Rui Daiken's expression was complicated. Naturally. The man he'd believed to be a half-wit—Sion Karsen—had found a secret passage that wasn't on any building blueprint and hadn't been picked up by any detection equipment.
And then there were those words he'd said at the end.
—No matter how hard you try to see clearly, you can't watch a person's every move. So you go and ask. You listen. You look deeper.
Those words had flown straight at his heart like a dagger and lodged there.
'Did I really misjudge him? Did the Lord assign some extraordinary tutor to that half-wit?'
In truth, Sion Karsen had never had a tutor—but the name House Karsen made any imagination possible.
'If so, does that mean his recent change in behavior is also real?'
A small ripple disturbed the still lake of his mind. But. This was the middle of an operation. He forced the stray thoughts aside and gave the order.
"All units breach. Do not let your guard down."
This time, he did not order Sion to wait outside. Sion naturally fell in behind the agents.
The cement factory floor had jutted upward at a grotesque angle, revealing a dark, steep staircase below.
The passage was narrow enough for only one grown man to squeeze through. Cold, damp air crept up from below.
With Rui at the lead, the agents pushed into the darkness. They channeled mana into their eyes to enhance their vision, so it wasn't total blindness.
Sion followed at the rear. His hand trailed along the wall. It was finished with a specialized material that evaded detection equipment.
Strange that a common criminal syndicate would have such facilities, but this wasn't the time for deep analysis.
After descending roughly two floors' worth of stairs, a somewhat wider space opened up, dotted with lit lamps.
There was a single door. Rui Daiken stepped forward and opened it.
CREEEAK—
"Ugh."
"Sh......"
"......Hah."
The agents let out groans and curses at the sight before them. The interior was, in a word, hell itself.
Cells barred with iron. Inside, naked women draped in rags—their eyes unfocused, as if drugged with something.
In the adjacent room, rows of male corpses, slit open from chest to belly. The blood hadn't cooled, suggesting the incisions were fresh.
Most revolting of all were the organs, neatly packaged and arranged on shelves fitted with cooling units.
A sight truly fit to turn one's stomach.
Beyond that. Chemical odors. The stench of blood. The reek of waste. Every kind of smell mingled, assaulting the nose.
Was this truly hell?
Ordinary territory residents, kidnapped one day and subjected to this suffering until death.
It went beyond injustice—it was a living hell. For these people, and for their families.
"So this is it. The reason the Red Fang delayed their escape."
Killing the men to harvest their organs. Destroying the women's minds to make them easier to transport.
Rui Daiken and the agents approached the cells with stricken expressions.
But at that moment.
From within the rags covering the women's bodies, a man burst out. In his hands was a shotgun.
"Die! You sons of bitches!"
A Red Fang officer who had noticed the situation outside and hidden himself. He'd been managing the hostages, noticed something was wrong, and waited in ambush.
BANG—!
Dozens of pellets scattered through the air. An ordinary gun could've been dodged, but in a tight space, there was no evading a shotgun.
The agents had no choice but to flood their bodies with mana. Even an Apprentice Knight could withstand a few bullets, so they shielded their heads and hearts with their arms and curled up.
That was when.
Someone kicked off the ground and moved. BANG—!
CLANG! CLANG! SHINK—!
In the space of a single heartbeat.
Bizarre sounds rang out.
Every agent who'd braced for the blast raised their heads. They didn't move recklessly—the hostages' lives were at risk, and they were bracing for a second volley.
But.
THUNK— ROLL—
"""......!"""
The gunman's head was rolling across the floor. Blood fountained from the headless body, and standing beside it was Sion Karsen.
He pulled the rags back over the women to cover their bodies.
Every agent had one thought: When did he—?
They couldn't fathom how, but he had dodged every pellet from the scattershot, sliced through all the cell bars, and taken the man's head—all in the brief window between the shotgun's discharge and the next reload.
Rui Daiken's eyes shook violently. The small ripple in his mind's lake surged into churning waves.
But at that moment.
"......Guh."
Three agents bled from their bodies. One from the arm, one from the side, one from the leg.
"......The rounds appear to be specialized ammunition."
Rui nodded. Even as an official Knight, he'd felt the shotgun's power. He picked up a spent pellet and examined it—a faint trace of mana pulsed at its center. That explained it.
The reason the agents' bodies had been penetrated, excluding Rui's.
Criminal scum would have no reason to fight demonic beasts to the death, so these were anti-Knight firearms.
Evil organizations were now manufacturing things like this? Fury surged. And the more it did, the deeper his question grew.
How had Sion Karsen dodged all of that and charged straight in?
Without Sion, there could have been casualties. And on top of that.
"Drink these. They're expensive, so don't leave any."
Sion Karsen produced three green potions from inside his coat and tossed them to the agents.
The agents gaped at Sion, but he paid them no mind, examining the condition of the unfocused women.
"Looks like they were drugged with something. It's not life-threatening. But they all need to be transported to a hospital."
His every action was without hesitation. He looked like a grizzled veteran or a battle-hardened strategist.
Rui Daiken ordered the agents:
"Tend to yourselves first. I will go up and call in the cleanup crew."
"""Yes, sir!"""
Before anyone noticed, he'd stopped assigning Sion menial tasks and begun moving of his own accord.
It wasn't a conscious decision.
It just...... happened naturally.
While Rui was upstairs.
The agents spoke to Sion.
"......Thank you."
"Don't thank me. I only gave them to you because the next phase gets harder without you."
Sion said it indifferently and examined the markings on the fallen shotgun.
[ POST IRON : Generation 0 ]
'Post Iron.'
"Hah."
Sion clicked his tongue. The early project name of a traitor corporation he'd seen in the future, before the regression.
A deranged scientist who'd thrown humanity and morality into the sewer. A filthy betrayer who would, before long, defect to the demons.
'They were already active?'
Sion's eyes flashed with a sharp gleam. The three agents took in that look with their own eyes.
***
While Squad 3 under Knight Bwindol maintained surveillance on the abandoned factory housing Jeffren, Knight Rui Daiken and the Squad 1 agents arrived.
Bwindol signaled with his hands.
[Anything unusual?]
He wasn't simply asking if things were quiet. Bwindol knew exactly how much Rui despised Sion Karsen, so he was really asking whether something had come up—whether Sion had caused trouble.
But Rui responded with a flat expression through hand signals.
[The enemy is using mana-enhanced ammunition. Not all of them—appears to be officer-level only. Dangerous equipment. Exercise caution.]
[......Casualties?]
[None.]
In truth, that wasn't entirely accurate.
Or rather, it had been inaccurate.
The potions Sion Karsen had given the agents were so effective that the bleeding had stopped almost immediately, restoring them to mission-capable status.
[Layout assessment?]
[Assessment complete. Power-cut preparations are also ready. Breach timing?]
[After Squad 3 arrives. Swiftly.]
[Understood.]
Bwindol sensed something different about Rui's expression compared to usual.
'Something happened with Sion Karsen. I'll have to ask once the operation's done.'
Just then, Squad 2 under Bil also finished clearing their assigned stronghold and joined up at the main target.
A brief operational briefing was exchanged, and finally, all squads began their breach.
Among the agents.
Not a single one was excluded.
***
TICK—
A small metallic sound from somewhere, and the entire factory's power was cut.
The whir of ventilation fans went silent. Every light illuminating the factory interior went dark at once.
Sudden darkness descended.
"What the hell! Get the power back!"
"Check the breaker! Who touched it?!"
That was when.
SHINK-SHINK-SHINK—
SQUELCH-SQUELCH-SQUELCH—
The chill of metal and the sound of bodies crumpling to the floor.
"Wha— what the...... GHK!"
Invisible death had arrived. Screams, the ring of steel, the scent of blood spread through the darkness.
SWISH, SLASH. SWISH-SLASH.
Eventually, some began swinging their weapons wildly at empty air. Some fired guns. Among them were officers, and mana-enhanced rounds ricocheted.
But the trained agents had an uncanny sense for where the enemy would shoot and dodged accordingly, gliding through the darkness as they slaughtered.
Was death supposed to come this easily? They died so simply that the thought crossed one's mind. Until the lights came back on.
FLASH.
Light returned to the factory interior.
Boss Jeffren had triggered some device, restoring the factory's power.
HISS, HISSS—
With a noise like burning metal shavings, Boss Jeffren began to move. A faint light emanated from the center of his chest—like a heart.
"You...... vermin."
The light in Jeffren's chest blazed brighter, and an enormous surge of mana poured out.
HISSSSS—
The agents were stunned. In terms of raw mana output, it was on par with an Intermediate Knight.
Rui, Bwindol, and Bil hastily signaled their subordinates.
[Powerful hostile. Fall back.]
They feared agents getting caught up and killed.
Jeffren's situation was far from comfortable either, of course. Every last member save three sharp-eyed officers had been annihilated.
The cronies who'd been laughing at the burning ceremony moments ago now lay crumpled on the floor, spilling warm blood.
Against them, the agents who'd entered numbered fifteen in total. And each one was superhumanly strong.
"......Damn. So it has come to this."
As if steeling himself, Jeffren hefted a massive shotgun in one hand.
"Surviving officers, listen! Take the pills and flee!"
"Yes, Boss!"
The officers immediately produced pills from their coats and swallowed them. The agents couldn't act freely with Jeffren's shotgun covering the field.
At that moment.
Rui sent another hand signal.
[All non-Knight personnel, pursue the fleeing targets. The Knights will handle this.]
The agents moved swiftly, immediately chasing after the fleeing officers—and Jeffren made no move to stop them.
As if he'd let them go on purpose.
"Fine. Three on one, then. Come!"
He'd played his own hand to thin the numbers.
Jeffren fired.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The Knights concentrated mana in their legs and dodged at high speed—more like reading the barrel's aim than reacting to the bullets.
Of course, not everything could be dodged. The few shots that hit, they endured by reinforcing their bodies.
BANG! BANG-BANG! BANG—!
Jeffren kept firing to keep the Knights from closing in. His plan was to whittle their strength as much as possible.
Then. When his ammunition finally ran dry. He charged without hesitation, swinging the greatsword from his shoulder.
His speed was astounding—seemingly impossible for someone that large.
WHOOOM.
A crushing slash swept across the ground where Bwindol had been standing. Rui seized the opening and swung his sword, but Jeffren spun a full rotation and deflected the blade.
CRASH—!
The destructive force was nothing short of devastating. Rui was shoved far back and slammed into the factory wall.
THUD!
Jeffren gave no time to recover. He closed in immediately. He swung the greatsword again.
SWISH—!
Speed that defied his bulk.
CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG—!
Bil rushed in and blocked, but Jeffren's strength was so overwhelming that the bones in his arms audibly cracked.
In that instant. Bwindol and Rui channeled Aura into their blades and thrust.
"HAAAH!"
Jeffren answered with Aura of his own, and the three swords met at a single point.
CRASH—!
Sparks flew, and the flash illuminated Jeffren's contorted face. He looked at ease, as if this kind of combat were second nature to him.
Then he kicked the ground, sending chunks of cement and rebar flying into Bwindol's head.
"GAHK!"
In that instant, Jeffren kicked Bwindol. With a THWACK, Bwindol was sent crashing away, leaving only Rui.
Jeffren swung again.
CLANG! CLANG-CLANG!
Rui broke into a cold sweat at the absurd gap in power. The difference was this extreme? He'd badly underestimated his opponent.
CRASH—!
Rui pushed his Aura to its absolute limit and clashed blades, but.
"Hahahaha! Not bad, are you?!"
He couldn't hold any longer.
"But this ends now!"
Jeffren caught Rui's sword with his bare hand. Then he swung his greatsword down at the crown of Rui's head.
WHOOOM!
At that moment.
BANG—!
A powerful impact struck Jeffren's back.
"GAAAH!"
Jeffren pulled away from Rui and spun around. For the first time, genuine shock was written across his face.
"......You, you are!"
Sion Karsen. In his hand was a shotgun taken from one of the officers. A wisp of smoke curled from the barrel.
He called out in a loud voice:
"Rui! Bwindol! Bil! Reform your line. I'll provide covering fire."