Forward, and forward again.
Soldiers and police of the Navy Line fired without hesitation at me and the Turncoat Knight.
Bang!
Bang, bang, bangbangbang!
Bullets whizzed from every direction.
Even I couldn't take direct hits without harm, so I thickened the bone tendrils coiling around me, focusing entirely on defense.
'Almost there.'
Pushing through the storm of bullets, the towering outer walls of the Belov estate finally came into view in the distance.
As I already knew, the estate's walls were massive—more akin to fortress battlements than anything else.
"Be cautious from here."
Even for the Turncoat Knight, the Belov Estate's defense systems were not to be underestimated.
And if the family's enforcers joined in, this fight would be far from easy.
["Unders… tood."]
The moment of confrontation approached quickly.
No sooner had we arrived in front of the estate than its outer defense system activated, unleashing a torrent of firepower.
Zing, clack—
BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM──!
Countless mounted turrets opened fire with terrifying force.
Crack—
Craaaack───
The barrage was so intense, the bone armor I wore began to fracture under pressure.
The Turncoat Knight wasn't faring much better.
We couldn't afford to sit there and take the bombardment.
I drew the Spear of Ankelenth.
Crick, crackle…
Gripping it until my muscles screamed, I hurled the spear toward the estate.
FWWWWWWWIIIIIIISH────!
The spear tore through the air and smashed into one of the mounted turrets.
KA-BOOOOOOOM!
Not to be outdone, the Turncoat Knight followed suit, hurling his own bone spear.
BOOM—!
BOOMBOOM!
Despite their reputation, the Belov estate's turrets couldn't withstand our joint assault.
With the defenses momentarily disabled, we launched our full-scale attack.
Hssssss!
I pulled out bone spears with both hands and launched them in rapid succession.
The Turncoat Knight did the same.
With our pseudo-barrage raining down, it wasn't long before the Belov enforcers emerged to respond.
They were finally taking us seriously.
BOOM!
BOOMBOOM──!
Gunfire and shells flew from the estate.
These were no disciplined soldiers sworn to protect Ark—they were mafia.
That should've made them easier targets.
But this wasn't any mafia.
This was the Belov family.
["Master!"]
Esther's urgent warning came a split second before a shell slammed into my shoulder.
KA-BOOM!
Luckily, Janus reacted quickly enough to keep the explosion from taking my upper body, but the blow still rattled me.
'Tch.'
A brief lapse in defense.
The estate's counterattack only intensified.
BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM───!
The Turncoat Knight, unable to withstand it all, raised a forest of bone tendrils like a porcupine to block the assault.
'Still the same as ever…'
Only the Belov family could outgun the Navy Line itself.
But then again, power came from force—and in the Navy Line, no one had more power than the Belovs.
'I can't keep playing defense.'
As I considered my next move, the barrage continued hammering at my armor.
It was holding for now, but I had no idea how long it would last.
'It'll last for a while… but not forever.'
And the Turncoat Knight—he was looking worse by the second.
Any longer in this storm and he could be critically injured.
'I've got to act.'
Just as I prepared to drop my guard and go on the offensive—
[Heehee…]
A sudden ether surge hit me.
Stronger than the one that came with Ivan Belov's soldiers.
"Guh!"
I couldn't shake it off with brute force.
So, I summoned my own ether.
[Get… lost…]
No matter how attuned the Belov family's adept was, their ether couldn't compare to mine.
Surprised but unshaken, I pushed the ether away and launched myself toward the Belov estate.
'Unless you're going for a kill, light attacks won't pierce that place.'
Sure, I could blow a hole through the walls.
But that would risk civilian casualties.
And I wasn't here to kill.
'A mafia with an ether adept… how typical.'
But for the Belovs, it wasn't even surprising.
More than just ether adepts, the Belovs had something worse.
["Master! Something's coming!"]
One by one, figures emerged from the estate.
They weren't ordinary enforcers.
They exuded a very different presence.
'Navy Line-enhanced soldiers…'
More precisely—Belov enforcers enhanced through experimental augmentation.
'Ether soldiers and enhanced fighters… they really don't make this easy.'
They drew R-1 Plasma Swords.
Even I couldn't ignore a weapon like that.
"Let's do this."
Even though I couldn't use firearms or reveal my identity, I wasn't going to hold back if they weren't.
'Janus.'
[Ki-giit!]
'Wipe them out.'
Hundreds of bone tendrils burst from Janus, burrowing underground toward our attackers.
This was no warning.
This was punishment.
['Needle Spike' has been activated.]
RUMBLEEEEEEEEEEEE!
BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM!
The flower that once bloomed on the Navy Line walls now bloomed before the Belov estate.
I hadn't meant to do this much damage.
But their excessive resistance pissed me off.
'Still, I adjusted the range—none of them should be dead.'
Just as I hoped, the enforcers caught in the blast rose shakily.
But they were in no condition to continue.
'That should be enough.'
We'd made our point.
It was time to go.
Even Anton Belov couldn't look at the state of his defenses and still trust Ivan with command.
'As far as I'm concerned, Ivan Belov is finished.'
He let monsters break through the Navy Line and rampage through its heart.
And when he tried to recover the situation, he got utterly humiliated.
If this weren't politics, he'd be executed.
But a father wouldn't kill his son.
So, demotion was inevitable.
'My job's done.'
Only thing that lingered was Tatiana.
'I hope she takes his place… but that's up to Anton.'
I had done all I could.
Now it was time to wait.
"Let's go back."
["Unders… tood."]
The Turncoat Knight and I turned to leave.
Behind us, the Belov estate was in ruins.
Its once-impenetrable walls lay shattered.
Its proud turrets destroyed.
Its elite enforcers buried in bone.
Only dust and fragments remained of what was once the symbol of Belov power.
It was done.
Time to go.
Or so I thought—
["Master! Behind you!"]
Esther's urgent cry came just before something slammed into the back of my head.
A bullet.
Clang!
Thankfully, my armor held.
But the problem was clear.
Reinforcements had arrived.
'Not ordinary ones. A named special unit.'
And I knew exactly who it was.
'Navy Line's Special Strike Force.'
The one under Tatiana Belov.
"That's far enough, monster."
Her chilling warning came as her troops surrounded me, plasma swords in hand.
This was no time for carelessness.
Even I needed to focus.
'Didn't think I'd run into Tatiana again like this… but maybe that's a good thing.'
Had I left now, Ivan's fall would be the end.
But with Tatiana here…
'If I pretend to be driven back, she gets the credit for repelling the Turncoats.'
And with that, she becomes the obvious successor.
Back to the original plan.
'Let's go.'
I stopped in my tracks and turned to face Tatiana Belov.
Then spoke to Janus.
'Growl.'
Janus, as if on cue, let loose the most monstrous roar he could muster.
[KIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE────!]