“Ideale Kukenhauzen, Brigadier General.”
To put it bluntly, she had been an uncomfortable presence within the Kukenhauzen family.
True to its nickname, the Family of Iron Blood, the Kukenhauzen family did not normally leave such people alone.
Or rather, to be precise, they silenced family members to ensure they acted according to the family's grand strategy, and at times even killed them outright.
That was not a family disgrace.
For an ordinary family, perhaps it would have been.
But with overwhelming influence throughout the military second only to Rosen, and with both the main and branch families exercising influence across dozens of planets, the Kukenhauzen family was anything but an “ordinary family.”
On the surface, it was an ancient military family that had stood alongside the founding of the Human Composite State. Internally, it was an old tree of power whose roots had sunk deep ever since the nation's founding.
Yet Ideale, who drifted apart from her family and despised factions, had merely been demoted instead of being eliminated or silenced.
Why?
Because she was a Penta Gear and a flawless soldier.
She was so capable that even the hardline elders and the family head had chosen to ponder how to make use of her rather than eliminate her.
“The Military Police will secure the cadets and the wounded, then withdraw. Until then, we'll handle things here. Obia.”
“Yes, Headmistress.”
Obia Timist's ability, which specialized in projecting firepower, was a poor match with hers.
At the order, Obia rolled her distinctive crimson eyes filled with mischief, but even she could not act recklessly before Ideale, so she gathered the cadets alongside the Military Police.
“Come on, out you go.”
Of course, she did not force out those who insisted on staying.
“I'm fine.”
“Really? All right.”
Miel, who was only half-conscious.
Beatus, who had retired after running out of ammunition.
Hino Kanae, gasping for breath.
Even Famille, who had collapsed long ago.
Those who were effectively incapable of fighting were evacuated outside the dome together with the wounded.
“……I'm fine too, ptoo.”
Baek Hui-young, with his ash-gray hair gripping his spear, and Dokgo Ran, whose bronze skin was covered in wounds yet whose gleaming eyes still shone with terrifying ferocity, remained on the battlefield.
Naturally.
They could still fight, and more than their exhaustion or battered spirits, they wanted to tear apart and kill the King who looked down on them arrogantly from the sky.
「Absolute Zero」
As Ideale's influence spread, the monsters that had been about to greedily devour the cadets froze solid.
Creatures baring their fangs from every direction, raising their claws, and at times moving countless legs all became statues of ice while still standing.
It was truly a magnificent sight.
But it was nothing more than a greeting that did not even qualify as a prelude.
“Haa.”
The short breath she exhaled scattered like a heat haze.
The sudden drop in temperature would have restricted others, but to her it was nothing but peace and comfort.
Then, as the black coat draped over her shoulders fluttered, she shot into the air in an instant and hovered directly above Stero Mer's head, frost swirling around her as she murmured.
「Blizzard」
At that moment, a dense blizzard engulfed the entire area.
—KRAAAAAAAAH!
The King's body was shredded by blade-like frost.
“……Cough!”
When Jin Crow opened his eyes again, the sight before him was...
Somehow both familiar and unfamiliar.
Naturally.
Back at Atla Colony, hadn't he also been thrown into a collapse and rolled around with Creatures?
The difference was that back then, his injuries had been minor and merely exhausting.
Now, he was on the verge of death.
“……Urgh.”
It felt as though his entire body had been torn to pieces.
He could no longer feel his legs, his vision was blurred, and there were fewer unbroken bones than broken ones.
That wasn't all.
Disgusting wings and arms were embedded neatly into his abdomen, twitching grotesquely, while his legs were buried beneath rubble, unable to move at all.
He bit down on his lips to endure the pain and keep himself conscious until blood burst from them, yet his awareness continued to fade.
He almost wished he could simply lose consciousness.
But the Pentacle embedded in his neck refused to allow it, violently hammering his heart every time his consciousness threatened to slip away.
“Fuck.”
The crude curse escaped softly through his cracked and split lips.
He forcibly twisted what felt like a broken neck to look around the place where he had fallen, but whether another collapse had occurred as he plunged down, not even the faintest trace of light remained.
Was this what despair felt like?
An involuntary laugh escaped him, and with the thought of having one last cigarette, he searched inside his coat with trembling fingers.
His hand found a crumpled cigarette pack wedged between the torn fabric.
But he could only click his tongue.
“……Nothing ever works. Cough!”
As expected, the cigarettes were soaked in blood and utterly unsmokable.
Sure, he could dry them if he really wanted.
But he wasn't insane enough to dry cigarettes drenched in both his own blood and the King's before putting one in his mouth.
Thud.
Whether his hand dropped first or whether he had simply thrown the cigarettes onto the ground, he no longer knew.
Letting all strength leave his body, he stared blankly as his eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness.
What happens now?
He had always abused his body, and death had constantly lurked nearby.
But thinking back now, he had always managed to survive.
At the very least, he had never been buried underground while a King rampaged above his head.
Now that death truly seemed imminent, the first emotion he felt was regret.
I could have done better.
What good was being a reader who had devoured the novel for ten years?
Once he became the transmigrator himself, all he could really do was follow the original story's major plot.
Of course, he still questioned whether a single sincere email expressing regret had truly deserved all this suffering.
Objectively speaking, even if he survived this, he doubted he could twist the original story enough to actually defeat the Creatures.
Simply gathering Oparts and talented people won't be enough.
There were simply too many people trolling the galaxy.
And far too many lunatics.
The problem was that most of those lunatics possessed power and authority.
The King before his eyes was proof enough.
If he had that much wealth and was famous enough to be called immortal, why couldn't he have simply enjoyed it?
Why join hands with the Red Hand and gather Creatures until things reached this point?
Jin Crow... I want to know more about myself.
He wasn't a fool.
Judging from the reactions of those around him and everything he had witnessed, he had long since realized that the original Jin Crow was not merely the delusional villain he had assumed.
Who exactly was he?
What was his past?
And what sins was he carrying?
“……Urgh... Hah... Cough!”
His thoughts stopped there as nausea surged from deep within his lungs, forcing him into a violent fit of coughing.
He soon felt blood soaking the hand already covered in wounds, and slowly closed his eyes.
This was his limit.
Sleep was overtaking him.
It seemed even the Pentacle had finally exhausted its effects.
Resigned to the death approaching him, he slowly felt every sensation fade away.
But then—
〔It is an honor to meet you, Irregular Jin Crow.〕
Deep underground, where silence and stillness filled every corner.
Just before his consciousness vanished, a soft mechanical voice, sounding almost like that of a young girl, slipped into his fading awareness.
〔By the will of EVE, I shall now sever the first chain.〕
The last words he remembered were—
〔You have my respect for your sacrifice.〕
A single sentence.
Warm...
Yet somehow filled with guilt.
Person in Charge: Senior Researcher ■■■, Cosmic Truth Society
Record Subject: Irregular
Remarks: Due to the aftereffects of the experiment conducted ■■ years ago, the subject suffered severe mental and physical defects...
After Baek Hui-young and the Knights of the Stars received their commissions, the Fourth Galactic War against the Empire began amid continuing conflicts and relentless Creature sinkings.
Since generations had already changed after the Third Galactic War, war itself had become an unfamiliar concept.
Nevertheless, the nation's militaristic ideology remained unchanged.
Young men and women willingly donned military uniforms, and before long, countless fleets and ground forces were deployed across every front.
Naturally, Baek Hui-young and the Knights of the Stars also entered the war as Special-duty Second Lieutenants.
Living up to expectations, all of them were promoted to field-grade officers in less than two years.
Even considering how quickly Special-duty Officers advanced, it was an extraordinary pace.
But there were more than enough reasons.
“Major Dokgo Ran. In recognition of your achievement in using hyperspace to infiltrate behind enemy lines, ramming the enemy flagship, and capturing its commanding officer through close-quarters combat, you are hereby awarded the 3rd Class Iron Cross Knight Medal.”
The Fierce General, Dokgo Ran.
“Major Miel Amber. In recognition of your achievement in successfully commanding a withdrawal operation despite facing a ten-to-one disadvantage, you are hereby awarded the 2nd Class Iron Cross Knight Medal.”
The Virtuous General, Miel Amber.
“Major Hino Kanae. In recognition of your achievement in severing the enemy's center during the Ar Blitzkrieg and leading the operation to victory, you are hereby awarded the 2nd Class Iron Cross Knight Medal.”
The Sharp General, Hino Kanae.
“Major Famille Demezear. In recognition of your brilliant strategy in deceiving the enemy's rear lines, cutting off their supplies, and leading the Ar Blitzkrieg to a successful offensive, you are hereby awarded the 2nd Class Iron Cross Knight Medal.”
The Wise Strategist, Famille Demezear.
“Major Beatus. In recognition of your achievement as the staff officer who first drafted the Ar Blitzkrieg, you are hereby awarded the Iron Cross Medal.”
The Wise General, Beatus.
Every one of them had proven their worth on the battlefield in one way or another.
The same was true for Baek Hui-young.
...Except that he had devoted all of his abilities to fighting Creatures, leaving him without any medals to this day.
The Human Composite State cared about the Empire.
Not mindless alien beasts incapable of communication.
The Knights of the Stars, however, remained remarkably close.
Naturally.
Baek Hui-young himself had made it that way.
Even though they had been assigned to units scattered across the galaxy, they still held regular hologram calls.
〔Damn it, why am I the only one who got 3rd Class?〕
〔I'm more surprised they gave you a medal at all. They dressed it up nicely, but didn't you basically just ram the enemy flagship, Ran?〕
〔What's wrong with that? Fleet battles are all about boarding actions!〕
〔Even space pirates are probably more civilized than you.〕
Dokgo Ran and Famille were as they always were.
〔I really owe Beatus this time. I'll make sure to repay you.〕
〔Come on, we're friends. If you really insist, use the Hino family's influence to get me out of the Staff Department.〕
〔……Ahem.〕
〔Kanae? Huh? Miel! At least you—!〕
〔S-Sorry, Beatus. But... the Staff Department really suits you.〕
Kanae, Beatus, and Miel were no different.
Baek Hui-young sipped the coffee in his stainless steel cup, a faint smile resting on his lips.
It was one of the few sights that soothed his weary heart.
Then Miel, glancing cautiously at everyone else, carefully spoke.
〔H-Hey... did you all hear?〕
〔Hear what?〕
〔Instructor Crow... He became a Penta Gear.〕
〔……What?〕
〔T-They say he might even become one of the few Hexa Gears in history.〕
The atmosphere instantly turned cold.
Famille's expression hardened.
Beatus lowered his gaze.
Hino Kanae and Dokgo Ran, though interested as fellow martial artists, showed no friendliness either.
〔Miel, don't concern yourself with him. You know what Instructor Crow—that madman—did to our cadets.〕
〔……Sorry. I guess I shouldn't have brought it up. But Hui-young, why aren't you saying anything?〕
“I only just got here.”
Miel laughed awkwardly.
Since it hadn't really been her fault, the mood soon recovered.
Baek Hui-young chatted with them for a while before ending the call and placing a cigarette between his lips.
Click... Hiss.
Black Star.
A strong cigarette, but his favorite.
As the heavy smoke settled deep into his lungs, he thought about Jin Crow.
It's not an overreaction.
Instructor Jin Crow had become sensitive.
Authoritarian.
And little by little, he had begun to lose his mind.
More than before.
Far more rapidly than Baek Hui-young remembered.
Eventually, under the guise of training matches, he had killed over a dozen cadets.
As punishment, he had been assigned to a penal battalion and sent to fight on the front lines.
There's no reason for me to deal with him personally.
None of the cadets Jin Crow had killed were major figures.
Only friends of Famille and Beatus.
Miel had probably meant no harm.
Famille and Beatus had sworn countless times that they would kill him someday.
She had likely been trying to tell them, indirectly, to give up.
“Hoo.”
Baek Hui-young exhaled a long stream of smoke, as though blowing away the turmoil in his heart.
He knew Jin Crow was connected to him somehow.
But he deliberately chose not to dig any deeper.
The Ministry of Defense wasn't foolish.
If Jin Crow had become a Penta Gear, they would eliminate him themselves.
After all...
They would never meet again.
“……Instructor.”
Yes.
That was what he had believed.
Together with Baek Hui-young, Famille, Beatus, Dokgo Ran, Kanae, Miel, and the countless Special-duty Officers of the Human Composite State who had been deployed after them all stared at Jin Crow, who stood arrogantly atop the ruined Ministry of Defense building in the fallen capital of the Human Composite State, smoking a cigarette.
“That crazy bastard...”
“H-He's actually human?”
One day, Jin Crow escaped from the penal battalion.
The place where he reappeared was none other than the Ministry of Defense, known as the Nest of the Stars.
The number of generals he had killed alone reached fifty-three.
Not content with that, he brought down the Ministry itself and carried out a massacre alongside a group of mysterious Special-duty Officers who followed him.
The result...
Was what lay before them now.
“T-The capital of the Human Composite State...”
“……Estimated civilian casualties: one million. Is he insane?”
No nuclear weapon had been used.
One million people had simply been slaughtered by Special-duty Officers with their own hands.
Naturally, every nearby military unit had been mobilized to suppress them.
What followed was a desperate battle.
“……Grrrk.”
“Gah!”
The unknown Special-duty Officers who had appeared alongside Jin Crow stared at the Human Composite State with hatred that never wavered, even as they died.
Instinctively...
A hatred so overwhelming it sickened those who witnessed it.
In the end, it took three days before they finally reached Jin Crow.
Only after Ideale and four Penta Gears had joined the battle was he subdued.
“Haa... Hah...”
Baek Hui-young was among those Penta Gears.
His tingling fingers tightened around his spear.
He looked down at the man kneeling amid the rubble with a cigarette still hanging from his lips.
“……”
“……”
Silence filled the surroundings.
Naturally.
At least five percent of the Human Composite State's Special-duty Officer force had been wiped out in this incident.
Jin Crow had accomplished what not even the Empire's Penta Gears could.
The other Penta Gears had already collapsed from exhaustion.
Which meant...
Baek Hui-young alone would deliver the final blow.
Bleeding and limping, he walked toward him and leveled the tip of his spear at his angular jaw.
“……Tsk.”
Even as Jin Crow raised his head toward the razor-sharp spear point, he retained his characteristic gaze—sensitive, worn down, yet utterly authoritarian.
His black pupils gleamed.
Baek Hui-young's gray eyes looked back with a mixture of contempt and fear.
He had no choice but to ask.
“Why, Instructor?”
Blood pooled at the corner of Jin Crow's mouth before running down his jaw and dripping onto the tip of Baek Hui-young's spear.
A brief silence lingered between them.
Then, to his former disciple staring at him, Jin Crow answered with actions rather than words.
“You've had a hard life.”
“Ah.”
His body slowly tilted forward.
The spear point in Baek Hui-young's hands pierced straight through the heart that had already reached its limit.
Thud.
Baek Hui-young stood frozen, staring blankly at Jin Crow's final moments.
Not long afterward...
The galaxy met its end once again.
“Urgh!”
Baek Hui-young opened his eyes, immediately rushed into the bathroom, emptied the contents of his stomach, then looked into the mirror and quietly muttered,
“……How many times has it been?”
His face was unnaturally pale.
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