Chapter 113: The Carnela Port Recapture Operation (20)
As we watched the self-propelled artillery start moving, we held onto a strange conviction, a mix of hope that they wouldn’t fire and a curious certainty that if it were the Republic Army, they would undoubtedly shoot. And our conviction proved to be true. The barrels of dozens of self-propelled artilleries turned towards us…. towards us, who were still locked in battle with the armored soldiers.
Hey, hey, is it really okay to shoot now? You realize you’ll be hitting your own allies too, right? I pondered inwardly, questioning the decision. However, knowing that Asumi had been attacked as well, I was convinced that they would indeed shoot.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As expected, the self-propelled artillery began their barrage without any concern for their own comrades. I had anticipated their relentless attack and had already prepared myself. Channeling my spiritual power, I created a thick, densely packed wall of sand to shield myself and my comrades.
However, the collective firepower was immense, and the sand wall hardly retained its original form. Dispersed sand particles filled the air, causing almost everyone, except for myself, to writhe in agony with sand invading their eyes and mouths. Even the armored soldiers, whose faces were protected by masks, seemed to struggle as sand found its way into the gaps of their weapons and armor.
“Pe, pe, Damn it! What the hell are we supposed to do? Take on those things?”
“There are only a few who can destroy those self-propelled artilleries. It’s impossible to engage them directly.”
Just like Zald had pointed out, there weren’t many individuals within the Demon Squad who possessed the attacking power to destroy one of those self-propelled artillery (war chariots). It would likely be limited to me, Tigar, Gora, and perhaps Tuhru. While others might have been able to if they had superior weapons, since they didn’t have them, there was nothing they could do.
So, what should we do? If we were to retreat northward, we would lead the self-propelled artillery toward the hole that connects to the underground passage guarded by Decius and the others. That option was out of the question; we had to avoid it at all costs.
Should we stand our ground here, then? No, that wouldn’t work either. If we wanted to defeat these enemies, I couldn’t keep playing the role of protector indefinitely. And if I ceased protecting, more than half of the demons would undoubtedly perish before achieving victory. It didn’t matter how many others would die, but the death of my comrades was a sorrowful thought. I wanted to minimize that probability as much as possible.
That’s why launching a suicide attack on the outer wall while ignoring the self-propelled artillery was equally out of the question. It would only lead to a future where all of us, including myself, would be eradicated.
“…”
“You want us to go over there?”
“I see. That’s what you mean.”
After careful consideration, I came to the conclusion that our best course of action was to escape toward the enemy barracks. That area was not only populated by enemy forces but also dense with buildings. With its narrow alleyways, it would be challenging for the self-propelled artillery to pursue us effectively.
Moreover, there was the hole dug by Karelvo’s demons. If they could secure victory in their battle, the bloodthirsty Karelvo demons would undoubtedly sense the presence of a fight near the outer wall and come rushing there. We could then use their presence to engage the enemy at the outer wall, buying us time to hold the artillery off.
I pointed the tip of my white sword toward the barracks. Zald quickly grasped my intention and began guiding the Demon Squad in that direction. However, I didn’t join the flow of movement. It was because I had to immobilize the self-propelled artillery to prevent them from shooting at the backs of my moving comrades.
“…!”
“Everyone! Hurry while you can!”
Once again, I managed to block the simultaneous barrage of the self-propelled artillery by creating a wall of sand. My comrades swiftly rushed toward the barracks as if they were pushed forward by the scattering sand. As I watched them go, the white-armored soldier Tigar had been fighting with swung his great sword and charged at me. Did he think I couldn’t counterattack while focused on my spiritual arts? Don’t underestimate me.
I intercepted the strike with my two swords, simultaneously attempting to slip my tail’s poisonous stinger into the gaps of the white-armored soldier’s armor. However, before I could do so, the white-armored soldier’s great sword emitted a strong electric shock accompanied by a burst of light. It seemed to be a hidden function of the sword.
“Gah!”
Since I was in full contact with my two swords, I too was electrocuted, feeling the electric currents coursing through my entire body. I was accustomed to the pain caused by electric shocks, just like any other pain, thanks to Georg’s initial training. The electric shock was the most unpleasant and challenging attack I had to overcome in Georg’s training.
However, unpleasant things were still unpleasant. I exerted all the strength in my arms, forcefully pushing the white-armored soldier back. Surprisingly, without resisting my push, the soldier retreated.
“…!”
As soon as the soldier stepped back, the self-propelled artillery launched their third simultaneous barrage, this time concentrating solely on me. I didn’t have the luxury to create a sand wall this time, and the bombardment struck my body directly.
The artillery fire from close range possessed devastating power. Despite strengthening my exoskeleton’s durability with my fighting spirit, I was assaulted by tremendous impact and heat. I felt cracks forming in my exoskeleton, but I endured without falling.
Without giving me time to heal those wounds, the white-armored soldier, skilled in wielding the great sword, attacked me. This time, I evaded his strikes by maneuvering my body instead of blocking with my swords, intending to bisect him along with his white armor.
“!?”
However, my swords never made contact with the soldier’s flesh. Just before my blades reached him, the shoulder section of his armor unfolded, generating a repulsive force field that pushed me away. Though I managed to avoid being thrown off balance, I failed to deliver the finishing blow.
The white-armored soldier, having deactivated the repulsive field, swung his large sword once again. In terms of sheer skill, I believed I was superior to the poleaxe user I had defeated earlier. However, the combination of the destructive power of the great sword and the defensive capabilities of the repulsive field made this guy a troublesome opponent. It wouldn’t be easy to defeat him in such a short time.
The poleaxe user might have had something else hidden up his sleeve, but he died before he could unleash it, so I’ll never know. It reaffirmed the importance of finishing off strong enemies before they can fully demonstrate their abilities. It’s obvious, but it’s something that’s easily forgotten, and I engraved it into my mind once again.
“■■■!”
“…!”
The relentless assault of the white-armored soldier suddenly came to a halt as he stepped back, and the self-propelled artillery fired once again. Now that I was once again exposed to the artillery barrage, I decided to make a move to swiftly take down this white-armored soldier.
I intensified my spiritual power explosively. Perhaps recognizing it as a dangerous sign, the white-armored soldier unleashed a lightning-based spiritual art from the other side of the artillery fire. His judgment was correct, but at the same time, he was also mistaken.
It was right to try and hinder my actions. However, if that was the case, he should have launched a more powerful attack… something like that special reinforced gun capable of piercing through battleships, an attack that could kill me in a single strike. If he couldn’t do that, then he should have escaped immediately.
“Gaaaaaaaaah!”
I erected two sand walls, not once but twice. By manipulating the massive amount of sand I created, I generated a sandstorm. It wasn’t a disorienting display like before, focusing on a wider range. Instead, it was a sandstorm with intensified winds, surpassing a hundred times the normal speed, narrowed down to the minimum range that encompassed the white-armored soldier and the rows of self-propelled artillery. Its purpose was to inflict lethal damage.
Describing the ferocious sandstorm as “harsh” would be an understatement. Within its swirling grasp, everything caught inside was gradually eroded by the relentless assault of sand. Unfortunate enough to be ensnared, the armored soldiers were reduced to a mixture of scrap metal and bloody mist in an instant, while the self-propelled artilleries suffered not only damaged armor but also broken gun barrels, one after another.
Huh? Isn’t the armor of the self-propelled artillery sturdier than I thought? It seems I could have annihilated the self-propelled artillery unit without bothering to let Tigar and the others escape. But then again, if they were here, I wouldn’t have been able to generate the full force of the sandstorm in the first place. It was the right decision to let everyone escape from there.
“■■? ■■■■■■■!?”
Amidst the sandstorm, the only thing that appeared unscathed was the white-armored soldier, who generated a repulsive force field to protect himself. However, this sandstorm was completely under my control. Remaining motionless from within, I fortified my defense, fully aware of the enemy’s position amidst the raging sandstorm.
In the midst of the sandstorm, I tracked the position of the white-armored soldier and manipulated the sand while also harnessing my spiritual power to create new sand. The sand, taking the form of massive hands, firmly seized the repulsive force field surrounding the white-armored soldier.
“■■■!?”
The white-armored soldier seemed surprised, but it was too late for him to escape. The hand-shaped mass of sand expanded into a spherical shape, engulfing the repulsive force field protecting the white-armored soldier. With increasing pressure, it proceeded to crush them.
A single hand of sand seemed unable to overcome the resistance of the repulsive force field. So, I decided to multiply the hands. I created about five more hands out of sand; they all attacked the white-armored soldier’s force field. The multiplied pressure gradually compressed the force field, and eventually…. the sand hands closed in on the white-armored soldier, crushing him slowly.
Amidst the white-armored soldier’s desperate screams, his cries were immediately drowned out by the deafening roar of the sandstorm. I picked up the great sword of the white-armored soldier, which seemed suitable for Tigar, and without dissipating the sandstorm, I rushed to join my comrades.
As I approached the barracks after completing the immobilization of the self-propelled artillery and the subjugation of the white-armored soldier, a fierce battle unfolded before me. Armored soldiers unleashed a hail of bullets upon the demons and Imperial soldiers who emerged from the hole while Tigar and the others launched attacks from behind, resulting in a chaotic melee.
Despite the onslaught from Tigar and the others, the enemy remained resilient. The reason became apparent—there were two white-armored soldiers amidst the enemy ranks. One engaged Tigar and Zald on the ground, evenly matched in a fierce duel, while the other spewed flames from his back, engaging Mika and the flying demons in an aerial battle.
Both formidable opponents effectively neutralized attacks from an advantageous position. It was clear that a difficult struggle awaited us. In an effort to turn the tide of the battle, I hoisted the newly acquired great sword onto my shoulder and decisively hurled it forward.
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