Was it because I had just sliced off one of its arms in an instant?
[Grooooooooar────!!!]
Even for a Behemoth, whose skin was made of solid stone, losing a part of its body seemed unbearable. It let out a deafening roar and thrashed about violently.
Judging by its frenzied struggle, this was a far more satisfactory result than I had anticipated.
And that wasn't all.
Of course, when that massive body flailed around, the surrounding beasts were crushed underfoot, reduced to nothing more than mashed tofu.
["Master! Behind you!"]
In that moment, flying beasts had already caught up to me, baring their claws.
Diving into the heart of the battlefield without being able to use Janus freely—this was what it meant.
I briefly powered down the R-1 Plasma Sword.
Right now, among the weapons I had at my immediate disposal, this was the only one capable of inflicting significant damage on Kurk the Stone Colossus. I needed to conserve it as much as possible.
'Intercept them.'
["I'm already on it!"]
As Esther grumbled, I raised my Ark-15 Automatic Conversion Rifle and aimed at the airborne beasts lunging toward me.
The rounds loaded were A-985 explosive bullets—highly effective against flying and insect-type monsters, whose weak points were their wings.
Bang!───
The barrage of bullets tore through the air, cutting off the beasts' movements completely.
Naturally, there was only one inevitable fate for a flying beast whose wings had been crippled.
[You have slain a Grade-9 Flying Beast, Giant Sparrow.]
[Damage to Grade-9 Flying Beast, Giant Sparrow, increases by 0.05%.]
[You have slain a Grade-8 Flying Beast, Black-Feathered Harpy Eagle.]
[Damage to Grade-8 Flying Beast, Black-Feathered Harpy Eagle, increases by 0.05%.]
[You have slain a Grade-5 Flying Beast, Dark Ray.]
[Damage to Grade-5 Flying Beast, Dark Ray, increases by 0.05%.]
.
.
.
[You have slain a Grade-7 Flying Beast, Thorn-Feathered Cuckoo.]
[Damage to Grade-7 Flying Beast, Thorn-Feathered Cuckoo, increases by 0.05%.]
Dozens of flying beasts, trapped within the storm of A-985 explosive rounds, lost their wings and plummeted to the ground.
However, unfortunately, that alone wasn't enough to deal with the endless swarm of flying monsters.
'…Janus's absence is definitely a big loss.'
At this point, Janus's power had reached a level close to that of a Grade-1 Named Monster.
Moreover, given the nature of bone-parasite monsters, that power wasn't limited to Janus alone—it created an overwhelming synergy when combined with me, multiplying our strength several times over.
There was no way its absence wouldn't be felt.
On top of that, Kurk the Stone Colossus itself was a massive problem.
For now, its sluggish movements prevented it from striking me, but if I got entangled with other beasts and found myself immobilized, I might be forced to call upon Janus's power.
'And if that happens, there's a high chance Ark will realize that I'm Turncoat Pawn.'
What followed didn't even require consideration.
My Honor stat would plummet—not just to zero, but into the negatives—and since it was linked to my [Path of the Hero] trait, I had no idea just how far my overall stats would sink.
In that sense, [Path of the Hero] seemed like a complete piece of trash, but considering that it was originally an excellent trait, the problem lay with me.
'This situation is looking worse by the second.'
I was paying the full price for diving into the battlefield alone—right into the face of a colossal monster.
And yet, despite everything, I still didn't feel this situation warranted bringing out Janus.
'They should be arriving any moment now…'
I continued pulling the trigger while briefly glancing toward Ark.
Sure enough, a squad was rushing toward my location.
The Red Line's Special Mobile Strike Force.
They had finally arrived.
* * *
The Special Mobile Strike Force of Red Line
As a proud member of the Red Line's Special Mobile Strike Force and its current commanding officer, Major Arden could hardly believe his eyes.
'…What the hell is that?'
Something—part man, part flying beast—was soaring around the massive monster at an incredible speed before unleashing a colossal beam of light.
At that moment, Major Arden immediately realized what it was.
A brilliant white beam, nearly five meters in length.
A cutting power that defied logic.
There was only one possible explanation.
'A Plasma Sword…?'
But he couldn't understand.
No one wielded a Plasma Sword with such reckless intensity.
The energy consumption would be too extreme, making it impossible to sustain for even a few minutes.
What came next was even more shocking.
That thing, which had just emitted a five-meter plasma beam, used a jetpack to accelerate—and in one swift stroke, severed the arm of a Grade-1 Named Colossal Behemoth.
Thud!
KUUUUUUUNG—!!!
The severed arm of the massive monster crashed to the ground, crushing dozens of beasts beneath its sheer weight.
Even after witnessing it firsthand, the sight was utterly absurd.
For a moment, Major Arden was stunned.
Then, snapping out of his daze, he quickened his pace.
"Have we confirmed the identity of the individual engaging the enemy?"
"A quick check suggests it's likely Carl Marcus."
"Carl Marcus? That outsider?"
The name Carl Marcus had already begun circulating within Red Line.
Not only had he played a key role in Ark's defense, but he had also made a significant contribution to the recent Chronos remnants investigation.
However, Major Arden hadn't paid much attention to the rumors.
Wars always needed heroes, and he assumed that the rumors were just Ark's way of spreading hope among the citizens.
But now, seeing it with his own eyes, he had no choice but to rethink everything.
'…If anything, the rumors understated the truth.'
A single individual had just severed the arm of a colossal monster—alone.
And even more astonishing, Carl Marcus was still moving, cutting down swarms of airborne beasts as he fought.
"Move in and provide support, now."
"Yes, sir."
Major Arden's gaze locked onto the battlefield where Carl Marcus continued his relentless assault.
* * *
I watched as the Red Line's Special Mobile Strike Force closed in with swift, calculated movements.
'They're finally here.'
Though it had felt like an eternity, the truth was, I hadn't been here that long. Their arrival was right on time.
'Now then…'
With reinforcements in place, I turned my attention back to Kurk the Stone Colossus.
BOOM!
KUUUUUUNG—!!!
The massive beast was still thrashing wildly, stomping around in an effort to crush me.
Every time its colossal feet hit the ground, dozens of beasts were flattened instantly—yet Kurk showed no sign of caring.
There was no camaraderie among these creatures. No sense of unity.
'Not that I expected any.'
Though these beasts occupied the same space for now, their species were fundamentally different.
In their natural state, they would be at war—fighting over territory, preying on each other.
Which meant that whatever was uniting them into this wave of destruction had to be something unnatural.
Even I didn't fully understand what that was yet.
'But that's not important right now.'
By now, the Red Line's Special Mobile Strike Force had arrived and drawn their weapons.
Bzzzzzzzt…
The air hummed as R-1 Plasma Swords and BLT-11 Plasma Launchers came online.
While their weapons were one tier lower than my BLT-47 Plasma Launcher, that didn't mean they were weak.
SCHWAAAK!
An R-1 Plasma Sword cut through the body of a beast blocking the soldiers' path—splitting it cleanly in half.
The Special Mobile Strike Force had deployed 20 soldiers—the size of a single platoon.
'As expected. They live up to their reputation.'
A single platoon—but what they accomplished upon entering the battlefield was anything but small.
SCHWAAAK—!!
[KYAAAAH!!]
[KIEEEK! KIEEEK!]
Every soldier was a close-combat specialist, cutting down monsters without hesitation.
They didn't stop there. The team split into two groups, sending part of their force to engage Kurk the Stone Colossus directly.
'That one in front…'
I recognized the soldier charging ahead toward the massive monster.
It was Major Arden—commander of the Red Line's Special Mobile Strike Force.
'If Arden's here, then we have a real shot at this.'
Unlike Tatiana Belov, Commander of the Navy Line's strike force, Arden wasn't an Ether Adaptor.
But that only made his raw combat skills even more impressive.
'Alright. Let's do this.'
Reinforcements were here.
Now, all that was left was to bring down this colossal monster.
[GROOOOOOOO—!!]
Kurk's rampage continued, making the ground tremble with every step.
But none of the Ark soldiers around me faltered.
I slung my Ark-15 Automatic Conversion Rifle over my shoulder and drew my R-1 Plasma Sword once more.
It was time to end this fight.
At that moment, my eyes briefly met Major Arden's.
There was no need for words.
We both knew our objective—and the only thing left to do was act.
'Esther, assist me.'
["On it."]
For once, even Esther didn't complain.
She knew this was a critical moment.
'Now.'
With Esther's support, I launched myself forward, using the Z-74 Jetpack to accelerate.
Arden, lacking a jetpack, responded by firing a grappling hook with his left hand—closing the distance instantly.
They had come prepared. After all, the enemy was a colossal monster.
SHOOP!
In an instant, Arden and I had climbed onto Kurk's massive body.
There was no need to ask who would strike first.
As if in perfect sync, we both raised our R-1 Plasma Swords.
BZZZZZZT—!!!
Two streaks of brilliant white light flared to life.
No signal was needed.
The moment I moved, Arden was already moving with me.
We aimed straight for the monster's chest—where its core lay hidden.
Even though Arden had no way of knowing where the core was, he didn't hesitate.
That meant he trusted me.
'Alright. Time to return the favor.'
BZZZZZZZT!
With a fierce glow, both of our Plasma Swords slashed downward.
CRACK—
CRUNCH!
Crossing each other in an X-shaped slash, our blades tore through Kurk's chest—ripping it wide open.