NOVEL NEXT Chapter 218
Mediterranean Sea, Malta Island.
For a long time, the only sounds echoing through the island had been the waves and the wind. Now, once again, an artificial light shines upon it.
Shuuuuk…
A shuttle emitting smoke lands at the island’s edge.
The shuttle door opens, and several people emerge.
“Is everything alright?”
“Everything is fine!”
Kiron’s question is answered loudly by the soldiers of the Poln.
Equipped with full gear, they carefully guard against any potential danger. Their professionalism and precision make it difficult to believe they were once pillagers.
After observing the situation for a while, Kiron raises his voice towards those inside the shuttle.
“Safety has been confirmed! You can all disembark now!”
From within the shuttle, another figure emerges – Nisia carrying Edu and Edward stepping onto the island.
And following them, one of the Aliens descends onto the island as well.
“This is it.”
The exiled prince determined to avenge the empire and rebuild his fallen nation, Erio, slowly surveys the surroundings.
“Erio, you could have waited on the ship.”
“No, I cannot retreat alone just because it’s dangerous. I agreed to come with you.”
A humble yet impressive response.
Indeed, it is during times of danger and difficulty that someone’s dedication truly shines. However, a wry smile forms at the sight of his slightly tense expression.
“Master…no, Prince! Please do not move without this old man!”
Hasty footsteps echo from within the shuttle.
The senior Alien who understands and accompanies Erio, carrying weapons and equipment in his arms, hurries to follow us out.
Due to his small stature, it looks as though the weapons and equipment have legs of their own.
“Absoloute elder, I am an adult. There’s no need to worry so much.”
“That is unacceptable! If anything happens to the young master…no, the prince, our dream will vanish as well! Please be more careful.”
Leaning out from behind a corner, Absoloute elder replies.
As the name Absoloute suggests, Erio’s alias when hiding his identity was borrowed from this old Alien.
Indeed, in the AOE, wasn’t he cast as the butler and fallen noble grandpa taking care of the young master?
“I couldn’t imagine actually coming here, a place rich in history, to visit Malta.”
Edward’s voice.
While looking around with curiosity, Nisia turns her head in my direction.
“Edu, why are we here?”
“There’s something important related to the United Naval Forces left on this island, and we’ve come to retrieve it.”
Malta Island.
The final stronghold of the NATO allied naval forces who resisted until the end to reclaim their invaded homeland, here beneath the island they left their last hope.
“Let’s head to the old command headquarters building in the capital’s ruins. This way.”
“Okay.”
“Then we, the Poln soldiers, will lead the way!”
Our escort, Kiron and the Poln soldiers, proceed forward as we journey through the city, whose marks of battle remain vivid despite the passage of time.
We arrive at the old NATO Naval Command building.
Though weathered and faded, a flag still stands guard helplessly, with its white cross emblem shining bright even after such a long period.
“This is the building.”
“It’s an old building, so please be careful.”
“Yes. You two, go in first and check the building’s safety.”
“Understood!”
The Poln soldiers rush into the building without hesitation, despite the danger of the mission.
A little while later, the soldiers return.
“Some corridors and paths are blocked, but it doesn’t seem like it will collapse immediately!”
“Thank you for your hard work, then let’s head to the basement.”
“Yes!”
We descend the long stairs leading to the basement.
Using tactical lighting and drones to illuminate the pitch-black darkness, we navigate through hidden paths and intricate secret passages, heading towards our destination.
In the frozen-in-time underground space, where only our footsteps echo, we finally arrive at a spacious cavern partially filled with shallow water, with a faint light glowing in the center.
“What is that?”
Our group naturally gathers around the light.
“Is this an old terminal device?”
“That’s right.”
A column shaped like an hourglass capped with a white cross, surrounded by a holographic screen crackling with electric currents, reaches towards the hand.
“Hey, Edu?”
“I’m fine.”
Unlike appearances, there’s no pain; instead, the hologram screen feels warm as my hand touches it.
As my hand makes contact, green light spreads and the hologram screen swiftly disappears.
[ -Human contact… confirmed, …unlocking in progress. ]
An alert sounds from the outdated facility.
The cover on the white cross decoration opens, and I carefully pick up the device inside, about the size of a pinky finger.
“Was that what we came for?”
“Yes, with this device, we can reactivate the dormant NATO Allied Naval Forces.”
The NATO naval forces that retreated to southern Africa.
Although we used the term ‘rescue’ when speaking with the superintendent and Freya, strictly speaking, it’s more like ‘awakening’ them.
Because they are not hiding but have merely been sleeping for a long time.
Composed of state-of-the-art unmanned, automated fleet forces and high-performance military automatons that fill in the gaps, the old NATO Allied Naval Force, Granda Felicissima Armada, served as the central force.
True to its nickname as the most blessed fleet, it led many victories in countless battles, but as the situation became dire with the fall of the European continent, NATO command decided to preserve it for the future.
Thus, the Granda Felicissima Armada, the Blessed Fleet, retreated and disappeared into southern Africa, leaving behind only the activation key here.
“That’s it, our mission’s complete, let’s—”
Woooom—
A massive vibration spreads through the ground, followed shortly by a loud noise.
“Whaat?!”
Koooom, Paeerrang—
Successive explosions sound, and the harsh impacts resonate even underground.
And it means only one thing.
“Commander!”
“Let’s get out quickly!”
“Yes! I’ll take the lead!”
Our group rapidly returns via the way we came.
When we return to the surface, it is now shrouded in thick sea fog.
The Invaders’ tactical ghost fleet.
Cannonballs fired from the ship’s guns are raining down all over the island, spreading explosions and shockwaves. Columns of dirt and smoke rise endlessly.
[Sister! Can you hear me? Sister!]
“Sita! I can hear you! What’s happening?”
“It’s the Invaders! The Invader fleet has appeared!”
“Tch!”
I had anticipated that the Bonaparte might move, but the response was quicker than expected.
[We’re securing the building you entered, but according to the radar, several thick sea fogs are approaching. Return to the ship quickly!]
“They must be well-prepared. Understood!”
While having this conversation, the shuttle that dropped us off approaches us.
They must have moved quickly upon hearing the sounds of battle.
[Commander, I’ll lower the ladder! Please hurry up and board!]
“Yes, everyone, get on!”
We board the shuttle and head to the Argonaut.
When we arrive at the Command Bridge, we see our friends busily working with their assistant automatons, and Sita with a tense expression and Balder with a serious one.
“Mr. Balder!!”
“Commander, you’ve safely returned! The Invader fleet has appeared!”
“Yes, I confirmed it. What’s the situation?”
“Not long after you entered the building, they approached rapidly. Fortunately, the frontline fleet doesn’t seem too strong, but the issue lies with the ones following them.”
Saying this, Balder turns his head and looks at the screen in the command bridge.
There, we see the large and small sea fogs slowly approaching towards us and one massive, unnervingly red fog looming larger.
That big one…Could it be? Did they move the ‘Amid Island’?
Otherwise, it wouldn’t explain the size of the fog.
I didn’t expect them to bring fortress-level power all the way to the Mediterranean, but regardless, the situation has unfolded, so we must respond quickly.
“Where are the enemies?”
“It seems they’re attempting to surround us. The fast-moving fleet has entered from the northern Africa direction and the eastern Tyrrhenian Sea, and the enemy’s main force is heading this way from the northwest of the Mediterranean.”
The radar screen projected on the screen.
As Balder said, we can see the enemy fleet’s movements covering both flanks and the main fleet approaching rapidly.
Retreating to the southern or northern continents is already an impossible situation.
“We have everything we need, so let’s retreat immediately. Let’s withdraw towards the east.”
“Understood! Turning the fleet! Heading east to disengage!”
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