"…Are you saying we need to send troops?"
["Yes, the situation is urgent. Deploy one platoon. The Red-7 Gate has some leeway at the moment, doesn't it?"]
"...It does, but…"
As expected of Lieutenant Colonel Banol, he had already grasped the situation at every line without needing a detailed report.
However, even so, dispatching troops was no trivial matter.
If done carelessly, the Red-17 front could also be put at risk.
"How much time do we have?"
["They need to arrive within 30 minutes at the latest."]
"…Understood."
Crossing the vast Red Line of Ark and arriving within 30 minutes…
Even with the use of Anti-Grav Trains within Ark, they would barely make it on time if they left right away.
'Time is even tighter than I thought.'
If possible, I wanted to stabilize the Red-17 Gate front before sending out the team, but for Lieutenant Colonel Banol to put it that way meant the situation at Red-7 Gate was truly dire.
'Still, something doesn't add up…'
Lieutenant Imosha couldn't hide her unease.
Until now, the western front's Red-7 Gate, like the rest of the western front, had always produced significant results during waves.
In the past, the western front had been struggling, and the eastern front would often provide reinforcements.
But recently, the situation on the western front had improved significantly.
She had expected reinforcements from the eastern front again this time, but instead, they were requesting support.
It felt like everything had suddenly reverted to the old days.
'Did something show up?'
A Regional Lord-Class Beast.
That was the only plausible explanation Lieutenant Imosha could think of.
'No… If that were the case, Lieutenant Colonel Banol would have mentioned it.'
Lieutenant Colonel Banol was a competent commander.
He wasn't the kind of fool who would intentionally withhold crucial information from field officers.
More importantly, if a regional master-class beast had appeared, there would have been some signs from the other front lines.
But nothing out of the ordinary was happening here.
'No way…'
Could it be because Carl Marcus came here?
It was a ridiculous thought, but no other explanation came to mind.
Actually, that was the only thing that made sense.
Carl Marcus had once stayed on the western front to assist Ark, and now he had moved to the eastern front, specifically to Red-17 Gate.
Of course, it was hard for Lieutenant Imosha to believe.
'…Can a single person change the entire battlefield situation to this extent?'
It felt like a dream, but it was undeniably happening right before her eyes.
There was no need to search far; since Carl Marcus arrived at Red-17 Gate, not a single soldier had died.
Considering the usual number of fatalities at the gate, it was an impossible feat.
Of course, there had been minor injuries and casualties, but none of the wounded soldiers had succumbed to their injuries.
That meant Carl Marcus moved before anyone's life was truly endangered.
'If this situation really is thanks to Carl Marcus…'
Even if they dispatched a support team, Red-17 Gate would still be able to hold out.
Because Carl Marcus was here.
"Beta Platoon, respond. Transfer the current front line to Alpha and Gamma Platoons within five minutes, and proceed to support Red-7 Gate."
["Understood."]
Lieutenant Imosha glanced briefly at Carl Marcus's back as he continued moving around the battlefield.
For a moment, she found herself staring at his distant figure, lost in thought.
Snapping back to reality, she shifted her grip to the trigger.
She could still give commands while pulling the trigger, and right now, she could use all the help she could get—even if it was just a cat's paw.
Click—
The sound of gunfire echoed through the air.
* * *
Bang───!!
Amidst the deafening roar of gunfire and monstrous howls filling the battlefield, Captain Temvel, the officer in charge of the Red-7 Gate, felt his throat burning with a desperate thirst.
Part of it was from shouting his lungs out, but the real culprit was the relentless onslaught of beasts giving him no time to even wet his throat.
["Urgent situation in R7-14 area. Requesting support."]
["Grade-3 beast spotted in R7-3 area! Requesting support for the assigned team!"]
["Aaargh!"]
Reports were pouring in chaotically—no, more like screams.
Captain Temvel, despite being an elite who had completed the formal training process, couldn't keep up with everything while fighting off the beasts right in front of him.
'...How did things get this bad?'
Recently, Captain Temvel had been brimming with confidence.
He had successfully fended off several waves without major losses, and it had been almost effortless.
Rumors were even circulating that he was a strong candidate for promotion in the next review, and he had celebrated with his subordinates—offering drinks and meat to show his appreciation.
He told them to keep up the good work, saying they had done exceptionally well.
But had that sense of security led to complacency?
Despite the morale boost, the sudden and ferocious wave left both the soldiers and officers completely helpless.
"Is the reinforcement still far off?!"
["They've departed."]
"When?!"
["Three minutes ago."]
"Three minutes ago?! They should have left ten minutes ago!"
Just then, a Grade-5 beast climbed onto Ark's fortress wall, growling menacingly.
"Sir!"
"This bastard's got no fear!"
Captain Temvel whipped out his DR-404 revolver, the barrel spitting fire.
It wasn't just any revolver—it had been upgraded and customized to the point where hitting a Grade-5 beast would tear it to shreds.
That is, if it actually hit.
[Kieeeeeee!]
The first shot missed, and the Grade-5 beast charged at an alarming speed, causing Captain Temvel to lose his footing.
He had no choice but to throw himself aside to dodge the incoming spines.
Still sprawled on the ground, he aimed the revolver at the beast.
Click—
BOOOOOOM───!!!
The thunderous explosion echoed, loud enough to make one doubt it came from a revolver.
But the unstable shooting posture caused his shoulder to dislocate from the impact.
The DR-404 revolver, which had undergone two stages of upgrades, was a weapon powerful enough to cause such a recoil.
"Guh!"
There were still 25 minutes left until reinforcements arrived.
Captain Temvel instinctively knew.
This fight would be rougher than any he had ever experienced before.
* * *
Bang───!!
Amid the cacophony of gunfire and monstrous roars echoing throughout the battlefield, I saw Beta Platoon retreating from the area between R17-5 and R17-10.
It seemed they were heading to support another frontline.
'Looks like bad news from the western front arrived faster than expected.'
At first, I was active on the eastern front, and later, I played my part on the western front as well.
In terms of the number of engagements, both fronts were about the same, but the impact I left was significantly different.
That's why I thought that since I had preserved some of the western front's combat strength, they would handle the wave much more easily than before.
But contrary to my expectations, the western front was collapsing even faster than I remembered.
The meaning was clear.
'They got complacent.'
Complacency on a battlefield where life and death are at stake?
In the old Ark, something like that would never have happened.
'Is it… because of me?'
This part was my mistake.
Last time, I had freely used heavy weapons, hunting down a huge number of beasts and monsters that should have been dealt with by the western front soldiers.
In other words, the soldiers there might have gotten overconfident, thinking they had successfully held off the wave themselves.
'Tsk.'
This was where the role of a commander became crucial, but unfortunately, Captain Temvel had fallen into complacency as well.
'I had my worries, but I still hoped he would manage… Well, what's done is done.'
I made my way to the R17-5 point, which Beta Platoon had originally been in charge of.
There, I looked for Lieutenant Ryu, the platoon leader of Beta Platoon.
"Hey."
"...Who are you?"
"A mercenary. Pass on a message to Lieutenant Imosha for me."
"Please identify yourself."
"There's no time. Just deliver the message. Tell her to increase the number of platoons being sent to the western front to three. Just say Carl Marcus said so."
"What are you talking about... Wait a moment."
Sensing something unusual, Lieutenant Ryu immediately connected to Lieutenant Imosha through his device.
Chik, chiiik—
["Report."]
After Lieutenant Ryu explained the situation, a trembling voice came from the other side of the communication.
["...Carl Marcus? Is he there with you now?"]
"Yes, that's correct."
["Then I will switch to video communication."]
"Understood."
Lieutenant Imosha's face appeared on the device attached to Lieutenant Ryu's wrist.
["Carl, do you understand what you're saying?"]
"I do."
["But if three platoons withdraw from the frontline at once, we won't be able to hold out. We don't have the capacity for that."]
"Don't worry about that."
I scanned the entire area from R17-1 to R17-15 with my eyes.
They were the zones managed by the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma Platoons of the Red-17 Defense Force.
"I'll cover the gaps."
["...What?"]
"I said, I'll handle it."
["Wait... Are you saying you'll take responsibility for everything from R17-1 to R17-15 by yourself?"]
"Exactly."
For a moment, Lieutenant Imosha's face froze.
That was how absurd what I said must have sounded.
["That's impossible. Taking on the area that three platoons are responsible for by yourself? It's too dangerous. No, it's outright impossible! Besides, even though you're now an honorary citizen of Ark, you're not a soldier. You don't have to do this."]
She wasn't wrong.
If it were anyone else.
"I said I'll do it because I can. We don't have time to argue about this."
["But that's..."]
"Trust me."
Seeing my confident attitude, Lieutenant Imosha seemed momentarily at a loss for words.
Unfortunately, she didn't have the luxury of time to hesitate.
At most, 30 seconds.
That was all the time the commander of Red-17 Gate had to make a decision.
["...Alright. Let's do it."]
Lieutenant Imosha finally made her decision.
It wasn't surprising—I had anticipated her accepting from the start.
After all, I had built enough trust through everything I had done so far.
As if confirming my thoughts, Lieutenant Imosha spoke again.
["I'll trust you, Carl Marcus."]
"Good choice."
Lieutenant Ryu, the leader of Alpha Platoon and the one holding the device, seemed quite shocked by the decision.
But he suppressed his agitation, knowing that the situation was far too urgent for emotional reactions.
["...Since that's decided, proceed to Red-7 Gate along with Alpha and Gamma Platoons."]
"Understood."
Once the communication with Lieutenant Imosha ended, Lieutenant Ryu gave me a slight nod.
"I'm not sure what kind of person you are... but I wish you good luck."
"Thanks."
That was the end of our conversation.
There was no time to discuss defense zone details or handovers.
I had confidently declared that I would hold the area covered by three platoons on my own, and now I needed to prove Lieutenant Imosha's trust wasn't misplaced.
'No problem.'
I had done similar things countless times before.
And...
The situation was rapidly escalating.
Alpha and Gamma Platoons, now ordered to withdraw from their zones to support the western front, seemed momentarily bewildered, but they followed the order without protest.
Their unwavering trust in Lieutenant Imosha, the commander and overseer of Red-17 Gate, made it possible.
"Everyone, fall back! We're heading to support Red-7 Gate!"
All three platoons—Alpha, Beta, and Gamma—began preparing for an organized withdrawal from their zones.
With them moving to the western front, that side would finally be able to catch its breath.
'Plus, if those three platoons perform well there, it will activate the [Pacifism] trait for the lives saved.'
Depending on how the three platoons performed on the western front, I could potentially stack over 30 units of [Pacifism] at once.
'Right now, the stack count is around 20... If I play it right, I might gain one [Nine Lives] today.'
Even as I continued to pull the trigger, the [Pacifism] stacks kept increasing.
['Pacifism' has been activated.]
[Lives saved so far: 21]
As the three platoons that had been guarding the Red Line withdrew, the beasts and monsters that had been biding their time finally began climbing the fortress walls.
Every one of them was at least Grade-6 or higher—a horde that would typically require meticulous hunting, now approaching en-masse.
On top of that, aerial species, monsters, and massive insects circled above, waiting for their chance.
'With my current weapons, I can't suppress them all.'
The Ark-15 Automatic Conversion Rifle and A-985 Explosive Rounds were great, but they weren't suited for this situation.
What I needed now were the heavy weapons installed here.
Or rather, super-heavy weapons.
And there it was—the ultimate solution.
'NOA-44 Eraser.'
Commonly known as the Eraser.
If there was a named weapon among Ark's arsenal, the NOA-44 Eraser would definitely be on the list.
An immobile, fixed turret made solely to maximize firepower, without concern for portability or convenience.
Its caliber alone was monstrous—using 30mm rounds instead of the 20mm used by the NOA-8 Heavy Machine Gun.
The multi-barreled array of 24 guns could fire nearly 20,000 rounds per minute, shredding anything caught in its line of fire.
Click, click, click—
Vrrrrrrrrrrrm—!
The barrels of the NOA-44 Eraser began spinning furiously.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!!
Blazing flames erupted from the gun's muzzle, and everything caught in its path was utterly erased.