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When I suddenly lifted my head and looked around, everything was filled with corpses.
Fortunately, they weren't human corpses.
They were the bodies of beasts and monsters.
The remains of the invaders who had attacked the Ark.
Killed, and killed again, and again.
Just how many had I slain?
At some point, the number of beasts and monsters in sight had significantly dwindled.
It wasn't that I had gone far.
It simply meant that this grueling war was finally coming to an end.
'…Finally, huh.'
My fingers, which had been constantly pulling the trigger, tingled with numbness.
A sweet metallic taste began to rise in my mouth, and my whole body was soaked with sweat.
Mixed with all sorts of blood and dust.
Most of it belonged to the beasts and monsters, but a bit of my own blood had mixed in as well.
Despite Janus's thorough protection, I had still bled a fair amount—this war had been that brutal.
If not for the Lifewater, which offered better recovery than potions, it wouldn't have been strange for me to have died several times over.
["Ugh… Master, are you still alive?"]
"Yeah."
Esther didn't look much better.
Her body had shrunk smaller than usual.
Though she didn't fight directly, Esther had wildly expended her ether, which was practically a part of her being as a ghost-type.
In that sense, her current state was only natural.
"Let's finish this."
This damn war, this battle.
["We should."]
Esther nodded, as if it were obvious.
I scanned the front line.
'Hmm.'
Most of the high-grade beasts and monsters that could have posed a fatal threat to the Ark had been dealt with.
They were mostly ones with difficult abilities, like the Grade-1 Demon-Type I had hunted previously, or ones with large-scale destructive capabilities.
All that remained now were the stragglers.
'Even so, they're not easy opponents.'
The greatest threat, as always, was their numbers.
Overwhelming numbers.
Even if the Wave was reaching its end, beasts and monsters still filled the field as far as the eye could see.
But I knew.
This war—this was the last of it.
"Let's go."
I reached into the air.
There was something I needed to retrieve.
[Activating 'Rift Space'.]
From the [Rift Space], I pulled out the BLT-47 Plasma Launcher and the ICE-54 Plasma Cooler, which had become as much a part of me as my own limbs.
Then, I leapt off of Horus and immediately spread Ankelenth's wings, activating the Z-74 Jetpack.
"You better get far away—there's a chance you'll get caught up in this."
[Kihet!]
The reason I deliberately sent Horus away was simple.
Just like I said—starting now, he might get swept up in my attacks.
[Activating 'Rift Shift'.]
After sending Horus away, I used Wings of Ankelenth, the Z-74 Jetpack, and the reinforced greaves all at maximum output to head straight for the center of the beast horde, simultaneously using [Rift Shift].
With overwhelming acceleration and a literal leap across space, I reached the center of the beast horde in an instant.
ZIIING...
Countless beasts swarmed toward me, now isolated at the center.
Normally, Esther would have screamed at this point, but that didn't happen.
Plasma beams and freezing blasts from the BLT-47 and ICE-54 in both hands swept out in all directions.
KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA!────
From this point on, there was no need to manage heat for a long battle.
I had to use all remaining energy to annihilate the remnants of the beast horde.
That was my task now.
* * *
There were no more living beasts in front of me.
Only corpses remained.
And the meaning of that was clear.
+
[You have cleared Yellow-21, 22, 23, 24, 25 stages!]
[+1,521,432 Contribution Points]
[You have cleared the Quintuple Wave! Additional Contribution Points awarded.]
[+500,000 Contribution Points]
[You have survived the Moment of Annihilation! Additional Contribution Points awarded.]
[+500,000 Contribution Points]
[You have demonstrated great diplomacy and formed a new alliance with the Ark! Additional Contribution Points awarded.]
[+500,000 Contribution Points]
[Current Contribution Points: 3,730,693]
+
Quintuple Wave.
Not just any multiple Wave, but a Quintuple Wave, had finally ended.
Perhaps because of that, the amount of Contribution Points received was beyond comparison to anything before.
'I earned nearly half of what I spent on the Railgun in one go. No doubt, the Quintuple Wave was massive.'
A Quintuple Wave meant that the number of beast hordes I had to kill had increased exponentially.
Naturally, the rewards for surviving such a Wave couldn't possibly be the same as before.
["…Is it over?"]
"It is."
["Phew...."]
Esther, floating in midair, plopped down onto my shoulder.
Of course, being a ghost-type, she had no physical weight whatsoever.
She was literally lighter than a feather.
'If it were anyone else, their shoulder might be sore, but…'
That was only true for an average person. Since I had already subordinated Esther and had reached a high level of ether compatibility, nothing like that happened.
'Now then… time to head back, I suppose.'
The war was over.
But the battlefield I had to face wasn't just one of guns and blades.
'With the great crisis past, now the real troublemakers—those opposed to the alliance with the Kronos Union—will start to appear.'
No matter how much credit the Kronos Union deserved in this war, there would always be those who, ignoring facts, oppose simply for the sake of opposing.
Like the Rose Cross Knights, for example.
'Of course, things might change this time… but I can't afford to relax.'
If the Rose Cross Knights or other secret factions began to move in earnest, the worst-case scenario could be the total collapse of the alliance.
No—things could even escalate to outright hostility once more.
'I need to meet with Isabel and Brigadier General Victor.'
Shadow Order and Möbius.
Among the secret factions operating within the Ark, they held particularly powerful influence.
And I was, in truth, the only person who could reach out to both.
"Let's go back."
To the Ark.
* * *
The Quintuple Wave.
That was a Wave that couldn't simply be described as grueling.
Countless lives were lost, and countless others were taken.
The sight within and outside the Ark looked so horrific, one could believe the entire world had been buried in corpses.
"Still alive, Ark guy?"
"…Yes."
The answer came late.
Even Staff Sergeant Alex Hope, a seasoned veteran of the Rose Line front, had no choice but to collapse after this Wave.
"That's good. Let's go have a drink, then."
Pavel grinned, seemingly delighted that the near-lifeless Alex Hope had survived.
"I'd like to… but first, I need treatment. Then a bit of sleep."
For Alex Hope—who rarely complained—to say that seriously meant his condition was dire.
His body was covered in web-like lacerations and injuries. His left leg and right arm were practically unusable, dangling limply. His whole body had been burned and infected from radiation and toxins.
Even for a veteran of the Rose Line, immediate treatment was necessary for survival.
"You're weaker than I thought. Want to go to sleep after just this much fighting?"
Alex Hope, seeing Pavel in a condition no better—or arguably worse—replied, incredulous.
"…I don't think someone bleeding out of their gut is in a position to say that."
"This? I'll be fine if I spit on it."
Was spit supposed to be a potion?
Considering that even the highly advanced Ark hadn't perfected potion technology, it was a ridiculous claim.
'No… if the Kronos Union absorbed all of old Heshbon's tech, maybe it's possible.'
Heshbon had been one of the few cities whose biotech surpassed the Ark's.
When all other human cities except the Ark were destroyed, the remnants of Heshbon had likely joined the Kronos Union.
So perhaps Pavel's words weren't entirely impossible.
'Still bleeding like crazy, though.'
Alex Hope shook his head.
He'd spent too much mental energy on nonsense.
"Weakling. But then again, you're from the Ark. Say, Ark guy, before you go to sleep, how about treating us to some good booze? Our guys have pretty refined taste."
"Are you seriously going to drink? Right after a war?"
"Why waste time talking when we could be drinking?"
"..."
It was a miracle they hadn't collapsed after such a battle—and now they wanted a feast?
The Kronos Union warriors might be fierce, but from an observer's perspective, it was just absurd.
"Then come later, Ark guy. We'll be drinking first."
Clearly, they intended to drink all night.
Alex Hope thought Pavel was just bluffing like a typical Kronos man—but something in his eyes told a different story.
"…Are you serious?"
"Didn't I say I don't joke when booze is involved? If you've got time to ask, you've got time to fetch it."
"When the front line is cleared… I'll send it through a supply officer."
"I'll be waiting. Oh, you know where our temporary quarters are, right?"
"Of course. That area falls under my jurisdiction."
"Good. I'll be waiting."
As Pavel burst into laughter, blood gushed from the wound in his belly as if on cue.
"C-Captain! Blood!"
"What are you all so worked up about? It's nothing. Last time was way worse."
"You almost died that time!"
"But I didn't."
"…True enough."
Pavel laughed again.
"Then see you soon, Ark guy. I expect you to show up—don't tell me you're scared of a drink."
"…Understood."
He really needed to get treated as soon as possible.
If he backed out now, the Kronos Union would no doubt lose all respect for the Ark soldiers.
"…Ugh."
Still, if he stayed like this, he really might end up as a heroic casualty, so Staff Sergeant Alex Hope dragged himself toward the medical ward.
The Rose Line's infirmary had been properly scaled up, with enough beds and staff—but with the Kronos Union joining in, it was now packed to the brim.
"Ah, Officer Hope. You're here."
One of the medics recognized him and paused.
Though swamped, they wouldn't ignore the gate officer of Rose Line dying on their watch.
"You're in bad shape again. Come this way."
The medic led Alex Hope to a vacant bed and began temporary treatment with practiced hands.
Proper treatment would require a real military doctor, so Alex Hope had no choice but to wait after receiving basic care.
Swish─
As he lay in bed waiting, a small pen rolled under it.
Anyone else might have ignored it—but not Alex Hope.
"..."
He picked up the pen and gently examined it.
Twisting the cap left and right in the set pattern, Braille-coded encryption appeared on the pen's surface.
A directive from the Rose Cross Knights.
The message was simple:
– Convene a meeting on the current issue.
The "issue" the Knights referred to was obvious.
The Kronos Union.
A meeting to decide whether this alliance truly benefited the Ark.