"Mmm..."
"Mmm..."
Major Arden let out a low groan as he stared at the ominous dark clouds slowly appearing beyond the horizon.
These weren't just ordinary storm clouds.
They were a clear sign of an impending Wave.
And that meant Major Arden had to make a decision—now.
Would he abandon the mission and return to Ark, or press on and see it through to the end?
Rationally, retreating was the smart move.
But the stakes of this mission were far from small.
They were searching for the missing Young Lady.
If they returned empty-handed, facing the wrath of the El family might be just as deadly.
Storm clouds thickened.
The signs of the Wave grew more certain.
The decision loomed heavier.
'...Tch.'
Arden clicked his tongue in frustration and looked over his team.
Each one was undeniably elite—true representatives of Ark's finest.
But no matter how capable they were, punching through a Wave head-on with just this team would be nearly impossible.
In truth, facing a Wave outside of Ark was never advisable.
"We're moving. Now."
Despite everything, Arden pushed the mission forward.
After weighing all possibilities, this seemed the only path with even a sliver of hope.
'A direct path is out. We'll have to angle south.'
Waves usually struck all around Ark, except to the north where Mount Noah stood.
The south, unfortunately, was where the Rose Line—the frontmost line—was located, making it the most dangerous route.
Still, Arden chose it for one reason:
To pass through the Gallogen Canyon.
'If we can get through the canyon, we might be able to bypass the Wave.'
Yes, beasts and monsters would still appear in the canyon, but compared to fighting them on the plains, it was a preferable option.
"We're heading for Gallogen Canyon."
His team nodded without question.
It was a reasonable, tactical call.
Then—
[Screeech!]
[Grrraaahhkkk!]
A vanguard pack of beasts emerged ahead of the team.
"Prepare for combat."
Arden's calm command resonated as the team instinctively shifted into formation.
Fwoo-ka-ka-ka-ka───!!!
The light of destruction surged through the battlefield like a raging storm, slicing through the beasts in one overwhelming sweep.
It was sheer firepower—beyond anything conventional.
Major Arden knew exactly what kind of weapon could unleash something like that.
"Plasma... launcher...?"
By ordinary standards, plasma launchers weren't capable of that level of output.
But Arden knew of one exception.
'No way...'
His eyes darted around urgently.
And then he saw it.
Step, step, step─
A lone figure approached from afar.
But it was a figure all too familiar.
'...Carl Marcus.'
And that wasn't the end of it.
[Drag them down.]
[All of them.]
[Come down. Come down. Come down. Come down. Come down. Come down. Come down. Come down. Come down. Come down. Come down. Come down. Come down. Come down. Come down. Come down...]
As ether trembled violently, the flying beasts in the sky plummeted to the ground as though yanked by some invisible force.
Even having witnessed it with his own eyes, Arden struggled to believe what he saw.
Boom!
Thud──!
He stared into the swirling dust with a disbelieving frown.
"What the..."
But Carl Marcus wasn't the only one who'd suddenly saved the search team.
Beside him—another familiar silhouette.
The very person the search team had been risking everything to find.
'...My lady?'
Unfortunately, Arden couldn't finish his sentence.
A conversation reached his ears instead.
"Ugh, damn it! Why the hell are they all the way out here? Took us forever to get here. I told you we should've just gone."
"They're soldiers of Ark. I couldn't leave them to die."
"Ha! Since when did you care so much about Ark?"
"Since always."
"Patriot, huh? How noble."
Arden found himself speechless at the sight of Carl Marcus and the Young Lady squabbling in front of him.
'...What the hell is this?'
Not only had they suddenly appeared out of nowhere, but now this?
It was simply too much to process.
"How in the world..."
Carl Marcus cut in.
"Later. Let's go back."
"Ah."
Arden snapped out of it.
This was a search team, after all, dispatched to find the missing Young Lady.
Now that she was safe, returning to Ark was the only logical course of action.
He didn't understand what had happened, but a happy ending was better than none.
"...We're returning!"
* * *
Their discovery of the search team on the way back had been pure coincidence.
["Carl Marcus, over there."]
["I see it too."]
At first, it seemed like some fools had dared to charge at Horus.
But a moment later, they realized the beasts were headed elsewhere.
["Hmm, not us. They're targeting that direction."]
["Looks like it."]
It didn't take long to understand their true objective.
A squadron of silent hovering bikes, moving in formation.
Sure enough, it was the search team sent from Ark.
"This mission was to find the Young Lady?"
"Yes, sir."
"Hmm. Then I suppose this worked out perfectly."
"...Truly. We are incredibly fortunate."
Major Arden nodded in agreement.
From the search team's perspective, running into them had been pure luck.
Had they continued without this chance encounter, they would've been swept away by the Wave, without ever finding the Young Lady.
'Judging by their southern trajectory, they were likely aiming for Gallogen Canyon. Smart choice.'
And the man behind that decision was clearly Major Arden, the team leader.
As expected, he was just as competent as they'd heard.
'Once we return, it might be time to make contact with Möbius.'
With the biggest headache—the Shadow Order—temporarily resolved via alliance, attention could now shift to Möbius.
Given Isabel's behavior toward him, and especially now that her relationship with Esther had mended, things were turning in his favor.
And then...
He slowly lifted his gaze.
At last, Ark was in sight.
'We've arrived.'
It had been a long time since he returned, but he already felt the need to leave.
Entering Ark now would mean being stuck for who knew how long.
"Well, I'll take my leave here."
"...What?"
Arden's confused voice trailed behind as Isabel chimed in.
"Hmm, you're leaving?"
"Yeah."
"Alright then. See you next time."
Though her tone was light, a hint of disappointment clearly colored her voice.
He didn't point it out.
Getting into a back-and-forth with Isabel would only bring unnecessary trouble.
"Wait, what the..."
Arden started to say something, but Carl had already slipped from the formation.
"Time to go."
"...Are you sure about this?"
"I am."
"...Understood."
Arden didn't push further.
Given the current situation, dragging things out would help no one.
'Alright then...'
Carl took a swig from his flask, letting the vitality of the life water course through him, and stepped forward.
It was time to cut loose again.
"Let's do this."
[Kii-kiit!]
The Ninth Wave.
Time to face it head-on.