Chapter 271 ·Turning point(34)

Turning 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󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄂point(34)

The rapidly approaching streak of light was none other than Roxy. To be precise, it was Roxy riding on something. He couldn't move that fast on his own.

'What on earth is he riding?'

At a glance, it wasn't a shuttle or a small reconnaissance craft. Those couldn't have carried out the attack I had just witnessed. That blue line had slashed through an oncoming assault container and even struck the ships beyond it. Such a feat could only be accomplished by a main cannon on a warship.

I focused harder with my eyes, and the outlines of things became clearer. I could see a metallic vehicle. It didn't resemble a power loader—its overall shape and propulsion system were clearly different.

The only thing I could be certain of was that it was a humanoid machine capable of high-speed maneuvers. I had no idea where he could have found something like that. But even a fool could tell that this was the reason he'd come so late.

- Wow, check out this firepower. Totally worth all the trouble.

Roxy admired the scene he had created. Hearing that, I couldn't help but shout out with genuine frustration.

"You son of a b*tch!"

- I expected not to be praised, but I didn't know I'd get cursed at right away!

Roxy chuckled as if he found something hilariously funny. We just stood there, dumbfounded.

"You could at least have kept in touch! No matter what you were doing!"

- Right!

"I thought you'd been caught and tortured!"

- Right—!

Nadia chimed in, adjusting the balance of her power loader. Apparently, seeing me constantly worry about Roxy's whereabouts had left her a bit bothered too.

- Hearing all this concern makes me feel guilty. If I can make an excuse, it wasn't exactly a situation where I could do that. Honestly, I'd like to explain what happened, but things are really tangled right now. Anyway, say hello to my new friend. It's Orca.

"... Orca? Did you say Orca?"

I couldn't believe my ears. I hadn't expected to hear the name Orca again. Orca was the name of the independent program in charge of risk management for the Sky Whale.

Roxy was riding a vehicle I'd never seen before. Which meant this vehicle was Orca?

I couldn't hide my confusion. At that moment, my suit's HUD, synchronized with my bracelet, displayed a message—new communication link detected.

We were the only ones with encrypted channel access, so my confusion was brief. I widened my eyes at the subtly mechanical, female voice that came through.

「It is a pleasure to meet again.」

"You crazy Orca!"

「I am not crazy. It is presumed your exclamation was missing a comma. Interpreting as a sign of delight.」

As Orca spoke, a sleek-looking machine flew right over our heads. It didn't stop, simply passing by.

"Where are you going!"

- We have to catch that thing. If we let it go, the armored vehicle my friend is riding in will end up pancaked.

Roxy sounded calm, as if he were merely stating a fact.

「Kyaaaaaaaa-!」

Chimera let out a screech, apparently annoyed at having its hunt interrupted. Roxy—Orca—shot straight towards the creature.

Orca. The Sky Whale's independent program. The Sky Whale itself—a supermassive machine incorporating Earth government technology, usually inaccessible.

Orca, who'd emerged from inside, might also have been built with Earth government—meaning Pilgrims—technology. Like the satellite gravity cannon.

'Can we beat it?'

That long-range strike had reached even the pureblood supremacist fleet. Now that the gap had closed, its power must have doubled.

But could that power pierce the shielding generator? I couldn't decide hastily. The monster had absorbed the device that created the dome-like shield around the residential area and claimed it as part of itself.

Even if it was deteriorated, the fact that it had compressed what protected an entire residential sector into the size of a giant mutant meant ordinary attacks would likely be ineffective.

Orca circled Chimera under Roxy's control. The rear thrusters ramped up, scattering stronger blue light. Chimera's gaze followed that gleam. When seen next to each other, the size difference between them was jaw-dropping.

As the unfamiliar machine appeared, the attacks from the pureblood supremacist fleet briefly faltered. Orca's rifle began to unfold.

The section resembling a barrel split apart like a linear rifle, with densely packed plates pulsing with an energy resonance. For a moment, time seemed to slow down.

Chimera grew wary. It changed its priorities, even if only slightly.

- Orca, let's play for real.

「Reef Rifle, phase two, charge complete.」

Energy compressed into the rifle, which split open into quadrants. The surrounding air shimmered. Even as I rocked inside the armored vehicle sliding down the cliff, I couldn't take my eyes off it. I had to witness the result directly.

- Bang.

The energy gathered in the rifle discharged with Roxy's unceremonious declaration. A massive blue beam reminiscent of a main cannon shot forth.

The beam blazed across the sky and struck Chimera's shielding generator dead center. It couldn't be dodged or missed—the target was huge. Not as enormous as Maker, but certainly enough to be classified as gigantic.

Kuagagagak-!

Kiiiiiiiiiiing-!

The two opposing energies collided, scraping away at each other in a harsh shriek. The counterblast shattered the energy, scattering fragments in every direction like rain that hammered the ground.

Even the debris had such tremendous force behind it that the ground was ripped apart as if a bombardment had hit.

The whole process clouded the air with dispersing energy particles whipped up by the shockwave. Only after the haze settled did Chimera reemerge, bit by bit. The attack was strong, no doubt—the shielding that had shrugged off all our efforts until now was glowing red-hot from overheating.

But that was it. The main body was virtually unharmed. Orca's attack had failed to penetrate Chimera's shield.

- ... Hmm. Looks like that didn't work.

Roxy's cheerful voice rang out. We, who had been tense a moment ago, all facepalmed. Even Eric lost his composure for a second. The armored vehicle nearly tipped over. Everyone looked about ready to break, with thoughts and words jumbled together.

If even that attack didn't work, what now? I was seriously pissed off. Or no, I already was angry—it was just boiling over now.

Glaring at Chimera as it let out a menacing, low growl, I had only one thought.

'... We're screwed, aren't we.'

Unable to shake off that miserable feeling, we fell silent. Only the gradually restoring shield kept pace with the passing time.

Maybe hitting it with an orbital strike would work. But before I said anything, Roxy spoke first.

- We need something stronger. Hey, my ace in the hole still there, right?

"... Your ace in the hole? Ah! The Rail Cannon!"

- That's the one.

"Of course! But it's on Albatross. If we drop it, it'll get destroyed right away, so I'll have to go get it myself."

I suddenly remembered the Rail Cannon. Things had gotten so hectic, I hadn't thought of it. But since I'd checked its status before heading to Archive, it was ready to deploy immediately if needed.

Orca's main armament didn't work, so Roxy seemed to see potential in the Rail Cannon. Maybe because nothing else had that much penetration power.

- That was my plan anyway. I'll smash a few ships on the way, too.

"... You talk like it's a walk in the park."

- It's embarrassing I couldn't kill that thing after making my entrance, you know. But seriously, it's not just talk—those ships are easy prey. All I have to do is break the bridges. Their energy fields are weaker than that thing's anyway.

Having greater numbers meant a numerical advantage in battle—the side with more units had the advantage. But Roxy argued that sometimes the sheer numbers can get in the way.

- Sure, the rifle didn't work on that monster, but it wasn't ineffective. A machine with this much firepower and high-speed mobility sowing chaos in their formation? That's a living hell. Anyway, make your escape as soon as you can.

With those words, Roxy withdrew from Chimera's attack radius. Almost simultaneously, the pureblood supremacist fleet formed a wall of fire in the area.

Hundreds of missiles cut through the air, each tracing a unique trajectory as they chased their targets. The intertwined trails resembled a circus performance.

Roxy fired the rifle again, opening a fleeting gap in the barrage. But for Orca, that moment was enough. The machine increased its output and shot through.

Missiles that had been hot on his heels spun helplessly in the air and exploded when their fuel ran out. Emerging gracefully from the chain of blasts, Roxy didn't slow down but charged the fleet.

Arriving at the bridge of one ship, Roxy melted it down with the rifle's firepower. Without a functioning control system, the ship's engines died and its massive hull crashed into the ground. This scene repeated itself.

'Ha, the guy hasn't lost his touch.'

Watching Roxy dart between ships, sowing chaos, I couldn't help but laugh dryly. If he'd tried this with a shuttle, he'd literally be running for his life, but now that he was piloting Orca, he was flying about like never before.

Someone in the transport bay cried out in excitement. Even though Chimera hadn't been dealt with, the sight of hope triggered an involuntary outburst.

Chimera was wavering—even now—as it hesitated between chasing the fleeing armored vehicle and retaliating against the attacking fleet. It was as if instinct and intellect were at war within it.

「Kyaaaaaaaaaa━━!」

Finally, Chimera decided to chase after us. Whether that was the better prey, or because that's what it had been ordered to do, I didn't know. Either way, it started smashing the earth again, advancing once more.

Just as suddenly, everyone's complexion turned pale, as if the moment of celebration had never happened. Celestia pressed the comms.

"Marco, when's the next orbital bombardment ready? Shouldn't it be just about now?"

- I need about another minute for cooldown. But yes, almost. Judging by the situation on the ground, it seems better to switch back to specialized rounds focused on firepower rather than continued use of jamming shells. Shall I recalculate the coordinates and target that giant monster?

"That's..."

Celestia hesitated to answer. Her eyes moved to me. I took in everything we knew so far. There was little point in bombarding the fleet again with special or jamming shells—Roxy had already taken control of that side for now.

What bothered me was that Roxy couldn't hold them indefinitely. With the beacon destroyed and before the energy field regenerated, he'd have to retreat.

Considering all that, targeting the fleet was the rational move. But we also had no way to stop Chimera's advance—which was a massive problem.

Roxy was dashing between ships to help us escape. But if we got crushed by Chimera in the process, his efforts would be meaningless.

Both choices posed problems. Nothing was simple, and I was buried in indecision—when Orca contacted us.

「Lee Hyun-woo, confirmed as current main system controller of Archive. Requesting the transfer of primary system control privileges to me.」

"You want the Archive's main system control authority? Do you have a plan? That thing's basically useless now. No, never mind, I'll send it right away. Celly, please."

Celestia nodded and handed over Archive's system control to Orca. Even if we didn't know what Orca might do, it was better just to comply and ask questions later—there was no time for lengthy explanations.

Orca definitely knew more about Archive than we did, so this seemed wise.

「Thank you. Main system control of Archive acquired. Forced activation of Archive's special function commencing.」

As Orca spoke, a pulse of energy erupted from Archive, drawing in everyone's attention. Lines appeared on the gigantic, cube-like structure, and it resembled an assembly of small cubes.

The pureblood supremacist fleet had already passed by the Archive, so at a glance, it seemed unaffected. The fleet's behavior suggested the same—they kept chasing Roxy.

But what happened next made the fleet panic and speed up. It was no wonder—the cubes making up Archive exploded outward. Not just any explosion, but a blast forceful enough to send them clear to the other side of Titan.

「This is an emergency separation system designed for activation if Archive's functions are disabled by a black hole or other event. Upon receiving primary control, this function would have become accessible.」

To Orca's comment that Licorice must have known about it as well, I shook my head. Orca was probably right. Licorice would have realized it too—if she'd been in any condition to do so. She'd already given everything she could; it was too much to expect more from someone barely able to move.

The scattered cubes struck the fleet from behind. Their mass caused massive damage and sent ships veering off course, colliding, causing sectors to explode, or blocking one another's path.

But the cubes didn't just fly by—they clung to the ships and wouldn't let go. It was as if the Ark's unique abilities had manifested, trapping ships inside the cubes themselves.

Because the ships were still much larger than the cubes, the function didn't work perfectly. As a result, the ships were bitten into as if someone had taken a huge chunk out of them. Depending on which part was bitten, some ships held together, others failed.

Even so, their numbers meant plenty of undamaged ships remained. Roxy was doing his best, but there were too many to handle alone.

- Alright, this should buy enough time. I'll head to Albatross and equip the Rail Cannon.

With that, Roxy sped off toward Albatross and entered the storage bay. He continued over the comm.

- Friend, are you going to take the shot? This may be our only chance. Once the beacon is destroyed and the energy field forms, nothing can stop it—they'll break through side by side.

While Roxy was singlehandedly keeping the fleet occupied, we had gone over our plan with him. He knew exactly what we were aiming for. That's why he asked.

Were we going to try for Chimera?

After a brief pause, I answered.

"We have to."

Even I was startled by how resolute I sounded, but I didn't take back the words. This decision was unavoidable. If Archive's energy field was fully restored, it might be able to stop the giant mutant—but that required distance we didn't have.

If Chimera and the fleet broke free together, that was another disaster. The energy cannon would block us from boarding our own ship, which was exactly what Chimera wanted.

I was bracing myself for the precise moment a delay in our escape would create an impossible-to-miss shot. All mutants were like this—Chimera, too, was a devious opponent.

"Roxy, you can't fire the Rail Cannon too many times, right?"

- True, but our chances are better. The shuttle core could handle a single shot. With Orca, we can try three.

「Unit performance degraded. Due to energy shortage, cannot maintain full abilities.」

- You heard it. So let's count on three chances.

"Someone will have to draw its attention. We've got to be sure every shot lands."

Roxy didn't answer, but his silence was as good as a yes.

- Bombardment system recalibrated. Ready to fire at any time.

With Marco's transmission, I made my decision.

"Celly, take care of Licorice for me. Head to the ship first and show Carrot her condition. Don't dawdle—the situation is urgent. I'll go separately."

"This is insane! Drawing its attention alone... That's practically suicide! Hyun-woo, you can't!"

"Sel—"

I gently called her name. Celestia froze, body rigid. She clenched her fists so tightly they shook, then slackened as she realized I wouldn't change my mind.

- I'll help, too!

"No, Nadia, you evacuate as well."

- What? Why!

"You need to resupply—you've fired off everything you had."

- Well....

Nadia didn't argue, but she didn't give in either. She scoffed, voice trembling, and declared she wouldn't be listening.

- I have plenty left for this. If drawing attention is the goal, being lighter is actually better. So just get going!

"... Nothing I say will sway you."

With a faint sigh, I looked around at Celestia and the people in the transport bay, then called over the soldier riding the hover bike, intending to trade places.

As the armored vehicle and hover bike overlapped near a cliff, I used telekinesis to switch positions.

And then, together with Nadia's power loader, I turned the handlebars and broke away from the convoy.

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