"Hurry with the rescue operation! We need to get out of here immediately!"
With Lania's urgent cry, the surrounding ether trembled as the debris of the collapsed ant nest was cleared away.
But there wasn't enough time.
The Wave they had feared and dreaded had finally begun, and from beyond the horizon, the harbingers of death were surging forward.
"Lania! We have no choice! We have to escape now and come back to rescue them later!"
"…I can't do that."
"Lania! Look at the people you must protect! Are you planning to let them all die here?!"
Lania bit her lip hard.
She wasn't holding out because she didn't understand that there was no other way.
She had to do this. She had to try, even if it was futile. But now, she had reached her limit.
"…Lania."
"Damn it."
"Lania!"
"Fine. Fine!"
Grinding her teeth, Lania averted her gaze.
Now, those trapped inside the ant nest would all die.
They could have been saved—she could have done something if only…
But Lania turned away.
There were still people alive—people who had to stay alive.
She couldn't allow herself to be held back here.
"…Everyone, move!"
At Lania's command, the evacuation procession hurried forward.
Unfortunately, the advance of the beast horde was too fast.
Kyaaaaaah—!!!
Kruoooooh!!
The distance had closed so much that the roars of the beasts echoed clearly in their ears.
"… …"
Throughout this mission, there had been countless dangerous moments, but Kalakin was certain—this was the most perilous of them all.
A pitch-black storm surged from beyond the canyon, as if it would swallow them whole at any moment.
"Ugh… Uhh…"
"We're all going to die… all of us…"
Fearful murmurs filled the air.
Some called it the Wave, but Kalakin had another name for it—Despair.
'We have to get out of here.'
Thankfully, Hildegard and the other members of the expedition team were finally coming to their senses.
"Ugh… What the hell…?"
"…You're awake?"
"…Kalakin! You traitorous bastard! How dare you betray us?!"
"I didn't betray anyone. I did what was necessary."
"Oh, you've got a lot to say. Think you'll still be talking big when we get back to Ark?"
"Maybe you should consider that I just saved your lives."
Unable to stand it any longer, Hildegard intervened.
"That's enough! Is now really the time for this?"
"Hildegard! Don't tell me you're siding with this traitor?!"
"This isn't about taking sides! If you've got eyes, then look over there!"
"What the hell are you—"
As Dmitri slowly turned his head, his vision was filled with the blackened horizon.
He knew exactly what that meant.
Anyone living in this world would.
"…Shit."
"I'm glad you finally get it. Now get up. We need to move now."
"…You really think those bastards are just going to let us leave?"
"Luckily for us, it looks like they have bigger concerns right now."
"…What?"
Dmitri's gaze shifted toward Lania and the remnants of Kronos.
Just as Kalakin had said, neither Lania nor any of the Kronos remnants were paying the Ark expedition team any attention at all.
At this rate, escaping wouldn't be too difficult.
"Let's go."
"…I won't forget this. Not you, and not Carl Marcus."
"Do as you please."
"Hmph."
They managed to avoid another pointless conflict, but that didn't mean they were safe yet.
The Wave was still closing in, and there was no guarantee they could escape its reach in time.
That much was certain.
And yet—
'…What?'
Kalakin couldn't hide his confusion.
The beast horde, which had seemed ready to devour them at any moment, had suddenly changed course.
Was it just luck?
No—this wasn't something that could be dismissed as mere coincidence.
The way the horde moved was too deliberate, as if an external force had altered their path.
And Kalakin wasn't the only one who noticed.
Lania, in the middle of coordinating the evacuation, also looked on in bewilderment as the beasts abruptly shifted direction.
"…What in the world…?"
Kalakin didn't miss her reaction.
'This wasn't Lania's doing.'
Which meant the Kronos remnants didn't have the ability to pull something like this off.
But if not them—then who?
'…No way.'
A fleeting image of a certain man's back flashed through Kalakin's mind.
But that was ridiculous.
If Carl Marcus had such power, there would have been no reason for him to go through all this struggle until now.
'…Wait a minute.'
What if Carl Marcus had been hiding that power all along?
'He's survived outside of Ark all this time. If he had an ability like this… then it makes perfect sense.'
Logically, it was an absurd idea.
But Kalakin couldn't shake the feeling that Carl Marcus was somehow responsible for this bizarre phenomenon.
'Carl Marcus…'
His gaze shifted beyond the canyon, obscured by the cliffs.
He had no idea what was happening over there.
Whether it was for Ark's sake or for the Kronos remnants, he couldn't say.
But one thing was certain.
'Carl Marcus is over there—fighting.'
* * *
There are originally three holy relics in the Church of Morte.
Each of these relics possesses different abilities and appearances, but they all share one common trait: their presence prevents monsters and monsters from attacking.
However, the current Church of Morte has lost one of these three relics.
Considering that one of the relics is used to protect the church's main temple, this means that the number of relics that can be actively utilized by the Church of Morte is now only one.
The difference between one and two may seem small, but in reality, it means their power has been halved.
I quietly observed the movements of the monster horde from above.
I needed to confirm that they were moving exactly as I intended.
'…As expected, there is no relic presiding this branch of the Church of Morte.'
As if to prove that fact, the monster horde was avoiding Ankelenth's Domain and the area where its roar had resounded, instead converging on a single location.
That location was none other than the rocky mountain where the Church of Morte branch was situated.
In a way, it was the obvious course of action.
Would a holy relic, now limited to just one, really be placed in such a place?
[" …You're really evil."]
'Call it strategy.'
[" Well, I don't like those bastards either, so serves them right."]
As expected of the public enemy that was the Church of Morte, even Esther, a former member of the Shadow Order, seemed to hold a deep grudge against them.
[Kyaaaaah!]
[Grrrrrr!]
[Kyaak, kaak!]
A black tide approached.
But naturally, their target wasn't me.
What happens if you forcefully narrow the entrance of a flowing stream?
Obviously, the flow of the stream will intensify.
The same principle applied to what was unfolding before me.
The monster horde, which originally would have spread out broadly as they advanced, had no choice but to head toward the rocky mountain, as the paths on both sides were blocked.
'Remaining time for Ankelenth's Domain: approximately 50 minutes.'
A short time, perhaps, but for the Church of Morte, it would be an excruciatingly long one.
Of course, it seemed the Church of Morte had no intention of sitting still and taking the hit.
With a thunderous explosion, the midsection of the rocky mountain collapsed.
The passage that connected the inside of the rocky mountain—where the Church of Morte resided—was now completely sealed off.
'They're resorting to drastic measures.'
Bringing down the mountain so recklessly would undoubtedly make the internal structure unstable, and in the worst-case scenario, it could have even killed some of their own…
'Well, it's the Church of Morte, after all.'
Whenever something defied common sense, it usually made sense once you factored in the Church of Morte.
That was just the kind of fanatical cult they were.
Still… aside from all that, I had to admit their method was quite effective.
'Surely, even the monster horde wouldn't force their way through that.'
But that was only if I weren't here.
My goal was to ensure a spectacular battle between the monster horde and the Church of Morte.
And for that, I couldn't allow such a boring tactic to work.
Clank—
Clack, clack—
I slung the CRN-842 Hemp Rocket Launcher over my shoulder.
Then, without hesitation, I directed Horus toward the sealed entrance of the rocky mountain.
If the Church of Morte was going to forcefully shut the door, then naturally, my job was to forcefully reopen it.
"Open the door, you bastards."
Click—
With the pull of the trigger, the CRN-842 Hemp Rocket Launcher roared with flames.
KWAHHHHHHHHH───!!!!
A deafening explosion shook the air, sending the rocket flying.
Right at the door the Church of Morte had so stubbornly sealed shut.
KUGUGUGUGUGU───!!!
The sheer force of the explosion was enough to reveal the once-sealed entrance, buried beneath the collapsed mountain.
[Gruh?]
[Krrrng!]
A moment ago, the monster horde had no interest in the rocky mountain.
But now, their attention had shifted entirely.
[Kyaooooo───!!!]
With the monstrous roar serving as a signal, the monster horde poured into the rocky mountain.
First, one.
Then, two.
Three. Four. Ten…
The number of invading monsters and monsters steadily increased as they stormed into the Church of Morte branch hidden within the rocky mountain.
From above, it looked like insects crawling into their burrow.
"Let's see how long you can hold out."
["Wow… It's really hard to tell who the villain is here."]
"They are, obviously."
["Well… I guess you're not wrong."]
The Church of Morte worships beasts and monsters.
How well could such believers fight when faced with the very creatures they revere?
To do so, they would have to contradict their own doctrine—it wouldn't be easy.
Their faith, which they had cherished like their own lives…
Or their actual lives.
The Church of Morte followers had no choice but to choose.
'Well, they'll probably hold out for a while at least.'
The Church of Morte had earned the nickname "Morte-roaches" due to their sheer resilience.
And it wasn't just a metaphor.
Their followers possessed almost monstrous levels of endurance, rivaling that of the creatures they worshipped.
Sure enough.
As if to prove it, the Church of Morte followers soon rushed out of the rocky mountain, preparing to fight against the monster horde.
It seemed they had chosen their real lives over their faith.
And thus began an intense battle.
Humans, who were practically monsters themselves, and actual monsters clashed in utter chaos.
'At this point, it's hard to tell who the real monsters are.'
That was how tenacious the Church of Morte followers were.
They truly lived up to their cockroach-like reputation.
'Not that it matters in the end.'
No matter how strong one was, numbers always prevailed.
And no matter how resilient they were, against the true monsters and monsters, their survival was limited.
As if to prove that, the Church of Morte followers fell one by one.
Ripped apart by beasts.
Devoured alive by monsters.
'Hmm.'
At this rate, if I simply let things be, the Church of Morte would soon be wiped out.
However, letting that happen too quickly wasn't ideal for my true goal.
'If the Church of Morte holds out longer, it'll deal even greater damage to the monster horde.'
Not to mention, it would buy time for the Kronos remnants to escape.
'In that case…'
I tightened my grip on the CRN-842 Hemp Rocket Launcher.
My target?
The monster horde currently surrounding the Church of Morte.
Click—
Without hesitation, I pulled the trigger.
KWAHHHHHHHHH───!!!
As artillery rained down from the sky, the battle was far from over.