Hello I'm back, thy leg is healed but I don't have molars anymore.
===BREAK===
The Regional Lords.
As those so-called beings revealed themselves beyond the horizon, a breath-stopping terror swept through the battlefield already tense with dread.
"What… is that?"
"…Shit."
"It's a colossal behemoth! Prepare the dedicated anti-colossal behemoth weapons!"
In that moment, everyone on the front line felt overwhelmed by the monsters in front of them.
And who could blame them?
For countless years, the monsters known as the Regional Lords had been seared into the minds of Ark's soldiers as symbols of terror.
Thoom─
Thud!
With each step the three Lords took, the frontline trembled.
It was an utterly overwhelming presence.
Even the seasoned Ark soldiers, who had maintained calm and professionalism until now, found themselves involuntarily staring at the spectacle.
"What are you all doing?! Request deployment of the Special Mobile Strike Force immediately!"
"It's already been requested. But… their situation doesn't look good either…"
"What about reinforcements? Still not here?!"
"That too… isn't looking good. Reinforcements… won't be coming anytime soon."
"…Goddammit."
It seemed Ark's elite teams, including the Special Mobile Strike Force and the Colossal Behemoth Interception Units, were being mobilized. But these were no ordinary massive beasts—they were the Regional Lords.
Naturally, that wasn't going to be enough.
No matter how advanced Ark's technology had become, and no matter how abundant their resources were, in the end—it was still humans operating those weapons.
["Master. Those things…"]
"I see them."
Even though three of the Lords had revealed themselves at once, I didn't feel fear—not anymore.
After all, I had already absorbed beings even stronger than them: the Bone Lord and the Turncoat King.
"Hmm."
Still, I didn't take my eyes off the front.
I wasn't watching the Lords.
What I was really looking at was what lay beyond them—the true objective of this war, and the real enemy I now had to face.
And right on cue—
[It hurts…]
A massive ether storm began to brew around the three Lords.
As if announcing the coming of an apocalypse.
[I want to go back. I want to go back. I want to go back. I want to go back. I want to go back. I want to go back. I want to go back. I want to go back. I want to go back. I want to go back…]
[Let's end it… finally…]
[Kik, kik, kik, kik, kik, kik, kik, kik, kik, kik, kik, kik…]
[Kill them all. Kill them all.]
The colossal ether storm spreading across the battlefield was a clear manifestation of the Great Will.
The Great Will desired release.
For the prison forged by humanity's greed—Project Noah—to be broken at last.
To avoid being erased by the consequences of that greed.
And… to return to the birthplace of mankind.
With that longing, the Great Will cast out a level of ether interference so strong it might be called divine.
"Let's go."
While the appearance of the Lords might have been triggered by some scheme of the Church of Morte, the main reason was that the Great Will now yearned for its own liberation.
A will, formed from a divine-level concentration of ether, powerful enough to move even the Regional Lords.
["Master."]
"Speak."
Esther trembled slightly.
["That ether storm is dangerous. I feel… countless thoughts swirling within it."]
"I see it."
["…Be careful."]
There was a time I would've doubted whether that concern was genuine.
No—there was a time I thought it was nothing but manipulation.
But not anymore.
"No need to worry."
I said that to reassure Esther, activating the Z-74 Jetpack.
Almost simultaneously, the vanguard of the beast horde—winged beasts—began pouring down from the clouds like a black tide.
More numerous than anything I had ever seen.
[Kyieeeeh!]
[Kaak, KAAAAAK!]
With a cacophony of howls, the flying beasts descended upon Ark like a thundercloud swarm.
Even though I had seen this scene countless times before, it never failed to strike a sense of dread.
'Hmm…'
I wanted to deploy the tactical nuke launcher currently resting inside Rift Space and wipe out every single beast at the front.
In fact, that was the entire reason I had acquired it.
But if I were to use it now, it would break the silent balance of mutual assured destruction that both Ark and the Kronos Union had carefully maintained.
Both sides had gone all-in—yet paradoxically, neither dared use their strongest weapon.
Funny, isn't it?
'For now, I'll proceed as usual.'
I had no intention of using the tactical nukes yet—but that didn't mean I was out of options.
In fact, I had more than enough.
[Activating 'Rift Space'.]
Countless spatial rifts opened around me, revealing everything from Ark's standard-issue Ark-15 Automatic Conversion Rifles, to NOA-31 Anti-Behemoth Gatling Guns, CRN-842 Hemp Rocket Launchers, BLT-47 Plasma Launchers, and ICE-54 Plasma Coolers—an overwhelming array of firepower.
It was possible only because Rift Space itself had grown stronger.
[Position locked.]
[Spatial control ready.]
I seized all the floating weapons using my Gravity Gloves.
Precise aiming? Not necessary.
All I needed to do was pull the trigger—everything would hit.
Swish.
Like a conductor commanding an orchestra, I moved my hands.
At a glance, the motion seemed crude—but the outcome was anything but.
Tatatatang!
Kwakwang!──
KWAKWAKWAKWAANG!
An overwhelming torrent of firepower rained down from the hovering weapons.
Thanks to the miracle of infinite ammunition and the sheer variety of weapons, the resulting force surpassed not just any individual, but entire units.
[You have slain Grade-3 Aerial Beast: Sky Whale.]
[Damage against Sky Whale increases by 0.05%.]
[You have slain Grade-3 Aerial Beast: Sky Great White Shark.]
[Damage against Sky Great White Shark increases by 0.05%.]
[You have slain Grade-4 Aerial Beast: Sky Swordfish.]
[Damage against Sky Swordfish increases by 0.05%.]
…
[You have slain Grade-2 Rock Monster: Demon Gargoyle.]
[Damage against Demon Gargoyle increases by 0.05%.]
The dark storm cloud of beasts that had filled the sky began to part.
The firepower I wielded now was enough to show visible results within the Wave itself.
'But… it still didn't change the overall tide of battle.'
Even though I had cleared out most of the eastern vanguard from Red Line, the broader situation remained dire.
From Orange Line to Rose Line, the skies were still choked with monsters.
And Ark was struggling—badly—even against these preliminary strikes.
That's why I couldn't stop now.
No matter what I decided later—I first had to keep Ark from falling.
* * *
The Z-74 Jetpack sliced across Ark's skies.
While soaring, I kept preparing weapons around me and continuously swung my Gravity Gloves.
[Real-time positional adjustment active.]
[Repeating pattern mode engaged.]
Kaboom!
KRAAAANG──!
Fire and flash scattered across the skies as I scorched and sliced through the vanguard beasts vomiting hatred toward Ark.
It was essentially a one-sided massacre.
But the problem was… this was only the vanguard of the beast horde.
'The main force is coming.'
Dealing with the flying advance wave was hard enough.
But the true Wave only begins once the beasts reach the ground.
Soon, I'd have to defend both land and sky.
[GRROOOOAAAR!]
[GUUUURRGHH…]
And then—they arrived.
Not just the horde, but the Regional Lords, whom I'd been trying to ignore, slowly came within range of Ark.
This was it.
A true Wave.
A full-scale, no-holds-barred assault had begun.
"Reform the line!"
"We can't hold!"
"Just do it!"
The soldiers atop the wall shouted, their voices cracking.
That first airborne attack must've hit them hard.
'I want to dive into the heart of the beast horde, but… then Ark would be left open.'
I stayed near Ark's lines despite the restrictions.
Because this war's enemies weren't just the beasts.
No, the real enemies hadn't even shown themselves yet.
'Even so… this has to be done.'
I still hadn't made my decision.
And I knew that indecision could one day be the death of me.
But I wasn't going to let Ark fall to the beast horde—not before I had made my choice.
If Ark fell now, I'd lose that chance forever.
'First—take down the Regional Lords as fast as possible.'
Not all of them qualified as super-massive beasts—but the ones on this frontline did.
Their size alone gave them extreme durability, and they could break through even Ark's strongest walls.
'I won't let that happen.'
Just as I began to realign my weapons inside Rift Space—
FwooOOOSH!────
A missile tore through the air toward Ark.
Just one would've been manageable—but they kept coming.
BOOM!
KWA-BOOOM!──
"Missile attack incoming!"
"Deploy shields!"
Sadly, those cries didn't last long.
The soldiers who screamed them were reduced to ash by the bombardment.
Ark had always launched missile strikes—but never received them.
Naturally, it was vulnerable.
No matter how strong Ark's defenses were, they were fundamentally designed to repel beast hordes—not high-tech bombardment.
'So… they've finally decided to fully commit to this war.'
The Kronos Union.
The true engine behind this war had at last made its move.
===BREAK===
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