A state of emergency was declared in the Ark.
The reason: the emergence of a colossal monster now visible beyond the horizon.
"Hurry up!"
"Move it!"
With the emergency protocol activated, the Ark began preparing even the weapons rarely used, mobilizing everything to prepare for the imminent threat of the approaching giant beast.
A colossal monster...
Lieutenant Colonel Banol stared at the ominous horizon, unease pressing down on him.
Thoom!
THOOOOOOOOOM───!
The colossal monster—so massive its movements sent tremors through the ground—was drawing ever closer.
'Something's different.'
This wasn't a typical colossal monster.
If it were, Banol wouldn't have felt this foreboding.
This was something else entirely.
Smoke—thick and unearthly—billowed from the monster like a tornado.
Sludge and chunks of flesh slid off its entire body.
All of it screamed that this was no ordinary behemoth.
'It's coming.'
Banol gave an urgent command.
"Deploy everything we have immediately. We need to intercept that monster!"
His tone was urgent for good reason.
The creature was closing in fast, bypassing the outer defenses and heading straight for the Red Line.
'If it reaches the Ark's walls… the damage will be catastrophic.'
There was no way Banol would allow that.
Screaming into the comms, he coordinated defense efforts without pause.
"Request support from the other sectors! The target is heading for the Red Line!"
If the Red Line fell, the damage wouldn't be limited to that one sector.
The entire Ark might collapse.
This wasn't just a Red Line problem. It was a crisis for the whole Ark.
Thoom!
THOOOOOOOOOOOOOM───!
Every time the monster took a step, it shook the very foundations of the Ark's walls.
The soldiers turned pale.
"What... is that?"
"...We're supposed to kill that?"
Even the Ark's most seasoned veterans trembled in fear at the sheer presence of the approaching creature.
And then, a dreadful wail echoed from the distance.
[Gwoooooooooooooo...]
At the sound of that deep, monstrous moan, the soldiers' pale faces went completely ashen.
'...This is bad.'
In war, morale is everything.
But with the arrival of this creature, morale had plummeted.
And then—
As the monster's form slowly came into view, Banol finally recognized what he was looking at.
It was far too familiar for him to not know.
'The Rotting Body... Opacum.'
The Master of the Swamp of Opacum.
That name was infamous within the Ark.
One of the major threats behind the fall of the Black Line, and a monster of such immense power it was classified beyond the typical scale, designated as the region's dominant force.
This was the Rotting Body, Opacum.
'We'll need an all-out assault.'
At this rate, the Red Line would suffer irreparable damage.
It was time for the Ark's true elite—those who had so far remained in the shadows—to step forward.
"...Get me Brigadier General Douglas."
Brigadier General Douglas.
The War God of the Red Line.
'Last I heard, his injuries hadn't fully healed from the last battle... but we have no choice.'
There were many powerful individuals within the Ark, but not all of them could be deployed right now.
Some were on special missions. Others, like General Douglas, were recovering from major battles.
That Banol was considering calling him in, despite that, only showed how critical the situation was.
He waited for the connection to Douglas to go through.
And then—
'...What is that?'
Banol blinked, doubting his own eyes.
He had focused entirely on Opacum's emergence, but now that the monster was fully visible... something was wrong.
[Gwooooooooooooo...]
That mournful cry.
And within it, Banol saw something.
'Wounds?'
It wasn't just wounds.
Flesh hung loosely in tatters, fire licked across parts of its rotting body—like a defeated beast limping home.
The once-feared terror of the Ark—Opacum—looked like a battered survivor.
It was a cruel joke.
'What the hell is this...?'
Banol couldn't help but question if what he was seeing was real.
Who could have reduced the great Opacum to this?
It clearly wasn't another beast or monster.
No—this was the aftermath of modern weaponry.
The scorch marks, the burns... unmistakable signs of high-grade firearms.
'Could it be... Kronos?'
If Opacum had emerged from where Kronos was, that might have been possible.
But Banol quickly dismissed the idea.
'Opacum's resting place is believed to be in the southeastern swamp. That's way too far from Kronos.'
If not Kronos—then who?
Who could have done this to Opacum?
'Surely not the Church of Morte...'
The Church of Morte worship monsters and beasts.
Someone like Opacum would be an object of reverence to them—not a target.
As the confusion and disbelief swirled in Banol's mind, one name suddenly passed through.
'Carl... Marcus?'
No. Impossible.
As capable as Carl Marcus was, the idea that he could bring down Opacum single-handedly?
Unthinkable.
Or at least, it should have been.
'...But maybe, just maybe—if it's Carl Marcus.'
Banol startled himself with the thought.
He believed in Carl—but believing he could do this? That was another matter.
'What am I even thinking?'
He shook the thought away.
But then—
'...Huh?'
He noticed a tiny dot fluttering in front of Opacum.
At first, he assumed it was a flying beast.
But the more he looked, the more familiar that figure became.
'No way...'
It couldn't be.
There's no way...
What was that?
'A jetpack?'
Judging by the speed and thrust—it wasn't a standard issue. It looked like one of the prototype models.
Only a few people in the Ark had access to those.
Jetpacks were still in trial runs, after all.
And outside the Ark, only one person would be flying around with that kind of tech...
"...Carl Marcus?"
The reality in front of Banol was almost too unbelievable to accept.
* * *
Fwoosh──!
After detonating every explosive I'd planted throughout Opacum's swamp, I soared ahead on my Z-74 jetpack, unleashing a relentless barrage of firepower at the lumbering beast.
Tutututututututu───!!
Boom! Boom!
Ark-34 Automatic Conversion Rifle in my right hand.
CRN-842 Hemp Rocket Launcher in my left.
A setup perfectly optimized for high-speed assaults on the move.
'Honestly, I'd love to be riding Horus and unloading the NOA-31 Anti-Behemoth Gatling Gun... but that's not an option with the Ark nearby.'
If the Ark spotted me flying around on Horus, things would get very complicated.
Even with the bone mask covering my face, a turncoat like me appearing on the frontlines would stir up a hornet's nest.
Click─
The trigger clicked again, and a fresh volley lit up the sky.
Tutututututututu───!
Boom! BOOM! Bang!
Accuracy wasn't great with weapons in both hands, but I didn't need precision.
When dealing with something as massive as Opacum, anywhere you hit was a hit.
[Gwooooooooooooooo!]
Caught off guard by the barrage, Opacum flailed, sweeping aside the nearby beasts and monsters in its wild rage.
[Kyaaaaah!]
Hack! Hack!
I kept firing until I felt the weapons overheating. The Ark-34 was getting too hot, and so was the CRN-842.
I stowed the rocket launcher back into the [Rift Space] and slung the rifle over my shoulder.
'Next up...'
I grabbed the BLT-47 Plasma Launcher, now cooled and ready, and aimed it squarely at Opacum.
Given the creature's slimy, decomposing flesh and the swamp sludge coating its body, plasma wasn't the most effective match—but the sheer destructive output of the BLT-47 wasn't something to ignore.
Zzzzzzzzt───
A brilliant red beam burst from the BLT-47.
CRACKLECRACKLECRACKLECRACKLE────!!!
The long, searing blast tore through Opacum's body.
Chunks of rotting flesh sprayed in every direction, the poisonous sludge contaminating everything it touched, including surrounding beasts and monsters.
[GRAAAAAAAAAH────!!!!]
The Rotting Body, Opacum.
It truly was a walking calamity.
And yet, its condition had significantly deteriorated compared to before.
Its vision was all but gone, and its movements were sluggish—each step now labored and slow.
That meant Ark had time.
'I've done everything I needed to.'
I'd used nearly all the firepower I brought.
Now it was time to leave things to the Ark.
'Not that I plan to sit back and relax.'
Even if I'd depleted most of my arsenal, that didn't mean I was out of moves.
If I didn't have teeth, I'd bite with my gums.
'Bring in Horus.'
[Keek!]
To get out of Ark's line of sight, I increased the output on my Z-74 jetpack and soared skyward.
Fwooooooooosh───!
Of course, the skies weren't a safe haven either.
If Opacum ruled the swamp below, then the flying beasts ruled the skies above.
[Kyaaaaah!]
All my weapons were overheated and unusable at the moment.
But my strength wasn't limited to guns.
['Spear of Ankelenth' has been summoned!]
[Summon duration remaining: 1 hour, 24 minutes, 11 seconds.]
Thanks to feeding Janus well and enhancing the digestion rate of Ankelenth's Fang, I'd gained a lot more summon time.
Soon, I'd be able to wield Ankelenth's power fully.
'Janus.'
[Keek!]
At my signal, Janus extended a bone tentacle and skewered the approaching flying beasts.
Using it as leverage, I climbed even higher into the air.
[KIEEEEK!]
[KRARAA!]
Clearing the sky of pests, I rose above a certain altitude and finally met with Horus.
Without hesitation, I mounted his back.
"Let's go."
I took the reins.
We were heading for the skies.
But not just any altitude.
Our destination—directly above the head of the Rotting Body of Opacum.
[KIEEEEK─!]
Riding Horus, I pulled the NOA-31 Anti-Behemoth Gatling Gun out of the [Rift Space]—the one I'd saved for just this occasion.
Then, using Horus's bone tentacles, I secured it firmly onto his back.
Now came the real question:
As Horus descends, and I unload a hailstorm of bullets directly onto Opacum's head—will the bullet speed increase due to gravity? Or stay the same?