For a moment, the air froze.
Even in the middle of a ferocious battle, the presence that had just appeared before us was powerful enough to command that reaction.
"...."
Of course, it only lasted a moment.
I suppressed any signs of agitation and promptly pulled the trigger of the Ark-34 Automatic Conversion Rifle.
Even if an unexpected guest had arrived, there was no time to dawdle.
BANG!
BOOM-BOOM───!
The A-985 Explosive Rounds scattered in every direction, setting off continuous bursts of explosions.
["...Will... assist."]
The Turncoat Rook and Turncoat Knight quickly gathered themselves and resumed their assaults.
Bone spikes erupted in all directions, piercing the wings of the flying beasts.
"Hmm... You all look quite busy. Shall I lend a hand?"
The Turncoat Queen moved her lips, her crimson mouth only half hidden by her bone mask.
It was an offer that came unexpectedly—but given the current situation, refusing her help would be foolish.
Or rather, we had no luxury for prideful posturing.
"I won't decline."
"Good, I like honesty."
The Turncoat Queen smiled and began revealing her true capabilities—as a high-tier Skull Turncoat classified as a Boss.
Sssss───!
Bone tendrils began unfurling from the Turncoat Queen's body.
Compared to those of the Turncoat Knight, the Turncoat Rook, or even Janus, hers were incomparably larger and more formidable.
'Impressive.'
PFT!
PFT-PFT!
[KAAAAAAAH!]
[GUOOOOO!]
The Turncoat Queen's tendrils pierced through the surrounding monsters like skewers, one after another.
Their speed, power, and sheer size easily outclassed Janus.
'Honestly, she's comparable to the Turncoat King.'
Her power was unmistakable.
Thanks to her intervention, the battlefield began to ease up significantly.
Even before, with just me, the Turncoat Rook, and the Turncoat Knight, we could barely manage the 14th Wave.
But now, with a being ranked beyond any grade—a Boss class monster like the Turncoat Queen—fighting alongside us, the balance tipped heavily in our favor.
"Hmmm... Would you step back a little? It might get dangerous."
At her request, I motioned for the Turncoat Rook and Turncoat Knight to withdraw momentarily.
I knew exactly what was coming.
"You're very cooperative. But I guess that's only natural when I'm the one helping."
The Turncoat Queen chuckled.
And then—
Bone tendrils began swirling around her in a massive storm.
'That's…'
In chess, the most important piece is the King.
Of course—no matter what clever strategies you use, if your King falls, you lose.
However, the strongest piece in terms of pure power is the Queen.
It moves vertically, horizontally, and diagonally—unrestricted.
In terms of chess piece values, a Pawn is 1 point, Bishops and Knights 3 points, Rooks 5 points, and the Queen 9 points.
The Queen alone is stronger than several minor pieces combined.
Of course, that's just numerical values.
In Ark, the names given to the Turncoats weren't based on chess roles—they simply numbered them from King to Pawn.
Still, the fact that the Queen carried that name spoke of ancient power.
And the Turncoat Queen now fully embodied that title.
Sssssssss─────
Creak, creak-creeeak!
A massive blossom of bone petals unfurled around her.
Blossom.
It wasn't just a wide-area attack.
Each petal, alive like a snake, whipped through the air, consuming and shredding monsters and beasts.
["What the hell..."]
Even Esther gasped in horror.
'Janus could perform large-scale attacks too, but...'
Janus' Needle Spike technique was limited to ground-based attacks.
The Turncoat Queen's attack, however, reached the skies.
Without any foothold needed.
And her range and power utterly eclipsed Janus.
'I knew it intellectually... but seeing it firsthand is different.'
The Turncoat Queen's Death Blossom devoured everything around her.
It wasn't even her strongest technique, yet it already surpassed Janus by far.
And I knew—
This was only the beginning.
Creak, creak────!
The petals unfurled even further.
Not dozens or hundreds—but thousands, tens of thousands—of bone petals.
Full Bloom.
The swirling storm of death swept across the battlefield.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM────!
It was pure annihilation.
A death offered indiscriminately to all life present.
[Kiiiik...]
[Kahaa.]
Even Grade-3 monsters and higher were caught within the storm and torn apart without resistance.
'Blossom and Full Bloom.'
And this wasn't even her ultimate technique.
The battlefield went eerily still, as if the Ankelenth's Domain had been cast.
With that momentary peace, the Turncoat Queen approached me.
"Looks like we finally have a moment to talk."
"...Seems that way."
"Good, good. I knew you'd be reasonable."
She laughed lightly.
But I knew better.
Behind that smile, she hid poisonous thorns.
"We've met before, haven't we, Rook?"
"...Tch."
The Turncoat Rook tried to hide his fear, but I saw through him easily.
He was scared.
'So, she really is even more dangerous than the Turncoat King.'
The Rook, who once plotted to seize the Ark itself, was now instinctively afraid of her.
That alone spoke volumes.
"What do you want?"
"Must you be so wary between kin? Shouldn't we chat casually, maybe have tea together?"
"Kin? Give me a break."
Technically, I wasn't even a true Turncoat.
The Skull Knight was closer to me than the Skull Turncoats ever were.
The Queen surely knew that.
"Ah well, you're just shy. You'll warm up eventually."
"What do you want?"
"So prickly. You must be very unpopular."
At that moment—
["Not true! Our Master is super popular! He's always making girls swoon!"]
"..."
Even the Turncoat Queen looked slightly stunned by Esther's sudden outburst.
That said a lot.
"...Be quiet."
["Hmph! Why? If you're gonna insult him, at least let me brag a little—how about you take off that mask so we can see who's really popular?"]
"Enough."
Only after I reached into my coat to stroke the Experimental Round GHOST-157 did Esther finally fall silent.
Honestly—words weren't our strong suit.
"...So, again—what do you want?"
After a pause, the Queen spoke.
"What a cute pet you have."
["I'm not a pet, damn it!"]
Esther's screech went ignored.
"I'll get straight to the point. Looks like you're busy anyway."
The battlefield was already beginning to seethe again.
Monsters were regrouping.
"You met the King, didn't you?"
"I did."
"I heard you even disrupted one of His Majesty's plans—and survived. That's no small feat."
"What are you getting at?"
"Relax. I'm not here for revenge or compensation."
The Turncoat Queen chuckled.
"But it seems His Majesty took a rather keen interest in you. Isn't that adorable?"
I had no idea what she found adorable about that nightmare.
Still, I said nothing.
"A time is coming. Our King is preparing for it."
A time…
I had a vague idea what she meant.
"And for that, His Majesty needs loyal servants. Talented ones—like you."
At that, the Turncoat Rook spoke up.
"So, all this chatter was just a fancy recruitment pitch? Give me a break. Shove it."
"My, what a foul mouth. Must be the stress of old wounds?"
The atmosphere grew tense instantly.
Though the Rook wouldn't stand a chance alone, he wasn't alone anymore.
If something happened to him, the Shadow Corps—and Isabel—would move.
The Queen surely understood that.
"Enough."
At my command, the tension eased.
The Queen chuckled, amused.
"My, how obedient. How adorable."
"...Shut up."
"I like obedient puppies. I think I'll like you even more soon."
Her gaze swept over me, sharp and knowing.
Had she noticed?
Had she realized that I had already bound the Turncoat Rook to my will?
Maybe.
Maybe not.
Either way, she just smiled.
"You don't have to answer now. But when the time comes—you will have to choose."
With those words, the Turncoat Queen turned her back to us.
And once again, the battlefield blossomed into a garden of death.