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===
Bullets continued to pour nonstop from every weapon suspended in the sky.
Whether one called it a spectacle or a despairing rain of ruin, it was certainly a rare sight to behold.
'Just as I thought.'
The experiment was a success.
After countless attempts, I had finally found a way to unleash the miracle of infinite bullets without even touching a trigger myself.
Now, I could freely scatter that absurd power—so long as the weapon was one I could control via the Gravity Glove.
'The act of pulling the trigger with the Gravity Glove must be considered my action, unlike with Janus or with using ether.'
I could guess the reason.
The condition for infinite bullets was that I had to pull the trigger. Janus and using ether did not satisfy that requirement.
["…What is this? How is something like this even possible…?"]
["Hmm… So, this is the secret you've been keeping."]
Esther and the Turncoat King each spoke, gazing upon the unbelievable spectacle.
It wasn't the first time they'd seen me unleash infinite bullets—but only when I was physically pulling the trigger.
Until now, they must have assumed I was using some trick. But now that bullets were pouring from floating weapons in midair, it was impossible not to realize what I'd been hiding.
["You're outright ignoring entropy. Is this really possible?"]
"You actually know how to say things like that?"
The Turncoat King, usually so detached, could only stare in astonishment at what was unfolding.
["So even such incomprehensible miracles must be manifestations of the Great Will."]
He muttered to himself, as though convinced by some internal logic only he understood.
["I always thought it was strange, but I never imagined something so absurd could be real…"]
Esther, unlike the Turncoat King, was so shocked she forgot to even aim her weapons.
While he had closed his mouth after reaching his own understanding, she was far from done.
["What's going on? I've been curious for so long—Master, what are you? How can you do this?"]
"I'm just a stranger."
["There's no way just a stranger can do this. What are you? Is it a secret even from me?"]
What could I say?
For some reason, I felt like spilling everything.
But I held back.
Now wasn't the time.
"You'll know one day—when the time is right."
So that's all I could say.
If I ever managed to see this world to its true conclusion, then maybe I'd finally have the chance to say all the things I'd kept buried inside.
["…You've always been like that. But I'll trust you. One day, for sure."]
"Yeah."
Strangely, I found myself hoping that promise would be fulfilled someday.
Even I was surprised by the thought.
'Sentimental nonsense.'
I pushed the feeling aside and turned to face the beast horde now nearly upon us.
Once, they'd filled me with fear—but now, they were just perfect targets to test a new power on.
"I'll leave the fine-tuning to you."
I raised the Gravity Glove.
It wasn't a grand gesture, but even just delicately pulling triggers on the floating weapons was no easy task.
["Nnngh… I'm not confident in my aim, but I'll try."]
["I'll gladly assist."]
With coordination from Esther and the Turncoat King, the Ark-34 Automatic Conversion Rifle, the NOA-31 Anti-Behemoth Gatling Gun, the CRN-842 Hemp Rocket Launcher, and countless other weapons moved like autonomous drones, unleashing coordinated fire.
The shots weren't as precise as when I fired them directly, but during a Wave, brute force like this was exactly what you needed.
BOOM! BOOM-BOOM!
Explosions thundered without pause.
The barrage was less "aimed fire" and more a chaotic storm of bullets—but it was more than enough to massacre the oncoming beast army.
[KAAAK!]
[KIEEEEEEHK──!]
Chunks of meat that had once been beasts rained from the sky.
And the weapons weren't targeting only the air.
Beasts still advanced on the ground, and the Ark-34 Automatic Conversion Rifle—loaded with A-985 explosive rounds—unleashed its firepower downward.
BOOM! KA-BOOM!
KRRRR-BOOM!
Even so, several flying beasts managed to break through the barrage and reach me—but with both Janus and Horus on high alert, there was no way their fangs would ever touch me.
CRUNCH!
CRACK!
Each swing of Janus's bone tendrils or Horus's tail swept the beasts away like a natural disaster.
Compared to that sheer destructive power, the weapons I was controlling with the Gravity Glove seemed almost underwhelming—but that was only because Janus and Horus had grown so monstrously powerful. It wasn't a lack of firepower.
'Though, it's still a bit embarrassing in comparison.'
The Gravity Glove was still difficult to operate—but the actions I was performing were simple, so I adapted quickly.
Once I became more proficient, I'd probably be able to control the weapons entirely without ether or Janus's assistance—but for now, pulling triggers was my limit.
[Executing auto-algorithm.]
Or so I thought—until the Gravity Glove's onboard AI instantly adapted and completely learned my pattern of behavior.
Now, even the act of pulling the trigger could be performed automatically without me manually manipulating the glove.
"Impressive…"
As I already knew, the Machine Cult's technology didn't stop at hardware—it dominated software as well.
In fact, it wouldn't be wrong to say their software surpassed the hardware in sophistication.
"Let's try this, then."
With the glove now operating autonomously, I once again had both hands free.
And with that, I regained the right to wield my soul's partner—the Zeus-444 Railgun.
[Lv.3]
I could've used maximum output if I wanted, but given this was only the early phase of the Wave, no target warranted that level just yet.
SHEEEE-EEEEK!
A flash of electricity burst forth from the Zeus-444 Railgun, piercing through the beasts in a single streak of light.
Loaded round: 120mm NA-44 High-Capacity Napalm Round.
It would turn this entire area into hell.
KRAAAAAAA-BOOM!
BOOM! KA-BOOM!
With a series of explosive flashes, the 120mm NA-44 rounds detonated in the air—raining fire down below.
Beasts with burning wings flailed as they plummeted from the sky, and those on the ground were consumed by the flames that followed.
[You have slain Grade-6 Insectoid: Crimson-Eyed Giant Dragonfly.]
[Damage against Crimson-Eyed Giant Dragonfly increases by 0.05%.]
[You have slain Grade-7 Aerial Beast: Bristlefeather Cuckoo eliminated.]
[Damage against Bristlefeather Cuckoo increases by 0.05%.]
[You have slain Grade-6 Aerial Beast: Green-Plume Harpy Raider eliminated.]
[Damage against Green-Plume Harpy Raider increases by 0.05%.]
.
.
.
[You have slain Grade-5 Aerial Beast: Shadow Ray eliminated.]
[Damage against Shadow Ray increases by 0.05%.]
Death lurked everywhere.
And it continued to be created without pause.
"Let's keep going."
There was no need to summon the Turncoat Legion.
With just Janus, Horus, and the power of the Gravity Glove, I could take control of this entire area with ease.
Now—I could do that.
["Oh? I think I'm starting to get the hang of this. It's actually kind of fun."]
Esther smiled innocently as she adjusted the aim of the floating muzzles around me.
"You'll want to get used to it. Next time, you'll be handling a lot more of them."
["…Huh?"]
Now that I had confirmed the Gravity Glove allowed me to fully exploit infinite bullets, I had every intention of pushing this power further.
Today, I had used no more than twenty firearms in total—but next time, that number would multiply significantly.
["…Will I even be able to manage that?"]
"You'll have to. And it's not like you're alone in this."
["This may be my first time doing something like this… but I quite enjoyed it. You can count on me from now on."]
["…You're unusually enthusiastic, you bag of bones. Was that always your personality?"]
["Bag of bones. What a strange insult. A mere vestige dares speak so."]
["Vestige? What do you mean vestige? You really say the weirdest stuff, you know that? Right, Master?"]
"Both of you, shut it."
The exchange between the Turncoat King and Esther was, in many ways, more irritating than the Turncoat Rook and Turncoat Knight combined.
Especially since both of them had become inextricably bound to me.
'Anyway…'
After defeating the Bone Lord and Turncoat King, the strength I gained made the Wave no longer a real threat.
And now, with the power of the Gravity Glove, the Wave had become nothing more than a hunting ground for me.
The Wave was no longer a danger—not to me, and not to the Ark.
'But I still can't afford to relax.'
Previously, I suspected that the extreme difficulty of The Defense—a game that was virtually impossible to clear—was a sort of timer.
If that were true, then I would have to find a way to clear The Defense within that time limit.
'One of the strongest possibilities… is that it's tied to Project Noah.'
Project Noah.
Project Eve.
The Great Will.
The Great Spirit.
Even with so many unanswered questions, I would keep moving forward.
'To do that—I need to end this Wave.'
Perfectly. Efficiently.
* * *
Smoke rose from the muzzle of the Ark-34 Automatic Conversion Rifle that had been spitting fire endlessly in midair.
And it wasn't just the Ark-34.
The BLT-47 Plasma Launcher, ICE-54 Plasma Cooler, NOA-31 Anti-Behemoth Gatling Gun, CRN-842 Hemp Rocket Launcher—every weapon had been used so relentlessly, even their Ark-grade heat resistance wasn't enough to keep them functional.
["Phew… I'm done. I can't keep going."]
Esther flopped over with a weary shake of her head.
Watching her lie down midair was oddly amusing—but I didn't comment.
["To think a human could achieve this alone… Even now, I can hardly believe it."]
The Turncoat King shook his head.
And he wasn't wrong.
The sight before us was nothing short of a blood-soaked sea—a literal field of corpses.
"I just did what had to be done."
There were no living beasts or monsters left in this place.
Because I had killed them all.
["I see."]
The Turncoat King muttered softly.
The heavy silence in front of me said it all, loud and clear.
At last, the Wave was over.
===BREAK===
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