Chapter 152 ·Return

Area-39.

The ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍capital of Planet Ju.

「Pure ‍​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍Land」

Like ‍​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍the commonly used phrase Ultimate Pure Land, it was not a paradise devoid of all filth and filled only with purity.

Even ‍​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍so, its terrain and environment alone were enough to inspire the fantasies of outsiders.

A ‍​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍vast basin.

A gentle climate.

Forests the size of small buildings.

Even floating islands suspended in the sky.

On top of that, the sight of the Juins, who looked as though they had evolved from beastkin, strolling through the streets in Eastern-style clothing was nothing short of dreamlike.

Of course, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows.

Before the Human Composite State discovered and governed Planet Ju, the capital, Pure Land, had, to put it bluntly, been nothing more than the holy land of an archaic and violent theocracy, as well as a hotbed of indulgence and corruption.

Everything was judged according to faith.

The same held true for infrastructure and every social standard.

For the clans living outside Pure Land, the development of their villages depended entirely upon how faithfully they served the Church of the Dawn.

The head of every clan was required to obtain the position of a Blessing-rank priest of the Church of the Dawn before their authority would be officially recognized.

Meanwhile, political priests—so-called inquisitors—who were dispatched regularly oppressed the clans according to their own twisted logic.

Most Juins had long since grown sick of the Church of the Dawn.

The real problem, however, was that even they could not easily cast aside doctrines that had endured for a thousand years.

No wonder the Governor-General's Office's very first request to the Human Composite State had been scholars and psychiatrists.

The most terrifying thing in the world was brainwashing.

It subtly altered a person's beliefs from the very foundation until they could no longer even distinguish right from wrong.

There was a reason that the children raised as Hitler Youth under Nazi Germany had been sent to psychiatric hospitals after the war rather than prisons.

In any case, the reason the Human Composite State had deliberately established the Governor-General's Office in Pure Land—the Church of the Dawn's lost holy land and the Juins' homeland—was because of its symbolism.

If even the holy land itself had become a place where most people recognized the corruption, it would make an excellent foundation upon which to build a new system.

The problem, however, was that the Church of the Dawn proved far more persistent than expected.

And there was also the geography of Pure Land itself.

The Governor-General's administration has already been established for decades. Yet the Church of the Dawn still survives.

By nature, a basin was a pleasant place to live.

Streams flowing down from the mountains formed a great river that ran straight through Pure Land.

Surrounded by mountains on every side, the climate itself remained mild.

However, that was only true for the Juins, whose civilization had once been no more advanced than the medieval era.

For the Human Composite State, it was an extremely troublesome city.

The towering trees could not be cut down because the local Juins considered them Sacred Trees, and any attempt to remove them was met with fierce resistance.

The floating islands, suspended in the air by levitation stones infused with Bright Force, were obvious obstacles to spacecraft takeoffs and landings.

Yet they too could not be demolished because they were regarded as religious relics, forcing the authorities to construct platforms around them instead.

On top of that, because Pure Land was a holy land, it was far removed from most other cities.

Naturally, that meant infrastructure projects demanded enormous additional expenditures.

There was no way anyone could have welcomed such a situation.

There had even been discussions—albeit among a minority—about withdrawing the Governor-General's Office altogether.

However, the moment it was confirmed that the planet possessed enormous deposits of Black Iron, a resource that was always in short supply...

...every other option disappeared.

And that was how Planet Ju's current infrastructure came into existence.

Struggling under budget constraints, the Governor-General's Office built every piece of infrastructure using local resources.

At the same time, they chose tunnels as the most practical way to connect Pure Land with the outside world.

The reason was simple.

If the Church of the Dawn attempted anything...

...its target would inevitably be Pure Land, overflowing as it was with religious symbolism.

Instead of carving multiple roads through the already towering mountains, they tunneled straight through both the mountains and the earth itself.

Inside, they installed every conceivable safety measure against terrorist attacks by the Church of the Dawn.

One such measure was the Defense Force outposts stationed inside the tunnels, along with the massive blast doors designed to seal off Pure Land during emergencies.

“They've torn it apart rather beautifully.”

“...Yeah.”

Of course, as Obia said with a faint smile, the blast doors had been ripped apart like slightly thicker sheets of paper before hundreds of Knights and Pawns.

Nor had the blast doors been the only casualties.

Judging by the gruesome chunks of flesh dangling from the teeth of the Creatures with their sinister gleaming eyes, the Defense Force soldiers in their brown uniforms had clearly attempted to resist.

If they get into Pure Land, the damage will be beyond control.

-Grrrrrrrr...

-Kyaaaaaaaaaah!

As though evaluating the two humans standing before them, the Creatures let out low growls while dark crimson liquid—whether saliva or blood was impossible to tell—dripped from their mouths.

Did they regard them as insignificant prey?

Or...

Did they sense they had come face to face with butchers with whom no compromise was possible?

Either way, Jin Crow had no reason to care.

They fought desperately, at least.

At the entrance to the massive tunnel marked Second Pure Land Tunnel, more than a hundred Defense Force soldiers lay dead across the ground.

Several Pawns had also been killed, proof that they had fought back.

But viewed objectively...

...it had been nothing more than eggs thrown against a rock.

A hopeless exchange ratio.

This isn't normal.

Jin Crow narrowed his eyes as he lightly dragged the tip of his already drawn sword across the ground.

His cold black eyes quickly assessed the composition and approximate numbers of the Creatures.

Hundreds of Pawns.

Several Knights.

In the original story, the Church of the Dawn's final desperate struggle—the so-called Hell Screen—had never involved Creatures.

Originally, the plan had been nothing more than a fantasy.

Followers of the Church of the Dawn hidden within Pure Land would launch a simultaneous uprising, creating a security vacuum.

An Immortal-rank priest would then arrive, seize Pure Land, and reclaim the planet.

Anyone with even a functioning brain could tell such a plan was absurd.

When reading the original work, countless readers had mocked the Church of the Dawn's leadership, comparing the plan to Hitler's delusions during the final days of World War II.

But if Creatures are part of that plan...

The Creatures before him certainly weren't native to Planet Ju.

As he had concluded before, nothing above Pawn-class naturally appeared on this planet.

That left only one possibility.

The Red Hand.

They were the same bastards who had experimented with taming Creatures alongside Stero Mer in Mercato.

It could have been a leap in logic.

But they were still the only suspects that came to mind.

-Kyaaaaaaaaaah!

His thoughts could go no further.

The Creatures, which had instinctively remained wary of Jin Crow and Obia Timist because they sensed something dangerous about them, finally surrendered to their beastly instincts.

Roaring as one...

...they charged.

“Obia.”

“Yes, Instructor.”

After quietly calling her name, Jin Crow placed an awakening-drug cigarette between his lips.

He wanted to avoid using it if possible.

But under the circumstances, he had no choice.

His Gear had reached Quad.

It simply wasn't complete.

It felt as though he were forcibly turning gears that never quite meshed together.

On top of that, his physical condition was still far from normal.

There had never been another option.

“I knew it! It's always fun when I'm with you, Instructor!”

Obia had already leaped into the air ahead of him.

The long trail of fire left behind her whipped through the battlefield like an enormous lash, sweeping across the Creatures.

-Grrrrrk!

Naturally, every Pawn and Knight caught within it let out agonized screams as hideous burns spread across their bodies.

Of course, if she deployed her Domain, she could suppress them all in an instant.

But unlike a Penta Gear, Muspellheim demanded an enormous amount of Psionic Energy.

She seemed intent on conserving it whenever possible.

“Kyahahahaha!”

...Or perhaps she simply enjoyed fighting.

Watching her laugh like a madwoman, Jin Crow swallowed the sigh that almost escaped his lips.

His gaze shifted upward.

A gigantic Pawn now blocked his view.

Clad in a purple-and-red exoskeleton resembling a soldier's armor, it thrust the long spear growing from its arm straight toward Jin Crow's heart.

-Grrrrrk!

It was little more than instinct.

Blind hostility toward all living things.

Even Risu-jong, the foremost authority on the subject, could only speculate as to why.

That was how alien...

...how unnatural...

...they were.

Yes.

As though they had been designed to hate everything.

“Get out of the way!”

At that moment, Rang arrived and urgently shouted toward Jin Crow.

It was only natural.

From where he stood, the Pawn's spear already looked ready to pierce straight through Jin Crow's chest.

He knew what a Pawn was.

Though uncommon, they occasionally appeared and threatened the front lines.

That thing is dangerous. And there are this many of them...!

If Dokgo Ran had been present, he would probably have started bragging about his achievements in Mercato.

But Rang was deadly serious.

On Planet Ju, Pawns were formidable opponents.

Soon, however, an odd sense of incongruity struck him as he looked at the Military Police who had arrived behind him.

They're... calm?

To be perfectly honest, he himself didn't particularly care whether Instructor Jin Crow lived or died.

They had only known each other for a few days.

He liked the fact that they were both heavy smokers.

But if Jin Crow died, he would simply mourn him for a day or two before moving on.

The Military Police, however, should have felt differently.

For a fleeting moment, their expressions were so devoid of concern that Rang found himself wondering whether they actually disliked Jin Crow.

No... It isn't that they aren't worried...

If anything...

Was it trust?

With that thought, Rang turned his gaze back toward Jin Crow.

Kagagagang!

In the instant before he could even blink—

Jin Crow twisted aside the Pawn's spear with the sword in his hand.

Then, moving at an unbelievable speed, he slipped inside its guard and swung the dagger held in a reverse grip.

-Kki... Kkiiiiiii!

Blood scattered from the tip of Jin Crow's dagger like flower petals.

Stepping onto the Pawn's knee, he launched himself upward until he met the creature's crimson gleaming eyes.

Then he muttered irritably,

“Quiet.”

The next instant—

The blade flashed.

Slice.

Thud.

Rumble...

Only then did Rang fully understand why the Military Police had reacted the way they had.

“Wh...”

At the end of his gaze—

-Kyaaaaaaaaaah!

-Kkiii! Kiiiiiiiii!

Pawns collapsed with absurd ease.

Creatures screamed as flames engulfed them.

And...

“Join the fight.”

“Yes, Instructor.”

The Military Police prepared for battle without the slightest objection to Jin Crow's indifferent command as he swept his pale gaze across the Creatures, untouched by the heat of the flames.

At that same time—

〔...Haa... Haa...〕

Myo Do-sang, the company commander responsible for the Fifth Pure Land Tunnel under the Capital Defense Force, could only stare at the screen beyond the sealed blast door with a bewildered expression.

His distant relative stood outside the blast door, drenched in blood, leaning against the tunnel wall while gasping for breath.

〔...I'm Sergeant Myo Seol-rin. The Lumbini Front has fallen due to Battalion Commander Myo Cheong's betrayal. I barely managed to escape... Cough!〕

The image quality was strangely poor, making it difficult to see clearly.

Judging by the amount of blood, however, she appeared to have suffered life-threatening injuries.

Only the resilience of a Special-duty Officer seemed to be keeping her alive.

Without taking time to think further, he shouted toward the bewildered Staff Sergeant and Sergeant standing inside the control room.

“Bring her in!”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

At his order, they opened the blast door without a second thought.

It was hardly strange.

Most people knew that Sergeant Myo Seol-rin was the younger sister of Squad Leader Myo Seol-ah from the Governor-General's Office Security Division, Squad B.

Surely...

...she couldn't have betrayed them.

Thinking that, Myo Do-sang himself rose from his seat and walked toward the opening blast door to receive the wounded woman.

Creeeak...

The massive steel door slowly opened.

The moment the gap became just wide enough for a single person to pass through—

“For a world belonging only to the Juins.”

With the same gentle smile she always wore, Myo Seol-rin whispered.

Her expression was strangely chilling...

...yet endlessly alluring and gentle.

“Go on ahead to the Dawn. My beloved brethren.”

“...Huh?”

The roots shot forward, instantly engulfing every soldier inside the tunnel.

Blood splattered in every direction.

Craaaaaack!

Several minutes passed as horrifying sounds echoed throughout the tunnel.

When silence finally returned...

The tunnel was filled with countless pools of blood.

A group of hooded priests of the Church of the Dawn stood there.

And before them—

A white-haired woman whom every one of them prostrated themselves before in worship.

With spotless bare feet, she stepped onto the blood-soaked ground of Pure Land.

“At last.”

Stretching her sculpted, muscular naked body to its fullest, she smiled with boundless benevolence and softly declared,

“We have finally returned.”

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