Earth Dungeon 100.1

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Chapter 100.1. The Past Battlefield

Before my eyes, everything got covered in pure white snow. There were numerous windows in the tall building, their glass missing, revealing a dark abyss-like interior. The windows were broken halfway up the building.

Houses had collapsed under the snow, decaying pillars protruding here and there, giving a sense of loneliness. A convenience store sign peeked through the snow, submerged in the white landscape.

On the deserted roads, powdered snow danced in the wind, and the eerie sound of metal creaking could be heard from somewhere. However, the sound was quickly absorbed by the snow, and silence engulfed the surroundings.

A beautiful world of death existed there.

In this snow-covered world that seemed devoid of life, there was one tall building. At the top of the building, which had barely survived some attack, something was stirring.

No, not something. Someone.

Wrapped in a pure white poncho with goggles, a deep-hooded figure whose face got concealed by a mask. The poncho was loose, making it difficult to discern their body shape.

Three people were on the rooftop. One person set up a long rifle, peering through a scope, another sat cross-legged with a tablet in hand, and the last person used binoculars to survey the surroundings.

Snow began to fall intermittently, and the breath of the three created a white mist that dispersed into the air. This region, reaching below-freezing, was an extremely cold place. It could easily be mistaken for the Arctic or Antarctic.

"...2295."

The person with binoculars spoke in a charming, bird-like tone. Upon hearing the numerical code, the person lying down with the rifle pressed a button on the side of the gun, and the rifle quietly vibrated.

Upon closer inspection, the rifle was peculiar. A black square box was attached to the barrel, connected by a cable to where the magazine would be. Then, a crystal glass monitor was attached to the rifle, displaying the number "12" like an electronic bulletin board.

"Preparations are okay."

The person lying down spoke with a voice that, despite its coldness, carried a hint of cuteness. The person with the tablet nodded.

"We're good too. Now, what should we name this operation? How about the Operation Itsukushima?"

The person with the tablet also spoke in a charming voice resembling the sound of a bell. Apparently, all three seemed to be girls based on their voices.

"What are you talking about? Ridiculous."

The girl with the rifle sighed audibly and spoke.

"It's decided, Mission M3."

In a firm voice, the girl with the tablet announced the name. The other girl stamped her feet in protest.

"That's ominous. I don't like it. It sounds like only 1 person will survive."

Sighing overtly, the girl with the rifle chuckled at the protesting girl.

"You're ignorant. Operation 2 was a complete victory. We prevented the launch of the planetary bomb."

"And we prevented penetration to our main base. I think you're the ignorant one."

As the two argued, the girl with binoculars, who had been conspicuously observing, sighed. Apparently, all of them were experts at sighing.

"...Nothing but fools. Pixie, stop fooling around and aim at the enemy. Nadia, stop fooling around too, and get ready. 2054."

"Silky-chan, aiming for electronic fairy characters, huh? You're quite bold, Pixie."

The girl called Pixie immediately looked through the scope and placed her finger on the trigger. Silky, the girl being referred to was about to protest that she wasn't the target, but Nadja slapped her hands with an "I see.", so she gave up.

"Distance 2000. I'm going in. I can aim without putting my finger on the trigger."

Playfully, Pixie aimed the rifle. Despite her light banter, her eyes were sharp, like those of a keen beast, and she sneered thinly.

Her gaze extended beyond the snow-covered ruins of the town to the snowy mountains. Buildings and houses got buried in snow, and the snow's weight was crushing the surroundings.

It wasn't because this region was known for heavy snowfall. No matter how heavy the snowfall in any snowy region, it wouldn't accumulate to the extent of swallowing buildings. 

The real identity of this snow became apparent when you looked at the snow-covered mountains. It wriggled like a liquid, absorbing the surrounding snow and growing larger.

The wriggling snow spread across the field of view, and like a boundary, after the wriggling snow passed, it became a flat snowy plain, as if nothing had happened. It erased the traces of past human habitation in that area.

"[Mana Sense]. Confirming the enemy's nucleus. Target: the Thing Wriggling in the Snow."

"Hyperblaster Energy charge rate: 95%. Just a little more, and it'll be 100%."

Pixie, with her eyes shining, discerned a fist-sized tiny nucleus in the wriggling snow mountain, and Nadia reported the state of the rifle displayed on the tablet.

"I'll shoot at 120%."

"That'll break it! Didn't we talk about the 'just in case'?!"

"Just in case, just in case, just in case."

Ignoring Nadia's protests, Pixie, feeling the intense heat leaking from the rifle, activated her technique.

Aura burst out of Pixie's body explosively, scattering the accumulated snow and fluttering Nadia and the others' ponchos.

[Demon Blitz]

That's the best fighting technique she possesses. An enormous amount of fighting energy covered the rifle, and when he pulled the trigger, a ray of superheated light shot out, its power jumped up by the fighting energy.

A ray of light hit the Thing Wriggling in the Snow, melting the passing abandoned buildings, heating the space, and evaporating the accumulating snow, leaving a trail of flames in its wake.

As it pierced the snow pile with a loud sound, it made a steam explosion, causing a huge explosion and covering the area with steam smoke.

Watching the scene, Pixie throws the rifle off the rooftop. The thrown rifle exploded on its way to the ground, becoming metal pieces.