Chapter 183

7:40 AM, the command center of Magnavis, located in the heart of the western district, was engulfed in unprecedented chaos.

The aftermath of the large-scale attack they faced was beyond imagination.

“Base 12 has collapsed! Requesting support!”

The operator’s voice rang urgently. That announcement was quickly overshadowed by another report.

“A-9 Laboratory and A-14 Laboratory have been ambushed. It appears to be the work of the same organization!”

As the executives of each department were agitated, Julius Alberich calmly assessed the situation without a change in expression.

Inside his composed eyes, a storm was brewing.

‘The scope of the attack is all over the western district. We don’t know their identity or their objectives. Is it the Federation? Or another clan?’

It had already been several minutes since communication with headquarters was cut off.

While the air was filled with desperate requests for support and frustrating signals for rescue, another shocking incident was reported.

“Drone has been deployed to the scene. It will be transmitted shortly… Oh my god, it collapsed.”

As the report came in, a chorus of gasps echoed through the command center.

On the large screen at the center of the command room, the headquarters building, now burned and collapsed, was displayed. The once magnificent glass skyscraper, reminiscent of a beautiful magician’s crystal staff, now lay in ruins, a pile of black debris.

The executives, already overwhelmed with an influx of information, wore faces twisted in disbelief and terror.

“…This can’t be! The headquarters has collapsed? We need to send a rescue team immediately!”

As one executive managed to pry his mouth open, the commander at his side scoffed.

“A rescue team? What kind of rescue team can we send when we can’t even dispatch support troops? The headquarters is one thing, but reclaiming the airfield is our top priority! Our air force is mostly stationed there, isn’t it? Let’s hurry and dispatch transport aircraft!”

“What do we send? Helicopters and airships that can’t even take off and are all wrecked?”

“Then let’s send mechanized units! Our manufacturing facilities are in danger as it stands!”

“What did you say? You moron! Who are you sending? Didn’t you just see the scene? An anti-tank missile flew right through the middle of the road! Vehicles with the group symbol are being attacked just for being in sight!”

As one commander yelled out in frustration, the man on the opposite side fell silent.

The image of armored vehicles being engulfed in flames due to the ambush of makeshift armed vehicles from the recent drone footage vividly replayed in his mind.

After finishing his thoughts amidst the chaotic command center, Julius stood up.

“Silence.”

At his words, they all fell quiet.

The words of the chief mission operations officer carried weight.

“First, check the survival of personnel and bases, then pass the message to recover essential assets and retreat as soon as contact is reestablished. The withdrawal location is according to the emergency procedure EP-74 coordinates.”

Julius’s firm command echoed through the command center. He gave additional instructions to the operators.

“Review all communication channels and maintain contact with the outside. Mobilize all drones and surveillance systems to monitor the surrounding situation thoroughly. The lives of the employees are what matter most. Tell them to withdraw without being reckless!”

He contemplated while checking one of the monitors on the wall. Protecting all assets seems impossible under the current circumstances, where the fates of the executives and key figures of the clan remain unknown.

‘We don’t even have a grasp of their exact numbers or power. It’s impossible to suppress them right now. For now, we need to save at least some troops for future strategies.’

Humiliating as it was, it couldn’t be helped. Though they were armed with makeshift vehicles, the enemy consisted mostly of presumed Awakened Ones.

However, Magnavis was a powerful organization. The loss may be great, but with the personnel and facilities in the branches across the continent, there would surely be opportunities for revenge after reorganizing.

“And gather as many available personnel as possible. I want the people I’m naming sent to Polaris Comprehensive Academy!”

Up until now, the confirmed movements of the enemy concentrated on high-level sabotage against the clan’s key facilities.

Communication with the academy had been cut off for over an hour. It would be wise to assume they were under attack.

‘It’s just unfortunate that this happened while Croscelle was outside.’

“What about the Grand Mage? Where is he right now?”

“He’s at the Project Facility. Reports of an attack have come in from there as well, but they’re currently in the process of clearing it out.”

“Good. As long as he’s there, there shouldn’t be any problems.”

He felt relief, thinking that a newly opened research facility could be salvaged.

Unless, of course, those terrorists were foolish enough to bring a monster that could match the peak Grand Mage.

A while later, communication reports came in.

-We’re on the move! Arriving in one minute!

“Got it, Croscelle. Remember, securing Doctor Sturgis is the priority. Once you ensure his safety, join up with the reinforcements that will be arriving soon and retreat to a safe area.”

Just as he was about to give a few more orders, a loud explosion echoed in Julius’s ears.

The door to the command center burst apart, and black-clad terrorists surged in. Everyone froze in surprise at the unexpected situation.

The terrorists looked around with surprise as if they were somewhat confused.

“Huh…? Where is this?”

A brief moment of silence was shattered by the scream of an operator.

“Aaaah!”

“Attack! Attack!”

“They’re here! Don’t retreat!”

The inside of the command center was soon filled with the sounds of gunfire and combat.

The noise pierced the ears of Croscelle, who was aboard the helicopter.

-Croscelle! You must secure the Doctor! The plan cannot fail…

Julius’s shout was cut off with static. Croscelle, fuming, threw down his headset.

“When the heck are they going to arrive?”

“20 seconds left!”

Before long, the sight of Polaris Academy came into view. Smoke was rising from the building.

Just as he was preparing for the descent, he caught a glimpse of the camouflage covering the school’s roof being pulled away.

The moment he saw the long cylindrical object in the hands of the soldiers in black, Croscelle shouted.

“It’s a missile!”

From the rooftop, aircraft with white smoke trailing behind them shot toward the helicopter squad. The helicopters flailed, releasing dazzling decoys.

-Kuwoooom!

The moment the shock hit, Croscelle hurriedly jumped outside.

The helicopters crashed to the ground one by one. Beams of light surged from every rooftop, slaughtering the remaining helicopters that couldn’t survive.

Using telekinesis to land safely, Croscelle surveyed the surroundings.

“Kaim! Are you okay? What about the others?”

-Agh… Falling without any restraints is no fun. I and a few others survived, but it was a disaster elsewhere.

Listening to the report from the communication device, he sighed in short.

‘A-13 Laboratory was destroyed, then not too long ago the exploration team was obliterated, and Lera was captured by the Federation. What the hell are these guys doing? Could it really be the Obsidian Legion?’

-Tak tak tak!

Before he could finish his thoughts, he instinctively threw himself to the side. A rain of bullets poured down where he was standing just moments ago.

“Damn it…!”

He raised his head. Soldiers in black were charging at him.

“There!”

“The Student Council President! The parasite bastard!”

“I’ll definitely kill you today!”

Our Violet Squad, responsible for the academy, felt a jolt of exhilaration.

The target we had been searching for had come directly in front of us after we had just finished pillaging the academy’s resources and materials.

Just after 7:40 AM, we were ambushed around the academy building to take down any minor reinforcements from Magnavis.

Then suddenly, a fleet of helicopters soared down from the sky.

Unfortunately, whether it was due to confusion over the situation or a shortage of helicopters, they sent only four.

“Enemy! Fire!”

We opened fire with the prepared machine guns and portable anti-air missiles.

The helicopters tried to flee, spewing glowing decoys, but our anti-air missiles were laser-guided!

“Yay! We shot one down!”

As the last helicopter was shot down by the machine gun, the Violet Squad scattered to track down survivors.

In the midst of it all, I spotted a familiar face with ash-colored hair and a cute appearance.

“Ugh! Engaged! Engaged! They’re still alive! Awakened troops!”

“There’s the head! Is it a set menu?”

“Good, that makes it more fun to catch!”

The Violet Squad charged forward at Croscelle and the Magnavis strike team.

They retaliated with magic and swinging swords.

“Ugh, ugh! Here it comes!”

Croscelle raised his left hand. Unit 1689, who was running at the front, suddenly found himself caught in telekinesis.

As he made a powerful fist, 1689’s entire body crumpled like a sheet of paper.

“Ugh!”

“Unit 1689 has been taken down! Watch out for telekinesis!”

We unleashed a volley of bullets at him. The flying rifle rounds were caught and stopped midair by telekinesis.

Some bullets and bolts aiming for openings ricocheted off the sword swung by Croscelle.

“You filthy rat! Get out of the way!”

“Unit Headquarters commands: suppress with gunfire, eliminate with sniping!”

As he charged to break through our encirclement, the heavy weapons team on the rooftop began to move. A heavy anti-material sniper rifle unleashed fire.

The bullet flew toward him.

“…!”

Immediately after that, a blue circular barrier wrapped around his body. The rounds bounced off him.

The heavy weapons team Violet gasped in shock.

-Ping!

“Aaah! It bounced back!”

“Look at that, his necklace!”

I belatedly noticed the necklace dangling from his neck.

It was surely an artifact necklace excavated from Vittorio Dungeon.

“This sniper shot burned through the necklace! Get ready to fire again!”

As we prepared for the next shot, screams erupted from the Violet squad deployed to a different location.

“Uwaah! The head! It’s not dead!”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m sure it was killed by sniping! Its head exploded!”

Immediately after those words, part of our encirclement crumbled under close engagement, and the head rushed toward the Student Council President.

A small army became a large horde.

“Wow, you survived? When’s the reinforcements coming?”

“About 10 minutes! We’ll hold on as long as we can!”

The two of them poised with their swords aimed at us. Croscelle’s back sprouted ten swords one by one.

“Telekinesis Swordsmanship!”

“Hey! Sniper team, take another shot!”

Just as those words left his mouth, the anti-material sniper rifle fired two shots. The ten swords crossed in mid-air to defend against incoming machine gun rounds.

Another shot created a huge hole in the chest of the head.

“Ugh!”

And right after, the hole in his chest was restored again. We understood why Kaim didn’t die.

“Hah! Regenerative ability user!”

He laughed as if nothing had happened. Given the situation, his unique ability was evidently regeneration!

“Hey, can you cut down on the sniping?”

“There was a reason I survived getting shot in the secret research lab you know!”

Realizing that we were catching onto his sniper shots, they charged in regardless of the bullets.

The Violets retreated, firing their rifles, but it was futile.

“Kyyaaaa!”

A sword controlled by telekinesis pierced through the heart of Unit 367. The twin swords swung by the head sliced the waist of Unit 915.

They broke through us and began to escape.

“Those guys are trying to buy time! Chase them!”

“Heavy weapons team! Blow them away!”

As the Violets struggled to encircle them again, the heavy weapons team on the roof hurriedly pulled out new weapons and targeted the academy avenue.

“This is insane!”

The Student Council President waved his hand. The warhead of the incoming rocket twisted, sending the anti-tank missile off in the wrong direction.

“Get down!”

Unit 896 rushed forward to attempt a self-destruction. A shocked Croscelle wielded telekinesis.

“Damn, it’s a self-destruct!”

“It’s going to- oh no, not here!”

Just before the explosion, Unit 896 was flung away by telekinesis.

Debris flew in all directions.

“Ugh!”

As the terrorists hesitated during the explosion, the unit headquarters discussed how to take down those two.

After a marathon meeting of 10 seconds, a conclusion was reached.

“Initiate close combat! Capture them!”

“Deploy tear gas! Deploy smoke bombs!”

The Violets, donning gas masks, charged at them. Sticking a shot into their thigh was just icing on the cake.

“Hmm, tear gas?”

They coughed a little, but it had little effect. Immediately, ten swords flew toward them.

As if a farmer harvesting grain, the Violets fell.

“Ugh! Get a hold of them!”

The Violets, dying, desperately grasped onto the telekinetic swords.

“Huh…? What?”

I saw the look of bewilderment on Croscelle’s face. It made sense; his telekinetic swordsmanship had now been sealed!

“Die!”

With a gun in one hand and a sword in the other, the Violets charged with the Federal Army’s exoskeleton. As we surged toward them, they tried to back away in panic.

But it was too late.

“What the hell! Let go of me!”

“Damn it, Kaim!”

“Hehe! We’re your opponents!”

While a group held the Student Council President, the head slashed one or two Violets before overpowering us.

“Die!”

-Tak tak tak!

I shot the head’s head with my gun.

The only surefire way to suppress a regenerative ability is to deal overwhelming damage and kill it before it can regenerate!

“Ugh! You idiots! That won’t kill me! Hahaha!”

The Violets continued shooting, but Kaim kept regenerating as his head exploded.

We made our decision.

“This isn’t going to work. Pull him back!”

The Violet squad grabbed onto the thrashing head. Now there was only one thing left to do.

“What are you doing!”

We yanked him from all sides with all our might. The color drained from his face as he resisted.

“Hey, um? Let go of this! No! Let go! Ugh, ugh!”

With a ripping sound, his limbs and head were torn apart.

Right after his limbs fell, the Violets smashed his torso with hammers, hastily.

“Crush it!”

-Thud thud thud!

In an instant, the head was reduced to a red lump of meat. No resurrection occurred.

“You bastards…!”

The Student Council President exploded with telekinesis. As the encirclement broke, he snatched the swords we had and swung them around wildly. Unit 1296 barely dodged the sword.

-Crack!

“Ugh…”

Unit 1296 touched his face in shock. His gas mask had been sliced off, but luckily, my face was unharmed.

As I stood ready for the next attack, the look on his face was one of stiff realization.

“Violet Dunhind Rugilinn? No way…”

Croscelle stared at me in astonishment. I realized he must know my face.

“Ah, I see now. So that’s it. The unexpected appearance of armed forces and the attacks on the laboratories… it all makes sense now. Your unique ability is more powerful than I expected; now it’s all clear.”

“Oh no, I’ve been exposed.”

He glared at us, continuing, “But what’s your objective, exactly? Why are you ruining something that was going smoothly? You insect, is it because of that girl next to you? Are you doing this because of Irene Solstice or someone else?”

I retorted with a laugh.

“Ha! I have nothing to say to scum who kills students! You think you’re a chairman or something, huh? I saw everything at that lab!”

“Ah… is that what it is? What’s so wrong with that?”

He gasped as he retorted, looking at me questioningly.

“It was evident they were nothing more than lowlife scum at the bottom of society. Inferior Awakened Ones. And it was just a clean-up because they were a hindrance; what’s wrong with that?”

“Killing a monster during the Freshman Welcome Party doesn’t count?”

He tilted his head, seemingly confused.

“You knew about that? Well, personally, I chose the welcome party because I wanted to thin the ranks a bit, but essentially, it was part of an observational experiment. The dead were ultimately used for something valuable; they should be grateful. If we hadn’t accepted them, they wouldn’t even be able to cross the threshold of this academy. Do you pity a fly on a pile of trash?”

As he finished speaking, he prepared to charge at me slowly. He was clearly stalling for time to gather his strength, probably waiting for reinforcements.

After droning on for a while, he finally spoke with rage.

“…Yes, typical of inferior beings to act so crudely. Violet, you bastard. You’ve messed with my colleagues and made a mess of the academy. I don’t know who’s behind you, but you’ll soon regret it. The academy, the chairman, Magnavis, aren’t easy opponents. Don’t get cocky over a short victory. Do you think you can win? I’ll show you exactly what it means to dare touch the Four Major Clans. That precious Helios girl too and your roommate. And your “Mom” and family will see hell!”

I was slightly annoyed at his mention of my friends but was startled by the last words.

“Mom?”

“Why, are you already scared? What do you think it feels like to suffer because of a foolish daughter – Eva Liston?”

Ah, he’s talking about that ponytail girl.

He still thought she was my mom.

“Well, I imagine it would feel fantastic! So I’ll be cheering her on to kill your mom!”

I cackled as I pulled out two thin and long human legs from my inventory and started thwacking them together like pom-poms.

“…?”

“Look at this! It’s the Vice Student Council President’s legs!”

As he stared at us with confusion, I excitedly continued.

-Thwack thwack!

“See? These are the Vice Student Council President’s legs. Lera doesn’t have legs anymore! No arms either! We cut them off in Vittorio Dungeon. And then she got captured by the Federation!”

As Unit 667 babbled, Unit 891 chimed in.

“She can’t go to the hotel anymore! But did you really go with her? Wow!”

At my question, his face twisted in frustration.

“…Shut up!”

Just as he was about to charge in anger, I shouted.

“Good, mission accomplished on wasting time!”

“…?”

It was only then that he turned his head. Armed trucks had encircled him.

“You thought you were the only one buying time? I did too! Fire!”

A hail of gunfire covered him.

He swung his sword desperately and deployed telekinesis, but he didn’t manage to block the bullets that pierced through his body.

“Ugh!”

Seizing the opportunity, the Violets charged in with their swords. After exchanging blows with the wounded head several times, the battle was decided.

“Take this!”

“Cutting Strike!”

The Violets executed a series of strikes, their swords slicing through the air three times.

“Kuhhh…”

He rolled on the ground after his limbs were severed.

While the armed trucks and other Violets hurriedly grabbed heavy weapons and retreated, the remaining Violet pounded the black box on his chest in triumph.

“You idiot, thank you for the testimony! We’re going to broadcast this! That will be the end of your clan!”

Croscelle shot me a hateful look from the ground.

“…You stupid bastard. Do you think a little recording will bring down Magnavis?”

“Well, we’re certainly sending it to your treasurer!”

-Crack!

I beheaded him.

Just then, a new wave of helicopters appeared from afar. I put the black box into my inventory and instructed the unit headquarters.

“Alright then, blow them up!”

Prepared explosives detonated one by one. The buildings of Polaris Academy, doused in gasoline and incendiaries, were engulfed in flames.

As the entire building was consumed by fire, I stood beside the Student Council President’s corpse and spread my arms in triumph.

“Long live Ariel Group!”

-Kuwoooooom!

Explosives and fuel set up in the underground research facility ignited. A tremendous explosion shook the earth. Watching from a distance, I marveled.

“Whoa…”

A massive mushroom cloud rose into the sky.

At 7:50 AM on a chilly morning at the end of November, the long-standing Polaris Comprehensive Academy collapsed in an explosion.

At 8 AM, the helicopters from the broadcast station circled near the rising mushroom cloud from the school, filming.

The mushroom cloud gradually dispersed, but the explosion exposed the ugly remnants of the research facility buried deep underground.

All media, both online and offline, discussing the terror occurring across the western district turned their gaze toward the academy.

The impact was immense, and visually striking.

“Uh, Violet. What the hell did you do?”

As Irene muttered to herself, LNN news was reporting on the ongoing situation.

-Is there any additional information about this incident?

-None yet. There have been no official statements from the Federation or the Inspection Bureau. Some believe it could be the notorious anti-clan organization, the Obsidian Legion…

The news anchor, engaging with a field reporter, looked momentarily startled, glancing directly at the camera.

As if about to say something, the man hesitated, nodded slightly, and suddenly blurted out a shocking statement.

-…Ah, dear viewers. Please do not be alarmed. The proclaimed main instigator of this incident has… personally invaded the broadcast station. They are about to make a statement, so let’s listen.

Armed terrorists in black appeared behind the anchor.

A spokesperson, visible in a mask, stepped forward.

“Isn’t that Violet?”

Kalia muttered in disbelief. Daphne looked at the people surrounding her and the masked figure on the screen, recognizing the familiar battle outfit.

“I think so. What is Violet thinking? The broadcast station…?”

While my friends were flabbergasted by the unexpected appearance, Violet took the mic and spoke.

-Greetings to Rust Room, the continent, and all the viewers watching online around the world.

As the seized broadcast station aired the terrorist declaration live, various online streaming sites also began their broadcasts.

-First, I would like to apologize to the Federation and all citizens of the academy city for the unlawful attack we have committed.

True to Violet’s words, indeed, the eyes of the world were focused on the declaration.

-Just as you may have suspected, we are the ones behind the chain of attacks in the western district.

“Senpai! Look at this! These people…”

“Isn’t this just attention-seeking?”

The ordinary workers, students, and young Awakened Ones all turned their attention to the broadcast.

-We will not deny our misdeeds. However, we would appreciate your understanding. This revolution was sparked in response to the evildoings of the malignant Magnavis Group.

“What? Hey, this is saying they’re terrorists.”

“Attacking the Four Major Clans? They must be insane…”

At the Four Major Clan Headquarters in the northern, southern, and eastern districts, the eyes of the Federation Council and military busy watching the incident sharply focused on every word from the terrorists.

“Federation folk?”

“Obsidian Legion? Or other secret societies?”

“Chairman, it’s definitely the wizards’ handiwork!”

“…Let’s just keep watching for now.”

Across the sea, in a location somewhere in the island nation, the command center of the Obsidian Legion ceased all discussions and observed the event.

“…Check who they are. They’re not anyone we know, an unexpected variable.”

“Yes, Commander…”

Somewhere in the central district of the academy city, Seijis’s eyes widened at the Inspection Bureau.

-i-

But we would appreciate your understanding. There was no other way.

“That can’t be. No way… What is going on?”

The world’s attention focused heavily on Violet. The weight of that gaze made her heart tremble as she slowly recited the prepared script.

A modulated cold mechanical voice echoed with each word.

-i-

Before showing you their misdeeds and the proof, let us introduce who we are.

The first phrase of a revolutionary declaration that would resonate through modern history began.

-i-

We are the Ariel Group.

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