Hello I'm back, thy leg is healed but I don't have molars anymore.
===BREAK===
In truth, at this point in time, Kalakin was still far from the figure who would one day be called the Dragon Slayer.
Although the level of equipment he possessed was already being discreetly supported through the Tripathi family, and with the Machine Cult's technology being supplied to the Ark, it was now comparable to the later stages of the game. However, the real problem lay in Kalakin's personal growth.
It was simply that Kalakin hadn't had enough time to grow.
I knew that as well, and so I had tried to train him whenever I had the chance, but honestly, those opportunities weren't many.
Whenever I had to move personally, I often needed to use Janus actively, and naturally, it wasn't easy to accompany anyone from the Ark.
'On top of that, it was a mistake to think I'd have more time.'
Until not too long ago, I believed the way to clear The Defense was to hold off the wave until the end.
Of course, thinking about it now, even if I had endured to the very end like that, the end would have come in some form regardless. But if that had been the case, I would've had no choice in the matter.
The longer the wave went on, the more Project Noah would've progressed, and that would have eventually brought equal destruction to everyone.
But now, I was different.
I still had a chance to choose how the ending would play out.
'In any case, Kalakin at this point in time isn't much help in this situation.'
Sure, Kalakin's unique traits and the existence of the Moonlight Blade made him extremely suitable for facing Ankelenth, but that was only due to compatibility.
With his current lack of raw strength, even standing before Ankelenth, he wouldn't be able to withstand the sheer pressure of its presence.
That had to be true, and yet...
["Hooh… So, the descendant of moonlight has accepted this cursed power. How rare indeed."]
The words muttered by Turncoat King couldn't be ignored, even by me.
'What does that mean?'
["Can't you feel it? Well, in that case, it would be better to feel it directly."]
As Turncoat King spoke, Janus' senses began to merge with mine.
And only then did I sense it.
What exactly had changed about Kalakin.
"…Skull Knight."
It had been a while since I last saw Kalakin, and now, he had become a Skull Knight.
The Skull Knight procedure was only available to a select few elite soldiers within the Ark, but given the support from the Tripathi family and Kalakin's evident aptitude, he couldn't possibly be deemed unqualified.
The very fact that Kalakin appeared here as a Skull Knight meant it wasn't impossible at all.
"Why did you do it?"
"I needed strength."
Kalakin answered my question simply.
Truthfully, when playing as Kalakin, I was never a fan of turning him into a Skull Knight.
While the Skull Knight was powerful in many ways and had numerous strengths, it also had a tendency to damage the purity of Kalakin's innate traits.
"Strength, huh…"
But now, the situation had changed.
This was no time to argue about purity. Strength was urgently needed, and Kalakin's choice, in a way, was the best he could make for now.
Because, as a Skull Knight, there were plenty of ways to make up for the time Kalakin lacked.
"Then there's a way."
"I'll do it."
Contrary to my expectation that it would take a while to convince him, Kalakin agreed without even hearing the method.
"You might regret it."
"I'm prepared."
"What you think is your own decision might just be someone else's command."
"If that someone is Carl Marcus, I'm fine with it. It would still be for the sake of protecting the Ark."
I didn't know where Kalakin's trust in me came from, but we didn't have time to linger on that.
"Janus."
At my call, Janus' bone tendrils instantly stretched out toward Kalakin.
What Kalakin lacked right now was time to grow, and I was about to artificially fill that gap using Janus' power.
Crack, crkkrk…
The dozens of bone tendrils burrowed into Kalakin's body in an instant, causing the surrounding soldiers to flinch and point their weapons at me.
"Stop. There's no need for that."
Only when Brigadier General Victor shook his head did the soldiers lower their weapons and return to their tasks.
"Gghk, nngh…!"
The bone tendrils continued to writhe.
If my goal had simply been to turn Kalakin into a standard subordinate like the other Skull Knights, there would've been no need for this level of precision.
But what we needed on this battlefield wasn't just a capable soldier—it was Kalakin, the wielder of the Moonlight Blade.
That's why Janus was even more meticulous than when he had subjugated Turncoat Queen, transferring his power to Kalakin while simultaneously binding him.
Even though I respected Kalakin, I couldn't afford to hand over such a powerful force without any safeguards, not knowing how things might turn out.
"Gghk, nghhh…!"
Bone tendrils burst through Kalakin's protective suit, swaying as if dancing.
It was a side effect of the sudden surge of power he couldn't yet control.
"Focus."
"I… am…!"
A bone tendril shot from Kalakin's molars, piercing through his visor.
The visor, which clearly had protection level 7 or higher, shattered with ease.
That meant the power now embedding itself within Kalakin was immense.
Swss, swss…
As the bone tendrils slowly calmed down, Turncoat King, who had been watching, let out a sound of admiration.
["Hooh…"]
I didn't even need to wonder why Turncoat King was impressed.
The power radiating from Kalakin was clearly extraordinary.
"Hoo…"
As Kalakin let out a small exhale, the once-turbulent bone tendrils now moved in complete sync with his will.
Before we knew it, the power emanating from Kalakin could now rival that of the former Turncoat King.
It was the result of Janus willingly distributing his power with care, even at the cost of a slight energy loss, combined with Kalakin's own latent potential.
At that moment—
[KROOOOOAARRRR!]
A roar echoed from the skies, and the Skull Knights and ether soldiers who had been locked in fierce battle began falling one by one.
They had managed to hold their own against Ankelenth thus far, testament to their status as Ark's elite troops, but it seemed this was their limit.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes."
I wanted to wait until Kalakin stabilized a bit more, but unfortunately, we had no such luxury.
It was a cruel thing to say to Kalakin, but we had no choice.
War is always unjust.
"Then let's go."
As I unfurled Wings of Ankelenth, Kalakin too spread his bone wings.
No sooner had we taken flight than the remaining combat drones rushed to escort us.
"…Quite dramatic."
I threw a glance toward where Carmen was, but she simply carried on with her work, utterly indifferent.
"Tsck."
I pulled out the Noah‑01 Matter Disintegrator that Carmen had given me.
Kalakin also unsheathed the Moonlight Blade.
Even Ankelenth, who had been facing off against the Ark's forces—including Skull Knights and ether soldiers—turned its gaze toward us upon recognizing our presence.
It sees us.
But there's no need to fear.
"Let's go."
It's time to start the dragon hunt.
[Screeee, kreeekkk────!]
[It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts.]
[S-stop… it…]
The overwhelming ether clashing against itself gave rise to screams that echoed like wails of the damned.
Amidst that hellish cacophony, the two avatars of the Great Will faced each other.
"Telling you to step aside would be meaningless, wouldn't it?"
Lania spoke with a bitter tone, and Isabel nodded her head.
"You already know, don't you? That this is our fate."
"Fate, huh… I suppose you're right."
Lania Marcus and Isabel El, each embodying one side of the Great Will's dual intent, unleashed ferocious ether at one another.
Ether so fierce that even a glancing blow would shatter one's very existence—but neither of them hesitated.
Rrrrummmble!
Boom! BOOM────!
Each time ether clashed with ether, lightning cracked through the skies and the ground split beneath.
It hardly seemed like a battle between mere ether users.
And naturally, the ones most caught in the crossfire were the monster hordes nearby.
[KAHHHHH!]
[SKREEE! KEEEK!]
Isabel sneered.
"You sure about this? Your friends are burning right now."
"…They're not my friends."
"Oh? You looked pretty close for someone saying that."
"You say that even though you already know the truth…!"
Isabel's ether surged.
"What truth? Monsters are just monsters."
It might seem self-contradictory considering the concept of the Great Will, but Isabel didn't waver for a second.
The truth didn't matter.
Only the beliefs she chose to hold and act upon did.
[KIEEEEEEE────!]
Ether clashed once again.
Whether it was because the Great Will's ether blanketed the entire front line, or something else, the power that Isabel and Lania were unleashing was beyond anything they had ever shown before.
And then—
[Intruders…]
[How dare you. How dare you. How dare you. How dare you. How dare you. How dare you. How dare you. How dare you. How dare you. How dare you. How dare you. How dare you. How dare you. How dare you. How dare you. How dare you.]
[The uninvited.]
[Leave. Leave. Leave. Leave. Leave. Leave. Leave. Leave. Leave. Leave. Leave. Leave. Leave. Leave. Leave. Leave.]
The Great Will stirred.
Both Isabel and Lania noticed the change and instinctively turned their eyes to the front line.
Something was about to happen there.
BOOOOM!
THUMP!
Tremors echoed across the entire front.
It didn't take long to find the source.
A force was emerging beyond the horizon.
"…What is that…?"
Even Isabel was briefly speechless as she looked on.
And then she saw it.
The newly arrived army unleashing war cries toward the monster hordes.
[Ki-ki-ki-kreek!]
[KIEEEEEEK!]
The Bone Legion.
Emerging from behind the monster forces, they let out their own hideous cries and began attacking the monsters.
Monsters attacking monsters, beasts turning on beasts.
"…Told you. Always a sneaky bastard."
Isabel let out an exasperated chuckle.
Because she knew exactly whose plan this was.
"Damn bastard of a man."
Carl Marcus.
The Bone Legion now revealing themselves on the front lines was no doubt a piece that man had prepared long ago.
And their appearance drastically altered the monster army's position.
Though the Bone Legion's numbers were small compared to the monster hordes, the problem lay in where they had positioned themselves.
What had once been a siege formation encircling the Ark was now flipped into a pincer trap—with the monsters surrounded from both front and rear.
And that wasn't all.
[GROOOOOOOH────!]
The rulers of various key regions on the front faltered.
Because they were suddenly under attack from yet another force.
"…That's…"
Isabel immediately recognized them.
Of course she would—she was very familiar with one of their faces.
"…The Turncoats."
Turncoat Queen, Turncoat Rook, Turncoat Knight. Along with the Immortal and Horus.
Turncoats, each at or beyond the level of a regional ruler, appeared alongside the Bone Legion, and the tide of battle began to shift entirely.
Some might say a miracle had happened on the Ark.
But Isabel saw it differently.
This was no miracle.
It was something far more fundamental.
"…You really never change, do you?"
This was nothing more than the incomprehensible stubbornness of one man.
And in the face of that unwavering resolve, Isabel could only laugh.
===BREAK===
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