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Our new enemy, the Super Medium Tank Fusion Creature, is a vile little brat.

Originally, monsters are beings tightly wound with hostility towards humans.

So even a somewhat clever one would ultimately charge headlong without thinking. Except for intelligent beings like Apostles, most of them were just beasts after all.

They’re barbaric creatures that charge recklessly when it seems advantageous, then run away when it’s unfavorable.

However, the Fusion Creature we faced was different.

“You coward! It escaped!”

“Don’t run away! You bad guy!”

The more I mulled over it, the more my insides twisted.

Not only did it slip away with cunning tricks, but it even blasted off its own legs.

Such wickedness is typical of a vile monster.

Our Violets always fight under unfavorable conditions against monsters.

“But Violet, we won, right? It ran away after all.”

“Is that so?”

Enrique’s unexpected remark. It made sense, so I pondered it, but Levi interjected.

“Y-But we can’t go back to our dorm! What about class? Sophie El-sensei is down the cliff too…”

“We can just go around to a place where our legs are intact!”

After a bout of shooting, perhaps the heat had cooled down, Levi looked quite deflated.

Maybe my magic energy was a bit depleted, so I guzzled down a Magic Energy Supplement.

“So, what are we going to do now?”

“I still don’t know. Let’s think!”

I responded to Enrique’s question, flying the hang glider to devise our next move.

The fog was thick, but I could gauge our location.

“We have two options.”

Amidst the other two friends sitting down, Daphne, who had been silent, raised a question.

“One option, as Violet pointed out earlier, is to bypass this place and head somewhere else. The other one is—”

“To smash that Fusion Creature! It’ll die since it’s a coward!”

Daphne continued with a laugh that seemed to express resignation.

“Do you think we can? Even if its legs are blown off, the key point is whether we can pierce the fusion creature’s armor. Remember what we saw before? With our capabilities or Violet’s methods, we couldn’t completely defeat it. It’s a surprisingly intelligent monster.”

I nodded.

“We’re outmatched with just the methods we’ve used so far!”

Daphne’s words had merit.

Even if we weren’t here, there are countless ways to reach the exit.

It may take time if we go around, but we could cleverly evade the Fusion Creature.

But I didn’t want to do that.

Above all, as soon as I saw its figure, my heart stirred violently.

Is this what it feels like to love?

“Hey, is there any way to utilize that? It’s a tank!”

“It’s a Fusion Creature. It’s heavily modified, so controlling it will be tough.”

My mind’s network began calculating strategies rapidly.

Somehow, the creature relentlessly tormented me as if I were its sworn enemy.

Could I exploit that?

“Let’s distract its attention first!”

If we can’t cross to the rocky terrain beyond the legs, long-distance artillery fire is the best option. I need some time to set a trap.

“Let’s overwhelm it with shells!”

Just then, other hunters were under attack and retreating in the opposite direction.

Those who witnessed or heard the previous fierce battle wouldn’t dare to approach nearby.

The surroundings were covered in fog, so even if some commotion happened, it wouldn’t attract attention.

“The command center is transmitting! Artillery deployment!”

We began pulling out parts from our inventory, starting to assemble.

In various places, cannons and mortars were warming up.

Meanwhile, other Violets were setting up the launchers they had prepared in the dump truck’s cargo area.

On the other side, we deployed walkers hidden away and powered them up again.

“The command center is transmitting. All report!”

“All battery! Ready to fire!”

As the attack preparation progressed smoothly, ominous news arrived.

“Ahhh! They’re falling!”

“Flight Squadron! Report! What’s going on?”

“It’s monsters! The eagles are attacking!”

The squadron of hang gliders soaring over the fog came under attack from a horde of flying monsters that dove in between the cliffs.

While we on the ground remained cautious, those hang gliders were left vulnerable since the Fusion Creature was just as cowardly.

“This is the flight team! Broadcasting to the command center. We’re maintaining flight, but we’re struggling due to the constant harassment from monsters! Gaaah!”

“I got it!”

I gathered my thoughts and repeated self-affirmation.

After all, I am the commander, staff officer, radio operator, loader, battery officer, and observer.

According to the information received from Helios, this creature is a second-generation Super Medium Tank.

With its sturdy armor, targeting the upper armor with my cannons or mortars is the best we can do.

Nevertheless, from the previous skirmish, we had discerned its weaknesses.

“I noticed its main gun has a slow reload speed!”

The move to shift the cannon’s position right after firing paid off.

Losing one mortar and one Violet squad is a worthwhile sacrifice.

The Radio Violet signaled to Levi, who was peering through the rangefinder and scope atop a moving walker.

“…Wind direction left at 3m/s. Humidity at 95%. Temperature at 18 degrees. Gravity at 1.2G… Pressure is average, with a height difference of 15m… Consider the wind direction and aim right…!”

“Alright, Levi, you ready? Enrique, how about you? Can you do it?”

“Yes, leave it to me!”

“I can do it too! I’ve practiced firing a lot from here!”

As the walkers moved around, the large bolts fired from above disappeared over the cliff.

A white line quickly zipped through, and one of the secondary gun turrets fell off.

And right in front of it, a brilliant plasma sphere began to slowly descend.

-BOOM!

“Did it hit? It must have hit, right?”

I shook my head.

“It curved just in front!”

How can something so large be so nimble?

Even with rockets and cannons drawing its attention, that Fusion Creature maneuvered its body skillfully, trying to avoid critical attacks to the maximum.

Once again, the Fusion Creature retaliated.

We exchanged artillery fire across the deep, wide valley.

As time passed, the Fusion Creature became filled with scratches.

Drone Violets could see ballista bolts stuck in its armor like toothpicks.

-THUD!

“No! The catapult!”

Oh no, the catapult has vanished.

At this rate, we won’t be able to set traps around the Fusion Creature in time.

Suddenly, a good idea popped into my head.

“Daphne! Come over here!”

“…?”

“Hit me!”

Daphne questioned my sudden demand and I explained what I wanted.

“What do you mean?”

“But it’s possible! Right? If we don’t do this, we won’t be able to capture it. Hurry up!”

“It is possible, but… uh, okay… this is insane…”

With a pained expression, Daphne swung her staff at me with all her might.

The hexagonal small barrier surrounding the staff impacted, and with the force of the shock, the Violet soared into the sky.

“Ahhh! I’m flying!”

With Daphne’s catapult aid, the Violets started to leap over the cliff one after another.

**

The commander took a breath and surveyed his surroundings. The area was wrecked due to the fierce bombardment from Code Omega and its subordinate monsters.

“What a wretched monster.”

He couldn’t fathom when the monsters had learned artillery tactics.

Each time the opposite cliff revealed itself through the fog, sharp beams of white light came flying in arc form and had already immobilized two secondary gun turrets. He’d already narrowly avoided direct hits from slow magic spheres five times too.

The impact from the explosions had nearly stripped away the armor, and several weapons and equipment were disabled.

Gradually, the monsters’ bombardment was becoming less frequent. The commander fell deep into thought.

Perhaps they too were reaching their limit.

They might even be able to hold out until reinforcements arrive.

Just as a glimmer of hope started to rise, the sudden silence that followed the cessation of gunfire made the tank commander instinctively feel a sense of foreboding.

For some reason, his senses had sharpened excessively, allowing him to detect even the subtle movements in this fog-laden Red Zone.

He assumed it was due to training and tension. His mind was turning rigid, sensing abnormalities which led his thoughts down other paths.

“Something’s wrong, I can’t detect any monsters with thermal imaging equipment; there’s no irregularity on the radar… What is this? Technician, check. Secondary gun turret number 2. Report.”

There was no response. As he dismissed the silence of his subordinates as nothing significant, he heard something explode underneath the tank.

“…?”

Thinking it was the sound of rock cracking, the commander turned his head.

It was too strange of a sound.

It wasn’t the noise of a solid foundation grinding against a track; it was more akin to the noise made when stepping on something soft and tender.

Like stepping on a monster.

He leaned as far out of the hatch as his stiff body would allow.

The moment after, he was taken aback.

The ground around him, and the track itself, had been crushed by a monster.

A yellow-furred monster.

Code Omega.

Now that he looked, there were countless monster corpses scattered around.

It was all too clean and tidy.

‘Why on the ground…?’

The monster that had remained silent like a corpse suddenly raised its head.

The tank commander made eye contact with the cruel, red-filled gaze brimming with malice.

Now he saw that monsters were littered around the tank like corpses. Why?

In the blink of an eye, the corpses on the ground lunged at the tank.

“It’s an ambush! Driver, full speed ahead! This is a trap!”

Murmuring amidst the chaos, the tank commander realized the road was blocked. He shot down everyone flying towards them and tracked down anyone that landed.

But how?

The ceaseless assault of monsters had been exhausting, and they were all moving like projectiles, circling the area like reconnaissance aircraft. The monstrous behavior flashed through his mind.

Surely, the explosions when they landed had been threatening, but he prided himself on having evaded everything.

Amidst hazy memories and confused sensations, the ghoul arrived at a shocking conclusion.

‘Could it be that the purpose was to scatter their corpses here? For a close ambush like this? A revival, perhaps?’

If Violet had known, she would have marveled.

His inference was nearly spot-on.

“All Hibernating Violets. Wake up! Find the intact bodies and get in quickly! Run!”

The command center chuckled as it clicked on the map of the Fusion Creature.

“See? Just as I predicted.”

Violet thought deeply about the peculiar ability of that Fusion Creature that could seek them out.

And she recalled the process of the previous conquest of the Karnak Archipelago.

The environment of Karnak Archipelago had relentlessly tormented the living Violets.

Only one Violet was not tormented by the Red Zone.

“Hibernating Violets have suffered no harm! And…”

“Our intuition was correct! The Fusion Creature couldn’t recognize Hibernating Bodies!”

The Violets thrown by the catapult spun around continuously, generating Hibernating Bodies and tossing them at the lands well away from the battle.

Some sustained fractures in their arms or legs due to the impact of dropping.

Still, the numbers were sufficient.

Once again, five hundred Violets awaken and charge forward.

This time from all 360 degrees. A distance you can’t possibly dodge.

Resistance was weak.

Due to the ruthless artillery fire having nullified most weaponry.

“Now you can’t run away!”

“Aim for the tracks! Get on it!”

The melting rays from the Violets lashed out, smiting the tracks of the Super Medium Tank Fusion Creature.

Finally left alone, the last secondary turret began to fall silent just before the Fusion Creature became stuck.

-CLUNK!

The tracks were about to detach. The tank commander screamed as he clutched the machine gun on the tank.

“Damn it! Die! I said die, you monster bastards!”

-BOOM!

Just after the last long-range main gun shot, one Violet shot out from the smoke, gripping her staff.

“Die, you monster!”

Unit 3421 slammed the end of her staff into the ground with all her might.

The refreshing sound of breaking stone echoed in the ears of the Violets.

A massive magic circle engulfed the ground and air around them.

Sensing the impending danger, the tank commander hastily hid inside the turret and shut the hatch, but it was too late.

“Preparing high-grade magic! Concentrate magic energy, activate Vision Memory Chip!”

“Adriana’s Lightning Storm. Unleash!”

A colossal storm of lightning swept through the tank and the surroundings, excluding the caster.

Heat and current slammed into the Fusion Creature.

A blinding white flash that could scorch the eyes.

Once more, the tank, which had been bleached, transformed into nothing but a dark pile of scrap metal.

As the light faded, all the barrels drooped, losing their power and hanging down lifelessly.

The Violets sensed the bizarre magic energy wave that had been tingling their skin vanish.

“We did it! It’s defeated!”

“We won!”

The Violets cheered as they slowly approached the tank after hunting down another Fusion Creature.

-CLICK!

As the turret hatch opened, something blackened and charred sprang out.

Violet Squad tilted their heads, drawing their swords.

It was that ghoul from before. It sure is a tenacious little creature.

The ghoul’s actions were strange.

Crawling out unsteadily, it surveyed them with a warped face that seemed to exude resentment beyond mere hatred.

As Violet wondered why she felt such a sentiment, the unfolding situation left her speechless.

“You… damn monster bastards… What is the reason?”

“W-What?! That guy speaks human language!”

Violets murmured in confusion. Now, the girls could understand the ghoul’s screams.

The tank commander gasped through his pain as he shouted.

“Damn it, what the hell is your reason? You damn wretched bugs! You filthy monster bastards! Why can’t you just blissfully kill innocent people as you wish?!”

“Huh? Hey, ghoul. We’re not like that!”

“It seems it can’t understand us…?”

“You damn devils! You shall never go! Whatever mutated monster you are, I won’t let you wreak havoc any longer. You won’t take another step past this point!”

-THWACK!

As Violet froze in place from the unexpected situation, the ghoul shouted.

“Technician! Overload the reactor! Our service ends here!”

“Huh? That thing is trying to self-destruct! Stop it!”

“Omega bastard, let’s go to the afterlife together!”

The light spreading from the ghoul grew increasingly bright, attempting to envelop the entire tank.

“This is for those who died on the campaign! And… for my father!”

A black line shot towards the Fusion Creature.

-CRACK!

The ghoul’s desperate scream abruptly cut off midway.

Part of the turret cleanly sheared off and slid down, while the upper half of the body fell lifelessly, rolling onto the bluish rocky floor.

-CRUNCH!

The magical energy spreading through the tank was interrupted by the shower of sword energy. Sophie El lightly shook her spear and scratched her head with an awkward expression.

“Sorry! I took too long, right? It took a while to crawl up. The Crysatus crowd was overly violent after all.”

“That’s fine! You just prevented self-detonation.”

“My prediction was correct… It was the right call to suppress it before it got desperate. More importantly, what’s that…?”

As Sophie El continued, her gaze fixed upon a certain spot.

The creature that was once a ghoul was struggling to part its lips.

“Who… who is there? I can’t see… the front…”

“W-What? Why did it suddenly become so docile?”

“Did it become human?”

“What? Can you hear us?”

“…W-Who are you? To which… clan do you belong? The Federation…? Was the retreat of the Third Expeditionary Force completed safely…?”

The moment the term “Third Expeditionary Force” was mentioned, tension shadowed Sophie’s face.

“Um, I’m Ariel. I’m part of a clan.”

“Ariel, were you able to evacuate? The students, were the citizens evacuated…?”

Not knowing what to say, Violet stood there in confusion, exchanging glances with Sophie.

Upon seeing her slightly troubled expression, Violet chose what she felt was an appropriate response.

“Everyone is safe and evacuated. The retreat has been completed.”

The ghoul emitted a strange groan, akin to a balloon deflating.

“Thank goodness…”

With those words, the ghoul fell silent.

Somewhere deep, Violet felt an inexplicable sympathy for it, placing a hand on its head.

“Um, I don’t know who you were, but you fought well. Rest in peace!”

A short flash of light sparkled from Violet’s fingertips.

“Huh?”

The ghoul’s corpse crumbled to dust along with the combat uniform it wore. Soon, two colors of light, red and golden, rose gently and scattered like dandelion seeds on a spring day.

“What is this?”

“…?”

Sophie El and the Violets, who peered around urgently, couldn’t understand the situation. The magic energy had vanished into thin air.

“I—I didn’t do anything! I swear!”

“I’m not blaming you, Violet. It’s definitely due to the influence of the Fusion Creature. Right?”

Although the two pondered briefly over the nature of the phenomenon, no answers came.

In the interim, a faint golden thread slipped into the tank.

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