Chapter 265

The Apostle was once again unable to conceal his astonishment.

“Throne of Monad, oh my.”

The mental shock he received was akin to that moment of despair when a man, believing himself to be alone, immerses in clandestine pleasures, only to discover that his entire family has been watching him.

“Could they possibly…?”

The cries of his companions echoed.

“Uwaaaah! They’re invading my mind, creeping in! How could they track me through the network? It’s dangerous! Uuugh!”

He had clearly thought he had escaped.

But that alien monster had not only bound his comrade’s consciousness but had also tracked and forced its way in, creating a gap.

As a result, a peeping hole had opened in the Apostle’s consciousness space.

A lively girl’s voice resounded from beyond the hole.

“Wow! So this is what the inside of an alien’s head looks like!”

What Violet saw was an incomprehensible, chaotic fog. It felt like a vague taste of confusion and fear swirling within.

Violet did not attempt to enter directly.

The hole was simply too small, and strictly speaking, it would be akin to using another Apostle as a relay to traverse the existing mental connection.

Even Violet’s naïve brain could understand that.

Her feats were miracles achieved purely on the home ground of the Violet Network.

There were plenty of better choices than needing to directly invade the enemy territory.

Thus, while the soldiers were expending their last bullets, Violet took aim at the mouse hole beyond the void with her finger and fired.

“Take this!”

What was sent forth was a single shot fueled by intense will. Simultaneously, countless Violet air bombs flew in.

The Apostle’s instincts detected the danger.

The wingsuit squad fluttered in, dodging anti-air fire.

“Long live Violet!”

“I’ll kill you!”

The Apostle’s gaze turned toward the shabby wingsuit suicide squad.

The tribe’s unique coldness and high-level cognitive division skills pushed them to do what needed to be done, even amidst chaos.

Disregarding the rain of bullets, a part of his consciousness, dedicated to commanding the forces and slicing through the bugs with yellow fur on their heads, aimed at the target.

The power of Ether, which humans could not imitate, operated intricately, calculating miracles.

It would be intercepted, much like all previous long-range strikes from Violet Command Center.

Ether light projectiles would intercept in mid-air or strange phenomena would nullify the bombing itself, or incomprehensible defense mechanisms would block them.

“…!”

However, the moment he witnessed the bombs, a rush of exhilaration struck his brain like pouring cola directly into it.

Although the will of Violet that pierced through the connection wasn’t overwhelming, the Apostle became more scattered than ever before.

He was akin to a human being thoroughly drunk.

“Avoid! Avoid!”

“I need to hit it for sure! This is my only bomb vest!”

Amidst the acute sensations, he felt the presence of black wingsuits.

His thoughts twisted. The aim was off. Guided bombs turned to dust in the air.

“Here it comes!”

Three Violets survived.

Just seconds before reaching their target, the Violets struggled against air resistance, thrusting forward with their brain spears. Red magical power flowed along the spear’s edge.

“I’m breaking through!”

One shot was dodged. The distortion of sight surrounding her hindered Violet’s aim.

-Kwaang!

One shot was deflected by her right-hand sword.

The remaining shot, just as she was about to deflect with her left hand’s other sword, another Violet jumped out to block.

“Just take it!”

Judgment was delayed. In the nick of time, a cavalry spear charge approached right before her.

-Kwaang!

In the hazy silhouette, the Apostle staggered from the sudden impact. Countless shells and magic attacks had been endured, but why?

It hurts, is this pain?

An indescribable scream of existence echoed in the streets.

“■■■■-!!!”

The bone-chilling scream made both monsters and Violets shudder.

For a moment of shock, the Violet Command Center cheered, realizing that the disturbance plan was working.

“Got one hit!”

Although they were out of ammunition and explosives were running low, the choices available to Violet were still plentiful.

Therefore, the Violet Command Center relentlessly bombarded the Apostle and the monsters. They might be out of ammunition, but there was no reason to retreat. The victory and defeat were clear.

“Charge!”

“Push through!”

Despite still facing many monsters, the Violets clung desperately.

The complicated city was now a poison even for the Apostle himself. Seizing the opportunity, dozens, hundreds of Violets clung to the Apostle like ants.

“Let’s kill! Let’s slice! Let’s tear!”

Menacing weapons glowed with a red light. Swords, spears, axes, hammers, all manner of close-combat weapons came into view once again.

The surroundings began to warp for counterattack as monsters from another realm started to show themselves, but every time they appeared, Violet shot mental waves through the connection.

“Nowhere to go! No!”

“Damn it!”

The countless voices that burrowed into the Apostle’s mind.

Violets focused all their energy through the network to interfere with the Apostle’s thoughts and plunge it into chaos.

Things began to block little by little, all the powers granted by the great lord.

The terrible humiliation was transforming into a painful reality.

The Apostle’s arms swept around, dozens of Violets were knocked down against the walls.

But the vacant spaces of the fallen were quickly filled with new Violets. Both sides engaged in a desperate exchange.

Amid this, the Violet Command Center revealed a new card.

“I’m here now, just as you said. I’m not late, right?”

“No! Not at all! It’s just right!”

A powerful and intense aura burst forth on the battlefield faster than anyone else.

Amidst the advancing pod, a wolf-like woman with flowing black hair dashed toward the immense Apostle. Another future scholarship officer.

“Sophie El is here!”

The sword in Sophie El’s hands gleamed. As if aiming to slice through the giant Apostle, she swung her sword with terrifying speed.

The Apostle recognized her identity.

“Indeed, it was that human from before.”

The being he believed to be the strongest among the humans he had seen. One of the few who had survived the transportation.

Yet the Apostle too was formidable.

The body, which had been gradually damaged by Violet, now appeared healed as if nothing had ever happened, and the power and speed emanating from it were overwhelming.

Sophie El unleashed a fierce attack on the Apostle. The two enormous swords were infused with a menacing energy, slicing the air apart. Unstable tremors ensued.

-Kaang!

In the next moment, the Apostle’s weapon was deflected. The Rykes Haibon system’s counterattack returned even powerful blows.

Large and small wounds marked the Apostle’s body consecutively. The slicing energy of the sword pierced through the Apostle’s form.

The enraged monster concentrated his mind, but Sophie El vanished in an instant.

When she reappeared, it was right in front of the Apostle’s throat.

-Kiiing!

It was perilous. The underlings of the other realm let out another sigh.

They never expected such a powerful human would exist.

The high-speed movement ability of the human female was so quick that it was hard even for the Apostle to perceive, as she relentlessly rained down attacks.

“Graaaah!”

Once again, a cleaving strike left its mark, and a roar erupted from the Apostle’s mouth. Simultaneously, the surrounding space warped, reality twisted.

The space itself seemed to open up, attempting to swallow Sophie El just then.

“Don’t! Don’t use reality manipulation!”

In that fleeting moment, Violet’s interference shot through the network. The Apostle’s focus wavered, and Sophie El’s foot collided with the void.

In that moment of distortion, she rotated and escaped from the grasp of that realm.

The offensive continued.

“■■■!”

The Apostle screamed in pain but did not easily fall. The overwhelming horde of monsters blocked the yellow-haired beast.

And amongst those humans, that black-haired woman fought on equal ground with him, displaying remarkable close-combat prowess.

How? How could such humans gather here at this moment?

It was unreasonable.

The powers granted to him were being disrupted and unable to wield effectively.

“Big sis! You can’t die! Kyaaah!”

“Ugh!”

Otherwise, he would be blocked by reckless physical defenses.

When the Apostle attempted to attack Sophie El by any means, dozens of Violets threw themselves in to intercept.

Even in physiological discomfort, Sophie El skillfully used the Violets as shields to attack the Apostle and cleverly escape.

This situation resembled a pack of wild dogs facing a gigantic elephant. Sophie El was the massive black wolf countering the elephant that was the Apostle. Although she could not sever its life in a single blow,

The damage dealt was by no means light.

Violet surrounded the colossal creature, charging like hundreds of small yellow puppies. Though weak, they divided the Apostle’s attention and threw his nerves into disarray.

As for reality’s woes, the comrades suffering were rather better off. Another Apostle was trapped in an inescapable swamp, forced into a horrific war of attrition.

“Gahhh!”

The Apostle trapped in the mental space howled in agony. His mind was continuously tormented by Violet’s attacks.

The sharp blows felt like thousands of needles piercing him.

With each loss of consciousness, his thoughts grew more and more blurred.

“Don’t! I’m being read…!”

The Apostle realized that his memories and plans were gradually being exposed to Violet.

With each injury inflicted, he increasingly felt he was losing touch with his original self.

But he hated accepting that truth. He desperately struggled to maintain the remaining fragments of mental clarity.

However, the more he resisted, the deeper Violet dug into his inner self.

“That guy! What is he plotting?!”

“Gate! He’s making an interdimensional gate!!”

And at last, the Apostle unearthed the secret location he had worked so hard to conceal.

“No! Don’t look!”

The scream of the Apostle, steeped in despair, echoed through the mental space.

“Target location identified!”

“Move the mobile squad to that point immediately! Prepare to call Helios as well!”

Violet’s orders were swift.

Immediately, dozens of Violet Squads rapidly converged on the Apostle’s hiding place through the underground passage.

“Monsters detected! Break through!”

“Enemy resistance is strong! Requesting support!”

Fierce engagements began in the underground passage. A brutal slaughter between the Violets and the monsters. But the Violets could not stop.

The location of the Apostle’s hiding place projected on the tactical map was vivid. Positioned somewhat further back.

“Call Irene!”

The Command Center decided to deploy elite forces from Helios.

Now, they had only one card left. The Violet Command Center decided not to hold back.

After all, there were too many eyes watching them; retrieval was not an option.

“Armored Unit, mobilize!”

With the shout of the Violet Commander, all eyes focused in one direction.

In the distance, appeared personal vehicles laden with explosives, armed trucks, and a pair of light tanks.

“Charge!”

The engines roared in unison as the Armored Unit surged forward.

“Create a diversion so he doesn’t notice!”

Both mentally and physically, the Violets focused all their efforts to disrupt the Apostle.

Sophie El used that chance to engage the Apostle in fierce close combat.

“Ugh!”

Sophie El staggered from the Apostle’s fierce counterattack. The overall weight difference was certainly intimidating. However, instead of counterattacking, she fell back.

Then came a barrage of magical projectiles. A rain of melting light beams showered down.

Just in time for her powers to activate, the incoming beams twisted like candy, as the Apostle swung them as if wielding a whip.

“Kyaaaah!”

Violets caught in the beams ignited in flames.

At the same time, trucks hurtling madly toward the Apostle captured the Apostle’s attention for a moment.

“Take this!”

With a mighty shout, a truck loaded with explosives charged straight for the Apostle.

Before it could dodge, the truck collided with the Apostle’s body, and at that moment, a massive explosion erupted.

-Kwaang!

A thunderous sound echoed, and the surroundings became a chaos.

The explosion didn’t bring the Apostle down, but it delivered enough shock.

What welcomed the staggering monster was the power of civilization.

The barrel of a tank aimed squarely at the beast.

“Fire!”

The high-speed accelerated shell flew toward the Apostle. The injured Apostle remained unharmed.

With a swing of his sword, he deflected the shells and sent nearby monsters to disrupt the tank.

“What a mere hunk of scrap!”

“Oh no! The second vehicle!”

As the tank faltered, the Apostle unleashed ray magic, obliterating the second vehicle in an instant. The tank engulfed in flames exploded horrifically.

“Revenge for the second vehicle!”

At the moment defeat loomed, another light tank appeared, having circled through an alley.

The approaching tank unleashed electromagnetic rapid-fire toward the Apostle.

“This is democracy!”

With a wild charge, there was no time to evade. The 20-ton behemoth slammed into the Apostle, forcing him against the wall.

And with a shot aimed at his chest.

-Puff! Bang! Bang!

“The Iron Fist of Rugilinn is no show!”

Rugilinn’s iron fist lived up to its name. Though forced backward by a kick, it succeeded in inflicting significant damage, even if the armor crumpled severely.

With a flash, the Apostle vanished. As she glanced around, she caught sight of the monster distantly retreating to catch its breath and recover.

She could see large and small holes gouged into its chest.

“Vicious, really vicious!”

The Apostle did not die. The wounds were gradually, if not quickly, healing.

If his powers weren’t interrupted, the healing would have been even faster.

However, Violet was certain.

“We can win!”

With the combination of Sophie El, there were plenty of means to confront the Apostle on site.

All that remained was the one hidden Apostle working behind the scenes. Their location had already been identified.

His mind, firmly caught in the net.

If she sent a few Violet strike teams and Helios hunters, they would be easily hunted down.

“If we keep fighting like this…!”

A flicker of hope ignited in Violet’s heart.

If it continued as it was, they would achieve victory.

But Violet’s expectation was mistaken.

Violet did not achieve victory.

Sadly, no one had anticipated that the battle would unfold in such a way.

Who could have guessed that the most violent and rude fellows in the Academy City were watching quietly, just waiting to intervene?

Intruders suddenly burst into the arena, where a fierce battle was taking place.

There were no referees or guards to stop them, and the knights were unconcerned with what they were planning or what thoughts were occupying their minds.

After all, to them, a horde of terrorists and monsters weighed equally on their scales.

Thus, Restraid chose to overturn the table instead of opting for fair play, forcefully striking the heads of both combatants with the chessboard.

The ramifications of that rudeness were immense.

-Kwaang!

“What the—”

The thoughts of the Violets in direct combat with the Apostle were abruptly severed.

Violets patiently waiting a bit of distance away to reinsert themselves immediately sensed something was off.

“Kyaaaah! What is that!”

A mushroom cloud rose incessantly. The explosion was small, yet incredibly hot and intense.

“Ugh, uaaah—”

Tactical nuclear shells descended in succession over the urban ruins of the Erosion Zone.

A dazzling light and storm engulfed the ground.

The defenses of Astelria burned.

Astelria City was engulfed in the flames of nuclear fire.

The melted earth appeared devoid of all life.

Yet, amidst the devastation, Violets survived.

Near the epicenter, a corner of a crumbled building shook, and as the stone wall covering the sunken earth lifted partially,

A small girl, completely charred black, stumbled out.

The pitch-black Violet, after generating a new Violet, sagged and fell still once more.

“Everything’s gone!”

Beside the stunned Violet, the ground began to rise with a rattling sound.

Sophie El gasped as she emerged from her place. Thanks to the sacrifice of the Violets, she had barely made it into the underground passage.

As Sophie El stepped out, Violets who had hidden just in time poured out behind her.

From alleys and amongst the rubble, Violets crawled out one by one.

Fortunately, the losses were minimal. With this, they could quickly regenerate and boost their numbers again.

But there was a sense of emptiness.

“What… what is all this…”

“It looks like a nuclear weapon.”

Thanks to the distinct presence of the mushroom cloud, Violet understood what had transpired.

There was no answer but nuclear weapons to yield this level of destruction from conventional arms.

The surroundings had been devastated. Only a weapon that ambiguously lay between the ferocity of strategic arms and the precision of traditional weapons could yield such results.

Dozens of ruthless bombings were more than sufficient to reduce besieged buildings to shambles and create a sparse landscape.

Violet surveyed her surroundings warily.

Radiation was not frightening. Personal variations aside, the superior physical capabilities of Awakened Ones meant that even showering in fallout would only lead to discomfort.

However, the advantages of Awakened Ones extended to the other Awakened beings, i.e., monsters.

There were quite a few monsters that could endure a direct hit.

“Looks like we survived.”

And in the place where the most damage had been concentrated, the Apostle stood firmly, as if to challenge them.

The Apostle lightly traced a sword in the air. Then, the bodies of the once-dead monsters regrew as if time were flowing backward and reattached themselves.

The Apostle’s shredded body rapidly returned to its original state as well.

He nodded, as though to show, and once more, a tide of monsters slowly approached.

“Damn it! We’re back to square one!”

Violet’s anger flared. Who on earth was the one dropping bombs over their heads?

Even if you sprinkle ashes over perfectly cooked rice, there’s a limit. They were in the middle of something important!

Even so, the Violets steadied themselves, preparing once more to fight upon the irradiated ground.

Because the monsters were still present.

And behind them came the mechanical voice mixed with static.

“-Ariel Group, listen up.”

Fuming, Violet screamed into the noise-filled communication.

“Hey! Who the hell are you to butt in! Why are you obstructing us? Do you know what happens if we don’t kill them here?”

– We have come to protect peace. Stand down, terrorists. Your sacrifice is respected. But code Omega will be handled by us.

“Don’t make me laugh! Get lost, you useless interveners—”

“Violet.”

A gentle hand gripped her shoulder, pulling her to the side. Violet paused, turning around with a tear-streaked face.

Sophie El’s stern expression was focused behind Violet.

Hastily covering her face with cloth, she muttered,

“Let’s step back.”

When Violet lifted her head, she understood why Sister Sophie had said that.

What filled her vision was a fleet of enormous airships covering the sky.

The airships, reminiscent of whales, began to touch down on the ground one by one.

As the ramps opened, a surge of gleaming metallic armor poured forward,

Trailing behind them were heavily armed vehicles massively larger than military variants.

The clanging sound of machinery filled the air. The sub-motors and cylinders whined with noise.

As artificial muscles contracted and released, a peculiar tremor oscillated in the air.

Each step those metallic giants took sent subtle quakes through the earth beneath.

“Good job, kids.”

The nearest armored knight marching past tossed out a casual remark.

The Violet brigade stood on guard, taken aback by the unexpected intimidation,

But the other armored knights simply ignored the Violets as they passed by without even a glance. It was surprising.

It was neither goodwill nor malice—just indifference, as if passing by a stone.

Feeling the weight of that intimidation, the brigade took a step back.

And

The giants filled with iron and fire faced the monsters.

A storm raged, and a rain of ash from death fell as the knights came through to cross the path of the monsters.

No, they were those who were full of obstinance, having forgotten how to bow.

No, the ones who were the most steadfast and knew no defeat.

The war machines had arrived.

Restraid was here.

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