Bermuda

Bruno's expression was not merely earnest, but desperate.

"Commander, you can't. It's too dangerous."

He objected strongly, risking discourtesy. However, Hugo didn't waver at all, as if he had expected such a reaction.

"Using coordinates 78, 453 of the southern peninsula zone as a reference, there are three small volcanoes and one medium-sized one within a 10-mile radius. Among them, the one closest to where the mother body is circling and with the least risk of additional damage is Peak 158 at 92, 511,394."

"Commander."

"Let's set this as our primary target and ambush nearby, and then if the creature doesn't move as expected, we'll move to other candidates."

"Commander-"

Bruno called out to him repeatedly, pleading.

"That operation was judged to have no chance of success by the majority—no, almost unanimously, except for one or two people. Although you abstained from the vote at the time, Commander, didn't you think the same?"

"I understand well what you want to say. But now—"

Kuwaaang-!

As if urging the two decision-makers, a shock wave like cannon fire lacerated the sky. A gust swept in with the vibration, instantly enveloping the area.

As the sky beyond the ridge brightened and turned blood-red, Bruno instinctively bent his knees and lowered his upper body. However, Hugo turned around with wide eyes to look at where the light was coming from. The red light poured over his face, dyeing his blue eyes a mysterious color.

"...Oh no."

Hugo's anxious, low sigh drifted forward where sparks were flying. There, dark red meteorites were pouring down at a terrifying speed, cutting through the darkness.

The air heated to ultra-high temperatures made the surrounding terrain undulate like heat haze. It was an unrealistic sight that could be mistaken for a mirage, but the wind pressure scratching their hair and skin made them aware that it was stark reality.

In the midst of it all, a golden fire demon flickered, appearing and disappearing at the speed of light. Hugo quickly came to his senses and turned his eyes to Bruno.

"We don't have the same time we did then, do we? If there's even a sliver of possibility to cut off the creature's breath right now, shouldn't we try anything?"

"Besides Plan 5, there are still other operations we haven't implemented. Although the positions of the barrier stones keep changing, with the current deployment, there shouldn't be any major problems in carrying out other operations. If those don't fit the current situation, we can establish a new operation right away."

Bruno straightened his bent back and answered almost like a machine gun. He briefly swept his eyes over the members running around, moving the wounded beside him and the Commander. Then, with a barely audible sigh, he continued.

"Commander... I know this might sound disrespectful. But this is my duty and role in the subjugation team."

"...'"

"I too have seen successes and failures of numerous operations to get to this position. And to be honest, with Plan 5, even with my utmost imagination, I can't judge its chances of success. Setting aside that it's an unprecedented operation, is it really possible for us humans to blow up a volcano?"

Kwaaang-!

As if to dismiss Bruno's words, successive roars and shock waves swept in fiercely.

Bruno momentarily squinted his eyes due to the volcanic ash stinging them, but raised a barrier behind Hugo standing in front of him. Then, as if thinking he had been unintentionally refuted in what he was trying to say, he shifted his point of argument.

"Even if we could somehow attempt it, holding the mother body above the crater is the problem from the start. To keep it from moving, we'd need to continuously launch attacks that could deliver critical hits or misleading attacks that could disrupt its mind, but who knows what would happen if we did that near a crater with magma spurting up. Moreover, the problems that would occur after the volcanic eruption..."

"Delua Rivera, the battalion commander of our Central Branch's 6th Battalion, has an excellent ability to sense and control the flow of inanimate objects. You should remember all the grounds she presented when she voiced her opinion at the previous meeting. If we readjust the positions of the barrier stones based on the arguments she made then, we can minimize the damage you're concerned about. That's why Leonardo is stepping up now to buy us time."

Hugo pointed with his hand to the flashing light behind him as he spoke.

"Do you think the time we've been given now is a matter of course?"

His tone was still calm, but along with his slightly raised voice, his expression had hardened coldly. Perhaps because of this, Bruno was momentarily at a loss for words.

Hugo opened his mouth calmly.

"And what we need to do to hold the mother body in place is not an attack. Isn't there a sealing magic that can be used only by those at the battalion commander level?"

"Pardon?"

Bruno asked back, thinking he must have misheard. He didn't want to believe that the sealing magic the Commander was suggesting they attempt was 'that' which he was thinking of.

As he remained silent, not really wanting to mention it, Hugo lowered his raised arm and nodded lightly as if answering Bruno's question. Seeing that resolute nod, Bruno unconsciously put his hand to his head in front of his superior.

"...Commander, if you're talking about... Pentagon..."

Bruno, his face turning pale, stammered, his lips trembling slightly. The identity of this sealing magic he feared so much was 'Pentagon', one of the highest-difficulty RAID 5 barriers that required simultaneous casting by six battalion commander-level members of the Council.

Five casters form a parallel pentagon at regular intervals, then each generates a very powerful gravity in their direction. Then, at the vertex of the pentagon, the gravity from five directions overlaps, creating a distortion in space-time, at which point a strange phenomenon occurs where the flow of time slows down only in that vicinity.

Any target caught in this gravity swamp has its movement significantly slowed, as if time had stopped, unless it's a transcendent and spiritual being unaffected by gravity. In other words, to those outside, it appears frozen like a photograph capturing a moment. It could be said to be a suitable method for capturing the mother body moving at insane speeds.

However, this sealing magic had always had clear pros and cons. No matter how strong a monster, beast, or mage, as long as they were living creatures treading this earth, they would inevitably be caught in the gravity swamp. Therefore, the advantage was that it guaranteed an effectiveness approaching 99%, while the disadvantage was that, inversely proportional to this certain effectiveness, the duration of this magic was very short.

The reason was that even the casters found it difficult to withstand the strong gravity that could create distortions in space-time, and there were cases where they were pulled by the gravity generated by others or their bodies were torn apart.

Therefore, the key was to balance the five forces well, «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» and to maintain this balance, the person with the most outstanding mental and physical abilities had to stand firm above or below the center of the pentagon, coordinating the overall gravity and fully enduring that force.

However, the end of such a painstakingly cast sealing magic was predictable. With only a few seconds of casting, all casters would be discharged and collapse. So while it wasn't a forbidden magic, it was a formidable magic that one wouldn't dare use unless for national disasters or calamities.

Now that the Commander was suggesting they attempt this, Bruno strongly dissuaded him.

"If we use that, not only all the battalion commanders but also you, Commander, will be rendered unable to fight. If we happen to fail, we'll lose even the chance to change course to other operations. Not just the consumption of mana, but everyone's physical strength is already at the bottom, so whether our bodies can withstand that power..."

As he spoke, Bruno carefully looked around. Not far away was Liner, who had fallen into critical condition and was being treated by a medical officer, and on another side was Delua, urgently stopping the bleeding in her abdomen.

This magic was a high-difficulty spell that only high-level personnel equivalent to battalion commanders could execute, and it was difficult to secure six casters excluding the two who were unable to fight.

This was also the reason why Hugo, who could have ordered the operation to proceed, was responding to each of Bruno's rebuttals. Bruno's strength was also desperately needed for the casting of the sealing magic to be used in the operation.

"Deputy Commander, wouldn't it be good to try anyway?"

At that moment, Hugo and Bruno turned their heads at a voice that suddenly interjected. It was Isabella, the 12th Battalion Commander, limping toward the two with a disheveled appearance.

She was breathing roughly, seemingly in pain around her chest area, occasionally pausing her breath and furrowing her brow. Nevertheless, her clear gaze filled with sincerity requested to her direct superior, Bruno.

"We all know what you're worried about, Deputy Commander. But we have nowhere else to retreat."

And just then, Delua, who had painfully raised her body, pressed her hand on the dirt ground and opened her mouth with a half-broken voice.

"I can do it too. Please let me participate."

Despite her breath that seemed about to break, a relatively unshaken sentence was conveyed to Bruno. But knowing Delua's condition, Bruno wore a complicated expression. She was in no condition to go to the battlefield right now.

Led by Hugo Agrizendro, the Commander of the Central Branch, there was Meterion Clinder, the 3rd Battalion Commander of the Central Branch, himself as the Deputy Commander of the Southern Branch, Javier Crow, the 7th Battalion Commander of the Southern Branch, and Isabella Roslin, the 12th Battalion Commander.

The battalion commander-level personnel who could exert their strength were only five in total. Now that six casters were needed, they were one short.

After profound inner deliberation, Bruno turned his eyes to Hugo again, intending to express his negative opinion that it seemed impossible after all. He opened his mouth after a deep sigh.

"Battalion Commander Liner Molten is in critical condition, and Battalion Commander Delua Rivera's injuries are also serious. We're one person short."

At that moment, as if to refute those words, another person ran up in front of the three. It was Charlotte, who had been guarding Liner's side and, uncharacteristically, rubbing her eyes until they were sore.

"I, I will do it!"

Her eyes, which had suddenly interjected, were full of indescribable anger and stubbornness. Her sharp expression was fierce, and her voice was brimming with determination to accomplish anything.

However, Bruno showed reluctance toward her. On the other hand, Hugo, narrowing his eyes, asked Charlotte:

"The casting of this sealing magic requires considerable mental strength and ability, difficult even for those at the battalion commander level to handle. I'm not underestimating your qualities as an excellent commander, but it's not a position that a deputy commander level can handle. Knowing this, are you still saying you'll step up?"

Despite Hugo's words explaining the situation in detail, Charlotte's gaze remained unchanged. Rather, she wiped her tear-stained eyes once more, then stood at attention and firmly answered Hugo's question.

"If my idiot superior can do it, I can do it too. Please trust me and let me do it."

Her voice, ringing in their ears, didn't waver in the slightest. It instilled in everyone's minds the expectation that her abilities would not be inferior to those of the battalion commander-level personnel here.

At Charlotte's answer, Hugo quickly scanned the surroundings. Then he counted the number of people who would participate in the operation one by one.

"Including Charlotte Hastings, a total of six people."

Eventually, Hugo's final gaze turned to Bruno. Bruno opened and closed his mouth as if to say something, but finally closed it at the resolute gazes of his subordinates surrounding him.

Seeing him reluctantly nod, Hugo gave a brief nod. Then, meeting the eyes of each commander one by one, he continued in a solemn voice amidst the violent explosions.

"It seems we're all gathered. From now on, focus on my words."