The whirlpool of slashes roars like a giant serpent, wiping out the poisonous people.
D'Ordume spins the axe blades that have sprouted from his forearms, shredding the poisonous people beneath the ramparts.
Souare was no slouch in her dwarven power either.
Earthen spears protruded from beneath the ramparts, skewering the charging poisonous people in an instant.
The twin walls towing the Nouvelle Vague were equally effective in the deep sea as they were on land.
With only two more joining the front line, the poisonous force slowed slightly.
Orca asked, feeling his strength returning a little.
"How did you guys know to come here?"
"I'll explain that when we're done with the immediate situation."
D'Ordume replied as he crushed the head of one of the poisonous people.
Apparently, he had been through a lot.
Orca nodded for now.
The urgency now was to stop the poisonous people from trying to overcome Tochka's walls.
The situation was gradually improving.
cheolpudeog! cheolpudeog! cheolpudeog! cheolpudeog!
A giant greenish liquid bubbled up and slid down the walls of Tochka.
The green liquid flowed down the slightly sloping walls, which were designed to protect against artillery fire, and then began to engulf all of the poisonous people climbing the walls.
Flubber. The most mysterious creature in Nouvelle Vague had made its appearance here.
jjeobjjeobjjeobjjeobjjeobjjeobjjeob-
Covering an enormous area, the green, liquid monster began to fatten itself by devouring all the poisonous people it could find.
Those swallowed into its body struggle desperately, only to fall deeper and deeper into its bottomless slime prison.
pusisisisisig-
Orca clucked his tongue at Flubber's insatiable appetite, which consumed even the mutants.
"How did that thing get here?"
This time Souare answered.
"It must have followed us when it ran out of places to live, for it was a prehistoric creature that was quite attached to the place called Nouvelle Vague."
"Followed us? Voluntarily? Did it have any sense of loyalty?"
"No, I think it just followed the scent of its prey. It had once consumed a certain poison in prisoner called Sakkuth, and it must have liked it quite a bit."
Souare was right.
Indeed, Flubber had been feasting on Leviathan's poisons, and apparently the very idea of red death was quite appealing to Flubber's palate.
And since they had been bred to be even more potent than they smelled, perhaps their flavor would be even more intense.
"...I'm glad to see you like the taste."
Orca couldn't help but say this with sincerity.
He had to admit, the poisonous mutants that had been plaguing Tochka so relentlessly seemed to Flubber to be nothing more than a big lump of candy.
But there was more.
"Warden Orca, give me orders!"
"I don't want to follow those wardens!"
"Khahaha! You're the only one who can boss me around!"
Behind D'Ordume, Souare, BDISSEM, and Flubber, countless other figures appeared.
All of them wore the uniforms of Nouvelle Vague's guards.
The guards of the Nouvelle Vague.
An elite group of all-stars who spent their days in the harsh environment 10,000 meters below the surface of the sea, working more like service than work.
Here they were, the men whose humanity was unknown, but whose skill was untouchable.
A grin appeared on Director Orca's dull face.
Then he blew a puff of smoke from his cigarette and shouted.
"Now! It's a suppression formation! Give those foolish dead men their due!"
The prisoner must be returned to where he belongs. The same goes for the dead.
The guards of Nouvelle Vague chuckled and crossed their arms.
Then the guards began to take control of the front lines, leaving the vigilantes who had volunteered among Tochka's refugees behind.
"Oi- oi- those who can't use mana, stay back."
"What, you're joining the war with your kid? You're out of your mind. Get back!"
"This is for people like us, who have nothing to lose!"
These were people who had spent their lives preventing and quelling riots.
The poisonous people' display began to collapse in the blink of an eye.
As the old guard joined the front lines, Orca's skills as a master of water warfare were truly shining through.
"From now on, all positions above the rank of Captain will be filled by Nouvelle Vague! I'm reorganizing the system in real time! You stokers, get off your ass! Continue beating the drums as before, but double the time interval! Push out all the stones in the women's room!"
Lieutenant Colonel Bastille, who always made sure everything was in place before Orca told him to do anything, took charge this time.
"The stokers are to go down to the castle and procure oil and gunpowder; the drums are to be beaten longer, for the guards can hold out much longer than the vigilantes; the reason we are rolling the stones down is to start an all-out war, so everyone throw away your spears and long spears and arm yourself with your favorite weapons!"
The guards of the Nouvelle Vague who take care of themselves so that Orca does not have to give detailed explanations.
The rest of the guards are pushed to the front lines to wipe out the poisonous people.
peopeopeopeog!
BDISSEM has subdued all of the poisonous people around her, tossing them behind her.
With their strength and mana sealed away, the poisonous people are reduced to fools and impaled by the vigilantes' long spears.
Flubber continues to grow in size, devouring more and more poisonous people.
D'Ordume and Souare also sweep through the poisonous people at breakneck speed.
Suddenly, Orca turns to BDISSEM beside him.
"But. Flubber Was that guy originally that small? Wasn't it bigger before?"
"It's split up now. The main body is somewhere else."
"...Else where?"
BDISSEM opened her mouth to reply, but the sound was muffled by the poisonous mutant screaming loudly from above.
Orca asked once more.
"Wait. If you're all gathered here, does that mean... 'he' is alive too?"
BDISSEM immediately understood who Orca was referring to.
"If it's 'Black Tongue,' he never made it out of Nouvelle Vague and died."
"...I see."
Orca clicked his tongue for a moment, then spoke.
"It had to be done. We're better off without that rebellious behavior. It only divides our allies."
"Well, it's not quite gone, though."
"...?"
The unintelligible words from earlier kept coming.
So is Black Tongue dead or alive?
Just when Orca thinks he's about to get a proper answer.
…Boom!
The walls collapsed in front of him, revealing a giant poisonous mutant.
It was larger than any Mutant he had ever seen before.
Its grotesque appearance was like two or three mutants mashed together into one body,
Intimidating just standing there, so large that even Flubber couldn't swallow it in one bite.
[O-ooooooh...]
It opened its mouth and attempted to sweep away the guards on the ramparts with a single blow.
"...tck."
Orca was just about to raise his club to strike back.
jjeoeog-
There was a twist before that.
The poisonous mutant's head caved in, and a black thunderbolt rained down from above.
A whip. A long, thick weapon.
Like a spear falling from the sky, it dented the poisonous mutant's skull, sending its massive form sprawling and tumbling down the city walls.
kwakwakwang!
A heavy vibration rises from beneath the walls.
Orca's frown deepened as he looked at the cloud of dust rising.
It was the sound of laughter that made his ears perk up.
"Pushishishi-"
Across the walls. An old man stood like a ghost on the uneven surface of the ramparts.
Marquis de Sade.
He was still looking at Orca with a look of amusement.
Orca growled.
"I thought you'd thrown me out long ago. Where have you been hiding, and now you're popping out?"
"Out? Why would I? This was just getting interesting."
"...?"
Orca raised an eyebrow.
It wasn't long before he realized what was amusing Sade so much.
Suddenly, countless shadows began to fall to his side and behind him.
That's right.
The guards weren't the only ones fleeing from Nouvelle Vague.
"Kukukuku – it's always fun to follow Marquis de Sade around."
"To fight under him again, it will be an eternal honor."
"I can't wait to get on the rampage."
"Ah- old times!"
Prisoners of Nouvelle Vague, now escapees.
Now that there are no cells to imprison them, no guards to keep them, they have gathered under the name of their former master, or former superior, Marquis de Sade.
Each and every one of them had been involved in the 47 Man Riot in the past.
Those who had escaped exile or extermination, but had been drunk on Marquis de Sade's turbulence and followed him, remained secretive.
There were also a great many who had envied Marquis de Sade's power and notoriety in prison and sought to join him.
The monsters of Level Nine bared their teeth after Marquis de Sade.
The descendants of the defeated nations, who had been holding their tongues for so long, united to vent their frustrations.
Sade chuckled and turned to Orca.
"Honestly, what kind of war do you want to fight with a bunch of little chick from the academy or refugees? You've got to be a little more than this to command."
"...It's absurd that I'm thinking the same thing as you at this moment."
Orca spit out the cigarette, lit a new one, and turned away from Sade.
But it was an unspoken message. Orca would defend the castle, and Sade would counterattack.
Whether Sade got the message or not, he just chuckled.
Then Marquis de Sade raised his whip high and shouted to the prisoners.
"Here we go! Counterattack! Let's wipe out the foolish enemy, or better yet, drive them right back to the water source!"
Most of the poisonous people panicked while wearing BDISSEM handcuffs.
The people who know best in the world how terrifying those restraints are are the guards and prisoners gathered here now.
Their eyes widened in unison and they clenched their weapons.
The heat was so intense it could burst at any moment, and Marquis de Sade poured oil on it.
"Aren't you all thirsty! Let's go get some water!"
The guards, prisoners, and refugees were all thirsty for the scarce drinking water.
A fire burned in their eyes as hot as their throats.
Now it was time to counterattack.