The Druid Who Devoured the Great Nature

“Centream’s headquarters is the widest and tallest building in this city.”

As Reina touched the crystal ball, light sprayed out, creating a holographic image of the building. The small, dot-like figure that appeared next to it must be a person. Comparing the sizes, it was truly immense. It was no empty boast that they were the city’s top corporation. Even Sylvester’s headquarters, which I found impressive every time I visited, was outdone by Centream by several degrees.

“Infiltrating secretly is impossible. The identity verification process is strict, and they have people stationed to watch thoroughly, so not even an ant can sneak in.”

“What about blowing up the building?”

“Are you kidding? It’s not easy because their dedicated mages are constantly managing a barrier. In the first place, it’s impossible to blow up a building of that size from the outside. It’s better to infiltrate.”

“Then we’ll just charge in head-on… no, that’s even worse.”

“Right. He’d escape faster than we could get to Demian.”

This was a chance that might never come again. I agreed that we couldn’t let it slip away in vain. However, it was putting the cart before the horse to just point out the difficulties and prevent any attempts out of fear.

“I’m disappointed if you’re only going to bring up gloomy stories. Surely you’re not saying there’s no way?”

“Of course not. It’s our job to find a way even if there isn’t one.”

There must be a reason why Reina was handling the briefing alone, not Sylvester.

“Only a small number of superhumans will be mobilized for this operation. And among them are security officers from the Public Security Bureau.”

As her name was mentioned, Hazel, who had been stuffing her cheeks with snacks until they bulged, blinked her eyes.

“It means we can use the Public Security Bureau’s equipment.”

Equipment that the Public Security Bureau can use? It was a full set of the latest military gear.

“If the underground and the ground are difficult, we’ll have to try infiltrating from another direction.”

I thought I knew what they were planning.

“…The sky?”

“Correct.”

As Reina touched the crystal ball again, an aircraft appeared above the building’s rooftop.

“As it happens, the executive meeting is held on the upper floors of the building, so it’s much closer than infiltrating from the ground.”

Using the sky route was a method not just anyone could attempt. Since it was generally used for travel between cities, it was nearly impossible for civilians to even procure the equipment.

Furthermore, Centream had caused this mess on the premise that the city government would be neutralized. They would have made some preparations, of course, but it would by no means be perfect.

“After that, it’s up to you guys how you do it.”

The stage was sufficiently set.

“Work as if it’s the end if you fail.”

***

“Hmm.”

Demian stood in front of the mirror, adjusting his clothes. He tightened his tie and smoothed out the wrinkles in the fabric. Not a single hair was out of place, and not a speck of dust was visible. The appearance of a flawless ruler. It was exactly the image he had imagined for himself.

The time on his wristwatch showed ten minutes before the meeting. It was about time to leave. The moment Demian slowly turned around, careful not to mess up his style.

“Urgent news!”

The secretary burst in, dripping with cold sweat.

“Fighting has broken out in various places! The damage is severe, and we need to dispatch the Quadruple personnel currently stationed at the headquarters…”

“Handle it yourself.”

In contrast to the secretary who had rushed in, panting, Demian remained completely unfazed.

“It doesn’t seem like a matter I need to concern myself with.”

“Sylvester, mercenaries, contractors, the Brotherhood. All the groups that opposed the current situation have risen up in a general mobilization. We need to be very careful…”

“Haven’t we already prepared for that in advance?”

Was Sylvester an easy opponent? The possibility of them causing trouble to coincide with the executive meeting had been fully considered.

“Don’t make me say it twice. Deal with it.”

“…”

That was right. Whatever the enemies had done, however fierce their resistance was, it was of no interest.

“The executive meeting will proceed as planned. There are no exceptions.”

It was the occasion for Demian Graham to be crowned the undisputed king of Centream. If he were to take even one step back here, it would be an act that would diminish his own dignity.

“In any case, the headquarters will not be threatened.”

Centream’s headquarters was a fortress of iron and blood built in the modern era. Unless a large-scale army attacked, it wouldn’t even get a scratch. And since the enemies had caused disturbances in various places, they couldn’t gather such a large force here.

The disturbances in various places could be dealt with one by one after the meeting was over.

“Even if they come up with some outlandish decisive move, it won’t be a problem.”

Demian spotted two figures among the numerous attendants waiting outside the door. A man with a threatening impression and a woman with a captivating atmosphere. It was Madhouse.

“With just a small number, they won’t even be able to reach this place.”

***

A strong wind beat against the windowpane.

「The World Tree feels a sense of superiority, saying that the worms are wriggling.」

…Why does its personality change when it gets high up? Anyway, it was a void where the sky was closer than the ground.

Outside the window, a scene of chaos unfolded, making it hard to tell if this was a city or a battlefield. Flames soared, and the colorful hues of mana painted over the monotonous gray concrete.

Collapsing buildings, cracking roads, and evacuating citizens. It was not much different from the scene I had witnessed in the iron-blooded city of Brahms.

At that time, Brahms was on the verge of collapse. The fact that my impression was similar meant that the current turmoil in Gallerg City was just as severe.

As such, Centream would do its best to stop it. It was meaningless what kind of damage either side suffered as a result of the battles that broke out throughout the city.

The success or failure of the operation targeting Demian Graham would determine the victor.

The airship flew past what was unclear whether it was clouds or smoke. It was a model one step more advanced than the small airship I had seen in Brahms.

It could be operated without a mage, and the exterior was covered in armor to block damage. Except for the loud noise of the propeller, it had more advantages.

“We’re almost there,” the pilot announced.

Centream’s headquarters was in sight. No matter how big the commotion was throughout the city, this place was quiet.

However, it seemed they couldn’t just ignore the commotion, as there were few signs of people. It meant that even the personnel who were supposed to be guarding the headquarters had left.

But even though the number of people had decreased, it didn’t affect the defense system. As the airship approached, a barrier spread out around it.

It was a barrier that blocked physical access. On the rooftop, anti-aircraft guns were aimed at us, and a mage in a robe was preparing to intercept.

To think they had even prepared for the use of the sky route in this situation, they were certainly thorough bastards. But we had also prepared countermeasures.

I signaled into the communication device.

“Fire.”

A very long distance, so far that it couldn’t be identified with the naked eye. There was a flash of light, like a mirror reflecting sunlight.

However, the flash did not die down over time but grew larger and larger. It grew from the size of a fingernail to the size of a fist in an instant, and it became immeasurably huge even faster.

A ray of light that had flown a distance so far it was hard to gauge passed under the airship and pierced the barrier.

A brilliant light that dyed the vision white, as if the sun had exploded. The senses grew distant, reality was erased, and even the flow of time was distorted.

The barrier could not withstand that immense power. A hole was blown open at the top of the translucent barrier.

The military base on the rooftop was burned to ashes, and the people were erased as if they had disappeared. Even the airship I was on was shaken as if caught in a typhoon by the aftershock.

[Phew, that’s my part done.]

A miracle achieved with just one gun. It was the ability of Hazel, said to be the strongest among the Public Security Bureau’s security officers.

I had felt it when we were together last time, but her power was overwhelming. However, it seemed to have been a great burden on her, as her voice was weak, as if her soul had almost left her.

She wouldn’t be able to join the battle like this. But Hazel’s strength was sniping anyway.

It was difficult to utilize her strength in a chaotic battle. So, breaking the barrier and sweeping away the enemies on the rooftop was her most effective use.

“Descending.”

The airship door opened, and all the occupants jumped down to the rooftop. It was a height that would break an ordinary person’s legs, but there was no weakling among them who couldn’t withstand that much of a fall.

In fact, the heat of the ground, heated by the gunfire, was a bigger problem for the soles of their feet.

Going down the stairs, I found a door to enter. There was a lock, but it seemed to have been broken by Hazel’s gunfire, as it opened just by twisting the doorknob.

“Enemies! Stop them!”

The moment the door opened, I came face to face with the enemy. They were people who were somehow standing on their own two feet in a space that had been messed up by the shockwave.

Each and every one of them had a formidable presence. At least the level of a Quadruple team leader.

No one was taking out a firearm; they were either raising mana throughout their bodies or wrapping their weapons with aura. They were skilled people, too good to be just part of a security organization.

If they went outside, they had the capabilities to lead their own organizations. Just as the key to a surprise attack is speed, this operation was a race against time.

If we were delayed in the enemy’s main camp, it was obvious that they would either come up with a countermeasure or run away. How much time could we buy if the Quadruple team leaders held us back?

In a situation where every second counted, calculating that itself was a loss. That must have been Centream’s purpose in placing them on the top floor.

Even though they didn’t know about Joe McQueen’s betrayal, they had prepared for the worst. Even though we had aimed for the best timing, they didn’t just let us have our way.

“Kuaak!”

“C-crazy…!”

“We can’t stop them! They’re monsters!”

But even this was their misjudgment. Those who would be held back by mere Quadruple team leaders were not included in the operation personnel.

The enemies fell as if swept away by an irresistible disaster. All the security officers of the Public Security Bureau had been deployed.

Even if they couldn’t produce a power strong enough to sweep the battlefield in a single blow like Hazel, they were the superhumans who represented the military power of the Public Security Bureau.

The difference in numbers meant nothing. Security officers were originally people who moved alone and swept away the enemies of the Public Security Bureau.

It meant that they were more accustomed to fighting against a large number of people than a small number. The enemies couldn’t even slow down our rush by a single step.

On the contrary, the barrier that came down from the ceiling was more of a problem than them.

“Beta.”

[Attempting to hijack the central security system… I need time.]

“Then it’s too late.”

The security system of Centream’s headquarters seemed to be difficult even for Beta, who was a top-level hacker. It would be better to just break it directly, even if it consumed some energy…

“I’ve identified the location of the executive meeting room,” said one of the security officers, a man wearing a headset that looked like a stethoscope.

“Five floors below here, the location is about here.”

He tapped the diaphragm he had placed on the floor and marked a spot.

“Good, everyone back off.”

As if they knew what to do without exchanging words, they naturally coordinated. As one security officer laid a pile of explosives, which he had taken out from somewhere, on the mark, everyone crouched down or gathered furniture to set up cover.

“Ready yourselves…”

The security officer who had set the explosives playfully muttered to himself and pulled the trigger of his pistol.

“Bang!”

Without exaggeration, the entire building shook. It was not a power that could be produced by an ordinary bomb.

A pistol was even more so. It seemed that it could exert a special power if the conditions related to the explosives were met.

In fact, compared to Hazel, who had blown up a building with a single sniper rifle, it wasn’t that surprising of an ability.

‘Instead of breaking through the thick barrier, did they just break the ceiling to make a path?’

While I was clicking my tongue, the security officers jumped into the hole in the floor without a moment’s hesitation. I also followed them.

And then.

“You’ve finally found your way here.”

I could see Demian Graham, his face contorted in a frown.

(End of Chapter)