-Tap... Tata. Tap.

-Tata. Tap... Tata.

At first glance, it looked like an aquarium.

A woman stood there, staring beyond the glass as if entranced.

There were no fish inside the glass.

Only countless people dancing in rhythm.

-Tata... Tap. Tata.

The woman seemed captivated by that rhythm.

She stared beyond the glass absentmindedly.

Her appearance was reminiscent of a child watching television in a dark room.

If it weren't for the six pairs of wings on her head and the countless eyes sprouting from those wings.

Or at least.

If the humans trapped inside the glass weren't screaming in agony.

Perhaps anyone would have found that scene pleasant to watch.

The woman stared blankly at the scene inside the glass.

Sometimes, when the humans inside became exhausted from dancing and died, the bull-headed guards would appear to replace them with new humans.

The woman slightly bowed her head in appreciation of the guards' efforts.

Then, she continued to watch the scene.

While she was doing so.

-Knock knock.

There was a knocking sound from behind.

The woman answered without any thought.

"Come in."

-Creak.

The door opened, and a bull-headed guard appeared from it.

The guard was taken aback by the sight beyond the glass but did not show it outwardly.

‘How can Her Eminence the Cardinal enjoy such a thing…’

As a guard with average aesthetic sensibilities, it was difficult to understand Her Eminence the Cardinal’s hobbies.

To enjoy stimulating identical-looking humans, making them writhe around.

What on earth is that about?

Watching maggots decompose a rotten fish would be more enjoyable.

‘Her Eminence the Cardinal has...a taste for the peculiar.’

The guard hid these thoughts and got to the point with the Cardinal.

"Your Eminence, out of the 12 Cradles, 7 have successfully hatched."

The woman referred to as the Cardinal turned around.

Seeing the person standing there, she looked dismayed.

"...Ah, Bishop Gran..."

‘I expected it to be someone sorting out the human perspective.’

To think it would be Bishop Gran.

The Cardinal naturally stepped forward in front of Bishop Gran to block his view of the humans dancing beyond the glass window.

However, since the Cardinal was quite small in stature, she couldn't completely block Bishop Gran's line of sight.

Yet, out of respect for the Cardinal, Bishop Gran knelt on one knee and bowed his head, refraining from raising his gaze to the window.

The Cardinal spoke.

"To have seven Cradles hatch... that's quite an achievement, beyond mere luck."

"As Your Eminence the Cardinal says."

Cradle.

A device or spell used intentionally to create strong magical creatures.

Collectively referred to as Cradle.

Due to its nature, a Cradle must be able to accommodate numerous magical creatures, so it is enormous in size.

Meaning there are limits to how many can be installed.

Currently, only 12 Cradles can be set up.

The hatching cycle is usually 1 to 4 in a period, occurring every 12 years.

But in this cycle, 7 Cradles succeeded in hatching.

This is an extraordinary achievement, one that's hard to attribute solely to luck.

"If it were not for the heavens' blessing, such an outcome wouldn't be possible... Perhaps we should consider putting the unhatched creatures from the Cradles together? It might result in them being blessed belatedly and new hatching could be anticipated."

"Bishop Gran."

The Cardinal gently advised.

"I understand your concern, Bishop Gran."

The cult's demons have little understanding of humans.

Among them were those who felt a sense of discomfort about dumping the magical creatures used in the Cradles like garbage onto human lands.

Their concern was the same.

‘What if humans become stronger by using magical creatures as fuel?’

Bishop Gran standing before them was likely harboring similar thoughts.

It wasn't that such thinking was beyond comprehension.

Given the current nature of magical creatures.

However... are humans not different from magical creatures?

Though they too grew stronger with repeated battles, the source of their power lay not in individual strength, but in the organization known as the nation.

Driving magical creatures against them could deal a permanently damaging blow to their resources, the nation itself.

The Cardinal calmly explained this reality.

“Bishop Gran, humans have a different nature from magical creatures. There is no need to worry about them growing stronger by using magical creatures as fuel.”

“But, Your Eminence, given that the offensive has been brought forward, shouldn't we be cautious to avoid any unexpected variables?”

“Bishop Gran, do you not trust me?”

The one known as Bishop Gran, a hulking figure among the clerics, raised his head to look at Cardinal above.

A face with six pairs of wings rising from it.

The third pair of wings obscured her eyes.

Beyond the Cardinal’s majestic presence, humans trapped in a glowing cage danced.

It was a strange sight in some ways, yet Bishop Gran felt a sense of reverence towards it.

Bishop Gran bowed his head once more.

"No, Your Eminence Cardinal. I will follow your words."

"Bishop Gran, don't worry too much. Simply releasing magical creatures that haven't hatched from the Cradles onto human lands will be a sufficient catastrophe for them."

"...What is your plan?"

"I can take out a significant number of those magical creatures myself. Please put me at the front."

"I understand Academy cadets possess combat skills akin to elite soldiers, but aren't you just a first-year cadet who recently enrolled? And you claim you can destroy that swarm?"

"Yes."

The unit commander looked at me seriously, wondering if I spoke the truth.

If there were more time, I would leisurely recount my achievements to persuade him, but we didn't have that luxury.

Actions speak louder than words.

'I have no choice but to show them directly.'

I proposed to her, "If you can't trust my words, let me go alone and show you. If I'm trustworthy, then follow me."

"Wait a moment..."

-Thud.

I broke away from the line and charged at the swarm of magical creatures ahead.

Holding my shield forward, I aimed the muzzle beside it.

The wave of magical creatures descended like a landslide.

I precisely fired a shot infused with Iscaliote's power into their center.

-Bang!!!

A full spectrum of shining flames erupted like fireworks, erasing everything in sight.

'My mana is quite depleted, but...'

I could feel my mana replenishing with starlight in proportion to the number of magical creatures I defeated.

With this… Even if Iscaliote’s ammunition is significantly draining, I could fire as many as needed.

I raised my muzzle again and fired at the magical creatures descending from above.

-BANG!!!

-BANG!!!

-BANG!!!

The full spectrum of flames filled my vision, consuming everything in their path.

Occasionally, some of the magical creatures recognized the source of the flames and charged at me, but only briefly.

They were torn apart and vanished in the aftermath of the relentless flames.

As the one causing this spectacle, I even began to feel a sense of omnipotence.

This was the power of Iscaliote.

‘…It’s stronger than I thought.’

Although it consumed both starlight and mana simultaneously...

Given that the depletion was manageable, the cost-effectiveness of the Iscaliote-infused magazine was quite good.

By the time a single magazine was completely emptied...

A booming voice sounded from behind.

"Cover the cadet!!! We’re breaking through and going all the way down the mountain!!!"

At that moment, the soldiers who had been hiding behind rushed out.

With their joining, the magical creatures began to be systematically defeated, and at the same time, a path opened up.

I naturally took the lead and pushed forward along the path.

"I'll take the front!”

I swiftly used up my magazines, crushing every magical creature that appeared in my sight ahead.

'As long as I kill them, my strength replenishes, so there shouldn't be a big problem.'

If my strength didn't get replenished, or if these magical creatures were a single massive enemy instead...

We might have been easily overwhelmed without much resistance.

In a way, it was fortunate there were many of them.

We practically sprinted down the mountain.

The place where we expected the company to be waiting for us.

To prevent any friendly fire, the unit commander first sent a radio message...

"...There's no response."

"What do you mean..."

"Just keep going down! If we stop now, we're all dead! Keep moving!"

‘No response from the company... Did they all die in that short time?’

Or... did they abandon us, thinking there's no hope?

An uneasy feeling emerged in my heart.

But all we could do was advance.

Reluctantly, we continued descending the mountain.

And as we shook off the attacks from the magical creatures and reached the base of the mountain...

There was nothing there.

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