A voice echoed.
It kept echoing.
[Come here....]
Drawn by the voice that endlessly resonated in her ears, Tatiana Belov followed it.
And at last, she arrived.
Before her stood an enormous serpentine monster, its jet-black scales gleaming like obsidian, and the nearly destroyed branch of the Church of Morte.
"…Tatiana, we have to go back. It's too dangerous."
Sergei warned her.
And he was right—going in there now was practically a death wish.
An enormous monster and the Church of Mort.
Either one alone would be a formidable enemy with their current strength.
But both together?
That was unthinkable.
"…I have to go."
"Tatiana!"
Still, Tatiana was adamant.
She knew it in her head.
She knew this stubbornness wasn't wise.
But she pressed on.
"Tatiana!"
"You go back."
"You know we can't do that."
"And I can't either."
Sergei bit his lip.
From her unyielding response, it was clear—this wasn't something that could be resolved with words.
And yet, using force to stop her in such a dire situation wasn't feasible either.
Convincing someone through force only works if the situation allows for it.
"…Damn it."
In the end, Sergei had no choice but to make up his mind.
There was no way he could let Tatiana walk into what was clearly a death trap.
"Tatiana, are you really sure about this?"
"Yes."
"Alright. I'm with you."
"Will you be okay?"
"Do we have another option?"
Tatiana chuckled lightly.
"Nope."
Tatiana and Sergei mounted their hovering bikes, heading for the Church of Mort.
Or rather, they tried to.
"…Wait."
"What is it?"
Tatiana's expression hardened.
Understandably so—for at some point, the Spirits of the Ether had begun sending fierce warnings to her ears.
[Wait....]
[Danger. Danger. Danger. Danger. Danger. Danger. Danger. Danger. Danger. Danger. Danger. Danger. Danger. Danger. Danger.]
[Not there....]
And then—
Ruuuumble!
The ground began to shake.
It wasn't an ordinary earthquake.
This was clearly artificial.
"…We have to evade."
Tatiana said.
But they had no time.
"Tatiana! Over there!"
Tatiana and Sergei saw it.
The ground churned, and the rising dirt swelled up like a massive tidal wave.
And soon, that wave of earth began to spread in all directions.
KWOOM KWOOM KWOOM KWOOM KWOOM───!
RUMMMMMBLE!
As the wave of earth surged, a massive shadow loomed overhead.
It was as if the ground itself was being lifted skyward.
The shadow drew closer.
But there was nowhere to run or hide.
"Move!"
Tatiana gritted her teeth and summoned her Ether.
Though her Ether was typically suited for physical reinforcement and support, now wasn't the time to be picky.
[Block it?]
[Protect me. Protect me. Protect me. Protect me. Protect me. Protect me. Protect me. Protect me. Protect me. Protect me. Protect me. Protect me. Protect me. Protect me. Protect me. Protect me.]
[Don't come....]
An Ether barrier rose to meet the crashing wave of earth.
But even the barrier Tatiana created with all her might wasn't enough to fend off this catastrophe.
"Ghrrrk!"
"Everyone, this way!"
Given the situation, Tatiana and the other members of the Belov family had no choice but to abandon their precious hovering bikes.
Trying to save the bikes would have meant being buried in the tidal wave of earth.
Craack, craaack…!
The Ether barrier began to falter, unable to withstand the pressure.
The Spirits of the Ether that composed the barrier began to scream.
[Kyaaaaaaaa───!]
[Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop.]
[It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts.]
The screams of the Ether sent stabbing pain through Tatiana's head.
"Urghhh!"
Blood poured from her nose, yet she didn't drop the Ether barrier.
She knew exactly what would happen if she let go.
"Grh…!"
"Tatiana! Stop! Let go!"
Sergei tried to stop her, but Tatiana, bleeding from both mouth and nose, shook her head.
"Can't…"
"Tatiana!"
Sergei gritted his teeth.
Then he shouted to the others.
"Dig! Now!"
When a tsunami strikes, one of the safest places is beneath the ocean's surface, away from land.
Whether the same holds true on land was uncertain—but they had no other option.
They had no proper tools or equipment for digging.
Still, as Tatiana struggled to hold on, the team obeyed Sergei's command and dug.
Deeper. Even deeper.
If they had been closer to the origin of the wave, they'd have been swept away no matter how deep they dug. But fortunately, they were far enough from the epicenter.
So, Sergei's gamble might just work.
There was only one problem—they didn't have much time.
[It hurts…!]
The Ether barrier collapsed.
It wasn't about Tatiana's will anymore—the Ether itself had reached its breaking point.
"Ah, ahhh…!"
Blood streamed from Tatiana's eyes.
But the broken Ether barrier couldn't be restored.
Meanwhile, the earthen wave relentlessly pounded what remained of it.
Ruuuumble…!
Sergei shouted.
"Get in!"
They didn't have time to dig deeply, but they had managed to create a pit just large enough for everyone to enter.
"Tatiana!"
Sergei called to her, but she could no longer move on her own.
"Damn it…!"
With no other choice, Sergei pulled her in, risking it all.
"…Ah."
And just like that, as if waiting for the barrier to fall, the wave of earth crashed down on everything.
KWOOM KWOOM KWOOM KWOOM!
A massive shadow loomed overhead.
Sergei shouted in desperation.
"Shield it!"
In perfect coordination, the team deployed their camouflage covers.
True to the reputation of the Belov family, the equipment had a level 5 protection rating.
The camouflage covers formed a protective dome, shielding them from the deluge of earth.
The first wave had already been blocked by Tatiana's ether barrier, so all the organization members had to endure now was the sheer weight of the earthen tsunami.
Of course, even that was enough to crush the bones and rupture the muscles of the Belov family members.
"Ughhh…!"
"Hold on! Just hold on!"
If they had had time to install support structures, they wouldn't have had to brace it with their bodies. But in the face of a sudden disaster, there was never a chance.
Naturally, the price of that fell entirely on the family members.
Crunch, crackle!
Massive pressure crushed the camouflage veil, and one by one, the protective barriers burst.
Even though they were level 5 shields, withstanding this overwhelming pressure was no easy feat.
"Hold on, no matter what!"
"Uwaaaahhh!"
"M-My arm…!"
"Even if your arm gets ripped off, hold!"
How long had they endured?
The pressure gradually began to ease, and finally, everything fell silent.
The earthen tsunami had passed.
"We… survived?"
Someone said.
But no one had the strength to respond.
Everyone had collapsed in exhaustion, and the only sound from within the pit was shallow breathing.
"…Ah."
Tatiana barely regained consciousness and pushed herself upright.
She had somehow withstood the earthen wave, but the situation was only just beginning.
"I have to go…"
As she tried to climb out of the pit, Sergei grabbed her shoulder.
"Where do you think you're going in that state?"
"I have to go."
"Even if you face the traitor, it's impossible under these circumstances."
He wasn't wrong.
Not just Tatiana, but the Belov family members were also in terrible shape.
Exhaustion aside, they had all sustained various injuries while withstanding the tsunami.
"Still… I have to go, even alone."
Sergei couldn't comprehend Tatiana's stubbornness.
Vendetta was important.
But in Sergei's eyes, this wasn't revenge—it was a suicidal act of desperation.
"…Let go, Sergei."
And then Sergei finally understood.
This wasn't about revenge.
Tatiana simply wanted to die.
"What the…"
The official heir of the Belov family.
A person poised to wield near-unrivaled power within the Ark, now seeking death?
It was almost laughable.
"But why?"
Of course, Sergei knew the circumstances surrounding Tatiana.
A life raised under relentless oppression.
A position gained by surpassing her own kin.
The burden of being the family's heir.
But wasn't that the very nature of power?
To kill one's own blood, to seize power by any means—that's what power was, wasn't it?
…Pathetic.
Sergei had always thought Tatiana Belov was a strong person.
But he was wrong.
Tatiana was weaker than anyone.
At that moment—
[KIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEE───!]
A massive roar rang out from somewhere, freezing everyone in place.
And then, an overwhelming presence began to slowly approach them.
Ruuumble…
At last, a colossal shadow came into view.
That's when Tatiana remembered.
The name of the enormous monster covered in dark, obsidian-like scales.
"Ouroboros…"
Outside the Ark, each region had its own ruling lord.
One of them had appeared now.
"Why is that here…?"
Tatiana couldn't understand.
Why would Ouroboros appear here, of all places, where she had come to chase the Turncoat Pawn?
"…It's coming."
Neither Tatiana nor the Belov family members had the strength left to stop Ouroboros.
Their hoverbikes were all buried.
Even if they managed to find one, there was no guarantee a hoverbike swept away by an earthen tsunami would be intact.
Escape was no longer an option.
Ouroboros was approaching.
A predator so overwhelmingly powerful that just looking at it made one's body freeze and knees weaken—coming to destroy everything.
"…This is enough."
If this is her fate,
She would accept it.
Tatiana quietly closed her eyes.
The crushing weight of life that had oppressed her until now—she no longer had to bear it.
So, this was enough.
"Tatiana!"
Sergei's scream rang out, but Tatiana stepped forward instead.
Ouroboros drew nearer.
The tremors it caused were so strong that she could barely stand, yet Tatiana did not stop.
A massive shadow fell over her.
The ruler of the region was bearing down with overwhelming might.
Tatiana was ready to surrender to her fate.
If not for the thing that suddenly flew in from somewhere.
BOOOOOM───!
It struck with a sonic boom, instantly piercing through Ouroboros's scales.
Considering how even heavy artillery couldn't scratch Ouroboros's scales, it was a sight too unbelievable to accept.
[KIEEEEEEEHH!]
In a situation that made no sense, Tatiana saw it.
A figure that had suddenly appeared in front of her.
"Turncoat… Pawn?"
The Turncoat Pawn.
Had appeared before Tatiana.
To protect her.