'...Stop!'
[Gigit...]
Only after my forceful command did Janus finally retract the bony tendrils and calm down.
I couldn't afford to have skeletal spikes sprouting out at a time like this.
'At least it's a relief I destroyed all the nearby surveillance equipment.'
If Ark's surveillance cameras had captured that scene... just imagining it was horrifying.
Of course, I wasn't blaming Janus.
The moment those two showed up, the outcome was practically predetermined.
This situation wasn't just bad—it was extremely bad.
'If it comes to a fight... can I win?'
Having my hand revealed and my identity practically exposed, I quickly calculated the odds.
There wasn't much point in overthinking it—the answer was obvious.
'Impossible.'
Even if I fought a hundred times, I'd lose a hundred times.
Turncoat Rook was one of the few genuine combatants within the Shadow Order.
Even if I unleashed the full power of Janus, the gap between my abilities and his was just too vast.
In raw stats, the difference was nearly tenfold.
'These aren't opponents I can handle.'
Even the Turncoat Knight I fought not too long ago was stronger than me.
I only managed to subdue and enslave him because he didn't show hostility.
'If this were outside of Ark, I might have had a chance...'
I could have summoned Horus and the Turncoat Knight, my loyal subordinates.
If I called them, it might have been possible to create an opening and escape.
But this was Ark—in the midst of a full-scale battle.
Summoning my subordinates here would be tantamount to suicide, and there was a high chance that Ark's bombardment would end up killing both Horus and the Turncoat Knight.
'Besides, if the Commander himself steps in...'
Even if escaping were possible outside of Ark, it would only be viable if the Commander didn't get involved.
He rarely took direct action herself, so if it were outside Ark, there might have been some hope.
But if he did intervene...
'The Shadow Order Commander.'
An individual harboring ambitions to take over Ark—and with the power to make it happen.
Even if someone as powerful as a brigadier from the Rose Line were present, dealing with him wouldn't be simple.
"Why aren't you answering? Someone asked you a question."
His voice took on a hint of irritation.
He must have thought I was ignoring him.
I was still holding the trigger of the NOA-44 Eraser, maintaining the barrage on the frontline.
Amidst the cacophony of beast roars and the thunderous blasts from the NOA-44, his calm and soft voice reached me clearly.
"...What is it you want to ask?"
"Didn't you hear me? I asked—who are you?"
"Carl Marcus."
Even without looking, I could tell from the brief silence that he was a bit taken aback.
"...What?"
"You asked who I am."
The Shadow Order Commander was known for moving based on his whims when it came to anything unrelated to his ambition.
If I could satisfy his curiosity, there was a chance to turn this crisis into an opportunity.
"Hahaha! What a fun guy. Is it introduction time? Alright, then... Hmm. Just call me 'Lady.' That's what everyone calls me here. And the tall guy next to me is Luke. Sort of my bodyguard and secretary."
"Hey."
Rook interjected, seemingly caught off guard by her casual introduction.
Luke was the name Rook used when moving within Ark.
"It's fine. He gave his name, so it's only polite to do the same. Right?"
"...Do as you wish."
Since the Commander had already made up her mind, Rook quickly gave up on trying to stop her.
"Okay, Carl Marcus. Mind telling me about that cute little thing I saw earlier?"
She was referring to Janus—the bone armor and parasitic skeletal entity.
As expected of the Commander, she immediately deduced that I wasn't a Skull Knight or a Skull Turncoat but just a human wearing bone armor.
Considering her abilities, it wasn't surprising.
"Do I have to answer that?"
Of course, I wasn't about to comply that easily.
Even though the situation was urgent, giving away too much would only lead to a swift and inevitable end.
"Of course not. It's not an obligation. I'm pretty particular about rights and duties. But, see, I'm not good at holding back when I'm curious. Could you just humor me?"
Her tone was soft, almost playful, indicating that I'd managed to pique her interest.
"No time for that."
"Time? Ah, are they the problem?"
She glanced at the frontline.
Despite the time that had passed since the wave began, the beast horde showed no signs of stopping.
"Hmm, that's troublesome."
Although she didn't say it outright, I had a pretty good idea of what she found troubling.
This was Ark.
Running wild here would inevitably draw unwanted attention.
Right now, both the Commander and Turncoat Rook were posing as legitimate Ark personnel.
Naturally, they'd want to avoid attracting more attention than necessary—especially Rook, whose very presence in combat would expose his identity as a Turncoat.
But as life would have it, nothing ever goes as planned.
Sometimes, even the smallest actions can cause unexpected ripples—like the one I had made earlier.
"Hey, milady."
"Yeah?"
"All the surveillance equipment around here has been neutralized."
"Oh, really? Nice job."
"It wasn't me."
"...Huh?"
The Commander turned her gaze toward me, a peculiar smile forming on her lips.
"...Interesting. Really interesting. I honestly didn't think it would be like this."
Her lips twisted into a crooked grin.
"Alright. I'm in a good mood. I'll help you out."
"Not neces—"
"Just borrowing it for a bit."
Before I could finish refusing, the Commander was already holding a familiar handgun.
The HE2050 pistol.
Not just any pistol, but the very one I had been carrying.
'...When did she—?'
Even though I was focusing on controlling the NOA-44 Eraser and holding the line, I hadn't noticed her take the gun from my holster.
If she had been aiming for my life instead of my gun, I'd already be dead.
"Oh, this is unnecessary."
Acting like it was nothing, she casually ejected the magazine from the HE2050, as if it didn't interest her.
"This much should be fine."
The Commander aimed the empty HE2050 pistol at the front line, where the beast horde was surging forward.
To anyone unaware, it would look like nothing more than a meaningless gesture.
But I knew exactly what was about to happen.
Click—
Her finger moved slowly, steadily pulling the trigger.
And finally—
Bang.
By common sense, a gun without a magazine doesn't fire.
Of course, if there were a round already chambered, it might, but that's just a general consideration.
In any normal situation, what the Commander just did should have had no effect whatsoever.
But—
Woooooooom—!
A violent storm erupted from the empty muzzle.
[Death shall descend...]
[Destruction is proclaimed.]
[Perish...]
And the Ether stirred.
The intensity and density of the gathered Ether far exceeded anything I had seen before—completely incomparable to those I usually handled.
'...It's not just the density.'
These Ether carried vengeful souls.
Fierce, seething hatred, as if they loathed every living thing—transmitted directly through the swirling Ether.
Grip—
I felt someone clutching at my clothes.
["M-Master... "]
Though she remained invisible, I could feel Esther trembling in fear.
Even though she had lost much of her power, she had once been a Grade-1 spectral entity—yet even she was shaking from the sheer intensity of the Ether storm.
[Gigit!]
It wasn't just Esther.
Even Janus—who had devoured the Ankelenth's Fang and the Ouroboros' Reverse Scale—couldn't endure the oppressive presence.
He screeched, unleashing his bone tendrils in a defensive stance around me.
It was an instinctive act of self-preservation.
Meanwhile, the gathered Ethers at the gun's muzzle coalesced into a single, raging tempest.
Kwa-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka—!
What if a storm like that shot straight forward?
I'd never witnessed such a thing, but if it ever happened, it would look exactly like this.
────────!!!
The beast horde didn't even have the chance to scream.
They were utterly erased—swept away by the Ether storm unleashed by the Commander.
In an instant, the swarm between R17-7 and R17-9 was completely annihilated.
[Kegeek!]
[Kruuuh!]
[Kyao, Kyaoooh!]
Those lucky enough to barely escape the blast zone weren't spared either.
In fact, they were now immobilized, their bodies piled up as a wall of corpses—obstructing the advance of the rest of the horde.
Was that level of power really something a single handgun could produce?
No—could a human being even create such a phenomenon?
Anyone who witnessed that would inevitably think so.
'...Ether Rounds.'
It was nothing like when I had briefly fused Ether with bullets with Esther's assistance.
The Commander fired from an empty gun, and the Ether that erupted was purely her power.
"Feels refreshing to use my strength after a while. Need more help?"
"...No need."
Despite unleashing such a monstrous attack, the Commander looked perfectly unscathed—like she could fire off another just as easily.
'...She's already at this level.'
I knew all too well that the Shadow Order Commander was powerful.
But given that this was still the early stage of the scenario, I had assumed that her strength might be somewhat less than I remembered.
That assumption was a mistake.
She was the same Commander I knew—her power beyond doubt.
Thanks to that blast, the front line had gained a momentary reprieve.
But it also meant that one of the excuses I could use to avoid conversation had vanished.
"Now, how about we have a little chat? You must be a bit less busy now."
"..."
I wanted to refuse, but after witnessing that ridiculous display of power, I couldn't bring myself to say no.
"There's so much I want to ask you. But I'll hold back. There's just one thing that's been bugging me from the start."
Her gaze shifted toward me—or rather, toward someone next to me.
"Why are you there? Esther."
["Hik!"]