"Whew. What in the world is all this?"
Enforcement Officer Sestain whistled as he looked at the surrounding landscape, which resembled a battlefield. Above all, what caught his attention was the steel giant standing tall in the center of this nearly ruined scene.
"Those Battle Trench guys. I wondered what they were secretly making in a place like this, but what kind of insane thing have they created?"
The steel giant wasn't alone. From the debris scattered around, one could guess that at least five steel giants had been created.
To think that such terrifying weapons were being secretly made in a place like this. What's more surprising was that all of them had been destroyed and knocked down.
'Except for that one.'
But the fact that the last remaining steel giant was with Osian meant that for some reason, Osian had come to control it.
Just as he was thinking this, Osian greeted him.
"It's been a while. Have you been well?"
"Heh heh. Well, this is something. Getting such a greeting as soon as I arrive."Sestain shook his head. Even during the previous Saint Tree incident when he faced Osian, he knew that Osian was no ordinary person.
But today, why was Osian involved in this serious incident caused by Battle Trench? At this point, it seemed like some trick of fate was at work.
Osian jumped lightly from Neo's shoulder and landed in front of Sestain. The guards around Sestain reacted nervously, gripping their weapons, but Sestain restrained them by lightly raising his hand.
"Calm down, young friends. He's not a bad young man."
After calming his guards like that, Sestain asked Osian:
"Would it be all right to ask what exactly happened here?"
"I'd like to answer, but even we are unsure where to begin explaining this rather complex situation."
Osian shrugged his shoulders lightly. It might sound like he was being dismissive, but he was sincere. He couldn't explain all the inside details, but he couldn't keep everything secret either.
The guards led by Sestain had arrived too quickly before they could coordinate their story. Or rather, perhaps they came late. Since they arrived after the situation had ended.
"Well, I somewhat understand."
Sestain wasn't too surprised by Osian's response. Just looking at the situation spread around them, this was far beyond something that could be explained simply.
"To put it briefly, Battle Trench was secretly developing war machines in this laboratory, and we stopped them."
"By 'we', do you include those people?"
Sestain's gaze turned toward those near Neo.
Asmer and Lupona. And the knights who followed Osian as well. Having finished an intense battle, they didn't look their best. But their eyes were more alive and sharp than anyone else's.
'Their eyes are no joke. Each one is nothing short of elite. Where on earth did such people come from? Sigh. I wish our subordinates could learn from them.'
Sestain inwardly sighed as he saw his guards intimidated by the gazes of the knights.
"Hey. I won't eat you or anything, so please don't glare at me like that."
"What about those airships above?"
"Those are just safety measures in case of an emergency. After all, if a giant like that goes on a rampage, it could become dangerous."
Sestain pointed at Neo with his chin. Then Neo responded:
[Me? I didn't do anything?]
At the sight of the giant robot suddenly speaking, Sestain and his guards flinched.
"Crazy. My ears aren't deceiving me, right? Did that thing just speak?"
[Hello, friends. Nice to meet you.]
Neo even waved his giant hand along with his greeting, as if to confirm it wasn't a mistake. It was just an innocent wave, but given his size, the guards unconsciously stepped back and aimed their guns.
"Hey, you lot. If any of you move even one step from now on, I'll personally roll you myself."
At Sestain's growling command, the guards became disciplined and maintained their positions. Having thus barely restored the nearly tarnished honor of the guards, Sestain spoke:
"Yes. Nice to meet you too, big friend."
At the same time, Sestain discovered that there was someone else on Neo's shoulder. Wearing silver armor and riding a brass-colored horse, he jumped down with his horse in a splendid manner and landed on the ground.
"And what's this now?"
"Pleased to meet you! Are you the leader of these guards?"
Sestain was momentarily perplexed by the appearance of the gallant knight. But he immediately recognized who this eccentric was.
"Don Quixote? My goodness. I've only heard of you, but this is the first time seeing you in person."
"Hmm. That you know my name proves you are a true guard!"
Don Quixote nodded with satisfaction at Sestain's recognition.
"I'm an enforcement officer, my good man. So, it seems I need to ascertain what happened here."
Sestain let out an exclamation of admiration as he looked at the underground hangar.
"Well, well. I thought they were secretly digging an ant hole and up to something, but at this point, they've practically established a kingdom, not a hole. At this level, were they planning a rebellion or something?"
Anyone would think that way looking at the underground hangar filled with giant steel giants. When viewed from the ground, even more than five seemed like a lot, but to think there were more down here. There were dozens of war machines, each capable of turning the tide of battle with just one appearing.
Of course, most of them were now half-destroyed and lying on the floor.
"Battle Trench was creating giant weapons here. And to move them, they installed artificial intelligence."
"You mean that one on the ground."
Having heard a rough explanation on the way here, Sestain quickly understood. Combining the information he had vaguely heard while deploying to this location with Osian's explanation, the puzzle pieces were now complete.
"Ha. Well, well. They were more cunning than I thought."
Battle Trench had established a not-so-secret laboratory in District 38 through extensive lobbying. Naturally, the city government didn't interfere much. They didn't know what exactly was being made inside, but there was a certain level of trust.
"They were supposed to not cross the line, but this time they've really crossed it, haven't they?"
Not just anything, but war machines capable of changing the tide of a battlefield. Of course, from Battle Trench's perspective, they had no choice. In an era of infinite competition, they were getting desperate as their market share was being taken by rival steam suit companies.
However, even considering that, their intentions couldn't be viewed purely given the mass production of such weapons.
What if this technology leaked to other countries? Beyond that, the fact that they weren't making just one clearly showed their dishonest intentions.
They probably were preparing for a show of force, anticipating warnings from the city government, to ensure they wouldn't be easily pushed around.
Sestain received a radio transmission with a crackling sound.
"Yes. What is it?"
[All Battle Trench personnel have been captured, sir.]
"Alright. Stand by there."
After ending the transmission, Sestain asked:
"So, you all created this spectacle?"
"If we're being precise, we all did it together."
Sestain thought of Neo. Well, considering the level of such a war machine, it made sense that it could defeat the others.
But Sestain's sharp eyes immediately noticed that some of the damage inflicted on certain giants in the underground hangar wasn't caused by Neo. Especially the giant whose surface and half of its face had melted away. Heat that melts something. And look at that hole in the ceiling that went all the way to the ground.
Hadn't he seen something like this before?
'Those companions on the ground, too. How could a small number produce results like this?'
Considering the level of the giants, the district defense force should have been deployed immediately. No, that might not even have been enough. Almost all of Tirna's available firepower might have been needed.
But Osian had taken care of it.
Of course, there were variables. The existence of Neo was one, and the fact that they had defeated the giants before they all reached the surface, before they were fully operational.
'Even if they were dealt with before they were fully operational, there are still traces of battle here. And they fought properly on the ground.'
Naturally, Battle Trench would have had thorough security, unless they were fools. And this was resolved by fewer than 10 people.
"What exactly is your identity?"
"A fixer."
"Besides being a fixer."
"A knight."
"What kind of fake answer is that? If you don't want to tell me, that's fine."
It's the truth. Osian genuinely wondered why people couldn't believe his honesty. He concluded that it must be because the world is too harsh.
"Well, I've seen everything I needed to see. Now that the situation assessment is complete, let's go back up."
"So what happens to us?"
Osian asked the most important question. He had become deeply involved in this incident. Of course, there was the justification of stopping Battle Trench's vile plan, but wasn't it an unwritten rule to arrest both sides when a disturbance occurs?
"You worry too much. What, afraid of ending up in a cell?"
"It would be a bit problematic if my career got a blemish."
Sestain chuckled at Osian's glib response.
"You don't need to worry about that. This isn't an official operation to begin with."
Not an official operation. That meant Tirna wanted to keep this matter secret. It couldn't be helped. Who in their right mind would publicly announce that Battle Trench had created giant bipedal automaton weapons capable of changing the tide of war?
"So from now on, there's no need to be bound by such formalities."
That was meant to reassure Osian, but conversely, the absence of formality meant not adhering to the boundaries of the law.
It meant that if things got really inconvenient, everyone present could be killed to maintain secrecy. Such a brutal intention couldn't be ruled out.
"Don't worry too much. I have no intention of messing with your side anyway. I know what kind of trouble that would cause."
Such judgment ultimately fell to the highest authority on the scene, namely Enforcement Officer Sestain. And he had no intention of antagonizing Osian. If he were to mistakenly provoke him, who knows what those formidable figures on the ground would do to his subordinates?
'The scattered remains of giants on the ground. Some of them clearly showed signs of being destroyed by something other than that giant robot.'
The most likely culprits were the man and woman who had particularly caught his attention among the group.
Asmer and Lupona. Especially the aura emanating from the white-haired woman made even Sestain's nape go cold. She was like a bomb. A bomb that could blow everything away if mishandled.
'Besides, according to the remote reports received earlier, there was mention of a red sun rising in the sky or a massive white light tearing through the darkness.'
That disturbance occurred, and all the giants were destroyed and lying on the ground. So who was the source of that ominous yet beautiful light?
He could figure that out without foolishly asking.
"So relax. If anything, I'm the one who's tense."
Sestain said that with sincerity. He was essentially saying: please don't cause a disturbance, and I'll treat you well.
Understanding that intention fully, Osian responded with a nod and so the two returned to the surface. However, unlike when they went down, Osian was holding something in his arms as he came up.
"Why did you bring that?"
"Because it's necessary."
What Osian had brought was Neo's old body. When he brought it to the surface, he saw people still maintaining their positions.
Osian took Neo's body and approached him, who was now in the giant's body.
"Neo."
[Ah, friend. That is...]
"This is yours."
Osian gently laid Neo's limp body on the ground. Don Quixote looked at the scene with a complex gaze from behind his helmet.
While it was fortunate that Neo now had a giant body, it only brought about another problem because Neo was now the only remaining giant.
The Tirna city government wouldn't leave him alone. Whether he wanted it or not, Neo had inevitably become an entity that would bring storms around him.
[Somehow, seeing my old body like this feels strange. Is this what they call an out-of-body experience?]
Neo stared at his old body. Then, as if drawn by something, he raised the giant index finger of his right arm and placed it on his old body that was lying neatly on the ground.
-Tap.
As he touched his old body, light began to flow from the giant's massive form.
"Uh, what?"
"Everyone stay calm! Hold your positions!"
The guards were startled when light suddenly emanated from Neo's body. Regardless, the light flowing from Neo's body traveled along the surface of that massive form toward one direction.
From the shoulder, along the arm, to the fingertip, and to the body it was connected to.
The light surged like waves into Neo's old body repeatedly. And then, as the light settled down:
At the same moment the giant's body went limp, Neo, who had been lying down, opened his eyes with a flash of yellow light.
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