If I were alone, it would have been impossible to precisely imbue the bullet with ether.
But Esther could do it.
Esther, being a Grade-1 Spectral Entity, was essentially the closest existence to ether itself.
Thanks to that, she could perform the outrageous feat of imbuing a flying bullet with ether.
[The soul has been infused into the bullet and fired!]
[An astonishing use of ether!]
[Ether resonance has increased.]
[22 -> 23]
Due to the effect of the blade bullet, the armor of the Turncoat Knight had already significantly weakened.
Therefore, the armor-piercing round imbued with ether pierced right through the Turncoat Knight's tough armor.
Crunch───!!!
The moment the armor-piercing round, charged with ether, dug into the Turncoat Knight's shoulder—
Kieeeeee───!
A horrible scream, like scraping metal, reverberated.
"Ugh...!"
"Guh!"
The trainees covered their ears.
The scream of the Turncoat Knight was a terrifying noise that humans could hardly withstand.
But not everyone was just covering their ears and waiting for the noise to pass.
Even amidst the sound that seemed to tear ears apart, Lieutenant Imosha gritted her teeth and firmly grasped her DR-404 revolver.
Click.
There was no need to hesitate.
The trigger of the DR-404 revolver was pulled, and with a fierce burst of flame, the bullet rushed toward the Turncoat Knight.
Bang──!!
The bullet was aimed at the Turncoat Knight's head.
Although it did not completely penetrate the sturdy helmet made of several layers of bone tendrils, the kinetic energy of the DR-404 revolver alone was enough to impact the Turncoat Knight.
Proof of that was the way the Turncoat Knight's head swayed heavily.
Gehk, Gegegek!
"Fire!"
The Turncoat Knight's defenses had already weakened considerably.
Starting with the DR-404 revolver's bullet hitting the target, the trainees, barely steadying their rifles, began concentrating their fire.
Kwa-kakakakak─!!!
Kieeeeee!
Even if the trainees' attacks barely caused damage, a defenseless barrage like this couldn't be ignored, even for the Turncoat Knight.
Proving that point, the Turncoat Knight thrashed around, unleashing another scream.
However, it wasn't as ear-splittingly dreadful as before.
I didn't stay idle either.
'One more shot.'
I swapped the magazine for A-985 explosive rounds and aimed at the broken part of the Turncoat Knight's armor.
Despite the dust and smoke filling the air and the rough movements of the thrashing Turncoat Knight, it wasn't difficult for me to pinpoint the gap.
Pwoom───!
Ping──!
I pulled the trigger three times in succession.
The A-985 explosive rounds, fired at precise intervals, hit the gaps of the Turncoat Knight in sequence and detonated.
Kwa-kakakakakang───!!!
Kieeeeee...
The Turncoat Knight howled.
For some reason, it sounded strangely sorrowful, but no one present stopped pulling the trigger.
Shhhhhh───
Bone tendrils sprouted from all over the Turncoat Knight's body, wrapping around it.
A complete defensive posture.
This was proof that the Turncoat Knight was cornered.
'That's not necessarily good news, though.'
A cornered rat will bite the cat.
Of course, comparing the Turncoat Knight to us, it would be more like a cat than a rat.
But the point is that whether it's a cornered rat or a cat, it still bites.
Naturally, Lieutenant Imosha, who had more experience fighting monsters than anyone else here, gave the appropriate order.
"All units, maintain distance and completely subdue the monster."
Gunfire poured down again.
That's when the anomaly occurred.
"...Huh?"
At the moment Hildegard let out a confused sound, I noticed a small change happening in the cocoon that enveloped the Turncoat Knight.
'The gap in the bone cocoon is widening bit by bit.'
If that were the case, it would naturally weaken the defense, yet the Turncoat Knight was doing it.
That could only mean one thing—it was a sign of a counterattack.
"Avoid, get away—"
Hildegard warned.
But it was already a moment too late.
Shrrrrrk───
From the gaps in the bone cocoon surrounding the Turncoat Knight, the tips of bone tendrils began to slowly emerge.
And finally, when the number of those tendrils exceeded dozens, they all shot out simultaneously.
Kwakakakakakakaka───!!!
"No, no!"
Hildegard screamed.
Amid the scream filled with various emotions, I grabbed the scruff of Hildegard's neck.
"Huh?"
Holding onto her, I desperately leaped backward.
Hup!
Kugugugugugu!
The distance between us and the bone tendrils closed rapidly.
Even though I maximized the reinforcement and utilized Janus's body-enhancing abilities to propel us backward, it wasn't enough to completely escape the approaching storm of bone tendrils.
'Esther, help!'
["You're asking me to help you save another woman? You're pushing it."]
'This is not the time for jokes.'
["Tch."]
Finally, the ether began to move.
Strictly speaking, I could control the ether directly, but the precision and power of ether wielded by Esther were incomparable to mine.
Moreover, I didn't have the mental focus to manipulate ether myself right now.
[Should... I throw?]
[Throw, let's... throw...]
[Throw. Throw. Throw. Throw. Throw. Throw. Throw. Throw. Throw. Throw. Throw. Throw. Throw. Throw. Throw. Throw. Throw.]
[Heehee, it flew... away...]
With the ether violently surging, it was as if a storm had swept us up and flung our bodies away.
"Hik!"
Though I barely managed to land safely, Hildegard rolled pathetically on the ground.
Being impaled by the bone tendrils would have been worse, but Hildegard groaned as she lay sprawled on the dirt.
Flying dozens of meters and crashing straight to the ground, it would have been stranger if she were completely fine.
"Ugh..."
Having barely escaped the Turncoat Knight's attack range, I left Hildegard behind and immediately searched for the others.
'Where are they?'
It didn't take long to find them.
There was Kurilta, blocking the bone tendrils with his back.
In front of him was Dmitri, and a little distance away, Clint was lying down, bleeding and groaning.
"You damn barbarian! What the hell did you just do?! Did you seriously save me?"
"...Shut up."
"You... Ah, damn it."
Dmitri's gaze froze.
Blood was pouring out of Kurilta's back and all over his body.
The wound was severe enough to threaten his life if left untreated.
"...Responsibility is a noble's duty. How dare a barbarian disgrace my honor?"
"I said... shut up..."
"You... How dare a barbarian like you..."
Dmitri gritted his teeth.
His expression was filled with genuine resentment.
And Kurilta wasn't the only one caught up in the Turncoat Knight's attack.
"Urgh..."
"Clint!"
Finally snapping out of her daze, Hildegard rushed to Clint, whose body was drenched in blood.
Judging by the amount of blood, his wounds were even more severe than Kurilta's. It was bad enough that his life was in danger.
Unlike Kurilta, who possessed formidable vitality, Clint's situation was truly critical.
"Wait... wait..."
With trembling hands, Hildegard pulled out a medical kit.
It was clear that she wasn't used to seeing so much blood.
"Dmitri!"
"I'm busy too!"
Hildegard and Dmitri moved frantically, tending to Clint and Kurilta respectively.
"Lieutenant, where's the lieutenant?"
"I don't know!"
Hildegard was panicking, while Dmitri yelled irritably.
It was a total mess.
'...Has it come to this?'
Amidst the chaos, I didn't let my guard down and focused on the place where the Turncoat Knight had been.
But it was gone.
'It's gone. Where did it go?'
I quickly scanned the surroundings and realized that the Turncoat Knight was fleeing in the distance.
'Should I chase it?'
The current situation wasn't good.
Lieutenant Imosha, the team leader and commander, was nowhere to be found, and half of the remaining team members were severely injured.
No matter how you looked at it, pursuing the fleeing Turncoat Knight seemed reckless.
"Kal! Chase it."
The one who shouted at me was none other than Kurilta.
"Are you sure?"
"Hmph, if I were going to die from this, I would've died already. Don't worry about me! Go, Kal."
"...Alright."
Strictly speaking, Kurilta's judgment was sound.
If we let the Turncoat Knight escape now, it could become a major problem later.
'Even if we manage to complete the mission safely this time, it could cause trouble for Ark in the future.'
In other words, now that the Turncoat Knight was weakened, I had to seize the opportunity to eliminate it.
'The direction... it went southwest, more or less.'
I followed the fleeing Turncoat Knight with my eyes.
At that speed, even though it was already at a considerable distance, catching up wouldn't be impossible.
I looked back at the team members and spoke.
With Lieutenant Imosha missing, the command essentially fell to me, even if it wasn't official.
"Stay here and treat Kurilta and Clint. Also, find Lieutenant Imosha. I'll chase the Turncoat Knight."
"...Will you be okay on your own?"
It was Hildegard.
Her entire body was covered in dust from the rough way I had saved her earlier, but in this situation, that was the least of her concerns.
"I'll manage."
Hildegard's eyes trembled.
I couldn't quite decipher the meaning behind that look, but it wasn't the time to dwell on it.
"...Don't die."
"Take care of the others."
I exchanged glances with Kurilta, Hildegard, Dmitri, and Clint before immediately turning away.
'Let's move.'
I set off at a speed far surpassing the pace I had moved with the trainees earlier.
["Going to kill that cutie now?"]
I already knew this, but Esther had a twisted perspective when it came to monsters.
Well, it wasn't surprising, considering she was a Grade-1 Spectral Entity herself.
'I'm not sure about the cuteness, but yes, I have to kill it. Leaving it alive would be dangerous later.'
["Hmmm... Personally, I think it might be better not to."]
'Why?'
["That cutie wasn't trying to fight from the start."]
'What do you mean?'
Before I knew it, Esther appeared in front of me with a sly grin.
["Who knows?"]
Considering how I was speeding across the plains at that moment, it was an odd sight, but I wasn't surprised anymore.
'Do as you like.'
Although Esther's words bothered me a little, it didn't change the outcome.
The Turncoat Knight was one of the monsters that posed a threat to Ark, and it was wounded and weakened.
Now was the perfect time to kill it.
I had to catch and eliminate it during this opportunity.
How long had the chase lasted?
The Turncoat Knight, which had been just a small dot, gradually grew closer.
900 meters, 850 meters, 800 meters...
'At this distance, it's enough.'
I raised the Ark-15 anti-materiel sniper rifle while still moving.
Precision sniping while on the move was nearly impossible, but at this range, it wasn't a problem.
More accurately, it didn't matter even if I missed.
Click-
Without even looking through the scope, I shouldered the rifle roughly and pulled the trigger.
Shoo─!!!
The first bullet flew toward the Turncoat Knight's left leg, but it bounced off the sturdy armor without penetrating.
However, it still had an effect.
The armor on the left leg cracked and eventually fell off.
'The broken armor isn't regenerating.'
That meant the Turncoat Knight was also reaching its limit.
'Well.'
The wide-range attack it had launched just before fleeing required an immense mass of bone tendrils.
A move akin to a final desperate attack.
No matter how formidable the Turncoat Knight was, it made sense that it wouldn't have much strength left.
'Let's take out the legs first.'
Shoo!
I pulled the trigger once more, and the bullet pierced the left leg of the Turncoat Knight.
Kieee!
The Turncoat Knight's body collapsed to the ground.
No matter how monstrous it was, its host's body was still fundamentally human.
With one leg shot through, running was no longer an option.
Finishing off the fallen Turncoat Knight was as easy as pie.
Switching the Ark-15 anti-materiel sniper rifle to automatic rifle mode, I fired continuously as I advanced.
The magazine contained A-985 explosive rounds.
Bang!
Bang-bang-bang──!!
Kiee...!
With the Turncoat Knight engulfed in flames, I slowly approached.
"This is the end."
As I pointed the barrel at the Turncoat Knight to finish it off—
[Com... rade... why...]
The Turncoat Knight and I locked eyes.
And I saw it.
In the Turncoat Knight's eyes, there was a deep sense of betrayal.