Hold on tight, Commandant!
The snowfield wind whips against your face as Rosetta cradles you, racing between the skeletal frames of city buildings.
Everyone else, do the same! Do whatever you can to leave this combat zone, now!
On it!
The soldiers following behind struggle against the blinding storm, fighting just to keep the retreat in sight. But before they can make any real distance—
—!
Argh, my leg!
A sharp crack splits the glacier beneath them. In an instant, Hetero-Creatures erupt from the fissures. Their razor-sharp limbs lash out, ensnaring the two soldiers who'd fallen behind.
Help! Someone! Pull me out!
Understood! Commandant, please fall back with the others for now!
You push off from Rosetta's arms and land lightly. At the same moment, she draws her blade, spinning back to face the threat.
There are too many... Argh!
Rargh!
The words die in the soldier's mouth as three Corrupted strike. The energy shield gives a final, dissonant hum and fails. In an instant, the soldier is pulled under, swallowed by the ice.
Let them go. NOW!
With a sharp grit of her teeth, Rosetta surges toward the Hetero-Creatures. Her blade flashes, cutting down the tentacles that writhe from the ice. She pivots, sprinting for the downed soldier.
But a shadow falls as a Hetero-Creature drops from the building's ledge.
—!
Thanks, Commandant!
You shoot down the Hetero-Creatures obstructing Rosetta, clearing the path for her to rescue the trapped soldier. Just as the immediate crisis seems resolved, a slender mechanical figure darts from the chaos and slams into her side.
Out of my way, Construct!
You...!
She blocks the strike, but the opening for a counter never comes. Her opponent burns with a berserker's fury, defense utterly discarded. Each blow is part of a relentless, singular goal: to crush Rosetta under a tide of pure, unrestrained power.
Why won't you fight me like you did that dragon-man earlier? Is this really all you've got?!
The Ascendant lunges at Rosetta, her battle style savage and chaotic. It's a wild, unrestrained declaration of her existence, just as when they first met.
In that chaos, a memory surfaces: her battle with Rumyantsev grinding to a halt, both ready to shatter the stalemate with whatever brutality remained. That was when she first heard that voice.
Hm?
A split second before her strike would have landed, Rosetta wrenched her blade to a stop. She retreated several paces, assuming a guarded stance, her attention riveted on the vacant air just behind her opponent.
Honored Guest, was it His Majesty who sent you to intervene?
Partially. But I was also growing rather bored sitting around.
After responding to Rumyantsev, the guest turned a malicious gaze toward Rosetta.
Then, a sudden tremor rippled across the landscape. Before it even settled, thick, abyssal sounds began to swallow the air.
Confronted by the rising threat, Rosetta's command to retreat immediately cut through the chaos.
Hmph. You actually blocked that.
What?!
In the next instant, the still-smiling woman seizes Rosetta's light sword by the blade and hilt, then slams her violently into the ground.
Cough...
Though Rosetta twists mid-air to absorb the impact, the force of the blow still radiates outwards from where she lands, pulverizing the frozen earth in a shockwave of dust and debris.
Are you asking for my name, or what I am? If it's the latter... you already know the answer.
I am Duryodhana. And as you can see, I am an Ascendant.
Rosetta lies sprawled on the ground, struggling to recover. You need to buy her time. Talking is your only weapon.
Without hesitation, you pull the trigger.
Oh?
The gunshot cuts through the blizzard, striking the Ascendant's back. It inflicts no damage, stopped cold by her frame's armor.
But just as planned, the Ascendant's attention snaps from Rosetta to you.
I knew you had nerve, but to interrupt my business...
Naturally.
Come to think of it, I haven't given you my name. I am Duryodhana. And as you can see, I am an Ascendant.
If you mean these "Hetero-Creatures", then yes. After all, the Frostheart Emperor's Amalgamation only extends so far through the Ascension-Network. And the battle wasn't going well.
So I decided to lend a hand.
To annihilate weaklings like you!
So Babylonia's desperate for the culprit, hmm? Fine, I'll give you your answer.
Duryodhana's expression contorts, her scorn deepening into a jagged smile. She answers, her tone deliberately light and mocking.
Yes, I did it! All me!
The moment she finishes speaking, Duryodhana lunges. Her left foot stomps down with a force that echoes, and she is a blur of motion. Around you, Constructs scramble to form a defensive line.
Protect the Gray Raven Commandant!
Out of my way!
Duryodhana unleashes a roar, and a wave of force follows, far greater than anyone anticipated. Shields shatter instantly. Several defenders are flung through the air, their pained shouts swallowed by the din.
Then, she charges like a rampaging bull, ripping a brutal gap in the defensive line and driving straight for you.
You will not harm Commandant, Ascendant!
But before Duryodhana can press her attack, Rosetta recovers. She twists in midair, light sword in hand, and drives down toward her opponent.
Don't be so tense. I never said I'd harm your precious Commandant.
Duryodhana evades with an exaggerated backbend, then leaps back. Her eyes linger on you, predatory and intent.
After all, if I accidentally finish the commandant, that child might get quite upset.
Ascendant, child... an image of a blue-haired girl immediately surfaces in your mind.
Hey, if you've pieced it together, why not stop fighting and come with me? You get the intel you want, I get my reward.
Don't you want to know where F.O.S. really went?
Why, greater strength, of course. Power that can pass through the Filtering.
As she speaks, Duryodhana attacks again. She has been searching for an opening throughout your entire conversation, waiting for the moment to charge.
You're not getting through!
Rosetta charges, shattering ice beneath her feet. Her blade meets the Punishing Virus on Duryodhana in a flash of searing light.
Hmph!
Duryodhana attempts to slip past, but Rosetta intercepts her, using the width of her frame as an impassable barrier.
Spread out! Open fire to pin her down!
Hah, what a nuisance!
The command transmits. In response, the Construct team fans out and opens fire, unleashing a sudden downpour of energy shots and razor-edged ice that brackets Duryodhana, etching the ground in a chaotic web of impacts.
Though Duryodhana cares little about being struck, the destruction of her footing staggers her stance. Rosetta capitalizes immediately, sweeping directly into her path.
Stop right here!
Fine. You first, then!
Realizing Rosetta is an immovable obstacle, Duryodhana snatches her right arm in a vise-like grip.
Tsk!
When Rosetta tries to counterattack, Duryodhana uses her own body like a weapon, trapping Rosetta's other arm against her side and locking her completely in place.
Let's see whose head is harder, Construct!
Duryodhana gives her no time to react. A crazed gleam flashes in her eyes as she tilts her head back and then slams her forehead violently into Rosetta's.
—Hnngh!
Follow the commandant!
...Ugh! Don't lose focus. Protect Commandant!
—!
When did they come?!
Dammit!
As Duryodhana and Rosetta trade vicious blows, Hetero-Creatures swarm the perimeter, forcing every other combatant into a desperate fight for survival.
All the while, Duryodhana's brutal headbutts continue unabated, each savage impact spraying vital fluid into the frozen air.
Had enough?!
Through the repeated impacts, Rosetta bides her time, adjusting her stance and waiting. The moment Duryodhana cocks her head for another charge, she slams her forehead forward with devastating force.
Ah!
Her strike connects squarely with Duryodhana's nose, distorting that mask of madness for an instant. The Ascendant only erupts into wilder laughter, her frenzy redoubled.
Hahaha! This is a real fight! This is what survival feels like!
Her words hang in the air like a death knell. All around, shoulders stiffen and hands tighten—a silent, shared readiness to meet the end...
WOOOO—!
Derek...?
A whale's cry echoes suddenly from the distance, its piercing sound cutting through the chaos. In the sky, several missiles shoot upward in a straight line, arcing directly toward your direction.
The next instant, the entire district is engulfed. Explosions bloom, and flames and shockwaves devour everything in sight.
Hmph. Nothing but pests everywhere!
Everyone on the battlefield, the Ascendant included, throws up defensive barriers the moment the roar sounds. Yet the flames still surge forward, devouring the district. Buildings crumble into ruin, and debris rains down on the combatants.
Seizing the moment as the Ascendants reel backward to defend, Rosetta darts away, breaking free from her restraint. She has just begun to calculate her next move when—
Beep—
A familiar voice crackles over the comms.
Gray Raven Commandant, Rosetta—stay on the line! We've got the key to activate Malkuth!
We're near the frozen sea outside the city! Rosetta should be sensing something now!
I'm... not sure. But I feel a connection forming.
Anyway, [player name], fully activate Malkuth!
Just trust me! With your consciousness linked to Rosetta's M.I.N.D., you can trigger it directly through your terminal... The transformation function has to be unlocked now!
At that moment, an unfamiliar string of code flickers across your visor display. Within seconds, it resolves into a hovering executable, its label clear: "Malkuth".
Then use it! Give the command, [player name]!
Answer my call, Malkuth!
Good! The Gray Raven Commandant has given the order. What about our end, Dr. Bear?
Oh, my link with Derek's all set! You can use me as an external port now!
Just as Dr. Bear said, he has already connected multiple cables from the whale-back system directly into his own frame to better control Derek. When Mina gives the command, he turns and exposes his back.
The mechanical extensions on his back open up, ultimately forming a large red button, 20 centimeters in diameter.
Let's show the Punishing Virus what the new Arctic Route Union is really made of!
Her voice brimming with resolve, Mina raises her right hand, clenches it into a fist, and drives it decisively down onto the button.
Shine like an aurora—Malkuth!
The instant the button is struck, a feedback signal pulses from Dr. Bear's frame through the cables to Derek. Even through the howling blizzard and the din of battle, the deep rumble of internal mechanisms engaging and engines igniting cuts through with perfect clarity.
Then, as expected, an aurora appears in the sky, hauntingly beautiful, yet sinister. It is the color of blood.
...No! This isn't right!
Mina's voice sharpens with sudden shock.
The red light blooms from the city's core, washing across the battlefield until the entire snow-covered landscape is steeped in crimson.
I told you it wouldn't work.
