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===BREAK===
It didn't feel like a long time had passed, and yet, the 26th wave was already nearing its end.
Even though it was still in the early stages of the stage, it ended so easily it felt almost excessive.
'Well, that figures.'
The reason I couldn't help but feel that way was simple.
The previous wave had been the absurdly difficult quintuple wave, and after hunting the Bone Lord, our side's combat power had drastically improved.
'To begin with, we've increased the number of allies too.'
Perhaps that's why.
Though I was a bit tired from the intense battle, I hadn't been injured or wounded like in the past.
In other words, I didn't even need to use the Lifewater.
That's how overwhelming our side's power was against this wave.
'At this rate, I could probably leave during a wave if needed.'
Up until now, the idea of me leaving during a wave was unthinkable, but the strength of the enhanced Turncoat Legion made such a possibility seem plausible.
The strength the Turncoat Legion displayed during this wave was nothing short of overwhelming.
And that was without the Turncoat Queen, their main force. There was no need to explain what kind of power the fully assembled Turncoat Legion would wield.
'On top of that, the Immortal hasn't been dealt with yet either…'
The Immortal's unique immortality and vitality were of immense value to the Bone Parasite monsters, who constantly burned their life force for power.
If someone like the Bone Lord or the Turncoat King had the Immortal's powers, what would've happened?
Who knows—perhaps Ark would've been destroyed in an instant by a cataclysm.
It's exactly why the Turncoat King made such a bold move to target the Immortal before the Bone Lord hunt.
"Haha! Too easy. I don't get why those Ark bastards are so scared."
"You're not strong. It's only thanks to His Majesty's grace. Know your place."
"Yeah, yeah."
As usual, Turncoat Rook and Turncoat Bishop bickered, while the unending tide of the wave finally came to a complete halt.
'Hmm…'
All that could be seen around us were corpses.
There were no more beasts charging toward us.
"Is it over?"
Turncoat Rook wiped the blood off his face and grinned.
Turncoat Bishop, looking slightly disgusted, shook his head.
"I'm not sure… For now, let's go to His Majesty."
"How long have you even known him to act like such a loyal dog? I just don't get it."
"What I don't get is how someone who's served His Majesty longer than me can act so irreverently."
"You're one to talk... Honestly, your behavior is way stranger than mine."
"Don't impose human notions of common sense onto His Majesty."
"…You're something else."
Turncoat Bishop's steadfastness was enough to make even Turncoat Rook shake his head.
Even I, who was quietly listening in on their conversation, felt a chill go down my spine.
["Must be nice being so popular?"]
"…Strictly speaking, that's not me, it's Janus. More precisely, that includes the Turncoat King inside him."
["Oh, is that so? Lucky you, Boney. So many loyal followers."]
[Gigit!]
Amid the strange exchange between Esther and Janus, the Turncoat King pouted.
["…I feel strangely pitiful. Is that just me?"]
"Not necessarily. I kind of feel the same."
["Hmm. Is that so? This too must be a shame a king must endure. You are quite remarkable."]
"...."
In a strangely heartwarming atmosphere that belied the fact we had just annihilated tens of thousands of monsters, the wave finally came to an end.
+
[You have cleared Yellow-26 Stage!]
[+542,875 Contribution Points]
[You have ruthlessly massacred the Beast Legion! Additional merit points accumulated.]
[+150,000 Contribution Points]
[You have swept the battlefield as the lord of the Bone Parasite Legion! Additional merit points accumulated.]
[+250,000 Contribution Points]
[Current Contribution Points: 4,673,568]
+
'Hooh…'
Previously, clearing the quintuple wave had netted me around 3 million merit points.
But now, even with just a single wave cleared, I'd received a whopping 900,000 merit points.
That meant the results of this battle, leading the Turncoat legion, were phenomenal.
'In that case…'
It was time to end the long expedition that had started with the Bone Lord hunt.
It was time to return to Ark.
"I'm heading back now."
Of course, not everyone here would be returning.
Aside from me and Rook, none of the others were originally from Ark.
I looked at Turncoat Bishop and Turncoat Knight.
"You two should go back for now. I'll summon you if needed."
Unlike Turncoat Rook, who had status and a place to stay within Ark, Bishop and Knight were beings who had always lived outside.
It made more sense to let them remain free and only call them when needed, rather than risk dragging them inside Ark.
Besides, Turncoat Bishop and Turncoat Knight were now powerful enough that it'd take an extraordinary situation to threaten them.
["Alright, le—"]
"Knight, do not speak so rudely to His Majesty."
["Shut up, idiot."]
"...."
The relationship between Turncoat Knight and Turncoat Bishop was far more complicated than with Rook.
No… expecting harmony among those three was wishful thinking to begin with.
"You heard our liege, right? Time to scram."
Rook grinned, and Bishop's face visibly flushed red.
"…Forgive me for the dishonor of not being able to serve at your side, Your Majesty."
"Well, look at you talking like that. Hey, can you knock it off? That pompous tone is grating."
"I find it distasteful to leave such a brute at His Majesty's side… but I cannot disobey a royal command. I shall obey gladly."
"Pfft… what a joke."
How should I put it… Turncoat Bishop was difficult to deal with in a very different way from Rook.
Frankly, from my standpoint, Bishop was far more difficult.
"…Has he always been like that?"
I asked quietly, and the Turncoat King answered with satisfaction.
["A loyal retainer is not easily found. Treasure him. A good king must earn the true respect of his subjects."]
"If nothing else, I've realized it was a mistake to ask you."
Being around these crazy Turncoats made me feel like I was losing my own sanity.
"Then, farewell."
"…Yeah. Understood."
Turncoat Bishop said this, shot a glance at Rook, then turned to leave.
["Kin, me go now."]
"Yeah. See you next time."
Soon after, Turncoat Knight also turned away without a trace of reluctance.
Watching this, Turncoat Rook shook his head.
"Bunch of headaches."
"…You're no exception."
"Haha, good one."
"...."
Anyway, though I'd sent off Turncoat Bishop and Knight, they wouldn't just sit idle until the next summons.
Both of them had attained power comparable to named monsters beyond classification.
If they started acting in earnest, it would impact not just the beast ecosystem outside Ark, but also the power dynamics.
'Once I make a few more preparations… it might not be impossible to overturn the entire beast ecosystem.'
Not just Turncoats carving out a new ecosystem, but completely replacing the existing one.
Despite having a clear goal, the reason I wasn't acting yet wasn't due to lack of power.
It was because Ark wasn't yet ready to handle the consequences of altering the beast ecosystem.
'To do that, the first thing I need to do is… visit the Purple Line.'
Uncovering the secrets of this world—Doth, White Line, Project Noah, the Great Will, and Great Soul—was important, but not urgent.
My most pressing issue was still Ark's national security.
'As for Project Noah… I can look into it while pursuing this mission.'
The Purple Line.
Despite being responsible for Ark's frontlines, the treatment of the Purple Line within Ark was poor.
The Rose Line, as Ark's current foremost line of defense, received immense support from all other lines and wielded significant influence because of it.
Ark had already lost a front line once, so public sentiment was that it must never happen again.
But the Purple Line was different.
Compared to the danger it bore, the support it received was paltry. Those left in the Purple Line needed someone to rely on.
Enter the machines—who handled both production and security in place of the scarce human population.
Thus the Machine Cult was born, a religious group that worshipped machinery.
My reason for heading to the Purple Line to find them was simple.
The Machine Cult possessed unparalleled engineering technology in Ark, and using it could spark a revolution Ark had never seen.
'A mechanical revolution.'
The Machine Cult currently operated in the shadows.
Due to the Church of Morte, Ark harbored deep resentment toward any religion.
But that couldn't continue.
The Machine Cult had to step into the light, and use its technology to bring change to Ark.
'Which means… it really is time to return.'
As I climbed atop Horus, Turncoat Rook naturally followed.
[Kihehek!]
"Let's go."
It was time to return to Ark.
* * *
Perhaps it was thanks to Horus's supersonic speed, but reaching Ark was a breeze.
When we arrived, as always, thick smoke from burning beast corpses rose into the sky.
A common sight after a wave.
["…Feels like I haven't been home in forever."]
"Yeah, really does."
Though it felt like I'd been away for a long time, the truth was, I hadn't been gone from Ark for very long.
It only felt that way because of the intensity of everything that happened after clearing the quintuple wave.
"Carl Marcus, identity verified. You may enter."
After passing identity verification at the Red Line gate as usual, the officer stopped me.
"Ah, Carl Marcus, there was a message left for you to be delivered upon your return."
"A message? From who?"
"That, I wasn't told."
So even a Red Line officer was ordered to deliver a message without knowing the sender…
Whoever left it, they clearly wielded considerable influence in Ark.
'I'll know once I check.'
I accepted the device the officer handed me and activated it. Soon, the message began to play.
===BREAK===
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