Chapter 276 ·Turning Point (39)

Turning 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󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄂Point (39)

Tatata-tang!

Gunfire rang out non-stop. The flashes from the muzzle shattered the darkness, temporarily replacing the broken lights.

「Kiiieeek!」

Each time bullets sprayed, a wail echoed. So many mutants were pushing in that it looked like waves; no matter how many the Beta Series mowed down at the corridor, there was no end in sight. The number of remains piled up had already reached triple digits.

"There's no end to them!"

"Throw the grenades!"

With the sound of pins being pulled, grenades were hurled. Before they could even roll along the floor with a 'ting, ting', the grenades were swallowed up by the mutant tide and detonated further inside.

... Boom!

They were incendiary types, not designed to kill with shrapnel but to create a zone of fire to burn the enemy. But the hoped-for wall of flames didn't take hold as expected; instead, there was only a dull noise, and the mutant waves only briefly flared and stirred. After several more were used, a true wall of fire finally spread through the corridor.

「Kiyaaak!」

The leading wave of mutants went up in flames. They writhed in pain, pushing through the burning wall. Ghouls frantically tried to smother the flames clinging to their bodies, only to be finished off by the waiting Beta Series.

Even as heads burst and opaque fluids splattered against the wall, the people blocking the corridor didn't look reassured. They simply hurried to reload.

Normally, this kind of attack should have provided a breather. Mutants were cunning and avoided fights where they were taking one-sided losses.

But now things were different. We couldn't count on the behaviors we'd analyzed before. The mutants following the orders of the pureblood supremacist—specifically, Cystus—were willing to do anything to obey those commands.

The proof was that the mutants, after a moment's hesitation, were forcing out the flames with their bodies and preparing to charge again. Beyond the wall of fire, countless silhouettes flickered, and Eric, grimacing, finally spat out a curse and shouted:

"Raise shields—!"

"Raise shields!"

After all the shooting, everyone's ears were ringing. Still, the troops echoed Eric's order and raised their shields.

"Hurry and reload the machine gun!"

「Order acknowledged.」

"When is the extra supply getting here?! How long has it been since they said they'd come?!"

「The supply convoy was delayed by a ghoul attack. Three Beta Series were destroyed. Currently, the attack has been repelled. Estimated time of arrival: two minutes.」

"Damn it, how are we supposed to hold for two minutes here...?"

With the ship's systems forcibly shut down, the internal defense mechanisms weren't functioning properly. The sentry guns mounted on the ceiling weren't working either; the Beta Series had forcibly torn them down for manual use.

Scenes like this were playing out all over Sector Griffin. When the hallway was forcibly connected with a crane, the mutants flooded in an instant.

We'd immediately lowered all the bulkheads designed to isolate the sector in emergencies, but spitter-type ghouls had melted them, barely buying us any time to escape.

When we barricaded the corridor, we managed to hold out a little longer—at least until Griffin's ventilation system got taken over by mutants.

As I received situational reports, I raced frantically toward the storage bay. Celestia was by my side.

"Celly, did they say the orbital side still isn't secured?"

"Yes. The attack's gotten even more intense. They're throwing everything they have to break the warp gate. The last transmission said they're putting all their strength into protecting it because a full-on fleet battle has broken out."

That meant we couldn't count on help from the Myosotis fleet. Their aid had essentially ended with the defeat of the Chimera.

Marco, the captain of the Myosotis orbital fleet, had warned us in advance: there was fighting even up in orbit, and if it got worse, they wouldn't have any resources to spare for us.

All they asked was that we make it up to orbit; the rest, they'd handle.

I'd agreed to that. Protecting the warp gate was just as important as protecting Celestia. If we had no way back to Earth once we got up, it was all over anyway.

"We should've just gone up right after taking down the Chimera."

We did go up right away. It's not like we dawdled to examine the Chimera's remains.

We never expected the pureblood supremacist flagship to latch on like this. If they'd just bombarded us, we wouldn't have lasted—the composition would've been entirely one-sided.

But instead, they'd stuck with using mutants to try and finish us off—a wildly inefficient way to do it.

"They said they'd kill us in the most horrifying way."

This wasn't just about understanding their strategy. It wasn't simply about killing us—they cared about how we died. They were focused entirely on the manner of it, not even caring if they died in the process.

Now, none of the ship's sectors showed green. There were only one or two in yellow, and the rest were completely red. Over ninety percent of the ship was out of structural integrity or control; Griffin was now a ship that could explode at any minute.

「Kiaaak!」

"Move!"

I grabbed a lunging ghoul by the head and slammed it into the wall. With a crunch, its head shattered. Sweeping telekinesis through it, I destroyed the internal core, and after a few convulsions, it went limp.

Crash—!

Already, mutants controlling the ventilation ducts of our sector were dropping from the ceiling. New ghouls appeared—Cramper types. Their rapid movement was supported by acceleration devices from military suits, giving them tremendous mobility.

Celestia clicked her tongue, 'Tsk', and took aim at them with her Linear Rifle. As the targeting assist came online, she pulled the trigger.

Thud-ong!

Splurt—

The Cramper squad's staggered, buggy-looking movements abruptly stopped as several of their body parts were pierced. Losing power, the Crampers slid forward on momentum, slamming right into the wall.

Splat!

Bodily fluids splattered harshly. We didn't have time to make sure they were dead. The moment Celestia and I confirmed the Crampers weren't ready to move, we sprinted on.

We were taking the quickest route; just a bit further, and we'd reach the lower storage bay of Sector Griffin. If we couldn't finish the job by fighting, regrouping was the priority.

Soon, the tightly shut gate came into view. It hadn't been breached yet—Nadia must have been holding them off well.

"It's in emergency lockdown! Most systems are down, so we have to open it manually!"

"We're in a hurry here...!"

I kicked hard off the floor and dashed right up to the gate. Forcing the seam open, I shoved my hands inside and began prying the sealed door apart with strength.

The proper procedure was to use the lever mechanism nearby, cranking it according to the manual. But who had time for that? It was easier to just tear it open with brute strength.

「Kiaaaak—!」

Bang! Crash!

As the gap widened, the sounds beyond grew clearer—shrieks, explosions, metal frames twisting, the hiss of venting steam.

By the time Celestia caught up to me, I had the door halfway open. That was enough. We could squeeze through.

Without even exchanging glances, we slipped through. We'd already discussed everything that needed saying.

"Nadia!"

Urgency in my voice, I burst in, scanning the storage bay for Nadia, who was locked in mortal combat.

Just as expected, Nadia was fending off swarms of mutants. There was no time to repair areas worn down by wear, but she'd managed to successfully replace any destroyed parts.

The power loader, equipped with giant shields on each shoulder, charged forward wielding the same model shield. With acceleration from the deployed booster backpack, she executed a shield charge—her target, the Dreadnought, lumbering down the corridor with thudding steps.

—Hryaaa—!

With a fierce shout, the power loader and Dreadnought collided. Screech, creak. The impact reverberated and metal shrieked.

「Wuaagh!」

The Dreadnought blocked the shield charge with its massive arm, but as the mechanical giant's booster backpack ramped up, it began to lose ground.

The Beta Series, gathered in the storage bay, swept aside other mutants interfering with the fight. The winner: the power loader. Overwhelming the Dreadnought by brute force, Nadia hammered it with a shield bash.

Thunk!

The uppercut sent the Dreadnought's upper body flipping over. As it floundered trying to rise, the power loader stomped it on the head.

Squish! Fragments of the Dreadnought's head stuck to the power loader, mixed with body fluids. Now that I saw it, the power loader's exterior was far from clean—splattered in gore from frequent close combat.

—Don't mess with me!

Nadia, the beastkin and victor, let out a triumphant roar. Maybe constant fighting had reawakened her wild side. The scene was different than I'd expected, and I pressed my mouth into a thin line.

Celestia apparently shared my feelings. Catching her breath, she commented,

"... She fights really well."

"... Yeah, no kidding."

Still, business was business. I hadn't forgotten why I'd come here. I hurried toward where Nadia was.

"Nadia!"

—Hyun-woo! You're here! I've been holding it down just fine!

Having shoved the Dreadnought's remains into the corridor to block the entrance, Nadia responded to my call. Through the cockpit window, Carry waved its auxiliary arms excitedly at me.

"... Yeah, I saw. You really can fight."

I glanced at the Dreadnought's remains blocking the corridor. Something was pounding hard on it, trying to force a way through. Was it just my imagination, or did the pressure seem less intense than elsewhere? Maybe we'd seized the initiative in those precious seconds.

Celestia and I regrouped and cleared out the remaining mutants in the storage bay. In the end, we'd come all the way back here. Maybe we shouldn't have left in the first place.

While the Beta Series rapidly cooled their overheated cores with external air ventilation, Nadia frowned.

—Things are bad, aren't they? Looks like the other places have fallen.

"Yeah. This is the only spot we managed to hold."

—Not that we even really succeeded in holding it... That's worse than I thought. What's the escape plan? This ship's done for— even if I don't know much about starship systems, I can tell. If it stays down like this, there's no way to recover it, especially with the contamination spreading.

She was right. Griffin had passed the point of no return. The pureblood supremacist flagship wasn't going to let Griffon go; it would break it instead.

The external hull was breached everywhere, making it impossible to hold or defend anywhere. Mutants were spreading through the ventilation system, and creep was consuming the ship.

The Beta Series were fighting as hard as they could, but Eric and Canna were constantly reporting retreats. There were just too many mutants, and the ship's current combat strength couldn't keep up.

Even Albatross was bombarding Griffin, trying to cut the connection to the flagship. But the accumulated damage didn't match the impacts transmitted—the flagship now treated Griffin like an expendable extra part, so its force-field range was expanding.

Some unknown supernatural power emanated from the pureblood supremacist flagship, manipulating the ship's system at will. Error-shattered letters flickered across the panel log, with messages saying "I see you."

Meaning, the flagship targeting Griffin wasn't a coincidence. The manifesting power was presumed to be Cystus's, which meant I was the direct target.

Even if I escaped somewhere else, there was a high chance Cystus would pursue me to the end. In fact, he was probably planning to kill not just me, but everyone here; he would do whatever it took to not let a single one go.

While I hesitated, face creased at the eardrum-piercing shrieks and weighing my choices, we received comms from Roxy, who'd sortied the moment Griffin was seized by the flagship.

—Hey, I've secured the escape pod bay. Most got forcibly ejected due to system errors, but I managed to salvage a few. Can you get here, or should I come to you?

Roxy added he'd gotten Carrot and Licorice safely into a pod, just as I'd asked him to do as a top priority. Knowing they were safe eased my mind a little.

Before answering, I checked the ship's systems. Multiple markers glowed. The route Celestia and I had used was already packed with mutants. We could force our way through if necessary, but other directions were a problem.

A large marker, made from several smaller converging markers, was moving quickly toward the place with escape pods. That was Eric and Canna's team, who'd rescued the engine crew and were now retreating back.

Even with the Beta Series, injuries were inevitable. I remembered how agonized groans had bled through the shouts. The chances they could endure until we arrived were slim.

Albatross was still mostly unaffected by outside interference, for now, because Orca was blocking the jamming. The longer things dragged on, though, the stronger the interference would become, and even Orca wouldn't hold. She was already running calculations at her absolute limit.

I made my decision.

"Take the wounded before us. We'll be there soon. Once you arrive, load them into the pods and launch them to Albatross."

—Not a problem, but what about you?

"I'll rally the scattered Beta Series and mass them in the storage bay. If we get them all, we'll have at least forty—maybe fifty if we're lucky. Over twenty are already here in the storage bay."

Griffon couldn't serve as a functional starship any longer. The moment contamination set in and couldn't be cleared by the ship's own purification system, its fate was sealed.

"Once the Beta Series are gathered, we'll board the flagship. If we just wait, even Albatross will get swallowed."

—So you're planning to kill Cystus, too? ... That's intense. I like the feel of this.

"They're not going to let us go anyway. Seems like they want a fight—so let's give them what they want."

—Ha, deal. By the way, you did get everyone's consent first, right?

At Roxy's remark, I looked to Celestia and Nadia in turn. Both, lips parted at my words, soon gave reluctant but accepting nods.

"Just got it."

—I think you're a bit crazy, you know.

Roxy chuckled. I didn't argue back, not this time. I knew it was reckless. But there was no other way.

The force gripping Griffin felt unfamiliar yet familiar—Cystus's black smoke had advanced to new heights.

The pureblood supremacists didn't make any move to shoot down the loitering Albatross. Instead, they took hits as if to say, "So what can you do?"

Their confidence came from knowing that keeping us captive meant no one could escape, even if Albatross tried to abandon Griffin—the flagship could just grab on again.

If we made regrouping our priority and tried to escape, the flagship would just shred Griffin and reach for Albatross with its demonic beast's claws—repeating this scenario all over again.

Losing even Albatross would eliminate any chance of reaching orbit. We couldn't hijack the pureblood supremacist's ship, either. Even if we managed to capture one, if the interior was contaminated, there'd be no point.

—I'll move everyone over to Albatross. Hold out, friend.

Roxy began launching the pod occupants to Albatross. The number of escape pods dwindled, then the remaining ones were forcibly ejected by system error, the last message stating that no more boarding would be possible.

We sent a strong rally signal, calling in all scattered Beta Series from across the ship. Little markers blocking corridors gave up their posts and began converging on the storage bay.

Prioritizing the gathering order over holding positions, the Beta Series moved swiftly. We counted around forty-five. Not many were unscathed, but none were so damaged as to be inoperable.

"Hyun-woo, if we're going anyway, let's unload everything we have in the storage bay. There's not much, but after the fight with the Chimera I did recover some leftover supplies."

"Let's get it all."

With a wordless nod, we quickly loaded up the remaining combat supplies. Even half-spent leftovers somehow added to my sense of security—better than having nothing at all.

After scrounging up every supply in the storage bay and finishing our final armaments, we activated the device to open the rear storage bay gate. Whirr—the gate, miraculously still functioning despite all the impacts, did its job.

A disgusting stench drifted in through the open gap. The sky was barely visible beyond, with mutants clustered on the deck howling up at us. Watching this, I licked my lips and spoke.

"Nadia, sorry for dragging you into this. And you too, Celly."

Staying in the storage bay would've been safer, situationally. There were probably even more enemies on the pureblood supremacist flagship, and leaping over there was beyond reckless—it was borderline suicidal.

Yet I'd decided to go anyway, fully aware of the danger. I was conscious that I was about to drag Nadia and Celestia into lethal peril.

—You're just trying to draw their eyes, right? So the others can get to Albatross safely. I get it. They're watching us, right? When you made that decision earlier, the mutants' movement pattern shifted. If we'd hunkered down or tried to regroup, those monsters would've stormed Albatross instead. There are even some weird flying types now. I would've made the same choice as you, Hyun-woo.

"Me too. And actually, I'm rather glad. It means you're really seeing me as your partner—not just the leader of Myosotis."

Celestia gave a faint smile. Come to think of it, she really was the leader of Myosotis. If we wanted help from the Myosotis orbital fleet after escaping, her presence was essential.

She'd already handed off some credentials so we could reach Earth without her, but that was our perspective. The Myosotis fleet might see things differently. Truthfully, she belonged with Albatross rather than Griffin.

But I hadn't considered that. Or rather, I couldn't—she'd been that much help.

Soon, the storage bay gate was fully open. The unsettling aura of the mutants prickled across my whole body. Nadia dragged in the missile pod and targeted the deck. Celestia crisscrossed her body with belts full of grenades.

Watching Nadia and Celestia prepare, I drew a short breath and readied myself. The distance from storage bay to flagship deck was enough to make a leap for it. There was no need to take the crane corridor jammed with mutants.

"Shall we go?"

"Yes!"

—Titan is ready!

Making as much chaos as possible was our goal. Keeping that in mind, we, along with dozens of Beta Series units, leaped down onto the mutant-infested deck.

"Here come your guests!"

—You sons of bitches!

At this point, it was do or die. They'd underestimated us for the last time.

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