Without any warning, Turncoat Rook and Sart of the Shadows appeared atop Red-17 Gate's wall, mercilessly cutting down the surrounding soldiers in an instant.
Even for the Shadow Order, this was an extreme move—slaughtering gate defenders mid-wave was a huge risk.
And yet, they went through with it despite the consequences…
'Without Janus, I'd struggle against either of them alone… but both of them together?'
The fact that they had come at this exact moment, in the middle of a wave, was no coincidence.
'They came here deliberately. But why?'
Under normal circumstances, there was no reason for Rook and Sart to show up here, at this time and place.
Which meant…
Something about me had changed, forcing the Shadow Order to change their plans as well.
'Hmm…'
Regardless of their exact motives, one thing was clear—
The Shadow Order had made their move.
["Who the hell are you? Why are you here?"]
At the sight of familiar faces, Esther emerged from the shadows, her voice sharp with suspicion.
Sart smirked.
"Well, well, look who it is. If it isn't the traitor, Lady Esther."
["T-Traitor? When did I ever betray anyone?!"]
Esther screeched in protest, but Sart only grinned wider.
"Oh? If you're not a traitor, then why are you standing over there? Come on, step over to our side. Or better yet—why not break that nobleman's neck while you're at it?"
["Th-That's…"]
"What's wrong? Can't do it?"
["There's… a reason for this! You should know that, right? The leader must have told you—"]
"Didn't hear a thing."
["…What?"]
Esther's face went pale.
She couldn't comprehend what was happening.
The Shadow Order's shift in stance was something she hadn't expected at all.
"Enough with the jokes."
Rook finally stepped forward.
I locked eyes with him.
"It's time to pay your dues, Carl Marcus."
The words were short, but their meaning was unmistakable.
The reason the Shadow Order had come here—
Was me.
"Dues? What dues?"
"You already know the answer."
Even with his face concealed by a bone mask, the sheer pressure radiating from Rook was suffocating.
"You interfered with our Order's greatest wish. And you will pay for it."
His intent was crystal clear—
To kill me.
And that also meant…
The Shadow Order had abandoned Esther.
Which meant their overall plans had changed.
'…No, I can't be certain yet.'
I knew exactly what Esther meant to the Shadow Order.
That was the only reason they hadn't killed me sooner, despite having the chance.
But now, they were suddenly willing to discard her?
That didn't add up.
It was more reasonable to assume that Rook and Sart were hiding their true intentions.
'Either way, the situation is bad.'
I glanced around.
Many soldiers had been massacred, but not all.
Some were still alive—either keeping their distance from Rook and Sart or still fighting off the wave.
Which meant…
I couldn't openly use Janus here.
'Maybe that's their goal.'
If I used Janus, I'd reveal my true identity—Turncoat Pawn—to Ark.
No matter how many CCTVs I destroyed or how much I tried to avoid witnesses, I couldn't erase the soldiers' memories.
If Ark turned against me, I'd be on the run, making me easier prey for the Shadow Order.
And from their perspective, it would also increase their chances of reclaiming Esther.
'It's just a theory, but…'
A very plausible one.
'Red-17's defenses are collapsing. The frontline could fall apart any minute now.'
Ark had probably noticed something was wrong and was sending reinforcements, but how long would they take to arrive?
And now, I had to face Rook and Sart without Janus.
A disaster.
'Tch.'
No matter what, my objective remained the same—
Kill Rook and Sart.
Protect the frontline.
'Simple. But ridiculously difficult.'
Unfortunately, that was the last thought I had before—
SHWAAAACK—!!
Bone tendrils from Rook lunged at me.
Not just one.
Dozens.
They came from every direction, making escape impossible.
Whoosh…
I instinctively reached for my jetpack to dodge—
But I had forgotten it was already damaged.
'Shit.'
It was too late to evade.
I quickly drew my BLT-47 Plasma Launcher from my waist.
It still had residual heat, but it was operational.
Ziiing—!!
A red flash burst from the barrel—tearing through Rook's bone tendrils.
Even his reinforced bones couldn't withstand the BLT-47's firepower.
KAKAKAKAKA!!
Bone shrapnel scattered everywhere—
But the attack wasn't over.
Shwshwshwshw!!
The shadows beneath the shattered bones rippled.
From them, Sart's shadow spikes erupted toward me.
'I knew it.'
The Rook-Sart combo was notorious in The Defense.
So much so that some players had deliberately taken the Shadow Order route just to stab them in the back.
That's how much hatred they had garnered.
But because of that, their attack patterns were well-documented.
'And their attacks always follow the same formula.'
I activated my BLT-47 Plasma Launcher once more—
BZZZHHH!
A devastating beam swept across the ground, erasing Sart's shadows.
FZZZZZ…
At a glance, Sart's shadow spikes looked like ether, but they had mass—
Which meant they could be physically destroyed.
"Impressive, my lord. You've grown stronger since we last met."
"Not like we were ever close."
"Oh? I thought we had quite the special connection. Haha."
Sart smirked, circling me cautiously, waiting for an opening.
Turncoat Rook was no different.
'A prolonged battle would be bad.'
Among my current weapons, the only one capable of dealing fatal damage to Turncoat Rook and Sart of the Shadows was the BLT-47 Plasma Launcher.
The A-985 Explosive Rounds could inflict some damage, but they weren't powerful enough to kill enemies of their caliber.
Unfortunately, the BLT-47 Plasma Launcher had serious flaws in both heat management and durability.
That meant I had to save it for the crucial moment.
'I need to conserve the BLT-47 Plasma Launcher for now.'
I stowed the BLT-47 Plasma Launcher away and reached for my trusty partner, the Ark-15 Auto-Conversion Rifle.
After all the heavy weaponry I had gone through, I was back to using this one.
'Once this wave is over, I should start looking for better personal firearms.'
The Ark-15 Automatic Conversion Rifle was a solid weapon, but it wasn't ideal as my primary armament anymore.
Especially against enemies like the Shadow Order, where heavy weapons weren't always practical.
"What are you thinking about, my lord?"
After a brief exchange of feints, Sart was the first to move.
SHWISH!
Once a lethal threat, his black spikes had now been reduced to little more than distractions.
"Not happening."
CLICK—
I switched my Ark-15 Automatic Conversion Rifle to shotgun mode and loaded a cell of explosive rounds.
BOOOOM—!
The A-985 Explosive Rounds detonated spectacularly, wiping out the black spikes with surgical precision.
But that was just a diversion.
The real threat had already closed in—
Turncoat Rook.
WHOOOSH!
His fist, shaped like a gauntlet, came crashing toward me.
'Blocking that with a weapon is suicide.'
If I tried to block it with my weapon, it would be destroyed instantly.
Instead, I reinforced my arms with Janus beneath my protective suit and crossed them defensively.
BOOOM—!
A violent impact sent my body hurtling backward.
"Oh? You actually blocked it."
Turncoat Rook's voice held a note of admiration, but I was in agony.
Groaning, I forced myself back up, rubbing my aching arms.
'Damn it… that hurts like hell.'
Even with Janus reinforcement and my body enhanced by various serums, enduring Rook's raw power wasn't easy.
He wasn't just a monster—
He was a named monster, classified as "Beyond Grade" by Ark.
'I can't do this alone.'
Summoning ether in the middle of such an intense fight was almost impossible.
I needed Esther's help.
["I didn't betray anyone, I…"]
But unfortunately, Esther stood frozen, trapped in confusion.
Right now, relying on her was not an option.
'I could force her, but… without her own resolve, she'd just be a liability.'
There was no more time to think.
Turncoat Rook and Sart's attacks resumed.
SHWISHHHHHH—!
Bone tendrils. Shadow spikes.
Each one deadly enough to kill me outright.
And they weren't just a few—there were dozens.
"This time, you won't escape, my lord."
Just as I braced for the onslaught, Sart emerged from my own shadow.
I instinctively reached for my BLT-47 Plasma Launcher—
But before I could fire, Sart's shadows coiled around it.
"Oh dear, that's quite a dangerous weapon. Let's put that away for now, shall we?"
My movements were delayed for just a moment—
But that was all it took.
Bone tendrils surged from the front—
Sart blocked my escape from behind—
And he was grinning.
'This… is bad.'
I hesitated.
Should I use Janus's power?
But then—
["…I don't know anymore."]
Esther's voice, filled with resignation, echoed—
Followed by a massive surge of ether.
She had changed.
Perhaps it was Sart's words earlier—but something had finally snapped inside her.
"…Oh?"
Sart's face twisted into a fierce grin.
"Well, well… so you really did betray us."
And then—
A ferocious ether storm engulfed him instantly.