n

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nThe humans were made aware of an unknown enemy.

nI had shot down three people that day while the rest hid on ground before I could shoot them.

nThough, from the start, I intended to spare a few.

nOnly that way will they know there exists an enemy who has superior technology to theirs.

nFear of the unknown.

nNow the human will have to move in large numbers.

nAlso, I had told the Dawn Fairies to relocate.

nIt was easy for them because the trees can turn into houses on their own.

n‘Slowly moving.’

nHaving confirmed through the cameras that the enemy was flying up from their camp, I quickly packed my equipment and headed for a floating cliff.

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n50, then 100, then finally 150 flew up in formation.

nAltogether 300 enemies.

nNo matter what level of weapons they have, even an A-Rank hunter will not be able to deal with all of them at once because of their limited stamina.

nHowever, it’s possible with the help of equipment.

n‘I’m going to break the bank again today.’

nI took out a pair of sunglasses from my inventory, put them on, then held my breath.

nThese sunglasses have a handy radar HUD (Head-Up Display), which has an active infrared sensor, and depending on the equipment available, thermal imaging surveillance, partial fluoroscope, echolocation, and so on are possible.

nAt the moment, I have no choice but to roughly mark the enemy’s position…

nThere were not even that many enemies.

n‘They’re coming.’

nPoints marked A to F were shown on a monitor next to me, and as soon as I saw about 30 troops passing by Point C, I pressed the switch to the bomb I had installed at that location.

n…Boom!!

nSomewhere, an explosion sounded.

nChecking my camera, about half were injured or dead and the other half remained unscathed.

nAlthough I can’t fully see the enemy’s movements and it was slightly out of range, their reaction was still quite fast.

nThen, every time an enemy passed by a point, an alarm would ring and I would trigger a series of bombs.

nAt times it was an electric field piercing them, other times it was flames rising to the sky.

nThe nature that the Dawn Fairies deeply cherish was slightly damaged in the process…

nThough, I’m not the type of person to care about that in the first place.

nBoom, Boom!!

nExplosions came from all directions.

nI can’t kill them all.

nHowever, since my goal was to block them from heading towards the Dawn Fairies, it could be said that I’ve accomplished that.

nDealing with all 3,000 humans is difficult, but 300 was easy enough.

n‘There are probably less than 100 dead.’

nAs expected, I didn’t even get half, still, it’s no problem.

nLosing their will to fight because of some unknown technology.

nThey’re scared of the next wave…

nBut in fact, there’s no such thing.

nI don’t know if there was an emergency order or what, but after a while, the enemies disappeared somewhere.

nThe total casualty I inflicted today is about 80 people.

nSo far, I’ve used up about 20% of the explosive I had to inflict this much.

nI was satisfied with my inventory even though the lack of resources won’t be enough to deal with 3,000 people.

nIt’s already been three days since.

nAn unidentified enemy had appeared out of nowhere, blocking the few humans from heading to the Fairies’ camp.

nWhatever ‘its’ intentions are, the humans have suffered a great loss.

nIn just three days, more than 200 people have died.

nAdding the wounded, nearly 300 people are incapacitated.

nThe humans couldn’t even tell how many enemies there were, where they were, or what technologies they used.

nBut one thing they were certain of, and that is, the other side has far superior technologies to theirs.

nPrecise shots to the head from thousands of meters away.

nA warning for them to stop fighting by demonstrating its superior technology.

nHowever…for them, retreating now is not an option.

n“An order from the Chief Commander.”

nThen, on the third day.

nThe usually calm Chief Commander, who had remained silent until as many as 200 of his men died, finally gave an order.

n“Against this, we’re going to ‘make a sortie.’”

n“Yes sir!”

nThe humans have two elite units.

nOne is the Whirlwind Special Mobile Strike Force.

nAnd the other is the Gale Special Mobile Strike Force.

nThe Whirlwind Special Mobile Strike Force could glide freely in the air for long range attacks, and now the Chief Commander has finally decided to take out this trump card.

nEven when they had attacked the fairies, these units were not used.

nBecause these were prepared as countermeasures against the ‘alien races’ that would exist on other islands.

n‘The Chief Commander must have judged that this enemy is more dangerous than the alien races.’

nWhen Marick, the captain of the Whirlwind Special Mobile Strike Force, saw 49 of his men equipped with the machines called ‘Wings of Hope,’ with a firm look, he spoke.

n“The Chief Commander’s report says the enemy we’re going to be killing is ‘one.’ So, you don’t have to be afraid.”

n“…”

nThe men looked around at one another.

nThere was no helping it.

nNo matter how they look at it, it should be at least 9 or 10 people.

n“This was the Chief Commander’s conclusion.”

n“Is that so sir…”

nThe Chief Commander has absolute authority, and is also the strongest soldier here.

nAnd for the most part, his judgement is accurate.

nAlso, based on the evidence and conclusion they’ve speculated, the soldiers had no choice but to believe those words.

n“From here, it’s the Chief Commander’s guesses. The enemy uses a more highly developed ‘artillery shell’ than us. The shells can explode from a distance without being fired, and the enemy’s firearm appears to have a range of at least 20 times that of ours.”

nIt was hopeless just listening to the briefing.

nFirearms.

nWhen it was only them, such technology was more reliable than anything else they had, but now it was terrifying to think an enemy has it.

nFurthermore, artillery that can explode from a distance.

n“However, unless the shells are set up in advance, it will not detonate. In other words, we have to avoid places where the enemy might have set up traps. Also, if any of you are in the shell’s range of detonation…”

nThen, the Chief Commander pointed to three markings on a map to Marick.

n“Here, here, and here.”

nMarick looked at each of his men, then spoke.

n“The enemy must be somewhere here.”

nAn order for a sortie had come down.

nOnce they realized that the enemy could shoot from an invisible distance, they saw no reason to go into open spaces where they could clearly be seen, thus, they flew low to cloak themselves.

nHundreds of rocks and plants floating in the air also made for an excellent cover, and the moonlight from the dim twilight soon became a curtain that obscured them.

n‘As expected, the shells won’t detonate if we pick indirect routes leading to the fairies.’

n“We’re almost at the key point. Everyone be on high alert.”

nAfter Marick gave the order, he spoke to Deputy Commander Bike.”

n“Bike. Your mission is crucial in the extermination of the enemy. Can you do it?”

n“I’ll make sure of it.”

n“Okay. Go and come back.”

nMarick felt uneasy when he sent Bike.

nBecause Bike was risking his life.

n‘No. To kill an unknown enemy, this much is necessary.’

nMarick, with a firm determination, was about to issue a follow-up order when…

n…Tutung!

n“Uck!”

nThe sound of a gunshot from somewhere, then of a soldier falling.

n“Up 30 degrees northwest! Enemy spotted 300 meters in the distance!”

nScreamed one of the soldiers who had good eyesight, then Marick turned his head.

nThere, wearing a strange steel armor and carrying a firearm much larger than a gun, was somebody or something.

nThe shots would come from thousands of meters away every time, however, it was much closer this time.

n‘He must have been in a hurry to stop us from taking this route that leads to the fairies.’

n‘This is our chance!’

n“Everyone, full bloom formation!”

nTo pass through the rocks and trees, and get as close as possible while avoiding the enemy’s sight.

nHowever, the distance of 300 meters is longer than one might think.

nChuchuchung!

n“Eueuk!”

n“Keuk!”

nThe enemy’s shooting skill is far better than what Marick had thought.

nJust from the gaps in their covers, the enemy was able to hit them, and unlike their own firearms, theirs could be done in succession.

nThey’ve lost seven men already, yet they barely managed to get within range for their rifles.

nThe distance between them and the enemy is now less than 100 meters.

n“All units load!”

nThe soldiers, who had been prowling, raised their rifles at the same spot, having surrounded the enemy from all sides.

nNo matter how far the enemy’s range is, or how it could be done in succession, he won’t be able to shoot every soldier on all sides.

n“Fire!”

nBang, Bang! Bang!

nThe soldiers fired at the enemy with black hair.

n…Titititing!

nThen, it all bounced off.

n“What the…!”

nGiving them no time to panic, the enemy made a gesture of some kind.

nNext, the rocky cliff that was floating above their heads exploded, sending all the soldiers below it falling.

n“Damn it! The enemy had set up another artillery! Everyone stay away from the structures!”

nHowever, will that work?

nOnly by being near the structures can they hide from the enemy’s sight, but now they have to get away from it.

nSurely there’s a limit to the enemy’s artillery and not every structure was set up.

nSince they don’t know which one is set up, they are forced into this position.

nHowever, there was no time to waste.

nEven though it’s only one enemy, they were clearly at a disadvantage.

n“Artillery Unit, load!”

nAs soon as Marick shouted, 10 soldiers appeared.

n“Fire!”

nSimultaneously, 10 artillery rounds were fired.

nFor the first time, the enemy began to move.

nPung, papapung!!

nAs soon as the artillery exploded, the enemy took out a small silver gun from his chest and fired it at another floating cliff.

nWith it, came flying blue sparks.

n‘That’s…?’

nWhat Seodam had fired was a ‘Magnetic Grappling Gun.’

nA powerful electromagnet connected to a pistol that uses a push and pull force.

nUsing Wind Step (D) to its full potential, Seodam ran on the side of the cliff and jumped from one to the next using his grappling gun.

nMarick clenched his teeth as he took out an artillery.

nThe enemy is not completely vulnerable while in air.

n‘The timing will be right after the enemy lands on a cliff!’

nTu-tung…tu-tung!!

n“That was great!”

nAs if Seodam couldn’t avoid the artillery, Marick had successfully hit him…

nWhen the smoke cleared, the figure revealed inside was intact without a single scratch.

n‘The hell…!’

nA translucent coating of some kind was covering the enemy’s body, and Marick, who did not know that it’s an aether barrier, felt stifled.

nBut.

n‘The fact that he’s avoiding the artillery means that some amount of impact can harm him. If so, this operation can succeed!’

nSince then, Seodam has attacked the soldiers by either detonating the bombs he installed beforehand or scattering them in the air.

nFolding their wings midair, many of them were able to avoid the bombs, which shows their physical ability would be at least E-Rank on Earth.

nBecause there’s no way ordinary humans could have that reaction speed.

nTing, ting!

nAlthough their firearms are definitely outdated, their shooting skill and accuracy were quite good in the air.

nA bullet had scraped Seodam’s body, however, he was wearing his 1st-Grade suit.

nAnd its barrier wasn’t reduced much.

n“Third Interception Squad, prepare the artillery!”

n“First Subjugation Squad, take flight and block the escape routes!”

nShwah!

n“…”

nQuickly spreading out and flying into the sky, they began firing artillery at Seodam.

nIts power was lousy, but even superhumans will suffer considerable damage if hit by those without an aether suit on.

nSeodam’s ability was only D-Rank, and he has no body strengthening superpowers.

nHowever, he’s fighting because he trusted his suit.

nBecause of the Magnetic Grappling gun in hand, Seodam’s mobility was very limited, unlike the soldiers flying freely in the air who was gradually cornering him.

n‘Huh. These guys are pretty good?’

nSeodam has almost no experience in aerial combat.

nNo, it could be said that he had none.

nOn the contrary, the soldiers seem to be masters of aerial combat.

nFacing such enemies that treat their wings as an extension of their bodies, even Seodam found it difficult.

nHowever, they still don’t have any data on the weaponry Seodam possessed.

nPachichi!!

n“Keuack!!”

n“W-what! I definitely flew behind the rock.”

nThey flew carefully so as to not get caught by the traps or angle of attack, but were suddenly struck by a blue electric wire between the rocks.

nA magnetic line.

nInstalled on both sides were two electrically connected blue devices, so when three soldiers passed by, they crashed after being electrocuted.

nGoing between the rocks was a good way to widen the distance and avoid the explosives, but…

nThere were other means of attack.

nThe magnetic line being one of them.

n‘50 elite soldiers is certainly a little tough. I didn’t think I’d use something this expensive.’’

nIndeed, these are elite aerial warfare troops, so despite having a technological advantage, it was difficult to fight them.

nUsing the Grappling Gun again, Seodam took off to a floating cliff behind him, then aimed his pistol.

n…The soldiers had disappeared.

nPerhaps each of them were hiding behind a rock or tree floating in the air and outside of his vision.

nEven though there’s a magnetic line, it wasn’t something like an enemy alarm system.

nThey won’t show up again until they regroup, so until then, Seodam decided to widen the distance a little bit for his rifle.

nSwish!

n“…!”

nSuddenly.

nSeodam, sensing something amiss, hurriedly activated his barrier, but instead of it being an ambush, a red liquid of some kind covered his body.

n‘What’s this, when did it get on me?’

nHe thought he had confirmed all the enemies’ position.

nSlowly looking up, he saw something…a fish creature that looked like a dolphin tied up with a rope and two soldiers pouring out its blood.

n“What’s this…?”

nA sticky smell of blood was covering his body.

nThen, Marick shouted.

n“Good job, Bike!”

nUnbeknownst to Seodam, this was the crux of their operation.

nThe red liquid that covers his body is the blood of the ‘predator of the sky’s’ child, and the predator is very fond of their young…

n….Kuuu!!!

nFrom somewhere, a giant horn sounded.

nNo, it was something of a loud wail.

nAnd that something is a giant whale.

nA whale that swims freely through the sky using its seven fins like wings.

nNow such a monster was opening its muzzle with all its might towards Seodam.

nOnly then did Seodam grasp the situation, as he burst out laughing.

n“…Wow. I see, these devilish bastards.”

nThose were the words spoken by the stranger with black hair.

nUgh!

nRemaining Barrier: 19.08%

n…Tuwakwong!!

nThud.

nThe Whirlwind Force dropped their firearms.

n‘The predator of the sky….killed…?’

nSeeing the giant predator burst into pieces, the troops lost all their fighting spirit.

nIt was unbelievable.

nFirearms and cannons.

nAgainst this absolute ruler of the world, no attacks had worked.

nNow, the predator of the sky had met its end….

nThe plan was perfect.

nThey had thought that if it was the predator, it would surely kill the unknown enemy.

n“This doesn’t make any sense…”

nThey had always been confident in their dominance of science and technology.

nBut now, after meeting an even more overwhelming and perfect science.

nTheir confidence was shattered.

nWhen a soldier, who is in deep despair, was about to fall to his knees.

nSomeone from behind assisted him.

n“D-deputy Chief Commander?”

nIt was Meiyan, a sharp-faced woman with brown hair.

nWhen she saw the mysterious enemy slaughtering her allies in the distance, Meiyan became irritated.

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nThen, she spoke to the Chief Commander who had approached her from behind at some point.

n“Chief Commander, I thought everything would go smoothly after you tricked that stupid bitch fairy…”

n“…”

nMeiyan paused when she saw the Chief Commander looking somewhere in the distance.

n“What are you going to do now?”

nInstead of answering, he pulled out a sharp longsword.

nStrongest soldier on land, Chief Commander, genius inventory, great pioneer, humanity’s hero, and king among men.

nHanniel Maximov.

n“I will take action myself.”

nWith 20 of his most elite soldiers, the Windfury Special Mobile Strike Force, he took the lead.

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