While the first party, including Ark, was conducting their final battle check.
“Gajo.”
Following Renatel’s command, the second party swiftly moved first.
Normally, she was often teased by Ark as a “newbie” and seemed unable to stand up to the other heroes.
But ever since becoming the leader of the second party, she had guided them flawlessly without any incidents, and now she led the team naturally without any sense of discord.
“I’ll briefly go over the plan. We’ll head straight to the Eastern Palace to secure the VIP. After that, Rene and Saha will escort the VIP, while Ari, Johanna, and I will regroup with the main force.”
“Just in case, wouldn’t it be better for Johanna to stay behind instead of me?”
“Preventing injuries is better than treating them after they happen. Rene will set up a spiderweb cage to hold the line, and in case of emergency, Saha will handle both protection and pinpoint strikes.”
“Understood.”
The fiery, charismatic leader sprinted ahead without showing any signs of fatigue as she briefed the plan, and Saha chimed in to refine it further.
And so.
The five heroes raced through the streets of the night.
Though unspoken.
Their second shared objective.
Was to draw as much aggro as possible to lessen the danger Ark faced.
The streets were mostly empty due to the late hour, but occasionally, lizard-like armed soldiers could be seen.
Thud!
“Gurgle….”
The heads of those who charged forward caved in under Saha’s hammer.
Slash!
“—!”
Others fell into a combat-incapacitated state without even a sound, cut down by Renatel’s blade.
In small-scale skirmishes, nothing could stop the heroes’ party now.
Ark?
If Ark were thrown into the heat of battle, he’d just be a tasty loot wrapped in packaging.
But.
Their opponents weren’t mere monsters—they were lizards equipped with threatening gear and intelligence.
“Get down!”
The moment Renatel shouted, the heroes dropped flat as a red beam grazed over their heads.
The tactical weapon that had sent chills down their spines countless times.
The Destroyer.
True to its aggressive name.
It hurt like hell when hit!
Even worse, it left skin damage that couldn’t be healed by Johanna’s holy power!
It was practically the ultimate anti-hero weapon.
“Ari!”
Once the bombardment passed.
Renatel immediately gave the order.
“Hehe, I’ve been waiting for this!”
Ari, grinning like a mischievous shopkeeper, peeked out and gripped the new weapon she’d been tinkering with lately.
One thing Ari had realized after being thrown into this cyberpunk dystopian world.
Water knows the answer—an obvious scientific truth.
And that firearms were better than melee weapons—a historical fact.
Her Winchester rifle spun once in the air before settling on her shoulder.
Modified by Ryua to resonate with a hero’s mana, the barrel began to pulse with energy.
Then.
“Bang!”
With her verbal gunshot, her modest chest jiggled from the recoil.
BOOM!
A mana-infused bullet, imbued with wind, flew out and struck the Destroyer’s barrel, disabling it instantly.
“Saha, left!”
Renatel, who had been hiding behind cover, dashed out and began cutting down the lizard soldiers.
Swoosh.
Swoosh!
At the same time, Rene’s spiderwebs shot into the air before spreading out, enveloping the entire battlefield.
One of Ark’s combat ideas.
Though it came with the strange commentary, “Rene is seriously badass,” it maximized the advantage of Arachne’s ability to immobilize enemies despite her lack of direct lethality.
All that remained was.
“Gurgle!”
“Guh—!”
The group of lizards was threshed in an instant.
Of course, a few brave ones tried to draw their revolvers and retaliate.
Bang!
“Kyahaha, where do you think you’re aiming?!”
But Ari’s bullets smoothly intercepted them.
There was just one minor issue.
The trapped lizards desperately tried to escape by setting fires.
“Kyaaah, ahhh…!”
Rene, reacting to this, twisted her body and blushed as if feeling something indecent.
But Johanna, having grown accustomed to these lewd sounds over several battles, had already accepted it.
Adaptation was a scary thing.
“Heal.”
In a flat tone, the saintess’s power melted into the burning spider webs like a soothing treatment.
As they neared the imperial palace after several battles, the walls of the Eastern Palace finally came into view.
“It’s a battle.”
The unmistakable sounds of chaotic fighting—clashing metal, gunfire, and screams—echoed clearly.
“This is Renatel. We’re moving in now.”
《Good luck, Renatel. I trust you.》
Since communication was blocked inside the imperial palace, they had to rely solely on their judgment from here on out.
Renatel quickly scanned her comrades’ eyes.
One by one, they nodded.
“Let’s go.”
Like high school girls sneaking out for burgers during lunch.
They vaulted over the wall, scattering an air of solemnity.
***
Having recently consumed all the low-tier experience potions she had no use for, Ryua was now fully prepared.
Everything was ready.
Even Ryua, who had been squirming while restrained by Tina (left arm) and Neb (right arm), soon calmed down as vitality surged through her body.
“……”
Though the burning glare on the back of her head suggested she’d be in trouble later, that wasn’t important right now.
“Let’s move out too.”
Rattle, rattle—
Enjoying the vibrations of the wheels against the unpaved road, I ran through the final checks.
《Chaos. All sectors within the imperial palace are in chaos. The Royal Guards aren’t heavily deployed near the Uigeumbu, so Backup No. 38 guarantees the operation’s safety.》
“Thank you, No. 38.”
With the princess’s communications cut off, any insider information was invaluable.
The plan was simple: reduce the numbers of the lizard-controlled Royal Guards at the Uigeumbu and secure as many internal documents as possible.
To avoid a bad ending.
Legitimacy was just as important.
By tomorrow morning, when the sun rose.
This night’s struggle couldn’t be seen as a coup by the “power-mad princess and her lewd attendant.”
It had to look like an operation to suppress “lizards plotting to overthrow the state.”
The Emperor… honestly, I still wasn’t sure about him.
In the story, he appeared as the 24th-floor boss.
But I couldn’t remember what happened after that.
Did he repent?
Or did he just die?
Either way, it wasn’t important right now.
As we got closer to the imperial palace.
Anxiety kept prickling at the back of my mind.
“But is this really safe?”
“Don’t underestimate Ido Corporation’s technology.”
The vehicle we were riding was modified by Ryua herself.
And her plan to secure the Uigeumbu was simple.
1. Drive the tank.
2. Ram through the wall and enter the Uigeumbu.
3. Blow off all the lizards’ heads.
It sounded like something the commander of the Capital Defense Command during the Fifth Republic would come up with.
“……Even looking like this, you’re still scared?”
Ryua shot me a disdainful look as if she was venting her frustration over the forced level-up.
“Grrr…! Don’t say anything to Jooin-nim, you dummy!”
“Ufufu. Could it be that you’re jealous of us, dear?”
……It was a bit pathetic, admittedly.
Under the pretext of shielding me from potential shock.
I was sitting on Ellis’s lap while Rumi, wrapping her arms around my neck, clung to me from above.
The back of my neck was soft.
My chest was soft.
My Neo-Armstrong-Strong-Baby raged in protest.
But thankfully, our innocent Rumi only knew how to nuzzle her face against mine, blissfully unaware of what that physiological reaction meant.
“We’ll arrive soon. Prepare yourself.”
As Ryua spoke.
The drill mounted on the front of her tank began spinning violently.
Then.
CRASH!
“Ugh!”
Even with the hero seatbelt on, the massive impact shook both my body and mind.
***
The moment Renatel landed inside the Eastern Palace and steadied herself.
“Wow…….”
An unstoppable gasp rose from deep within her chest.
One by one, the other heroes landed beside her, reacting similarly.
What they saw was a single figure.
Dan Minha, the princess who had always worn elegant traditional attire and given Ark mysterious looks.
Now clad in machinery more intricate than anything they’d ever seen, floating in the air as she arrogantly stared down at the lizards.
With every movement of her mechanized arms, precision drones flew out, raining fire upon the lizards’ heads.
Clatter—
At the sound of something dropping, Renatel turned to see.
“My rifle… I was but a fool…….”
Ari, having witnessed a realm beyond her understanding, dropped her rifle with a hollow expression.
Just moments ago, she’d been teasing Renatel, saying, “How long are you gonna keep swinging that sword? Kyahaha!”—but now, Renatel vowed to humble her in a drinking battle someday.
“……With a sword or a bow, we can still win.”
Rekindling the pride of a fantasy-era hero who lived by cold steel.
“Let’s move.”
She took the lead.