Click.
There was no need to hesitate.
The trigger was pulled immediately.
Bang!
The bullet fired with the sound of a gunshot, striking my temple.
My head jerked violently.
[Foolish...]
A mocking laugh echoed in my mind.
But I was still alive.
No, there wasn't even any blood.
After all, the Experimental Round GHOST-157 barely inflicted any physical damage.
[...Huh? Huh? Huh? Kyaaaaah!!!]
Before long, Esther's scream reverberated through my head.
[What did you... What have you done──]
Her voice trembled inside my skull.
As expected of a high-ranking specter, it seemed she could endure one shot, but there was no way I would stop at just one.
Bang!!
One shot, two shots, three shots.
The continuous sound of gunfire echoed as the experimental rounds from GHOST-157 relentlessly struck my temple.
"...Urgh!"
My skull throbbed painfully.
Even though the physical impact was about as strong as a rubber bullet, repeatedly shooting the temple like this naturally hurt.
Of course, that couldn't compare to what Esther was feeling from being struck by GHOST-157.
[Kyaaaaaah─!!!]
A horrific scream filled my mind.
My brain felt like it was about to shatter from the vibrations, but I didn't stop pulling the trigger.
Bang!!!
[What... What are you doing...]
The arrogance that had always colored Esther's voice had completely vanished.
No, it wasn't just gone—it had been replaced with pure panic and even terror.
[Could it be... Have they succeeded in mass-producing the experimental rounds? No, that's impossible──]
As expected from the Shadow Order, they seemed to know quite a bit about the Experimental Round GHOST-157.
However, there was one thing Esther didn't know: the experimental rounds still hadn't been successfully mass-produced.
Of course, she would never learn that now.
I pulled the trigger once more.
Bang!
[Stop it, please... Stop!]
Bang!
[Kyaaaaaah!!!]
"...Urgh."
I couldn't tell how many times I had pulled the trigger, but the strain on my body wasn't light either.
Not only was the physical impact of the experimental rounds taking its toll, but every time Esther screamed, my head felt like it was going to explode.
'Damn it... Tough one.'
Esther, the One Who Dwells, belonged to Grade-1 among specter-type monsters.
Among specters, excluding a few exceptions, she was at the pinnacle, making her anything but ordinary.
If she had chosen a method other than possession, even with the GHOST-157 rounds, I would never have been able to subdue her this easily.
But it's already too late for regrets.
If one round isn't enough...
Just shoot until she's dead.
Bang─!!!
The trigger clicked once again.
[Kyaaaaaaaaah───!!]
As the trigger kept being pulled, I felt the presence of Esther within me gradually diminishing.
This was proven by the ether that had been suppressed by Esther's presence now slowly awakening.
[Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out.]
[Just die...]
[Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away.]
I could feel it.
The unwelcome guest that had snuck into my body was gradually losing her ground.
The change wasn't limited to the surrounding ether.
Esther's voice itself took on a different tone, far from the arrogance of before.
[Let's stop... Please. Yeah? I was wrong, okay? Let's just stop here──]
Of course, I had no intention of listening to that.
Bang!
[Kyaaaaaaah!!]
I had no idea how many times I had pulled the trigger, but my head was spinning, and my consciousness was fading.
Even so, there was no way I would stop now.
[You... You... Just stop it already!]
No way.
Bang!
[Guh, guh...]
Esther's voice, which had been raging in my mind, gradually faded away.
That meant her presence was being diminished by the experimental rounds.
She's definitely weaker now.
Maybe about fourth grade, at best.
Considering that Esther was originally a high-grade, Grade-1 specter, it was clear just how much weaker she had become.
Now, let's end this.
I aimed the gun once more.
The target was still my temple.
Because I had fired so many rounds at the same spot, a bit of blood was seeping out, but I couldn't stop now.
[W-Wait!]
Esther's voice sounded desperate.
Without caring, I pulled the trigger again.
Bang─!!!
[It hurts, it hurts...!]
Her presence grew even weaker.
Esther's power was now roughly at a fifth-grade level.
If I repeated the same process a few more times, I could completely annihilate her.
"Gah...!"
My head was spinning.
No matter how durable my body was, getting shot repeatedly like this wouldn't leave me unscathed.
[I-I'll leave... I'll leave...]
Had she finally realized she couldn't endure anymore?
I could feel part of Esther's presence trying to escape my body.
Without a moment's hesitation, I turned the gun toward the emerging ether and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
[Kyaaaaaah!!!]
With that, the piece of Esther that had left my body dispersed and was absorbed into the surrounding ether.
[Delicious. Delicious. Delicious. Delicious. Delicious. Delicious. Delicious. Delicious. Delicious. Delicious. Delicious. Delicious.]
[You... You're mine now.]
[More. More. More. More. More. More. More. More. More. More. More.]
Once the supreme predator of the ether realm, the Grade-1 specter known as the One Who Dwells, Esther, had now fallen to the point where nameless ether fragments were gnawing away at her remnants.
Like a lion's corpse left on the plains, being torn apart by a pack of hyenas.
[Wait, listen to me! Just listen to me, okay? You can do that much, right?!]
Esther, seemingly convinced that neither resistance nor escape was possible, began to attempt negotiation.
But there was no way I would respond to that.
Bang!
The trigger was pulled once again, and Esther's ether scattered.
[Guh, guh... urgh...]
Of course, I was also at my limit.
If I kept recklessly pulling the trigger, it wouldn't have been strange if I passed out.
And if I really fainted here, I might end up losing Esther, even after nearly subduing her.
[I know what you want! Yeah, I know!]
The trigger, which had been pulled endlessly, paused for a moment.
Naturally, it wasn't because of what Esther said, but simply because I was reaching my limit.
[Yeah, let's... talk. Talk it out...]
I figured ignoring her would only make her think of a way to escape, so I pretended to negotiate.
"What are you talking about?"
[Carl Marcus... I know... your goal. Yeah, I know...]
"What of it?"
My goal was simple.
To clear The Defense.
To protect Ark to that end.
There was no way to turn that kind of goal into a bargaining chip.
"You saw some of my memories, huh? Did you really think that would be enough to negotiate with me?"
My goal and the existence of the Shadow Order were inherently contradictory.
Of course, depending on how I used it, the Shadow Order could indeed benefit Ark.
But that kind of uncontrollable power is nothing but a threat.
That's precisely why I was trying to eliminate the Possessor, Esther.
[Don't bluff... I know how much you care for your people and how much you're searching for... I know it...]
Only then did I realize that I had been misunderstanding something.
The memories Esther had read were not mine.
They were Carl Marcus's memories.
In other words, the goal she was talking about was Carl Marcus's goal.
'Carl Marcus's goal?'
Did he even have one?
I hadn't given it much thought.
I only knew a very limited amount about Carl Marcus's past and background.
'Hmm.'
I didn't know whether Esther's words were the truth or just a trick to distract me.
It could be a blatant lie just to throw me off, or she might genuinely think it's a valid bargaining chip.
'Well, it doesn't matter to me.'
Whatever Karl Marcus's past was, it wasn't important to me right now.
After taking a brief moment to catch my breath, I once again pointed the muzzle at her.
[W-Wait─]
There was no need to wait.
The trigger was pulled once more.
Bang!!!
[Aaaaah!! It hurts, it hurts! I said it hurts! How many times do I have to tell you?!]
Anger is one of the strongest forces to amplify ether.
As proof of that, the ether around me started to surge violently.
Woooooooom──
'And yet...'
Just as I was about to pull the trigger again, a terrified young girl suddenly appeared before me.
'...A little girl?'
She had no reason to be here—a completely unexpected appearance.
But I already knew what this was.
'An illusion.'
However, it wasn't just any illusion.
I was familiar with this figure.
'Esther.'
There was no need to be swayed by appearances.
For spectral monsters that lack physical forms, their appearance is meaningless.
The reason Esther typically took the form of a young girl was purely because it was more effective for deceiving others.
'Cheap trick.'
Esther's power had diminished to the point where it was incomparable to before.
By monster standards, she had fallen to the level of a seventh-grade specter.
A few more trigger pulls, and she would be completely annihilated.
I aimed the gun once more.
The moment I was about to end it all—
[Please, spare me... Please don't kill me... I... I don't want to die. I don't want to disappear. I don't want to, I don't want to...]
The girl—Esther—begged for her life.
Even I wasn't heartless enough to immediately pull the trigger when a young girl looked at me like that and pleaded.
Honestly, I was a bit taken aback.
"...What?"
Who was the person standing in front of me?
The One Who Dwells, Esther.
A Grade-1 specter monster who, throughout The Defense, operated as a member of the Shadow Order, both inside and outside Ark.
Sometimes as a guide for players, other times as the most annoying obstacle.
And yet, here she was, groveling for her life in front of me?
Even for me, who had encountered and tried to destroy Esther only a handful of times, this sight was unfamiliar and strange.
'...I see. That's how it is.'
Like most specter-type monsters, Grade-1 specters are practically immortal.
Even if they're technically dead, the very concept of death becomes something terrifying when it actually looms over them.
However, just because that's the case doesn't mean I have any obligation to listen to Esther.
If I annihilate her here, it's over.
That's the reality now.
Click.
The muzzle aimed at her again.
[W-Wait! You—no, sir! I-I'll do anything! Anything you want! Just please...]
The gun stopped.
I never thought Esther would go this far.
"...Anything?"
That changes the story.
[Yes! Yes! Anything you want! Just please...]
Hmm.
Whether it was deception or sincerity didn't matter.
Either way, I knew a way to forcibly make her keep her word.
"In that case..."
As I continued speaking, Esther's expression gradually turned into one of sheer horror.