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===BREAK===
"Kronos Union… contacted the Church of Morte?"
"Yes. That's also why I need to leave now."
The chance of it being a lie was low.
No matter how urgent Barbara Claudia's situation was, there was no point in telling a lie that would be easily exposed. Not because I trusted her, but because if this were just a convenient falsehood, she'd have chosen a much more efficient one.
"Do you have any idea why?"
"Hard to say. But I do know Miss Lania Marcus was actively involved."
"…Lania?"
As far as I knew, the Kronos Union had no reason to engage with the Church of Morte.
The Church was essentially public enemy number one of humanity—among cults, it was the cult of cults. On top of that, their relationship with the Kronos Union had always been… abysmal.
Which made sense.
The Ark, at least, was powerful enough that even the Church didn't approach carelessly. But the Kronos Union mostly led nomadic lifestyles, not unlike the Church, which meant frequent friction—and years of animosity.
So why… would the Kronos Union reach out to them now?
And why would Lania, who loathed the Church more than anyone, take the lead?
'I don't understand.'
At one point, I believed I knew nearly everything about this world.
Even if some secrets remained, I thought I understood everything related to The Defense Clear.
That… had been a mistake.
What I knew was just the surface. And the reason I had never cleared the dreaded 99th stage—made sense now.
There were still too many secrets in this world.
And I had to uncover them.
"Seems you don't know the reason either, Carl Marcus. I was hoping you might."
"…There's no need to worry. The Kronos Union is an ally of Ark. They wouldn't do anything to harm us."
"I hope so, too."
Given how things had played out, I no longer had a reason to hold Barbara Claudia here.
Even if I forced her to talk, there was no guarantee I'd get anything more—and her head might quite literally explode.
Killing a White Line House Representative? That would hand the White Line the perfect justification to erase me.
I had no choice.
"Oh, one more thing."
"You have more to say?"
"You handled the Machine Cult matter well. Didn't you say you wanted something in return?"
"I want N-1 level access."
"Oh… I see. That's a reasonable ask for someone like you."
N-1 access—essentially the highest clearance for Ark's armory.
In other words, access to tactical nuclear weapons.
"Can you make that happen?"
"Hm… just a moment."
She fiddled with the device on her wrist.
"Approved."
"…That was surprisingly simple."
"I do have that much authority."
That was an understatement.
Granting clearance to deploy nuclear arms—just like that?
Barbara Claudia's authority far exceeded anything I'd imagined.
"And besides, we've already analyzed your loyalty. Carl Marcus, you've given a lot to Ark. If nothing else, we're sure you'd never turn your weapons on us."
"And how can you be sure?"
"It's not certainty. It's faith."
She smiled faintly.
Fitting for a White Line Representative—she knew how to handle people.
"Well then, I'll take my leave. You won't try to stop me now, will you? I'm not a fan of clingy men."
"…Go."
There was nothing to gain by holding her here.
Better to prepare for the next opportunity.
"You made the right call."
Barbara glanced sideways.
"Let's head back now. Please prepare, General."
"…Understood."
At her gesture, Douglas—who had just finished emergency treatment—stood up.
True to Ark's advanced medical tech, his wounds looked nearly gone, though he clearly wasn't combat-ready.
"...."
Isabel stood frozen, staring in silence.
She hadn't spoken a word during their entire conversation.
Like a frog before a snake.
Like prey before a predator.
She could only stare at where Barbara had been.
["Commander…"]
Esther, who knew Isabel better than anyone, could only watch her with sorrowful eyes.
"...."
I too could only fall into thought.
Everything was tangled.
The White Line's long silence now broken.
The Church of Morte, worshipers of the Great Will.
The Kronos Union reaching out to them.
It couldn't all be coincidence.
'No… impossible.'
The sudden movements from Kronos and Lania were likely linked to the White Line's recent activity.
Not that I could complain.
After all, it was my actions that triggered this change.
"…Until next time."
"Next time, I won't be the same. I'll be far more prepared."
"Take care of the Young Lady. If anything happens to someone with that level of ether affinity, it'll be a huge loss to Ark."
Douglas, Colonel Croft, and Colonel Belova began their retreat.
Barbara, just before leaving, turned around.
"Hm."
Her eyes locked onto Isabel.
The moment their gazes met, the air turned cold—dead silent.
"Eve… no, Young Lady."
She smiled warmly at Isabel.
"I just realized—I never greeted you. It was nice seeing you again. Brought back memories. How are you these days? That adorable little girl… now such a fine lady. It's touching."
"…You think you have the right to say that to me?"
"Does a greeting require rights? If anything… I think I do. Who do you think gave you the power you have now?"
Barbara smiled like she meant every word.
Isabel, on the other hand, only grew colder.
"Someday… I'll end you. With my own hands."
"How cruel. I've always liked you, you know."
"…Don't make me laugh."
The brief exchange ended, and Barbara turned to leave.
"Oh, come to think of it… have you met the others?"
"…Others?"
"Haven't, I see. Never mind then."
She waved it off as nothing.
But Isabel wasn't buying it.
"Wait. What do you mean? I don't have any friends."
"It's nothing. Just thought… maybe the ones who went before you had spoken to you."
"…What?"
Isabel's face went stiff.
It didn't take long to understand what she meant.
The victims of Project Eve.
Barbara was referring to them.
"I've talked too much. Must've been the nostalgia. I'll be going."
She whispered faintly—
"My dear Eve."
Her laughter echoed faintly.
Isabel didn't move.
Or rather, she seemed frozen.
["…Commander?"]
Something felt wrong.
Esther, the first to notice, called to her—but received no answer.
"…Ah."
Isabel's lips moved.
Ether stirred.
"What was that?"
Barbara turned around, puzzled.
Then Isabel's lips moved again, and this time—
"Stop."
[Die.]
Her voice and ether echoed in unison.
It happened too quickly for me to react.
"…Wha?"
Barbara never understood what happened.
And she never would.
She would never have another chance.
Crack, crack!
Something tore and shattered.
Anyone with eyes and ears could tell—it was flesh and bone.
Thud, thud!
What once was Barbara Claudia rained down in bloody chunks.
Everyone was frozen in place.
"Wh-what…"
Even Douglas, the War God, couldn't hide his shock.
Barbara Claudia—one of the most powerful people in the White Line—was dead.
Just like that.
"What… have you done?!"
Douglas charged in fury, but the sudden ether surge repelled him like a ragdoll.
KRAKKA-BOOM!
"Guh!"
Despite his injuries, to see the legendary War God thrown aside like that was unbelievable.
Such overwhelming ether.
"General!"
"Sir! Are you alright?!"
Emily and Belova rushed to his side.
"…He's okay. Just unconscious, though his injuries are serious."
Emily checked his condition.
["Commander…?"]
Even Esther was stunned, glancing at Isabel with trembling eyes.
"…So, this was all it was."
[Boring. Boring. Boring. Boring. Boring. Boring. Boring. Boring.]
Isabel murmured, smiling bitterly as she stared into the void.
The ether swirling around her… was no longer around her.
It was within her.
'Something's different.'
I could feel it—instinctively.
That… wasn't Isabel.
It was something else, wearing her face.
'No way…'
There was only one possibility.
And then, as if in response, Isabel looked straight at me.
"Carl."
[Marcus.]
Her voice and ether intermingled—one, in unison.
A grotesque harmony, as if she'd become one with ether itself.
"…So that's how it is."
Project Eve was meant to control the Great Will.
But Barbara Claudia said it had failed.
The reason was simple.
Isabel hadn't controlled the Great Will.
She had become its servant.
Then this being before me—it could only be one thing.
"The Great Will."
At last…
I stood before it.
===BREAK===
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