N-Rondart Ron looked at N-Maria walking away and asked N-Martin:

“Is this okay? Martin? Can we survive like this?”

“…”

N-Martin stayed silent from N-Rondart Ron’s question.

One female standing next to them, N-Karian Nell, exploded with rage and grabbed onto N-Martin’s collars.

“You bastard! You told us to just trust you! We stopped the coating because you told us to! We even lent you the codes! But what is this? This is all you can achieve? Do you not care about your life in Angkara?”

N-Karian Nell’s rage continued on.

Though they were all N-levels, they were acting quite rudely towards N-Martin.

Against N-Martin, who supposedly held full authority in this current war situation.

But, of course…

Their birth statuses were different.

“…Royalty.”

N-Martin mumbled to himself.

The soldiers were above the Mekaniks and Technorats.

But they were still below the royalty.

The ones who ruled Angkara.

The sons and daughters of the R-levels.

Unlike most who started off at the C level and spent their lives never ranking above the B or A-levels, these sons and daughters inherited the position of N-level, the level above the As.

On the surface, they were at the same level.

But no.

As long as they continued to live, sooner or later they would become R-levels.

They were born to such a fate.

Unlike him and the others, who could never reach such a level in their lifetime.

There was a reason why they were so angry at this moment.

Since they would’ve come here with just the simple mindset of ‘touring’ or ‘exploring.’.

N-Martin thought of N-Maria as he said:

“Don’t worry, everything is flowing perfectly.”

“…Yeah? This is flowing perfectly? Did you not see that bastard suspect us?”

N-Karian Nell thought of the two barbarians as she raged on.

Two stupid beings that had the powers of a high-ranked soldier of Angkara, the personal royal guards among the top-tier hierarchy in their society.

Especially the eyes of the woman, those eyes that looked at them in disgust.

This alone was unsettling, but there was a huge army charging in from behind as well.

‘Bastards… I’m going to smash you down to the bottommost rungs of society once I get back.’

N-Karian Nell swore to herself that once she got back, she would punish N-Maria and N-Martin by making their lives as miserable as she could.

There was a basic reason why they’d come here.

It was for a mining center under the absolute control of the AI, Melchizedek.

If they succeeded, they would gain the rights to the secret of Nelkipa.

No risk, high returns.

N-Martin would fight and N-Maria would research, and the rest would just take the credit.

In return, they would make both their futures a bit easier to tread.

But there was no reason to anymore.

N-level?

Once they returned, they would probably be demoted to C-level, or even a D-level, the level of a criminal.

Because they had driven her into such danger.

For failing to serve a person of royalty properly.

N-Martin smiled sadly as he gazed at N-Karian’s expression.

He then looked at the sky.

‘B-Cornell.’

He had stacked merits for 30 years in the military to climb up to this point.

To give his son, who’d been placed at C-level, the chance to live a slightly better life.

To drag his son up to B-level.

But this was the end.

The crazy dogs in front of his eyes had the power to disintegrate his 30 years of effort into nothing with a snap of their fingers.

The monstrous aliens outside had the strength to destroy the land he’d defended for 30 years.

The land which his son would live on.

In all honesty, it wasn’t anybody else’s fault.

This was all decided the moment Melchizedek betrayed them, and he had failed to take these three to escape.

So he needed to deal with this himself.

‘…N-Maria. Please.’

At that moment, he heard N-Maria’s voice from his communications device by his ear.

<…N-Martin. I’ve done as you said. You told me that…the others are not needed.>

N-Martin smiled brightly as he heard this.

“You bastaard! Speak! How da—”

As N-Rondart Ron started to shout alongside N-Karian Nell.

—pa pa pa pak—

Four distinct sounds were heard from the walls of the armored vehicle.

And all from four bodies.

“Kuhuk…”

“Argh… What…what is this…?”

N-Rondart and the other three didn’t realize what had just happened as they looked at the holes made through their hearts.

And N-Martin too.

Well.

N-Martin at least knew that this would happen sooner or later.

‘Kiriel…was that her name? Well. You and I are are quite similar in many respects…”

The only difference was that he would fight until the end for his nation.

And she would for her man.

N-Martin smiled as he looked at the hole burning with flames that prevented the nano machine’s tissue reconstruction.

His job was now done.

Kiriel was indeed skillful.

Nobody could survive this.

Not him, or the other three.

Nice and clean.

‘Thank you…’

The rest was now up to N-Maria.

N-Martin looked towards the research center’s control room where N-Maria would be at by now, his vision starting to blur.

……………………………………………..

—chiiijijijik—

‘…’

N-Maria clenched her teeth as she sensed the brain wave communication had stopped.

‘This crazy girl… She killed them instantly?’

N-Maria was at a loss.

Of course she knew that Kiriel didn’t like them to begin with and had been enraged when the Hansoo’s repulsion coating had stopped midway.

But she didn’t expect Kiriel, the quiet and respectful girl, would act out like this in an instant.

N-Maria thought of N-Martin’s final words before she left…

N-Martin continued to push her and gave her the option to choose.

‘Martin… your words were right.’

N-Maria clenched her teeth as she took over the controls for the research center.

It was just as Martin had said.

Those things looked lightly at life and wouldn’t let a single trace of potential danger remain.

And they had the strength to back their views.

‘…I cannot leave them be.’

N-Maria’s pace hastened.

—tatatatata—

“Hurry and infiltrate it! Stop all forms of outside communication and deal with the core detection system!”

“Ugh… Yes!”

Even without her orders, the other members were putting all their efforts into hacking the system from fear.

The sounds of explosions coming from outside were getting louder.

—boom!—

—boooom!—

—crack!—

The sounds of explosions and what seemed like sounds of machines parts breaking apart were getting closer and louder.

If they didn’t want those exact sounds to happen to their own bodies, they had to hack this as soon as possible.

And their efforts did not betray them.

—oooooooooong!—

They heard the loud sounds of machinery as the giant main control board changed from red to blue.

—tunk! tunktunktunk! tonk!—

The sounds of machinery shutting down and booting up continued on as areas with Melchizedek’s red color all changed to blue.

“Hahaha! Success!”

“Phew! N-Maria! We’ll hand over authority to you!”

The various B-levels and A-levels all transfered their authority to N-Maria.

They just needed to take control over the robots.

This was good enough.

If they could take over the entire research center and their forces then they would be able to reverse the situation and finish this all off.

“Please hurry, N-Maria!”

The B and A-levels all shouted at N-Maria as the loud sounds from outside drew closer and closer.

But N-Maria ignored their desperate shouts.

<…Kalkuroun Fleet. Request for Access.>

Then—

—kiiiiing—

The communications system that Melchizedek had stopped began to start up again.

And soon N-Maria could hear a voice in her head.

<…Nelkipa Team. N-Martin, in charge of 7th mining center. Access granted.>

<…More information required. N-Karian nell…Code accessed. Access granted.>

<…Beginning communications.>

—kiiiiiiiing—

An image appeared inside N-Maria’s head.

Of a man who stood with a giant starship in the background.

N-Maria gulped as she looked at the oppressive-looking man.

‘R-Koronaita Nell.’

A man from one of the three main families that controlled the Neropa Union, the Nell family.

He who was acknowledged for his abilities and given the rights to control the fleet of flames, the Kalkuroun.

N-Maria breathed in and out as she listened to R-Koronaita Nell’s words.

‘Martin, I have come to this point.’

She had taken over the research center and opened up the military communications server.

It was now time to act on Martin’s plan, using the deaths of the other four as the basis.

To take over everything.

‘What are you doing!? N-Maria! Please suppress the robots!”

N-Maria continued to focus on the communications and ignored their shouts.

‘There’s not enough spare energy to control them…’

‘F***ing bastard…’

N-Maria gritted her teeth.

For him to downright ignore her request…

N-Maria breathed in and out and then continued to speak to N-Koronaita Nell.

<…What did you say?>

R-Koronaita Nell’s expression froze.

‘It’s all over now, you b****.’

N-Maria thought of Kiriel as she smiled.

………………………………………………

“Oh? They took over the controls, is that okay? To hand over authority of this giant research center directly to them?”

Melchizedek, who seemed to be relying quite heavily on the guard next to him, laughed as he detected what just happened.

This giant research center’s size was that of three cities, and it had a fusion reactor that could power all three cities for half a century.

Of course, the other buildings and facilities would have such a thing as well.

All facilities in Angkara were prepared for an emergency situation.

There were two main purposes behind this research center.

Researching the tools that would be used in battles…

And for transferring such forces.

Through Quantum Transmission.

It was a result of the countless years of effort from Angkara’s war union.

But Hansoo chuckled.

“Well, as long as your lock has been released. Don’t look down on them.”

“Huh?”

“I’m telling you to just focus on the current situation.”

Then—

—booom!—

A hammer suddenly swung and smashed into Melchizedek’s head.

………………………………………….

—rumble!—

“Hah. Look at these imbeciles. They betray us after I buy them the time they needed?”

Kiriel looked behind her and mumbled.

The shockwave.

And the aura of a powerful being coming from inside.

—booooom!—

An attack, a bit different from the photon strike, had exploded out from within.

An attack that the repulsion coating could not handle.

—szzzzzzsssztt!—

The countless robots had simply melted away under this strike.

And after dodging away from its trajectory, Kiriel looked into the hole.

At a soldier who was covered in some strange armor.

Though his face was covered in some sort of visor, she knew.

That he was smiling.

Because N-Maria was also smiling behind him.

Kiriel’s smiling expression stiffened and began to stretch into a horrifying smile.

‘Hansoo told me about this.’

‘Deal with them accordingly… Good.’

Then—

—kachak!—

A strange red armor started to surround Kiriel’s body.

And soon covered her terrifyingly cold smile.