NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 380
The chaos of battle embroidered the dark sea with waves of flames. Flashes poured down, illuminating even the yawning abyss in the heart of the sea.
Thick steam caught the light, creating a mystical glow, while countless wires and pipes twisted in the deep, exuding a soft radiance as they swayed uncontrollably.
The relics of the otherworld still lay in deep silence, as if the pandemonium above could not reach this place.
The ship, which had long fallen into deep slumber, would not awaken from simple stimulation. Waking its bio-electronic complex was akin to raising a newborn.
The baby needed meticulously prepared baby food. Likewise, to awaken the ship, only precisely refined scientific information—nutrition in a very special form—would suffice.
Human technology and abilities had limits in manipulating or accessing the core. To awaken this massive entity, the Foundation hunted patents and constantly processed research materials to inject into it.
Even in its deep slumber, the ship absorbed materialized abstract technical information without pause.
Only after receiving such vast data did the ship slowly start to spit out what it knew. Though it was merely a tiny fraction, that alone was a precious treasure for humanity.
The Rumyx Foundation believed it would require more time for this relic to fully awaken.
The being known as Hecatoncheires would remain in a deep slumber, just as it had in the past.
Unless an unfamiliar stimulus approached.
—Zing!
In the middle of the blue hole, the core of the ship, twisted and scarred from a long-ago war, violently shook.
It sensed a threat.
Entities that should not exist were drawing closer.
[Danger… Enemy… detected…]
The core quaked anxiously, reminiscent of someone awakening from a nightmare.
Such a thing would not normally happen. If not for the many stimuli the Rumyx Foundation had injected and the information mercies it had provided so far.
The reckless extraction of knowledge and materials for next-generation weapon development had inadvertently left the giant in an unstable condition.
Like a warrior who had lived a life stained with blood sensing the killing intent of the enemy and standing up abruptly, energy began to spread along the damaged and twisted body of the ship.
Thus, the war machine of the otherworld prepared to rise from its curled position.
Accumulated over countless ages, its awakening tore through solid rock, as its long-dormant deeds writhed painfully.
[It’s them… that’s it…]
As the chains of long dormancy broke, the massive form twisted in the ancient darkness.
The reason was simple: the Hecatoncheires sensed an ominous presence.
[Destruction… Nemesis…]
Visions of endless war and the crumbling world carved into its memory revived. Screams of anguish, desperate evacuations, and the memory of victories that ultimately could not be attained.
The ancient adversaries of the creators, the minions of tyrants stained with greed and madness—were they still alive? Gradually, all circuits and quantum states of the ship pulsated with rage.
[Enemy…]
Beyond the abyss in the center of the maritime base, the heart of the long-dormant alien relic began to beat.
**
The night is our Violet’s strongest ally.
I moved with confidence.
“Command from HQ! Violet Airborne Brigade, advance!”
What our Violets currently role-played—an airborne unit—was something anyone could become.
Sure, our unique summoning method might sound a little silly, but we surely deserved to be called an air unit.
“Exactly! We launch like we’re falling from the sky! Shock and awe!”
I keenly surveyed the situation delineated on the tactical map.
Assaults poured in from sky, land, and sea, waves of fire erupting wherever my sight reached.
“How about the animals?”
“Withdrawal complete except for support troops!”
The V-animals, who bought us time, had already retreated from the battlefield or switched to reconnaissance missions.
In this fierce ongoing battle, there wasn’t much left for them to do.
All they could do was provide tactical judgment information through their keen eyes, noses, and developed senses, or infiltrate terminal access rooms.
The last nighttime assault that spread throughout Academy City officially began with the arrival of the Small Violets.
“Small Violets! HQ sends a message. Grow!”
With just a simple push of a switch, I sent the signal for growth.
The small Violets, hiding in corners and ceilings, stopped multiplying simultaneously and began to grow.
The amount of magical power needed to produce one Small Violet is half that of an ordinary Violet.
With one more boost of magical power, they could transform into perfect combat entities.
“I’ve grown! I’m smarter now!”
“Combat readiness complete!”
Our transformation struck fear into the hearts of those of the Foundation.
Sensors that couldn’t detect us when we were small suddenly began to wail throughout the base.
As I felt the difference, I realized just how remarkable the Foundation’s detection technology was.
The Nimosis Protocol terminals and detection drones focused all energies to catch the slightest abnormal signs, while agents from the Containment Enforcement opened fire indiscriminately at any sign of trouble.
They seemed to capture the exact moment we began to grow.
Now they even began to detect Small Violets up close.
“Where’s the clone infiltrating us? Detect it!”
“It’s right under our feet!”
“Agh! We’ve been discovered!”
Their reaction speed and adaptability were levels above before.
It felt as if they had perfectly grasped our battle patterns.
Without giving us a moment to think, they countered with faster and more powerful firepower.
—Whoosh!
“Gaaah!”
The Small Violets attempting to grow fell one by one.
Explosions rocked the areas and rooms, gunfire burst through the walls. But still, we completed the deployment.
“Location of Foundation executives confirmed! 3rd and 2nd squads, initiate decapitation operation!”
“HQ! Understood! We’ll advance towards the western artificial island alongside the 5th Air Wing! Attack! Attack!”
The battle spread across Academy City.
Small Violets had infiltrated everywhere with terminal access to the Foundation’s central records storage system. The conflict began.
Their weapons had become even stronger, and their attacks increasingly brutal.
I could hardly believe how fast their growth rate was.
—Crack!
A multi-directional walking machine that had approached from the airport spat fire in frenzy.
Advancing under supporting fire, the assault squad Violets slashed limbs with their swords and set sticky bombs on turrets, elegantly retreating.
The flash of explosions illuminated my back as I drew another blade. The electric shock baton of an android clashed directly with me.
—Clang!
Surprisingly, even the sword wrapped in magical power couldn’t break the shock baton easily. Throwing my constrained sword into the air, I drew my shotgun.
Crack— with the metallic head pinned against the barrel, bang!
“Die! Die! You tin can!”
I kept slicing through the relentless tide of machines.
Swinging my sword scattered metal and parts everywhere. The Violets became one great arrow of destruction, shooting, piercing, and tearing through.
Indoors, on the roads, in labs and at hangars.
Holding off bolt and ray barrages, I advanced step by step.
—Zing!
Golden arrows fluttered and pierced the heads of the Violets in succession.
One arrow twisted its way through between the shield and the wall. The Violets in the airport instantly recognized it. It was that archer from last time.
“Haha! You fools! I sent you here!”
Wasting one elite here was a win. It would let me focus even more on the maritime base!
Just like hammering glowing iron with a heavy hammer, the offensive continued fiercely.
Though my hands tingled with pain, I figured that the crushed enemies would hurt more.
Metal shrapnel flew like sparks amidst the clash of armored knights and mechanical legions.
“HQ, they’re initiating operations!”
The intense wave of the Nimosis Protocol surged through the air.
The characteristic information curtain enveloped the battlefield. More detailed and precise attacks tested my focus.
Flashes from the agents’ swords and bolt launchers moved with the precision of a finely-tuned clock.
The network divided its senses like overlapping eyes to respond. The divided senses calculated by reserve Violets yielded optimal action values. The computational results were set into action!
Swordsmanship, marksmanship, and combat techniques danced in elegant calculations with each passing moment.
We and the Foundation crashed against each other like an unstoppable force.
—Crack!
The vibration of heavy armor colliding rippled through the air. The Stragonics swung its punch, condensed with magical power.
The heavy sword of the armored knights split the heavy blow of a steel cyborg.
Our walking walkers retaliated with cannons and rockets against the concentrated fire of the large multi-directional robots.
The teams of heavy weapons unleashed anti-tank missiles and recoilless rifles at the hover tanks. Smoke enveloped the sky in a blanket of blackness.
Explosions painted a new sunset. There were countless rockets and projectiles in the air, with bullets and bolts tracing nascent lines of light.
Drones soared in, screaming down toward us.
“Eat this!”
The prepared 5-ton bomb began its deadly descent like a graceful dive.
—Boom!
“Uwaaaah!”
The bombing shattered the platform into pieces.
Structures collapsed in a chain reaction.
Through the overturned hover tanks, armored Violets charged fiercely.
Peeling off lids and ripping flesh.
Following them were light infantry, gathering weapons and collectors while opening fire anew. I moved and positioned myself on this massive chessboard.
Shooting, evading, reloading. Executing cover and close-combat processes.
Now firing again. Requesting fire support. Air strikes. Crashing, losses.
I adjusted the bomb to land accurately. Watching the explosions, I repositioned. Constantly repositioning.
The odds of victory were sufficient. One of the two elite forces of the Foundation was here, and the other was entangled in Academy City.
I began to get an idea of how the Foundation had created such weapons.
Fragments of memory from the Financial Director vaguely unveiled the secrets Rumyx had kept hidden.
“An alien relic, huh! Such a precious thing!”
How dare they monopolize such a treasure!
That alien warship must be lodged somewhere in that hole beneath the sea.
I became curious about how to secure it. The hole into the sea itself was shallow, but its width surpassed imagination.
It could easily fit several buildings inside.
I shook my head.
This was no time to be pondering that. For now, I needed to focus on just one thing.
My job was to eliminate the resistance while tuning this great orchestra and connecting to the terminal.
But the greatest obstacle was still ahead.
“Activating tactical immersion! Focus! Grrr!”
With the agents from the Containment Enforcement, I was bringing down that certain one at the front lines.
—Swish!
“It’s too fast!”
The black Zweihänder, the whisper of despair, spun downward. Following the command of the collective consciousness, 6788 rushed in and snatched the sword.
I was just running. Swinging. Where did it go?
The white armor vanished from my line of sight. 6788 turned around, looking around.
In that moment of searching, a white silhouette appeared right in front of me.
—Swoosh!
I kicked 6788, who flew away. With a twisted waist and body rolling, I caught the fallen sword in the hands of another me.
A speed even an Awakened One’s eyes couldn’t catch. A tremendous sound came as the sword user dove in.
Precise calculations adjusted the positions of my arm and wrist, determining the flow of air and the hazy silhouette. I barely captured its trajectory.
—Keeyah!
In the blink of an eye, torrents of flames poured down. The cutlass and Zweihänder clashed in a chain reaction. Surrounding floors, pillars, and walls were marred and torn just by the flowing cuts.
Taking that moment, another me intervened.
A red rapier penetrated, spitting a crescent of flames, and the red blade sliced surroundings with searing heat.
The swordsman slipped away from the encirclement with an unusual step. Clarke, struck again, swiftly evaded.
“Good! Hold on! I can see them getting anxious!”
As if sensing urgency, they tossed virus canisters that made ominous sounds, swirling around us.
Still useless, though.
Slashing down androids that rushed onto each floor, I executed another cutting strike. Two horizontal slashes and a recovery counterclockwise.
—Clang! Clang!
Facing an ancient monster, I drew upon all my battle experiences.
The network transmitted records and know-how faster than before. With the computer’s organization completed like defragmentation, the enemy’s power became more visible.
Even so, a wall remained.
Still high. No, it felt more daunting than when I first saw it.
Is that truly a human?
“Hellman, was it?”
A man from hell, living up to his name.
Fragments of the director’s memory lacked specificity. However, I could now understand the identity and source of his strength.
A counterfeit birthed from biotechnology during the Great War.
Creating a Chimera like this? Even I, accustomed to violence and slaughter, shuddered at this realization.
“But in the end, it’s a fake!”
“A counterfeit!”
I didn’t know which hero it imitated.
But surely, it was not the genuine article. And opposing it will be the Violets.
Every clone is real. Every Violet is me.
There is no way I would be defeated by a counterfeit.
Even if pushed back, buying time would turn victory in my favor. All I had to do was connect to the terminal and paralyze the records department, stalling for my reinforcements to arrive!
So, let the Violets be the decapitating force against this fake.
“Die! You counterfeit!”
Using the open space as a canvas, the Violets painted the picture of battle.
The genre was abstraction. They etched furious strokes across the canvas of the Foundation.
—Clang!
That’s when something unknown began to rise within me.
“?”
For a brief moment, the reality before my eyes oozed like sticky glue.