The Reunion Movement's Infected quickly pressed into the school district. Over the course of a single night, the police had already set up a rudimentary defensive line. Heavy bags stuffed with garbage blocked the Infected's advance, while the officers themselves were equipped with long-handled cold weapons. No one wanted to fight the Infected up close. No one wanted to become one of them.
Ivan's superior had been stabbed to death by a crazed Infected. With his superior gone, Ivan was now the highest-ranking officer present. Yet worry was written across his face as he stared ahead. Through the morning fog, white-clad figures holding weapons appeared at the distant street corner.
"Prepare to engage. Do not let them break through the line. Our families are behind us!"
Ivan thought of his wife and his daughter, Zoya. His grip tightened on his weapon. At moments like this, he could only sigh and wonder why Ursus police training never included ranged combat. In a situation like this, distance was what dealt the most damage.
The Infected wielded whatever weapons they could find: iron bars, shovels, knives. They lined up across the street entrance. With a furious roar, the white-clad demons charged forward like madmen.
In an instant, shouts and clashes erupted. The Infected tried to drive their bloodstained blades into the officers' bodies, while the police gritted their teeth and forced them back.
One side destroyed. The other defended. But those who fought without regard for their lives held the upper hand.
A scream rang out as one officer was knocked to the ground by three Infected. A breach opened in the line. The remaining Infected let out crazed laughter beneath their masks and surged forward in great strides.
Ivan lunged to plug the gap with his spear. At the moment three weapons collided with his, a heavy boom thundered against the ground. The charging Infected were blasted away, flung into the air like rag dolls. Their masks shattered as they fell, crashing back down in a miserable heap.
"Stand up, those who fight to protect what they hold dear!"
Anthony strode forward with clenched fists, knocking an Infected flying with a single punch. "Hold your weapons. Fight!"
That single shout ignited the fighting spirit buried deep within Ursus hearts. The police roared in response, following Mountain as they slowly reclaimed the ground they had lost.
———
"A knight is one who illuminates this land."
Nearl repeated those words to herself. Feeling the gazes of the students behind her, she drew the long lance from her back. A ray of sunlight fell across her profile. Her golden hair fluttered in the breeze. In that moment, she was the knight everyone believed in.
Nearl might well be the true knight of this era. Degenbrecher had once said as much to Felix in casual conversation. When Felix asked who the knight of the previous era had been, Degenbrecher pointed to herself, leaving Felix both amused and helpless.
Shining stood at Nearl's side like her right hand. Facing the Infected surging forward like a tidal wave, she let out a soft sigh and planted her staff into the ground. Her right hand closed around the hilt. With a faint metallic whisper, a slender, razor-sharp sword slid free.
"Come, then, you despicable ones."
She felt sympathy for the Infected, but that did not mean she could forgive the Reunion Movement. In the fighting the day before, she had seen too many tragedies. Civilians who became Infected chose to end their own lives. More lay collapsed on the ground, as though life itself had lost all meaning, begging only for Nearl to take them away.
On this land of suffering, all endured pain.
Nearl chose to answer it with the weapon in her hands.
Faint golden wings appeared behind her, dark fabric streaming backward as light gathered in her palm and spread along her lance.
"…Light, heed me!!"
In the next instant, radiant brilliance erupted. The spear-sword was hurled forward, detonating in the center of the Infected crowd as light burst outward in all directions.
———
"Bang."
An Infected striding forward looked as though he had stepped on a landmine. Just moments ago, he had been boasting to his companions about how many civilians and children he had slaughtered the day before. Now his lower body was gone in an instant. His upper half lay on the ground, screaming like a pig being butchered.
The remaining thousand-plus Infected froze as if bound by a spell, eyes filled with wary fear as they stared ahead. Someone spotted a woman seated atop a low rooftop and began hurling curses at her, crude Ursus profanities spilling out without end.
"Ha… what a bunch of small fry."
W let out a bored sigh and licked the corner of her lips. "They're not even worth as much as the targets listed in the mission."
The shouting below only grew louder. "You're an Infected too! Why are you stopping us?"
"Hah?"
That line instantly set W off. "Don't lump me together with trash like you! I may be Infected, but I'm fighting for my own convictions and for a goal that belongs to everyone! What have you bastards ever done?"
"Lady Theresa's ideals, and the King's ideals… what do you know about them at all?"
Her blood-red eyes were wide as she hurled abuse downward, pointing at them and cursing like someone picking a street fight.
The Infected were furious and anxious, yet none of them dared to rush forward. No one knew whether this ill-tempered Sarkaz woman had planted even more explosives.
"W…"
A cool, indifferent female voice sounded out. Ines emerged from the shadows and came to stand beside her. "Cursing also takes stamina."
"What's it to you?"
W shot Ines a glare, baring her teeth.
Ines said nothing at first, only smiling. "Still, I didn't expect you to place Lady Theresa and His Highness Felix side by side."
"That's not what I meant!"
W snapped back through clenched teeth. "I just said it without thinking! And besides, don't they really share the same goal?"
"Yes, yes."
Ines smiled as she soothed W's temper. When her gaze shifted back to the Infected, it turned icy cold. "The King's order was to crush them."
"Ah… right, I forgot."
"Are you sure it's not because you were staring at His Highness's face the whole time during the meeting?"
"…Ines!!!"
With a furious shout, W leapt down toward the battlefield. Just as the Infected hardened their expressions and prepared to charge, they saw W pull out an astonishing number of small spheres and throw them down. With their limited knowledge, they had no idea these were grenades.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The thunderous explosions shook the ground.
Ines pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed softly, though the corners of her mouth lifted high. W, do your best.
Still, she drew the longer dagger from behind her. She could hardly leave the entire battlefield to W alone.
———
Mudrock stood in silence, leaning on her hammer. The Infected were so intimidated by her presence that they did not dare advance. Moments earlier, a few who refused to believe their eyes had rushed her, attempting to overwhelm her bulk with numbers. Before they could land more than a few strikes, her swinging hammer had sent every attacker flying.
Qalaiša stood behind her, staff in hand. Seeing this, she halted her own attack. Against Reunion's Infected like these, even ordinary operators of Tomorrow's Development could treat them as training targets.
However, the King's command was to crush them.
A black wind swept across the Infected, corroding their armor and masks until they crumbled into dust and scattered across the ground. Their skin burned as well, seared by the same force.
Qalaiša showed no mercy when facing enemies, even when those enemies were as insignificant to her as ants.
Mudrock tightened her grip on the hammer and stepped forward. "Reunion… I advance."
Reunion collapsed in defeat.
———
"You're saying you couldn't take it. Why?"
The white-haired youth stared in disbelief at his trusted subordinate, teeth clenched in fury. "How could Chernobog's police possibly have such combat strength? Were these Infected even fighting seriously?"
"There are fighters on the battlefield who don't belong to Chernobog's police. Their combat strength is terrifying."
The Infected poured out his grievances. "Even Reunion's cadres might not be able to stand against them."
"What did you say? Impossible."
Mephisto replied coldly. "Are you trying to undermine morale?"
"Boss, if you don't believe me, go see the front lines yourself. The newly joined Infected are suffering heavy casualties, and our people have taken plenty of losses too."
Mephisto's expression darkened. If this man had not followed him for so many years, he would already have been turned into a mutated Infected monster on charges of disrupting morale.
Before he could even take a step forward, a calm male voice sounded from behind them.
"You still have a chance to kneel and beg for mercy. I won't repeat myself a second time."
Enemy. When did he get behind me?
Mephisto spun around, only for his head to be seized by a massive hand and lifted straight up. He tried to scream, but his mouth was clamped shut by the grip, completely cutting off his ability to use the Originium Arts he excelled at.
"So you didn't take the chance. Still, a brat this small being the enemy's commander is laughable."
Jesselton sneered. "Such malice at such a young age. I really wonder who raised you. Someone like you couldn't even take three of my punches."
Whoosh.
A cold arrow was caught in Jesselton's other hand. He turned his gaze in another direction, narrowing his eyes with a snort. "So there's another bug."
"But your fate is already sealed."
Jesselton smashed the fleeing Infected into pulp with a single punch, then strode forward with Mephisto still in his grasp.
Along the way, the Infected parted to form a path. No one dared provoke him.
Jesselton noticed Mephisto repeatedly trying to open his mouth. In a situation like this, it was either to curse or to activate an Art through his throat. Jesselton simply produced a mechanical gag and forced it into Mephisto's mouth. Mephisto clawed at it in despair, only to realize that no matter how hard he struggled, it would not come loose.
"Such power wasted on the wrong path. What a shame of talent."
Jesselton snorted. As he entered the campus, a thunderous explosion echoed from the distant city wall. He turned to look and saw that the once impregnable northern wall had been blown open, a massive breach torn through it, with buildings collapsing in a chain reaction.
A glint of joy flashed through Mephisto's eyes, followed by a malicious look toward the campus. As long as Talulah was leading them, he believed Reunion would soon sweep through Chernobog without resistance.
"You think breaching the walls means Reunion will take Chernobog?"
Jesselton's tone was indifferent as he hoisted Mephisto higher. "Regardless of the outcome, you won't live to see that day."
Jesselton returned to the camp alone, having captured the enemy commander. He tossed Mephisto into a temporary holding cell. Many captured Infected were already slumped inside, utterly dispirited. As for Mephisto, Jesselton showed him no courtesy, locking him alone in a separate cell before turning and leaving.
"Mmph! Mmph!"
Mephisto clutched the bars, hurling the most vicious curses he could at everyone around him. After five minutes of this, he finally collapsed onto the cold floor and began to cry.
———
Reunion main force entered the city. At the same time, Felix's drone reported that the teams led by Ace and Kal'tsit from Rhodes Island Pharmaceutical had set out and were expected to reach Chernobog the following day.
With these two developments arriving one after another, Felix continued studying the map. Jesselton knocked on the door and spoke softly from behind him. "My King, what should we do next?"
"Leave the cleanup of the fodder to the police. Reunion has entered the city, and our reinforcements will arrive soon."
Felix turned his gaze toward the Noble District. "I've never had a good impression of nobles, but the pressure on the campus has eased. Jesselton, take Mountain with you and scout the Noble District. Settle things there."
Jesselton bowed deeply, accepted the new order, and departed.
[Time until Originium Catastrophe: 75 hours 25 minutes]
Clever provided the exact countdown to the Originium Catastrophe. Felix showed no sign of urgency. He remained seated, fingers slowly tracing the length of the sword in his hand.
Reunion's main force had entered the city. Different squads received Talulah's orders and fanned out to various districts to loot. Their first targets were ordinary civilians. To expand their ranks, they had to infect more people and drag them down with them.
Beyond that, the Infected needed food, clothing, and shelter. Chernobog was one of the more prosperous cities in southern Ursus. How could they not plunder it thoroughly?
Though they claimed to be carrying out Talulah's orders in groups, in reality they scattered in all directions, driven by greed and hatred toward civilians. Revenge had consumed their hearts, leaving behind not even the most basic terranity.
And many more were sent toward the Noble District.
What Ursus Infected hated most were the nobles.