Chapter 309

Only...

With memories of being Rope down in the night yesterday and Jessica almost having her throat slit in the dim light just now playing in her mind, Nana did feel uncomfortable with the word 'letting things slide'.

The sudden death of the enemy was already inevitable, but compared to the madness before death, Nana might be able to give them a... even more insane death.

"I understand... I will give chase."

While speaking, Nana raised her hand and killed several more approaching Frightfish to confirm the rate of Nethermark contraction. Having deactivated her Armor Mode while hugging Jessica, Nana continued:

"Once backup arrives and everyone is confirmed safe, I will immediately pursue those suspected to be members of the Church of the Deep..."

"You don't have to wait!"

"Really? There are more than just Lungmen Guard Department members here, there are VIPs like me and support staff like Sora..."

Just as the situation became even more chaotic with the arrival of the year, the previously sealed surface entrance was suddenly opened, and the light that had been streaming into the ground during the day now seemed like a stairway to heaven.

Beneath that beam of light, besides Swire from the Guard Bureau who peeked out as the checkpoint leader, a child whom the Trauma Team knew all too well also leaped down from that beam of light—it was Amiya.

Perhaps the silent atmosphere after landing made the girl a little nervous. The Little Bunny, who had arrived with a large amount of supplies and the Rhodes Island A4 Squad, scratched her cheek awkwardly after landing.

"Um... did I come at the wrong time?"

"No, Amiya, you've come at just the right time..."

As she spoke, Nana glanced at Yato, who had removed his Yato after arriving underground, and Durin, who seemed unsure of where to stand. She then thanked Black Horn for bringing them new ammunition supplies. After making eye contact with her familiar friends, Nana looked at the figure in the Rhine Lab uniform, whose attire was somewhat inconsistent with Rhodes Island's style but equally reassuring.

"Saria... Did the Doctor send you to provide support?"

"No, I only arrived at the front lines as a guardian. The one who was actually sent to provide support is her... You can call her Ifrit."

She nodded to the girl wearing a Rhine-style combat suit, carrying an air tank and a flamethrower, and covered in Originium infection marks, seemingly already in the late stages... Although this child named Ifrit looked like she could explode at any moment, it was Amiya's turn to step forward and explain the situation, so Nana remained silent for the time being.

"As per the Doctor's orders, Amiya Squad, A4 Action Group, and special operations operators Ifrit and Saria are here to provide support!"

"Just burn those monsters, right? Seems simple!"

As soon as Amiya finished speaking, the girl who looked like Sarkaz raised her weapon and began to cast a spell, preparing to attack Nana and the others. Saria, who was standing to the side, just watched as the girl puffed out her cheeks slightly, then muttered, "Order, fine, waiting for orders," and put away her weapon.

"I'm sorry, Ifrit is still quite inexperienced as an operator... but her abilities are beyond question. Command believes she is the operator who can maximize her capabilities in the fight against the Nethermark."

"So, may I fire now?"

Ifrit, its tail still twitching with flame at the tip, stared at Saria. Saria, in turn, turned to look at Amiya. Amiya, interrupted twice, maintained her smile... but a hint of resentment seemed to linger in her heart. Fortunately, this anger quickly dissipated, and Amiya looked earnestly at Nana:

"Based on the command authority granted by the Doctor, all three teams are now following the Trauma Team, which is Nana- neechan's arrangement!"

"Medic!"

Without looking back at Ch'en Hui-chieh, who had loudly reminded her, it was clear that with the arrival of reinforcements, Nana's reason for believing she should stay had vanished.

The black-haired cat girl was still dressed in her infiltration combat attire of black gloves and matching socks. Her short hair flew wildly with the blast of gunfire. The cat girl's revealing outfit and her masked operator appearance seemed out of place, appearing somewhat incongruous to those unfamiliar with Nana and the others...

But as Nana took out her phone to call Swire and confirm the time the group left, the 'beam of light' reappeared... Using 'telekinesis' to catch the bass bag that the Guard Bureau members had thrown down, Neko took out a rotating Originium Cannon from it and fixed it to her left hand. At the same time, the two lightsabers combined into Composite Light Spear and connected to the system of the new tactical exoskeleton. The sound of the turbine engine's radiator began to rise again.

"Reasons changed. Saria will now assist Amiya in clearing the current sea monster lair. Please be careful of the special individual that just appeared... I will be pursuing the escapees... Any other questions?"

Seeing that no one spoke, the black cat girl twitched her ears and then lowered her body slightly. The next instant, the pile of sea monster corpses on the road suddenly exploded, and a road leading straight to the end appeared... The bright spot of the spear disappeared in a few seconds, obviously because it had chased into the end of the bend that everyone had been unable to advance through before.

Amiya, who was carrying a lot of medical supplies and was currently working with her team to examine the wounds of the Trauma Team, turned her head and saw Ch'en Hui-chieh with a strange expression. She heard a clicking sound that seemed to come out from between her teeth, as if she was in pain or unwilling.

Although Amiya arrived late and could only get a general idea of what had happened from the PRTS's combat logs... the suggestion to pursue them came from the Lungmen Superintendent, and it seemed that she was the one who was dissatisfied, which gave Amiya a strange feeling.

"Officer Chen?"

"Ah? Oh... I'm sorry... Did I disturb you?"

Seeing the blue-haired Dragon Lady had finished speaking and was about to move, but was wincing in pain at the mere attempt yet still determined to grab her sword and head to the front lines, Amiya quickly stepped forward to support the officer, now that Hoshiguma and the reinforcements were already at the forefront.

"Please don't move, I will treat you right away..."

"I'm fine..."

Despite this, Officer Chen's trembling hand holding the sword clearly contradicted her words. Even a child like Amiya could firmly stop this foolish act of bravado.

But she persisted in standing on the front line, refusing to back down no matter what.

"I'm fine."

Seeing the blue-haired Dragon Lady's insistence, Amiya could only call on the medical operators to give her the most basic emergency treatment... And looking at the senior superintendent's silent back, Amiya's grip on the medical kit tightened involuntarily.

The highly empathetic Little Bunny sensed that Ch'en Hui-chieh's anger, directed at the Church of the Deep, was also directed at her.

[How useless I am...]

Nana was unaware of that brief, silent contact in the world of consciousness.

The assassin, now wielding Originium cannon in one hand and Compound Beam Spear in the other, seems to have rediscovered a part of her past self... This state is not common for the assassin now.

I rarely act impulsively like this, but in the absence of sufficient intelligence and preparation, breaking the deadlock might require Ch'en Hui-chieh's kind of drive... rather than the 'deliberation' that Nana is more familiar with.

The second tentacle-faced monster that Nana was worried about did not appear. After Nana let the two combat-type sea monsters go and attack the position defended by Saria... the swiftly advancing assassin soon found the not-so-completely concealed trace.

At first, the black cat still needed to swing its light spear to cut down the monsters called Frightfish, but as it chased after them, the Nethermark under its feet completely disappeared.

After passing through three passageways clearly forced open by brute force, the black cat girl, her cat ears twitching, listened to the panicked footsteps of the crowd around the corner. Suddenly, the black cat, wearing only footed socks, stepped forward, her body clad in black armor plates, boots, breastplate, and a complete helmet... To the members of the Church of the Deep, the black knight was like Ghost that had silently appeared beside them, and the moment she appeared, she had set up her Revolver Gun cannon and begun to warm up her fire?!

Has the Guard Bureau lost even the most basic persuasion and surrender process?!

In this straight, Mobile City support tunnel? In an open area with no cover except for a few pillars... using a weapon like a rotary cannon?!

At this moment, the knight seemed to be the embodiment of 'war'. His figure, with Halo above his head resembling that of Pontiff's Gun Knights, emerged from the darkness, and the sound of the rotary cannon's motor spinning sent chills down one's spine.

As the cannons were pointed at the Church of the Deep members fleeing towards the next exit, the knights, showing no mercy Angel, began firing indiscriminately.

As a weapon not designed for single-person use, Nana's three-barreled revolver is a simplified version installed in Tactical Unit.

In order to enable the Tactical Unit to withstand its terrifying recoil, the 30mm six-barreled rotary cannon, originally named 'Avenger', not only had its ammunition changed from physical ammunition to Originium liquid, but it was also modified to attack with magic projectiles.

In scenarios where it is used by Nana alone, the barrel is shortened, and the number of barrels is simplified from six to three to reduce the release pressure during firing... However, even so, it does not diminish its actual power as a symbol of the Laterano Pontiff's Gun-Knights.

Because they also carried the sub-vaporized black bow, ribbons like medals fluttered behind the black-armored knight. The Originium solution vaporized and evaporated under the pressure of the casting unit, turning into spell bullets that shot out of the barrel, along with orange lightning brought about by the release of Originium Steam.

The high-speed rotating muzzle condensed the 'lightning' into flames. The muzzle flash of the three-barreled rotary cannon alone was two meters long, and even if it was disassembled into only three barrels, the rate of fire was as high as one thousand rounds per minute. The streaks of light from the magic bullets connected together in this way.

The black-armored knights of Sankta seemed to wield the scythe of death, appearing from behind the church members and claiming the lives of more than half of them in an instant.

But at this moment, the black-armored knight was pondering another question... Why were half of them still alive?

Excluding those who might have some unspeakable past with Laterano and immediately lay prone, the answer is the white-haired, red-eyed woman wielding a long spear, blocking the central small group.

The supersonic slash spun and accurately deflected all the orange magic bullets from the revolver, and as the black-armored knight discarded his weapon that had emptied of Originium liquid, the long spear was almost upon him, and the sound of it cutting through the air had only just begun.

'Clang--!!'

The black longbow instinctively blocked the charging spear, and the tall, red-eyed woman, after confirming Nana's identity through the bright red visor of her helmet, lowered her voice and said:

"... This is not part of the plan."

Yes, indeed... my pursuit was just an impulsive act, but the hidden dangers I eliminated were all very real.

But how can this be explained to the Aegir War architects who seemed to demand meticulous planning?

Perhaps, aside from the reason of eliminating potential threats, the only benefit of doing so is that it would better highlight Gladiia's role in the church.

After all... apart from Gladiia, without that bizarre sea monster, who here could stop Killer Number Seventy-Seven's attack?

Just as Nana was thinking this, someone from the church collapsed to the ground as if in a breakdown, silently losing control of their bladder.

"A knight?! How could he be a knight...?"

"Shut up! We haven't even confirmed which knight it is yet!!"

Knight? What knight?

Just as Nana was wondering, her tactical equipment's microphone suddenly picked up a name that Gladiia was whispering... PRTS quickly completed the analysis in the database and then showed Nana a story called <The Last Knight>.

So, have these people confused themselves with the legendary knight?

To be fair, this group of people hadn't actually appeared on the battlefield, so it's true they hadn't seen her and Lungmen acting together... If they misunderstood, it would actually be convenient for Nana.

After all... knowing it's Rhodes Island causing trouble, and the rumored knights causing trouble... are two different things.

Having figured this out Nana forcefully shook off the white-haired hunter who was locked in a stalemate with her. Then, the black-armored knight pointed his composite spear forward... Nana selected a line from the e-book in the database:

"I will kill the sea!"

PS: Waaaaaaah!

PSS: Actually, I was planning to write about setting the ocean on fire... Well, since the original quote was "kill the ocean," let's just kill the ocean then! We'll talk about setting the ocean on fire when we actually do it.

9th Lungmen Seafood: 355 Storm and Waves

There was no time to mourn for Nana's performance of reciting lines; what rushed over immediately was the long spear thrown to prevent Nana from laughing out loud... Taking advantage of the gap deliberately given by Gladiia, the black-armored knight, once again in Strength Mode, drew his bow to its full extent and fired the arrow with the speed of thunder.

The deafening roar was dizzying, and a visible hole appeared in the massive supporting pillar of the Mobile City. As for the other group of Deep-Sea Cultists hiding behind the pillars... especially the conspicuous red-robed monster among them... well, conspicuous or not, there are no Deep-Sea Cultists behind the pillars anymore.

Even though the blast port was only the thickness of a finger, the carbon material behind the carbon pillar, about half a person's height, was all shattered into fragments in the attack. Those hiding behind it are now indistinguishable from this Mobile City forever.

"Stop him!"

"Stop arguing, we're doing it. And why don't you all leave? Are you just standing here waiting to die?"

As he spoke, the white-haired hunter launched a powerful flying kick at the black-armored knight, then picked up the thrown spear. The long, unbroken traditional shaft and the light spear forged by new land technology collided countless times within seconds.

Just like that fleeting dance on Rhodes Island, the black and white colors once again created a vortex and storm on the field.

As the person who caused the cold and beautiful woman in front of her to show a troubled expression, Nana was also considering how to end the situation.

Without a doubt, to ensure that Gladiia could complete her and Kal'tsit's plan, the idea of annihilating this group was simply impossible. Therefore, Nana should now strive to achieve her goal while simultaneously ensuring these cultists met their due end—a wish belonging to Lungmen and Rhodes Island.

Ideally, the best scenario would be to eliminate as many of these cult groups as possible—those who indiscriminately release biological and chemical threats into other people's homes—while simultaneously allowing Gladiia to investigate higher levels of the organization.

But doing so seems to lead to a vicious cycle of thinking about 'who should be kept, who can live, and who should be allowed to continue living'.

Amidst the symphony of clashing metal, concealed by the Black Knight's helmet, Nana couldn't help but sigh... She had to admit that she didn't have the same 'impulse' as Ch'en Hui-chieh, who would let her body act before her mind for the sake of a moment.

But if you have a clear goal, then you can 'try' as many times as you want.

Thus, in the frenzied dance of black and white, with the two playing the roles of thunder and waves respectively, Nana begins to try to judge the importance of those cultists based on the degree of Gladiia's resistance.

At this moment, the 'Angel' showed no signs of holding back. Whether it was the Warp arrow that hit its mark as soon as it left the bow, or the light spear slashing with the full brightness of the aura and the support of the latest Tactical Armor... In order to confirm the importance of the current target, and at the same time to increase the credibility of Gladiia was 'doing her best', the battle between the Rhodes Island knights and the Abyssal Hunters on the waterless land immediately entered the supersonic realm.

Sometimes it's a simple punch and kick, sometimes it's a fancy switch between light spears and swords; in the dim underground, only the afterimages of beams of light and the constant interaction of hot, dark red metal are visible. The splashing Originium Steam can melt ordinary underground railings into molten iron with just a touch, and it's not uncommon for it to scare the busy cultists into a daze or even cause them to lose control of their bladder.

If the above are still considered within the capabilities that the cultists believe the Abyssal Hunters can handle, then the arrows hidden in the shadows... those electric bolts that can pierce even the city itself, even the hunters can only temporarily avoid their sharp edge.

After several attempts to create distance and reunite a group of pilgrims with their god, the pilgrims, still struggling with the Lungmen, finally collapsed, dropped their hacking Terminal, and let out a wail:

"No! The firewall is locked by the city command tower with the highest privileges; it can't be opened here at all! Everyone will die!"

Seeing that the other party had actually started to give up on themselves, the sudden cries made even the two protagonists in the battle look over at the same time.

Nana then realized that the Deep-Sea Cult, which originally numbered nearly a hundred, was now reduced to only a few dozen, trembling and helplessly clinging to the gate... Although if things continued like this, even though Gladiia, whose actual combat capabilities hadn't shown anything outrageous, wouldn't be able to stop her slaughter, she felt that going back like this would get her scolded by Kal'tsit.

So, in order to advance her mission, and as if suddenly realizing her 'purpose,' the assassin charged at the crying cultist again, lightsaber in hand.

He turned around midway and kicked, using Gladiia's attempt to stop him as an acceleration for his sprint. The lightsaber, now in overload mode, instantly released the Originium reaction restriction in his hand, and the massive beam of light, so bright it was blinding, sliced through the enemy at an angle.

As several more believers were sent to their deaths, a bolt on the emergency isolation door used for construction, which was covered in mold, was also broken. The sound of the locking mechanism being broken from inside the door immediately caught the attention of the Deep-Sea Cultists, most of whom were born in Aegir.

At the same time, as Nana raised her massive overload lightsaber again at the cultists whose vision had briefly brightened before turning back to darkness, the hunter, who had just been kicked away and was already injured, charged forward once more.

As the long spear broke through another bolt at the gate, it used its small trident to pin the 'knight's' sword-wielding hand to the wall. The 'knight's' struggle alone caused the wall behind him to twist and warp under the weight, once again urging the cultists to focus on their work.

"Open... open two phosphorus shirts, erling four ba, open! Run!"

"There's no way we can escape... Hunter, hold on a little longer! These are just area isolation doors, but it seems that to keep the pipelines between cities clear, functional gates like Fire Department gates are still in the default open state. Although the technology of land-dwellers is only so-so, if it's Mobile City- scale isolation door..."

Before the man could finish speaking, a sudden gunshot turned the believers' joy at escaping back into terror.

As Nana's hand, which had somehow switched from a lightsaber to a pistol, pointed at her next target, Gladiia, realizing she had underestimated her partner several times, could only press down on Nana's wrist again with a look of surprise and helplessness.

On one hand, she wanted to gain the church's trust to protect them with all its might; on the other hand... it might indeed be because Nana had already killed enough.

"The people of the sea are right in front of you; don't worry about others at a time like this."

Although Gladiia's words sounded somewhat ambiguous at this moment, in any case, the lingering influence of being terrified by the 'knight' left her with no room to give the other party any further chances.

The crowd seemed to have transformed into skilled Catastrophes response specialists, almost tumbling and crawling with afterimages as they manually lowered several Mobile City isolation gates, including those for the Fire Department.

During this time, Nana did try her best to kill a few more, but with Gladiia's tight defense, the remnants of the Church of the Deep only breathed a sigh of relief after the few bullets in her pistol were all fired and the magazine clicked shut.

Just as Nana was pondering whether Gladiia would hold her off until the church's gaze completely disappeared, the hunter suddenly released Nana's wrist... Nana suddenly realized that this was probably the end of this impromptu performance.