"Let's go over the mission we've been assigned."
The five gamblers huddled together in thought.
"We open the 'backdoors' throughout the Imperial Capital and evacuate the citizens outside. That's our mission."
"But we're facing a hurdle right from the start."
"Even if we manage to open the backdoors, the citizens are all crazed. I'm not sure if this will work out properly..."
After a moment of contemplation, Violet spoke up.
"We move separately."
The other members looked at Violet. She had a tense expression but gave the orders.
"Each of us heads to the next 'backdoor,' breaks the hypnosis of the people there, and leads them out of the Imperial Capital. This is the fastest way to accomplish our mission."
An unexpected addition to the original mission was to break the citizens' hypnosis.
To complete the operation within the planned time, they needed to move more efficiently - in other words, take risks.
"Each of us to one of the five locations...?"
"It's certainly more efficient, but..."
"Can we really do it?"
Everyone was doubtful, and Violet herself was the most uncertain. However,
"There's no need to overthink."
Violet feigned confidence.
"When have we ever played our cards with a 100% chance of winning? Never, right?"
At least this time, there was a basis and a clear objective, making the odds easier to calculate.
Eventually, everyone agreed, and the five found the most effective way to break the hypnosis.
Test results showed that the Orange's mind-clearing perfume worked the fastest.
Orange took out all of her orange tea and shared it with her colleagues.
"I went through a lot to make this much..."
"I'll buy you lots of oranges later, so make a new batch then. For now, just hand it out, sis."
Having distributed the mind-clearing perfume, the five gamblers exchanged glances and then split up to head to their respective destinations.
"Let's wrap this up quickly and safely get to collecting our money."
"Take care, everyone!"
"Don't push yourselves too hard! Our lives are the most important!"
After watching her fellow gamblers head to their assigned mission destinations, Violet turned around.
"Ugh... ugh..."
"Where is this...?"
"How long have I been asleep?"
"Are we still alive...?"
The people under hypnosis began to wake up one by one.
Violet yelled at them.
"Hurry up and wake your families, open the backdoor and escape from the Imperial Capital, you fools!"
Violet swung her hand at the citizens staring at her with blank eyes.
"Don't end up melting your bodies trying to gain eternal life, hurry up!"
***
The gamblers, scattered in five directions, headed to the 'backdoors' of the back-alley organizations they were connected to.
New Terra, the Imperial Capital, was a vast and ancient city, and even the mighty Imperial Family couldn't control all these hidden backdoors.
The five gamblers went around the outskirts, waking up the hypnotized people.
People, who were hypnotized and brainwashed in their sleep by Fernandez, slowly regained consciousness.
"Hurry and escape!"
"There's no time! Fernandez plans to kill us all!"
Many still believed that it was safe inside the Imperial Capital and wanted to board the ark led by Fernandez.
However, many more were disgusted after experiencing the recent events.
"We must escape!"
A man who first woke up in the slums found and woke up his wife, and the people who were asleep started to wake up like dominoes.
"If we stay in this city, we'll all die!"
"Just grab the emergency funds and valuables..."
"Is money the issue now?! We need to get out first!"
The streets turned chaotic.
Those who woke from the hypnosis broke the boards blocking the doors, ran out, and broke into the neighboring houses, waking up the people inside.
Those fleeing, those escaping the city, the thugs trying to collect passage fees through the backdoors amidst this chaos, the brutes fighting with these thugs, and those seizing the opportunity to rob homes...
"Fernandez will lead us to paradise aboard the ark."
Those praying towards the palace, not intending to escape.
"We are the chosen citizens of the Imperial Capital of the Empire... together with Fernandez..."
Chaos spread throughout the city.
Fernandez's hypnotic magic was structured to intertwine the minds of the citizens and brainwash them together.
To cast the spell on a vast number of people simultaneously, this interconnected structure was indispensable.
Thus, as a few people started waking from the hypnosis, the effect spread rapidly and concurrently, breaking the hypnosis of everyone.
In this place, where awakened people struggled to escape the Imperial Capital, fighting and collaborating,
"Stop-!"
Aegis Special Forces appeared.
At every backdoor crowded with citizens trying to escape, causing bottlenecks, the members of the Aegis Special Forces appeared, brandishing their weapons.
"Didn't I tell you to stop!"
"Those trying to escape the Imperial Capital through unauthorized routes will be summarily judged!"
Click! Click!
The Special Forces, who arrived in droves, aimed their crossbows and magic guns forward.
"Can't you hear us?!"
"Go back to your homes! Now!"
"By imperial decree! Ignore this warning, and we'll shoot!"
A fierce silence descended.
The halted citizens glared at the Aegis Special Forces with eyes blazing with anger.
But the Special Forces, sweating coldly on their backs, did not retreat a step.
After a few seconds of this strange standoff, when a few citizens, discontent, started to move towards the Special Forces-
"I told you to go home! Are you resisting?!"
One of the Special Forces members, annoyed, fired into the air. Bang-!
At that moment,
"Aaah!"
A shrill scream echoed.
Both the citizens and the Special Forces turned in shock towards the sound.
A girl in a red cloak had fallen to the ground with a scream, with red blood seeping from her chest.
"Did they shoot...?"
The citizens looked at the Aegis Special Forces in horror.
"Did they just shoot this child?"
Rage swirled among the people like a wildfire.
The startled Special Forces members flinched and retreated.
"No, no. I definitely shot into the air..."
"You bastards!"
"Is the Emperor commanding you to kill children too?!"
"Shoot us too, you bastards!"
Enraged, the citizens rushed in, and the Aegis Special Forces had to flee from the wave of people.
Amidst the chaos, the girl in the red cloak, who had been shot, quietly and slowly stood up.
"That was easy, too easy."
The gambler girl, Scarlet, who had faked being shot by spraying red paint on her chest, stuck out her tongue slightly and disappeared into the crowd.
Similar incidents occurred at other backdoors.
"What's this, a doll...?!"
"It's fake! Look ahead!"
"Aaah!"
The citizens overwhelmed the Aegis Special Forces, distracted by a suddenly attacking doll from behind. It was Cobalt's puppetry.
Lime used clairvoyance to find and collapse the weak points of the bridge the Special Forces were standing on.
Orange used telepathy to persuade the Aegis Special Forces, making them surrender instead.
Lastly, Violet,
"Aaaah! Aaaahhh! Your Majesty!"
"Please save us, Your Majesty! Spare my life, please!"
Used illusion magic to show the Special Forces their deepest fears.
'I don't know why they all fear Fernandez the most.'
The entity the Special Forces feared deeply in their hearts was none other than Fernandez.
Within the realm of illusions, the Special Forces members all begged Fernandez for forgiveness, rolling on the ground.
It was a bit eerie, but the operation was a success anyway.
The Gambler's Club had subdued the Special Forces at all five locations, and the citizens began to escape smoothly again.
As Violet surveyed this scene, she let out a sigh of relief, having completed the mission-
"You've really made a mess, you rat."
Suddenly, a voice came from the sky.
"?!"
Startled, Violet turned around just as Reyna descended from the sky, stirring up the wind.
Reyna had been monitoring the situation from the battleship Alcatraz and, upon spotting Violet emitting an extraordinary magic power, had leapt down to capture her.
Thud!
"Cough?!"
Reyna landed, crushing Violet to the ground.
Holding the back of Violet's head with a gloved hand, Reyna growled.
"Are you a rat planted by Prince Ash? Judging by your clothes, you're remnants of the 1st Legion. Right, is that bastard Metallic involved too?"
"..."
"You're really cunning, aren't you? Orchestrating a citizen escape. You believe you're doing something righteous, don't you?"
"Righteous...? What do I care about that."
A sneer formed on Violet's lips.
"What people like us, living in the streets, always want is the same. To eat our fill today and sleep happily. Eternal life? I wouldn't take that even if it were handed to me."
"A rat remains a rat. It seems you have no intention of understanding the grand purpose embraced by His Majesty."
"Purpose and bullshit, I just don't want to be sacrificed for the whims of someone so high and mighty."
Realizing further conversation was futile, Reyna shouted.
"What exactly is Prince Ash scheming?"
"If I was trusted enough to know that, would I be sent on a suicide mission like this..."
"Answer me! What is Prince Ash's objective!"
Reyna pressed Violet's head harder towards the ground. Groaning in pain, Violet smirked.
"Why are all you fools always the same?"
"What?"
"You always end up being completely fleeced before you start screaming and throwing a fit. It's already too late, you've been sucked dry."
"..."
"Prince Ash's purpose? What's the point of knowing now?"
Reyna's brows furrowed fiercely. Violet giggled.
"The game's already over, you idiot."
***
The Imperial Capital New Terra is a port city.
A hub of global trade and logistics, connected to the inland sea of the continent.
The city's port extends up to the heart of the Imperial Capital.
In other words, if one can travel by sea, they can easily reach the center of the Imperial Capital.
Of course, the sea routes leading to the port have been long blockaded. Access is obviously impossible by conventional means.
However, on this side,
Bubble, bubble...
There are merfolk.
Swoosh!
Creating rough foam, we surfaced right in front of the city's internal harbor - the Merfolk King Poseidon's power of bubble submersion had allowed our infiltration team to travel through the sea to this point.
'If there are airships, why not submarines.'
Stepping out of the giant bubble onto the harbor, I grinned.
"Wow~ It's been a while since I've been here."
Not far off, I could see a building of the Silver Winter Merchant Guild. I took a deep breath, inhaling the air of the Imperial Capital. It still had the disagreeable scent of a home that never felt quite right.
"Looks like the operation went well. There's no defense on this side."
That's right.
Every operation conducted so far, all of them, were mere deceptions. A smokescreen.
The main forces pretending to assault the walls, the airship Geronimo drawing attention in the sky, and even the fake key gamblers who infiltrated and incited chaos among the citizens-
All fake.
It was a strategy to lure the enemy.
Our main force heading to the Imperial Capital is approaching from the sea.
Fernandez's army, lured by our main force, had all left the Imperial Capital,
The airship fleet, deceived by Geronimo, had also exited the Imperial Capital,
And the Aegis Special Forces, tricked by the gamblers, were all deployed to the outskirts of the Imperial Capital.
The Imperial Capital's navy was only guarding the entrance of the strait leading from the open sea to the inland sea.
Now, there were no Fernandez's forces left to stop us here.
"We're just a stone's throw away from the palace."
Looking at the sharp roofs of the Palace visible not far away, I said,
"Let's get there in one go."
"But Sir, isn't it a bit far to walk?"
Kuilan asked, puzzled, so I silently raised my hand.
"Don't worry. I've brought our own ride."
On my hand was a ring I had recently obtained from a box opening.
"Let's show these people how terrifying a monster invasion can be."
I focused my mind on the ring and said,
"Summon!"
The name of that monster.
"Kraken!"
Flash!
The [Ring of the Kraken] on my hand emitted a deep blue light, and the next moment.
Kuoohhhh!
I summoned an immensely giant cephalopod monster.
The strongest squid... no, octopus? Anyway, a monster was summoned, and control was transferred to me.
"..."
"..."
"..."
My heroes were dumbfounded, their mouths agape. Only I was giggling as I climbed onto the wriggling body of this monster.
"Alright, let's head to the heart of the empire and race down the midlane in style."
"On this monster?!"
"Do you think you'll get to ride a sea monster and cross the capital of the empire twice in your life? This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience you can't even buy. Stop complaining and get on!"
Despite their apparent reluctance, my heroes were forcibly picked up by the Kraken's extended tentacles. They screamed as they were forcefully seated next to me.
"Now, let's set off~!"
Riding a summoned monster down the central avenue of my birth country.
I had to admit, I was pretty good at trolling.
'After all, it was always a special talent of that bastard Ash...!'
The Kraken, extending its long tentacles in all directions, tore up the beautifully paved sidewalks of the Imperial Capital and raced towards the palace.
Yahoo, this is fun!