Wasteland Echoer.

Chapter 687 "Klein's Arm" (Part 2)
"It's not that we've gambled a lot, but rather that Crusad's sins have created a lot." Hoshino Shota gazed at "Eternal Light," which hovered in mid-air, fueled by magical energy and ancient power, emitting a dragon's roar. In an unusually deep voice, incongruous with his youthful frame, he said:
“Sorrow, pain, desolation, and anger have finally brought us to the point where we can activate the ‘Arm of Klein.’ Such an ominous and sinful thing… Dark, do you think he will be activated so easily by us?”

“You actually supported our leaving Crusad, didn’t you? Deep down, you both identified with your Crusad identity and longed for the idyllic life of Khitanris. You made your choice, hesitated, and ultimately chose reality.” Dark slowly stepped across the pool of “Eternal Light’s” crimson blood on the ground, pausing where the twisted, bizarre creature that could barely be called a “dragon” had stood. He looked directly into Hoshino Shota’s eyes, which were gradually turning from scarlet to pitch black, and said in a deep voice:

"You must demonstrate the courage of the Crusaders, so you must resist to the end. But you don't want us to get involved, so you first sent the 'Red Wolf,' who had escaped death and was somewhat insane under the influence of the gods, to persuade us. Then, you invited us to watch this magical performance created with our lives."

"Yes, but not absolutely." Hoshino Shota briefly dispelled all the remaining magical energy within his body, quickly walked to Dark, raised his head slightly, and said to Dark in a gentle tone:
"I hope you will remember everything that happened today. Humans are not entirely a despicable race, and the Lost Ones are not entirely bloodthirsty beasts. Courage can transcend race and create hymns that even the gods weep for. Likewise, when you one day possess enough resources and power to lead the remnants of civilization into Crusad, please do not forget us."

"The Crusad Federation is not only home to madmen like Vasily Voliganov and Shaneva, nor is it only home to tragic figures like Nebrius. There are also people like us who persevere in fighting against fate. In fact, according to the information we have, Ato, the Lost One born in the city of Sogra in the German Empire, was already a Lost One of the 5th Rank in the Tenin Cult 30 years ago, before his 'double mutation'."

The sound of artillery fire from above the "magnificent building" briefly interrupted Hoshino Shota's narration. After about five or six seconds, seeing that the increasingly thick fog had not dissipated, Hoshino Shota continued:
"John, the then-imperial scientist, forcibly modified Ato in order to create so-called 'new humans' capable of fighting against the Lost Ones, and executed his brother Aaron in front of him, further raising his magical power level to between Order 3 and Order 4."

"About two months ago, Iceblade, the leader of the Chaos Group, died. His successor, Loka, and the organization's high-ranking member, Thunder Page, forcibly summoned the sleeping Ato and were controlled by him. During this time, Ato controlled all the Lost Ones of the Chaos Group. On the one hand, he used the controlled Lost Ones to absorb magical power, and on the other hand, he took advantage of the collapse of the Western Continent's [Order] and the contraction of the Federation's front to devour the 'Heartless Ones' and humans on a large scale. Currently, his strength is no longer as simple as Order 2: Abandonment."

"Order 1: Confusion. Has he already obtained that rare 'Seven-Colored Order Core'?" Wright asked, standing to the side.

“Not only that.” Hoshino Shota turned to Wright and said in an unprecedentedly cautious and serious tone:

"His magical power level is already that of a demigod."

“A demigod…” Dark and Wright exclaimed in unison, both gasping in shock.

After all, since the great chaos of the late Steam Age and mid-Wasteland Age, a large number of books and records about magic, and even the written storage made by the Crusad Empire using technology, have been lost. The collapse of [order] has made it difficult to obtain magical energy.

Even if human destruction of nature ceases and the magical energy in nature temporarily recovers, the "Heartless Virus" still possesses a natural destructive power against magic. As a result, in the past few hundred years of the New Era, at most one or two Order 1: Confused and a single-digit Order 2: Abandoned level magical powerhouses have appeared.

With the gods fleeing far away and hiding their aura in the divine realm, apart from the Lord of the Night and the artificial god "Daughter of the Mechanical Origin," humanity has never truly seen any powerhouse above the level of demigod.

"Although he is called a 'demigod,' Ato only possesses immense strength and an exceptionally violent way of doing things. Magic and magical energy have always been a joke. The fluctuations of these energies are not even comparable to a fraction of the power of firearms. You two young men, do you know what it takes to achieve the true 'End of Ashes'?" A particularly deep voice sounded from behind Hoshino Shota.

Amidst the deafening roar and angry howls in the sky, the clattering sound of leather boots seemed to possess a soul, piercing through all the fearful and annoying noises and reaching the ears of Dark and Wright.

“Commander Atlanca, it is not appropriate for you to be here,” Hoshino Shota said in a low, warning tone to the middle-aged man before him.

"Suitable?" Before Hoshino Shota could react, Atlanca had already drawn and loaded his gun in 0.5 seconds. In the instant before almost everyone could react, a "Bosria" pistol, reserved for officers, was pressed against Hoshino Shota's forehead.

It was as if the cold gun was a king cobra ready to bite its prey and release its venom, instantly "freezing" Hoshino Shota's entire existence, leaving him rooted to the spot, afraid to move an inch. "Since your 'Dark Night Investigation Team' and 'Dedication Group' have elected me as the leader of Nebusk, then I possess administrative power over this city, management authority over all personnel, and control over the military. I have the right to travel to any corner of Nebusk for any reason, without reporting to you or Kazama Zero. By the way..." Atlanca seemingly casually, but actually warily scrutinized Hoshino Shota.

Next, he removed the "Nebusk Type I mask," which effectively blocked any toxic elements in the dense fog, making the sound transmission clearer:
"The bullets in this gun are made of 'absolute' pure silver. Once they pierce your brain, they will suppress the flow of magical energy within you. Even if you are a Lost One, you will not be able to repair the damage to your brain in a short time. You know what the consequences are when a Lost One's brain loses its function."

“They will degenerate into ‘heartless people,’ becoming enemies of all forces… or slaves.” Hoshino Shota’s voice began to tremble slightly as he faced the threat of death. He knew that the man before him was a truly ruthless person. If he possessed the power of Shaneva or Vasily, the Northern Marmos River would have been stained red long ago.

Seeing that Hoshino Shota wisely stopped arguing with Atlanca, and that Atlanca had achieved his goal of intimidating the "Night Investigation Team," Atlanca put away the "Bosria" pistol and, with a gesture, ordered the fully armed "Nebusk Guard" soldiers behind him to take control of Hoshino Shota.

Then, he slowly walked up to Dark and Wright, put on a complex expression that was mostly gentle, and said in a loud voice:

Do you know what the end of 'The End of Ashes' is?

Dark and Wright looked up in unison, gazing at Atlanta. They had heard of this name, both distant and close, at least a month ago, but only now had they truly seen the humanity that this name and this symbol represented.

That's right, Atlanca is a pure human. He is not a Lost One, nor a user of magical energy, nor a "half-lost one" who is a descendant of humans and Lost Ones. He is a genuine human officer.

He was nearly two meters tall, but his physique was not robust; on the contrary, he appeared somewhat thin, but in a healthy way—like looking slim in clothes but muscular underneath. His extremely serious face presented the standard features of a dark-style Crusader, only with many wrinkles that made him look old, as well as numerous spots left by flames and scars from gun and knife attacks.

However, these scars were different from the large, extensive scars of Crusad [Warrior], who was on the front lines for many years. Atlanca's face had relatively small scars. Of course, the only thing that didn't match his human appearance was his right ear, which, for some reason, was only half left. But his dark eyes and the sharp, piercing gaze that emanated from them made up for all the shortcomings in his appearance.

Coupled with his black and white intertwined hair, Atlanca's image appears particularly sinister and murderous.

“All I know is that the ultimate goal of all military operations should be the complete annihilation of the ‘Heartless’ and the assimilation of the Lost, ushering in the revival of human civilization. As for whether the ‘End of Ashes’ ends with ‘Overcontrol’, ‘Soul-Stealing Dark Ritual’, or the twisted dragon body of ‘Eternal Light’, that’s not something Wright and I need to worry about.” Dark looked warily at Atlanca, the “Supreme Commander” of Nebusk, and said in a blunt tone.

“As expected of a talent valued by Vasily and Shaneva, his awareness is indeed higher than that of the average Lost One. However, the crisis facing the Crusaders does not come from those bloodthirsty ‘heartless’ people outside, but from those foolish and greedy people hidden within us.” As Atlanka spoke, about 300 fully armed “Nebusk Guard members” wielding special technological weapons suddenly poured into the first basement floor of the “Magnificent Tower.”

Within seconds, after a series of low, indistinct gunshots, the soldiers of the "First Legion Guard Group," who were originally meant to protect the "Dark Night Investigation Team," had their heads pierced by bullets and lasers. Kazama Reiji, who was peeking at the situation from behind the small door of the "Truth Chamber," turned into a pool of scorching black powder in front of Hoshino Shota and the other party.

At that very moment, the blood-red fog that had enveloped the entire city began to slowly dissipate, and people gradually began to see that there were no members of the "Chaos Group" on the entire "magnificent building," nor was there Ato's monstrous body.

What exists is merely a "dragon" controlled by the "Arm of Klein," which is gradually going mad.

“From this moment forward, the ‘Dark Night Investigation Team’ will no longer have any legitimacy within the city of Nebusk.”