Chapter 88

– What are you talking about?

—

Kiron’s words, masked as calm.

—

But through the camera of the little drone, a single bead of sweat could be seen trickling down the back of his neck.

—

– What’s inside that unnecessarily large ammo box?

—

– Well, what else would be inside an ammo box?

—

Durallu didn’t back down from Kiron’s reply.

—

Taking a step forward, he snapped his fingers and extended his hand.

—

– Then show it to me.

—

– Why should I?

—

– If there’s nothing, you can show it, right? Isn’t that so?

—

– I refuse.

—

As Kiron said those words, Durallu lifted his hand.

—

The grins of his subordinates vanished, replaced with serious expressions as they aimed their guns.

—

And the muzzles of their guns were, of course, pointed at us.

—

The atmosphere shifted; a tense silence filled the air.

—

– …What are you planning to do?

—

– I don’t want to cause unnecessary trouble either. So, can you just let me verify for a moment, huh?

—

BOOM, BOOM.

—

Heavy footsteps were approaching.

—

Without realizing it, I swallowed hard, pondering ways to resolve this situation.

—

Should I send a signal to Mr. Baldur, who’s waiting nearby, and just wipe everyone out?

—

Or should I summon the marionettes and push through—

—

Right at that moment, as these thoughts crossed my mind,

—

Nisia moved her body slightly, causing the ammo box to sway gently from side to side.

—

“Hm?”

—

A brief silence.

—

And then suddenly, a thunderous gunshot rang out.

—

TATATATAT!!

—

“Yeow?!”

—

I quickly covered my ears with both hands against the loud noise.

—

The vibration from the gunshots could be felt all the way to the ammo box.

—

Turning my head to check the camera of the little drone, I saw the medium machine gun firing off into the air.

—

TING, TING.

—

The brass cartridge casings falling to the ground.

—

Everyone stared at Nisia in confusion, but she didn’t stop firing.

—

The medium machine gun kept spouting flames without end.

—

Once the last bullet beneath the ammo box was sucked into the machine gun, the firing finally ceased.

—

—

The red-hot barrel of the medium machine gun glowed brightly.

—

– What is this? What’s going on?

—

– Move quickly!

—

The chaos quickly spread around us.

—

Footsteps rushed toward this direction.

—

Through the camera of the little drone, I could see soldiers from the fortress gathering.

—

And toward Kiron and Durallu, who were standing there dumbfounded, a low voice rang out.

—

– Is there anything else you would like to verify?

—

That voice was unmistakably from Nisia, but it sounded nothing like a woman’s.

—

She must be using the reinforcement suit’s voice modulation function.

—

– …

– ….

—

Her declaration left both of them speechless, like honey-fed bears.

—

As more soldiers continued to gather and attention focused on them,

—

Durallu quickly scanned the area, frowned, and slowly backed away.

—

– Humph, be more careful next time.

—

BOOM, BOOM.

—

The retreating footsteps.

—

The gang that had been aiming their guns also immediately lowered their weapons and followed after him.

—

The situation was resolved in the blink of an eye.

—

Though aggressive, thanks to Nisia’s quick thinking, we escaped the crisis.

—

– Phew, I was surprised. Still, we managed to get through okay.

—

– I apologize, I acted on my own without discussing.

—

– No, the situation didn’t call for it anyway. You actually did well.

—

Our brief exchange.

—

– Then let’s move on?

—

– Yes.

—

Kiron moved forward again, and Nisia followed behind him.

—

After creating such a large commotion, none of the soldiers dared to stop us as we advanced further into the fortress.

—

We moved deeper inside the fortress.

—

It wasn’t long before we arrived at our destination.

—

The oily iron door, rusted in several places.

—

On either side stood two Amalgam soldiers from the Iron Legion’s elite force, guarding the door in reinforced armor.

—

They wore the same reinforced armor as Nisia, but theirs was patched with crude iron plates and rusted in various places.

—

Their gloves, however, appeared a bit more refined, decorated with ornamental embellishments, giving off a slightly higher quality than Nisia’s suit.

—

After confirming our presence, one of the Amalgams approached with heavy footsteps.

—

– Chief Kiron? What brings you here?

—

– I need to discuss something with the General.

—

– Did you make an appointment?

—

– No, it’s an urgent matter.

—

The Amalgam paused briefly after hearing Kiron’s words.

—

– Can I at least hear what it’s about?

—

– No, it’s important information, so that won’t be possible.

—

– …

—

After contemplating Kiron’s rejection for some time, he nodded at the other Amalgam standing beside the door.

—

TUNG, TUNG.

—

The loud knocking on the thick iron door echoed through the hallway.

—

A voice flowed out from inside the room.

—

– What is it? What’s all this commotion?

—

– General, Chief Kiron has arrived.

—

– Kiron? Why would he come here?

—

– I don’t know, but he says it’s urgent.

—

– Hmm?

—

A brief silence.

—

Without any warning, the door creaked open wide, and soldiers inside grabbed the door and held it open.

—

– Come in.

—

Following the voice, Kiron entered the room.

—

As Nisia was about to follow him inside, a hand rested on her shoulder.

—

– Hold on, only the General’s personal guards are allowed to bring weapons into his room.

—

– …

—

In response, Nisia handed the medium machine gun over to the Amalgam.

—

But the Amalgam didn’t stop there; he pointed toward the ammo box strapped to Nisia’s back.

—

– Leave that here too.

—

– …

—

Nisia briefly glanced toward the little drone.

—

Acknowledging her silent inquiry, I moved the little drone up and down as a sign of approval.

—

– Here.

—

– Hmm.

—

After handing over the ammo box, the Amalgam finally stepped back.

—

Nisia and Kiron proceeded into the room.

—

Closing the door, the Amalgam placed the ammo box and the medium machine gun beside him.

—

THUD.

—

The faint, tingling sensation of the impact.

—

Through the little drone’s camera, I could see Nisia and Kiron advancing toward the center of the room.

—

It was the underground command room of the fortress, which I had seen a few times in the AOE.

—

The fan-shaped room with a slanting floor gave the illusion of being in a theater or concert hall.

—

At the lowest point stood an alien structure, towering high.

—

The pile of ruined communication equipment and machinery housed an eccentric decoration – a magnificent yet crude throne encrusted with wires and circuit boards.

—

– Hmph.

—

A large man sat in the chair, looking down at Nisia and Kiron.

—

He wore an old military long coat, and the cap on his head was plastered with countless rank badges and embellishments.

—

Over his neat military uniform was a brass-colored bullet belt wrapped layer upon layer, giving the impression of it being a gilded decoration.

—

This man was the master of the fortress and the leader of the Iron Legion – Adamant.

—

His voice amplified through a makeshift microphone around his neck rang powerfully through the room.

—

– Kiron, coming to the fortress without making an appointment – did you forget the rules?

—

– Of course not, General.

—

Kiron bowed his head and answered respectfully.

—

Confirming that, I averted my eyes from the camera.

—

Though the plan had slightly gone awry, there was no time to hesitate.

—

I touched the ammo box and concentrated.

—

“Homunculus summon, Marionette. Armament: KM16A1 5.56mm assault rifle, Micro KUZI, Infantry Set.”

—

– MP will be consumed to summon the homunculus equipped with the designated weapons and gear.

—

I didn’t stop there and simultaneously summoned several marionettes.

—

A large amount of mana flowed out of my body.

—

In the space between the two Amalgams, four marionettes with full combat gear appeared.

—

– [Marionette, initiating movement.]

—

– Huh?

—

– Wha?

—

The two of them flinched.

—

And in that fleeting moment, the battle was decided.

—

– [Detected hostile elements. Neutralizing them.]

—

The marionettes moved like a well-trained unit, splitting into two to charge at the Amalgams on either side.

—

They swiftly tilted the soldiers’ necks and plunged dark blades into their weak points.

—

PLOP, PLOP.

—

The heavy noise of metal slicing through flesh.

—

The old fibers of the enhanced armor failed to resist, allowing the blades to pass through with ease.

—

– Ggr…

—

– Gur…

—

The wind carried the short cries of agony, followed by two thuds.

—

– [Neutralized hostile elements. Please provide further instructions.]

—

“Then could you help me out by letting me out?”

—

– [Understood.]

—

Despite being unfamiliar with the equipment, the marionette quickly understood its structure and began removing me from the ammo box.

—

Once I extended my hands, the marionette holding the gun quickly strapped it onto his back and lifted me up.

—

The elevated view.

—

But the ride wasn’t particularly comfortable.

—

Ah, it’s stiff and cold…

—

But there was no time to linger. I immediately checked the little drone’s camera.

—

TATAT, TATAT.

—

The noise came from the other side of the camera.

—

Adamant, who had been rhythmically tapping the chair’s handle while looking at Kiron, spoke again.

—

– So, you have something to say?

—

– Yes, could you lend us some men?

—

Saying that, Kiron glanced around the room.

—

The drone followed Kiron and made a full spin.

—

There were at least ten bodyguards, roughly estimated.

—

Though they weren’t wearing reinforcement suits, I recalled how tricky they had been when fighting alongside their boss.

—

– I refuse. And those guys are like my hands and feet, so don’t worry about them.

—

– …Yes, my apologies.

—

Kiron bowed his head again.

—

Still, it seemed he had established a certain authority in this wasteland, his actions were measured.

—

Unfortunately, his opponent was the wrong one.

—

I glanced away from the drone’s camera and summoned two more unarmed marionettes, giving them instructions.

—

“Alright, you two, change into those reinforcement suits. If anyone approaches, drive them away.”

—

[Understood.]

—

They nodded and promptly changed into the reinforcement suits.

—

After confirming that, I looked toward the armed marionettes.

—

“Alright, let’s move in together. Each of you take out five enemies. Can you handle it?”

—

[Leave it to us.]

—

The four marionettes nodded at my words.

—

Though the opponents were strong, my marionettes had also been enhanced through level corrections and were considerably powerful.

—

“Alright, let’s go in!”

—

The marionettes gripped their guns in both hands and waited on either side of the door while nodding.

—

With a loud bang, the door swung open and everyone’s gaze shifted to us.

—

“Everybody, get down!!”

—

TATATATAT! TATATATAT!

—

Even before my shout had fully reached their ears, Nisia dropped to the ground, shielding Kiron.

—

Simultaneously, bullets fired by the marionettes pierced through the unarmed bodyguards.

—

“Uurgh!?”

—

“Kh….”

—

The enemies fell, bleeding.

—

The marionettes fired precisely three bullets into each target, methodically eliminating them.

—

“Attack!”

—

“Retaliate— Aaaagh!”

—

One tried to raise his gun but fell before he could fire, while another dashed for cover only to be felled by a bullet.

—

“Fucking hell!!”

—

Adamant cursed loudly and leapt from his chair, witnessing the chaos.

—

His hand reached for the grenade launcher leaning against the chair.

—

“Summon, Hand Glider. Armament: M18 Smoke Grenades!”

—

The hand glider materialized on my shoulder.

—

“Charge!”

—

With my command, the glider darted straight at Adamant like lightning.

—

The lower weapon compartments of the hand glider spread open.

—

At the same moment Adamant grabbed the grenade launcher, two smoke grenades fell from them.

—

“Gwaaah?!”

—

The rapidly spreading gray smoke quickly enveloped the chair where Adamant sat.

—

“Damn it!”

—

Adamant struggled to push the smoke away.

—

Despite his efforts, the dense smoke quickly overtook him, swallowing his body.

—

Amid the chaos, the gunfire continued.

—

“Gurk…”

—

The last guards taking cover behind barricades fell to the incoming bullets.

—

Alone stood Adamant.

—

Through the smoke, four gun barrels aimed at the struggling Adamant.

—

The flashing of muzzles and the sound of gunfire.

—

With that, the marionettes lowered their guns.

—

[Suppression complete.]

—

The smoke slowly dissipated over time.

—

And revealed—not the lifeless body of Adamant—but the coat draped on the chair.

—

Then, I noticed—without being asked, the marionettes were skillfully moving to clear away the bodies, making sure the fallen enemies remained out of my sight.

—

Hmm, feeling a bit like I’m being treated like a child here…

—

Still, I had things to take care of, so I tapped the marionette carrying me on its back and directed its attention toward the two of them.

—

“Nisia, Mr. Kiron.”

—

“Edu, it turned out well.”

—

“Indeed.”

—

Though I felt my heart drop when things split apart, somehow it all worked out.

—

Kiron sank to the floor with a sigh.

—

“Phew, I thought I was about to die.”

—

“Thank you for your service.”

—

“No, but about the promises you mentioned earlier…”

—

Carefully hinting at it, Kiron trailed off.

—

“Don’t worry, Nisia?”

—

“Yep, it’s here.”

—

Nisia pulled something out from a storage compartment in her reinforcement suit. It was a chocolate bar.

—

“Thank you.”

—

Unlike before, Kiron tore into the wrapper and immediately popped it into his mouth.

—

His face softened into a gentle smile.

—

“I believe that trust should be returned with trust. The rest of the promises will be honored as well.”

—

“Yes, thank you very much.”

—

Kiron bowed.

—

Alright, now the head of our enemy has fallen.

—

All that’s left is to remove the factors that could replace the fallen head.

—

“Then let’s move on to the next one.”

—

“Okay.”

—

“Understood.”

—

---