The Genius of Cloning in the Academy City-Chapter 133: Violet in the Snow! (3)

Our Violet Search Squad was currently heading towards the mountain. It was the place where the missing person was last seen.

In the deep areas of the Pastera Snowfield, there was Stigma Mountain. A rugged place with twisted trees and ice scattered around.

To reach this place, one must first pass through a narrow passage between the canyons. The cliffs on both sides weren’t extremely steep. There were trees, but they were sparse, so there was no obstruction to our sight.

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The problem, however, was the number of monsters, which was several times greater than the boundary zone!

After fending off an attack from a pack of monsters riding other monsters, we entered the canyon passage, only for another swarm of monsters to swarm around us, like flies around food waste.

"Kwaong!"

"Die!"

Violet 27 from the 4th vehicle smashed the head of an Ice Skulkit. Even while riding the snow bike at high speed, she used her magical powers to count the number of monsters charging at us.

There were three coming straight at me.

"Eat this!"

-Bang! Bang!

The marksman Violet in the back seat sprayed automatic shotgun fire. The Ice Skulkit turned into a rag and disappeared into the rear.

The first and second vehicles sprayed machine gunfire wildly, with the sound of bolts cracking above us without pause.

"Crazy! How are there so many? We keep killing them, but they never stop!"

"If you have time, shoot some magic!"

Lucian from the 10th vehicle yelled and unleashed his magic. Blue flame spears flew through the air.

An unnamed monster resembling a deer leapt towards us, only to explode midair. As Lucian’s breathing grew heavy, the driver Violet handed him a magical energy supplement from her inventory.

"Hah... die, you bastard! What is this?"

"Drink quickly! We can’t afford to lose fire support. Replenish the ammo!"

"Ammunition? What am I, a cannon?"

Oh no, I accidentally voiced my inner thoughts out loud. My back was tingling.

From the 9 o’clock position of the escort team, a new swarm of monsters rushed towards us, and Lucian hastily drank the magical supplement.

A massive fireball flew through the air. The blue flames consumed the monsters. They were strange, bull-like beasts.

Cheers erupted among the Violets.

"This is fun! Let’s burn them all!"

As Lucian—no, the human magic launcher of the Violet Search Squad—continued unleashing destructive magic, the escort team entered the middle of the canyon. ȑ𝔞ΝɵβĘŠ

Various monsters vanished, only to be replaced by new enemies blocking our way. Irene, who had been riding ahead on a bike, shouted.

"Violet! Tell everyone! A pack of Atakwan monsters ahead! Yeti-like creatures!"

Human-like monsters with white and blue fur began to appear one by one around the canyon.

These were the Atakwan, the tyrants of the Pastera Snowfield!

Irene, sensing the danger, activated her unique ability once again. Golden magical energy spread like a wave.

Twisted humanoid creatures glared at the escort team with their four eyeballs. They seemed angry, as they screamed so loudly that it felt like the canyon itself was shaking.

-Kaoook! Kaoook!

The enraged monsters stomped their feet and charged toward the escort team.

"They’re coming! They’re fast!"

Their speed matched that of the vehicles. One Atakwan, who had gotten close, swung its fist. Vehicle 12 narrowly avoided it in panic. Violet from vehicle 2 quickly fired her machine gun to provide covering fire.

-Kaoo!

"Thank you!"

At that moment, bullets and bolts rained down, sweeping the surroundings. The Atakwans, with holes in their bodies, collapsed onto the snowy ground, bleeding.

"Still, bullets work!"

Violet from vehicle 1 shouted as she threw a spent shell casing. The shell casings from the machine guns fell to the floor. The snowmobile floor was littered with yellow shell casings and black ammo belt pieces.

I was grateful that their defense wasn’t too strong. Though their strength varied, these monsters weren’t exceptionally powerful.

"Be careful. They’re mid-tier monsters. Don’t let your guard down!"

Daphne warned as she hurriedly raised her staff. Something huge came flying toward vehicle 1 from one side of the canyon. It was an ice spear imbued with magical energy.

The spear exploded upon hitting a pale green protective shield. Damn, these monsters had started launching ranged attacks!

"Ughhh!"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah!"

I focused on our escape. It was a very tricky situation. While monsters on one side were throwing ice and snow hardened with magic, others were charging at us furiously, using suppressive fire as cover.

The narrowly-missed chunks of ice hit the ground with a thud, exploding. The shockwave was comparable to that of artillery shells.

This was why the Atakwan were classified as mid-tier monsters. Intelligent enough to launch magical attacks... how is that even possible?

"Headquarters! Requesting support!"

The battle intensified. The escort team stepped on the accelerator, but the monsters continued to follow us.

Atakwan continued to pop up around the canyon, joining the pursuit.

Realizing we couldn’t continue like this, the commander of the 10th vehicle gave new orders.

"1st Air Squadron! Commence close air support!"

"Understood!"

"Roger! Roger!"

Finally, the 1st Air Squadron, who had been mostly observing except for reconnaissance, joined the fight.

「Show those monsters what we’re made of!」

The powered hang gliders lowered their altitude. As we approached, the creatures, alerted by the engine noise, turned to look at us.

The cost of carelessness was fatal.

“Fire! Fire! Kill them all!”

-Kawowrk!

Yellow tracer rounds rained down like a storm. Grenades exploded, tearing apart the creatures’ bodies.

The beasts, unfamiliar with the concept of an air raid, panicked, shielding their heads and scattering in all directions. I sneered at their disarray.

“Haha! Serves you right!”

Levi let out a short cry of amazement.

“Kyaah! Look over there! They’re rolling around like garbage!”

Levi and Violet, the gunner in Vehicle 1, giggled as they watched the chaos.

Taking advantage of their faltering pursuit, we quickly raced to the end of the canyon. Realizing they’d been outmaneuvered, the Atakwan beasts growled and resumed their chase.

It seemed like we could finally shake off the pursuit.

Suddenly, an unexpected counterattack struck. An enraged Atakwan pointed skyward, prompting its comrades to hurl chunks of magical ice into the air.

To think they could come up with anti-aircraft fire so quickly!

-Kwajijik!

「Aargh! It’s freezing!」

Violet No. 537 screamed.

A VA-5 unit providing close fire support was caught in the counterattack. One of the ice projectiles exploded right next to it.

Half of No. 537’s body was frozen solid. The fabric of the hang glider’s wings froze and shattered. Losing lift, the glider plummeted.

“Gah! We’re crashing!”

The spinning glider fell like Icarus, powerless as it drew close to the sun. In the distance, a sharp crunch echoed.

The machine gunner in Vehicle 1 saw the crash site. Amidst the beasts, snow, and debris scattered into the air.

The hang glider was utterly destroyed!

「Aaah! Our plane!」

The pilot of the VA-5 unit, a Violet, wailed in shock and rage over the network. It felt worse than death.

“What...? Hey! The others fell! Shouldn’t we rescue them?”

“It’s fine! You know that, right?”

Kalia, from Vehicle 7, pointed her sword toward the crash site. Her green eyes were full of concern. I hastily reassured her that it was okay.

Though it wasn’t okay at all.

We had been careless. This was our first downed aircraft. My pride was wounded.

For mere beasts to disrupt our sacred flight—an offense that would anger even the Wright brothers! We had to teach them a lesson. The sky belonged to Violet and Violet alone!

「We lost a plane! We need revenge!」

The network buzzed with heated outrage. The Violet pilots of the 1st Air Squadron, furious over the loss of a precious aircraft, seemed ready to charge in at any moment.

The command center resolved to retaliate.

「Message from battalion command to the 1st Air Squadron. Ascend altitude and begin bombing!」

The hang glider formation climbed higher, evading anti-air fire.

Circling once in formation, they passed over the beasts’ heads, indiscriminately dropping makeshift bombs and incendiary devices. They didn’t forget to spray gasoline as well.

-Kwakwang!

“Kawwooo! Kaawwrk!”

The ground erupted into a sea of flames. Atakwans, doused in Violet’s special incendiary mixture, writhed in agony.

Some of the beasts tried to escape through the flames. One particularly large creature led a group in a desperate attempt to flee.

「Escape? How dare you!」

「Battalion command authorizes the use of guided bombs!」

I ascended higher. The VA-1 unit soared above the dungeon. A guided bomb was deployed and began its descent. The target: the heart of the barbaric yetis’ group!

「Yeehaw! Here I go!」

The honor of deploying the guided bomb in its first live mission went to Violet No. 12.

The lucky winner of this deadly lottery dove with the bomb in hand. An Atakwan leading its kin turned to face us.

For a brief moment, I saw the emotions in the beast’s four eyes. Was it despair or fear?

It didn’t matter. Beasts deserved only violence and death!

「It’s gonna blow!」

-Kwaaang!

The makeshift explosives strapped to the bomb were highly effective. The blast shattered the Atakwan group into pieces.

“V-Violet. Is that...?”

Levi stared at me with wide eyes like saucers. From atop the snow tank, she had witnessed the entire spectacle. With his sharp eyesight, she must have seen everything.

I quickly glanced at Daphne. Thankfully, she was busy talking to another Violet on the radio, discussing matters with the rest of the team.

The others simply assumed it was a standard bombing run. As long as I silenced Levi, all would be fine.

I decided to make something up on the spot.

“Ah, that... is our Violet’s new weapon!”

I tried to cover it up, but I was worried. What should I do? If I scream, things will get complicated.

Levi blinked a few times and then showed an unexpected reaction.

“I see... it’s amazing!”

“Eh... huh? Don’t you think it’s strange?”

“Strange? I don’t know about that. I’m just... scared. I could never come up with something like that!”

For some reason, Levi was genuinely impressed.

“Throwing yourself into it... and taking out all the beasts like that! Violet is really brave. I could never do it. That’s amazing! Incredible!"

After a moment, Levi shouted excitedly. Hearing the praise made me feel good. I had someone who recognized my creativity!

I asked her to keep it a secret. Levi nodded enthusiastically, her face filled with excitement.

While keeping the secret, we safely passed through the canyon and climbed up the mountain.

The convoy stopped at a flat spot halfway up the mountain. Fortunately, it seemed that the beasts were all concentrated in the canyon. There were relatively few beasts in this area.

After covering the vehicles with camouflage and snow to hide them, we began our official reconnaissance.

“Company HQ reporting. Two companies beginning deployment!”

Violets, dressed in white winter combat uniforms, scattered in all directions.

“High mountains, deep valleys~ silent dungeon!”

“Violet walks across the snow-covered plains!”

While 100 search company members roamed the ridge looking for traces of humans, hang gliders in the sky searched for human tracks.

“Come out! Alex! Yuri! Lucy!”

“Kage! Laila! Where are you? Your parents sent me, so come out quickly!”

-Tatatang!

As we continued brief skirmishes with the smaller beasts, the other Violets took out shovels and tools. While the role of the 1st company was to search, the role of the 2nd company was to establish a base camp.

We set up camp around the vehicle. This was a dangerous area in the heart of enemy territory, known for the abnormal phenomenon of freezing storms. Setting up a simple tent was risky.

We piled snow and built walls like an igloo. Reinforced barbed wire made from synthetic composite wire was laid around the area. Explosives connected to electric wires were installed on predicted attack routes.

From the sky, it looked crude, but a fairly sturdy defensive base had been established. With this, we should be able to buy time to get the team members out, even in the worst-case scenario.

Unfortunately, after hours of searching, we came up empty. These guys didn’t leave a trace. After discussing, we decided to search deeper tomorrow.

“So, you want me to set up some magic traps?”

“Yeah! Please!”

“This is just my fate...”

Lucian, who had switched from a human magic launcher to human magic engineering equipment, grumbled while setting up various magical traps and reinforcing the snow barrier.

After having a warm dinner brought in through the inventory, the meeting ended, and before we knew it, night had fallen. While the Violet sentries stood guard, the team members went to bed.

“Over there’s the girls’ tent, here’s the boys’ tent. Got it? Don’t mix them up!”

As Lucian and Granite went into the boys’ tent, I followed the four cute girls toward the girls’ tent.

Inside, several beds had been set up to block the cold rising from the floor. The space was large and sturdy enough to fit several people at once.

By midnight, it had gotten much colder than before.

“Ah... it’s cold, even with the heater...”

“Yeah, it really is. Should we set up some magic to warm it up?”

“C-cold... ugh...”

The weather in the dungeon was extremely cold. Despite all the precautions, this was the result.

We were all awakened, yet we were still shivering.

Suddenly, I came up with a good idea to overcome the cold.

“Hey, everyone! I’ve got a great idea!”

“...?”

“How about sleeping while hugging me?”

Everyone gave me a strange look.

“No, suddenly asking that is a bit...”

“Come on, listen!”

I did my best to persuade my friends.

First of all, Violet is warm. And there are so many of them. So if we squeeze a few Violets into the bed, it’ll be really warm. This is similar to how penguins survive the cold.

“And friends usually sleep like this. Let’s think of it as a pajama party!”

While everyone hesitated, Daphne stepped forward first.

“Hm... it’s because Violet is cold, right? Well, I guess we have no choice...”

“Alright! Everyone, come in!”

“Wow~”

“No, this is too many! Ah!”

The off-duty Violets slowly began to enter the tent, surrounding the girls.

“It’s warm!”

“I’ll hug you!”

“Hey! Hey! What’s going on all of a sudden!”

“You, really...”

“V-Violet? Heheh?”

The girls inside the tent were soon surrounded by Violets.

“How is it, isn’t it warm?”

Irene sighed, as if giving up.

“Yeah, it’s warm...”

“Wow! It’s really working. What about Kalia?”

“Ah! Fine, fine... you’re right. It’s warm. I surrender! I surrender!”

One by one, the girls gave up. Soon, the tent was full of girls lying between the Violets, surrounded by Violets.

After the commotion settled, the girls gradually fell asleep comfortably in the Violet blankets. We were warm.

Soon, sleep began to overtake us too.

Sleeping among these cute girls... I think it’s lucky to have been possessed by them.

“It’s warm...”

The next day, after breakfast, while continuing the search, we finally discovered a trace that could lead to a breakthrough in the investigation.

“We found it!”

“Footprints!”