The NOA-31 Anti-Behemoth Gatling Gun, which had been lying dormant within the [Rift Space], finally emerged atop Ark's fortress wall.
I knew.
Once I started using the NOA-31, people would definitely find it strange.
There was no reasonable explanation for how such a weapon could suddenly appear here.
But that was just circumstantial suspicion.
As long as there was no definitive proof, I planned to play it off shamelessly.
Clack, clack──
The NOA-31 Anti-Behemoth Gatling Gun required no additional support structures.
Its sheer weight alone served as its own stabilizer.
Whirrrrrr──
The barrels began to spin violently.
My target?
The beasts attacking the soldiers atop the Red-17 Gate's walls.
Normally, firing the NOA-31 in such a chaotic battlefield—where enemies were mixed with allies—would be near impossible.
But for me?
I could do it.
'Let's begin.'
With that, the rotating barrels erupted in flames.
KWA-KAKAKAKAKA───!!!
A searing blaze surged forth from the gun's muzzle, almost like a miniature inferno.
This wasn't just gunfire—this was destruction incarnate.
"W-What the hell?!"
"Take cover!"
Ark's soldiers, at first horrified by the sudden artillery fire, quickly realized that none of them were getting hit.
They ducked down instinctively.
KWA-KAKAKAKAKA!!!!
KUGUGUGUGU──!!!
[KIEEEEEEEK!!]
[KAAAAAAAK!!]
The beasts were getting shredded apart.
No exaggeration—they were literally being ground to pulp, their flesh disintegrating like fruit in a blender.
KUGUGUGUGU───!!!
Chunks of meat, once part of monstrous bodies, flew through the battlefield.
[KAAAAAAAGH!!!]
[KIEEEEEEEK!!]
The battlefield echoed with screams, gunfire, and explosions—the sounds of war itself.
"Fire!"
"Now's our chance!"
With the beasts' attention locked onto me, Ark's soldiers regrouped and began driving them off the walls.
[Kyaooooo!]
[Grrrrr!]
The monsters fought back fiercely, slashing at the soldiers with their claws, snarling with rage.
But it was futile.
No matter how much they struggled, they couldn't change the tide of battle.
Time passed.
The soldiers and I wiped out nearly all the beasts that had climbed atop the Red-17 Gate's walls.
But we couldn't afford to relax.
Even though we'd cleared the walls, endless hordes of beasts were still scaling them.
Clack─
I shifted the NOA-31's muzzle toward the battlefield.
And once again, the onslaught began.
KWA-KAKAKAKAKA──!!!
[You have slain a Named Beast.]
['Beast Hunter' effect is now applied at 10× potency.]
[Damage against Grade-8 Beasts, Skull Hounds, increases by 0.5%.]
[You have slain a Grade-8 Beast, Ravenous Saberfang.]
[Damage against Grade-8 Beasts, Ravenous Saberfang, increases by 0.05%.]
[You have slain a Grade-7 Flying Beast, Thornfeather Cuckoo.]
[Damage against Grade-7 Flying Beasts, Thornfeather Cuckoo, increases by 0.05%.]
.
.
.
[You have slain a Grade-7 Stone Beast, Cursed Avian Statue.]
[Damage against Grade-7 Stone Beasts, Cursed Avian Statue, increases by 0.05%.]
Each time the muzzle erupted in flames; the beasts were ripped to shreds.
It didn't matter how thick their armor was or how massive their bodies were—none of it mattered.
The NOA-31, upgraded through Maybell Pilgrim's modifications, unleashed devastation on an unimaginable scale.
'Hmmm…'
And yet, something felt lacking.
'It's still not enough.'
In raw power, the NOA-31 was weaker than the NOA-44 Eraser, a stationary turret I had used before.
Even with the MK.II upgrade, there was still a significant gap in caliber and scale.
'If I want to reach that level of firepower again…'
Then there was only one solution.
More firepower.
I tightened my grip on the NOA-31 Anti-Behemoth Gatling Gun in my right hand.
And in my left hand—I grabbed the CRN-842 Hemp Rocket Launcher.
Each of these weapons was a beast in its own right.
Holding both simultaneously?
Even my muscles strained under the sheer weight.
'Damn… this is rough.'
In this stance, proper aiming was out of the question.
And I couldn't use Janus's assistance beyond basic physical reinforcement.
That left me with only one other option.
'Esther, assist me.'
If one hand wasn't enough—I'd borrow another.
["…Assist you? How?"]
'Just follow my movements and adjust the barrels accordingly.'
["That's easy to say, but precise aiming is…"]
'It's not precision shooting.'
["…Then what?"]
Esther hesitated.
But the answer was already decided.
'It's a hunt.'
Like Esther said, this method lacked accuracy.
Even if I turned the barrels quickly, there would be a delay in her response.
But that didn't matter.
This wasn't about sniping.
This was about an overwhelming, one-sided hunt.
And I had more than enough firepower to compensate for any lack of precision.
'Let's do this.'
Whirrrrr──
The NOA-31's barrels began spinning violently once again.
KWA-KAKAKAKAKA──!!!
Each time I subtly adjusted my aim, Esther would follow, shifting the trajectory.
["Ugh… This is so damn exhausting!"]
'Don't complain now.'
["Oh, sure, so easy for you when all you have to do is flick your fingers, huh?!"]
'Just move faster.'
["The nerve of you!"]
Despite her complaints, Esther did her job.
In my right hand—the NOA-31 Anti-Behemoth Gatling Gun.
In my left hand—the CRN-842 Hemp Rocket Launcher.
And before me?
A battlefield drowning in fire and destruction.
I barely managed to grasp the trigger, an unstable and precarious stance, but Esther took care of all the necessary support.
["Eek!"]
No matter how amazing Esther was, adjusting both weapons in sync with my fingertips was no easy feat. She broke out in a cold sweat as she channeled ether.
'Move.'
["That way?"]
'No, that way.'
'Don't lift your left hand, raise your right hand first, then switch back to the left, but don't lift the right…'
Amidst the relentless bombardment directed toward the battle lines beneath the fortress walls, the fight raged on.
* * *
"Uh, ugh…"
Cowardly Belle had always been afraid since childhood.
Her naturally timid disposition played a part, but the biggest reason was her unusual ability—she could see what others could not.
Cowardly Belle could read death itself.
To Belle, this cursed world was filled to the brim with nothing but death.
And so, Belle became a coward.
Everything terrified her. Even taking a single step forward felt so terrifying it seemed like she would die.
When Belle was drafted to the Red-17 Gate, the moment she saw the overwhelming wave surging toward them, she once again saw countless deaths.
Belle was afraid.
She feared death approaching her. She feared dying.
"H-hyak! D-don't come closer!"
No matter how much she ran to escape death, the beast-like figure of death had already crept right up to her.
Cowardly Belle dropped her gun.
She never had the courage to fight in the first place.
Then, she met a strange man.
In this world, overflowing with death, for some reason, this man bore no scent of death.
Belle knew.
That man… would not die.
She didn't know how she knew.
It was just a feeling.
That man, who had saved Belle when she was closer to death than ever before, spoke.
「"There's no need to see what doesn't need to be seen." 」
「"H-huh? What does that—" 」
「"Right now, just focus on what's in front of you." 」
Belle had no idea what those words meant.
Perhaps that was why—
Even amid the battle, her gaze unconsciously kept drifting toward that man.
And Belle was shocked.
What was happening right before her eyes was simply unbelievable.
'…Is that even possible for a human?'
Dual-wielding heavy firearms, unloading a barrage of bullets—
Even seeing it with her own eyes, the scene was beyond belief.
Of course, Belle knew that ether-compatible individuals possessed superior physical abilities compared to ordinary people.
But even so, there had to be a limit, didn't there?
'…That's not all.'
His outward display of power was staggering, but what shocked Belle even more was what she could see—the special sight granted only to her.
That man was closer to death than anyone else, yet at the same time, he himself was completely separate from it.
How was that possible?
Could such a thing really be done?
As Belle continued to watch, she felt like she understood something.
Why the death she so feared never dared to reach that man.
'He's… creating his own fate.'
Cowardly Belle couldn't believe it.
She had never once imagined that such a thing was even possible for a human.
And yet, that man was doing it.
The very thing Belle thought could never be done, the man was achieving it as if it were effortless.
Death was always near him.
And yet, not once had it ever claimed him.
[Kieeeek!]
[Kaaaah…!]
Watching him, Belle replayed that man's words over and over in her mind.
There's no need to see what doesn't need to be seen.
Just focus on what's right in front of you.
Belle still didn't fully understand the meaning.
But for some reason, she felt like she knew what she had to do now.
Cowardly Belle picked up her gun.
An Ark-15 Automatic Conversion Rifle.
It was the most basic standard-issue weapon provided to Ark's soldiers, but that didn't mean its performance was lacking.
"Ugh, ugh…"
Belle was still afraid.
Holding the gun, pulling the trigger, facing the approaching beasts—
All of it terrified her.
But even so, Belle did it.
Amidst the storm of death, she finally pulled the trigger of the Ark-15 Automatic Conversion Rifle.
Tatang!
At the very moment the gunshot rang out—
"…Ah."
The death that had loomed right up to her throat just moments ago had now receded, settling only at her feet.
The meaning was clear.
Death was not absolute.
The death that had always made Belle a coward—
Was something she could fight against after all.
"…"
Cowardly Belle was still full of fear.
But she no longer ran away.
Click—
The Ark-15 Automatic Conversion Rifle in her hands roared to life.
* * *
How many times had I pulled the trigger by now?
Chiik…
Feeling the heat in my hands, I momentarily let go of both triggers.
If I wanted to keep fighting for long, I needed to cool them down a bit.
At that moment—
Thud!
Kuuung—!
A massive tremor reverberated all the way up to the fortress walls.
Something huge enough to be seen from the horizon was approaching Ark.
I knew exactly what it was.
No—if someone didn't recognize that massive form, that would be the real problem.
'Grade 1 Named Behemoth, Kurk the Stone Colossus.'
A colossal monster capable of smashing through Ark's walls in an instant had appeared.