Lance Charge on the Arkship, but No Mount

"We will take that city! Make it our city! Slap Ursus hard across the face! Make it listen properly to our voice!! So get ready, prepare for our victory! Soldiers!! Prepare for the victory that will surely come after today!!"

"Claude? Ait!! ...Claude? Ait! Claude? Ait!! Claude? Ait! Claude? Ait!! ..."

That single voice was all that remained between heaven and earth, drowning out everything else.

PS: I wrote a speech about giving a speech. I'm not very confident in it, and it might not be very good, so please bear with me. (.??)

The Rising Reunion Movement: Chapter Seventy-Six, When the Time Was Right

At first, no one paid any attention to it. It was only an Ursus warship arriving in the city for supplies, something that happened all the time. Thanks to Chernobog's developed heavy industry, many Ursus forces came here to replenish weapons, equipment, Originium ammunition, and other supplies.

It was only that those lowly Infected had suddenly become more numerous on the streets. The city's military police would soon drive them away again. They would not be allowed to defile this city.

It was only that some ignorant Infected had dared to resist. They would soon be suppressed. Their leaders would be executed, and the rest would be sent to the mines.

It was only...

Until shells landed amid the military police formations, until checkpoints collapsed beneath artillery fire, did they realize what had happened—an enemy had attacked Ursus!!

The checkpoint commander was drenched in sweat, his face pale. He had just accepted a bribe and let the warship through without carefully checking its identification number. In his mind, no enemy, however audacious, would dare forge an Ursus warship. Yet the dense tide of black-armored soldiers rushing down from that ship had nothing to do with Ursus soldiers.

At the same time, Chernobog's sewer covers were lifted one after another, and Infected poured out from below. The scattered military police patrolling everywhere were immediately surrounded and wiped out in an instant. Infected soldiers wearing black cloaks and carrying daggers guided them, directing them to attack key transportation routes, block the roads, and delay Ursus military police reinforcements.

Meanwhile, Ludmila had just pulled her dagger from the police chief's nape and wiped the blood from it on his clothes. Looking at the obese police chief, disgust filled her eyes. As the chief official of a city's violent enforcement apparatus, this man was so fat he looked ready to spill from his chair. Who knew how much he had squeezed from the people to become like this? If she had stabbed his heart just now, the fat might even have kept him from dying.

Pressing the communicator on her shoulder, she questioned her team.

"Report."

"Target One eliminated. The signal tower has been destroyed. Communications between City Hall and the police station have been cut."

"The explosives have been installed. The streets have been cleared. There will be no civilian casualties..."

"Target Four eliminated. All accompanying personnel have been eliminated."

"Captain! Target Two escaped! He fled west along Elm North Street. I was held up and couldn't catch him!"

Ludmila frowned and slightly turned the dial on her communicator, switching to another channel.

"Faust, Target Two is fleeing west along Elm North Street. Can you intercept him?"

"Leave it to me." The Feline boy's crisp reply came through the communicator.

Chelienko was running down the road in a panic. He was Chernobog's Minister of Transportation. Early that morning, countless inexplicable disruptions had appeared throughout the city's traffic. There were traffic jams everywhere, explosions in some places, and the city's entire road system had nearly ceased functioning.

He had held this position for thirteen years and immediately recognized that someone was causing trouble. Though he did not know who was behind it, he wanted to reach the relevant departments as quickly as possible and improve the traffic situation. But he was attacked on the way. The attackers were well trained, using Originium bombs to overturn his vehicle. By the time he and his bodyguards had painfully crawled out, the attackers had already surrounded them, cutting their throats with daggers as though slaughtering pigs.

At the critical moment, he crawled out through the trunk. Luckily, a squad of military police happened to be nearby. After receiving his plea for help, they quickly arrived and held off the pursuers. He did not dare linger and hurriedly fled along Elm North Street.

He did not know how long he had been running, but he was now gasping like an ox, his lungs on the verge of bursting. Cold sweat soaked his collar, and his thick fur hat had been thrown away somewhere. Sweat plastered his hair to his forehead. Raising his head, he looked around. He knew this city's roads like the back of his hand. He knew that after going a little farther, he would reach the Transportation Bureau. Only there would he truly be safe.

Just as he was about to continue, he suddenly noticed a shadow emerging from the alley beside him. It was blurry and indistinct, impossible to tell what it was. In the instant he blinked, that shadow had already closed in. As he tried to run, a steel crossbow stock smashed into his face, knocking him to the ground as his head rang.

Only then did the doubled shadow in his vision disperse, revealing a Feline boy. He did not look very old, but his gaze was colder than ice.

Faust stepped forward twice, then viciously kicked the man in the face with a boot reinforced by steel plates, knocking him completely unconscious. He then made a gesture, and two crossbowmen immediately came forward and dragged the man into the alley.

Twenty minutes later...

"Minister, are you really all right? Do you need us to come get you?"

"I'm fine. Don't come. I'm at home right now. It's nothing serious, just a few Infected causing trouble. Tell everyone else to withdraw, and there's no need to issue an alert."

"Understood."

After setting down the terminal, Chelienko looked at the boy before him and the crossbowmen behind him with a complicated expression. They were well equipped and well trained, clearly not ordinary Infected. Yet they had infiltrated this city without even a whisper getting out. He had no idea how they had managed it.

"I did as you said..."

The two crossbowmen stepped forward, seized his arms, and dragged him behind the building. An icy chill surged through his heart, and the shadow of death seemed to descend over him.

But no blade pierced his heart. Instead, he was tied to a pillar, ropes binding his entire body tightly, including his feet, while a wad of rag was stuffed into his mouth.

"You will not die. At least, not yet. We will deal with you after we have investigated your affairs."

The words drifted over from ahead. He craned his neck around the pillar, trying his best to look, only to discover that the open space between the buildings was already empty. The crossbowmen had left at some point.

Only sparse footprints remained, scattered through the dust.

"Hold the line! Hold the line! No retreating!!"

An officer shouted hoarsely, swinging the whip in his hand and lashing the soldiers retreating backward. Yet they continued to fall back, terror written across their faces. Screams sounded from the front from time to time as soldiers were hurled into the air and turned into severed limbs and shattered bodies.

A giant nearly three meters tall stood there, red light flashing in his eyes. Every swing of his weapon killed several soldiers. Their armor was as fragile as paper beneath the crimson glow in his hands. Advancing alongside him were the Shieldguards, the most familiar soldiers in the Ursus military—but they bore no Ursus insignia. Only red armbands were tied around their arms. They continuously compressed the Ursus military police formations, forcing them backward and stripping away their last scraps of courage.

A small number of Iron Guard were mixed among the Shieldguards. They raised their weapons high, then swung them down fiercely through the gaps between the Shieldguards' shields. It was such a simple motion, like plowing earth, yet it possessed terrifying destructive power. Great axes cleaved enemies in two, warhammers crushed them into pulp, and long spears sent them flying one by one. They slaughtered their enemies with astonishing efficiency. The Ursus soldiers' casualties grew increasingly severe, and only after a third of them had died could they no longer hold the line. The first man to flee was cut down by his officer, but that officer was soon swallowed by the tide of soldiers.

Once a rout began, resistance was practically impossible. Many fleeing Ursus military police were brought down by crossbow bolts from behind. The remaining soldiers who surrendered were stripped of all weapons by Reunion Movement fighters and gathered under guard.

Patriot temporarily halted. A Shieldguard beside him activated the communicator on his shoulder. His fingers were too large to operate such a delicate device, so the soldier beside him had to do it for him.

"District One has been cleared. There are no more enemies here."

After Rhodes Island's treatment, the voice from his throat was no longer as hoarse as before.

"Well done. Military police are deployed along the main street between Districts Two and Three. Lead your troops and crush them from behind. I'll send you the route." Claude's low voice came through the communicator, accompanied by crackling static.

"Understood."

Boccas led his troops forward along the street. He would not ask pointless questions. For him, there was only accepting orders and winning the war. That was what he was supposed to do.

And now, he knew clearly that this was a war they absolutely had to win.

The Ursus resistance in the city was being compressed toward the center. The enemy vastly outnumbered them, and every one of them was an elite soldier, far better trained than military police who had spent too long stationed in a mobile city. Their command system had already been paralyzed as well, leaving them unable to receive orders from above. Their resistance was extremely difficult, and they were scattered and driven bit by bit toward the city center by the Reunion Movement.

When they reached the core city, they discovered in despair that an army had been waiting there for them all along.

Claude stood at the very front. Around him were seven hundred silent Iron Guard and more than two hundred members of the Yeti Squad. Faust's crossbowmen had already taken up ambush positions in the surrounding buildings. At the very center was a group of more than a hundred artillerymen, operating Originium cannons in pairs. It could be said that every person here was elite among elites.

Looking at the military police, who had not even managed to form up and were packed together in a chaotic mass, Claude raised his Left Hand and clenched it into a fist.

Bone-chilling icy mist immediately spread toward the enemy. The Yeti Squad's casters created sheets of ice across the ground, then rode sleds swiftly around behind them. The silent Iron Guard began to move, their synchronized footsteps shaking the earth like thunder. The wall of steel they formed crushed toward the enemy army.

The artillerymen had long adjusted their firing angles. Before the two formations came into contact, they loaded shells into their cannon barrels, locked the breeches, and pulled the mechanisms. Originium shells fell, turning Ursus soldiers into chunks of flesh across the ground and blasting empty gaps filled with blood and meat paste through their crowded ranks.

Claude walked at the forefront of the Iron Guard. Unless necessary, he was not accustomed to hiding behind his soldiers. He had been the same way when he was a legion commander. Besides, what a glorious moment this was. How could he possibly let it pass?

The golden-haired female knight had changed into Reunion Movement armor, concealing her appearance. She held her shield to Claude's left. The white-haired Cautus girl carried the bitter cold of ice and snow as she moved alongside him on his right. Her powerful Arts summoned a small blizzard across the battlefield, yet it did not affect the Iron Guard in the slightest.

The javelin in Claude's hand became wrapped in violent lightning. After years of diligent practice, his Originium Arts were no longer what they had once been. The dazzling lightning was nearly impossible to look at directly, coiling around him as if a thunder god had descended upon the world. The lightning in his hand compressed again and again, gradually changing from golden yellow to blazing white-red. Like writhing thunder serpents, it struggled and hissed in his grip.

It made him incomparably conspicuous on the battlefield, and crossbow bolts flew toward him one after another. Yet the knight beside him easily blocked every attack.

He raised the lightning spear, drew it back behind him, spread his entire body, then hurled it with all his strength. The lightning spear tore through the air, ripping apart the atmosphere around it and creating a massive shockwave that blew fallen leaves off the ground. Then it pierced unstoppably into the military police formation, plowing a path of death made of charred skeletons, flesh, blood, and screams.

At that point, the Iron Guard formation slammed viciously into the enemy's center, advancing as swiftly as a hot knife through butter. Nothing but death was left in their wake.

The surrendered Ursus soldiers were stripped of all their weapons and every piece of armor. Even their coats were taken off, leaving them shivering in the freezing wind. Yet they did not dare make any unnecessary movement. Reunion Movement fighters surrounded them with the eyes of savage wolves, ready to kill anyone who disobeyed orders.

Amid the massive chaos earlier, quite a few people had taken advantage of the situation. Some were Infected, some were not. They wanted to make a profit from the opportunity, murdering, setting fires, raping, and looting throughout the city. Every one of them was captured by the soldiers.

Claude walked along the city's central avenue. People who thought they could act without restraint were continuously seized along the roadside and beheaded on the spot. As he walked, hundreds of heads fell beside the road, their blood flowing into the sewers. They belonged to both Infected and non-Infected alike.

Blood flowed over the street, carrying its dust down into the filthy, dark underground. Aboveground, the sunlight was just right, making people drowsy and warming the soldiers' black armor.

The Rising Reunion Movement: Chapter Seventy-Seven, Doctor

Several Rhodes Island squads advanced through the city at war, yet they encountered no obstruction whatsoever. Under orders, all Reunion Movement fighters avoided them. Not a single soldier even saw them face-to-face. They reached their destination without hindrance, so smoothly that it felt unreal.

After entering the location of the sarcophagus, the medical team quickly got to work. They adjusted the instruments' settings, attempting to awaken the person sleeping within. All work proceeded in busy but orderly fashion. Ace led his squad in establishing a defensive line at the entrance, blocking unrelated personnel from entering.

Before long, at Kal'tsit's command, the sarcophagus began venting its stale gas. Various drugs were injected into the body inside, awakening its functions. Then, accompanied by a soft mechanical sound, the lid of the sarcophagus slid open to one side. Kal'tsit immediately hurried forward, and her elite medical team climbed the steps carrying various instruments. In particular, a green-haired Archosaur girl lifted a heavy machine up from beneath the steps with one hand and set it down on the platform.

The staff in her hand was equally eye-catching. With its heavy metal striking head and long handle, it looked more like a two-handed warhammer. She curiously poked her head into the sarcophagus, wanting to see what the legendary Doctor looked like.

But she was destined to be disappointed. The figure lying in the sarcophagus was not particularly tall, but wore a white robe and had their face completely concealed by a breathing mask. Even their gender could not be identified.

"Stop spacing out. Closely monitor the Doctor's condition."

Kal'tsit's words brought her back to her senses. She was, after all, a trained doctor, and immediately began working, setting her two-handed war... staff aside.

The heart rate displayed on the nearby instrument kept fluctuating wildly, sometimes high and sometimes low. It even became a straight line at one point. The Rhodes Island doctors did everything they could, but the Doctor's body was extremely weak. It could not withstand many effective medicines, leaving them with only gentler methods. That made the entire rescue process long and difficult.

The Archosaur girl named Gavial directly leaned over the sarcophagus and performed CPR on the Doctor. Every time her hands pressed down, the Doctor's head and feet lifted up, making it look as though she might snap them in half. The doctors around her were extremely worried, but none dared stop her.

"Doctor Kal'tsit, there's a special situation."

Ace's voice suddenly came through the earpiece, immediately drawing Kal'tsit's attention. She waved for the others to continue the rescue effort, then pressed the communications button on her earpiece.

"What special situation?"

"Mr. Claude suddenly arrived. He says he wants to see the Doctor." Ace's tone was strange.

"Why did he suddenly come here? Isn't there still a war going on?" Kal'tsit was also surprised. When they had first entered, the city had still been fighting fiercely. As a general, how did he have time to come here? Just to satisfy his curiosity?

"He... he says the fighting has already ended." Ace's hesitant voice came through the earpiece. Kal'tsit's pupils contracted slightly. She understood what that meant... this city now belonged to their ally.

Claude looked with interest at the narrow underground entrance. He had not expected the famous Doctor to be staying in a place like this, though he believed there must be more to it inside.

Seeing Ace tap his earpiece twice and then turn to look at him, Claude also focused his attention and waited for the response.

"Mr. Claude, please come in."

Claude smiled and nodded to him, then turned back toward Char behind him.

"Have the others wait here. I should be out in about ten minutes."

The captain of the guard saluted Claude, then stood opposite Ace like a statue. Dozens of Iron Guard surrounded the underground room completely.

Ace immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He had originally intended to say that himself, since too many people could not be allowed to learn the Doctor's true identity.

Claude passed Ace, reached out to pat his shoulder, and laughed heartily.

"When you return to Rhodes Island, I'll treat you to drinks. Come drink with us. Drink your fill."

"All right. Once we're back, I'll call everyone over." Ace also revealed a hearty smile.

Claude's footsteps were distinctive. Neither hurried nor slow, neither light nor heavy, they carried a strong personal character. Anyone who had spent time with him could recognize his arrival by the sound of his steps.

Claude entered through the doorway and saw a broad space inside. On the raised platform in the center stood an unusual machine, whose outer appearance truly resembled a stone sarcophagus.

Turning his head slightly, he saw Kal'tsit and Miss Amiya.

"Sorry for causing you trouble. This request of mine must have put you in an awkward position."

Amiya hurriedly shook her head.

"No, it's only a small matter. Thanks to Mr. Claude, we were able to find the Doctor so smoothly. This operation was almost without danger. We could never have done it with our strength alone."

"But I was still somewhat presumptuous. Though I truly am curious what kind of person the Doctor is." As he spoke, he turned his gaze toward the sarcophagus, where the doctors were still working feverishly.

"Has the Doctor still not been successfully revived?"

"The Doctor has not awakened yet. He spent three years in the sarcophagus, and those three years have left his body extremely weak. More preparation is still needed." Kal'tsit adjusted her mask. Time was not particularly pressing at the moment, so she was not anxious.

"Oh, and there's something else. I came here to inform you that a Catastrophe may occur here. Several days ago, we began warming up this city. Interestingly, the personnel responsible for that work had already been transferred away from their posts, which provided us with quite a bit of convenience. We should have time to leave this area before the Catastrophe arrives."

"Will there really be enough time?" Amiya stared in stunned disbelief. She could not imagine how this had been accomplished.

"There will be enough time. I have reliable intelligence, so we began warming up the city before launching our attack. Thanks to the actions of certain interested parties, this city's administrative system had already been paralyzed. Only a few officials remained here. So there is no need to worry. We will soon evacuate the Catastrophe zone."

"I mainly came to tell you not to let your landship fall behind. Move together with us. We can make further plans after reaching the safe zone."

As they spoke, an urgent cry suddenly rose from the sarcophagus, drawing their attention.

"Doctor Kal'tsit! The Doctor's heart rate has dropped again, and his body temperature is too low!!"

"Hexamethasone, 20cc, IV push, quickly!"