Chapter 105: The Carnela Port Recapture Operation (12)
When the Imperial Army took control of the outermost wall, turmoil also erupted within the inner walls. The reason behind the commotion was the infiltration of a group of Imperial soldiers who had managed to arrive there.
“It was so narrow… Damn it, they should have dug a wider hole. That’s the only thing they’re good for.”
“All you can do is complain, you bastard. Come on, show some violence. That’s the only thing you’re good for… Ah, he’s not even here anymore.”
The infiltrators were the demon unit of Karelvo. One of its members, an earthworm demon, had secretly approached by digging holes underground and opened a route between the fourth and third outer walls.
Through the hole created by the earthworm demon, the demons flooded into the third outer wall. Instead of cheers, the atmosphere was filled with the savage roars of beasts. The soldiers of the Republic Army, who had been preparing to face human enemies, couldn’t help but be shaken by the savage and primitive intent of these demons… something akin to the killing instinct of predators.
The climbing demons unleashed their ferocious nature and launched their attacks. With swords, spears, axes, iron hammers, fangs, claws, thorns, and tails, they indiscriminately slaughtered the nearby enemies. The instinctual fear of being attacked by a ferocious pack of beasts was enough to further terrify the Republic soldiers.
However, the soldiers of the Republic Army did not just stand there and let themselves get killed without any resistance. Driven by the desperate desire to escape the clutches of fear, they opened fire with their guns. The unleashed bullets pierced the bodies of the demons, inflicting wounds upon them. Blood sprayed in the air, occasionally hitting vital spots such as the head or heart which caused instant death. The soldiers felt relieved after the realization that these demons, too, could be killed.
“Gahhh… Grrrrrr! Die!”
“Guh… Gyahahaha! Kill them!”
However, their relief was quickly shattered by a different source of terror. The wounds inflicted on the demons by the bullets healed at a visible speed which allowed them to continue their rampage without stopping.
There was a reason why the demons became unstoppable once they started rampaging. It was the result of Karelvo tampering with Orvo’s spiritual arts, making the created demons even more sinister.
When Orvo synthesized demons, his focus was on ensuring that the creatures retained the full strength of their original biological material. In other words, they would remain intelligent beings with human-like reasoning, fully capable of utilizing the abilities of the synthesized creature. In a way, he sought to create a new race that surpassed humanity.
On the other hand, Karelvo prioritized meeting the demands of the Emperor, his sponsor. This meant quickly turning individuals deemed unproductive to the Empire—such as criminals, residents of impoverished areas, and orphans—into a readily available fighting force.
That being said, it wasn’t like that among the criminals, there was none who possessed advanced combat training. However, the majority were amateurs in war, knowing little more than brawling among themselves or bullying those weaker than them. Warriors like Tigar were rare to come by.
Even Karelvo understood that simply synthesizing these kinds of people with Orvo’s spiritual arts would only increase their strength, but won’t turn them into powerhouses. Concerns voiced by figures like Marcellus and the Chief of Staff were also within his expectations. It seemed unlikely that they would become the immediate combat force desired by the Emperor.
That’s when he came up with the idea of enhancing the instinct for aggression and cruelty during the process of demon synthesis. By incorporating these modifications into the formula, the description that allowed a balance between human and demon forms, granting two different manifestations, was removed. Karelvo deemed this unnecessary, and, it hadn’t posed any problems so far.
Thus, the Karelvo-style demons came into existence—ferocious beings who transformed into berserk warriors and would not cease their rampage until either Karelvo himself or those with the authority to give orders intervened. Perhaps due to their heightened instinct for aggression, they instinctively acquired the ability to use fighting spirit and spiritual power, which they couldn’t wield prior to becoming demons. Furthermore, their healing abilities had inexplicably improved.
Though they had some personality issues, they were reasonably strong, combative, unafraid in any situation, and easily replaceable in the event of death. These were the demons crafted by Karelvo—a perfect fulfillment of the Emperor’s demands. That was why he continued to receive such favor and recognition.
The Republic Army was unaware of the circumstances surrounding these demons. However, Karelvo’s demons had succeeded in instilling a strong sense of fear within them.
Their appearance, resembling a fusion of beast and human, was utterly bizarre, and so was their excessively savage nature. Moreover, their abnormality lay in the fact that they would not stop unless it resulted in killing, no matter how much they were wounded. The fear instilled by these factors was enough to rob their enemies of rational judgment.
“Gyaaahh!?”
“Gogaaahh!?”
However, due to their reliance on physical abilities in combat, they were terribly weak against opponents with greater strength or superior skill. Without any strategy in their moves, two demons who mindlessly attacked a white-armored soldier fell victim to a swift demise.
Nevertheless, even if their comrades were slain, it did not instill fear in the demons who had become increasingly cruel. Another nearby demon mindlessly lunged forward, only to be mercilessly struck down by a white-armored soldier.
“You useless fools! Just die, you idiots!”
Next in line to assault the white-armored soldier was the strongest among Karelvo’s demon unit—the crocodile demon who possessed an incredibly resilient body. With brute force, he swung his tail before repeatedly slashing down with the swords held in both hands.
If an ordinary soldier of the Republic Army were to face him, they would be easily slain. However, the white-armored soldier effortlessly endured his relentless attacks. The crocodile demon, realizing that he was greatly inferior in skill, continued swinging his sword as if it didn’t matter.
However, closing the skill gap with sheer determination was an impossible task. His sword was easily deflected, and in turn, the sword wielded by the white-armored soldier deeply slashed his chest.
“Nugaah… hahaha! There’s no way such an attack could work!”
For a human, it would have been a fatal blow or at the very least a grievous injury. Yet, the crocodile demon continues his rampage as if he felt nothing. Regardless of being cut or pierced, regardless of being at a disadvantage, he fought on without his fighting spirit waning. He embodied the very essence of what Karelvo aimed for in his demons.
The white-armored soldier seemed cautious of the crocodile demon, who continued moving despite receiving what should have been a mortal wound. With a powerful force, he evaded the sword that was swung down at him. In the meantime, the demon’s regenerative abilities healed his injuries. Having escaped instant death through his tough skin and strong muscles, he had returned to a state where he could continue the fight.
Having witnessed the astonishing regenerative abilities of this demon he was fighting with, the white-armored soldier realized that he had to stop him at all costs. He stepped forward with the clear intention of ending his life once and for all.
“■■■”
“Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
The white-armored soldier ruthlessly sought to kill the crocodile demon, but surprisingly, the demon managed to hold on. While being sliced and slashed by the white-armored soldier’s blade, he firmly protected his vital spots. And then, as if launching a counterattack, he attempted to bite with his large mouth.
It was a primitive and savage bite, but for the crocodile demon, it was one of his most powerful attacks. Sensing the danger, the white-armored soldier distanced himself once again. The snapping jaws closed in vain, and the crocodile demon let out a frustrated growl.
“Don’t dodge it!”
“…It’s only natural to dodge. Is your dumb brain melting away or something?”
The one mocking the enraged crocodile demon was the leech demon who steadily took down the ordinary armored soldiers. Even now, he wormed his way through the gaps in their armor, using his mouth-like organ in his palm to suck their bodily fluids and kill them.
The leech demon, maintaining a level of composure unlike the other demons, grinned with a twisted face as he discarded the withered corpses of his fallen enemies. He was aware that with each sip of their bodily fluids, his own physical abilities increased little by little.
“To seek revenge against that guy, I need more power. The more, the better. I won’t be able to kill him unless I become stronger. You guys will become my sustenance.”
The leech demon’s goal was to exact revenge on the Hades scorpion demon. However, he understood that it would be a difficult matter to accomplish as things stood. That’s why he was trying to make use of his own constitution to become stronger.
However, in order to suck their bodily fluids, he needed to touch the enemy with his palm. That’s why he resorted to the merciless tactic of using other demons as shields while closing in. He had already taken down more than twenty ordinary armored soldiers, but in the process, almost an equal number of demons had been sacrificed as shields.
If they weren’t all demons, his allies would have condemned his actions. However, conveniently for him, the bloodthirsty demons had tunnel vision, seeing only what was in front of them. Not a single person had noticed that he was engaging in despicable tactics.
“””Oooooooooh!”””
Meanwhile, as the fourth outer wall was being breached, enemies sought refuge in the third outer wall where the demons were fighting. The Imperial Army, chasing after them, poured in like an avalanche, and the third outer wall descended into a chaotic melee. Overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the Imperial Army, the third outer wall fell just like the fourth outer wall had.
With this momentum,can we reclaim Carnela Port? Such thoughts began to circulate among the Imperial Army soldiers. It was hard to find anyone who hadn’t let their guard down, given the situation that seemed to be leading toward victory. And the cost of that complacency was significant.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Republic Army bombarded the still ongoing battle on the third outer wall from the first and second outer walls. The ruthless attack of sacrificing their own allies proved effective and inflicted significant damage on the Imperial forces who were engaged in combat.
Yet, the bombardment didn’t cease. Relentlessly attacked by the Republic Army, the third outer wall collapsed along with the invading Imperial forces. The Imperial Army, faced with unexpected losses, sounded the retreat drums. Thus, the first day of the battle for the recapture of Carnela port ended in a stalemate, marked by significant losses on both sides.
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