Chapter 69: Commute (3)
Chapter 69: Commute (3)
Inside Gigantes
00:35
Thrummmmmm—!
The signal from the Revolutionary Group had arrived.
I listened to the sounds quietly from within the tunnel.
Bang! Bang-bang-bang-bang!
In truth, this was an act that went beyond mere hearing. The Virus pulsed violently, emitting mana and sensing the vast area covered by its waves, relaying the sensory information back to me. In short, it was an extension of my perception—the Virus’s field of vision being overlaid onto my own neural network.
"Aaaagh!" "Gah!"
Gunfire and screams blurred together. The guards facing the Revolutionary Group were collapsing helplessly. Before long, the group members had seized the crossroads and were setting up barricades.
Meanwhile, another force made its entry.
The Imperial Guard.
They were fundamentally different from Knights. If a Knight was an elite who stood alone as the Sword of the Empire, the Imperial Guard were the hounds of the Imperial Palace. They were a martial force raised within the palace from childhood, receiving every facet of their education there, groomed to be nothing more than machines for the crown.
“……”
I closed my eyes and focused.
Amidst the overlapping waves of countless mana signatures, suddenly—
A distinct, heterogeneous vibration was detected.
Thump.
A presence that made my heart tremble: Izenheim.
That bastard was hiding among the Imperial Guards who supposedly protected the Emperor.
Was that possible?
It wasn't impossible—not if they had managed to smuggle Izenheim into the palace when he was five or six years old.
However, for now, I simply watched. I would not draw my sword prematurely.
I merely waited in calm silence.
A variable exerts its most lethal, destructive power when it is believed to be non-existent.
* * *
Inside Gigantes
00:45
“H-hold them back! Stop those bastards! Shoot them all!”
The supervisor fled in terror as the Revolutionary Group emerged from somewhere underground.
“What are you doing, you idiots! Shoot! Hurry up and shoot!”
The guards panicked and sprayed machine-gun fire, but the revolutionaries deployed artifacts to deflect the hail of bullets and tore them down with precise return fire.
“Uh, i-i—aaagh!”
Clatter. The supervisor, desperately trying to bolt, was grabbed by the scruff of the neck by a familiar face. It was one of the workers he had kicked with his boots just a few days ago.
The worker’s mouth twisted with hatred.
“You pig-like bastard.”
“P-please, spare—”
Bang!
There was no hesitation. A bullet was driven straight between the supervisor’s eyes. His eyes rolled back as the life left him, but the revolutionaries didn't spare him a second glance. Even the time to indulge in personal vengeance was a luxury they couldn't afford.
“Move!”
They hastily constructed barricades out of steel beams and construction materials. They had to buy even a single extra second for their comrades infiltrating the heart of Gigantes.
Thump— Thump— Thump—
Suddenly, heavy footsteps shook the ground. The scent of mana drifted in on the wind.
The revolutionaries peered through the gaps in the barricade.
Through the thick steam and parting smoke, a guard clad in pitch-black full-plate armor appeared.
“Fire!”
Bang-bang-bang-bang!
The revolutionaries rose as one and pulled their triggers. Hundreds of bullets rained down, but the guard neither dodged nor blocked. When the bullets struck the armor, they merely let out a clinking sound and bounced off harmlessly. Armor painstakingly coated by high-level alchemists could not be scratched by mere rifle rounds.
Whish!
Someone threw a grenade. The guard waved a hand. Invisible mana crushed it in mid-air.
“Fire! Don’t stop!”
The members did not stop. They were afraid, but they did not show it. They had already thrown their lives away.
If the Empire continued to exist, being alive or dead was all the same; they would rather be the blood-stained foundation for their descendants.
“Shoot! Keep shooting!”
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
Bullets containing mana stones streaked forward, tracing blue trajectories.
……
Inside Gigantes
00:50
Deep underground. The bulkhead leading to the Mana Ore Vein of Gigantes was a forbidden zone that even supervisors, let alone workers, were barred from entering.
“Detonate.”
K-boom!
The Revolutionary Group used Mensi’s magical bomb to cleanly blow the door away.
“Enter.”
Before the smoke could even clear, they moved in with perfect discipline. The heat and pressure emitted by the raw, unrefined mana hit them first. Then, in the center of a cavern hundreds of meters underground, the endless stretch of raw ore was revealed.
The heart of Gigantes, flickering as it pulsed with red and blue light like a living organism.
Complex pipelines and cooling systems were wrapped around the Mana Ore Vein, and spiral staircases stretched endlessly between them.
“……The demolition team will descend, attaching charges to each point.”
Following Tiger Mask’s instructions, the members scattered. To destroy the Mana Ore Vein, uniform pressure had to be applied to specific points. There were hundreds of calculated points alone. They slid down into the depths of the spiral staircase.
“The rest of the combat team, reform the formation.”
Tiger Mask commanded again. The elite agents, including Rabbit Mask and Eagle Mask, reacted immediately. They checked their equipment and preheated their mana.
“Let’s go.”
“Ready.”
The Imperial Guards were bound to arrive eventually. Unless they were neutralized, the mission could not succeed.
Since only twelve of them had been confirmed, it would be guerrilla warfare from here on out.
“Moving out.”
The elites split up and scattered into the various branches of Gigantes.
……
Inside Gigantes
00:55
Boom!
A guard slammed his gauntlet into the ground.
Cr-crackle!
The solid asphalt split like paper. The fragments flew through the air, shredding the barricades, and the revolutionaries were blown apart before they could even scream.
Just as the guard was about to raise his fist again—
Screeeeeech—
A sharp metallic sound echoed from above. It was Rabbit Mask on a hoverboard. The steel wires she launched ensnared the guard’s arms and neck.
The guard released mana from his entire body as if mocking her.
Whoosh!
His intent was to melt the wires with the heat of his mana, but Rabbit Mask did not panic. Instead, she caught the frequency of the mana waves he was emitting in an instant and flowed mana of the exact opposite phase through the wires.
Phase cancellation. It was a basic principle of mana theory, yet one of the most difficult techniques to implement in actual combat.
Thanks to this, the wires did not burn. While the guard’s mana was neutralized and scattered into the air, the steel lines tightened even more firmly around his armor.
“……!”
Tiger Mask lunged into the opening created by the guard’s momentary paralysis. The thin blade he gripped flashed like a bolt of lightning. He cut precisely through the gap in the helmet, between the neck guards.
Clang.
The helmet rolled away. Seeing the revealed face, Rabbit Mask hesitated for a moment.
“……”
He was young. He hadn't even lost his boyish features yet—perhaps in his late teens at most.
The terrified eyes of a boy stared back at her.
Slash.
Tiger’s sword cut him down.
“Do not hesitate.”
Rabbit nodded silently.
“Eleven left.”
There were twelve Imperial Guards in total. They had no luxury to indulge in sentiment. They moved toward their second target.
Roar!
This time, it was a guard wielding a two-handed sword. Every time the man, who stood over two meters tall, swung his greatsword, entire sections of the narrow corridor walls were torn away. The mana loaded into the sword detonated like a shockwave, crushing the space itself.
Crunch!
Tiger tried to parry the sword head-on, but the moment they connected, he was sent flying by the sheer weight of the blow.
Whiz!
Rabbit Mask quickly fired a wire to pull at the guard’s ankle. The giant didn't budge. Instead, he grabbed the wire and pulled Rabbit toward him.
Ch-ch-ch!
At point-blank range, she scattered dozens of tiny beads. They burst thinly against the guard’s face.
No matter how sturdy the armor, the joints could never be perfect. Air holes for breathing, slits for vision. Though they were blocked by membranes of mana, the neutral fine mana swam through them like it was in water.
“Urgh!”
The particles infiltrated his respiratory system, burning his lungs and obscuring his vision. The guard faltered, clutching his face with one hand.
“Hah!”
Tiger Mask lunged at him and thrust his sword. Simultaneously, Rabbit Mask dived on her hoverboard. Sliding low as if skimming the floor, she planted a small magical bomb between the guard’s defenseless knee joints.
Boom!
With the explosion, the giant collapsed.
“……Ten left.”
The two looked at each other, breathing heavily.
Static.
Just then, a report mixed with noise came through the radio in their ears.
—District 3, guard neutralized.
—District 7. Same here.
—District 9. It’s Aigle. Man, this is tough. We jumped one and took him down.
Tiger Mask spoke as he wiped the blood from his sword.
“No. Seven left.”
A faint smile spread across Rabbit’s lips.
……
Inside Gigantes
01:35
While fierce battles raged at the external entry points, the remaining comrades attached bombs one by one to the surface of the Gigantes Mana Ore Vein.
“It’s almost over.”
No one made a fuss. There was no need. Everything was unfolding exactly as designed.
—Remaining Imperial Guards: 0. Most of the regular guards have been dealt with too.
—No need to kill the guards who are hiding. Leave the rest to the comrades outside and return.
The revolutionaries who had finished off the Imperial Guards gathered one by one, and they finally reached the deepest bottom of Gigantes.
“Tagan.”
Rabbit Mask handed a deep blue bomb to Tiger Mask—Tagan.
A special condensed mana bomb designed to be attached to the very root of the Mana Ore Vein and burrow deep inside. Once activated, it would reach from the bottom of the vein to the very top in twenty minutes.
During that time, they had to escape through the tunnels.
It was entirely possible, but having come this far, their lives were of secondary importance.
“……For the cause.”
Tagan raised his hand, gripping the detonator. Everyone approached and pressed their wrists together.
In that state, Tagan pressed the button without hesitation.
Thump!
Thump! Thump!
Rumble!
Small explosions bloomed in succession across the surface of the Mana Ore Vein. These were preliminary detonations intended to shave away the surface and allow for internal penetration.
Shhhhhhh—
Blue and red mana stone dust poured down like rain. Welcoming the fragments of the vein, Tagan and the revolutionaries wore broad smiles.
……However.
It was strange.
The condensed bomb, the one that was supposed to pierce the heart of Gigantes, remained silent. It did nothing but glow blue, showing no reaction at all.
“……What?”
“This—what is this?”
“Tagan! It’s not working!”
For the first time, the comrades were shaken. Tagan pressed the button on the detonator several times.
It remained the same.
The bomb didn't even vibrate, and Tagan’s teeth ground together.
“What happened?!”
Rabbit Mask—Sensi—asked as she grabbed Tagan.
“……What do you think happened?”
In this silent, hot, and dark mineral abyss.
Looking at the faces gathered there, Tagan spat out the words through gritted teeth.
“It means there’s a traitor among us.”
Sensi gasped and slowly turned her head. The comrades looked at each other. A faint suspicion flickered in their eyes as well, but Sensi’s eyes were focused on only one person—Eagle Mask.
“Huh? Me?”
Eagle Mask stepped back as if flustered.
“Me? You think it’s me? Don’t you know me? We’ve been together for ten years!”
Tagan’s Tiger Mask shook with rage.
“……You were the first to report that Mensi had been captured. You were the one who forced a friendship with Mensi in the first place. I’m sure I told you we weren't supposed to make personal connections.”
The eyes of the comrades turned predatory. Eagle Mask raised his voice as if he were being wronged.
“Bullshit, it’s not me! If anything, I suspect you, Tagan! You’re the one who’s been personally checking those bombs this whole time!”
“……”
Shring! Tagan drew his sword. Eagle Mask let out a hollow laugh.
“Wow. Look at this guy. You’re going to kill me just based on your gut feeling?”
“Everyone, stop—”
“Impressive. Truly impressive~”
Clap. Clap. Clap.
He began to applaud.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
The sound of clapping echoed through the underground.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Sensi pointed a finger at him, glaring.
“You, stop it. Why are you clapping?”
“……Hmm? Oh~ because…”
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Eagle Mask, still clapping, looked over everyone with a sly arch of his eyebrows.
“Because you were right.”
Vroooooom—!
At that moment, a section of the underground wall was torn away, and another figure flew in.
Dark red armor imbued with a crimson aura, and a monster emitting mana on an entirely different level from within.
It was a Captain of the Ten.
* * *
Inside Gigantes
01:45
Izenheim was hidden behind the masks of the Revolutionary Group and inside the helmets of the Imperial Guards. They held the cards for both sides and were shaking the entire board.
Izenheim’s calculation was clear. They knew for certain that the total destruction of Gigantes was not in their best interest.
If the Revolutionary Group’s operation succeeded and the Mana Ore Vein of Gigantes vanished completely, the Empire would simply abandon Gigantes.
Then it would become ‘zero.’
However, if it were broken clumsily, the story changed. The Empire would have to squeeze out massive resources to restore Gigantes. For an Empire that was already drying up, the reconstruction costs would be a fatal hemorrhage—and on top of that, countless thieves would steal that money along the way.
Of course, the Revolutionary Group might have known this as well.
But they wanted a ‘symbol’ more than efficiency.
Symbols are as important as ideology.
The sense of liberation from having permanently destroyed Gigantes, the hotbed of Imperial exploitation. The sense of solidarity in knowing a group exists for the workers. They staked their lives on the message their success would send to the subjects of the Empire.
But Izenheim had deceived their pure aspirations, twisted them at will, and on top of that, intended to create a fake hero—the ‘Imperial Guard who protected Gigantes from terrorists.’
They were truly pieces of shit.
“……”
I walked through the now-quiet interior of Gigantes. I stepped inside the underground bulkhead, whose entrance had been completely torn away, and looked down into the dizzying depths below.
The depth of this underground was a full 400 meters. It was practically the same as being in mid-air, but my retinas were dyed blue as the scene below was projected.
I could see the Revolutionary Group clashing with the Imperial Guard.
—Damn it, because of you!
—You son of a bitch!
—Aaaaaagh!
—You, because of you! A traitorous bastard like you!
Their screams, filled with the spite of being betrayed at the most critical moment, echoed like ghosts.
“……Pretty brutal.”
I waited until the situation below reached a moderate lull.
As the noise died down, I slung the bomb I had prepared over my shoulder.
With my lacking brain, I had tried to prepare for every possible situation in my own way.
One of them—the possibility of a problem with the bombs—had paid off. This bomb, purchased from Ekentoy in the black market of the Underground City, had more than enough power to blow the Mana Ore Vein to kingdom come.
If this works, I might have to buy Chiron a meal.
I placed my foot on the topmost railing.
A 400-meter vertical drop. This, too, could be a descent.
No, it was definitely a descent.
The essence of a Knight Descent isn't about the space.
If you think about it, the biggest difference between those guards decked out in that heavy armor and a Knight like me—
Is that we come from the sky.
Tap.
I lightly pushed off.