Chapter 274 ·Turning point (37)

Turning 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󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄂point (37)

Thud—Kugugug—Krrrrrumble—

"Ugh! Ack!"

Blasted away by the aftershock from the rail cannon, we bounced around and tumbled all over the ground in a mess. My vision spun wildly until the power loader dug its hand into the floor to brake, finally bringing us to a stop.

Whirrr...

After the rapid high-speed maneuvers that had put the frame through harsh stress, the power loader let out an exhausted sound and collapsed flat. Nadia, seated in the cockpit, was no different.

Even as Nadia flopped over, her head wobbled unsteadily, with stars circling above her. It was the same for Carry.

I wasn't much better, groaning like an old man as I sprawled out flat. Now I understood what it felt like when people say the world spins. Not that I'd ever wanted to know.

—Urrrrgh... Hyun-woo... Are you okay...?

Tumbled and now wobbly, Nadia's tongue was even loose, yet still, she checked on me before herself.

"Ugh... I'm aching, but that's about it, so don't worry and just rest. You can't get up right now anyway."

—Got it...

"Thanks to you, I didn't get hurt."

Nadia foolishly chuckled. She did have every right to smile. If the power loader hadn't shielded me when that impossibly strong gale hit, we'd each have been blown off in different directions. And with the force not being fully absorbed, something somewhere would've gotten broken.

My body isn't ordinary, and I did have a shielding generator up, but this was a field littered with the remains of reverse-icicles. The debris was filled with Blue Crystal's energy, so it was like tumbling over shards of shattered, razor-sharp glass. Rolling over that reckless ground could have easily torn or punctured the shield.

I pushed against the lower frame of the power loader and staggered up. The first thing that drew my gaze was a huge silhouette visible through the thick haze of rising dust.

With telekinesis, I swept away the impurities blocking my view. What had been hidden was now revealed. The Chimera lay almost severed in half, collapsed on the ground with its head half-buried.

'That's some power.'

As expected, it was an armament only a select few ships could equip. Add to that the limiter being disengaged, and this outcome wasn't all that surprising.

There was the problem that we nearly died by friendly fire instead of the Chimera, but when it comes to penetration, nothing beats a rail cannon.

Even though Nadia and I temporarily downed its shielding generator, the devastation was due entirely to the weapon's raw power.

Of course, no matter how powerful, it was no use if you missed. Since Roxy hadn't missed the Chimera—just as he had assured us—this was the result.

Chimera isn't a bud, but it's strong enough to match one—a mutant of nearly equivalent class. Those things could regenerate enough to not die just from being cut in two. Normally, it should have been moving or recovering by now.

But the Chimera was in rigor mortis, with only some twitching left in its bio-tissue. There was no sign of actual movement.

'The core must have been destroyed too.'

The faint blue particles drifting toward me confirmed it—the Chimera had died without even a proper death rattle. Its main core must have been in the part that was blown away.

—Bzzt... Ah, ah. Is the comms back up? Buddy, you alive?

"... Roxy."

—Oh, you're alive! I knew nothing would happen to you.

"I wouldn't call it 'unharmed,' exactly."

There wasn't anywhere on my body that wasn't sore. Nadia still hadn't fully come to her senses either.

—Hmm? Why's that?

"We got caught up in your attack and bounced around pretty far. The warning didn't make a difference. Was too late to escape. Seriously, that rail cannon is disgustingly strong."

Roxy snickered at my grumbling.

—That's my line, actually. Who else but you could tear through a shielding generator bare-handed? Only you can do something like that, you know.

Roxy was honestly amazed that I had managed to not just hold down the Chimera but also take down its shield. He meant it as a compliment, but I couldn't help feeling annoyed. Maybe it was just because I'd been tossed around so badly.

I flicked the dust off my suit and spoke.

"I got lucky. When the shield broke, I saw the head regenerating first, so I figured the core must be around there."

—Luckily, your hunch was correct, and that let us finish it in one shot?

"Well, something like that."

I shrugged. It was a guess, but it felt almost like a certainty. At some point, I'd begun to see it—the flow of energy.

Not always, but when I focused to the extreme, things I normally couldn't see would appear. Variously colored threads flowing in certain directions or gathering at a point, then being emitted—that kind of pattern.

'Ever since I touched that red code, I think it's gotten clearer.'

And that's why, when I witnessed the power Lobelia manifested, I couldn't respond the way I intended—everything indescribable was swirling around her.

It was the first time I had ever seen anything like it. Just recalling that hellish scene gave me chills even now.

—Is the Chimera really dead? Not just faking it? Those things are so cunning...

"It's dead for sure. If it wasn't, we couldn't even be having this conversation."

While I was shaking off my lingering unease talking with Roxy, Celestia's voice rang in my ear.

—Hyun-woo! I'm coming! Just hang on a little longer!

"What?"

—Almost there! So—wait, huh?

Celestia's urgent voice abruptly turned bewildered. She must have just now noticed the Chimera's life signs had vanished. At the edge of my vision, two ships were approaching.

—... Did you take it down? The Chimera?

"We did. I told you, didn't I?"

—Well, you did... but... I didn't think you'd do it this fast... We hurried as much as we could...

Celestia trailed off. Admittedly, it hadn't taken long. Considering the scale, fighting all day wouldn't have been unusual. But just looking at the time we took doesn't tell the whole story.

In that short time frame, we'd thrown everything we had into the fight. If we hadn't finished quickly, it wouldn't be the Chimera's readings fading right now, but Nadia's and mine.

Lightning was crashing uncontrollably from the sky, quakes were creating endless crevasses, Chimeras were launching energy missiles that left no place to stand. Even when there was ground, it would break or stop being ground altogether—the hopelessness was indescribable.

"I was shouting the whole time for support—didn't you hear any of it? Or the bit about going for repairs first?"

—I did hear that! But after that, nothing else. After those reverse-icicles appeared, the rate of electrical discharges skyrocketed, and the comms started acting up...

Celestia sounded spent. After being so tense, it seemed like relief had suddenly overtaken her now that the crisis was past. She didn't even seem indignant about missing out—just glad no one was badly injured.

—We'll be right there! The medical team is on standby!

"Understood. Nadia, you heard that? Don't try to move, just stay down. Celly will get here faster than we could move anyway."

—I can move! Look at this! I'm totally fine!

Apparently feeling guilty about delaying the group, Nadia stubbornly declared she was recovered and tried to stand up the power loader. Somewhere inside, something ground noisily, but it seemed barely operational.

Or so I thought. Until, with a thud, one of the power loader's arms just dropped right off. I had barely blinked, but it suddenly was one-armed. It looked so ridiculous, you couldn't just act like nothing had happened.

—... Ah. The arm fell off...

"Just stay put. Let Carry rest, too. If you break that any more, Kyle will be in tears."

—Can't have that. He'll be upset as it is...

Citing Kyle as an excuse, Nadia seemed to agree. She put the power loader into standby mode until recovery arrived. The loader, which barely stood a moment ago, now sagged and shut down.

—... I'm already crying.

Kyle said, having received the battle report. Nadia jumped out of the cockpit and pretended she knew nothing, her animal ears twitching.

"Because you're happy the Chimera's down?"

—No, no matter how much I reinforce it, it still breaks in the end—

"Because you're happy, right?"

—... Yes. I am happy. So damn happy I can't stop crying. Remarkable, really. That monster's finally down.

"You reinforced it so much that we could punch through the shield. Be confident. You're really skilled, Kyle."

Kyle sighed quietly at Nadia's praise and signed off, with "That's a relief, then."

Nadia, curling her nose, came over and handed me something. It turned out to be an advanced medical supply. We split it between us amicably. As the medicine spread, my creaky body started returning to normal.

"Did the gravity field hurt? I had it at maximum output."

"I almost threw up. Compressing and stretching me from above and below... I couldn't think straight."

"... Honestly, you're reckless."

Nadia shook her head. As she grumbled and checked my condition, I used telekinesis to recall my spear from where it had landed.

With a gesture, the spear swiftly flew back into my hand. Despite everything, it wasn't in bad shape—maybe thanks to the special modifications.

Even so, Nadia didn't give me a look of wonder. After seeing me practice with it in the room so many times, she must be used to it by now.

Nadia looked like she wanted to say something but paused. That's because Roxy flew over and landed near us.

Orca, equipped with the rail cannon, set down on the ground. The rail gun, still arcing with sparks as a result of releasing its limiter, showed clear signs of wear where it connected to Orca's chassis.

The cockpit opened, and the familiar face of Roxy appeared. He whistled.

"Man, what a sight! Cleanly blasted through. This is why I put everything into this."

「Confirmed: Chimera's life signs are completely gone. Situation assessed as safe for now.」

I looked up at Orca. I'd felt it since the first time I saw it—it was pretty big. It would take three power loaders stacked up to reach its height. The rail cannon seemed as if it were meant to be mounted there.

"Roxy, what on earth happened? And what's that on your shoulder?"

"That's a long story... First, say hello. This is Unit 7."

"... Unit 7? Wait, isn't that a mining drone?!"

It was Nadia who reacted to what Roxy showed. She fumbled at her side, but there was nothing there. Both Multipurpose Units 1 and 2, as well as the support arms, had been left in the cockpit.

「ᕦ(๑•̀o•́๑)ᕤ」

Just then, Carry arrived with Units 1 and 2 stacked on its back. As soon as their eyes met with Unit 7, both units, who had been limp with exhaustion, suddenly bolted upright as if nothing happened.

Units 1 and 2 had changed a bit with their upgrades for attachment to the support arms, but that hardly seemed to matter. Maybe because they were the same type of robot, they shared a bond we couldn't understand. Watching this sudden robot family reunion, I looked away.

「( •̀ ω •́ )✧」

Carry drew my gaze again, strutting as if to ask what we thought of its performance. Naturally, as loyal Carry aficionados, we gave plenty of praise. It wasn't even a lie—Carry really had taken on some of the computational burden.

「These robots have truly unique personalities.」

"You're the one with the most character here."

「This body is....」

Orca faltered, as if unable to find a convincing counterargument, and drifted toward the Chimera to feign rummaging through its remains. Roxy burst out laughing.

Roxy patted my shoulder, watching Griffin coming in for a landing.

"Buddy, looks like we've both got things to say and hear, but how about we talk the rest over on the ship? This isn't over yet."

"... You're right. Go ahead. I heard Albatross won't be landing here. They said if they touched down now, all the deferred problems would explode at once and it'd take forever to get airborne again."

I said this while looking at the energy field that was cutting off Mithrim Montes. The energy field was still stable. I had no idea how many ships inside were trying to breach the wall. I was sure they were. If we tarried, we'd head into orbit and then to Earth.

There's no way our foes would just sit back and let that happen. They'd already tried so much to block us—I doubted that was all. So we had to hurry.

"What? Ah, man. I should have headed straight for the storage bay. Then I'll go first, buddy. See you up there."

With that, Roxy climbed Orca's hand up to the cockpit. Orca, sharply marked in black and white like a killer whale, fired up its thrusters and took off toward Albatross.

Unit 7, which had been playing with Units 1 and 2, was startled as Orca flew off. The bot reached out its arm, but Orca was already too far gone. Shocked at being left behind, it froze.

"Roxy, you're really just going to leave 7 behind? You all seemed close."

—Ah, right. I totally forgot in the rush. Well, take good care of 7, would you? I trust you since you're a friend.

His voice was much too amused for that. Even as Units 1 and 2 nudged him, asking if they'd been abandoned, there was no response. The shock must have hit hard.

It was up to us to take care of 7. Nadia and I herded the nearly wailing Unit 7, and boarded the just-landed Griffin.

Units 1 and 2 naturally clambered onto Carry. I guess they thought Carry was their own personal taxi. Carry seemed annoyed, but didn't shake them off. Maybe they'd gotten attached through the fighting.

While members of the Beta Series, having disembarked from Griffin, hauled away the power loader, I encountered Celestia, who looked restless. Only when she saw me did she finally breathe out a sigh of relief.

Noticing Nadia clinging close beside me, Celestia took a deep breath and steadied her expression.

"Hyun-woo, we should head into orbit right away now."

"Is the warp gate ready?"

"Fighting broke out in orbit too, so construction was delayed a bit, but nothing critical. Once we're up there, we just have to wait and we can go to Earth."

"Finally..."

I could hardly believe the end was in sight. That the goal I'd so desperately wanted was near—it didn't feel real. That feeling lasted only a moment before my face hardened.

"... What about Licorice?"

"Carrot, who left on Griffin, is monitoring her closely right now. But..."

Seeing Celestia trail off, my heart dropped like a stone. My anxiety threatened to cross a line, imagining worst-case scenarios that should never become real.

I prodded her for an answer, but Celestia just led us deeper inside, speaking little.

"Let's go see together. The power loader's been recovered, so we'll take off right away."

I nodded heavily. My gaze drifted toward where Archive was. Come to think of it, I never found out what was under the Archive.

If anyone would know, it would be Orca. I'd have to ask once the urgent matters were out of the way. We moved from Griffin's temporary storage bay into the ship.

Just as Griffin revved its thrusters for takeoff—

... Thud

A banging sounded against the wall. The source was where Archive was located. More precisely, it was the energy field enveloping the entire Mithrim Montes region including Archive.

"...!"

I rushed to a porthole displaying the outside. The energy field was cracking, looking like endless distortions crisscrossing midair.

I didn't even have to think hard about what was causing trouble in the once-calm energy field. Anyone but a fool could deduce it.

With only the very final step—ascending to orbit—left, the demonic beasts finally reached out to seize us, trying not to let us escape.

"Take off! Now!"

Before my shout could even be relayed, one side of the energy field was blown to pieces.

KRANG---!

From the opening burst forth the bow of a battleship we'd assumed to be the flagship of the pureblood supremacist fleet. And the voice of Cystus resounded.

「Did you think... you'd escaped us?」

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