Chapter 149.2. Summon
"Somehow, if they're Level 3, they'll be able to keep up!"
About ten subordinates salute valiantly. Their combat attire is uniform, but each carries weapons such as spears, swords, hammers, etc., which are unlike the modern soldiers's armaments.
Nevertheless, they are Level 3. Although the number of casualties has been increasing rapidly recently, they are still strong and reliable.
Utsuden draws his sword and cautiously enters. The others have automatic rifles. Special weapons are intended to be used only against opponents resistant to rifles.
Members with high stats swiftly infiltrate the Eighth Factory, moving at a pace incomparable to regular humans. The factory, consisting of multiple layers, has a ceiling of about three meters. Shelves line the concrete floor, and soil is spread out with water occasionally dripping down.
Originally, it's intended for hydroponics. The Pillar of Abundance constantly enrich the soil. By utilizing their effects, unconventional farming methods have become possible.
Ignoring those facilities, they rush through the area as if flying, without considering hiding, and descend the stairs to the underground.
Progressing further without encountering any obstacles, they feel a bit disappointed. Then, they notice the metal double doors opening, revealing the container warehouse beyond.
"Hmm?"
Raising a hand, Utsuden stops in his tracks. The underground warehouse should be lined with containers, but they seem to have been scattered like matchsticks, blown away by a storm, and piled up against the walls.
And in the center of the warehouse, multiple black skeletons are arranged in a circle.
In pieces.
At the center of the circle stands a person.
"You there! Raise your hands! What happened?"
Colonel Utsuden stares sternly, interrogating in a threatening tone. The person is a man. With white hair mixed with the few hairs remaining on his slightly muscular and middle-aged to elderly, unremarkable, and seemingly timid body. And for some reason, he's completely naked.
"Oh, you mean this old man? You mean me, right?"
Colonel Utsuden furrows his brows at the strangely relaxed voice. He gestures to surround the man with his hand signs. His subordinates encircle the man as instructed, aiming their automatic rifles at him.
"Oh, this old man here is just an innocent citizen. I got attacked by thieves, or rather, it's more fitting to say I have no memory, right? Fits the situation here, doesn't it?"
Despite being surrounded by soldiers, the man speaks nonchalantly, more eerie than cautious. Colonel Utsuden adjusts his sword to a mid-level stance, feeling more uneasy than cautious.
"What nonsense! Raise your hands and kneel! You'll be interrogated after arrest."
"Oh, no? Is that so? Well then, let me change my lines."
The man sighs and looks around at Colonel Utsuden and his men, waving his hand palm up.
"Hand over your clothes."
Feeling danger from the man's smirking gesture, Utsuden shouts while converting mana into combat energy.
"Fire!"
"That's harsh."
[Blade Laser]
The air rings sharply as the trajectory of light rushes through space.
As the soldiers with their hands on the triggers get enveloped in countless bright lines, they collapse with a disgusting sound of flesh hitting the ground as they get torn apart.
"Huh? Someone forcibly neutralized the laser with combat energy. I always thought lasers were useless; they have low power unsuitable for mana consumption."
To the man's surprisingly bitter smile, Colonel Utsuden glares, groaning.
"Ugh, what kind of magic was that...?"
Although his skin gets slightly cut and blood flows, it's nothing serious. Colonel Utsuden can't hide his astonishment at his subordinates getting killed in an instant. It seems that if a certain amount of combat energy flowed through the body, it could have been prevented, but the power is terrifying.
"Could it be that you, Black Skeletons, are behind this? Did you come to steal the Earth's treasures?"
"Hey, hey, isn't it weird for a naked old man to come to steal? It's embarrassing. I'm already old. Walking around naked is only acceptable for young women or murder androids."
"You're joking!"
While scratching his temple, Colonel Utsuden lowers his stance with the sword. The man, whose eyes are wandering, answers.
"Earth's Jewel? Do you mean this junk? It smells like oil, but isn't this supposed to be used to turn barren land into fertile land, a super rare item for environmental reconstruction? It's a waste. This should have been part of creating mines for mining magical resources. What a waste. I've exhausted mana to summon them and ended up with nothing but junk."
Utsuden is amazed as he picks up a round stone lying on the ground. The mana of the Earth's Jewel has run out? It's a powerful magical tool containing vast mana, and capable of automatic recovery.
And the man said something that couldn't be ignored. Summon? Was this man summoned? Was the Pillar of Abundance also used in the same way? Where was this man summoned from?
Realizing the danger this man poses, Utsuden's spine stiffens, and he makes up his mind. If he doesn't kill this man now, things will get out of hand.
[First Strike]
Distorting space, enlarging the sword with combat energy, a high-speed strike like a gust of wind attempts to cut the man in half. Its power is immense, tearing apart not only the man, but everything behind him, including the ceiling, creating a large crack in the ground.
Observing the man's appearance after being defeated and severed, Utsuden clicks his tongue as the body begins to disappear.
Stepping back with sliding steps and looking around,
[Flash of Light Blade]
The man, who had somehow appeared beside him, lowers his hand in the form of a hand chop.
No, it wasn't lowered, Colonel Utsuden realized as his body swayed unsteadily.
The attack was already over.
As the sword falls and Utsuden's head behind it,
Blood spurts from the severed neck, and Utsuden's body collapses.
"Oh, thank goodness. I got some nice clothes. The laser tore everything else apart. That old man is reckless, isn't he? I try to be careful, but..."
Stripping Utsuden's clothes and putting them on, the man mutters with a wry smile.
"It seems Nadja acted as instructed. But the link with Nadja is cut off. Pixie and Silky are useless too. I thought Silky would stay, but it's a pity."
After fully dressing, he strokes his chin, looking troubled.
"Do I have to save the world alone, this old man? After all, I'm an old model, and machines were never good from the start. They want a human to be the savior. Well, there's no helping it. If the terrain is the same, I can only pray that the facilities I sent them are still alive."
Drawing a magic circle in the air with a finger,
"I'll do my best to be the world's savior. It's a shame for this world, but I'll continue experimenting without hesitation. After all, this old man has to be the world's savior."
The man muttered leisurely and disappeared under the light of the magic circle of light.
With that, only the bodies of the soldiers and silence remained.
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