Lieutenant Imosha couldn't believe her eyes as she watched the massive mountain-like figure slowly approach from the horizon.
'What… is that…?'
At first, she thought a new landmass had formed, but when she realized that the enormous shape was moving, she was utterly horrified.
If something that big was in motion, there was only one possible explanation.
'A colossal beast.'
Colossal beasts were among the greatest threats to Ark.
Not only could they shatter Ark's supposedly impregnable fortress walls in an instant, but their immense size was matched by an equally formidable exterior, making them incredibly difficult to take down.
And now, one such colossal beast was making its way toward Ark.
This was not something they could simply ignore.
'There hasn't been a colossal beast sighting in a while…'
Regardless, Imosha knew exactly what needed to be done.
She immediately connected to Lieutenant Colonel Banol via the emergency hotline.
"This is Imosha."
["Report."]
"A colossal beast has appeared on the frontlines. Based on its size and exterior, I estimate it to be at least a Grade-1 Behemoth. I'm requesting reinforcements."
["I'll review it."]
Among colossal beasts, behemoths were some of the most troublesome to deal with.
Their rock-hard exteriors were impervious to most attacks, and even if they were damaged, it was meaningless unless their core was destroyed.
In other words, unless they pierced the core, the beast would keep moving until its last breath.
Given the circumstances, Lieutenant Imosha's decision to call for additional firepower was only natural.
The lack of air superiority made long-range artillery strikes unfeasible, and she wasn't confident that the existing firepower of Red-17 Gate could take down a Grade-1 Named Colossal Behemoth.
Having sent her request, Imosha turned her gaze toward the ongoing battle at Red-17 Gate.
That's when she saw someone standing out—even from a great distance.
'Carl Marcus.'
She had expected him to perform well.
But even so, Carl Marcus was exceeding all expectations.
'And… is that the NOA-31 Anti-Behemoth Gatling Gun? When did he get his hands on that…?'
She had no idea where he pulled out such a monstrous weapon, but she had no time to dwell on it.
The colossal beast was drawing closer by the second.
Even though she had requested reinforcements, Imosha had no intention of sitting idly by.
"Prepare to fire!"
At her command, the soldiers wielding heavy weaponry took aim at the advancing colossal beast.
"Fire!"
Whoooosh!
Rockets launched in unison, drawing fiery arcs through the sky.
But unfortunately, barely half of them even reached the colossal beast.
The airborne flying beasts still held control over the skies.
Shrieking, the surviving flying beasts dove toward the fortress walls.
Even as the colossal beast approached, the aerial threat had not subsided.
"They're coming!"
"Take cover!"
The soldiers hurriedly abandoned their heavy weapons, switching to their personal firearms to fend off the incoming aerial assault.
But despite their efforts, casualties were inevitable.
"Arghhh!"
"S-Somebody—"
Even though Ark's protective gear was of high quality, the standard-issue armor for regular soldiers wasn't durable enough to withstand the flying beasts' onslaught.
Some soldiers were dragged off the walls, their bodies plummeting below. Others had their heads ripped clean off.
The frontline at Red-17 Gate, which had finally begun to stabilize, was now rapidly deteriorating.
If things continued like this, the moment the colossal beast reached the walls, their defenses would collapse.
"Prioritize the flying beasts!"
Imosha yelled at the top of her lungs, but the fortress was already in chaos.
Orders weren't reaching the soldiers properly.
As the situation spiraled out of control—
A single gunshot rang out amidst the chaos.
A flying beast—one that had been diving toward the fortress—suddenly dropped from the sky, dead before it even hit the ground.
And that was just the beginning.
A rapid succession of flawless shots followed.
One after another, the flying beasts that had been terrorizing the soldiers fell like puppets with their strings cut.
The sheer precision was unbelievable, even witnessing it firsthand.
Imosha's eyes darted toward the shooter.
And there, standing on the battlefield—
Was Carl Marcus, his Ark-15 Automatic Conversion Rifle now in anti-materiel sniper mode, surveying the battlefield with an unshakable gaze.
* * *
I observed the battlefield.
'Hmm…'
Grade-1 named petrified beast, Kurk the Stone Colossus.
True to its "Stone Colossus" moniker, it resembled a moving mountain—a gigantic monstrosity capable of crushing anything in its path.
There was no need to explain just how deadly it was.
I had seen it destroy the Red Line before.
'So, it's finally here.'
In a wave, the appearance of colossal beasts wasn't that unusual.
If anything, it was fairly common.
But considering we were still in the early stages of the game rather than the late-stage boss rush, its presence was… abnormal.
The implications were clear.
'This is a preview of the upcoming boss stage.'
For all its brutal difficulty, The Defense at least followed a certain level of logic in its game design.
It always threw a taste of the nightmare ahead before unleashing the real horror.
'Not that it makes this any less ridiculous.'
I checked my arsenal.
Unfortunately, my NOA-31 Anti-Behemoth Gatling Gun and CRN-842 Hemp Rocket Launcher—along with my BLT-47 Plasma Launcher—were all overheated from my previous onslaught.
Which meant…
The only usable weapons in my current loadout were the Ark-15 auto rifle and its NO-13 grenade launcher attachment.
'Damn… I should've stored my NOA-8 Heavy Machine Gun and TITAN-17 Anti-Behemoth Rocket Launcher in my [Rift Space].'
I hadn't expected to get trapped in Ark during a wave, so I had left my stronger heavy weapons back at my hideout.
'With my current firepower, I can't take out Kurk from a distance.'
I knew exactly where its core was.
But Ark-15's firepower wasn't enough to penetrate it.
That left me with only one option.
Close-quarters combat.
I gripped my R-1 plasma sword tightly.
I hadn't used it often, but in situations where I couldn't rely on Janus' Power, it was the best melee weapon available.
Despite its limitations, its destructive potential was top-tier.
'The problem is… how do I get past Ark's artillery to reach that thing?'
I could try asking Lieutenant Imosha to cease fire, but that wouldn't stop the other gates from launching their attacks.
I needed a plan.
Above all, with a colossal monster striding forward like that, calling for a ceasefire could easily be deemed treason, punishable by immediate execution.
'That's not the only problem.'
The aerial domain above the Ark was still dominated by flying beasts and monsters.
Although the situation was slightly better than at the beginning, as firepower concentrated on the colossal monster, the flying beasts once again began to run rampant.
It was truly an uphill battle.
["Master! Over there!"]
While I was lost in thought, Esther's shout snapped me back to reality.
I turned my gaze.
And I saw them.
A group descending along the fortress wall from the direction of the Red-15 Gate.
'That's…'
I knew exactly who they were.
No, it was impossible not to know.
'Has the Special Mobile Strike Force been deployed?'
The Red Line Special Mobile Strike Force.
Though they belonged to the Red Line, which was considered an early-stage division, their skills were on par with the elite forces of other lines.
'This is my chance.'
Their deployment meant that the Ark's forces had chosen to refrain from focusing their long-range firepower on the colossal monster.
In other words, now was my opportunity to charge toward Kurk the Stone Colossus.
There was no need to wait any longer.
I kicked off from the fortress wall and launched myself into the air.
"W-what, are you insane?!"
Someone's shocked voice rang out, but I ignored it.
I activated the Z-74 Jetpack on my back.
Vroooom—!
The blue plasma engine roared, propelling my body forward in an instant.
At the same time, the airborne creatures locked onto me and let out guttural cries as they lunged.
[Screeeeeeech!]
[Kyaaaah!]
'Not a chance.'
I had no reason to worry about the Z-74 Jetpack's energy supply, so I pushed it to maximum output, effortlessly dodging the airborne creatures' attacks.
[Kraaaah!]
Some tried to spit venom at me, launching long-range attacks, but I easily swung my R-1 Plasma Sword and slashed through them.
With the Z-74 Jetpack running at full power, I reached Kurk the Stone Colossus even before the Special Mobile Strike Force.
["Whoa… That thing is disgustingly huge."]
'This is nothing.'
["…You're talking like you actually know something. There aren't many creatures bigger than this one, you know?"]
'I know because I've seen them.'
["How?"]
'Who knows.'
Leaving behind Esther's bewildered question, I focused my attention on the colossal monster before me.
"What are you looking at?"
Had my provocation worked?
Kurk the Stone Colossus, which had been steadily marching toward the Ark, now swung its massive arm toward me.
It looked as though it was swatting away a pesky fly.
"Too slow."
Rock-type monsters were a pain to deal with, but that didn't make them invincible.
If they were, the Ark would have developed specialized weapons against them long ago.
One of their biggest weaknesses was their sluggish movements.
Their entire bodies were composed of solid rock, and their locomotion worked differently from that of normal living creatures, making their movements inevitably slow.
Especially for a rock-type monster as massive as Kurk the Stone Colossus—there was no need to even mention it.
'In that case…'
I effortlessly dodged the incoming attack and drew my R-1 Plasma Sword.
Bzzzzt—!
A brilliant white glow flared to life.
But I didn't stop there.
I unleashed an extreme amount of energy—enough to drain a normal R-1 Plasma Sword within seconds.
The blade, which was normally about a meter long, extended to nearly five meters.
'Let's do some cutting.'
Even if I had an unlimited energy supply, pushing the R-1 Plasma Sword this hard would drastically shorten its operational time.
But that didn't matter—because I had no intention of dragging this fight out.
Swoosh!
With the Z-74 Jetpack still at full speed, I circled around Kurk's arm in a flash.
And then—
Crack! Craaack—!
With a clean, precise cut—
The massive arm of Kurk the Stone Colossus, as towering as a mountain, began to crumble away.
The real battle was only just beginning.