It was an offer that required no thought.
Whether or not Kalakin would be of help to me didn't matter. In my current situation, acting alone was simply the more efficient choice.
"No, I'll do this alone."
"But…"
"Aren't you supposed to stay here and watch over your team until they wake up? You're not seriously thinking of abandoning them in the middle with the Kronos remnants, areyou?"
If Kalakin followed me, the unconscious reconnaissance team would be left completely vulnerable among the Kronos remnants.
Of course, Lania wouldn't go out of her way to harm them, but if another situation like before arose, even Lania wouldn't be able to guarantee their safety just because of me.
Besides, in such an urgent situation, I doubted the Kronos remnants would go out of their way to care for outsiders.
'Of course, that's just an excuse.'
But it was a strong enough excuse to break Kalakin's resolve.
The most important justification was on my side, and Kalakin had none.
"…Understood."
"Take care of your team. Staying here won't be easy either. Right now, my actions are also to ensure the success of this mission."
"…Yes."
This wasn't just empty talk.
Guarding the unconscious reconnaissance team in what was essentially the heart of enemy territory wouldn't be an easy task.
"I'll see you later."
"…Stay safe."
After exchanging a brief glance with Kalakin, I turned away and began leaving the canyon.
The Church of Morte had likely attacked from above, and to reach that area, I needed to move out of sight as much as possible.
'Horus should be following me, right?'
["Yes. He seemed a bit hungry, so he went hunting for a bit… but he's nearby now."]
'Good.'
Reaching the canyon's edge, I activated the Z-74 jetpack.
Vwoooom!
With a burst of blue plasma energy, I soared into the sky.
It took only an instant.
'This should be high enough.'
Due to the nature of the canyon, there were certain blind spots in the air if I ascended past a certain point.
That was exactly where I positioned myself.
"Horus."
[Keeh!]
Responding to my call, Horus revealed himself beneath me, having been following at Janus and Esther's command.
"Let's go."
I smoothly climbed onto Horus, gripping his bony reins.
[Keeh!]
With Horus' cry, the scenery around me began to blur past at high speed.
Feeling as though I had become the ruler of the vast sky, I scoured the ground for traces of the Church of Morte.
'As expected, they won't be easy to find.'
The Church of Morte didn't earn their reputation for nothing. When it came to causing trouble and disappearing, they were as persistent as cockroaches.
But there was no need to worry.
I already knew exactly where their base in this area was.
'They can try to hide all they want.'
If I set fire to their cave, they'd come running out screaming on their own.
"There, that way."
[Kiehh!]
Horus turned his head in the direction of the Church of Morte's hideout.
'Now, let's take another look.'
As we moved, I inspected the CRN-842 Hemp Rocket Launcher I had brought.
Checking one's main weapon before a battle was common sense—especially when it was something received from someone else.
──────────────
[CRN-842 Hemp Rocket Launcher] [★★★★★★★ (7-Star)]
— A specialized Anti-Behemoth Rocket Launcher developed using Kronos' cutting-edge technology.
— A weapon of extremely limited production, it is one of the rare Kronos-made weapons that can rival those of Ark.
— Incredibly powerful.
"View Details"
──────────────
'As expected.'
A heavy weapon rated at 7 stars in its base form.
Considering that my BLT-47 Plasma Launcher, which I upgraded through Maybell Pilgrim, was also rated 7 stars, this was an incredible piece of equipment.
'The CRN-842 Hemp Rocket Launcher is definitely worth upgrading through Maybell Pilgrim, even if it takes some effort.'
Having completed my inspection, I turned my gaze downward.
At a glance, it looked like an ordinary rocky mountain.
But on closer examination, there were clear traces of human activity.
'There it is.'
Just as I tightened my grip on the CRN-842 Hemp Rocket Launcher, ready to rain hell upon the cultist and zealots of the Church of Morte from above—
["Master!"]
At Esther's urgent cry, the ether in the surrounding area began to surge violently.
[It's coming. It's coming. It's coming. It's coming. It's coming. It's coming. It's coming. It's coming. It's coming. It's coming. It's coming. It's coming. It's coming. It's coming. It's coming. It's coming. It's coming. It's coming. It's coming. It's coming…]
[Scary. Scary. Scary. Scary. Scary. Scary. Scary. Scary. Scary. Scary. Scary. Scary. Scary. Scary. Scary.]
[Don't come. Don't come. Don't come. Don't come. Don't come. Don't come. Don't come. Don't come. Don't come. Don't come. Don't come. Don't come. Don't come. Don't come. Don't come. Don't come. Don't come…]
And then, I saw it.
Beyond the horizon, like darkness swallowing the world—
The horde of monstrous beasts.
And I saw it.
The sky, filled with a swarm of creatures, thick as storm clouds.
"…Tsk."
A Wave.
It had begun.
* * *
"Hurry!"
"The Wave is coming!"
"Aaaagh!"
"Ugh…"
Amidst the shouting, screams, and groans, Kalakin stood alert, tending to the unconscious reconnaissance team.
"Ugh…"
The team members were still completely out cold.
Perhaps that was for the best.
If they woke up now and caused a commotion, things could become truly dangerous without Carl Marcus here.
'But… even so, this is no time to relax.'
Neither Kalakin nor the Ark reconnaissance team had completed their mission.
They had discovered the Kronos remnants' objective, but they had yet to report it back to Ark.
And that wasn't the only thing nagging at Kalakin's mind.
'Kronos remnants' Lania and Carl Marcus… What exactly is their relationship?'
From their interactions, they seemed like long-lost family…
But there was also a chance it was an act.
Lania, who appeared to lead the Kronos remnants, was unreadable.
And Carl Marcus? He was even harder to figure out.
Jumping to conclusions would be dangerous.
'I need to gather as much information as possible about Carl Marcus and Lania.'
That was Kalakin's priority while staying here.
"Ugh… What's going on?"
Finally, Hildegard groggily opened her eyes.
"You're awake."
"Kalakin, what the hell happened…?"
"Don't do anything reckless. This time, I really can't guarantee your life."
Hildegard took in her surroundings.
"…Where's Carl Marcus?"
"He went off to take care of something."
And at that moment—
"Kalakin, look!"
At Hildegard's urgent shout, Kalakin instinctively turned his gaze.
"…That's…"
A swarm of monstrous beasts, thick as a cloud of black smoke, approached in the distance.
It was an overwhelming sight—so much so that Kalakin unconsciously felt cold sweat trickle down his back.
"They're coming."
A Wave.
Another name for despair—was upon them.
* * *
The destination of the ever-advancing horde of beasts was always the same.
Ark.
However, there was one problem—one of the paths leading to Ark passed through a canyon occupied by the remnants of Kronos.
'At this rate, the remnants of Kronos will be swept away by the Wave.'
Had they remained hidden within their ant-nest-like burrow as before, they could have simply sealed the entrance and waited for the Wave to pass. But now, that burrow had collapsed.
The remnants of Kronos had nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.
'If the Church of Morte decides to intervene in this situation, in the worst-case scenario, the Kronos Union might never come into existence at all.'
And if that were to happen, what would become of this world's future?
One might think that the disappearance of the Kronos Union—one of Ark's formidable enemies—would be a good thing. But the balance of power in this world was not so simple.
'In the worst case, the factions that fail to join the Kronos Union might be absorbed by the Church of Morte or some other force.'
Or perhaps those factions would forge their own paths, giving birth to something entirely new—something far worse than the Kronos Union itself.
Something truly monstrous.
'More than anything… Lania, who is currently among the remnants of Kronos, can be useful.'
For that reason alone, the Kronos Union could not be allowed to vanish so easily.
'In that case…'
I looked down at the rocky mountain where one of the Church of Morte's branches was located.
A plan had come to mind.
A brilliant plan that would not only save the remnants of Kronos but also take care of the approaching Wave and deal with the Church of Morte all at once.
'There's nothing to lose by trying.'
Using barbarians to subdue barbarians.
It was only fitting to crush one enemy with another.
Besides, the Church of Morte was no longer what it once was.
Having lost one of its three sacred relics, it had grown significantly more vulnerable to the attacks of beasts and monsters—save for a few branches that remained strong.
In other words, a plan that would have never worked in the past might just work now.
["…What are you planning?"]
'What?'
["No, it's just… your expression looked unsettling again."]
'...'
Ending my brief exchange with Esther, I turned Horus around.
Then, without hesitation, I headed straight for the canyon's entrance.
'First, I need to block the entrance.'
I stretched out my left hand, and a bone spear extended from Janus, landing firmly in my grasp.
"Wait here."
I commanded Horus to hover in the air and leaped down without hesitation.
["You're going to make me do all the work again, aren't you?!"]
'Not this time.'
Just before I crashed into the ground, the plasma engines of my Z-74 jetpack ignited, gradually slowing my descent.
Shuuuuuuuk!
By the time I reached the ground, my falling speed had nearly reached zero.
'Now then…'
At last, I arrived at the entrance of the canyon.
Without hesitation, I slammed my bone tendrils into the ground.
[Declaring 'Ankelenth's Domain.']
[Current duration: 52 minutes 13 seconds.]
A powerful wave of energy rippled outward, marking this place as my territory.
With this, the remnants of Kronos below the canyon would no longer be swept away by the Wave.
But would I stop here?
Of course not.
'Let's begin.'
Activating my Z-74 jetpack once more, I shot back up toward where Horus was waiting.
[Kihit!]
Landing smoothly on Horus's back, I guided him beyond the canyon entrance, flying toward the rocky mountain.
It wasn't until I passed the mountain entirely that I slowed down and scanned my surroundings.
'This should be far enough.'
Perched atop Horus, I silently waited.
Waited for the horde of beasts that had avoided Ankelenth's Domain to arrive.
And then—
KAAAAAH!
GRUUUUUUHHHH—!!!
Kyak, Kyak!
At last, the monstrous horde appeared.
The moment they did, I signaled to Janus.
['Ankelenth's Roar' has been activated!]
A ferocious roar erupted from Janus.
[KIEEEEEEEEHHHHH—!!!!]
At that moment, the movements of the horde shifted.
Instead of heading straight for me or the canyon entrance, they redirected toward the only remaining path.
The one in the middle.
With both entrances blocked, the beasts had only one way to go.
And there was no need to say what lay in that direction.
'Enjoy the show.'
The Church of Morte.
This was my gift to them.
Now then—let the herding begin.