The roar of Ankelenth echoed, and for a moment, the movements of the countless beasts and monsters filling the sky and earth came to a halt.
Biiiiii──────────
The world fell silent.
All I could hear was a faint ringing in my ears.
It was an overwhelming sight—so surreal it felt like time itself had stopped.
Was something like this even possible?
The thought crossed my mind, but the reality unfolding before my eyes was undeniable.
[Groooooo...]
[Kyaoooo!]
Of course, the silence didn't last long.
Though Ankelenth's Roar had significantly weakened their momentum, the beasts and monsters soon recovered and continued their advance.
"Hmph."
I never expected to stop the war with just one roar.
Gripping Horus's reins, I flew straight toward the seething mass of beasts and monsters.
Clack—
Before this battle, I made sure to bring not only the TITAN-17 Anti-Behemoth Rocket Launcher but also the NOA-8 Heavy Machine Gun.
Thanks to Horus becoming even stronger after devouring the Grade-1 Insectoid: Queen Bee, the increased weight was no problem.
More importantly, I had felt the lack of firepower during previous aerial battles.
'TITAN-17 is enough for ground bombardment, but it's difficult to deal with pursuing flying beasts and monsters.'
Although the Ark-15 automatic conversion rifle with A-985 explosive rounds was effective, it still lacked firepower compared to what I needed.
Normally, considering ammo efficiency, A-985 would be far superior, but efficiency didn't matter to me right now.
'I'm going to wipe them all out with overwhelming firepower.'
I gripped the TITAN-17 Anti-Behemoth Rocket Launcher tightly.
The beasts, still reeling from Ankelenth's Roar, needed to be struck down decisively.
Clack—
The trigger was pulled repeatedly—once, twice, three times, four times...
From this moment on, it was war. There was no need to hold back anything.
Fwoooooosh───!!
Blazing flames erupted, creating streaks of light slicing through the air.
Those lines of light poured down on the ground like a storm.
BOOOOM───!!!
As soon as the light struck the earth, massive explosions erupted one after another.
.
.
.
[You have slain the Grade-10 Beast: Hellhound.]
[Damage to Grade-10 Beast: Hellhounds increases by 0.05%.]
[You have slain the Grade-10: Beast, Hellhound.]
[Damage to Grade-10 Beast: Hellhounds increases by 0.05%.]
[You have slain the Grade-10: Beast Tropical Grassland Raptor.]
[Damage to Grade-10 Beast: Tropical Grassland Raptors increases by 0.05%.]
[You have slain the Grade-8 Beast: Starving Sabretooth.]
[Damage to Grade-8 Beast: Starving Sabretooths increases by 0.05%.]
It might have been because it was the first bombardment, but only the relatively weaker beasts had fallen.
Of course, that didn't mean the survivors were unscathed.
[Groooooooo!]
[Kaaaaaak!]
Ear-piercing roars filled the air.
But I didn't stop pulling the trigger.
Rrrrrrrrrrrrrr───!!!
Bang, bang—bang bang!
More violent explosions erupted again and again.
Even as the bombardment rained down on the ground, the beast horde kept advancing.
Unlike before, the multi-wave had officially begun.
'That's actually good for me.'
The situation was different from before.
The monsters' goal wasn't me—it was the Ark.
My role here was to sever the horde's backbone.
[Kieeeeeee!]
[Kieek, kieek!]
The battle—or rather, the one-sided bombardment—continued for a while.
Maybe it was because I drew too much attention.
A considerable number of flying beasts and monsters started charging toward me and Horus.
["Master! Behind you!"]
"I know."
There was no need to worry.
I had already dealt with this once before, and more importantly, the Grade-1 insect-type Queen Bee—the most threatening among them—was no longer present.
"Horus."
[Kieeeeeet!]
There were hardly any monsters left that could match Horus's speed.
Even if there were, speed alone wasn't enough—they'd just become flying targets.
'Let's try it.'
I grabbed the NOA-8 Heavy Machine Gun and turned around.
I aimed to hunt down the pursuing flying beasts one by one.
Even though I was aiming the NOA-8, the monsters continued their pursuit, completely undeterred.
Arrogant bastards.
"Keep coming if you dare."
Vrrrrrrrrrrr...
The barrel of the NOA-8 Heavy Machine Gun began to spin fiercely.
Once the barrel completed a full rotation, the muzzle spewed blazing fire.
BOOOOM-BOOOOM-BOOOOM!!!!
Unlike the TITAN-17 Anti-Behemoth Rocket Launcher, which was tricky to hit with during high-speed flight, the NOA-8 Heavy Machine Gun, capable of firing nearly 10,000 rounds per minute, was specialized for aerial combat.
[Kieeeeeee!]
[Kaak, kaaak...]
Flying beasts that could dodge TITAN-17 rockets with ease fell helplessly before the relentless hail of 20mm rounds from the NOA-8.
There was a clear difference between evading a visible projectile and avoiding a blinding flash of fire.
[You have slain the Grade-6 Arthropod: Red-Eyed Giant Dragonfly.]
[Damage to Grade-6 Arthropod: Red-Eyed Giant Dragonflies increases by 0.05%.]
[You have slain the Grade-6 Flying Type: Green Feather Harpy Warrior.]
[Damage to Grade-6 Flying Type: Green Feather Harpy Warriors increases by 0.05%.]
[You have slain the Grade-5 Flying Type: Dark Ray.]
[Damage to Grade-5 Flying Type: Dark Rays increases by 0.05%.]
.
.
[You have slain the Grade-4 Flying Type: Sky Swordfish.]
[Damage to Grade-4 Flying Type: Sky Swordfishes increases by 0.05%.]
The monsters trailing behind me and Horus continued to plummet to the ground one after another.
And the falling corpses became yet another disaster for the ground-bound beasts.
Given the size of the flying beasts, simply crashing from this height was enough to become a lethal threat.
[Kyaoooooo──!]
[Kieeeek!]
The battle raged on.
I urged Horus onward.
With every shot from the NOA-8, flying monsters fell from the sky like rain.
The sky, once thick with enemies, slowly began to clear.
But I knew better than to let my guard down.
The real threats had yet to make their move.
And among them was the one I needed to watch out for the most—the elite flying units led by the Wyvern and Gargoyle commanders.
I couldn't afford to be complacent.
"Keep moving, Horus!"
[Kieeeeet!]
With Horus cutting through the air at blinding speed, I continued to fire relentlessly, reducing the enemy numbers as much as possible before the next wave hit.
* * *
Red Line Gate 17.
Even amid the raging battle, Lieutenant Imosha shouted at the top of her lungs.
"Alpha Team, do you copy? Immediately mobilize personnel to support R17-7 Point. Right now!"
["Roger that."]
Lieutenant Imosha kept pulling the trigger of her DR-404 revolver without pause.
The situation at the frontline was so dire that the beasts and monsters had breached far enough to reach the command post.
Had it not been for the advance preparations, the outcome would have been far worse.
If they had prepared for this wave like any other, they would have faced total disaster.
'If it weren't for that man...'
A chill ran down Lieutenant Imosha's spine.
This wave was unprecedented in scale.
Not only was the number of beasts and monsters overwhelmingly greater, but their level of strength hadn't decreased at all compared to previous waves.
'They're stronger than ever before.'
Typically, the rear lines of the Ark—the Red Line front—rarely encountered monsters ranked Grade-7 or higher.
But now, Grade-7 monsters were appearing frequently, and even Grade-5 or higher beasts and monsters occasionally showed up.
It was nothing short of terrifying
["Detected a group of presumed Grade-5 Beasts at R17-21 Point! Requesting immediate support!"]
But there was something strange about all this.
The number and strength of the monsters were overwhelmingly greater than any previous wave, but despite that, the Red-17 Gate and the Ark's frontline were holding up far better than expected.
Even though objective data pointed to the Ark's destruction, the frontline still stood strong.
As the field commander, Lieutenant Imosha couldn't comprehend why.
'Why?'
Was it because the soldiers were fighting beyond their limits?
No.
Was it because a variable like Carl Marcus had emerged?
No.
Then why?
Lieutenant Imosha couldn't find an answer to her own question.
["Grade-2 Plant Monsters detected at R17-25 Point! Requesting heavy firepower support!"]
"Understood. Hold your ground defensively until reinforcements arrive."
As Lieutenant Imosha continued to command the battlefield, she noticed something strange happening along the front lines.
Beyond the horizon, where the horde of monsters was surging in, there was a peculiar bottleneck forming.
'...The army's advance is much slower than expected.'
The number and strength of the monsters were incomparably higher than before, yet the momentum of the wave seemed unexpectedly weak.
It was as if something was forcibly holding them back.
'...What is this?'
Lieutenant Imosha stared blankly beyond the horizon.
Though the monstrous horde stretching to the end of the horizon was undeniably threatening, they weren't making the full use of their overwhelming numbers.
It was as if the entire horde was being restrained by something, preventing them from moving freely.
'No way...'
The thought that flashed through her mind made her shake her head in disbelief.
Even she couldn't believe the idea that had crossed her mind.
'...There's no way it's him this time.'
Of course, Lieutenant Imosha was well aware of the remarkable feats Carl Marcus had performed.
That's why she couldn't help but consider the possibility under these dire circumstances.
But this situation was far too massive to be the result of just one person's actions.
Who could possibly hold back a monster horde of this magnitude?
If such a thing were possible, it would have to be an entire army, not a single man.
Although Lieutenant Imosha held Carl Marcus in high regard, even she couldn't imagine one person pulling off such a feat.
'...Carl Marcus.'
Lieutenant Imosha quietly whispered that name to herself.
If not for the information Carl Marcus had provided, the Ark would have suffered devastating damage.
In the worst-case scenario, the frontline might have been breached, leading to near-total destruction.
Although Carl Marcus was nowhere to be seen now, Lieutenant Imosha had no doubt that he was fighting for the Ark somewhere out there.
She firmly believed it.
'Please, be safe.'
Under normal circumstances, she might have been surprised at herself for wishing someone's safety, but she didn't have the luxury to dwell on it right now.
Instead, she had already accepted it.
Please—let Carl Marcus return to the Ark safely.
That was her only wish.
* * *
BOOM──!
BOOOOM───!!
A relentless bombardment from the TITAN-17 Anti-Behemoth Rocket Launcher.
However, this one-sided massacre didn't last long.
Before I knew it, some of the beasts and monsters had already caught up right behind Horus.
They were monsters I knew well.
Grade-2 Aerial Beast: Red-Winged Wyvern.
Grade-2 Rock Monster: Demon Statue Gargoyle.
They were the ones I had clashed with before but couldn't finish off. Now, they had appeared once again.
Of course, the wounds I had inflicted back then were far from minor—holes riddled the Red-Winged Wyvern's wings, and the Demon Statue Gargoyle's body was full of cracks.
"Yeah, we still have unfinished business."
I couldn't help but feel a bit regretful about letting them go last time, but now they had willingly shown up, practically begging to be killed.
Unfortunately, I didn't have the leisure to deal with them immediately.
They weren't the only high-ranking beasts tailing me.
'That one...'
Grade-1 Aerial Beast: Sky Megalodon.
The lord of the sky, making its appearance right in front of me.
'I didn't see that one last time... Must be a new addition to the pack.'
It wasn't that the Queen Bee was the only Grade-1 flying monster.
Most of the other Grade-1 flyers simply hadn't shown interest in me or were too far away to be drawn in by aggro, so I hadn't encountered them before.
'It's definitely a tricky one... but not as bad as the Queen Bee.'
That didn't mean the Sky Megalodon was weaker than the Queen Bee.
On the contrary, if I were to measure raw strength, the Megalodon was on a completely different level.
But the biggest difference between the Sky Megalodon and the Queen Bee was leadership.
The Sky Megalodon was immensely powerful, but because of that, it usually operated alone.
As long as I exploited that trait, there were plenty of ways to hunt it down.
Unlike the Queen Bee, who was constantly hiding behind her swarm, the Sky Megalodon never shied away from a fight.
"Alright, let's do this."
I turned Horus around, guiding him straight toward the Sky Megalodon.
It was time to show the true ruler of the sky who was boss.