Lance Charge on the Arkship, but No Mount

"What's wrong with you, Number Three? You almost alerted the target."

"Captain, I stepped on a trap. A wooden spike went through my leg. I can't move now."

"...Stay where you are. Don't get in the way. Everyone else, keep advancing." He hesitated slightly, but his greed for the enormous bounty still drove him to order them onward.

At last, the encirclement was complete. Once he was certain no one could escape, the captain aimed the heavy crossbow in his hands at the knight seated beside the campfire. The man's armor looked exceptionally fine, but the captain had absolute confidence in his skill. At this distance, he could accurately hit the gaps in the armor. Besides, this was the latest product from Raytheon Industries. No ordinary armor could stop it.

He aligned the sights with the gap in the helmet and held his breath. His finger seemed to pull the trigger almost casually.

Just as he had expected, the bolt struck the gap in the armor with perfect accuracy, blasting the helmet into the air. But beneath it was not a pierced head.

There was nothing there.

The entire suit of armor suddenly collapsed, scattering across the ground and revealing a bundle of dead branches beneath it.

In that instant, the captain felt an icy chill that made every hair on his body stand on end.

I have an exam tomorrow, so I really don't have time today. I'll post an extra chapter after the exam tomorrow.

A New Beginning: The Hunt

The dark forest was utterly silent. Even the ever-present insects did not dare make a sound. The captain finally came to his senses. Seeing the empty campsite, he gave the order to retreat without the slightest hesitation. But the facts proved that he had realized it too late. The instant they turned around, black arrows and throwing spears tore through the night, effortlessly piercing two men. Their armor was utterly useless.

The two men were not dead yet, and their miserable screams shattered the forest's silence. The captain roared, calling for his men to fight back. But no one could see where those black reapers were coming from. They could only spin about like headless flies. Still, they maintained the most basic tactical discipline and did not loose their arrows blindly.

That calm did not last long. Deadly arrows and throwing spears kept flying from the darkness, never missing. Every attack claimed a life. Their probing shots hit nothing but trees. This encounter was a devastating blow to their morale. Only moments ago, they had believed themselves hunters. Now everyone understood that they were merely prey—prey that had walked into a trap without realizing it.

Some tried to lie flat on the ground to avoid the arrows, but arrows fired from overhead soon nailed them to the earth. In the blink of an eye, they had suffered severe losses. Of the thirty-man squad, only nineteen remained. Just as they were about to collapse, something happened that Claude had not expected.

The mercenaries' apparent captain was shouting orders. Under his command, the survivors gathered together. The few shields they had were raised around the outside to block arrows, while their heavy crossbows no longer fired individually. At the captain's command, they laid down covering fire on suspicious locations. A few explosive bolts were mixed in, producing bursts of flame and shrapnel among the trees. The entire formation began moving slowly toward the edge of the forest.

Under the cover of this effective tactic, Claude and his companion had no choice but to withdraw for the moment, lest they be focused down by their concentrated fire.

It looked as though the remaining enemies were about to escape alive, yet there was not the slightest hint of anxiety on Claude's face. From the moment they entered this forest, they had already been dead in his eyes.

They did not disappoint him. Just as those people were about to leave the forest, a figure wrapped in a gray cloak crashed down among them. Along with a strange pulse of energy came the crackling sound of some hard substance growing. Gray-white calcium deposits covered the figure, blocking the blades slashing toward her.

A mercenary carrying a shield tried to stop her. In an instant, a calcium-covered fist struck his shield, sinking deeply into it and bending the entire shield inward. The force continued into his chest, sending him flying along with it.

Like a tiger among sheep, that pair of fists battered the fully armed mercenaries into chaos. The sounds of shields shattering and weapons snapping rang without end. Just as the captain was about to direct the remaining men to surround and kill this target, a flash of sword light rose behind him, plunging his consciousness into complete darkness.

The other mercenaries watched with their own eyes as their captain was split cleanly in two from head to toe by a vicious executioner's sword. His fine armor tore apart like paper. Then the black figure charged into their midst. A flash of sword light, and two heads fell. Vast clouds of blood mist burst from the collapsing bodies, surrounding that figure completely. It looked as savage and terrifying as a demon that had come into the world seeking a blood sacrifice.

The enormous cloud of blood mist was drawn into the blade, turning it so red it seemed ready to drip blood. One after another, more fallen bodies released endless blood mist that flowed into the sword. Wielding the heavy executioner's sword, Claude easily split the bodies before him as though a hot knife were cutting through butter. Gashes made while cleaving hard armor healed in an instant.

Thus, in no time at all, those mercenaries who valued wealth above life became corpses scattered across the ground. Yet there was not the slightest smell of blood. Every corpse was pale as paper. The killing intent radiating from Claude made even his companion somewhat afraid to approach him.

The blade turned back into a mercury-like liquid, flowed and shifted several times, then returned to its original form. Claude sheathed it with a grave expression. This murderous weapon he had obtained by chance seemed to possess countless secrets. During the fight just now, a savage fury had suddenly surged into his heart. Though he suppressed it in an instant, that inexplicable malice had still put him on guard. Having fought all his life, Claude had never experienced such an emotion. It was almost certain that the sword was responsible.

If someone without sufficient strength of will had wielded it, that instant of vicious malice would have been enough to turn them into a bloodthirsty madman. But against Claude's unyielding mind, tempered by mountains of corpses and seas of blood, it could only make him lose control for a moment before his thoughts regained clarity.

Looking at the mess covering the ground, Claude sighed. It seemed they would not be sleeping tonight.

It was not until the next morning that all the bodies had been dealt with. There was no way to identify these people; they carried nothing that revealed who they were. But whoever they had been after last night, they would not have spared anyone else. Their fate had been deserved.

After a brief discussion, they decided to make haste while the morning was still cool. They replenished their water at the pool, marked the forest on their map as a future resting place, and then the vehicle left, heading into the morning breeze that was still pleasantly cool.

Two days later, a dust-covered off-road vehicle stopped at the entrance to Rustwater Town.

Rustwater Town lived up to its name. The entire town was surrounded by a foul-smelling inlet, its green rusty water gleaming with iridescent colors. The sight alone was enough to make one nauseous. The stench of household garbage mixed with industrial wastewater and animal carcasses filled the air. Yet despite such a harsh environment, the place was exceptionally lively.

Peddlers leading pack beasts could be seen everywhere, along with fully armed mercenaries, women dressed in crude and tattered clothing, and countless mechanical workshops of all sizes scattered through the streets and alleys. They were called handcraft mechanical workshops because of how the people worked there.

Rustwater Town was the largest producer of mechanical goods in this wasteland. Their method of production was to purchase all kinds of junk picked up by scavengers, then cobble it together into new products. They relied almost entirely on hand tools rather than machinery. Though inefficient, their enormous numbers forcibly drove up production. For the raiders, scavengers, and gangs in the surrounding area, such cheap goods were naturally an excellent choice.

"All right, ma'am. We've arrived at Rustwater Town. What are you planning to do next?"

"Mr. Claude, Miss Centaurea, thank you for taking care of me these past few days. My current situation isn't suitable for becoming too deeply involved with you. Let us part ways here."

"All right. Have a safe journey, ma'am." Claude and Centaurea waved farewell to their companion of several days. In their view, they might never see each other again.

They did not linger long. After purchasing enough food and water, they prepared to set off again. But Claude remained concerned about the drinking water here, especially after seeing that disgusting inlet. Still, they had no other choice. This was the only place nearby where they could replenish their food and water.

Claude was all right, but Centaurea, being a woman, had long since grown sick of this place. Once they finished their business, she urged Claude to leave without wasting a second. Claude did not want to stay any longer either, so he started the vehicle and drove off.

Pack beast dung lay everywhere along the roadside. The sun baked together the smell of it and the animals' sweat into a pungent, suffocating stench. Combined with the noise of shouting people and braying beasts, it was enough to drive anyone mad. Yet the crowded road moved agonizingly slowly, and Claude's group could only continue enduring the awful conditions.

Just as they were about to reach the end of the road, a herd of foul-smelling livestock suddenly squeezed out of a side alley and blocked their path again. Claude immediately understood those drivers in modern society who leaned on their horns during traffic jams, because he felt exactly the same urge. He patiently waited for the animals to pass, and clearly saw the disappointed expression on the herder's face.

Claude could not help raising an eyebrow. This place really was full of talent.

Ignoring the man whose extortion attempt had failed, he stepped on the accelerator and drove out, charging into the sun-scorched wilderness toward their final destination. They still had half a month of travel ahead of them.

Meanwhile, Saria stared at the smug shopkeeper. Several vicious-looking men holding clubs stood around the entrance, and she could not help sighing.

"Clench your teeth."

"What?"

Seeing the shopkeeper's confused expression, Saria added, "If you still want to keep your teeth and tongue."

Saria picked up a key from among the broken teeth scattered across the ground and looked at the shopkeeper beside her, who had bitten half his tongue off. The man backed away in terror. She ignored him, found a vehicle in reasonably good condition in the shop's rear courtyard, started it with the key, and rushed out of town. She did not even have time to buy anything else, because she knew the place would soon be surrounded, bringing endless trouble.

However, the direction she left in was rather intriguing.

It was precisely where the companions she had just bid farewell to were headed.

P.S. There's another chapter coming later. Writing in the car is really uncomfortable.

A New Beginning: An Unexpected Reunion

After driving continuously for a week, they finally crossed the scorching region. Claude immediately put on his armor, looking relieved. Centaurea's expression beside him became rather complicated. Ever since she had met Claude, he seemed to have worn armor constantly, as though he treated it like ordinary clothing.

Now, as Claude faced the cold wind blowing from Ursus, his mood was exceptionally good. This journey had brought him abundant gains. Not only had he secured a supply channel for medicine, but he had also gained a reliable ally for his organization. As the saying went, once a person had no worries, what difference was there between them and someone carefree? Claude was in precisely that state now.

"Do you really have to wear armor? Wearing something that hard all day must be uncomfortable."

Hearing his companion's question, Claude answered casually.

"I guess I'm used to wearing it. I wore it for too long in the past, so I can't take it off just like that. You could try it too. It gives you a strong sense of security."

"I'll pass. If I put that on, I probably wouldn't even be able to jump." Centaurea rolled her eyes and refused. Her fighting style was completely unsuitable for armor, and she knew Claude was only teasing her.

"Subordinate, is there anything you want to do?"

Hearing Claude's question, she answered instinctively.

"Aren't I already working for you? Or are you trying to go back on your word?"

"I mean, is there anything you personally want to do? An ideal you want to fulfill, something you want to obtain, an achievement you want to accomplish?"

"I don't have anything like that right now. I usually just drift through life. As long as I can get by at the moment, I don't think too far ahead."

Hearing Centaurea's answer, a teasing smile appeared at the corner of Claude's mouth.

"Really? It seems to me that you weren't drifting through life—you just never had the conditions to do otherwise."

"So what if that's true? Do I have those conditions now?" Centaurea suddenly leaned back in her seat, though her tone was unexpectedly sharp.

"Of course you do. You're my friend now. If there's something you want to do, I'll help you. Our lives are limited. We should do something that we can talk about with our friends when we're old." Claude turned his head and looked at her with complete seriousness.

"Even if you say that, I still don't have anything right now." Her voice suddenly became somewhat low.

"That's fine. We have plenty of time to think of something. If you do think of it, tell me. We can accomplish it together." Without pausing his movements, Claude pulled the car over, opened the hood, and took coolant from the trunk to pour in. A great cloud of steam immediately obscured him from view.

"All right. Just don't regret it later," Centaurea said to Claude.

"Of course. I never break my vows." Claude was busy taming the damned engine. Only the sun in the sky watched this scene.

The weather was perfect.

Perhaps a little too perfect.

Beyond Leba Town, the weather grew colder and colder. After driving several hundred more kilometers, they saw snow along the roadside. It was so thin that it could not even cover the leaves, but it still meant they were about to enter Ursus territory. As always, Centaurea sat in the passenger seat wrapped in a blanket. The cold did not affect her much, but she still hated its damp, penetrating chill.

The snow was thin now. This was the summer of the snowfields. But that summer was pitifully short, always vanishing in the blink of an eye, and was rarely seen. After that came the usual cold and barrenness. When driving in a place like this, anti-skid devices had to be fitted to the wheels, and the terrible road conditions made them indispensable.

The iron spikes mounted on the tires bit into the soil and tore through ice and snow, driving the vehicle onward. An Originium engine had one obvious advantage: its fuel took up very little space. Carrying only a small amount of fuel could support a long journey. There was even enough excess energy to run the heater.

Enjoying the warm air from the heater, though the temperature had not risen much, they found a rare sense of comfort in watching the light snow drift past outside the windows.

"If we use these medicines sparingly, they should last us half a year. By then, we can send some trustworthy members to handle this work for us. We still have more important things to do. We can't keep running around outside all the time."

"If only we had a landship like Rhodes Island. Then we could take the entire organization with us and wouldn't have to go through all this trouble."

"You're being too cautious. Our organization will have more and more members in the future. How could one landship possibly be enough? If we get the chance, we'll need a mobile city as our base. That would make many things much easier."

"Building a mobile city would cost an astronomical amount."

"I never said we had to buy one."

"...I knew it."

The two chatted idly, but neither of them lowered their guard despite their relaxed appearance. They both knew exactly what kind of place the snowfields of Ursus were. Their weapons remained within easy reach at all times.

The same sunlight felt especially warm and lovable here. But the sun would always set, and at night they had to find somewhere to rest. Claude, standing beside a snow cedar in thought, suddenly remembered something and turned to rummage through his luggage. Before long, he took out a sphere that looked as though it had been woven from golden threads.

Within it was an extremely thin wisp of black smoke, so faint it seemed as though it might disperse at any moment. This self-proclaimed Immortal Black Snake, whose soul had once harbored ill intent toward Claude, had not been completely destroyed by him. At the time, Claude had only considered that this fellow knew Ursus well and might be useful someday, so he had kept him for the time being. Then he had simply forgotten about him.

It was only when he had seen the familiar scenery of Ursus that he remembered this captive.

"Hey, you haven't dispersed yet, have you?"

He shook the cage formed by the power of runes in his hand. The faint black smoke inside became even paler. Claude, however, wore a disappointed expression.

"Looks like he's useless after all. Might as well destroy him."

As he spoke, he made as though to crush the rune cage in his hand, soul and all. Just as he expected, the black smoke inside immediately began struggling violently, no longer looking as though it were on the verge of death.

"You're only a fragment of a soul. That act might fool people who know nothing, but how could it fool me?"

"All right, enough nonsense. I have questions for you. You can choose to lie to me, or you can choose not to speak. But how I deal with you afterward is my business."

"You... what do you want to know?..." Koschei felt only immense sorrow and humiliation. As a dignified Duke of Ursus, an immortal renowned throughout the world, this was the greatest setback he had ever suffered. Not only had he been cut off from his other souls, he could not even kill himself. He could only remain trapped in this tiny cage.

He could not send out any of the information he knew and knew nothing of the situation in the Ursus Empire. He had never encountered such a predicament. Yet while it was a predicament, it was also an enormous opportunity. The power used by this man named Claude had never appeared upon this land before, and it had displayed tremendous potential.

If I can obtain it...

It was because he held onto that faint hope that Koschei had not destroyed himself. He believed that this power would become an aid in making Ursus great once more. As long as he could escape...

"Tell me about the current situation among the upper ranks of the Ursus Empire. Oh, and your duchy as well."

"What are you planning?" The Immortal Black Snake was somewhat puzzled.

"The location of your territory is interesting. It's important to us."

"Heh, foolish idea. Do you think capturing a fragment of my soul means you can threaten me?" Koschei became dismissive instead. To him, his greatest strength was his immortality in a certain sense, which ensured he always had the means to rise again. Thus, Claude's words seemed utterly absurd to him.

"I'm not planning to threaten you. I'm just informing you that I'm going to take it. And do you really think I have no way to deal with your other souls?"

"..."

"Looks like you understand that yourself."

"That's all?"

"That's all."

"That really is a little unexpected. It's certainly troublesome."

"All right, I have no use for you now. Get back in there."

Before the sinister black snake could say anything else, Claude tossed it back into his luggage. Seeing that it was about time, Centaurea woke up punctually to stand watch. He hurried into his sleeping bag, and before long, his breathing became even and steady.

The off-road vehicle passed through a stand of snow cedars, leaving a highly conspicuous black track behind it. They were already very close to their final destination. In theory, they would arrive in another four or five hours, so they relaxed their vigilance slightly.

Then another vehicle suddenly turned out from the road beside them.

Claude hurriedly spun the steering wheel. Their vehicle skidded across the road, nearly overturning, but ultimately came to a stop without disaster.

Claude got out and looked at the other vehicle, which had crashed into a large tree. The trunk was embedded deeply in its body. Trees here always grew hard in the cold weather, but what surprised Claude was the very familiar figure stepping out of the vehicle.

A New Beginning: A Rapidly Changing Camp

Claude looked at the unexpected figure. He had thought she would go off to handle her own affairs after they parted ways in Rustwater Town. He had not expected fate to bring them together again, much less in this manner. Looking at the wreckage billowing smoke amid the light snowfall, neither of them knew what to say for a moment.

Saria was equally surprised. She had not expected that, while driving around aimlessly to evade her pursuers, she would run into these two again. She did have something important to do, but the relentless waves of pursuers had become exceedingly tiresome. To keep them from discovering her true destination, she had deliberately deviated from her planned route, intending to lead them away for the time being before continuing on foot toward her real destination.