Chapter 115: The Carnela Port Recapture Operation (22)
“Wow, this is cruel.”
With Tigar and the others in tow, we returned to the outer wall, only to witness Karelvo’s demons being devastated by a combined force of armored soldiers and self-propelled artillery fire. The self-propelled artilleries, boasting overwhelming firepower, were lined up side by side, guarded by the armored soldiers. It was a cunning formation that made it incredibly difficult for us to attack the self-propelled artilleries without being shot down by the armored soldiers, and if we attempted to engage the soldiers, we would be exposed to the artillery’s bombardment. It was an insidious setup, to say the least.
While some of the demons could withstand the gunfire from the armored soldiers, hardly any could endure a direct hit from the self-propelled artillery. Many of those who recklessly charged forward were turned into unrecognizable masses of flesh by the cannons’ bombardment. The sensible approach would have been to fortify their defenses and use spiritual arts to destroy the self-propelled artilleries, but rationality seemed to have deserted Karelvo’s demons.
However, it was precisely because Karelvo’s demons lacked rationality that they caught the enemy off guard with unexpected tactics. They relentlessly launched reckless assaults while enduring the gunfire, and even tried to force their way into the artilleries’ entrances, clinging onto them despite the bullets raining down upon them.
“Gaaaaaaaa…!”
“Giiiii……!”
“■■■!”
“Die!”
“Hihahahahaha!”
“■■■■■!?”
As Karelvo’s demons attached themselves to the self-propelled artillery, they were constantly being shot down by the armored soldiers guarding the artilleries’ surroundings. The density of the defensive barrage, meant to keep the demons from approaching through acts of reckless bravery, had decreased, allowing those who managed to get close to the armored soldiers to defeat them. Perhaps due to their lack of consideration, the armored soldiers themselves seemed unsure of how to deal with this situation.
The demons fought on with remarkable toughness; as long as they didn’t die, they kept on battling. However, because everyone was fighting without regard for their own lives, the number of casualties was steadily increasing. They might fight until the very last soldier, but even if that were the case, it wouldn’t be long before they were completely wiped out.
However, that would be a problem. We had managed to pin down the enemy here without risking our lives, so it would be more advantageous to prolong the current situation as much as possible. Furthermore….even though we were from different creators, it was displeasing to watch the same beings as us being unilaterally slaughtered. Let’s lend a hand, too.
“…”
I conjured up several dozens of sand pincers and set them loose on the enemy ranks. The sand pincers sliced through the armored soldiers and their armor one after another. The armored soldiers tried to shoot at the sand pincers, but a little scattering of sand didn’t stop them. True, their power decreased when their volume was reduced, but severing the enemies’ limbs was easy enough.
My companions also began their assault using their own spiritual arts. Those skilled in spiritual arts like Sharl unleashed balls of flames and rocks, while others who weren’t as adept used spiritual arts that could use instinctively like electric shocks and ice spears.
“Garurururu!”
“Guooooo!”
Empowered by our support, Karelvo’s demons charged at the enemy with increased momentum. Once one side started to crumble, the rest followed in succession. The number of armored soldiers steadily decreased, and the self-propelled artilleries were surrounded by demons, who thrust their weapons and claws into it.
Though the self-propelled artillery had thick armor, it was no match for over ten demons swarming around it. The barrel broke, holes were pierced into its armor, and those inside were dragged out and subjected to a bloodbath.
“Kill them! Next, let’s head inside that wall!”
The loud voice came from the crocodile demon, who seemed to be constantly at the frontlines. He took the lead while covered in black from his own blood and the enemy’s blood as he headed toward the outer wall. It seemed like climbing the walls like I do proved to be a struggle for him, as he ascended slowly and clumsily. Though it might have been frustrating for him, his slow speed ended up working in his favor….as he was spared from the incoming danger.
As the demons gained momentum and began to climb the wall, numerous shadows suddenly appeared from the top of the outer wall. It was the four-legged self-propelled artillery that we had stolen during our infiltration mission.
The self-propelled artillery attached itself to the outer wall with its four legs and started firing its cannon at the approaching demons. However, this time, instead of the usual flaming projectiles, it unleashed countless bullets about the size of regular ammunition. It seemed to have been specifically designed to take down groups of demons up close, rather than distant ones.
“Gyaaaaa…”
“Ugaaaaa…”
Instead of cannonballs, a rain of bullets poured down upon the group of demons. Caught completely off guard, the demons suffered significant casualties. Nearly half of them were killed instantly by direct hits, and the rest were knocked off the wall by the impact of the bullets. Some might have been lucky enough to survive.
However, a few individuals, including the crocodile demon, who were positioned further back, and a handful of the fortunate ones, managed to cling to the wall without getting hit by the bullets. Nevertheless, there were probably fewer than ten individuals who avoided the gunfire, and if the self-propelled artillery fired again, they would likely be shot down as well.
“Go! Keep climbing! The prey is up there!”
“Woooooo! I’ll kill youuuuu!”
Despite witnessing the tragic deaths of their comrades, the bloodthirsty demons showed no signs of slowing down. Even those who had been shot down, if they were still alive, they would quickly get up and resume climbing the outer wall.
Their relentless desire to inflict harm on their enemies was beyond our comprehension. Mika speculated that Karelvo might have intentionally synthesized them to be so aggressively driven.
But whether that was true or not, we couldn’t afford to have them all wiped out. We needed to keep the enemy here a little longer.
But what could we do? Should we continue providing support with our spiritual arts, as we did moments ago? That would be difficult. The number of self-propelled artilleries was far too great, and our attacks, with us numbering less than fifty, would be like a drop in the ocean. What worked earlier was because almost all of Karelvo’s demons were concentrated on the ground, giving it their all. We couldn’t expect the same impact when they were trying to climb the wall with all their might. Our options were becoming limited. Alright, it’s time to make a decision.
“……”
“That’s… well, if it’s my lord, it might be possible. Understood. Everyone, listen.” Mika said.
After deciphering what could hardly be called a plan from me, Mika took a moment to consider it before giving his approval. Then, to capture the attention of the others, he clapped his hands and called out.
“From now on, my Lord will use spiritual arts. So, strengthen your defenses and give it your all in running!”
“What the heck are you saying all of a sudden… Not like you to state the obvious. We trust him, that’s all.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Time’s running short. Let’s get moving quickly.”
It seemed they had placed quite a bit of trust in me. Being trusted to this extent made me feel the weight of responsibility, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on that. I heightened my spiritual power and created a massive amount of sand, transforming it into a series of ascending slopes leading up to the top of the outer wall. I prepared about ten of these slopes.
As soon as I finished constructing the slopes, I started running. Despite being made of sand, the slopes were compressed, making them as firm as metal. Running on them wasn’t difficult, and my feet didn’t sink.
“Let’s charge in! Follow that guy!”
“Uoooaah!”
Tigar and the others roared behind me as they followed. Without any specific instructions, they naturally positioned themselves on the left and right, forming a strong defense. Their experience and expertise made this possible.
Just like us, Karelvo’s demons wasted no time finding the ascending slopes and began climbing without hesitation. The advantage of losing their rationality was that they didn’t get stuck in confusion, making it easier for them to react swiftly. In fact, it seemed that the self-propelled artillery was more surprised by the sudden turn of events.
“Hurry! Climb before they target us!”
Just like Tigar shouted, it was clear that this slope was far from safe. While the structure of the slope itself was designed not to be easily destroyed, it offered no protection for those climbing it. The self-propelled artilleries might currently be disoriented, but they would soon resume firing towards the climbers.
“Ugh!”
“H-heavy!”
The self-propelled artilleries noticed it sooner than expected. When we reached about halfway up the slope, the ones positioned to our left and right turned their barrels toward us and resumed their barrage.
The ones wielding shields like Tuhru and those carrying large weapons like Gora had secured the left and right flanks, ensuring that while there might be injuries, there would be no fatalities. However, if we stayed like this for much longer, casualties would be inevitable. We need to hurry!
“Watch out!”
“Take cover!”
The self-propelled artilleries were not the only threat targeting us. Armored soldiers on the outer walls gathered, raining down a hail of bullets from the front of the slope. But I was at the forefront, leading the charge. Their ordinary guns couldn’t penetrate my exoskeleton.
However, a white armored soldier appeared from behind the other soldiers as if to push them aside, before aiming a long-barreled gun at me. If my memory serves me right, that weapon emitted a powerful beam of light. Even I, with my strong exoskeleton, wouldn’t survive a direct hit from it.
Another option was to dodge, but that would leave the slope in a straight line for the beam to pass through, potentially hitting my comrades behind me. I couldn’t let that happen!
“Gah!”
“■■……!?”
After activating the white sword’s spiritual circuit, I hurled it with all my might. The spinning white blade sliced through the long gun vertically and cut it in two.
But that was not all; the sharpness of Hatakeyama’s thrown sword was extraordinary. Even after cleaving the gun in two, its momentum didn’t falter. It went on to cut off the fingers supporting the gun and then deeply impaled into the outer wall.
The white-armored soldier stood there, bewildered by what had just happened, but that didn’t give me a reason to wait for his attack. Seizing the opportunity, I leaped forward, grabbed the white-armored soldier’s neck, and slammed him down. With a swift downward strike of my black sword, I split his head wide open.
“…”
Silence filled the air as I pulled the black sword free from the white armored soldier’s head. I stood up on the top of the outer wall. It seemed I had finally reached my destination. Now, all I had to do was wreak havoc here without getting myself killed to buy some time. Marcellus, hurry up and capture the port already!
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