Hildegarde spoke.
"Kronos remnants' mission this time is to find out where they are, what they are doing, and what their objective is."
"Understood."
Hildegarde's eyes widened slightly.
"Uh… Is that really enough? You don't need a more detailed explanation or anything?"
"I'll ask if I need it later."
To be honest, I wasn't particularly curious.
"Ah… I see. As you wish."
In reality, I already knew the purpose of this mission to track and investigate the movements of the Kronos remnants.
No, there wasn't even a need to think about it.
'The Kronos remnants will unite the surviving factions of the fallen cities to form the Kronos Union.'
It was something that had already been set in motion.
This wasn't something Ark could change, no matter how much they tried to intervene.
The Kronos remnants were not a force Ark could afford to ignore, no matter how powerful Ark was. More importantly, Ark had no real justification to intervene yet.
The Kronos remnants hadn't done anything particularly harmful to Ark at this point, nor had they declared outright hostility.
'To Ark, they must feel like a thorn stuck in their throat.'
When Kronos still stood, they had been rivals to Ark, but at least there had been a fundamental sense of solidarity—both were still part of humanity, facing common enemies.
But after Kronos and other smaller cities were completely wiped out, the extreme conditions the survivors faced had shattered even that faint sense of unity.
When survival itself is at stake, altruism is the first thing to be trampled.
'In that situation, the rise of the Kronos Union would be a massive shock to Ark.'
There was a vast difference between the scattered remnants of Kronos surviving in isolation and them coming together as a unified force.
As their power grew, conflict would inevitably follow.
Ark already had enough enemies—there was no way they could welcome the birth of a new one.
'It was inevitable…'
Regardless, the reason I accepted this mission despite already knowing the objectives of the Kronos remnants wasn't just because of the credits I would receive as a reward.
'If the Kronos remnants are involved, then there's a high chance they have Heshbon's enhancement serum.'
Heshbon's enhancement serum.
For someone like me—who possessed the Alpha-type enhancement ability that allowed me to absorb the powers of other serums—obtaining different types of enhancement serums was absolutely crucial.
'Even if they don't have the serum itself, I can still absorb the blood of the enhanced soldiers from Heshbon who have joined the Kronos remnants.'
On top of that, there was a high probability they had other items I needed.
In many ways, this mission was necessary for me.
Of course, just as light always casts a shadow, there was one major problem.
The Wave was approaching soon.
That meant leaving Ark unguarded—especially myself and the other soldiers—was not an ideal situation.
If I completely withdrew from the frontlines, Ark would suffer heavy losses. Those losses would pile up, snowballing until they eventually consumed all of Ark itself.
'But then again… there's no rule saying I have to stop the Wave from inside Ark.'
To begin with, I had spent far more time repelling the Wave outside Ark than inside it.
So even if I handled it outside Ark this time, nothing would change.
The real issue was the survey team members who were tagging along, clinging to me like parasites.
If it weren't for them, I could have used Horus to handle both this mission and the Wave without much trouble.
'Actually… this might work out in my favor.'
Hildegarde, Iris, and Dmitri weren't particularly useful right now, but they were the ones who would eventually take responsibility for Ark's future.
This was a good opportunity to learn more about them, and at the same time, let them gain some real experience.
Not that they would ever agree with that sentiment…
But at this point, it was already too late to argue.
As I was lost in thought while staring at the Kronos remnants' investigation team, Hildegarde spoke up.
"Oh, Kurilta couldn't come this time because he's on another mission."
"Why?"
"Uh… well, I figured you might be curious."
To be honest, I had completely forgotten about Kurilta until just now.
Of course, there was no need to say that out loud, so I simply gave a small nod in acknowledgment.
"I see. But there's a bigger problem."
"...A problem?"
"Don't tell me we're moving on foot? We don't even know exactly where the Kronos remnants are."
Unfortunately, as expected, there was no silent hovering bike or any other vehicle available for this mission.
I hadn't expected one, but knowing for sure that we wouldn't get one was… honestly, pretty disappointing.
"Uh, well…"
"This mission doesn't seem to be a high priority."
Hildegarde answered with a bit of hesitation.
"Uh… it's not that we don't have vehicles available, but… Colonel Banol thought it would be better if we didn't use them for this mission…"
She wasn't wrong.
This mission was about investigating Kronos, after all. Even a silent hover bike could still be detected by their surveillance systems.
That meant we might have to abandon it at some point.
But on the flip side, that also meant we could have used it for at least part of the journey.
And yet, despite calling this an important mission, they hadn't even provided that much support…
'They really are working us to the bone.'
For a brief moment, I seriously considered plucking out all of Colonel Banol's mustache hairs when I got back.
Noticing my expression, Hildegarde sneaked a glance at me.
"S-Sorry…"
"It's not your fault."
"Well… yeah, but still…"
The way she responded so quickly made it clear she felt somewhat wronged.
"Even if we had a vehicle, we wouldn't be able to use it properly. Don't worry about it."
"But just now, you seemed…"
"I was just complaining."
"Ah… I see…"
She blinked at me, as if she hadn't expected me to say that so bluntly.
"What? Something wrong?"
"N-No, not at all!"
Watching the exchange, Esther let out a small, amused snort.
["Hmph… Hhmm…"]
'Stay out of this. There are others here who can sense your presence.'
["It's fine. You really think those rookies would notice me? If there's one thing I'm good at, it's infiltration and stealth."]
Then why were Hildegarde and Iris looking this way with strange expressions?
'Esther.'
["Yeah?"]
'Go to Noah and bring Horus. Tell him to keep his distance and follow us from above.'
["Why? You planning to ride him?"]
'No. But he'll be useful.'
Esther's face twisted in annoyance.
["Ugh… So you're definitely just trying to get rid of me, huh?"]
'Just go.'
["Haaah… I really don't wanna go there. Ever since you planted that weird tree, I feel sick just being near it."]
'Shut up and go. You don't even have organs—what's there to throw up?'
["Tch."]
Esther clicked her tongue before her figure began to fade.
In the end, law was distant, but the Experimental Round GHOST-157 was always close.
After a brief scuffle, I turned my gaze toward the one staring at me with intense focus.
"Do you have something to say?"
Iris.
Like Kalakin, Hildegarde, and Dmitri, she was one of Ark's playable characters.
And among the playable characters, she was a rare case—a natural-born Ether adept.
"…Carl Marcus, I heard you're leading this investigation team."
"That's news to me."
"Are you saying it's not true?"
"I was told I'd be given the title of Tactical Director, but I didn't realize that meant leading the team."
"That's just wordplay."
"I'm serious."
"..."
A flicker of emotion crossed Iris's normally impassive eyes before vanishing.
"I heard you lived outside Ark."
"Not always."
"I want to know if you're truly qualified to lead this team."
"Whether I'm leading the team or not is one thing… but how do you intend to find out?"
"It's simple."
Iris met my gaze.
The Ether around her began to stir.
[Prove it?]
[Prove it. Prove it. Prove it. Prove it. Prove it. Prove it. Prove it. Prove it. Prove it. Prove it. Prove it. Prove it. Prove it. Prove it. Prove it. Prove it. Prove it. Prove it. Prove it. Prove it. Prove it.]
[Prove it…!]
Hmm…
I had known from the start that Iris had this kind of personality, but I didn't expect her to challenge me so openly at the very beginning of the mission.
'Well, not that it matters.'
Objectively speaking, the situation wasn't great.
Esther, who made up more than half of my Ether abilities, was temporarily absent.
Even so, a Level 3 Ether Adept didn't earn that title for nothing.
No matter how skilled Iris was, at her current level, she was no better than a Red Line soldier.
Simply put, she wasn't a match for me.
'Maybe I should scare her a little.'
I focused my mind.
In that instant, Janus responded.
[Chrrk!]
'Hey, what the—?'
I wasn't expecting such a sudden reaction from Janus, and before I could process it, the Ether around us ripped apart in a violent surge.
It seemed Janus had interpreted Iris's suspicion as hostility.
[Screech, screeeeech…]
[SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE──────!!!]
Janus's true nature was that of a monster.
And now, it had reached a level comparable to a Grade-1 entity.
As if to prove that fact, the Ether that erupted from Janus devoured Iris's ether in an instant.
[Agh, aaagh…!]
[Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain.]
[Stop it────!!!]
This wasn't ordinary Ether.
It was something closer to a Specter-Type force—something that not only consumed Iris's Ether but also began lunging toward Iris herself.
'Damn it.'
For a moment, the Ether slipped out of my control.
If I had a little more time, I could regain control easily.
But the real problem was that the Ether was already attacking Iris.
'…No choice, then.'
Just as I was about to pull out Experimental Round GHOST-157—
Schling—
A cold metallic sound sliced through the air.
Something had been drawn—and in an instant, it cut through the Ether completely.
Screeeech────!
Even if you compared the sheer power behind it, this Ether wave was on par with what a Level 4 Ether Adept could unleash—yet it had been erased cleanly.
"..."
And the one responsible for this impossible feat—
a man with cold, indifferent eyes.
Kalakin.
Schling—
The tip of his icy blade pointed directly at me.