Thanks for Exalted, Gallerhad and Michael Thunder for becoming as Supporters!
===BREAK===
The War God of the Red Line, Brigadier General Douglas, crumpled to the ground.
No matter how legendary he was, before my overwhelming firepower and Janus' absolute defense, he was just a man.
"A monster…"
Someone muttered.
I didn't bother denying it.
For the sake of my goal, I could become as monstrous as needed.
'Is it over…?'
In truth, the moment I subjugated the Skull Knights, the battle had already been decided.
To be blunt, this entire fight had merely served as a testbed—for the gravity glove and various other abilities. Not once had I ever felt threatened.
"…Even with the general himself stepping in, we couldn't land a scratch?"
"Is he even human…?"
With Douglas down, the others surrendering was a natural next step.
The battle was over.
All that remained… was cleanup.
'Come to think of it… Nameless is nowhere to be seen.'
Where had they gone?
Given their nature, it was entirely possible Nameless had taken on the form of someone within the White Line and had been observing this entire time.
Disguising themselves among others to bide their time was a classic Doppelgänger tactic.
But if even now they hadn't shown themselves, it likely meant they'd vacated the area from the start.
'First things first, I should settle things here.'
Tracking down Nameless was important—but even more pressing was deciding the fate of Douglas and the others.
"…Cough."
"Let's stop this pointless fight. I think the result is clear."
"…It seems we can't go on. So, what now? Are you planning to kill us all?"
"There's no need."
If that had been my goal, I would've taken far simpler measures than restraint.
They were among Ark's elite—even if we stood opposed now, slaughtering them without cause was unacceptable.
"Then… what's your plan?"
"Take me to the White Line. I'll go myself."
"…What?"
The capture of Douglas and his people would be useful in negotiations with the White Line.
But then—
"There's no need for that."
Clack, clack—
The sound of heels echoed from the darkness.
A strangely out-of-place noise amidst the war-ravaged battlefield drew everyone's eyes toward the shadow.
"Ah… Ahh…"
Isabel visibly recoiled as the visitor's identity became clear.
[Don't. Don't. Don't. Don't. Don't. Don't. Don't. Don't. Don't. Don't. Don't. Don't. Don't. Don't. Don't. Don't.]
[It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts.]
[Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it.]
Ether surged violently from Isabel, sweeping across the field.
The sheer pressure contorted the faces of even the White Line's elite.
"Aaagh!"
"My head—it's splitting!"
"Stop it! Enough!"
Yet, through that merciless ether storm, the woman's steps remained unshaken.
As if this meant nothing to her.
"Carl Marcus. Let's finish this conversation—with me."
"Barbara Claudia."
The appearance of Barbara Claudia, a House Representative of the White Line, at the very end of this battle—what could it mean?
"So, you were involved after all."
"Almost everything the White Line does passes through me. Perks of being low on the ladder, I suppose… it's tough."
She offered a flippant smile.
Those who knew her understood—even that was calculated deception.
"Oh dear, the great War God looks terrible. Are you alright?"
She strolled casually toward the collapsed Douglas.
"…I have no excuse."
"Oh, it's fine. Assigning an impossible mission in the first place was our fault. It's not about your lacking ability—it's the higher-ups who failed to see it."
Douglas' face twisted under the sharpness of her condescension.
How often had he—Ark's War God—been addressed like this?
But Barbara Claudia had the rank and authority to do so.
"Hey, isn't that a bit much?! No one told us we'd be facing this kind of monster!"
"Would it have changed anything?"
"What are you saying…?"
"Colonel Emily Croft, your mission ends here. Thank you for your efforts. I'll take over from here."
Barbara patted her on the shoulder with a faint smile.
Objectively, Colonel Croft could match Barbara in raw power—but status was another matter.
"Enough with the jokes."
"Oh? Was I joking? I'm just concerned about those who suffered during this operation."
"You came here for a reason, didn't you?"
Barbara's smile finally faded.
"Indeed. At first, I meant only to deliver a mild warning to the Young Lady… but with things as they are, that's pointless now. You said you had business with the White Line? Then let's talk."
"You're saying you can speak for the White Line?"
"Hmm, not officially—but I can act as their spokesperson."
She scanned the area.
"Shall we move elsewhere? This isn't really the best place for a private talk."
"No. We talk here."
I'd just gone through the trouble of subduing their top brass. Letting them go would be wasteful.
Barbara's side wouldn't make any rash moves with their people still in custody.
"Hm… fine. There are a few too many eyes around, but keeping things quiet isn't too hard."
She raised her hand—an unfamiliar type of barrier spread from her wrist.
Unlike any plasma shield I'd seen.
If anything, it felt more like ether than technology.
["Master, this is…"]
Esther responded instantly.
And since she wasn't the type to praise Ark tech, it meant this wasn't just a regular barrier.
"Not a normal shield, huh."
"It's an ether amplifier. One of the many byproducts from the White Line's long research."
"An ether amplifier…"
I had never heard of such tech within Ark.
A device that harnessed ether itself.
I might now be brushing against the White Line's true nature—a part of Ark I had never reached before.
"Of course, someone like the young lady could easily break through this and eavesdrop. But… there's nothing to hide from her."
Isabel flinched.
"…Ngh."
Just hearing her name caused such a visceral reaction…
Her trauma around Barbara Claudia seemed far deeper than I'd expected.
"What exactly was Project Eve?"
"Straight to the point? Fine. At this point, I don't have much choice."
Even so, Barbara remained utterly composed.
By all logic, this battlefield was dangerous for her.
Douglas' team was in ruins. Isabel and I remained unharmed.
Yet she had walked into this—because all of it was part of her plan.
"Project Eve was meant to control the massive ether surge at Mount Noah… That's about what you know, right?"
"I won't deny it."
I knew more—but I had no reason to show my full hand yet.
Cross-verifying intel was standard.
"You're not wrong. The aim of Project Eve was to control the ether surge at Mount Noah."
"So, the surge was a result of Project Noah?"
"Hmm… I wasn't going to say it, but I won't deny it."
She acknowledged it—despite it clearly being a massive secret.
"What was Project Eve's true goal? Why did you need Eve?"
"That's what you really want to know, isn't it? Fine. You believe Project Eve was about ether control—but that was just a phase."
"A phase?"
"Yes. Ultimately, what we wanted… was to obtain the Great Will."
"…What?"
To obtain… the Great Will?
That means…
"…Are you saying the Great Will actually exists?"
"Of course. It's not just a religious symbol. It's real—and its influence pervades this world. One of the clearest signs? That massive ether surge at Mount Noah."
It was hard to process.
The Great Will wasn't just myth—it existed. And the White Line had tried to control it?
A challenge to godhood itself.
"Unfortunately, Project Eve was a failure. We tried to control the Great Will… but Eve ended up subjugated instead. Now, there's barely a line between them."
"Subjugated?"
"Yes. It's unfortunate. Project Eve might've been the one shot at saving Ark from its doomed fate."
That wasn't something I could brush off.
Especially after seeing what Project Eve had done to Isabel.
'Isabel longs to return to humanity's home. Does that mean… it's the will of the Great Will?'
Why would the Great Will want to return to humanity's origin?
I had to know now.
If it truly existed, what was it?
"What exactly is the Great Will? Why did Project Eve want it?"
"Well…"
Barbara's smile deepened.
"To put it simply… it's God."
"…What?"
"What? Didn't you already know? Some religions literally worship the Great Will."
"I mean… yes, but…"
She wasn't wrong.
Groups like the Church of Morte worshiped the Great Will.
But those were just fringe cults.
To say it was actually real—that was another story.
"Can something like God really exist?"
In a world like this, it was plausible.
But still—the word carried weight.
"Ah, I misspoke. It's not God in the omniscient, omnipotent sense. It's more like… something close to God. Closer to created than creator, actually."
"…What does that mean?"
"Sadly, that's all I can say. If you want more… come to the White Line. That's where your answers lie."
"You should tell me everything right here."
Barbara grinned.
"No need to get scary. I would, but I'm only allowed to say so much. I've already overstepped. But hey—I'm still breathing, right? That means the higher-ups are okay with it."
"Permission… What a joke. You think I care about that?"
The only reason I could force info out of her now was because I had their soldiers in custody.
If I let her go with nothing gained, there might never be another chance.
"If you try to force me, you'll regret it. My head might just—pop! You'd be amazed what people stick in a person's brain."
"You think I'll believe that?"
"Ask the ghost girl. With her level, I'm sure she can scan my brain."
Esther flinched.
"Long time no see, little miss. Still remember when you used to play with Eve?"
["Creepy old lady…"]
"Old lady? Ouch. You're much older than you look, you know."
["Bleh. Whatever, grandma."]
Clearly, Esther had no love for Barbara either.
'Is she telling the truth?'
Esther quickly scanned her.
["Yes, I just checked. There's a weird chip in her brain."]
'Can you remove it?'
["…No. Whatever they did, the chip feels like one of your experimental bullets. If I mess with it… I'll disappear."]
She even had ether protections inside her brain…
If that was the White Line's doing, it meant Barbara was at least partly telling the truth.
"May I go now? My schedule's piling up. I'm quite busy, you know."
"You think I'll just let you go?"
"I think you have to. Kronos Union has been making suspicious moves lately."
"Suspicious moves?"
Barbara said flatly—
"The Kronos Union has made contact with the Church of Morte. We don't know why yet… but Ark should prepare for the worst."
===BREAK===
Like the story and want more chapters?
Join and support me by joining my Patreon!
[email protected]/SiRoasa