"The squad that just departed was the vanguard. Their task is to draw the attention of Kazdel's mobile city defense forces… They're also the most likely to be sacrificed."
Kal'tsit spoke calmly. Though her main role was that of Rhodes Island's cold-faced feline doctor, her previous experience in the assault on Kazdel made her the natural choice to command the central army. Under the Doctor's direction, she was now in charge of coordinating the entire operation.
She handed each of them an earpiece. Once Felix put his on, he immediately heard the Doctor's calm, androgynous voice.
"—The vanguard has five hours to reach the perimeter of Kazdel's mobile city. Mantra, I'll leave reconnaissance and communications to you."
"Scout, you'll lead your team to intercept Kazdel's eastern reinforcements. Keep them pinned to the walls as long as possible."
"ACE, you'll handle the western flank."
Listening to the Doctor issue each command with such steady precision, Felix finally let out a quiet breath of relief. He hadn't seen the Doctor at all yesterday, and truth be told, he'd been worried. Amiya had once mentioned that the Doctor had collapsed from exhaustion several times recently—Kal'tsit even had to put them on IV drips as a routine measure.
When the communication briefing ended, Kal'tsit turned her gaze toward Felix. Her sharp green eyes lingered briefly on his equipment, narrowing slightly.
"Your condition is excellent."
"Thank you, Doctor Kal'tsit. You look as composed as ever."
Felix smiled faintly. "When I woke up this morning, I decided—I'm going to fight the best battle of my life today. To protect a better tomorrow. For that future, I'll give everything I have."
Kal'tsit's eyes softened ever so slightly as she looked at him. Then, in an exceedingly rare moment, a faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared on her lips—so delicate it could barely be seen by the naked eye, a single pixel of warmth on her normally cold expression.
Felix froze for a second, staring at her in awe. She noticed his dazed look, yet kept her stoic composure. In his eyes, she could see sincerity, emotion… and something like admiration.
"Kal'tsit," he said softly, "you're beautiful when you smile."
"As I said, I fight to protect the smiles of others," he continued. "And I'll protect yours as well."
"…Is that so? You have quite the resolve."
Kal'tsit's tone remained calm, but there was something gentler in it than usual. By then, the vanguard had already departed. She stepped forward to lead, but paused for a brief moment beside Felix. Her emerald eyes glanced his way.
"…Thank you."
"Mm."
That single word of gratitude wasn't for his willingness to fight—Felix understood that perfectly.
It was for his continued cooperation with Babel through all this time.
"Let's move."
Kal'tsit stood at the very front. Even though she still wore her doctor's coat, everyone could see the aura of a commander emanating from her back.
Felix followed closely behind her, but before leaving, he turned and looked toward Theresa. She was still smiling—untiringly, as if she'd never known weariness. When she noticed him, she gave a playful little wink. Felix couldn't help but smile in return.
A few drones quietly detached from the Babel fleet, remaining behind aboard the Rhodes Island ship.
The expedition from Babel was a bit different from what Felix had imagined. In his previous life, when Rhodes Island marched to Chernobog, they had infiltrated the city on foot—but players, of course, had been transported there by aircraft. Otherwise, walking that distance would've taken forever.
The Rhodes Island had now docked much closer to Kazdel's mobile city than expected—thankfully, since walking that far would've taken at least two full days and nights.
The march was far from silent. Mercenaries traded jokes to kill time and ease their nerves. The scorching sun bore down on them, and the heat made every step a trial.
Only Felix and Jesselton seemed unaffected. Their armor and mechanical gear provided full internal ventilation and thermal regulation, ensuring optimal combat conditions—no overheating, no exhaustion, no performance drop.
"…Is it just me," Felix muttered, narrowing his eyes, "or does it look like the Rhodes Island is getting closer?"
He turned around to check—and sure enough, the ship was indeed slowly moving forward.
Kal'tsit spoke evenly. "Your instincts are correct. We need the Doctor's command. If we stray too far, we'll lose communication with both the Doctor and Rhodes Island."
"How much farther do we have to go?"
"About half an hour… Wait—report from the vanguard."
A burst of static filled the earpiece before Mantra's steady voice came through.
"The vanguard has reached the outskirts of Kazdel's mobile city. The defenders have taken the bait—attention diverted. We're commencing the assault from the southern flank."
"This is Scout. My squad's in position. Beginning feint maneuvers on the eastern side."
"ACE here. Western flank secured. Initiating the decoy ladder assault."
Kal'tsit pressed a finger against her earpiece, nodding slightly as the Doctor's calm, neutral tone followed.
"Main army, advance. The vanguard's role is to lure them in—remember, your objective is not to win, but to draw them out. The moment the gates open… that's when the main force charges."
"Understood."
The central army surged forward with overwhelming momentum. Within twenty minutes, the silhouette of a colossal city appeared in the distance—Kazdel's mobile city, the only one of its kind.
Many of the Sarkaz mercenaries grew silent at the sight. Some choked up, others wiped their eyes. Once, that moving fortress had been their home. Now… they were finally returning.
"Grip your weapons, warriors," Kal'tsit called out calmly. "We still have one final battle to win."
"Lady Mantra's plan succeeded—the gates are open. But those same gates are now pouring forth endless waves of Sarkaz soldiers, taking the lives of our kin."
"Then it's time to take back our strength."
The Doctor's voice echoed through every earpiece.
"Main force—advance. Crush everything in your path."
A thunderous roar erupted from the ranks.
"OHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The cry of Babel's Sarkaz mercenaries split the air—an outpouring of all their anger, grief, and unyielding resolve. It was the cry of those who'd lost their homes, their comrades, their peace… and yet still dared to dream.
"Babel!" Someone voice rang out above the din. "With me—CHARGE!"
"OHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Kal'tsit watched the mass surge forward and saw one figure burst ahead of the rest. She was just about to comment on his recklessness when she realized who it was—and nearly froze in disbelief.
Felix.
At the very front.
A halo gleamed faintly above his head, mechanical wings flaring behind him, the blue light of combustion outlining his form. To the soldiers around him, he looked less like a commander and more like an avenging angel descending upon the battlefield. Blue flames crackled and hissed around him as his figure shot forward like a warhead tearing through the sky.
Even Kal'tsit found herself momentarily speechless.
A Sankta leading the Sarkaz warriors to charge into a battle…?
It was absurd. Utterly absurd.
And yet—none of the Sarkaz seemed to question it. To them, it felt perfectly natural.
She glanced around, only to realize Felix's personal guards had vanished as well. Looking ahead, she spotted them running alongside him—his loyal vanguard, keeping pace with their commander through fire and blood.
When had she ever seen a Sankta leading Sarkaz soldiers into battle? What kind of twisted joke was this war?
Kal'tsit didn't know whether to laugh or sigh. She steadied her expression and marched forward toward the city walls—only to notice a hulking green creature emerging beside her.
Meanwhile, Felix's advance finally met resistance. As he streaked past Mantra's vanguard and entered the blood-soaked frontlines, a group of massive figures intercepted him. Their bodies were towering, their muscles carved like stone. Each wielded colossal greatswords or brutal spiked clubs that gleamed crimson in the light.
"The Goliaths of the Sarkaz race," muttered Hoederer, drawing the greatsword from his back. "They're all brute strength—pure overwhelming power."
Felix nodded slightly. He remembered from his previous life that not all Sarkaz mercenaries were created equal—ordinary ones offered little experience, but the stronger races, like the Goliaths or the Vampires, were far more valuable.
He activated Killing Intent and Machina Burst simultaneously. Blue flames erupted skyward, scorching the ground beneath his feet. He drew his Gemini's Oath Blades, their edges glimmering with a spectral azure light.
For a brief moment, Ines froze, staring at that eerie blue fire. It was as if her very soul was being pulled toward it—her consciousness shaken to its core. Alarmed, she tore her gaze away.
What kind of fire is that…? It feels like it can touch the soul itself…
And even more terrifying—was the power radiating from Felix himself.
She had once watched Felix's duel against both Degenbrecher and Carnelian.
To be honest, it hadn't been a one-sided fight—while Degenbrecher and Carnelian held the upper hand, Felix still managed to trade blows evenly, occasionally finding moments to strike back.
Now, as she watched the blue flames rise around him, Ines couldn't help but think of Carnelian. The Oripathy Arts that could bury entire buildings beneath molten stone—the sheer destructive force of that power—
Yet the intensity of Felix's flames right now… was not far behind.
What kind of power is this?
Blades in hand, flames roaring skyward—Felix vanished in an instant.
A heartbeat later, he reappeared in front of a Goliath warrior wielding a massive shield, his twin-headed blades sweeping upward in a brilliant arc.
The Goliath gritted his teeth, bracing behind his shield—
but the edge of Felix's sword cut through it like a hot knife through butter, slicing the shield cleanly in two along with the soldier's armor and helm.
Thud!
Felix drove his boot into the man's chest, sending him flying backward into a cluster of oncoming soldiers, scattering them like pins.
"Yield, and you'll live," he said flatly.
This wasn't a battlefield for senseless slaughter. The Sarkaz soldiers here—many of them could become future allies… or useful assets. Why waste potential manpower?
After all, what was the purpose of establishing the Frontier District if he killed them all here? Considering his race, indiscriminate killing would only make recruitment impossible.
Ideology and loyalty—those things would fall into place once the Military Committee was crushed.
With each step forward, the sound of explosions followed.
Felix's blades and fists tore open a path, and the regular army spread out behind him, clashing head-on with the defenders.
He glanced toward the massive city gate just as it began to close and clicked his tongue.
"They're really sealing their own people out…"
"Doctor Kal'tsit, what do we do?"
"The gate closing is the best outcome," Kal'tsit replied calmly, her voice steady amid the chaos. "According to the Doctor's prediction, we must eliminate all defenders here."
Clad in her green medical coat, Kal'tsit fought at Felix's side. The strange creature behind her—Mon3tr—watched him curiously.
Felix met its gaze.
He knew exactly what it was—Kal'tsit's external "soul construct." He'd seen it countless times in his past life. There was no surprise on his face, and since Kal'tsit didn't mention it, he said nothing either.
"Do you have a way to breach the gate, Doctor Kal'tsit?"
"No."
"Then I'll give it a try."
Felix tightened his grip on his twin-headed blades. Blue fire roared upward once more. Even Kal'tsit had to narrow her eyes—the energy gathering around him had more than doubled since before.
His Machina Burst cooldown had finished.
At the peak of the flames, his strength and agility surged, his sword speed multiplying severalfold.
"My blades… shall cleave the tides!"
The blue fire gathered into a rippling wave that erupted straight ahead. The ground cracked, splintered, and turned to dust under the force of the blast. The shockwave struck the city gate like a divine hammer—
BOOM!
The soundwave tore through the battlefield. Soldiers on both sides instinctively covered their ears.
When the smoke cleared, they looked toward the gate—and saw that the mechanisms linking the twin doors had been completely obliterated.
The gates could no longer close.
"Finish this quickly!" Kal'tsit shouted, seizing the moment.
Even the wounded vanguard, freshly bandaged, charged back into the fray.
Unlike Felix, they felt no hesitation—these were their kin, but in war, mercy was a luxury.
Hoederer stood protectively in front of Felix from start to finish, much to Jesselton's irritation.
That's supposed to be my spot! he thought bitterly, then turned his fury toward the remaining Goliaths.
"Heh… let's see if you can take three punches from me!"
With Babel's superior numbers and the advantage of surprise, the assault surged forward like a tidal wave, pushing through to the gate.
Meanwhile, the other two divisions continued their fierce battles against the defenders along the city walls.
"Advance inside and secure the east and west gates,"
the Doctor's voice echoed over the comms.
"The Military Committee and the royal court have already evacuated Kazdel's mobile city. However, there are still numerous elite units remaining inside. Proceed methodically."
"Understood."
Kal'tsit gave Felix a small nod. "Felix, take your unit and assist ACE."
"No problem."
Felix turned toward the assembled Sarkaz mercenaries.
There was no hostility in their eyes now—no doubt or hesitation. Only respect.
Whatever doubts they'd held before had vanished the moment they saw him fight.
"Let's go," Felix commanded, his voice rising above the roar of battle. "Take Kazdel's mobile city—and tell them… Babel has come home!"
"OHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Urban warfare wasn't the mercenaries' specialty, but with Felix's drones scanning every street and alley, he could see the movement of every enemy clearly.
At the same time, the drones circling above both Babel's Rhodes Island relayed a new alert—
someone was approaching Rhodes Island's rear lines, silently, while the frontline burned in chaos.