Gacha Kingdom Building-Chapter 309: Packet Loss (02)

--This Chapter is written using Ellie's POV--

The windows we had spotted from outside Ceres' building were nowhere to be found inside. Just like the walls, they had been covered by innumerable television screens.

These screens were the only source of light in the building, as every lightbulb had been destroyed. When not turned off and pitch black, the screens' unnatural light would flicker through powerful, bright colors that hurt our eyes and made us nauseous.

Even when only showing white, they'd still drown the light of most magic other than fire and lightning, hiding the magic better than the mages casting it.

If that weren't annoying enough, the image on the screens would sometimes change to Anna, Bea, and me, exposing our positions to the AOTG. It'd take me only a second to pinpoint and destroy the cameras filming us, but by then, it was too late.

Every few steps forward, we had to reposition back or face a barrage of gunshots and magic while being charged at by the AOTG soldiers.

It was impossible to destroy all screens. There were too many of them, and our time was limited by how much Miwen and the girls could afford to keep reinforcements far from us.

Since the screens were the fancy type, like the one in the penthouse, we couldn't exactly tell where one screen started and the other ended. Unless their images were different, they'd form a continuous, gigantic background.

If the people in Miwen's world were more used to their Gifts, or even basic magic, the advantage created by the screens would be so high, we'd have no choice but to retreat and come back better prepared.

But thankfully, that wasn't the case.

I noticed that people in this world often looked at their own hands just moments before their magic would appear, almost as if they were unsure whether it would work.

It was an odd habit, but given that magic was a concept introduced to them only twenty years ago, I could understand the lack of trust in it.

Bea and I, despite not being as confident as Claire and Elizabeth, would never do such a thing, though. We came from a world where magic had always been the norm. We trusted our abilities so much that we wouldn't check them unless they had already failed.

The small delay created by micro-actions like this evened the odds for us.

As an elf, my sensitivity to magic was higher than that of an average human. That was true in my world, and it was even more true on Earth.

I was only an amateur with magic at best, though. A witch like Beatrice was miles above. While I was one or two steps ahead of the AOTG mages, she was one or two laps ahead.

Together, we would shoot the mages about to materialize their magic, while Anna blocked the way of the men charging against us.

After so many Dungeon Raids and an entire war fought together, we had enough coordination to defeat a dozen enemies in the blink of an eye.

Unfortunately, the "army" part in the "Army Of The Gifted" wasn't just for show. A dozen enemies would fall, a dozen more would take their place.

They flooded the first floor, and unlike monsters, they took positions and coordinated their attacks the best they could.

They didn't hold a candle to the discipline and tactics the Hamperlon army showed, but at the same time...

I had conflicted feelings about killing them.

Some of them truly believed the cause they were fighting for, like the soldiers of Hamperlon. But some were tricked or forced into joining.

To me, these were victims. They weren't different from a hostage, doing what they could to preserve their life, even if they didn't believe in it.

With so many men guarding this building, I couldn't lie to myself and pretend we hadn't drenched our hands with the blood of the AOTG victims.

Before being summoned by Miwen, I only had a few run-ins as an adventurer and an elf living outside the forest. These run-ins didn't end up with me killing someone else, either.

I wasn't unwilling or even resentful. I had grown so used to fighting other people that it scared me a little.

But still... The war in Hamperlon was easier. I didn't see as much doubt and fear in the eyes of the Hamperlon soldiers.

It felt more fair, and my resolve didn't waver as much.

I had to bottle these feelings, though.

This was a war, and if given the chance, the AOTG men wouldn't spare us. Both sides were risking their lives when trying to preserve it, so from the beginning, that was all there was to it.

The screens and their numbers tired us, but Bea and I could catch our breath from time to time thanks to Anna, and whenever she needed it, we'd return the favor with cover fire.

Like this, we cleared the first floor, only getting a few hits from their firearms.

Despite not dealing much damage, they were almost as fast as my bow, so I had to concentrate to outshoot their gunners. Their special bullets were also a bit of a problem since they gave us an immense list of debuffs.

It didn't seem like there were any serious ones, but every time we'd get hit by the same debuff, the duration would increase, and so would their power. Even something small like [Decreased Luck] could become big if it hit us enough, and with the constant fighting, it became impossible to check the list every time a new debuff was added.

It was just another annoyance to add to the list, and yet, it wasn't even the biggest one we faced.

Of all things, what troubled us the most was the building itself. Each of its five floors had high ceilings, so while the building was tall, it only had five floors. The problem was that each floor was immensely wide.

It was a chore for just three people to clear it, and since the doors had also been replaced by monitors, quite a few rooms had been hidden behind closed doors... Or closed monitors, in this case?

Either way, with so many stairs leading up and down the floors, it was almost impossible not to be surrounded, and we had to advance very carefully, making sure we had a retreat path.

It took us more energy and time to clear the first floor than expected, but at least, with the stairs being so wide, we had an easier time pushing the enemy back and securing a foothold on the second floor than I'd imagined.

Unfortunately, my relief didn't last long. As soon as we stepped foot on the second floor, the images on the screens changed. They all showed the same thing: A white-haired woman with two thick, segmented braids falling over her chest, and a third trailing down her back. She wore a white lab coat and a thick pair of round glasses. She looked similar to Agatha, but unlike her, something about the woman made us feel uneasy.

While the image stayed on the screens, her eyes accompanied our every movement, with immense precision and apathy that even her glasses couldn't hide.

It wasn't like she was measuring us, either. That would mean intent, which she had none of.

It felt more like a habit to her. Something she did without even meaning to, simply because we were caught in her sight.

Ceres: "I'm impressed..."

Every screen repeated her words, forcing the entire building to echo her.

Despite this, the tone in her voice was soft, almost as if talking was too bothersome for her and she didn't care whether or not she was being heard.

Considering how untrue her first words were, it wasn't hard to imagine she truly didn't care about them. Or about us, for that matter.

Ceres: "...Lay down your weapons and surrender. I don't want to waste more resources than necessary."

While we had a lot of information on the AOTG, I wasn't sure how much information they had on us.

But it couldn't be much if she thought there was even a chance we would comply.

Even if I had mixed feelings about it, I would never doubt Miwen. Which meant I'd never betray his expectations, either.

The same was true for the others.

If Miwen told us to fight, we would fight.

No matter what, we believed in him.

So, we paid little attention to Ceres and continued forward, fighting off a small group and taking cover behind a pillar in the center of the office.

The second floor was easier to fight in than the first since it had more desks and computers to provide cover. I didn't like seeing Ceres' image mocking us on their screen, but they at least provided cover, allowing me to change my position before shooting.

The only other floor like this would be the fourth, according to the information the government gave us, so we had to make the best of it while we still could, as the third floor would again leave us exposed more often than not.

Sadly, just like we predicted would happen, a group used the stairs to surround us from behind.

Unlike before, this had essentially cut off our only escape route, the stairs we had used to reach the second floor itself.

Good thing we were ready and, before they could even see our faces, I had already downed three and readied the arrows for the other four.

The man leading the remaining men carried a big, sturdy-looking shield in his arm that blocked my first volley, but it didn't help him much.

All it took was a small amount of [Wind Magic] for me to pierce the shield, his heart, and the hearts of the men behind him.

Ceres: "Hmph..."

She furrowed her eyebrows before disappearing from the screens, and just like before, the images on the screen revealed our position.

This time, before my arrows could reach the camera, the images had already changed again.

News broadcasts. Cartoons. Documentaries, movies, sports matches. Even music videos and narrated readings...

Each monitor showed something entirely different, and since some still showed our image, I was forced to pay attention to find the cameras.

However, paying attention to them for more than a second gave me the strongest headache I had ever felt. Even something like mana-depletion felt mild in comparison.

Bea: "I see... So this is information overload, huh?"

Miwen had explained this to us before. He said that we should avoid using the phone and the TV at the same time, and that the same thing applied to other screens.

At the time, we didn't really understand why and just accepted it as part of his world's culture.

The idea that there was such a thing as "too much information" and that it could be harmful was completely foreign to us.

Bea even thought he was making stuff up to stop her from using his computer and phone to do research.

Ellie: "Ugh..."

It ended up being real and worse than what he said.

So many images. So many overlapping voices. So many sounds, all blasting us from every direction…

I couldn't hear my own thoughts. The assault hurt my ears, and it felt like every other sense of mine was confused by the flashing lights.

I felt the breakfast I had this morning rising up my throat, and I couldn't even think about swallowing, much less find the strength to hold it back.

Even Anna's high defense was useless against this information overload. Facing the ground, she let go of her sword, bringing her hands close to her ears to block them.

I did the same, but even then, it wasn't enough.

The sounds still found a way into my head. The flashing lights continued to reflect on the opaque floor.

There was no escaping.

The only alternative was to destroy the screens, but even though she used all her strength, Anna only managed to destroy two screens with one blow.

This wasn't normal. She should have more than enough strength to bring down the building!

But I couldn't even think about it. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

The only thought in my mind was the fear that, if this continued, we might have been forced to retreat. Either that, or we'd go insane.

Thankfully, unlike Anna and me, Bea kept her composure and saved us before the worst.

Bea touched her lips and then touched Anna's, tracing her lips.

Anna and I were a bit speechless, but then it came my turn. I felt my face heat up before she even raised her fingers, and as she stared into my eyes, I froze, resigning myself to it.

When I opened my eyes again, she was smiling. The distinct feel of her mana surrounded my lips.

Bea had used her [Wind Magic] to block our mouths and ears, while also creating a minuscule airway connecting the three of us.

That way, we could still speak with each other.

Beatrice: "So these screens are a part of her Gift, huh..."

Anna: "Ugh... Yeah, seems so..."

We had been told that Ceres' Gift controlled digital appliances, but there wasn't any data on how she fought.

We kept our guard up, but nothing could have prepared us for this.

Even after Bea stopped the assault on our senses, Anna still had her hand near her forehead. It didn't look like she was doing too well, but when I asked her about it, she just brushed it off, saying she only needed a few minutes to recover.

As for Bea...

I thought she had kept her cool, but I couldn't be more wrong.

Despite only having her eyebrows furrowed, she was angrier than I had ever seen.

I wouldn't think much if this were anyone else, but for the always composed Beatrice... It was bad.

Beatrice: "Hah... I've seen witches build workshops more pleasant than this."

It was rare for Bea to talk about her past, especially when it involved other witches.

I couldn't help but feel curious and ask about it.

Bea: "...Which one? Mine."

Ellie: "Hehe... I would love to see it."

Bea: "Oh, dear... Trust me, you wouldn't."

Hmmr...

She was always like this!

It was already rare for her to make a joke, but whenever she did, she'd always commit to that mysterious and evil witch act of hers. It made it super hard to know how much of her jokes were serious or not, and it gave her the perfect excuse to avoid details!

I hated it so much, because it always seemed so interesting!

Since she wasn't acting like herself for a moment, I thought this time would be different, but no. My attempt just returned her to her normal self.

At least she wasn't as angry, which was good. Witch or mage, it didn't matter. Magic required concentration, and concentration required controlling your feelings.

But still, thanks to Bea, we could continue the mission.

The only problem with her solution was that we became deaf to the outside world, and to circumvent that, Bea was forced to spread her mana to sense the enemies approaching from behind.

Meanwhile, she still had to help me intercept magic and fire back against the AOTG.

A lesser mage would've struggled with two simultaneous tasks, and the third would've been too big an ask even for an intermediate one.

Bea hardly seemed bothered.

Yet, no matter how good she was, dividing her attention like this came with a cost.

Just the fact that she had one spell active at all times meant one less spell she could use simultaneously.

Her output also took a hit from the mana spread and the [Wind Magic].

The battles became harder, and we quickly realized it'd be hard to keep going like this.

I offered to take charge of the [Wind Magic] solution, but Bea said it was harder than it looked and that I'd end up wasting too much of my mana with airways a little too big.

Instead of relying on me, she decided to use a couple of monster cores she was carrying to create two stone golems.

The first golem stood guard, watching our backs. Its arms could change shape, mimicking blades or blunt weapons.

The second one was like a mini-mage. He could launch a dozen rocks from his arms, and with his help, we reclaimed the advantage in firefights.

As expected of the witch responsible for Raella's body! Bea's golem-making skills had even impressed Elizabeth!

Anna: "...But why these faces?"

Beatrice: "Aren't they cute?"

For some reason, the golems she made had silly, round faces.

Yet, somehow, the first one resembled Miwen a bit, and the second... It almost looked like Ceres, with round markings on its face that closely resembled her glasses.

Cute... I guess?

Maybe her definition was a bit skewed, but we couldn't complain too much since it was thanks to their power that we cleared the second floor.