The grenades spewed from the NO-13 Grenade Launcher rained down upon the ground.
Of course, their power couldn't compare to the sheer devastation of a TITAN-17 Anti-Behemoth Rocket bombardment, but when quality was lacking, sheer quantity could make up for it.
BOOM!
KABOOOOOM────!!!
I alternated between pulling the triggers of the NO-13 Grenade Launcher and the Ark-15 Automatic Conversion Rifle, loaded with A-985 Explosive Rounds.
A relentless bombardment, heat management be damned.
In terms of instantaneous firepower, it was no exaggeration to say that it rivaled the TITAN-17 Anti-Behemoth Rocket Launcher.
[KREEEEEK!]
[GUUUUUUUUUUUHHH—!]
Thick smoke rose as the monstrous creatures howled in agony from all directions.
["Master! Above!"]
At Esther's warning, flying beasts swooped down toward me from above.
[KIIIAAAAH!]
I instantly increased the thrust of my Z-74 Jetpack, dodging their assault before swinging my rifle upward.
"You wish."
Click.
Fire erupted from the Ark-15 Automatic Conversion Rifle, and the A-985 Explosive Rounds utterly annihilated the impudent attackers.
[KIEEEEEEKK—!]
But that wasn't the end of it.
More flying beasts swarmed toward me in unison.
"I told you; it won't work."
Another volley of A-985 Explosive Rounds formed a protective barrage around me.
Though the bullets didn't hit them directly, the blasts engulfed their wings in flames, sending them plummeting to the ground.
[KIIAAAAK!]
Even so, the flying beasts refused to give up.
But trying to match me in agility, when I had the Z-74 Jetpack, was a foolish endeavor.
KUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNG────!!!
With a sudden surge of power, the Z-74 Jetpack propelled me forward, instantly widening the gap between me and my pursuers.
Although the increased thrust drained more energy, I could still hold out for a while.
'I've taken out about half of them, give or take.'
Anyone witnessing this scene would be left speechless.
After all, an individual taking on an army of monstrous creatures was beyond comprehension.
Fighting alone, outside the Ark, against an entire monstrous horde? That was pure madness.
But for me, this had long since become routine.
There was just one problem—after that intense barrage, both my Ark-15 Automatic Conversion Rifle and NO-13 Grenade Launcher were dangerously overheated.
'The BLT-47 Plasma Launcher should've cooled down a bit by now… but it's still not enough for the remaining numbers.'
More importantly, the BLT-47 Plasma Launcher was my trump card.
I preferred to save it for an emergency.
[KYAAAAAAAAAH!!!]
Even as I hesitated, the monstrous horde roared at me with relentless ferocity.
Though few of them could truly threaten me in the air, occasional hurled boulders and venomous projectiles from the ground were still a nuisance.
'Janus or the Sky Whale Cloak will block most of it… but there's no need to take unnecessary hits.'
I was out of options for ranged bombardment.
That left only one choice—close combat.
["…What exactly are you planning?"]
'I'm going down.'
["Seriously?"]
'Like you said, there's no point in dragging this out.'
I adjusted my trajectory and dove toward the ground.
The Z-74 Jetpack wasn't just for flying.
It was just as effective in ground combat.
'Janus.'
As I extended my left hand, Janus extended a spear of pure darkness.
['Summoning Ankelenth's Spear.']
[Summon duration remaining: 47 minutes 12 seconds.]
This time, however, the Ankelenth's Spear was three times longer than usual.
It was practically a war lance.
Fitting, considering what I was about to do was essentially a war.
'Esther, assist me.'
["As if you even need to ask."]
Ether surged violently around me.
But its intensity was so monstrous that it was hard to believe Esther was actually controlling it.
[KIIIIIIAAAAAAAAH────!!!]
[Kill them. Kill them. Kill them. Kill them. Kill them. Kill them. Kill them. Kill them. Kill them. Kill them. Kill them. Kill them. Kill them. Kill them…!]
[KIIIIEEEEEEEEEK!!!]
'Perfect for a rampage.'
I didn't even need to swing my spear.
Using the thrust from the Z-74 Jetpack and synchronizing with Esther's energy, I simply held the Ankelenth's Spear—and the monstrous creatures below were impaled en masse.
[KREEEEK!]
[KYYYYAAAAAHH!]
Of course, some of the more agile ones tried to strike back.
But Janus was there to block them.
[KIIK!]
Squelch, squelch, squelch—!
Bone tendrils shot out in all directions, skewering every beast that lunged at me.
[KHEEEK!]
[GUUUAAAAAH…!]
After all, Janus' power shone brightest not against powerful foes, but against overwhelming numbers.
Unfortunately, this slaughter didn't last long.
Chiiiiiik…
Chiik… Chiik…
The Z-74 Jetpack's engine output was gradually decreasing.
I had recklessly burned through its energy.
It would recharge over time, but for now, I couldn't use it.
'No problem.'
I landed on the ground and ran my fingers along the BLT-47 Plasma Launcher.
It had been resting for a while, and the once-scorching handle now felt cool to the touch.
The remaining monsters had dwindled to a quarter of their original numbers—hardly a threat to me now.
'Let's finish this.'
BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT…
A brilliant flash erupted from the BLT-47 Plasma Launcher, engulfing the battlefield in pure destruction.
* * *
"Seven Grade-7 Beast-type entities ahead, 12 in total. The effective ammunition is slug rounds with high stopping power. At 75 degrees, 17 Grade-8 and Grade-9 Insect-type entities. What we need are armor-piercing rounds to penetrate their exoskeletons. And in the rear, 11 Grade-10 Aerial-type entities that appear to be potential threats..."
Based on the continuous stream of information pouring out of Hildegard's mouth, Kalakin quickly processed it and issued a command.
"Proceed with Formation A-14. Take your positions."
The soldiers of Ark undergo mandatory training not only for squad-based combat but also for platoon, company, and battalion-level formations.
Without the need for elaborate instructions from Kalakin, the team members instinctively knew what to do with just those brief orders.
"Iris. Prioritize neutralizing the rear threats."
"Understood."
"Hildegard, keep updating me on the battlefield status."
"Got it."
And with that, the battle began in earnest.
Without any specific signal, the first gunshot from an Ark-15 Auto-Converting Rifle marked the start.
Bang—!
Watching this unfold, Dmitri clenched his teeth.
Everyone else was giving their all to confront this situation, but unlike them, Dmitri had nothing special to offer.
It was only natural.
Dmitri came from noble blood, but that was all he had.
"Damn it..."
Yet even so, as a proud noble of the Red Line, there was no way Dmitri could simply accept that fact.
He could begrudgingly acknowledge Kalakin and Hildegard.
They were recognized as exceptional talents even within Ark, and though Dmitri disliked admitting it, he could at least accept their capabilities.
But Iris?
Absolutely not.
A noble of the Red Line, being protected on the battlefield by a mere cursed one?
Unthinkable.
It should never happen.
'Me… Me…?!'
Crack—
A crack formed in Dmitri's lofty pride as a noble of the Red Line.
With power comes responsibility.
And Dmitri understood and practiced that responsibility more than anyone.
So, what was this pathetic sight?
"Damn it all...!"
Gritting his teeth, Dmitri lunged at the Grade-9 Beast-type approaching him.
A Grade-9 Beast-type.
As its classification suggested, it wasn't a particularly strong entity.
But that was only when fighting from the safety of Ark's walls.
Facing a Grade-9 Beast-type up close was an entirely different matter.
[Grrrr…]
Its massive fangs, capable of swallowing a human whole, opened menacingly toward Dmitri.
"How dare you!"
Dmitri's grip tightened around his R-1 Plasma Sword, which flared to life.
A plasma sword was not something an ordinary soldier could wield, but for Dmitri, that was not a concern.
Slash!
With one swift motion, the Grade-9 Beast-type's head was severed.
However, because he had broken formation and advanced too deep, Dmitri was instantly surrounded by beasts.
"You dare; you dare!"
Dmitri swung his R-1 Plasma Sword wildly.
Each swing cut down the beasts mercilessly, but before long, the sword's glow began to fade.
He had overused its energy.
Beep…
As soon as the R-1 Plasma Sword lost power, a beast waiting behind him pounced.
"Watch out!"
At Iris's shout, ether surged toward Dmitri.
[Block…]
A weak, pitiful amount of ether.
But it was enough to buy Dmitri time to move out of the way.
"Huff, huff..."
His heart pounded violently.
If not for Iris, he would have been in real danger.
"…Are you okay?"
"Don't touch me!"
Dmitri's eyes blazed with volcanic fury.
But this anger wasn't directed at Iris, who had saved him.
It was directed at himself.
'Me? A burden…?'
Furious, Dmitri discarded his overheated, malfunctioning R-1 Plasma Sword and pulled out another weapon from his belt—
A DR-404 Revolver, carried as a last resort.
"Dmitri! Stay in position!"
"Shut up! Don't order me around!"
Ignoring Kalakin's warning, Dmitri fired his DR-404 Revolver recklessly.
Bang—!
Bang, bang, bang!!
But the DR-404 Revolver, despite its overwhelming firepower, had a brutal recoil.
By the fourth shot, Dmitri's right shoulder was dislocated.
"Argh…!"
If not for the Level-5 Protective Suit providing some body support, his entire arm might have shattered.
Even with his dislocated shoulder, Dmitri refused to let go of the DR-404 Revolver.
"…Iris! Support Dmitri!"
"Ah—yes!"
As Iris once again summoned ether, Dmitri felt humiliation so intense that he would rather die.
He knew.
He was dragging the entire team down.
'Damn it… Damn it…!'
Even now, Iris was coughing up blood, forcing out every last drop of her ether to protect him.
The cursed one he had looked down upon and despised was protecting him, a noble of the Red Line.
'What the hell am I…?'
Meanwhile, Kalakin watched the entire situation unfold while slashing with the Moonlight Blade attached to his Ark-15 Automatic Conversion Rifle.
Despite Dmitri's reckless actions, the sheer amount of firepower he had unleashed meant that the tide of battle hadn't turned against them.
In fact, in some ways, they had gained the upper hand.
The real problem, however, was that from the beginning, this team was never meant to handle this many enemies.
'…At this rate, someone will die.'
Whether it would be Dmitri, now stranded deep within enemy lines, or Iris, who was already pushing herself past her limits, was uncertain.
Casualties were a natural occurrence in Ark's external missions.
But that didn't mean he would accept them so easily.
'…No choice then.'
Kalakin made up his mind and detached the Moonlight Blade from his Ark-15 Automatic Conversion Rifle.
And then—
Swoosh!
Screeeech—!!!
Instead of gunfire, the sound of the wind whistling filled the battlefield.
One by one, the beasts surrounding the team collapsed.
'What the…?'
An unexpected savior had arrived.
Kalakin's gaze snapped in the direction of the disturbance.
And then,
His expression hardened.