Shaloni Shelby stared at Osian with disbelief. Her identity was unknown even within the company.
Shaloni performed her duties at Antique Gear as an ordinary employee. Her rise to her current position was not due to the Shelby name, but purely because of her own abilities.
Despite being from the owner's family, this was due to her grandfather's, the current chairman's, educational policy.
"Even beasts can utilize what they're born with."
What Louis Shelby wanted was someone who learned, realized, and applied new things. Not a beast that boasted about knowing the obvious.
He wanted his bloodline to achieve things on their own. He desired success purely as an individual, not something given through his own influence.
Knowing this well, Shaloni never revealed that she was from the owner's family. She was particularly careful about this. Yet Osian had seen through her identity at once.
"How did you know?"
"Surprisingly, you're not denying it."
"Because you're not the type to test people like that."Just as Osian had analyzed Shaloni, she had analyzed him too. She didn't know everything about Osian, but there were a few things she was certain of.
Like right now, he didn't hastily jump to conclusions about information that wasn't certain when speaking.
The fact that he recognized her identity was an unchangeable truth, regardless of how he figured it out. Shaloni quickly recognized and accepted this fact.
"Well, there were a few clues. No matter how high-ranking an employee is, it's difficult to easily give away valuable items in a place like this."
"Didn't you think a large corporation's generosity could be that significant?"
"You were quite emotional when dealing with Battle Trench. You tried to hide it, but couldn't completely kill your hostility."
"It could have been deep company loyalty."
"That's possible too. But the most crucial point is that while you were bringing us here, there were eyes watching around."
Shaloni widened her eyes at those words.
"Watching eyes?"
"Ah. Not hostile surveillance. Rather, the opposite. They appeared to be your escorts."
"There's no way I would have escorts...Haa. I see."
Shaloni sighed as she realized something.
"The chairman must have secretly assigned them."
"You didn't notice at all, which is why I was even more certain."
"Indeed. This was my oversight."
Although Shaloni said this, she couldn't help but be amazed at Osian's discernment.
'How did he know about people guarding me without my knowledge?'
They were people assigned by the chairman, her grandfather. They were likely to be extremely skilled. He wasn't someone who would skimp on protecting his precious bloodline.
Osian had noticed the existence of these guards. Shaloni thought she had already completed her assessment of Osian's abilities, but she decided to reconsider.
She thought she had sufficient ability to see through people, having inherited her grandfather's blood. Was she that lacking?
The depth of this man was not properly visible.
"So what do you plan to do now?"
"Nothing changes. Rather, the company's expectations of us have increased, so we'll just do our best to meet those expectations."
Despite having caught what could essentially be considered a weakness, Osian's voice remained calm. His tone suggested that this was not a big deal at all, which made Shaloni feel both relieved and strangely displeased. It was as if she felt that she wasn't worth much.
"Anyway, don't worry about the request. Actually, I was planning to do my best even without your support."
"I'm glad to hear that. Then let's proceed with the operation."
In the darkness of night. With smog-mixed clouds covering the sky, hiding even the celestial bodies, District 38 was still bustling.
Factories don't easily stop. The same goes for the workers inside. Tirna's workers suffer from the same harsh exploitation as always, receiving meager pay. Living as a lower-class person in this city of greed meant being pushed around whether you wanted it or not.
But Battle Trench's secret laboratory, far from the factory district, was different. It was quiet, as if it didn't allow the existence of other companies. It even looked gloomy because no lights were on. Everything in sight was shrouded in darkness.
"But it's all a deception."
What appeared to be an abandoned factory was nothing more than a decoy to hide the important research facility hidden inside. It was deliberately made to avoid people's attention.
In other words, if anything happened here, there would be no one to hear the commotion and come looking.
"Is everyone ready?"
Osian looked back. There were knights in silver suits that stood out clearly even in the dark night.
"Yes. We're ready."
"Antique Gear will draw attention from the opposite side with a signal. We'll quickly enter in coordination with that."
They had thoroughly understood the overall terrain. The only obstacle was the detailed layout of the research facility's interior, which even Antique Gear couldn't provide information about. From there, they would have to manage on their own.
Osian's gaze turned to Don Quixote. Newly armed, he was on top of Rocinante, preparing his weapons.
"Are you completely ready?"
"As ready as can be. I've been waiting for this moment."
Seeing him nod, Osian turned to the front.
This operation begins with Antique Gear's support.
In the dark night, beyond the pitch-black factory district where nothing could be seen
-Fwoosh!
A large flare was fired. The burning flare slowly descended, spreading yellow light around it. And beyond that flare, something could be seen rising and crossing the sky.
"It begins."
What rose was a rocket containing a large amount of explosives. After soaring with the power of its propellant, it eventually lost power and fell in a gentle arc.
-BOOM!
A spectacular explosion hit the back door of Battle Trench's secret laboratory. The heat was so intense that it could be felt clearly even from a distance. When the explosion subsided, all that remained was collapsed ruins.
'But it won't end with just that.'
This was a secret laboratory managed by a major corporation. It wouldn't be designed to collapse from just that. Antique Gear knew that they couldn't end them with just such an attack. Therefore, this was merely meant to cause a commotion and draw attention.
-WAAAAAAH!!!
The emergency alarm immediately sounded. The contrast was considerable as the siren broke the previously dead silence.
Armed forces rushed out from various parts of the abandoned factory. Some of these abandoned factories were probably connected to the secret laboratory where they were stationed. That route also followed the blueprints provided by Antique Gear.
"We're going in."
With Osian's command, he summoned his Warhorse. The knights followed behind Osian as he spurred his horse forward.
The horse of starlight took the lead.
While the operation began, explosions continued to occur at the back door. The enemy's attention was concentrated on the back door through ground-to-ground bombardment.
'The time given is probably 10 minutes at most.'
So they had to settle this within that time.
Of course, guards were stationed at the main entrance as well. Even in this situation, with the rear under attack, they didn't let their guard down at the main entrance.
However, the main entrance, which should have boasted impenetrable security, was much reduced compared to before. The attack on the back door was so fierce that they had left only a minimum number of personnel and sent the rest for support.
They failed to consider that the enemy might boldly attack the main entrance and Osian aimed for this aspect.
He would break through. The Starlight Warhorse increased its speed. Its appearance, engulfed in a bright white light, became a meteor with a long tail trailing behind.
-Bang!
As the meteor's speed increased, a donut-shaped cloud formed around it, a vapor condensation phenomenon.
-CRASH!
With a tremendous impact, the sturdy main entrance was shattered too easily. The guards who were guarding the place seemed dumbfounded as the door was pierced like a sheet of paper.
Osian ignored their reaction and continued to charge forward.
"S-sound the emergency alarm!"
"Enemy! The enemy has come through the main entrance too!"
They urgently tried to send a signal, but most of the forces were already concentrated at the back door. Moreover, there were people who wouldn't carelessly leave them alone.
"Hey, where do you think you're going!"
"You need to play with us!"
The knights in silver suits appeared at that moment. The guards, surprised by the sudden appearance of the knights, responded quickly despite their shock.
"Are you guys crazy? Do you know where you are?"
"Where this is doesn't matter."
Anthony, a member of the knights, grabbed the guard's collar. The guard tried to resist, but it was useless.
"W-what kind of strength is this?"
They were a unit employed by a major corporation. Of course, they were much stronger than ordinary people. The one currently grabbed by Anthony was also a mana user. Though his mana usage was minimal, he possessed strength far beyond that of an ordinary person.
Yet Anthony's body didn't budge at all. The suit was strong, but it was because his original body was unbelievably powerful.
"What matters is that you kidnapped our precious colleague's family!"
-CRASH!
Anthony slammed the guard he was holding onto the ground. The other knights did the same.
Anthony, along with Jersey, Burke, and Pers quickly subdued the entrance guards and began destroying the signal devices.
Of course, this was merely a delay tactic. As if to prove this, reinforcements who heard the commotion nearby were coming. The large Jonathan shouted.
"Hey, guys! Even if our lives end today, we'll protect this place!"
Their role was to protect this place so that the enemy couldn't block the exit. The knights prepared to confront the enemies, taking out their weapons.
The reinforcements that rushed in were noticeably bewildered by the fact that only five attackers remained at the scene.
"Let's go, guys!"
The knights charged toward the enemies who outnumbered them by at least 10 times.
Osian, who had broken through the main entrance and charged forward, soon arrived at a large factory. The secret laboratory is underground here. As if to prove this, from the moment he arrived, the warning lights blared even louder, and enemies poured out in droves.
"Intruders!"
"Kill them!"
The moment they saw Osian, they fired their guns without any warning. Seeing the shower of countless bullets, Don Quixote's Rocinante stepped forward to shield Osian.
-Ting ting ting!
Sparks continued to fly over the bodies of Don Quixote and Rocinante. At that moment, Asmer, holding twin swords, charged toward the enemies.
"Uh, uh oh? Dodge!"
Someone warned, but it was no use. Asmer's twin swords danced brilliantly. The twin star swords that bloomed there drew a magnificent star trajectory on the ground. Enemies caught in it fell without being able to offer any meaningful resistance.
"I cannot allow interference with the successor."
At Asmer's warning, the surviving Battle Trench guards retreated hesitantly.
Meanwhile, Osian and Don Quixote found the door leading to the underground laboratory and entered after smashing it.
[Stand back.]
Then, a deep bass voice was heard along with a clanking sound. Beyond those who had cleared the way, a unit equipped with steam-powered armor appeared. It was a steel exoskeleton overlaid with metal frames on human bodies.
Asmer narrowed his eyes.
"Now the real fight begins."
He had been informed beforehand. Battle Trench, befitting a major corporation, would have deployed personnel of very high caliber here.
Their armaments were not negligible, and they were numerous. Even for Asmer, who used the power of a knight, they were tough opponents.
They used the latest weapons and moved as a unit.
The exoskeleton soldier at the front aimed a grenade launcher at Asmer.
The fired grenade caused a massive explosion around Asmer and he retreated to avoid the heat. For Asmer, who couldn't yet use the Starlight Armor, a single mistake could cost him his life.
The steam suit he was wearing protected his body, but how long could it hold out?
"This could have been quite a predicament."
Asmer smiled thinly beyond his helmet.
"If I had come alone, that is."
-VROOM!
The loud noise of a motorcycle echoed. Simultaneously, from the darkness, a female knight in armor blacker than the darkness itself emerged with a black bike.
[What is that...]
Before the grenade soldier with a skull jaw drawn on his mask could finish speaking. A crimson flame erupted from the female knight's hand.
[Killing Star Sword]
The star that brings equal death to all passed through the grenade soldier's neck swiftly and accurately, without any resistance.
-Thud.
The head fell to the floor, and the massive body toppled backward.