The Turncoat Knight.
A Beyond Grade Named Monster given a title by Ark, and one of the Skull Turncoats.
It appeared here.
[Gik, gigigik...]
As the Turncoat Knight revealed itself from the darkness, Lieutenant Imosha spoke in a tense voice.
"All units, disperse."
Even though it was a low voice, not a single person missed the order.
Even Kurilta and Dmitri, who had been uncooperative with the team so far, followed Lieutenant Imosha's command without complaint.
Both instinctively realized that this was not the time to be difficult as usual.
"That's... "
"...Damn it. I knew it was going too smoothly."
Hildegard and Clint couldn't hide their tension as they stared at the Turncoat Knight.
That's how threatening the Turncoat Knight was.
'Was the sudden movement of the monster horde because of its appearance?'
The Turncoat Knight was originally a random field-Named Monster that wandered outside Ark.
In other words, it was a monster one could encounter purely by bad luck.
But I didn't think it was just a coincidence.
[Kiiiit...]
Sure enough, as if to prove that suspicion, Janus—the bone armor—started to stir quietly.
It was reacting to the appearance of the Turncoat Knight.
'Stay still.'
Was the appearance of the Turncoat Knight related to Janus?
Or was it because of Ouroboros?
I didn't know the answer.
And there wasn't time to find out.
"It's coming!"
Along with Lieutenant Imosha's warning, dozens of bone tendrils shot out toward us.
Swish-shaaa—!!!
"Return fire!"
As the trainees threw themselves backward while maintaining their stances, they fired at the Turncoat Knight.
Bang!
Bang! Bang!
Nobody wanted to attract a horde of monsters in the middle of the night, so the rifles equipped with suppressors spat out small bursts of fire.
But the effect was minimal.
Clang!
Clack!
The bullets, bouncing off the bone tendrils without leaving a mark, were helpless.
The bullets fired neither stopped the Turncoat Knight's attack nor inflicted any effective damage.
"Evade!"
"Damn it!"
Slash!
Bang, bang, bang!
The bone tendrils, sprouting like spikes, lashed out at the trainees.
The trainees barely managed to leap out of the range of the bone tendrils, but they couldn't avoid getting small and large scratches in the process.
"Ugh!"
"Clint! Are you okay?"
"Y-Yeah, just grazed me."
It was inevitable.
The current equipment the trainees had were unmodified Ark-15 automatic conversion rifles in their stock condition.
Of course, firepower at that level couldn't possibly deal any significant damage to a monster like the Turncoat Knight.
I quickly assessed the situation.
'Excluding me, the only weapon in the investigation team that can inflict any real damage on the Turncoat Knight is Lieutenant Imosha's DR-404 revolver.'
That's why Lieutenant Imosha was constantly aiming for an opening in the Turncoat Knight.
But unfortunately, the Turncoat Knight wasn't giving any.
No matter how monstrous it was, creatures like the Turncoat Knight, who had reached that level, instinctively knew what posed a threat to them.
[Gigit! Giiiit!]
Even amid the chaos, the Turncoat Knight's attacks continued relentlessly, threatening the trainees.
"Hraaah!"
Perhaps realizing that the Ark-15 automatic rifle wasn't enough to fend off the Turncoat Knight's attacks, Kurilta pulled out two axes from his waist, made by Smel Workshop.
"Come at me!"
Bone tendrils and axes collided.
It was obvious.
There was no way bone tendrils that didn't even budge from the kinetic energy of Ark-15 bullets would be hindered by a human swinging an axe.
Clang!
The moment Kurilta's axes clashed with the bone tendrils, his body was sent flying backward.
"Kurilta!"
"That barbarian...!"
Kurilta's reckless melee attack was reckless indeed, but it wasn't entirely pointless.
In that brief moment, Lieutenant Imosha found an opening in the Turncoat Knight.
Bang───!!
The first shot from the DR-404 revolver fired.
[Gigit!]
But whether it was due to the Turncoat Knight already being prepared or not, the bullet from the DR-404 narrowly grazed the Turncoat Knight's waist.
Still, it wasn't meaningless.
Even if the first shot missed, it bought time for the trainees to escape.
"...All units, listen up. The monster that just appeared has been confirmed as a Grade-2 Named Skull Turncoat, the Turncoat Knight. Do not let your guard down."
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Imosha, having identified the enemy, spoke calmly.
But the situation remained grim.
The Turncoat Knight was classified as a Grade-2 Named Monster.
Unlike slow-moving giant beasts, it was a human-sized monster, making it far more troublesome to deal with.
In other words, the current strength of the investigation team was insufficient to handle it.
'I guess I have no choice.'
I didn't want to get involved if I could avoid it, but it seemed I had no other option.
'Still, I can't use Janus's power here.'
The bone armor—Janus—was practically half of my current combat power.
I had put considerable effort into strengthening Janus, and it had grown tremendously by consuming Ankelenth's Fang and Ouroboros's Reverse Scale.
If I were to use Janus here, I would be able to take on the Turncoat Knight, a Grade-2 Named Monster.
But...
'There are too many eyes watching.'
Ark was already aware of my presence as a Skull Turncoat.
Moreover, Hildegard was here, possessing the Insight Eye.
I couldn't afford to expose Janus's power, not when so many people were watching.
'It's like playing chess without the queen and rook.'
It was as if I had to give up the two strongest and most efficient pieces in chess while facing an opponent who wasn't weaker than me.
'No... I should assume they're even stronger than me.'
Even if I used Janus, it wasn't guaranteed that I would completely overpower the Turncoat Knight.
A Grade-2 Named Monster like that was formidable.
But there was no need to worry.
If I couldn't use my strongest move, I just had to use something else.
Fortunately, the hand I had at the moment wasn't all that bad either.
Click—
I aimed my gun without hesitation at the Turncoat Knight, who was relentlessly pressuring the investigation team.
The weapon I currently held was the same Ark-15 automatic conversion rifle as the trainees, but the basic upgrades and customizations were beyond comparison.
Moreover, the difference lay not only in the user's traits but also in the ammunition, so even though it was the same firearm, the destructive power was inevitably different.
Kwaaaaang───!!!
With a burst of flame from the muzzle, the explosive round engulfed the Turncoat Knight.
[Gigik, gigigik...!]
As the Turncoat Knight let out a grotesque scream, the surrounding ether stirred.
[A-Angry.]
[Scary...]
[Fight... Let's fight.]
After pulling the trigger a few more times to keep the Turncoat Knight from regaining its senses, I joined Hildegard.
"Hildegard."
"...Yes?"
"From now on, you'll be the team's eyes. How far can you read the Turncoat Knight's attacks?"
Hildegard seemed confused for a moment but then realized it wasn't the time to hide anything and answered.
"...Two moves. That's about it."
"That's enough."
Two moves.
That meant she could foresee the Turncoat Knight's attacks up to two steps ahead.
"From now on, minimize your attacks and focus on relaying the Turncoat Knight's moves to the team. Can you do it?"
"Y-Yes!"
"Good."
I turned my gaze.
"Kurilta! Cover the front line with Clint. You don't have to risk your life to block it—just keep it occupied."
"Leave it to me!"
"Dmitri, fall back and protect Hildegard."
"...Just this once. You barbarian."
"Lieutenant Imosha, you and I will aim for the Turncoat Knight's openings and deliver effective attacks."
"...Understood."
Even though there had been no prior agreement or conversation, the command authority naturally shifted to me.
It wasn't because Lieutenant Imosha was an incompetent leader.
It was simply that I understood the abilities and characteristics of the Turncoat Knight and the trainees better than Lieutenant Imosha did.
"Kurilta! Count back!"
"Huh? Count back?"
"Move back!"
Hildegard screamed shrilly, and only then did Kurilta retreat, stepping backward just in time.
Almost simultaneously, bone tendrils shot up from the ground where Kurilta had been standing.
Swish!
Sssshaaa—!
Dodging the bone spikes sprouting from the ground, Kurilta rolled backward, his body hitting the dirt.
"Hup!"
Although he couldn't avoid getting covered in dust, at least he didn't end up impaled.
'That's...'
I couldn't take my eyes off the technique the Turncoat Knight had just used.
It was a familiar ability.
'It even has the "Burrowing" ability.'
The Turncoat Knight was a monster that had survived outside Ark for countless years.
Having that level of ability was almost to be expected.
"...Almost died there."
Even as Kurilta wiped off his cold sweat, the Turncoat Knight's attacks didn't cease.
"Everyone, avoid within a 30-meter radius ahead!"
As Hildegard's warning rang out, the Turncoat Knight's entire body bristled like a porcupine, and bone tendrils shot out in all directions.
Sssssssss─!!
"Damn it!"
"Evade!"
Though the trainees scrambled in confusion, they barely managed to escape the attack range.
The radius was exactly 30 meters.
It was a savage, overwhelmingly brutish attack.
'But a big attack always leaves a big gap.'
When I signaled to Lieutenant Imosha, fire flared from the muzzles of the DR-404 revolver and the Ark-15 anti-materiel sniper rifle.
Bang—!
Kwakakang!
'Eat this too.'
I pulled the trigger of the NO-13 grenade launcher.
Although the destructive power of the NO-13 grenade launcher was slightly inferior to the A-985 explosive rounds, its blast radius was superior.
[Gigit, gigigigi...!]
Through the thick smoke and haze, a dark silhouette swayed.
Though only the silhouette was visible, I could see the bone tendrils that had served as armor breaking and scattering from the concentrated fire.
[Kin...dred...]
Seeing that, Clint was taken aback.
"...Did the monster just speak?"
"Hmph, don't be scared! It's still just a monster."
"For once, I agree with the barbarian's opinion."
Kurilta and Dmitri each made a comment.
But the fact that the Turncoat Knight had spoken in human language seemed shocking, and their bodies were subtly tense.
'What nonsense.'
Regardless, from my perspective, the Turncoat Knight speaking was not a good thing.
Especially when it uttered words like "kindred," which carried a deeper meaning.
'It might raise unnecessary suspicion... I need to finish this quickly.'
Just as I was tightening my grip on the Ark-15 automatic conversion rifle...
Swiiiish───!!!
A bone tendril shot out, cutting through the smoke with a speed incomparable to previous attacks, racing straight toward me.
'I can't dodge this one.'
I instinctively knew.
This bone tendril was different from all the previous ones.
"Carl!"
Kurilta's shout rang out.
But there was no need to worry.
Although it wasn't a situation where Janus could openly display his power, that didn't mean I couldn't use any of his abilities.
['Hardening' activated.]
['Steelization' activated.]
The strength of the bone tendrils I had discreetly formed inside the protective suit increased rapidly.
In that fleeting moment, the bone tendril that had aimed for my heart bounced off with surprising ease.
Chiiik—!
But outwardly, it merely looked like the bone tendril had narrowly grazed the surface of my protective suit.
'Now.'
As mentioned earlier, a big attack always leaves a big gap.
This time was no exception.
The fact that the Turncoat Knight had only now unleashed such an attack despite being capable of it earlier meant that the move itself carried significant risk.
'Esther.'
["Got it."]
Esther, who instantly grasped my intention, began manipulating both my ether and the surrounding ether.
Since Janus couldn't be openly used, it was the strongest attack I could muster right now.
[Gather?]
[Gather. Gather. Gather. Gather. Gather. Gather. Gather. Gather. Gather. Gather. Gather. Gather. Gather. Gather.]
[This way...]
The gathered ether was concentrated into armor-piercing rounds.
Against monsters with hard exoskeletons like the Turncoat Knight, nothing was more fitting.
Click—
With that, I pulled the trigger without hesitation, and the ether-infused bullet shot toward the Turncoat Knight.
Carrying a speed and destructive force unlike any of the previous shots.
Paaaaaang───!!!
A fierce sonic boom erupted.
The armor-piercing round tore through the air and pierced the Turncoat Knight.