant sensation.

Her earnest gaze was fixed on me.

“Come back safely, and see you later.”

“Yes!”

After exchanging greetings with Freya, I boarded Jason once more.

Upon arriving at the command bridge, the face of a middle-aged man, scarred and battle-worn, appeared on the screen.

[Then, Commander, please be careful.]

“Yes, thank you for your hard work, Balder.”

This time, Jason is moving alone for stealth.

Thus, after exchanging greetings with Balder and the crew members, I set the vessel in motion.

—

“Jason, could you ascend higher and then bring us here?”

[Confirmed, Commander Edu. Initiating ascent.]

Jason’s hull shot quickly into the sky.

I swallowed saliva repeatedly as my ears popped from the altitude change. Once Jason had reached a great height, the vessel regained its horizontal position.

Jason gradually accelerated.

Watching this, I turned to my friends, Mili, and Sita.

“Since we’ll be traveling for a while, you all should rest. I’ll remain on the bridge.”

Because everyone had rushed out, taking a break whenever possible would be wise, so I suggested it.

However, for some reason, my friends, Mili, and Sita didn’t go to rest but instead gathered around me.

“Edu, there’s something I’m curious about.”

“Eduard? What is it?”

“Where are we heading? Can’t you tell us?”

“That’s true, you’re all curious, right?”

At my words, my friends, Mili, and Sita nodded.

After confirming everyone’s reactions, I cleared my throat.

“We’re heading to the tomb of the giants.”

“The tomb of the giants… could it be the place where stars have fallen?”

“Yes.”

The tomb of the giants, or the place where stars have fallen.

The former term literally describes its meaning, while the latter carries a commemorative connotation.

Both names refer to the land where countless heroes, who sacrificed themselves to buy time for humanity in its moment of impending doom, now rest.

And there, I needed something.

—

“Excuse me, Edu, isn’t the place where stars have fallen in enemy territory?”

“You’re right, Clarissa.”

“But… are we really going there with just us?”

“Don’t worry—the original forces guarding that area are Megabase’s subordinates.”

I mean, direct forces.

This is a piece of information I’ve confirmed multiple times during AOE, so I’m confident about it.

“Indeed, Megabase is attacking this side. Is this an attempt to strike at the enemy’s unguarded rear, like in the previous attack on an old Russian city?”

“It’s similar to that.”

Edward nodded at his own words.

“To pierce through a formidable shield, a formidable spear is necessary, isn’t it?”

“Powerful shield? You mean Megabase?”

“Yep.”

At Zeny’s question, I nodded.

Megabase.

The vanguard of the Invaders’ invasion that drove humanity to despair.

Though armed with an overwhelmingly powerful plasma cannon that makes him a formidable target, his strength doesn’t lie in offense.

What Megabase wields absolute superiority in is an insane defense.

His mighty high-output barrier is so powerful that the barriers of the Ushtansha warships seem trivial in comparison, and even if you somehow manage to break it, there’s a shield plating of absurd thickness protecting his actual body.

If I may borrow martial terminology, it’s a veritable Adamantine fortress.

Or, to put it mythologically, a true Aegis.

The absurdity of this defense can be seen in many games as well.

Cheats in games.

Among cheats, the most powerful is surely the invincibility cheat that makes characters completely immune to damage.

“…Edu.”

“Yes, Nisia.”

“I get that Megabase is very tough, but why are we going to the place where stars have fallen? Isn’t there nothing left—”

“Not necessarily. There could be.”

Interrupting Nisia, Edward jumped into the conversation.

“Isn’t that right? Edu. If the giants whose names are inscribed there are truly sleeping, heading there in this situation… Could it be that there are still operational Titans left among them?”

I gave a round of applause for Edward’s sharp deduction.

“You’re spot on, Edward.”

Walking Fortress Titan.

Standing at 30 meters in length and 50 meters in height, it’s a steel embodiment of the ancient giants’ name, a colossus created by humanity to encapsulate their hope and desire for victory.

Though Titan is an undeniably magnificent war machine worthy of being called a decisive weapon, what I’m searching for is not an ordinary Titan.

A giant with a weapon that we so desperately need.

I have to find it.

—

“In any case, you’ll soon know what I’m searching for, so rest for now. I’ll wake you up when we reach our destination.”

…

A considerable amount of time passed, then, Jason hovered above the tomb of the giants—the place where stars have fallen.

“Jason, could you check if there are any enemies nearby?”

[Confirmed, Commander Edu. Activating radar to survey the ground situation.]

The image of the ground appeared on the screen, alongside the radar display.

I waited silently, then Jason’s voice echoed again within the command bridge.

[Checked. There appear to be no moving objects within the detected range.]

Good, as expected.

“Then… could we get a closer look at the surroundings?”

[Confirmed, Commander Edu. I will enlarge the ground image and display it on the screen.]

The screen’s image changed.

The scene of the battlefield, still clearly visible despite the passage of time, appeared magnified, revealing signs of fierce combat.

Depressions littered the ground, and various weapons were rusting in abandonment.

Through the bleak battlefield of antiquated weapons, I saw the figures of the giants I had been searching for.

A bulky design with sharp lines.

The broad chest looked like it had been shaped by heavy lifting, and the thick arms gave it the appearance of a powerhouse. The large legs were straightforward but eminently practical.

“Wow…!”

A heavy design focused less on aesthetics and more on function, yet this kind of design has its own charm.

“Jason, could you zoom in on that part?”

[Confirmed, Commander Edu. Enlarging the screen.]

With a clearer and larger view, the Titan came into sight.

As I stared, I began to notice traces that weren’t visible before.

The supplementary armor attached to the giants’ fronts and the countless bullet marks and scorches on their bodies.

Parts with armor and components torn off, showing exposed internal parts.

Nevertheless, the giants stood firm, fists clenched defiantly, with only their heads slightly bowed.

Among the 20 Titans, not a single one faced away.

“…”

The final vestige of ancient heroes who braved fear and marched toward death, even after so much time had passed.

After a moment of silence in honor of their noble deeds, I pointed at the white giant closest to the front and issued an order to Jason.

“Good job. Let’s prepare to land nearby and wake up my friends, along with Mili and Sita.”

[Understood, Commander Edu. Preparing the vessel for descent and waking the crew.]

The landscape outside gradually changed.

With a gentle jolt, Jason landed, and the door at the back of the bridge opened.

“Grumble grumble…”

Seoli, rubbing her eyes, appeared.

The others followed her into the bridge.

“Edu, have we arrived?”

“Yeah, let’s divide the group. Sita and Jack, would you stay here and keep watch while the rest of us go down?”

“Got it.”

“Be careful, sister. Mili, be careful too.”

We exchanged nods as Jack and Sita took over my post.

“Y-yeah! I’ll be back!”

Carried by Mili, I disembarked from Jason, catching sight of the towering white giant.

“Wow! It’s huge!”

Seoli exclaimed, wide-eyed.

The others were also gazing upward, wide-eyed and mesmerized by the Titan.

“Edu, this… Is this also a Titan?”

Edward, pointing at the Titan, trembled even in his fingers.

“It’s a Titan alright. It’s just special, hence its larger size and unique appearance.”

“Special?”

“Yeah.”

The machine whose data has been completely purged due to its secrecy.

Parts that were custom and unstable, beyond the norms.

A system riddled with issues that no Titan could handle but was loaded regardless.

Yet, precisely because of that, this colossus wielded a powerful spear capable of piercing through Megabase’s defenses.

The last of its kind, constructed last but given the designation 0.

0th Titan – Zeus.

Among all Titans, this colossus carrying the name of the ancient sky god stood out with its immense size and was precisely what we needed now.

“Still, Edu, how do you plan to carry something this big? It probably won’t even fit in Jason’s arsenal.”

Jack tilted his head in confusion.

To her query, I offered a bright smile.

“There’s always a way, Nightmare!”

[Did you call, Master?]

“Unleash your unique function.”

[Understood, I’ll release the gear and boost the output! Output at 50%…75%…100%.]

– Notification: Shall I release Nightmare’s unique function – Manifestation of Possibility?

“Release it.”

[Initiating function release!]

The omnipotent sensation coursing through my body, just as before.

A foreign sensation different from mana flooded my entire being. Slowly, I extended my hand towards the slumbering giant.

“Using Collection!”

– Notification: The current Collection level cannot retrieve this weapon. Do you want to raise the Collection level temporarily by using Skill Points?

“Yes!”

– Consuming 5 Skill Points to temporarily raise the Collection level and retrieve the weapon.

The radiant white giant.

The giant sleeping within the vast tomb flowed into me.

…

“Edu? Are you alright?”

“S-sure, I’m fine.”

Turning my head, I wiped my nose and saw streaks of red blood.

Though anticipated, my body felt strained, perhaps due to using Nightmare in such an unconventional manner.

At that moment, a tattered old flag hanging from the giant’s shoulder blew towards me, landing gently on mine, as if to comfort me.

…

Despite seeming like an absurd coincidence, it strangely felt warm to me.

Clutching the worn-out flag tightly around my body, I took a deep breath.

Repeating this a few times, I started to feel better.

Gathering my resolve, I spoke to everyone.

“Then, let’s go back.”

The time has come to cast off despair.