The plan was a success.
Ouroboros began moving its massive body, lured by Esther.
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE────!
[KIEEEEEEEEK!]
Whatever Esther was doing, it was extremely effective—Ouroboros surged forward with reckless force, as if determined to tear her apart.
'Just this alone will reshape the monster ecosystem outside the Ark.'
More accurately, beasts and monsters would begin migrating en-masse to avoid the path taken by Ouroboros.
And that artificially created path could serve as the foundation for a new Silk Road.
["Save meee──!"]
'Always whining even though she can't die.'
As I listened to Esther's ongoing complaints, I noticed movement on the ground.
It was none other than the Turncoat Suppression Unit.
'Hmm…'
Their movements, led by Colonel Melissa, were clearly serious.
Judging by their formation, it seemed she had split the unit into two to pursue Ouroboros.
If the Turncoat Suppression Unit kept up the pursuit, they might run into not just Ouroboros, but the Church of Morte branch where the Bishop of Earth resided.
That meant unexpected casualties on the Ark's side could occur—something I hadn't accounted for.
'This wasn't part of the plan.'
And why would it be? Who would've guessed the Turncoat Suppression Unit would show up in this vast wilderness outside the Ark?
'I guess I have no choice.'
Originally, I planned to lead Ouroboros straight to the Church of Morte branch.
But if the Turncoat Suppression Unit followed, someone valuable like Colonel Melissa could die.
'I can't let that happen.'
With that thought, I turned Horus's direction immediately.
Given the current speed at which Ouroboros was traveling, there was no time to waste.
"Let's go."
[Ki-heheht!]
Then Esther shouted,
["W-What?! Where are you going?!"]
'Just something I need to handle. You keep luring it.'
["Ugh… I knew this would happen."]
Grumbling as always, Esther continued to do her job without delay.
'Now then…'
There was no need to bring Horus along to lure Melissa.
I prepared to jump down from a suitable height.
More importantly, I didn't want the Ark's forces seeing Horus.
'If they find out I've tamed a flying monster, the Ark's air defense surveillance will tighten.'
Of course, the White Line, with its powerful internal and external surveillance systems, might already know.
But they rarely disclose the information they possess—so no need to dwell on that now.
The Ark was already far more divided than it appeared.
'As long as the Shadow Order is kept in check, it won't get worse… but eventually, the Ark must be unified.'
With a fragmented force, they wouldn't be able to withstand the coming Black Line stage.
No matter how much I preserved and strengthened the Ark's power, the darkness that loomed afterward was overwhelming.
'To prepare for that, I'll have to use the Shadow Order, Möbius, and even other factions.'
I had a mountain of things to do—but whining wouldn't change anything.
Everything was for the Ark.
And for that, I had to keep moving forward.
'Now then…'
Snapping out of my thoughts, I noticed I was nearing the ground.
I spread the Wings of Ankelenth.
There was no way I could reveal items like the Z-74 jetpack or reinforced greaves in front of Colonel Melissa or other Ark soldiers.
The distance to the ground narrowed.
At the same time, the distance to the Turncoat Suppression Unit closed rapidly.
"We're under attack!"
Colonel Melissa and her unit tried to react swiftly—but they were already too late.
I landed without slowing down and extended a bone tentacle from my right hand.
'One down.'
The tentacle, shaped like a hook, grabbed one of the Skull Knights by the back of the neck.
Without slowing, I changed direction with the captured Knight in tow.
"Captain Sneer!"
What's the easiest way to draw your enemy's attention?
If they were beasts or monsters, it wouldn't work.
But for humans—abduction was very effective.
"Open fire!"
Bang!
Ratatatatat────
True to their Ark training, they kept firing even after a comrade had been taken.
But I was already covered in dense bone armor.
The Ark's famed tactical manuals were useless in this scenario.
Clang!
Clack-clack!
Bullets ricocheted off my back and wings.
At this point, Janus's armor was too tough to be penetrated by ordinary firearms.
But the real issue was the hostage.
"Ugh!"
Several bullets hit Captain Sneer, whom I had taken.
He defended himself somewhat, as expected of a Skull Knight—but not perfectly like Janus could.
"Ghh!"
Captain Sneer groaned and struggled to break free.
He sent out bone tentacles toward me—but they were easily blocked by Janus's own.
Sneer wasn't a weak Skull Knight.
But Janus had absorbed parts of the Turncoat King and Turncoat Queen, becoming a monster beyond class.
There was no way an ordinary Skull Knight could resist.
"Let me go!"
"Hold still."
"…What?"
Apparently surprised that the Turncoat Pawn could speak, Captain Sneer's eyes widened in shock.
"Take a nap."
Janus's bone tentacle pierced the back of Sneer's neck.
I didn't kill him.
Just put him to sleep for a while.
Slump…
As Sneer's body went limp, I glanced behind me.
As expected, Colonel Melissa and the Turncoat Suppression Unit were chasing me.
'Good, they're following well.'
Of course, they weren't just chasing me because I took one of their own.
The sudden appearance of the Turncoat Pawn—combined with the kidnapping—led them to abandon Ouroboros and pursue me.
'Then…'
I looked down at Captain Sneer, limp in my grasp.
Skull Knights were very similar to Skull Turncoats, but fundamentally different.
Still, they shared one thing in common—they were both bone-parasitic monsters.
"Janus."
[Kiiik!]
In response to my call, Janus extended a bone tentacle toward Captain Sneer.
I wasn't the type to leave a good opportunity lying around.
'Then…'
It was time to add a new servant.
* * *
Captain Sneer, Skull Knight.
A veteran from the Black Line, he had survived countless battles.
He wasn't weak—far from it.
In fact, he was considered one of the Ark's strongest and most capable soldiers.
Yet he'd been overwhelmed and abducted in an instant.
Even if he had let his guard down, this shouldn't have happened.
'What's going on?'
Colonel Melissa struggled to process it all.
Ouroboros had appeared—one of the region's apex monsters.
She had split the unit to report its emergence and begin the pursuit.
And right after initiating the chase, the Turncoat Pawn appeared?
'Something's off.'
But the biggest issue was that she still didn't fully grasp what was happening.
All she could do was respond to events as they unfolded.
'I don't know what this is all about… but right now, we have to capture the Turncoat Pawn.'
She had no idea what its goal was.
But one thing was clear: they had to catch the Turncoat Pawn here and now.
The chase continued.
As they pursued the Turncoat Pawn, Melissa noticed something strange.
'The distance—it's staying just out of reach.'
Given the immense speed the Turncoat Pawn had shown earlier, this was unnatural.
He could have shaken them off long ago if he wanted.
That meant there was a reason for keeping this distance.
Melissa began to sense that he was deliberately slowing down.
'He's luring us?'
It clicked.
The Turncoat Pawn had a scheme.
And it was connected to Ouroboros's appearance.
'…Did the Ark misjudge the Turncoat Pawn?'
Up to now, the biggest known incident involving the Turncoat Pawn was the Navy Line assault.
Yet despite that massive event, the Ark didn't see him as a severe threat.
Or rather, they did—but only as a security threat, not an existential one.
The key reason?
No casualties during the Navy Line attack.
That lack of deaths led to a significantly lowered threat assessment.
'The Ark is underestimating the Turncoat Pawn.'
Now, Melissa understood.
The Turncoat Pawn wasn't just a security nuisance.
He posed a lethal threat to the Ark.
'But what I still don't get is—why lure us?'
From his perspective, the Turncoat Suppression Unit should've been avoided, not approached.
He could have set a trap somewhere, but out here in the open plains, that didn't seem likely.
'So why go to such lengths?'
She couldn't understand why he'd show up just to draw them away.
'Is he trying to stop us from pursuing Ouroboros? But… what would that accomplish?'
Clearly, the Turncoat Suppression Unit wasn't strong enough to defeat Ouroboros.
Even if they chased it, it wouldn't amount to much.
And yet, the Turncoat Pawn had gone as far as abducting someone to divert their pursuit.
'Turncoat Pawn… what are you planning?'
Melissa's mind churned with questions.