Chapter 321: Metamorphosis (3)
Through the surging static, the heavy voice of an old man slowly resonated.
“[Only after staging the coup did I realize. The City Council intended to use even our last desperate struggle as a pretext to lift the Prohibition Edict.]”
“…….”
“[I despaired at the reality that the lives of the army, sacrificed, amounted to nothing more than a justification to lift the Prohibition Edict. It was impossible to stand on equal footing with them. Not without overwhelming power that transcended all norms.]”
“So you accepted Gearsight’s proposal and decided to abandon your humanity?”
Lennok asked.
“To ascend to Level 8?”
Considering Barclay Yagerth’s last words and Lieutenant General Treffen’s actions, it wasn’t difficult to deduce his objective.
What goal would Treffen, who had completed his Hierarchy and risen to the rank of Defense Force Lieutenant General, strive for, even at the cost of abandoning his own body?
The Lieutenant General had intended to reach Level 8 right here, with Gearsight’s help.
“[I had been complacent for too long. I thought my time was up and was ready to give up.]”
The old man’s voice was utterly calm.
“[But that wasn’t it. What I had to give up was not my limits, but my humanity—]”
Kugugugugugu!!!
Along with Treffen’s fading voice, a sudden, massive vibration echoed.
“[-I merely admitted it now.]”
But the epicenter wasn’t this Mobile Fortress.
The shock originating from outside the Delta satellite city was reaching them.
A powerful vibration, strong enough to shake the ground around the Mobile Fortress and the satellite city.
Lennok, realizing the location of the vibration’s source, hardened his expression and immediately ran out of the office.
“Davi!!”
He immediately injected Davi into the control room’s database and hacked the Mobile Fortress’s central control system.
He bypassed the necessary permissions using the biometric data from Lieutenant General Treffen’s corpse and gained control of the Mobile Fortress.
Lennok’s jaw dropped slightly as his face was displayed on the giant monitor screens across the Delta satellite city area.
“Wait, no way, this is……!!”
Kwaaaaah!!!
A desert area near the horizon, far from the satellite city.
A massive sandstorm erupted nearby, and something enormous burst through the ground, rising up.
What rose almost simultaneously from two locations were two Mobile Fortresses, identical in appearance to the one Lennok had just infiltrated.
Two more Mobile Fortresses appeared, when just one had been maintaining the outer defensive line.
Everyone fiercely engaged in combat near the Fortresses stopped moving for a moment, stunned by the unbelievable sight.
But the shock didn’t last long.
The two Fortresses, erupting sand as they rose from the ground, began to move past the satellite city.
Kugugugu!!
Their heavy footsteps pounded as they headed directly towards the outskirts of the undeveloped area where the mega-city was located.
Only then did the freelancers realize Lieutenant General Treffen’s true objective, and screams erupted, filling the communication network with uproar.
“Damn it, they’re heading for Vulcan!!”
“No way, he had two more Fortresses hidden……!”
“He used the entire Defense Force as bait, waiting for this chance, that crazy bastard!!”
“We have to stop them!!!”
“[If the City Council desires chaos, I will give it to them.]”
Treffen’s voice echoed majestically across the area near the satellite city.
“[If they yearn for the lifting of the Prohibition Edict, sacrificing millions of lives, I will grant it.]”
Wiiiiiiing!!
The artillery on the decks of the two Fortresses simultaneously rotated and began to glow.
The speed at which they moved their thick legs forward felt faster than most vehicles.
“[I won’t stop until I burn down the Council Clock Tower……!! Hahahaha!!!!]”
Listening to the mad laughter, Lennok quickly assessed the situation.
“[Van. Are you listening?]”
Immediately after, Pallard O’Con’s voice resonated through the communicator.
“[Lieutenant General Treffen has made his move. I understand you infiltrated the Fortress control room; could you give a brief situation report?]”
“Alright.”
As Lennok explained how he reached the control room and what he saw inside, Pallard groaned.
“[The unconfirmed prior facilities in the desert near the satellite city. It seems both of them were hiding incomplete Mobile Fortresses.]”
“Judging by the circumstances, that seems to be the case.”
“[He must have planned to complete the two unfinished Fortresses with Gearsight’s help, and then advance, using the entire Defense Force as bait. It’s an idea beyond sanity.]”
Pallard sighed and continued.
“[Right now, Ilya and Felix are each leading Agents and mercenary forces, engaging with the Major Generals. It’s difficult to pull forces away immediately.]”
“…….”
“[It’s not a request I should make of someone who single-handedly recaptured a Fortress, but there aren’t many people who can move right now.]”
“The problem is there isn’t just one Fortress.”
Lennok said, turning his gaze outside the control room.
Outside the window, two Fortresses were constantly moving, quickly pulling away from the satellite city.
“I don’t know where Treffen, who resurrected by reconstructing his body, is, but to stop two Fortresses, I’m not enough alone.”
“[I’ll go with Hina.]”
Pallard replied nonchalantly.
“Are you sure?”
Although he held the position of Deputy Director of the Agents, Pallard’s combat abilities were virtually nonexistent.
If he encountered the resurrected Treffen, he wouldn’t last even five seconds.
But Pallard chuckled, his voice untroubled.
“[The moment you recaptured the Fortress control room, the role of the control tower is over. All that’s left is to deal with the Major Generals holding out near the reactor and the back gate of the Fortress. But that’s not something I can help with.]”
“[I’ll join you too.]”
Immediately after, Aris Richellen’s cold voice echoed through the communication network.
“[The main Defense Force strength deployed on the satellite city’s main street has almost all been dealt with. The remaining forces can be handled by allied freelancers… In that case, it would be right for me to also focus on stopping these newly appeared Fortresses.]”
“…….”
“[You were the one who told me to save my strength in case of an unforeseen situation, weren’t you?]”
“Understood.”
Lennok said no more and stood up.
“Then I suppose we need to find a way to cover that distance and reach the Fortresses now.”
The distance to the two newly appeared Fortresses was at least 10km, even at the shortest estimate.
If he were alone, he might somehow close the distance by pushing a bike’s engine to its limit, but it would be difficult to achieve that kind of speed with Pallard, Hina O’Neil, and Aris Richellen in tow.
“[Van, what are you talking about? Just get down to the deck.]”
“What?”
“[I told you I wouldn’t offer help for nothing, didn’t I?]”
Lennok looked down at the deck through the control room window, saw the two of them, and let out a chuckle.
Below the completely chaotic deck, Pallard, who had picked one of the scattered fighter jets, was grinning and waving his hand.
“[Believe it or not, I used to be a fighter pilot.]”
“Ha…….”
“[It’s been decades, but delivering three people isn’t hard. Just get in.]”
“So, how do you plan for four people to ride a two-seater fighter jet?”
“…….”
At Aris’s chilling remark, Pallard subtly averted his gaze.
Aris sighed deeply.
“The idea itself isn’t bad, but the problem is the limited seating capacity.”
“It would be possible if we airlifted one more fighter……”
“Then we’d be short a pilot this time.”
Lennok followed Hina’s words.
“Finding another intact fighter jet by rummaging through this deck isn’t impossible… but are either of you capable of flying a fighter?”
Aris and Hina looked at each other simultaneously and shook their heads.
“An armored vehicle is one thing, but an aircraft is…….”
“I only got my Vulcan driver’s license a month ago.”
“……”
Lennok acquired the utterly irrelevant information that Aris got her license a month ago.
Finally, Lennok nodded towards Aris.
“You go first.”
“How will you follow?”
“I do have some experience operating aircraft, but I’m not sure about fighter jets.”
Lennok said so, then winked at Hina.
“Even to prepare for a crash, it’s better to put the relatively sturdier person on board.”
At that, Aris and Hina’s expressions twisted simultaneously.
“I’m not that sturdy…….”
“Your unnecessary consideration is impressive.”
“……Isn’t that not what’s important right now?”
He felt like he had unintentionally lost some favor, but either way, time was of the essence.
Ultimately, Aris rode behind Pallard’s fighter jet, while Lennok and Hina found another intact fighter jet and took their seats.
Hina, buckling her seatbelt in the back, asked.
“Have you really flown an aircraft like this before?”
“It’s not a lie.”
Lennok said so, naturally infiltrating Davi, who was hidden in his arms, among the cockpit instruments.
Davi, who had instantly analyzed and seized control of the fighter jet’s flight system, began uploading the algorithm she had previously perfected.
The flight algorithm had been built and somewhat completed using the Pilenom Autonomous Region’s airship.
He never thought its performance would be tested in a place like this, but now was not the time to be picky about tools.
“[Automatic flight algorithm upload complete. System initializing.]”
Instantly, the dashboard lit up, the altitude indicator activated, and the fighter jet they were sitting in slowly began to vibrate.
“[Runway secured. Initiating engine ignition. 3, 2, 1.]”
Wiiiiiiing!!
As Lennok gripped the joystick and pretended to push it forward, the fighter jet, now hot, sped across the deck.
Kwaaaah!!
The fighter jet, whose sheer wind pressure from its dash sent nearby scattered supply boxes flying, seemed to fall off the deck, only to soar into the sky.
Hina, sitting in the back, screamed at the dynamic maneuver.
“Kyaaaaaak!! This sturdy Agent is going to die!!”
“…….”
Along with Hina’s scream, which somehow sounded like she was holding Lennok’s words to heart, they broke the sound barrier.
Instantly, with a sonic boom that erupted into the sky, the aircraft regained its balance.
“[The runway was a bit short, so there was no helping it.]”
Davi grumbled discontentedly into Lennok’s communicator.
“[Still, we successfully accelerated.]”
“Good.”
Kkirik!
Lennok quickly changed direction, aiming towards the Mobile Fortress speeding far ahead, and muttered.
“Let’s go right away.”
Kwaang!!
Two fighter jets took off almost simultaneously.
Felix turned his head, confirming the direction of the aircraft as it instantly broke the sound barrier.
“It seems things are finally wrapping up.”
“Kugh…”
A sharp-featured man, drenched in blood.
But his initial formidable aura was completely broken, and he was barely supporting himself by leaning against a Fortress leg pillar.
Felix watched him, then slung the war hammer in his hand over his shoulder.
Blood dripped steadily from the heavy hammer’s surface.
“Your boasted Fortresses have fallen, and only Lieutenant General Treffen remains. Although he received Gearsight’s help, he will eventually be stopped near the city.”
The man, Major General Jellich, who was huddled like a mountain, lowered his head and spoke.
“If you wanted to regain power, you should have started again from the city’s underbelly. Did you really think you could subjugate that city with such a reckless method?”
Major General Jellich trembled faintly, lifted his head, and asked Felix.
“Antares… office, you said?”
“That’s right.”
“Ha, absurd… cough!”
Jellich coughed out dry blood and laughed.
“The hero of 20 years ago running a mercenary office behind the mega-city?”
“…….”
“If a strong man like you is acting as a mercenary, then it must be true. I just thought it was a coincidence… hehe.”
Jellich, his head bowed low, said.
“Then you are the ones who started again from the shadows to subjugate the city, aren’t you?”
“Hmm.”
Felix, stroking his beak with a thick hand, said.
“I thought you were a rigid person, seeing you lend a hand in such matters, but your mind is quite open.”
“Kekeke… It’s rare for someone to offer such advice to a dying man.”
Jellich’s cackling expression slowly faded.
“Like a mirror… unless you’re… reflecting on your past self…”
“…….”
“Anything… good… this isn’t so bad…”
The fading voice abruptly cut off, and the focus in his eyes disappeared.
Felix calmly looked down at Jellich’s face, then raised a hand and gently covered his eyelids.
Words he hadn’t had a chance to convey to him softly flowed out.
“Then as now, we haven’t changed much. We’re just waiting for the right time and doing what needs to be done.”
“─────.”
“Even if it has lost its glory and fallen, that city must remain where it is. For the sake of the tens of millions of lives living within it…”
“Lord Maggart.”
A mercenary appeared behind Felix, who was muttering, and quietly called to him.
Velber, known even within the mercenary group for his particular love of money. But now his expression was calmly subdued.
“We’ve finished clearing out all the remaining Defense Force elite units nearby.”
“Well done.”
Felix nodded as he turned around.
“Shall we move towards the Fortress, following Van?”
“We’ll split our forces in half.”
Click!
Felix replied, lifting his hammer.
“Velber, you lead the others and provide support near the reactor. Sybrid Echo’s Lancer might not have decided the outcome yet, so help them and then follow.”
“And Lord Maggart?”
“Of course, I’ll follow them.”
Felix said so, lifting his beak.
The majestic Mobile Fortress, standing firm, blocked the wide sky of the satellite city.
“After all, we have the means prepared for that right here, don’t we?”
“…….”
Instead of answering, Velber simply gaped in astonishment.
Swoooooosh!!
“Va, Van-nim?”
Hina, her face slightly pale, called to Lennok from behind the fighter jet seat.
“What is it?”
“This fighter jet seems to be going excessively fast…….”
“We’ve been below supersonic speed for a while now. After all, dropping you off midway would be impossible without slowing down…”
It was natural that using the automatic flight algorithm would allow them to move much faster than now, but then it would be impossible to drop Hina off at one of the other Fortresses. Even if ejecting the seat was as simple as pulling a lever, ejecting her at supersonic speed would not end well.
Ultimately, to stop two Fortresses simultaneously, their forces had to be divided.
Although Aris was moving with Pallard’s help, Pallard himself would likely be of little help in this battle.
Therefore, it was rational for Lennok, who could do various things, to take one Fortress, and for Hina and Aris to handle the other.
“…….”
Hina stared blankly at Lennok’s back and asked.
“Do you have a personal connection with Professor Richellen?”
“……No. However, I did meet her once before for another matter.”
“I see. I just had a feeling you were avoiding Professor Richellen…….”
“…….”
“It’s not a coincidence, is it?”
He tried not to be conscious of it, but it seemed even subtle changes in his demeanor were hard to hide from an Agent.
The fact that Hina caught on to a reaction no one else had noticed until now was probably because he forcibly sent Aris off in Pallard’s fighter jet.
Lennok subtly angled the joystick and replied.
“It doesn’t have much meaning.”
“Then what?”
“It’s just that if she found out about the techniques I use, things would get complicated.”
In the process of hacking the fighter jet and injecting the automatic flight algorithm, he inevitably had to rely on Davi’s help.
Even if he could deceive others, it would be impossible to hide Davi and use her power without Aris, who was on a similar level, noticing.
He had anticipated that there might be a sense of incongruity, but he never expected to be questioned about it so directly.
“Can I hear the circumstances?”
“It’s related to incantations. I’d rather not answer personal questions.”
Hina, arms crossed, finally smiled and looked out the window.
“Troublesome.”
“Indeed.”
“I thought the team leader would have a strong rival, but if that’s all it is, I think it’ll be fine.”
“……Stop the unnecessary talk, and get ready.”
Lennok said so, turning his upper body and reaching a hand towards Hina’s head.
“We’re almost at the Fortress.”
“If you let go of the joystick completely like that……!!”
“It’s fine.”
[Remnant Thunder Body]
Pajijijik……!!
As the electric current from Lennok’s fingertips permeated into Hina’s crown, her entire body’s reactions sharpened.
Hina O’Neil was one of the test subjects for whom Lennok’s Augmentation Magic was most effective.
“I put in a stronger dose than usual, so it’ll last a long time.”
Lennok smiled, looking at Hina’s slightly dazed face.
“Then, I’ll leave it to you.”
“Wait, no way, you’re going to-!”
Thump!!
As the fighter jet’s cockpit glass opened, Hina’s seat was ejected directly.
Her body, strapped in by the seatbelt, shot high into the sky.
“Kyaaaaaaaah!!!”
Lennok heard Hina’s scream and gave a thumbs-up without looking back.
“Vaaaaaaan!!”
Lennok immediately piloted the fighter jet, leaving behind an echo seemingly full of rage.