The phenomenon known as a Multi-Wave primarily occurs for highly skilled players who have become exceptionally adept at The Defense.
When they manage to pull off extremely efficient defenses and minimize damage to the Ark, a difficulty adjustment trigger activates, resulting in a Multi-Wave.
In other words, it's like the game saying, "You did too well, so let's make it harder."
Once triggered, a Multi-Wave inflicts catastrophic damage on the Ark—precisely because it only occurs when the accumulated damage to the Ark is abnormally low.
However, just like any game has strategies to overcome its challenges, there's a way to somewhat counter the Multi-Wave phenomenon as well.
Since Multi-Waves involve multiple wave stages combining into one, the actual wave doesn't officially start until the gathered horde reaches critical mass.
This means that if the player can attack the forming horde before it officially triggers the wave, they can mitigate the wave's destructive potential to some extent.
'It's not a perfect method, but there's no other choice.'
Time was running out.
Judging by the size of that gathering horde, at least two or more wave stages would be crashing down on the Ark within a few days.
Of course, even if that happened, the Ark wouldn't fall immediately thanks to my consistent efforts up to this point.
But that would only delay the inevitable destruction by a few weeks at most.
If left unchecked, the Ark would suffer catastrophic damage and lose the capacity to withstand the next wave.
What difference would it make whether the Ark falls in a few days or a few weeks?
'I can't let that happen.'
Clunk—
The hefty weight of the TITAN-17 Anti-Behemoth Rocket Launcher settled on my shoulder.
Normally, it would be way too bulky and heavy to use as a personal firearm, but in my current state, it was more like a portable artillery piece.
["Ah, seriously... I can't deal with this..."]
As expected of a Grade-1Spectral Entity, Esther had an unusually strong attachment to life.
That's why she couldn't stand me charging into what looked like certain death.
"Just help me out."
["Ha... That's not asking—that's coercion."]
"Then do it."
["Ugh, fine!"]
After that brief exchange, I aimed the TITAN-17 at the horde gathering below.
With Horus flying at near-supersonic speed, precision aiming was impossible anyway.
But that wasn't necessary.
If I fired, something—or someone—would definitely get hit.
Fwoooosh—!!!
The combustion gases spewed violently from the rear exhaust of the rocket launcher, and the projectile flew toward the swarm.
I didn't stop there.
Once, twice, three times, four times...
I kept pulling the trigger, unleashing a relentless barrage of rockets like a bombing run.
BOOOOM—!
KABOOM!
KRAKOOM—!!!
It took a moment before the deafening roar of explosions caught up with me, given the speed at which Horus was flying.
But it wasn't just the sound of explosions I heard.
[Groooaaaarrr—!]
[Screeeech! Cawwww!]
[Hu-man... kill... them... all...!!!]
I heard it—the furious cries of beasts and monsters roaring up at me.
And then I saw it—the countless flying creatures abandoning their positions and swarming toward Horus.
'Now the real battle begins.'
If I could have stopped that entire horde with pure aerial bombardment, I would have done it from the start.
But dealing with a beast horde was never that simple.
From now on, I had to face the wave alone.
'Let's do this.'
Seeing the endless mass of black dots rushing toward me, I couldn't help but feel cold sweat trickling down my back.
The sight was overwhelmingly terrifying—an army of monsters converging from every direction.
["Ugh... I don't even care anymore... "]
Even as she shuddered in fear, Esther gathered her ether to the limit.
[Shall we block them?]
[Block it. Block it. Block it. Block it. Block it. Block it. Block it. Block it. Block it. Block it. Block it. Block it.]
[Block... it...]
If we didn't give it our all, we'd end up dead and buried here.
Boom!
KABOOM!
I pulled the trigger of the TITAN-17 again.
The sheer density of beasts and monsters made it impossible not to hit dozens with each blast.
[You have slain the Grade-10 Beast Type: Hellhound.]
[Damage to Grade-10 Beast Type: Hellhound increases by 0.05%.]
[You have slain the Grade-9 Beast Type: Poison Claw Raptor.]
[Damage to Grade-9 Beast Type: Poison Claw Raptor increases by 0.05%.]
[You have slain the Grade-8 Beast Type: Mutated Scale Serpent.]
[Damage to Grade-8 Beast Type: Mutated Scale Serpent increases by 0.05%.]
.
.
.
[You have slain the Grade-9 Insect Type: Meliae.]
[Damage to Grade-9 Insect Type: Meliae increases by 0.05%.]
The black dots rapidly grew larger, taking on distinguishable shapes.
Flying creatures, giant insects, rock monsters—anything capable of aerial movement was swarming at us from every direction.
Vrrrrooooom—!
Whiiiing!
No matter how fast Horus flew, mere speed wasn't enough to shake them off.
The sheer number of approaching enemies was staggering.
I couldn't afford to relax.
With gritted teeth, I steadied the rocket launcher once more and fired into the densest part of the horde.
BOOOM—!
BOOM! BOOM-BOOM!
Each hit tore through dozens of monsters at once, but there were still countless more replacing them.
If I couldn't stop them here, the Ark wouldn't survive the wave.
'I just have to hold out.'
Horus swooped and twisted through the sky, evading attacks while I kept unleashing barrages.
My body and mind were already screaming from the strain, but I couldn't afford to let up.
'If I go down, the Ark falls with me.'
With every fiber of my being, I pressed on.
To shake off the monsters swarming from all directions, I had no choice but to confront them head-on.
[Kaak! Kaak!]
[Kieeeeeee!]
The distance between us was closing rapidly.
Though few monsters were fast enough to keep up with Horus flying at supersonic speeds, the problem was that they were attacking from all sides, leaving nowhere to escape.
There was no choice but to confront the horde directly.
Click—
I gripped the Ark-15 Automatic Conversion Rifle.
Normally, I would have used the automatic rifle mode in a situation like this.
But with the swarm so densely packed, the shotgun mode was the way to go.
"Eat this."
The Ark-15 shotgun belched fire.
The loaded shells were A-985 Explosive Rounds, modified for shotgun use.
Wide-area explosions engulfed the flying creatures in a storm of shrapnel.
BOOOOM—!
KABOOM!
KRRAKAKAKAKANG—!!!
But no matter how many shots I fired, the swarm still enveloped us.
There were simply too many of them.
"Esther."
["Hah..."]
With a deep sigh, Esther unleashed her prepared ether in one massive burst.
[────────────────────────────!!!!]
She couldn't generate the sheer physical force to crush the monsters like in her prime, but at least she managed to create a barrier that halted their advance.
Click—
I didn't waste the opportunity, aiming and firing again.
KABOOM!
BOOOOM!
A few more explosions followed before Esther's strained voice echoed in my mind.
["I-I can't... I can't do it anymore!"]
No wonder—Esther had once been a Grade-1 Specter, but she had lost much of her power.
Even drawing on my ether couldn't fully restore her to her prime.
'And that's not the only problem.'
If they were just average monsters, Esther might still have held on.
But the problem wasn't just their sheer numbers.
[Grooooaaaarrr—!]
High-ranking monsters—Grade-3 and above—were now moving.
They shattered the ether barrier Esther had barely maintained.
'I can't hold them off at range anymore.'
Long-range combat had reached its limit.
But that didn't mean I was out of options.
Letting the monsters close in didn't necessarily spell defeat.
"Time to switch tactics."
"Let's go."
With that, both Horus and Janus let out fierce roars.
[Keeeeeek—!!!]
[Kreeee, Kreekeek!]
Just before Horus clashed with the beasts, jet-black bone tendrils erupted from his entire body.
The power obtained from the Reverse Scale of Ouroboros unleashed itself mercilessly upon the swarming enemies.
Shwaaaash—!!!
The bone tendrils shot out in all directions like a flying porcupine, mercilessly piercing through the Grade-3 Aerial Beast: Sky Great White Shark.
[Keeeeeek!]
The Sky Great White Shark, though a formidable foe, was no match for Horus, who had already reached the power level of a Grade-1 Monster.
Even so, the most dangerous aspect of the enemy was still their overwhelming numbers.
As if to prove it, more beasts lunged at us without hesitation.
[Kakakak!]
[Groooarrr!]
"Dodge!"
Horus immediately executed an evasive maneuver while I fired the Ark-15 Shotgun, spewing fire and shrapnel.
The momentary gap created by the blast gave us just enough breathing room.
Schlurp, schluuurp—
Horus, evading attacks from flying beasts, drove his tendrils into the Sky Great White Shark's body, greedily sucking out its vital fluid.
Allowing enemies to approach was undoubtedly a threat, but if they failed to kill us quickly, they would soon become our fuel.
[Kreeeek!]
As if to prove that point, Horus soon drained the Sky Great White Shark completely and spat out its empty husk, letting out another intimidating roar.
He had been slightly fatigued from flying at near-sonic speed, but now he was fully revitalized—thanks to guzzling down a Grade-3 Beast like an energy drink.
[Groooooooar—!!!]
[Kreee, Kreekeek!]
With newfound vigor, Horus darted around the sky, moving freely.
Any beasts that got close were first blocked by Esther and Ether.
Next, Horus would tear them apart.
And if they still managed to break through, Janus would finish the job.
["Master! Behind you! "]
"I know!"
Even so, getting surrounded would still be dangerous.
In those moments, I would relentlessly pull the triggers of both the TITAN-17 Anti-Behemoth Rocket Launcher and the NO-13 Grenade Launcher.
BOOOOOOOM—!!!
Of course, Horus and I would inevitably get caught up in some of the explosions, but that was far better than being eaten alive by the swarm.
[Kreeeeee!]
In the thick smoke from the blasts, Horus flapped his wings furiously, keeping his balance.
Beasts continued to pour in from all sides, and I kept pulling the trigger.
[You have slain the Grade-5 Aerial Beast: Green-Feathered Harpy Commander.]
[Damage to Grade-5 Aerial Beast: Green-Feathered Harpy Commander increases by 0.05%.]
There's a saying:
"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."
That couldn't be more fitting for our situation.
Horus replenished his stamina by draining enemies.
Janus, too, absorbed the power of the fallen beasts, enhancing his abilities.
And the bullets fired without pause seemed endless, as if our combat system had turned into a perpetual motion machine.
But I knew the truth.
There was no way that an individual could withstand the colossal force of a wave phenomenon with just this much effort.
'It can't be just this...'
As if confirming my suspicions, I spotted new flying and insectoid beasts emerging amidst our relentless Flying combat.
'As expected.'
I recognized them at once.
Grade-2 Aerial Beast: Red-Winged Wyvern.
Grade-2 Rock Monster: Demon Statue Gargoyle.
Grade-1 Insectoid: Queen Bee.
These were Grade-2 and higher monsters.
Even if their intelligence was relatively low, their raw power made them terrifying foes.
In fact, their lack of intelligence made them even more unpredictable and dangerous.
[Biiiii—!!!]
With a shrill signal from the Queen Bee, countless insects began to gather from all directions.
Like other Grade-1 Monsters, the Queen Bee was essentially the sovereign of its kind.
When beasts and monsters fall under the command of a leader, their threat level skyrockets.
Just like now.
Bzzzz, Bzzzzzzzzz—
Countless insects began to form squadrons, moving in organized patterns at the Queen Bee's command.
I had been taking advantage of Horus's mobility to conduct a one-sided hunt, but now that advantage was being reversed.
'Not good.'
If this continued, the roles would switch—we would become the prey.
The situation itself had to be changed.
["W-What do we do now?"]
"What else?"
The answer had been set from the start.
Click—
Even while flying at near-maximum speed with evasive maneuvers, I adjusted the Ark-15 to anti-materiel sniper mode and aimed at the Queen Bee.
Her massive size meant I didn't need pinpoint accuracy.
BANG—!!!
But my surprise attack was intercepted by a swarm of bees, forming a living shield in front of her.
"Tch, that's annoying."
Whether it was from anger at being targeted or fury at losing her offspring, the Queen Bee unleashed a piercing scream unlike anything I had heard before.
[BIIIIIIIIIIIII—!!!]
Esther freaked out at the sound.
["What are you doing making her even angrier?!"]
"Would it make a difference if I didn't?"
["W-Well, not really, but..."]
"Doesn't matter. What we need to do is obvious."
["And that would be?"]
Grabbing the bone tendrils that served as Horus's reins, I gave a firm command.
"Break through."
With that, Horus surged forward, charging straight toward the Queen Bee.
The distance between us and the Queen Bee closed rapidly as Horus shot forward like a black comet.
Seeing us approach, the Red-Winged Wyverns and Demon Statue Gargoyles tried to intercept, but I wasn't about to let that happen.
BOOM—!!!
KABOOM!
KRAKOOOM—!!!
I fired rocket after rocket from the TITAN-17, clearing a path through the sky.
[Keeeeeek!]
[Bzzzzzzzt—!]
Some of the more agile beasts tried to dodge, but the wide-area blasts still tore through their formations.
["We're almost there!"]
"Stay on target."
Even amidst the chaos, I kept my eyes fixed on the Queen Bee.
Taking out that commanding presence was the only way to break the organized assault.
"Let's finish this."
BANG—!!!
A precisely aimed sniper shot cut through the horde and struck the Queen Bee's side.
[Biiiiiiiii—!!!]
The moment she staggered, the swarm briefly fell into disarray.
"Now! Full charge!"
With a deafening roar, Horus dove straight toward the Queen Bee, bone tendrils unfurling like spears, aiming to skewer the tyrant of the swarm.