In war, the aftermath is just as important as the battle itself.
If corpses are left on the battlefield, they can decay and beco sources of infection.
Also, abandoned military uniforms, equipnt, and weapons can all be recycled.
After the ceasefire was declared by the command, most of Violet’s unit headed towards the forward base.
"Hey, command! Didn’t we just finish fighting? Why are we still fighting?"
"Command says, it’s not a fight when we’re just dealing with them."
At the point where the elite forces of the Magna Nabis had been wiped out, dealing with the remaining beasts and federal army ghouls was more about clearing them out or handling them than fighting.
Compared to the enemies we just faced, they were far too weak. We could just charge in and overwhelm them with numbers.
Though the number of enemies had decreased a bit due to the battle, we still had nearly a thousand soldiers, and with the help of the map, we could cleanly handle any remaining threats in the area.
Tatatatang!
"Take out all the ones marked on the map!"
"I’ll mark the green positions. Try to capture the federal soldiers alive! We need to take their weapons."
With a rumbling sound, Rugilinn’s iron fist and the second vehicle moved forward.
The two tanks, which had been blocking the retreat and serving as shields, had their front armor scorched and dented, but they continued to perform their duties.
"My friends are tough!"
Survivors who had walked out from behind the barricades sighed as they saw us.
"Those many enemies were taken out in an instant..."
"Oh my god, this really is the Vanguard. Look at their gear, their armor and helts!"
While leading the people back to the forward base, a collection operation was taking place in the Lion’s Fountain Square.
Violet No. 432, who had been rummaging through the corpses, lifted up a sealed helt that looked like a fish tank.
"Wow! This is Vanguard armor!"
"That helt is huge!"
"It’s broken. But let’s grab it for now."
When our friends saw us, they were stunned and muttered one sentence.
"What have we been doing until now?"
"Yeah, I’m not sure if we were of any help..."
"No, guys! You’ve been a huge help."
I comforted my friends, who were laughing helplessly. They had just witnessed our complete annihilation of the enemy up close and were a bit disheartened.
Most of the casualties lying here were likely caused by the Violets.
Still, it’s a good thing that none of us were disturbed by the sight of all the bodies in the square.
There were so who were still barely alive among them.
That’s what awakened beings are like. They have stronger and more resilient life forces than normal humans. So of them were caught in bombings, but they weren’t as destroyed as one would expect.
So, even while the Violets were collecting items, they didn’t forget to deliver the finishing blows.
A low groan ca from the floor.
"Cough..."
"Look here! A survivor!"
Surprisingly, the leader of the zealots was still alive. His body was severely scorched, looking like charcoal, but his chest was still rising and falling, and he was mumbling sothing.
"Ah... no, the holy war..."
"Should we kill him?"
"Not yet. Let’s take him in front of the people and execute him. He’s a war criminal, after all."
The catastrophe was caused by the clan bastards, but these zealots weren’t exactly good people either.
I inserted a recovery serum into his neck and had him carried on a stretcher.
The bizarre golden crown he was wearing fell to the ground with a clanging sound.
"What’s this? It’s broken."
The crown, shaped like a ring, had been shattered into several pieces.
Seeing the na appear on the status window, I deduced that this zealot must have used it to control the beasts.
"Let’s just take it for now."
As we continued searching through the bodies, the Violets began to feel sothing strange. Sothing that should have been there was missing.
"Let’s see, there are six Vanguard bodies here... Where did that one go?"
"Did it explode? But it’s strange... shouldn’t there be at least a strand of hair?"
A unit-level group of Violets had collected the bodies in the square and laid them out, but we couldn’t find the distinctive red hair anywhere.
The last ti we saw her, she had been near the fountain, impaled by a spear and had her arm severed.
There was no trace of her , not even if she had been vaporized by the bombing or burned.
"This is strange. Did she teleport or sothing?"
"Let’s search for her!"
The Violet in charge of the network, Zhuge Liang Violet, scread after hearing the news.
"No! It’s like Horo-Gok, a failure. She definitely ran away like Samai!"
The unit mbers searched the area.
Then, one Violet found sothing strange. Near the passage leading to the upper forward base, there was a trail of blood.
But there were no bodies around.
The blood trail scattered across the alley. Command issued an order.
"All Ward Violets near the upper part of the Lion’s Fountain Square and the forward base, pay attention! Report any strange movents imdiately!"
Ward Violets brought large spotlights and searched the surroundings by looking down from the rooftops. A glider squad flew overhead, dropping flares.
"There! Sothing’s moving!"
One Ward Violet pointed the spotlight, and the bloodstains, as if freshly fallen, glistened.
Soon, a search team appeared around Violet and descended. With tactical lights on, they illuminated the area, and a faint figure entered the building.
"What is that, a ghost?"
"If it’s a ghost, let’s chase it away!"
As soon as we entered the building, we fired off our triggers without hesitation. A bullet sparked in mid-air, followed by a brief scream.
The familiar red-haired woman appeared right in front of us.
"Indeed, our suspicions weren’t wrong!"
"How did you...?"
"There’s no one in this world who can escape from our pursuit. Surrender!"
"Don’t make laugh!"
Violets, ard with guns, slowly approached her, wielding hamrs. She raised her remaining right arm and fired a magic bolt. I flinched in surprise.
Even though she had lost her left arm, Lera’s resistance was fierce.
"Ugh! She’s charging at us! Charge!"
Inside the building, the arrest team holding shields rushed in, crushing her down.
They tried to tie her limbs with ropes and chains, but the enemy thrashed wildly.
"Let go of !"
"Ugh! Why is she so strong?!"
"She’s escaping!"
I don’t know where she found the strength, but Lera sohow broke free from the arrest team and tried to run in the opposite direction.
How dare she resist our non-violent attempt to arrest her, despite being a war criminal? Feeling disgusted, the Violet mbers raised their electromagnetic rifles and aid them.
Tutu-tung!
"AAAHHH!"
A blue flash filled the living room. Both of her legs were completely shattered.
"Ugh..."
The Violet arrest team tied a tourniquet around Lera’s legs, then placed her on a stretcher. They didn’t forget to securely tie her up to prevent any further escape attempts.
"Her condition’s bad, she’s trying to run to the afterlife!"
"Let’s quickly get her to Daphne. Where does she think she’s running?"
The woman was struggling in the darkness. A mont of her life flashed before her eyes like a broken film.
It hurts. My left arm feels like it’s burning in fire. My stomach, my legs, it feels like they’re being torn apart. It hurts so much.
’So, why am I here again?’
"What’s with all that blood? My god, her condition..."
"Daphne! She’s going to die if we don’t fix her quickly!"
Her business had collapsed. Her parents cried. Mom and Dad had worked so hard. She didn’t want to see that.
She studied hard. By chance, she discovered she was an Awakened, but she had no great talent. Instead, she was advised to pursue research.
With the professor’s recomndation, she even received support and went through a graduate program.
Ti passed like an arrow, and soon, she was staring at her thirties.
"Duct tape, huh? Why didn’t you just stick it on easier to remove?"
"Bandages weren’t enough. Her limbs are like this, and her stomach’s ruptured."
She got into a research job through a recomndation from soone she knew. The prestigious 4th Clan. Slowly, life started to unfold.
High numbers appeared in her bank account.
She took her family to a fancy restaurant after a long ti. Her parents cried again. She got promoted.
"Please organize the tools here. I’ll take care of the rest."
She had heard of secret, dangerous experints happening within the Clan. It sounded like a rumor.
She was sent on a field assignnt. She was told it would affect her performance review.
She saw people dying. She was told to get used to it. She was scared but endured.
She was ordered to activate an illegal artifact.
She protested, saying it was too dangerous, but her colleagues laughed at her. Her superior pressured her.
If she didn’t do as told, she wouldn’t leave here easily.
When the corpses from earlier flashed into her mind, fear gripped her. A devil whispered in her head.
’There’s no choice. Just do as told. You have to survive, right? Everything will be fine.’
People died.
Soldiers, holding their heads in agony, turned into ghouls. Beasts broke through the defense line. The forward base collapsed.
’No, that’s not what I did!’
She defended herself. It was inevitable, she was just doing as ordered.
Another sharp pain pierced through her.
A woman, far in the darkness, approached and whispered.
"Don’t make excuses. You’re an accomplice, aren’t you? You made those people die."
She heard screams in her ears. "Save , why did you do that? It’s your fault."
The cold truth pierced her heart like a knife, and tears stread down her face.
"...That’s right. It’s because of . I’m sorry... I’m sorry."
She begged for forgiveness, but the woman laughed and shoved her back. She fell into the darkness.
’Is this how I’m going to die?’
It hurts, what’s going to happen to now?
She had done many bad things, so she would probably go to hell. She had sinned, and it was right for her to be punished.
Accepting the truth, she finally felt at ease.
Suddenly, her parents’ faces appeared in her mind. What will Mom and Dad do?
Terrified, she struggled.
No, I don’t want to die. I want to see my mom. Please, save !
"I’m really such a selfish bitch..."
"I’m sorry. I want to live. I’m sorry. But please, soone save . I’ve never even had a proper relationship. I’m still here, and... "
“Huff...!”
Ennis exhaled heavily as she rose from the camp bed. dical staff were walking around her.
The silver-haired girl, hearing the noise, turned her head. Her blue eyes traced a soft arc as she looked at Ennis.
"Don’t worry. This is just a forward base."
"Forward base? Ugh..."
Ennis tried to stand but felt a sharp pain. The girl gently laid her back down and spoke in a soft yet firm tone.
"Just lie down and rest for now. You’ve been treated, but it’s not fully healed yet."
Only then did Ennis realize her condition. Bandages were wrapped around her stomach, legs, and arms.
‘My arm...’
Even her left arm was back in place. It should have been severed earlier.
"It’s a good thing it wasn’t worse. If I didn’t have experience healing my friends, it would have been difficult to fix completely. Once you’re out of here, go to the hospital and rest well. And..."
As the girl continued explaining, other girls dressed in black entered the temporary dical ward, carrying a stretcher.
"Daphne! Hurry, we need to fix this one. She’s going to break!"
"Lay her down here. What about her legs and arms?"
The girl in black whispered sothing to the silver-haired girl. Her previously warm eyes turned cold as she gazed at the patient.
"I see. You didn’t find the body parts? Oh dear, they’re lost, huh? Well, nothing can be done then..."
Ennis glanced at the neighboring bed. A woman, who appeared to have been seriously injured, was receiving treatnt. The silver-haired girl worked diligently but her movents were rough.
‘Who is she? She looks familiar…’
While recovering the forward base and waiting for the rescue team and elevator, representatives of the surviving clans and soldiers gathered in the conference room of a temporary building.
At the highest position sat Violet. Considering our performance, this was the only proper arrangent.
"Filming is ready. One, two, three. Start!"
I splashed water on the vice student council president’s head. Lera groggily opened her eyes with a groan.
"Hey, war criminal. Get up!"
The monitor in the conference room showed the opposite warehouse. The person tied to a chair struggled to lift their head.
"I’ll give you a heads up. If you try anything funny, I’m pressing this. See the red button?"
I threatened the person by holding a red switch in front of their face.
Currently, this person’s body was covered in bombs. If necessary, I could turn the vice president into a tomato ketchup ss.
They were trapped in a warehouse. Due to the Vision Prism incident, the decision was made to interrogate prisoners from a distance and lock them up.
There was also a asure to prevent violence. Outside, countless people were ready to tear the prisoner apart.
"Ugh... get out of here!"
Lera began thrashing the mont she woke up.
She was still full of energy, but she had ropes, chains, duct tape wrapped around her, and even the chains of will, so she was absolutely unable to escape.
I watched her struggles with my arms crossed.
As she continued to cause chaos, she must have sensed sothing was wrong, as her eyes slowly widened.
‘You fool. Realized it, huh!’
"What did you do to ...?"
Instead of answering, I pulled out the prepared mirror and showed it to her. Upon seeing her reflection, Lera’s eyes filled with horror.
"My, my leg...!"
It couldn’t be helped. In the mirror, the only thing attached to her body was her right arm.
Her left arm had been severed by the brain spear earlier, and her legs had been mangled by an electromagnetic rifle during the capture.
‘They must have fallen off during transport, right?’
‘If it were Daphne, she would have managed to attach them sohow. Though, we’d need sothing to do that...’
We chuckled.
Currently, her two legs were neatly packed and stored in our inventory.
Thanks to the multidinsional bag’s properties, which preserve everything except living organisms as though ti had stopped, they should be fresh.
An imnsely wicked but amusing thought occurred to .
‘Let’s take the legs and neck to the student council president! They’ll love it, right?’
ntioning the student council president seed to rile her up, so I was curious about their relationship. Would she get angry, or would she handle it coolly?
"Damn it..."
"Why are you so mad? If you get prosthetic arms and legs, it’ll be fine! Even the Vanguard people have chanical limbs, what’s the big deal? With ti, you could even regenerate them."
"…"
"Now, I’m going to ask. Lera Velleston. Why did you target the Vision Prism?"
She shut her mouth and glared at .
"If you don’t answer, I’ll sell you off to the Stygian Lane gang. You know that, right? They’re all perverts there."
The Violet squad, outside the warehouse, mocked her while ntioning the notorious dark alleys. She trembled with rage.
"Or should I throw you to those people outside? Those people will make a ss of you. Like a toy!..."
I had threatened her several tis, but as a well-trained professional agent, he didn’t respond to even the crude threats.
"Dear, young lady. That comnt is rather disappointing."
"What do you an?"
The chubby man, who had been watching the scene in the eting room, suddenly spoke up.
"Do you think our employees are the type to pick up cigarette butts from the ground and smoke them? They are all decent people with hos and children."
"Exactly! People like that wouldn’t even take money to get rid of! Haha!"
Others sitting at the edges of the room lightly chid in.
"Ah, I’m so sorry…!"
How could this happen? I had treated ordinary people like dark alleyway perverts from red-light districts.
Now that things had reached this point, there was only one solution.
We pulled out a wire, connected it to her, and flipped the switch on the wall.
"Lightning Bolt!"
"Ahhhhhh!"
We watched for a while, but Leira didn’t say a word.
People started to get bored, and Captain Harbor turned off the monitor in the eting room.
"Well, this was to be expected. A clan’s elite agent isn’t going to open up easily under torture. Let’s get to the point."
We began the eting. Opinions were exchanged on how to respond to the recent incident.
"We should officially protest and inform the dia, the Inspection Bureau, and the Federation! Even though it’s a major clan, this has crossed the line!"
"They attacked a Federation soldier. This is clearly an act of terrorism."
"Let’s inform our other allies and take action. If we unite, even a huge clan won’t be able to deal with us!"
The field representatives from the smaller clans who had been hard, along with Captain Klein, spoke up. The opinions mostly gathered around giving Magna Nabis a blow.
Captain Harbor, who had been watching silently, finally spoke up.
"But who will bell the cat?"
"..."
The clan mbers closed their mouths, only exchanging wary glances. Captain Klein stood up.
"The Federation army won’t stay quiet. I’ll report this to my superiors once we leave the dungeon. Surely, so action will..."
"Captain, it’s Magna Nabis. The clan with the great mage. You might know, but the Federation got a heavy blow from that war hero once. It won’t be easy for us to move."
When the captain explained seriously, Klein grimaced and sat back down.
"A mage gave us trouble? What’s that supposed to an?"
"So, do you have an alternative? Right now, all you’re doing is opposing things without offering any solutions!"
"That’s right! Cowardly bastard!"
Captain Harbor, who had been criticized, finally lost his temper and exploded in anger.
"Damn it, let’s look at reality logically. Atlas lost most of our clan assets and personnel this ti. How are we supposed to fight those bastards in this state? Do you think I don’t want revenge?"
When the issue of how to deal with the massive clan ca up, people started to waver.
Soon, an argunt broke out.
"What a bunch of idiots, then I’ll step up. Let’s settle this with a duel!"
"Hah, like I’d accept. What can the freelance representative do? Hell, even the title of independent business representative is laughable. You’re just a random nobody!"
"What? What did you just say? You pig!"
As the shouting continued, the eting room door suddenly burst open. All eyes turned to the door.
"I’m sorry I’m late. I had to check on the condition of the junior students. Excuse , but may I have a chance to speak?"
"Adela!"
Adela flashed a wink as she walked into the eting room, placing a signaling device and a black box on the desk.
"Earlier, the military forces of Magna Nabis tried to track , Adela Cascadia, using a dinsional signal device and attempted harm."
"That’s right, Adela was here!"
Adela wasn’t speaking as the president of the Aegis Academy’s student council, but as the heir to an old noble family.
"I won’t let this matter slide. I consider this an outright challenge and threat to the Cascadia family. As soon as I return to my family, I will report this to the head of the family and the elders. I will request all possible ans of response during that process."
Everyone held their breath at her words. Captain Harbor quietly spoke up.
"Are you sure… this is okay?"
"Okay? Innocent people have died. Moreover, they are clearly scheming with dangerous artifacts. Whatever their plan is, we cannot just let it go!"
Soone asked.
"...I appreciate you wanting to lead, but a war will break out."
Adela replied in a tone far colder than I had ever heard from her.
"The Cascadia family has always been at the forefront. Even if it’s the entrance to hell, we will stand there."
When Adela spoke her family’s motto, I could tell just how serious she was.
"Wait, even a family like the Cascadias can’t overwhelm or defeat the Four Great Clans! This is dangerous. The Academy City will fall apart."
"Do we really need to cause such a big conflict?"
As I was sitting there, idly observing the eting, No. 10 raised a hand.
"Violet... no, Ariel? What do you have to say?"
I answered.
"Do we really need to spill blood ourselves? Leave it to !"
"What do you an by that?"
Everyone’s attention turned to . They were all curious to hear what I had to say.
No. 10 explained the plan, omitting the sensitive parts involving the academy. Everyone’s expressions darkened, then stiffened.
"Miss, your mind is completely gone."
"But... it’s oddly convincing. If we do this, we can drain all their strength. We just need to clean up afterward."
I asked Adela.
"What do you think, Adela?"
She looked surprised.
"I never thought there was such a plan..."
Heh, it looks like everyone is getting hooked on Violet’s brilliant plan.
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