Enemies surged in from all directions.
In response, I squeezed the triggers of the heavy weapons I clutched in both hands.
DRRRRRK──
BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!
[KUEEEGH!]
[KAAAAAAAH──!]
Explosions and screams erupted in rapid succession, loud enough to make my eardrums go numb.
If I hadn't taken the enhancement serum, my eardrums would've burst long ago.
["Master! Behind you!"]
Esther's urgent cry came just as a beast lunged at my back.
But I didn't need eyes in the back of my head—Janus was my eyes.
[GEEET!]
STAB!
STABSTABSTAB──!
Bone tentacles burst from behind me, skewering the charging Grade-5 Beast-Type that had foolishly rushed in.
Once a serious threat, Grade-5 beasts had now been reduced to mere snacks for Janus.
'Alright, time to move on…'
I signaled to Janus, who let out a harsh roar, calling for Horus.
[GEEEGEEET──!]
At his cry, Horus—who'd been subtly keeping to the outskirts of the front—revealed himself.
Judging by the blood around his mouth, he had clearly been snacking on nearby stragglers.
"Let's go."
[KIIEH!]
I stashed the heavy weapons back into the [Rift Space] and smoothly mounted Horus, heading once again for the skies.
The ground-based beasts had been mostly dealt with—now it was time to take on the airborne threats.
CLACK─
Gripping the Ark-34 Automatic Conversion Rifle, I fired at the beasts closing in from behind.
RATATAT!──
BANG!!─
The bullets, empowered by magnetic force, tore through the monsters' bodies at far greater speed than a normal Ark-34 could manage.
And those rounds weren't standard ammo.
BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM──!
BOOM! KWA-BOOM!!!
The A-985 Explosive Rounds detonated in a chain, filling the sky with heavy plumes of fire and smoke.
"Keep coming, you bastards."
The flying beasts screamed viciously as they dove at me.
* * *
Lieutenant Colonel Banol stood atop the Red-14 Gate, silently surveying the front line.
'...Sand Subsidence, huh…'
The reason he had come to the battlefield himself, despite his age and rank, was simple—he had received a report so unbelievable, he felt compelled to confirm it with his own eyes.
Sand Subsidence.
That phenomenon had occurred on Ark's front.
In Ark, Sand Subsidence was treated as a disaster—something to be avoided rather than confronted. The tactical manuals were clear on that. But if such an event had occurred near Ark itself, the situation would be entirely different.
Until now, the Sand Devourer had never appeared near Ark, which was why Ark hadn't prepared for it specifically. But if its territory had expanded this close?
If the Sand Devourer triggered a Sand Subsidence beneath Ark's walls—or worse, within Ark itself?
It would be a catastrophe.
That's why Banol risked coming to the front wall himself to witness it firsthand.
What first greeted his eyes were, as expected, the brutal clash of soldiers in battle.
"SHIT──!"
"FIRE! I SAID FIRE!!"
Monsters and beasts were being slain.
But in the chaos, Ark's soldiers were falling as well.
STAB!
THUD THUD─!
"Urgh…"
"Harry!"
Not even Ark's protective suits, a point of pride, could hold up against the beasts' vicious claws.
Then again, the protective gear issued to soldiers was pretty standard fare, and anything more robust was reserved for higher-ranked officers.
Banol had grown accustomed to the sacrifice of soldiers. And yet... he couldn't hide his bitterness.
Right now, Ark stood like a fortress balanced precariously atop a dune.
…
The soldiers' sacrifices were keeping the walls from falling—for now. But eventually, the strain would show.
Then—
'Huh?'
As Banol scanned the front line, a strange unease stirred within him.
'…Something's off.'
By nature, the Sand Devourer was a monster.
Even though it differed from other monsters in size and ecology, it was still part of that same monstrous world. It rarely harmed others of its kind during Waves.
But the Sand Subsidence occurring now was clearly targeting only monsters and beasts.
Even if the Sand Devourer usually attacked indiscriminately, this was strange.
'What's going on?'
Even the successive Sand Subsidence phenomena that followed only targeted the monster hordes.
It could've been a coincidence—but Banol didn't think so.
'I can't make sense of it. I just… can't.'
Despite his years of battlefield experience, Banol couldn't explain what was unfolding before him.
RUMBLE──!
BOOM!!!
A faint tremor reached his feet.
Another Sand Subsidence, happening again in the distance.
'…But this one's smaller than usual. A youngling?'
That was possible.
Perhaps the Sand Devourer had offspring, and one of them had drifted outside its normal range to here.
'If that's true… this is a major problem.'
The Sand Devourer's territory had reached the front lines of Ark.
Sure, for now it seemed to be helping hold off the Wave—but there was no guarantee the young Sand Devourer wouldn't later expand its reach into Ark itself.
'We need a contingency plan.'
Whatever the case, it was clear Ark had to deal with the Sand Devourer on the front.
But the reality was complicated.
Given the creature's subterranean nature, even a young one would be hard to confront. Sending large forces might only increase casualties.
Ark did have a few anti–Sand Devourer tactical units and subterranean torpedoes, but if those failed to deal any real damage, they risked enraging the creature—and drawing it into Ark.
A true no-win situation.
As Banol stood helplessly, pacing in frustration, a group of unexpected figures came into view.
'Who's that?'
And then he recognized them.
It was impossible not to, for anyone in Ark.
'…The Young Lady? What is she doing here…'
He'd heard she'd returned recently with a scouting team.
Word was Carl Marcus had played a huge role in their survival…
'Now that I think of it, Carl Marcus didn't return to Ark, did he?'
Carl Marcus did usually operate outside Ark, but this time was different.
The Wave was happening now—and he'd chosen to remain outside.
Facing a Wave outside of Ark… even the thought of it was horrifying.
And yet Carl Marcus had declined to come back.
Perhaps that's why…
Banol found himself trying to connect the Sand Subsidence events to Carl Marcus—and was startled at the thought.
'…What am I thinking?'
He already knew Carl Marcus was shrouded in mystery.
But associating him with the Sand Devourer? That was a stretch—too far.
More importantly, hadn't Carl Marcus always acted in Ark's best interest?
'He even secured that alliance with Kronos.'
Indeed, thanks to that alliance, Carl Marcus now had near-diplomatic standing within Ark. He could practically be considered Kronos' envoy.
Which meant Ark had to consider Kronos' position in any dealings involving him.
'And from what I know of Carl Marcus, he doesn't seem like the type to crave power just because he can…'
Still, assumptions were dangerous.
Power had a way of turning anyone—no matter how strong-willed—into something else entirely.
Meanwhile—
'Hmm…'
The Young Lady watched the site of the Sand Subsidence with an almost curious expression.
For a moment, Banol wondered if she was behind it—but no matter how powerful her Ether abilities were, there was no way she could trigger such a phenomenon at that distance.
'What in the world is going on…'
The Young Lady.
Carl Marcus.
The Sand Devourer.
Those three names spiraled in Banol's mind.
He recalled hearing that the delay in their return had something to do with the Sand Devourer as well…
Amidst the sea of questions with no answers, only one conclusion stood firm.
'I don't know.'
Banol chose to withhold judgment.
And with a heavy gaze, he turned back to the front line, watching the never-ending Wave.
Until this wretched storm of death… finally passed.
* * *
Blood splattered. Flesh flew.
The metallic tang of blood filled my mouth, and I kept pulling the triggers—again and again—until the skin on my trigger fingers began to bleed.
The barrels radiated heat.
I must've gotten burned.
"..."
Even Horus, who once soared with the majesty of a ruler of the skies, wasn't unscathed.
Despite continuously absorbing flesh and blood from the surrounding beasts and monsters, the barrage of attacks had surpassed his capacity to regenerate.
[GEEEGH...]
Janus, too, wailed in hunger from the prolonged battle.
There simply hadn't been a moment of peace long enough for him to feed properly.
"Huff…"
At some point, the beasts and monsters that had filled the sky and land began to dwindle.
It was a sign.
The Wave was ending.
'…We're almost there.'
Even though I'd grown incomparably stronger, enduring a Wave was still exhausting.
It couldn't be helped.
No matter how powerful I became, each Stage brought a stronger Wave. And with greater strength came greater responsibility—and more to do.
'There hasn't been a truly dangerous moment yet… but that'll change in the coming stages.'
It felt like a long time had passed, but in reality, I was just about to clear the ninth stage.
Considering the next, tenth stage was a Boss Stage, the real challenge hadn't even begun.
'A lot to do.'
For Boss Stages, there were preparations that had to be done before the Wave hit.
Specifically, doing so would make handling the Wave far easier.
A sort of meta-strategy.
That's why, once this Wave ended, I planned to begin preparing immediately for the next—Boss Stage.
[KEHEK!]
[KAAAK...]
[…]
Still lost in thought, my finger kept pulling the trigger on instinct—until I noticed something.
The beasts' screams had stopped.
A clear, unmistakable sign.
+
[You have cleared Red-08 Stage!]
[Contribution points have been accumulated.]
[+233,112 Contribution Points]
[Your exceptional performance led to a victorious battle! Additional Contribution points awarded.]
[+120,000 Contribution Points]
[You caused a massive calamity! Additional Contribution points awarded.]
[+80,000 Contribution Points]
[Current Contribution Points: 455,545]
+
At last, the Ninth Wave… was over.