With every flash of light from Carl Marcus's hand, the beasts hunting the scouting team were sliced apart and burned alive.
The overwhelming power of the BLT-47 Plasma Launcher was on full display.
"Oraboni!"
"Stay back."
Carl Marcus's voice was quiet but unwavering.
Despite facing an entire army of beasts, he showed no fear—if anything, he seemed to dominate them.
Ziiing—
Schwaaaak—!!
But the longer the fight dragged on, the more Kalakin found himself questioning the scene before him.
'How… How is that even possible?'
Something was off.
It wasn't just the sheer firepower.
Carl Marcus was clearly pushing the BLT-47 Plasma Launcher far beyond its limits.
'At this rate, the energy should've run dry already. But why…?'
Was this some kind of special BLT-47?
No—even if it were, a weapon of this size shouldn't be able to sustain such continuous output…
'…Not the time for this.'
Kalakin shook his head.
There was no time to analyze something he couldn't comprehend. Not when they were moments away from death.
[KRRRAAAAAH!]
[KIEEEEEEE!!]
No matter how powerful Carl Marcus was, he was still just one man.
Holding back ten with one hand was one thing. But a hundred? A thousand? Impossible.
"Kalakin!"
At Hildegard's urgent cry, Kalakin instinctively pulled the trigger.
But standing before him was a Grade-6 Beast.
Even for him, his Ark-15 Automatic Conversion Rifle didn't have enough firepower to take it down.
'Too slow—'
Darkness swallowed his vision.
["…Heh."]
A sudden etheric pulse—
And in the next instant, the Grade-6 Beast was flung away.
"What are you doing? Did you really think you could take that thing down with a piece of junk like that?"
A voice snapped at him.
Kalakin turned his gaze to his savior.
"…"
Lania.
She was the one who had saved him.
"Quit staring like an idiot and run!"
"…Ah."
Unfortunately, the situation wasn't improving.
Despite Carl Marcus's overwhelming performance, the beasts were still closing in.
Their relentless assault never stopped.
If this continued—total annihilation was inevitable.
Perhaps that was why—
Carl Marcus stopped running.
And instead, he turned to face the incoming horde.
"…Oraboni?"
Lania gasped, her hurried footsteps grinding to a halt.
"Go."
"What the hell are you doing—?!"
"Don't worry about me. If anything, you'll only get in the way if you stay. I'll handle this and catch up."
"What kind of bullshit is that?! I don't care how strong you are—there's no way you can take them all on alone!"
"I'm not 'taking them on.' I'm buying time for you to escape. Then I'll retreat, too."
At first glance, it sounded like he was sacrificing himself.
But Kalakin didn't think so.
If it was Carl Marcus—
That absurd, impossible feat might actually be possible.
For once in his life, Kalakin—the man who prided himself on being completely rational—genuinely believed in something irrational.
"…Understood."
Kalakin nodded without hesitation.
Lania whirled on him, furious.
"Shut up! Who the hell are you to decide that?!"
"There's no other choice. Right now, we have to trust Carl Marcus."
"You want me to abandon my family again?! Like hell I will!"
As they argued, the beasts drew closer—
Too close for complaints to matter anymore.
Carl Marcus said only one thing.
"Go."
His voice was steady.
Unshakable.
And for the first time—Lania had no words left to argue.
"…If you die, I'll haunt your damn soul."
"That's terrifying."
"I'M TELLING YOU NOT TO DIE, YOU IDIOT!"
"I won't."
That was the last thing she heard before she clenched her teeth—
And turned away.
No one—not even Kalakin—dared to speak.
Because they all knew exactly what kind of resolve it took for Lania to make that decision.
* * *
'Did they leave?'
I let out a quiet sigh of relief only after confirming that the scouting team had completely turned their backs.
If they had insisted on staying, things would have gotten complicated.
'Good. Now, let's get started.'
With the team still in sight, I couldn't summon Horus or use Janus.
But other methods?
Those were fair game.
Click—
I tightened my grip on the Ark-15 Automatic Conversion Rifle and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
The bullets loaded were A-985 Explosive Rounds—the most powerful ammunition in my arsenal.
And combined with the Ark-15's insane rate of fire—
BOOM!
KRRRRRRAKAKAKANG—!!!
There was no restraint.
Not that I needed any.
[KIAAAAH!]
[SKREEEEE!!]
The monstrous creatures screamed as their heads were blown off, their flesh ripped apart by the relentless barrage of A-985 explosive rounds.
But I didn't stop there.
Thunk, thunk, thunk—!
Alongside my rifle, I fired my NO-13 Grenade Launcher, ensuring the firepower was more than sufficient.
The battlefield was filled with explosions and inhuman wails.
Screams and the sound of metal tearing through flesh.
The combination of A-985 explosive rounds and grenades created an overwhelming curtain of destruction—so intense it felt like an inferno had risen from the ground itself.
I kept pulling the trigger—
Until—
Chiiiik…
Both the NO-13 Grenade Launcher and the Ark-15 Automatic Conversion Rifle—a weapon praised for its durability—had overheated, their barrels glowing bright red.
They were now unusable.
["Shouldn't we start retreating now? How long do you plan on staying here?"]
'I need to thin them out as much as possible.'
I had already cut down the monster horde significantly through multiple battles—
But I couldn't ignore the relentless waves that kept coming.
The damage Ark would take depended on how well I handled things here.
Even if I wanted to flee, this wasn't the time.
["Then when exactly are you planning to leave?"]
'Once I've done everything I can.'
I grabbed the BLT-47 Plasma Launcher.
After letting it cool down a bit, the previously searing grip was now manageable.
'One more time.'
Crimson beams of light shot out in all directions.
A storm of destruction—far more devastating than my previous barrage—erupted.
KRAKAKAKAKANG—!!!
Even the fearless beasts hesitated before the sheer, absolute power of the BLT-47.
The plasma waves denied all approach.
It was vast. It was unstoppable.
The monstrous horde—driven by nothing but blind hunger—was finally forced to a halt.
But—
Chiiiiiiik…
Just as there were strengths, there were also weaknesses.
The relentless assault took its toll, and the BLT-47 Plasma Launcher's glow dimmed.
Not because it had run out of energy.
No—
The weapon itself couldn't withstand its own heat anymore.
It was breaking down.
'Yeah… this thing was never meant for prolonged use.'
With the BLT-47 now overheated and completely unusable, I discarded it without hesitation.
'Is this as far as I can go?'
The situation could be called critical.
But I—
I simply pulled out my bone spear.
It was time to leave.
'I haven't fully recovered… but for a short time, it should be enough.'
Without hesitation—
I slammed the spear into the ground.
[Ankelenth's Domain has been declared!]
* * *
'Huh?'
Kalakin, who had been running so hard he could taste blood in his mouth, instinctively came to a stop.
A disturbing sensation had washed over him from the direction of the monster horde.
'What was that just now…?'
It was something he had felt before—somewhere, sometime.
Yet, when he tried to pinpoint where, it felt completely unfamiliar at the same time.
That eerie presence beyond the horizon was utterly alien.
"I think we've completely moved out of the wave's path now."
It was Hildegard who spoke.
Indeed, while Carl Marcus had bought them time, Lania and Ark's scouting team had successfully escaped the wave's reach.
But none of them could feel relief.
Not because of the shadow on Lania's face—
But because they each carried their own burdens.
The scouting team had lost far too much this time.
"Damn it, damn it all..."
Someone had lost the belief and honor they had once held so dear.
"..."
Another had abandoned their responsibilities.
"...Carl Marcus."
And yet another could only feel sorrow.
In that heavy silence, it was Dmitri who finally broke it.
"Everyone... I'm sorry."
A pure, unadorned apology—free from the pride of a noble.
Anyone who knew Dmitri would be shocked to hear such words from him.
"It's not just your fault. I went along with it too."
"...Same here."
Hildegard and Iris added.
Had they listened to Carl Marcus and Kalakin from the beginning—had they trusted the remnants of Kronos and fled the wave's reach—this disaster wouldn't have happened.
But Dmitri and the others had refused to trust Kronos.
And this was the price they paid.
"I swear—I will never make such a damn mistake again. Never...!"
Blood vessels popped in Dmitri's eyes.
No one had felt more powerless during this journey than he had.
A Red Line noble.
A child of a prestigious family.
A promising soldier.
None of it had mattered.
If anything, it had been a hindrance.
Dmitri had learned too much from this journey.
Too much to ignore.
"Um..."
"What?"
Hildegard hesitated, attempting to speak—
But at the sight of Lania's cold, sharp aura, she faltered.
Still, she pushed forward.
"...Carl Marcus will be fine."
Hildegard herself wasn't sure if she was saying it to Lania or trying to convince herself.
"Of course he will."
But then—
Why?
Hildegard had spoken carefully, offering reassurance—
Yet Lania's response was calm, certain, and unshaken.
"…What?"
"He said he'd come later. So obviously, he'll be fine."
It was a belief so absolute it was almost absurd.
But strangely—Hildegard understood why.
Carl Marcus had always done the impossible.
Still—there was one thing Hildegard couldn't ignore.
If Lania truly believed Carl Marcus was safe—
Then why did she still carry this frigid anger around her?
"Then why are you so…"
"Why am I angry?"
"Uh… yeah."
To be honest, she looked more heartbroken than angry—
But Hildegard didn't press that point.
"Because I'm pathetic."
Lania's eyes trembled.
"I couldn't do anything when Grandfather died. And now—I've left everything to my brother again… I'm just so pathetic."
Not long ago, Hildegard had looked at Lania as if she were some kind of monster.
But now—
For the first time, Hildegard felt like she understood Lania, if only a little.
"There was nothing you could do in that situation."
"I know."
Her reply was blunt.
Yet—why did it feel so heavy?
"Hey. But."
"Yeah?"
"Don't act so friendly. You're one of Ark's people, aren't you?"
"…So is Carl Marcus."
Technically speaking, Carl Marcus was just a mercenary hired by Ark—
But he was still part of Ark's team on this mission.
"He's an exception. What, you trying to pick a fight over something obvious?"
"Haha…"
Should she call this predictable—or should she be relieved?
Lania didn't seem to care that Carl Marcus had come with Ark.
She only cared that he was her brother.
In fact—she didn't seem to care about anything else at all.
'She acts like she despises Ark so much…'
To Hildegard, who had grown up in Ark—where people were willing to abandon even their own blood for the sake of survival—
This kind of unwavering faith was something she couldn't quite comprehend.
If she were in Lania's position—
Would she have been able to trust her family so completely?
Hildegard had no answer.
"…Huh?"
And then—
She saw it.
Beyond the wasteland.
A silhouette, slowly approaching.
"No way…"
All eyes turned toward the horizon.
Hildegard's exhausted, overworked Insight strained to perceive more—
But it wasn't enough.
So—
She ran.
"Hey!"
Not just her.
Lania, the other scouts—
As if drawn by instinct, they all rushed forward.
And then—
They saw.
Carl Marcus.
Standing there.