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===
"…Isabel?"
["Yes. That's what they definitely called her. At some point, they stopped using that name, but…"]
This was clearly far from Esther's usual idle chatter.
It could very well be a lead on Project Eve—the so-called successor to Project Noah.
"They called Isabel 'Eve' within the El family, huh…"
The Young Lady of the White Line.
Commander of the Shadow Order.
Each one of those titles was immense in its own right, yet even they paled in comparison to the true power Isabel held.
An immeasurable ether wielder.
At least from what I knew, aside from a few exceptional cases like Lania Marcus in the late stages or the high priest of the Church of Morte after performing a specific ritual, she was arguably the strongest ether user in The Defense.
The White Line harbored secrets.
Secrets so vast and deep that uncovering them could mean gambling the fate of the entire Ark.
At the core of those secrets was the El family, the White Line's ruling power—undoubtedly tied to those hidden truths.
Could it really be a coincidence that they called Isabel "Eve" within that family?
"What happened in the El family when Isabel was a child?"
To my knowledge, Esther had been with Isabel since her early days.
Naturally, if anyone knew about Isabel's past or the truth behind Eve, it would be Esther.
More importantly, according to Gulshan Tripathi, Project Eve was implemented to control the massive ether pulse radiating from Mount Noah.
If Isabel had been called "Eve" as a child within the El family—and she also happened to possess vast ether potential—it was hard to see that as mere coincidence.
["That part… You should ask the Commander directly. I don't think I'm in a position to speak freely about it."]
Esther looked as though she was about to say more, then shook her head.
I considered pressing the issue—but ultimately let it go.
"Alright, fair enough."
After all, if I wanted the truth, I'd have to meet with Isabel eventually anyway. There was no point in jeopardizing my relationship with Esther by pushing her now.
One way or another, we were past the point of separation.
["…That's surprising. I thought you'd keep pressing."]
"It's probably something you or Isabel would rather keep hidden."
["I didn't know you could be considerate."]
Esther widened her eyes in apparent surprise.
So far, so good.
["I always figured you were the type to shove a muzzle in someone's face and start threatening them…"]
Well, until she added that little remark.
"My mind's changed. Just spill everything you know."
["Eek! I knew it!"]
Only when I shoved the muzzle loaded with Experimental Round GHOST-157 right in front of her face did Esther vanish like she was fleeing for her life.
Indeed, true heart-to-heart dialogue only happens when faced with overwhelming force.
'That aside… meeting with Isabel might be worthwhile, but for now, the Wave must come first.'
I was getting closer to the massive secret the White Line was hiding—but that didn't mean I could delay what had to be done.
No matter how dark or massive that secret might be, it would mean nothing if the Ark fell.
'Project Eve…'
Project Noah and Project Eve.
I still didn't know exactly what secrets the White Line and Project Noah held, but it was becoming increasingly clear that their great secret was starting to come to light.
'After Project Noah, the Ark's total production dramatically increased, and Mount Noah's ether waves shifted. The White Line gained power through Project Noah, and the unique ether waves emanating from Mount Noah gave rise to the wealthy district known as the Red Line.'
Just based on that, the purpose of Project Noah seemed almost certain.
A project designed to seize power.
Yet, there were still too many parts that didn't sit right for me to believe that explanation alone.
'If Project Eve was implemented as a follow-up to Project Noah, and its goal was to control the ether waves of Mount Noah—then one of Project Noah's results must've been that very ether pulse change.'
The peculiar ether waves from Mount Noah had created significant disparities between the Lines within the Ark.
Of course, I couldn't say for sure whether the White Line had intended to create such waves, but based on everything so far, it certainly seemed that way.
'Which means I absolutely have to learn more about Project Eve.'
The only relief was that unlike Project Noah, the truth behind Project Eve seemed much closer at hand.
So, close I felt I could reach out and grab it at any moment.
If I were to uncover this secret entirely… what would become of the Ark?
Naturally, I didn't have the answer.
'Then…'
Unfortunately, I no longer had the luxury of pondering.
Even now, outside the Ark, that loathsome army of beasts crept ever closer, waiting for their chance.
It was time to head beyond the Ark.
* * *
Black clouds swelled toward the Ark.
I was sick of the sight of them—but that didn't mean I could ignore my duty.
["Beasts led by instinct once again charge toward death."]
Maybe it was because I'd gotten closer to the White Line's secret, but even the usual words of the Turncoat King now sounded oddly cryptic.
[Lv.10]
As always, it began with maximum-output fire from the Zeus-444 Railgun.
Loaded with 120mm A-985 High-Density Explosive Round.
The shell pierced through the black clouds, detonating in the center of the Wave with devastating force.
Thweeeeoooo─!
By the time the sonic boom from the muzzle reached my ears, a beam of light had already torn through the dark skies.
KR-KR-KR-BOOM!
The explosion of the 120mm high-density round was enormous—but not enough to dispel the darkness cloaking the sky.
"Let's go."
I grabbed the reins of Horus and flew into the clouds.
Flying-type beasts from the vanguard immediately rushed toward me, but with a simple whip of Horus's tail, they were reduced to scattered chunks of flesh.
KR-DUK!
[KAAAK!]
[KYEEEHK─!]
As Horus and Janus hunted down the approaching beasts, I glanced down at the Gravity Glove on my hand.
'It's worth a try.'
Truthfully, I didn't really need the Gravity Glove.
Most things it could do, I could already handle more easily using ether and Esther's support.
But the reason I chose the Gravity Glove as my reward for this mission was simple.
'With this… I might be able to apply my infinite ammunition advantage in new ways.'
I'd tried many methods to more efficiently exploit the absolute advantage of having unlimited bullets.
No matter how many enhancement serums I'd taken to surpass human limits, I still only had two hands to pull triggers.
My most notable experiments involved bone armor and ether manipulation.
To summarize: the attempt with the bone armor was only half-successful.
Janus could stabilize medium- to large-sized weapons with his structure, but pulling the trigger still required my direct input.
The reason was obvious.
Even if Janus was technically part of the bone armor gear, it was still a bone parasite named Janus that controlled the bone tendrils.
Disappointing—but unavoidable.
So, I moved on to the next trial: ether.
I tested whether ether could be used to pull the trigger on firearms in my stead, without consuming bullets.
The result was, again, a failure.
Ether, after all, was still a foreign force pulling the trigger in place of me—not my direct action.
But the Gravity Glove was fundamentally different from bone armor or ether.
Those were extensions of other entities acting on my behalf, while the Gravity Glove was nothing more than a piece of equipment.
If I pulled the trigger using the Gravity Glove, I would still be the one pulling it—meaning the infinite ammo effect should still apply.
It was worth a shot.
'Then…'
I opened [Rift Space] and pulled out my arsenal, one by one.
Starting with the Ark-34 Automatic Conversion Rifle, followed by my current favorites—the BLT-47 Plasma Launcher, ICE-54 Plasma Cooler, and then the NOA-31 Anti-Behemoth Gatling Gun and CRN-842 Hemp Rocket Launcher.
Simply laying them across Horus's back made him seem slightly slower under the immense weight.
Even though he had fought the Bone Lord and Turncoat King, and shouldn't have been burdened by such weight…
'Let's try this.'
Step one: anchor the weapons in place or suspend them midair so they could be fired with just a trigger pull.
This was easily handled with help from Janus and Esther.
[Lift. Lift. Lift. Lift. Lift. Lift. Lift. Lift. Lift. Lift. Lift. Lift. Lift. Lift. Lift. Lift. Lift. Lift. Lift. Lift. Lift.]
["I don't know what you're trying to do… but I'll follow along."]
In an instant, weapons surrounded me, all aimed toward the encroaching clouds.
Using ether or Janus to pull the triggers here would still consume bullets.
But that wasn't what I wanted.
So, I raised the Gravity Glove.
'Leave the weapon support to Janus and Esther. My only job is to serve as the trigger.'
Perhaps it was because I'd only just started using it—but the Gravity Glove was hard to control.
Each time I moved a finger, the gravity field flailed wildly, knocking weapons aside or hurling them away.
But that didn't last long.
[Data collection complete.]
[Applying auto-algorithm.]
The AI embedded in the Gravity Glove quickly analyzed my intent and purpose, and began generating gravity fields that matched my commands.
Now, things got simple.
With ether and Janus securing the weapons, I only had to act as the trigger through the Gravity Glove.
Swish—
With a flick of my index finger, the Gravity Glove's field simultaneously pulled the triggers of every weapon around me.
BANG!
SHEEE-EEEAAK!
TATANG!
Explosive force erupted from every muzzle and barrel, raining firepower down on the incoming beast horde.
This was the moment of truth.
If pulling the triggers through the Gravity Glove still counted as my action, then the infinite ammo effect would hold.
TATATATANG!────
So, I didn't stop pulling.
If this method failed, the weapons would go limp and empty as they always did when the bullets ran out.
["Hmm?"]
And then—I saw it.
A miracle.
The muzzles floating in midair kept spitting fire without pause.
===BREAK===
Like the story and want more chapters?
Join and support me by joining my Patreon!
[email protected]/SiRoasa