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===BREAK===
"Wait here."
[Kihehe!]
Having arrived above the Kronos Union, I leapt from Horus, who was flying at a staggering altitude.
Maybe it was because I'd done this kind of thing so often, but even Esther didn't react anymore to me jumping from such a height.
The ground was rapidly approaching.
Normally, I would have landed safely—but what greeted me this time was something entirely different.
Chiiing, chkk—
Missile launchers began revealing themselves from the ground all at once.
The Kronos Union's natural fortress had always been equipped with anti-air systems, but they weren't sensitive enough to react to something as small as a person.
Their radar systems simply weren't that advanced.
In other words, the activation of the anti-air defense now meant the Kronos Union had installed a new missile defense system through its recent trade with the Ark.
"Tsk."
It felt like a betrayal—repaying kindness with hostility—but considering how I suddenly approached through this route, I couldn't entirely blame them. I twisted my body and activated the Z-74 jetpack.
I had no intention of just sitting still and taking a missile hit.
VROOOOOOOM!───
As if it had been waiting, the ground-based missile launchers immediately fired.
Two missiles launched.
It seemed the defense algorithm had classified me as a small aerial-type.
'Taking them down wouldn't be hard…'
But that would trigger a high-risk alert from the Kronos Union.
There was no need to cause a commotion, so I activated Rift Shift mid-descent.
[Activating 'Rift Shift'.]
[Rift Shift] allowed me to bypass space itself.
Naturally, I would appear to have disappeared and reappeared on the anti-air radar, disrupting the missile trajectories and slowing them down.
'Now.'
I didn't intend to waste the opportunity. I drew my gravity gauntlet.
[Target set.]
[Gravity control.]
Kiiing—!
A gravitational field burst from the gauntlet and instantly snagged the missiles.
It wasn't easy to catch objects with that much mass and speed, but the temporary disruption had slowed them enough to make it possible.
'No need to waste perfectly usable equipment.'
I gently set the captured missiles down onto the ground with the gravity gauntlet.
Their boosters were likely spent, but that was something easily rechargeable.
'I've arrived, it seems.'
Pshhh...
The Z-74 Jetpack powered down.
Perhaps because of the commotion, Kronos Union guards surrounded me the moment I landed.
"Surrender quietly. If you resist, we will open fire."
Quite the grand welcome.
They looked ready to pull the trigger at the slightest provocation.
"Identify yourself. What's your purpose for coming here?"
"I'm Carl Marcus. I'm here to meet someone."
The guard's eyes widened.
"…Marcus? Are you perhaps related to Lady Lania Marcus?"
"That's right."
Thankfully, it seemed Lania's influence within the Kronos Union had grown. The guards exchanged uncertain glances.
At this rate, she might soon seize the position of second-in-command I'd known her to hold.
'Well, to be honest, her influence already seems close to that.'
I wasn't keen on saying it aloud, but if you asked who had contributed the most to the alliance between the Ark and the Kronos Union, everyone would point to me.
And Lania Marcus, as my sister, had served as the communication bridge between us.
It wasn't hard to imagine her influence had only grown stronger since then.
"…A verification process is necessary. Please wait a moment."
The guards approached with Ark-grade scanners and began to scan me.
Beep—
"Verification complete. You are indeed Carl Marcus. May I ask what brings you to our Union today?"
"I'd like to meet with Lania."
"Lady Lania… Please wait just a moment. I will bring our commanding officer."
"Understood."
Whether it was thanks to Lania's influence or my own reputation, the guards were surprisingly cooperative.
Better than expected, considering I'd feared some sort of conflict.
["Surprisingly compliant."]
'I'm not the Kronos Union's enemy. At least… not right now.'
["What do you mean 'not right now'?"]
'You'll see soon enough.'
While waiting for the commanding officer, I gazed out at the natural fortress of the Kronos Union—formed by rugged mountain terrain.
At first glance, it looked no different from before, but upon closer inspection, there were clear changes.
This mountainous area had always been a natural fortress surrounded by tall peaks and jagged rocks.
The entrance was narrow and elongated, with thick rock walls on both sides.
Inside, there was a small patch of land where vegetation grew.
Even in a naturally fortified location like this, I now spotted turret installations embedded in launch ports across the terrain.
The Kronos Union's defenses had significantly advanced.
'They're definitely equipped to survive beyond the Ark.'
As I examined the fortress, a figure approached—clearly the commanding officer.
His uniform was distinctly different from the other soldiers.
"You must be Carl Marcus. A pleasure. I'm Salvatore. I hear you're here to meet with Lady Lania?"
"That's right."
"I'm sorry, but Lady Lania is unavailable. She's currently occupied with other matters."
"Occupied, huh… What kind of matters?"
Under normal circumstances, I might have let that go. But I had come here precisely because I'd heard about the Kronos Union's contact with the Church of Morte.
If Lania's absence was related to that, I needed to see it for myself.
"I cannot disclose that. It pertains to Union-level classified matters, and I'm sure you understand—no matter your relation to Lady Lania, you are still an outsider."
"Just tell me where she is. I'll go to her myself."
"I'm afraid I cannot allow that."
"It's important."
"So is this."
Whether it was his professionalism or something else, Salvatore didn't back down one inch.
"I see. Then I'll find her myself."
As I turned to leave—
As if waiting for that exact moment, Salvatore and the other Union soldiers surrounded me.
"You are not permitted to leave."
The intent was clear.
They were preventing me from reaching Lania.
"Is there a reason to stop me? It's just an older brother wanting to see his sister."
"If you wait here, Lady Lania will return once her business is concluded."
"My business is just as urgent."
"I must ask again, respectfully—please wait here."
Respectful in words, but Salvatore's tone was clearly forceful.
This wasn't a request. It was a threat.
If they were going to talk like this, then I wasn't going to respond politely either.
"What if I refuse?"
"Even if you are Lady Lania's relative, we won't tolerate disrespect."
"You think you can stop me?"
"Would you like to find out?"
Well then…
My reputation only extended as far as the Ark. Outside of it, I was merely known as Lania Marcus's kin.
Sure, I'd helped forge the Ark-Union alliance, run the Silk Road operations, and more—but those were only footprints, not a full picture of who I was.
It wasn't strange they underestimated me.
"Amusing."
No need for words.
Only action.
[Target acquired.]
[Activating gravity inversion.]
Kiiing!
The gravitational field emitted from the gauntlet flipped Salvatore and the soldiers upside down.
"What the—! We detected no signs of an attack!"
"Of course not."
The gravity gauntlet was not powered by ether.
It was pure science.
That meant even those highly sensitive to ether wouldn't sense a thing.
Naturally, I didn't plan to stop there. I reached out again.
[Deploying magnetic field.]
Kiiiiing!
The magnetic field burst from the gauntlet, pulling the weapons from Salvatore and his men.
In an instant, they were disarmed.
Dangling upside down and stripped of weapons, they couldn't do a thing.
"This is impossible... What the hell did you just do?!"
"Where's Lania?"
"You think I'll tell you? Kill me instead."
"No need for that. If you won't tell me, I'll find her myself."
Just as I called for Esther—
"…Do not underestimate us!"
Salvatore's furious roar was followed by a rush of heat from nowhere.
It wasn't my imagination.
["Master!"]
A burst of sacred fire erupted around Salvatore and surged toward me.
A clear sign of miraculous power, completely outside the realm of normality.
I knew what it was.
In fact, it was impossible not to know.
"A blessing, huh."
A "blessing."
One of the miraculous powers of this world—and the clearest proof of the Church of Morte.
[How dare you. How dare you. How dare you. How dare you. How dare you. How dare you. How dare you. How dare you. How dare you. How dare you. How dare you. How dare you.]
Esther's ether barrier blocked the flames of the blessing with ease.
But the fire was a feint.
During the distraction, Salvatore and the other soldiers broke free from the gravitational hold and widened the distance.
"You're with the Church of Morte."
"…Technically, I'm a former member. Unchecked fanaticism devours reason."
"You talk big."
Was it truly coincidence that a former Morte follower was the one stopping me in the heart of the Union, just when I'd come to investigate their contact?
I doubted it.
And I had no reason to believe they were former anything.
"Keep going. Let's see just how far your 'blessing' can take you."
It didn't matter if they were former or current members of the Church.
Meeting Lania—
That was why I had come here.
'Esther, get ready.'
Just then—
"Cease this at once, brothers."
A voice echoed from somewhere.
Normally, I wouldn't have cared about an interruption—but something about this voice made me freeze.
'Who is that?'
It was strangely familiar.
I turned my head instinctively—and saw a face I recognized.
'That man is...'
Archbishop Amos Aster.
One of the top three leaders of the Church of Morte.
The head of the colossal Gaishara Branch had appeared—right in the heart of the Kronos Union.
===BREAK===
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