The knights' attack put Battle Trench in a state of emergency. The secret laboratory in Section 38 had been hit. The commotion continued without easily subsiding.

In fact, as time passed, the news that arrived was not good at all. For instance, there were reports that the unit waiting inside was facing annihilation.

"Enemy raid! Move quickly!"

"What are you all doing! Grab your weapons now! This is an emergency!"

Battle Trench forces weren't only inside the secret laboratory. A considerable number of Battle Trench troops were also on standby outside.

As soon as they confirmed the distress signal, they grabbed their weapons and quickly boarded their respective vehicles. Five large vehicles, each capable of carrying at least 6 people, departed. All were heavily armed.

Besides this location, external support would be coming from three other places.

The external security team leader, sitting in the back seat, asked:

"Hey, what's the situation? Was anything mentioned from inside?"

"It seems the Antique Gear guys finally caught wind of it and launched an attack."

"Damn it. I thought we could take it easy before the re-contract season, but trouble erupts after all."

The team leader, with his harsh expression, spat out irritated words. But he had vaguely predicted this would happen. The amount of supplies being distributed to that secret laboratory recently was extraordinary.

He thought something big was bound to happen, and that prediction had become a reality. If the opponent was Antique Gear, they would have brought a formidable force to match. He understood why they were requesting support.

"Well, what can we do? We have to work for the money we're paid. The one good thing is that we're not the only ones fighting."

Though he grumbled outwardly, they were individuals with reliability and skill, enough to have security contracts with major corporations. Following the team leader's instructions, all five vehicles moved in a line.

The distance was quite far, so it would take about 5 minutes, but that made it perfect for ambushing the intruders from behind.

-Vrooooom!

Just then, an irritating sound reached the team leader's ears. It was the engine sound of a rough vehicle. It was clearly different from the vehicles his team members were driving.

"What's that? Are there other teams joining us that we don't know about?"

"Uh, no. I haven't heard anything about that."

At those words, the team leader uncrossed his arms and clicked his tongue.

"Tsk. Hey. Get ready."

No sooner had he finished speaking. With a whoosh, a vehicle jumped over the metal structure installed beyond the factory. Despite landing after driving at tremendous speed, the vehicle's suspension wasn't significantly damaged. As he had sensed from the engine sound, it wasn't an ordinary vehicle.

"What the hell!"

Just as the driver of the lead vehicle was flustered, the team member in the passenger seat shouted:

"It's an enemy! Just ram it!"

The thick Humvee accelerated and caught up with the muscle car. At that moment, two automatons poked their heads out through the muscle car's rear window. And in the hands of the automatons were large-caliber grenades.

"Oh!"

As the driver saw this and immediately tried to turn the wheel but the grenades were fired and dug under the vehicle.

-BOOM!

No matter how sturdy the Humvee was, it couldn't withstand an explosion from beneath its chassis. With a massive explosion, the lead Humvee rose into the air and rolled on the ground.

"You crazy bastard!"

"Shoot that thing first!"

Enraged by what happened to their comrades, the external security team chased after the navy blue muscle car.

"Oh my. After poking them once, they're coming at me like a pack of wolves that smelled meat."

David, confirming the scene through the rearview mirror, handled the steering wheel and increased the muscle car's speed. The vibration of the powerful 8-cylinder engine was transmitted directly through the steering wheel. He synchronized the threads of magic power flowing from his fingertips with the vehicle and increased its speed.

"Major corporation products are indeed good."

People don't casually mention major corporations for no reason. The products they make are both high-performance and durable.

Moreover, when they set their minds to it, the level of support they provide is in another dimension. This is evident in the muscle car he's driving, but what stands out the most are the two automatons sitting in the back seat.

Ronald & Reginald MK.2

These were combat automatons he used when he was once a Fixer, operating as an automaton commander. They were units he had grown attached to and even named, but they were completely destroyed after the fight with Daver.

'I didn't even have insurance, so repairs were practically impossible. Who would have thought I'd get new ones like this?'

They weren't just new units. They were significantly upgraded from before. Of course, they were products secretly provided by Antique Gear, which specializes in automatons. From output to configuration, there was nothing lacking.

They had a good magic power response and executed commands immediately. They were more durable than the ones he used before, and their output was more than double.

Since becoming a knight, he no longer handled automatons. And he knew he'd have to return them after this fight.

But for a moment, the thought of continuing to use them was temptingly attractive. David gave a bitter smile. He was having such carefree thoughts in a life-or-death situation.

"I should do what I need to do."

By now, one Humvee had caught up beside him. As the window opened and a gun barrel was about to be pointed at him, David elegantly swerved the steering wheel. The muscle car slipped in from the side with ghost-like precision and hit the Humvee's rear wheel.

With just that, the Humvee lost balance and swayed greatly. Veering off the road, it collided directly with the factory's outer wall.

David's role, unlike the other knights, was to delay the incoming external support as much as possible on his own. Besides this location, external security teams would be moving to provide support from other places, so there was no time to be leisurely.

"This is my first monumental fight since becoming an official knight. Let's do this properly."

A gentle moonlight descended from beyond the clouds, onto the navy blue muscle car racing through the night air.

[What's going on? How many enemies are there? Was there a discrepancy in the information?]

Beta One, after being momentarily taken aback by the shocking news that Passage 5 had been breached, calmly tried to assess the situation.

[Th-that's... The enemy is just two! Only two!]

[Passage 5 was breached by just two? What about the security defense systems?]

[All were activated properly! But those two! They won't stop!]

Beta One felt a chill down his spine. The underground laboratory, boasting ironclad security, was being breached by just two individuals?

'Superhuman forces!'

Those Antique Gear guys hadn't simply brought a large force. They had spent a fortune to bring in a small elite team for the infiltration.

'Could they have brought their company's top forces? Or hired externally?'

The word "Fixer" briefly crossed his mind. He had heard that Antique Gear recently placed a request with Basilio, considered a top player in the Fixer industry.

If that was true, it meant the enemy he was facing now was extremely dangerous.

However, Beta One wasn't particularly alarmed. Superhuman forces had come? That was well within the expected parameters. This side also had comparable forces on standby 24/7.

[Everyone, avoid hasty confrontations and stall for time as much as possible.]

Beta One immediately issued the order.

Osian moved forward. With a metallic click, the ceiling opened, and a brass-colored gun barrel pointed at Osian.

-Ratatatatata!

It was an automatic turret that detected and fired at approaching enemies. However, by the time it appeared, Osian had already dived in and swung his sword.

The automatic turret, cleanly cut in half, was instantly neutralized. As Osian took another step forward, green gas was sprayed from the wall.

The deadly gas instantly enveloped Osian. But Osian, having been immersed in the deadly poisons of Section 45, remained unaffected. The vitality flowing through his body couldn't be subdued by such poison.

"Get out of the way."

However, as the poison gas obscured his vision and interfered, Osian briefly retreated as Don Quixote had suggested.

Rocinante opened its mouth wide and breathed fire. The intense heat completely burned away the deadly gas.

The battle continued even after that. Internal security guards stepped forward to stop the two, but to no avail. No matter how much firepower they projected in the narrow corridor, the two charging knights with their shields were an unstoppable force, like tanks.

After defeating the enemies several times, there was no one left to block their path.

But instead, or perhaps as a result,

-Screech! Clang!

With the sound of internal mechanisms activating, a bulkhead descended from the ceiling, blocking the path ahead. The way back was similarly blocked.

"It seems they're deliberately trying to stall for time."

I don't know who the commander is, but they're certainly not to be underestimated. They know exactly what they need to do and are formulating the optimal countermeasures.

'Actually, from the moment we entered here, I never expected it to be an easy fight.'

They're also a proper major corporation. And they've thoroughly prepared for our potential attack. This means they've made the best possible preparations to halt enemies within this limited underground facility.

But Osian wasn't worried at all.

A knight is one who doesn't stop. A steel bulkhead that would take a long time to break through?

Intense starlight flowed from Osian's sword.

It pierced through the bulkhead in front of him, turning it into countless fragments.

Before the power of the heavens, even this was nothing more than a piece of paper.

Osian and Don Quixote continued forward without stopping. After moving for a while, they were finally greeted by a group.

Not people, but an automaton unit with the same design as the Soldiers seen in District 49. But these were even larger, with heads that were a size bigger.

The creatures extended their right hands. With countless sparks, bolt guns were fired. These were rapid-fire weapons with an effective range of 800m and a rate of fire exceeding 120 rounds per minute. Moreover, they were scaled up from standard bolt guns, capable of easily penetrating thin armor.

Osian and Don Quixote rushed forward, ignoring the bolt guns. The lead Soldier then moved as creatures holding shields as large as their torsos blocked the front.

A bluish magical power rose above the shields, creating a barrier. Even these shields were special equipment utilizing Ether Water.

And in the hand not holding the shield, they wielded chain swords. With a blade length of 2m, it was cruder but larger than what Alpha One had used. It was definitely not designed to be used against humans.

Its monstrosity was beyond comprehension, like a true monster. And here, there were two knights perfectly suited for slaying monsters.

"Shall we go!"

"Yes."

The two knights collided with the shield-bearing Soldiers. The Soldiers swung their chain swords as if they had been waiting, but before they could complete the motion, a flash of light in the air severed their arms. The Soldier's chest armor opened, and a capsule shot out.

Who would have thought they'd hide a magic-activating capsule inside their chest armor? Most people would have been caught off guard by such an attack.

But Osian, having experienced something similar before, reacted with superhuman reflexes.

Moonlight Blade.

The two swords in his hands danced at an incredible speed.

-Slash-slash-slash-slash!

The dozen or so capsules that had sprung into the air were cut by the Moonlight Blade before they could even open, and fell covered in frost.

This happened before the magic engraved on the solidified Ether Water could activate. It was a feat equivalent to cutting a dynamite stick with its fuse almost burned out to prevent an explosion.

If a human had seen it, they would have had trouble comprehending it with a sane mind. But what stood before them were expressionless automatons with no cognitive abilities. When their prepared methods failed, they prepared for a different attack.

They tried to crush Osian and Don Quixote with the mass of their shields.

"You dare to challenge a knight with brute force!"

But as Don Quixote, mounted on Rocinante, pushed forward with the power of his suit, the Soldiers were pushed back and collapsed in a heap.

Osian followed the path opened by Don Quixote, quickly stabbing the core power sources of the fallen Soldiers with his Moonlight Blade.

Just as they were about to break through the Soldier unit, a massive magical wave was felt from beyond.

─────!!!!

A brilliant light filled the field of vision, and a deafening roar tore through the eardrums. Due to the explosion that occurred so suddenly and at such close proximity, the sound wasn't fully audible.

"That should be the end of them."

The elderly magician who had launched the attack wiped away the cold sweat running down his forehead. It was a 5-star magic that, if misused, could collapse the ground, endangering their side as well.

After barricading with expensive automatons like the Soldiers, he used it at the precise timing when the enemy approached.

"Is it over?"

"Yes. Having taken a direct hit, they should have vanished without a trace..."

As the magician was muttering, he widened his eyes when the remnants of the explosion that filled the corridor disappeared. The intruders, who should have been utterly obliterated, were standing unharmed.

And they were clad in armor that shimmered with a golden light.

Sun Ring FULL ARMOR