TN: And we're back! sorry for the week long hiatus, it was not intentional since I had to get my right leg in a cast after tripping 3 floors down a stairwell (like an idiot ://) and be unable to use my PC setup upstairs BUT I should be OK now.
Anyways, Thanks for Arcanic Madness, WeissAkumu and WolfWTF for becoming as Supporters!,
===BREAK===
A vast silence welcomed me.
It was a wordless message—a brief delay in the destruction that had seemed poised to end everything at any moment.
+
[You have cleared Yellow-27 Stage!]
[+567,354 Contribution Points]
[You mercilessly massacred the beast horde! Additional Contribution Points accumulated.]
[+150,000 Contribution Points]
[You bombarded the battlefield with an array of weapons wielded freely! Additional Contribution Points accumulated.]
[+250,000 Contribution Points]
[Current Contribution Points: 5,640,922]
+
Contribution points piling up at an incredible pace.
Looking solely at the numbers earned during this Wave, it even slightly exceeded what I had gained while fighting alongside the Turncoat Legion.
That was how overwhelming the results were from unleashing infinite bullets via the Gravity Glove.
'And the important thing is, I haven't even adjusted the types or number of firearms to fully match the Gravity Glove's potential yet.'
The weapons I used this time through the Gravity Glove were those I'd either cycled through in the past or used as secondary arms.
In other words, leftovers.
But now that I understood how to truly utilize the Gravity Glove, restocking new firearms wasn't an option—it was a necessity.
'In that sense, how to spend these massive Contribution Points I've earned is practically predetermined.'
As things stood, the only high-tier weapon I could reliably acquire through the quartermaster was the Zeus-444 Railgun.
Of course, once the Machine Cult's technology became officially integrated into the Ark, new weapons would appear—but for now, sourcing new firepower was difficult.
Meaning my options for spending Contribution Points were limited, and expanding the Gravity Glove's utility was clearly the right move.
Until now, I'd increased firepower through quality gear—but now, I could enhance it through sheer volume. No reason not to take advantage.
'In that case…'
I turned my gaze.
Across the still battlefield, now soaked in eerie silence, only the carcasses of beasts and the scars of unrelenting bombardment remained.
["Hmph."]
The one who broke the silence was the Turncoat King.
["A strange thought crossed my mind. Perhaps you may be the one to finally bring true liberation to this false world…"]
"Speaking nonsense again, I see."
["No—you already know it. You just haven't realized it yet."]
As always, the Turncoat King's words seemed useless, yet the word liberation lingered in my ears.
'Liberation…'
Lania Marcus had said it.
That liberation was the true duty of the Marcus bloodline—the descendants of the Great Spirit.
But liberation from what?
I was still searching for that answer.
An answer whose very existence was uncertain.
"What do you mean by that?"
["It means… the time has come to finally undo all the sins of the past."]
"Still speaking in riddles."
["Naturally. That, too, must be the Will's design."]
"I didn't know you were so devout."
["Faith? An amusing notion. But not necessarily wrong. Belief in the Great Will could, in some sense, be called faith."]
Vague as ever, his words nevertheless hinted toward a truth tied to this world—and to the Great Will.
What is the Great Will?
What is the Great Spirit?
What is this liberation the Marcus clan seeks?
What is Project Noah?
What is Project Eve?
'Maybe it's just coincidence, but… all the names sound oddly similar.'
I didn't know the answer.
I just hoped I'd find it.
'Time to head back.'
Though the Wave had ended, I didn't feel like anything was truly finished. The tasks ahead weighed heavier than what had just passed.
Once I returned to the Ark, I wouldn't even know where to start.
'I still have to wrap up things with Barbara Claudia and the Machine Cult. I need to speak with Isabel. Then, if I have time, meet with Carmen and the Tripathi family. And eventually, I should meet Lania from the Kronos Union as well.'
Each one of them was a major encounter—difficult to prioritize.
All the more reason I needed to return to the Ark quickly.
"Let's go."
I grabbed the bone reins of Horus.
Time to return to the Ark.
* * *
There was so much to do, setting priorities wasn't easy.
None of the tasks were unimportant.
'Hmm.'
For now, I decided to resolve the matter I could finish most quickly—and so, I headed to the Shadow Order's hideout in the Purple Line.
To meet Isabel.
["Commander! I'm back!"]
Despite the recent Wave, the Shadow Order's hideout was quiet.
Ever since I got involved, their operations had slowed down somewhat, but the organization still remained active on several fronts.
The silence in the hideout was evidence of that subtle shift.
"What the—Lilith announced a relationship? Already three months in? Even in this chaotic world, love still finds a way…"
Sprawled on the couch nearest the entrance, Sophia Belov giggled to herself while watching some hologram news.
Seemed she was browsing celebrity gossip from within the Ark.
["She hasn't changed one bit, that wench."]
Esther clicked her tongue with exasperation.
Sophia Belov was one of the few within the Shadow Order whose identity was publicly known.
More accurately, her name was deliberately exposed to stir division within the Ark, using the notoriety of the Belov name.
Meaning she was officially a criminal outside any classification—wanted, with a guaranteed death sentence if caught—and yet here she was, leisurely enjoying celebrity gossip.
"In some twisted way, I respect it."
["She's out of her mind."]
Personally, I doubted many in the Shadow Order had their minds in place to begin with—but I didn't say that out loud.
"What are you staring at?"
Ignoring Sophia Belov's jab, I walked deeper into the hideout.
Despite being a covert faction that operated from the Ark's shadows, the hideout was unusually bright and open.
As such, I could easily see what the other members were doing.
There weren't many present—maybe four?
Sophia Belov was still lounging on the couch, gossip feed in hand.
The Turncoat Rook was working out with a few exercise machines, doing what could charitably be called strength training.
The one-eyed Crooks was in a corner checking his firearms.
And Isabel was seated at a desk, manipulating a hologram as she sorted through various pieces of information.
Whatever she was reviewing, it looked important.
"Carl Marcus."
As I approached, Isabel turned her gaze from the holograms to me.
"Were you waiting for me?"
"Me? Wh-what are you saying!"
"If not, then why look so flustered?"
"N-no reason. Nothing at all."
For some reason, I felt like Esther was clicking her tongue at me from the side.
"By the way… you stirred up quite a storm again. The Ark is in chaos. What we once considered 'disruptive' barely registers anymore."
"I only did what needed to be done."
"Depending on how you use the Machine Cult's technology, you could take control of the Ark. Are you really okay throwing away such a chance?"
From anyone else, that would've sounded wistful. But coming from the Shadow Order's commander, who had split the Ark in half more times than one could count—it sounded bizarrely credible.
"My goal was never to seize the Ark."
"But doing so would make achieving that goal so much easier."
She wasn't wrong.
If I could take it without bloodshed, it would be a miracle.
"I'm not interested."
So that's what I said.
If I gave her even the slightest opening, the Shadow Order might start acting on their ambitions again.
"I see. I wasn't really expecting much anyway. Just felt like a bit of a waste."
Isabel looked at me and added,
"By the way… did you meet with Lloyd Garcia? If you stopped by the Tripathi family, I figured you might've set up a meeting."
"Not yet. But I did speak with Barbara Claudia, a Lower House member from the White Line."
Isabel's expression instantly hardened.
"…That woman approached you?"
"She did."
"…Why?"
"It was regarding the Machine Cult. I plan to meet her again."
"No!"
A sudden outcry from Isabel—followed by a flare of ether around her.
An etheric storm only possible from a user of immeasurable level.
[No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No.]
[Don't go. Don't go. Don't go. Don't go. Don't go. Don't go. Don't go. Don't go. Don't go. Don't go. Don't go. Don't go.]
[Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it.]
Such intense, negative ether was rare even for me.
That meant Isabel's emotional reaction was extremely strong.
"Don't meet Barbara Claudia. Anyone but her…"
She trembled slightly.
Unbelievable as it was to witness, Isabel seemed to fear Barbara Claudia.
["…Commander?"]
Even Esther was surprised by her behavior, gently patting Isabel's shoulder.
"I need to ask you something."
"…About Barbara Claudia?"
"No. I am curious about that now, but what I want to ask is something else."
Whatever had happened between Isabel and Barbara Claudia—this wasn't the time for it.
"I want to know about Project Eve."
"…Where did you hear that?"
"Gulshan Tripathi mentioned it. Said Project Eve was a follow-up to Project Noah, conducted relatively recently. I figured tracing it backward would help uncover Noah's truth."
"…Gulshan Tripathi. I suppose if anyone would know, it'd be that old fox. But why are you asking me about Project Eve?"
"I heard that you were once called Eve within the El family."
"No way…"
Isabel's eyes slowly shifted to my side, where Esther had quietly emerged—then bowed her head deeply.
["…I'm sorry, Commander. But this had to be said."]
"Esther, you…"
Isabel bit her lip.
Silence followed—so long it felt eternal.
Then, finally, her lips moved.
"…So, it's come to this. I guess it couldn't be hidden forever."
She slowly nodded.
It was as good as an admission.
"That's right. I'm Eve."
She added, her voice tinged with bitter irony:
"The experiment's subject."
===BREAK===
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