Thanks to Horus, who began flying at top speed for the first time in a while, it didn't take long to arrive above the Snake Cave.
["But… how do you plan to wake it up?"]
"That's easy."
Without a moment's hesitation, I pulled out the CRN-842 Hemp Rocket Launcher from the [Rift Space].
["Wait, what are you—!"]
Ignoring Esther's protests, I aimed the CRN-842 Hemp Rocket Launcher at the ground.
More precisely, at the entirety of the Snake Cave on the ground.
Click—
There was no need to hesitate.
With the trigger pulled without a second thought, the rocket launched from the muzzle of the CRN-842, heading straight for the ground.
Fwoooooosh────!
The rocket tore through the sky toward its target.
There was no need to fire multiple rounds; just one was enough to achieve what I intended.
KABOOOOOM!
An earth-shaking explosion erupted.
With a towering column of red fire rising to the sky, the Snake Cave—already collapsed multiple times in the past—crumbled all too easily.
There was no need to wait long.
Before long, a rough tremor shook the ground.
A clear sign that the master of the Snake Cave was extremely angry.
[KIIIIIEEEEEEEK────!]
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!
GROOOAAN────!
A monstrous screech and deafening boom echoed.
And then, from the rubble of the Snake Cave, a colossal serpent began to emerge.
Ouroboros (ουροβóρος).
The master of the Snake Cave for ages, and the undisputed ruler of this region.
["I-It's out!"]
Esther screamed.
Even though Esther's power had grown considerably, Ouroboros was a monster that ruled an entire region.
They were on an entirely different level from the start.
["W-What now?"]
"What do you mean?"
From the beginning, there was only one thing Esther needed to do.
"Lure it here."
["What? Me?"]
"Who else is here but you?"
["Well, there's Bonhead and Skullie right here too, you know..."]
"You're the safest choice."
There aren't many things in this world that can harm a ghost-type like Esther.
Of course, a monster like Ouroboros could do some damage to ghost-types, but someone like Esther was an exception even among them.
["Sigh... I knew this would happen."]
Despite grumbling, Esther began preparing to lure Ouroboros as instructed.
Once she headed off toward Ouroboros, I turned my gaze to the ground.
'Hmm…'
A little distance away from the Snake Cave.
There, I spotted individuals who looked like Ark's soldiers.
Judging by their appearance—clearly a mix of Skull Knights and Ether Soldiers—it wasn't hard to figure out who they were.
'Purge unit for the Turncoats, huh.'
Even I hadn't expected to run into them here, but I wasn't particularly bothered.
Right now, I had something else to take care of.
'No need to damage Ark's forces unnecessarily.'
Their target was probably the Turncoat Pawn and the Turncoat Knight.
As long as I didn't show myself first, they wouldn't take the risk of going after Ouroboros.
'So, it's Colonel Melissa leading them after all.'
To put it simply, Colonel Melissa was the most active among the Skull Knights in Ark.
Unlike others, she held a special post and wasn't on frontline defense duty.
'Hmm.'
Skull Knights are very similar to Skull Turncoats.
While their essence as human or monster may differ, they both had useful qualities.
'If I can bring a Skull Knight who can operate inside Ark under my control, they'd be far more useful than the Turncoats.'
I soon averted my eyes.
Colonel Melissa was certainly interesting, but I had other matters to attend to.
'Maybe we'll meet again.'
That is, if she continued chasing after the Turncoat Pawn.
'Now then…'
I looked back toward Ouroboros.
This wasn't the time to be thinking about Melissa—it was time to focus on Ouroboros.
'How's it going?'
["Going?! Save me, please!"]
'You won't even die, stop being so dramatic.'
["Why don't you try this yourself?! You have no idea what it's like having something that big chase after you!"]
Despite screaming, Esther was doing exactly what needed to be done.
And sure enough, the surrounding Ether stirred, drawing Ouroboros in.
[Come here…]
[This way. This way. This way. This way. This way. This way. This way. This way. This way. This way. This way. This way. This way…]
[Come, here────!]
The lure seemed quite effective, as Ouroboros now emerged fully from the ruins of the Snake Cave.
CRAAAASHHH────!
'Still disgustingly huge.'
Judging by how the wounds I'd inflicted before had fully healed, quite a bit of time had passed.
But one thing hadn't healed—the spot where I had previously stripped away its scales remained bare.
'Just as I thought.'
If that weak spot still existed, taking down Ouroboros with my current firepower wouldn't be hard.
Even if something went wrong and it went berserk, I still had options.
'Well then…'
Having confirmed everything, I turned Horus around.
It was time to head to the Church of Morte branch, where the Bishop of Earth resided.
'Might as well go prepare things in advance.'
Horus beat its wings vigorously.
Time to head for the Church of Morte branch.
* * *
Tatiana Belov, leading armed members of the Belov Family, was heading toward the western plains outside Ark.
To capture the Turncoat Pawn.
Under normal circumstances, the Belov Family would've voiced concerns about such a reckless act of revenge, but not this time.
The reason was simple.
This was a vendetta—the very thing that let the Belov Family remain a family—and it could not be postponed.
Of course, it wasn't going to be easy.
No, it was practically impossible.
The world outside Ark was vast.
Setting out to catch a monster with no clear location was more reckless than seArkhing for a needle in a desert.
Yet Tatiana pressed on.
Even if the chances were zero, she had no intention of giving up.
The family members were exhausted.
So was Tatiana.
"…"
But no one showed it.
Because they all understood the significance of a vendetta better than anyone.
Time continued to pass.
Staying outside Ark this long was incredibly dangerous.
There were many reasons, but the biggest was this: if a Wave hit, they'd be swept away and die meaningless deaths.
Tatiana debated.
Maybe they should turn back now and save the vendetta for another time.
That was when it happened.
A sudden, earth-shaking explosion shattered the air.
Sensing something had occurred, Tatiana led her family forward on their hovering bikes.
Beyond the horizon, flames and smoke billowed into the sky.
And then, a monstrous screech made everything tremble.
[KIIIIIEEEEEEEK────!]
"What on earth is that…"
Something was happening.
Even the veteran members of the battle-hardened Belov Family trembled at the sight.
Tatiana, too, stood frozen, mouth slightly agape.
Now, a decision had to be made—and in truth, the answer was already clear.
"Let's go bac—"
It was then.
A voice whispered in Tatiana Belov's ear.
[Come here…]
At first, she thought she was imagining it.
But the voice only grew louder with time.
[This way…]
[This way. This way. This way. This way. This way. This way. This way. This way. This way. This way. This way. This way. This way…]
[Heehee──]
Tatiana felt… strange.
As if she had to obey that voice.
'…I have to go.'
She didn't know why.
Turning her hovering bike, Tatiana changed direction, and her family followed.
[Come here…]
Tatiana Belov followed the voice.
As if possessed.
Little by little.
She continued forward.
* * *
After the sudden chaos passed, Colonel Melissa stood frozen, watching Ouroboros head off.
'What… just happened?'
Ouroboros, who had been sleeping in the Snake Cave, had suddenly awakened.
And now, it moved violently, as if under some sort of spell.
If it had been heading for Ark, that would've been a major disaster, but thankfully, it wasn't going that way.
'A regional lord-class monster has started to move. I need to report this to Ark.'
Hunting Turncoats was an important mission for Ark's security, but the movement of a regional lord monster was a threat to Ark's survival.
The stakes were entirely different.
'Common sense says I should head back to Ark immediately, but…'
Still, Colonel Melissa couldn't hastily give the order to retreat.
Informing Ark was important, but so was figuring out why Ouroboros had awakened.
'…Guess there's no choice.'
Eventually, Colonel Melissa made her decision.
"Half of you return and report this to Ark. The rest will come with me to pursue Ouroboros."
No one objected.
Not because they were soldiers who lived and died by orders, but because there truly was no better alternative.
The purge squad quickly split in two.
After assembling a pursuit unit, Colonel Melissa began preparations to chase after Ouroboros.
Just then, one of the Ether Soldiers approached her.
"Colonel."
"What is it?"
"I can hear a voice… I'm not certain, but it seems someone is intentionally luring Ouroboros."
"What?"
If that were true, it was a serious issue.
It meant someone might be using Ouroboros to attack Ark.
The report gave Colonel Melissa a strange feeling.
For some reason, she felt like this was connected to the chase for the Turncoat Pawn.
It was just a hunch—but a strong one.
"We move now."
Feeling the urgency, Colonel Melissa picked up her pace.
It was the moment when the Turncoat Suppression Unit transformed into the Ouroboros Pursuit Unit.