Chapter 95: The Carnela Port Recapture Operation (2)
(TN: Changed Alligator demo to Crocodile demon. I will be correcting this in all chapters)
With a loud battle cry, the crocodile demon and his companions emerged, which obviously caught the attention of Marcellus and the others. Their arrival as unexpected reinforcements failed to bring me any sense of joy, as I knew all too well that these individuals were far from trustworthy allies.
Leading the charge were the crocodile demon and the frog demon, both adept in aquatic environments, their waists equipped with ropes that other demons clung onto tightly. Following closely behind were a dog demon and a rat demon, emerging from the river and shaking off the water from their bodies.
The demons, already transformed into their monstrous forms, wielded weapons reminiscent of those used by the Imperial Army. However, these weapons were covered in rust and their blades had lost their sharpness. Like savage beasts, they viciously swung their blades at the oncoming drones.
“Gorurururu! Let’s crush these mere toys!”
“””Gaoooooooooo!!!”””
The crocodile demon obliterated the drones using his two swords and his tail. His fighting style seemed somewhat similar to mine, employing dual swords and a tail as weapons. However, his movements were unrefined, relying solely on brute strength. He was certainly not a good reference at all.
The demons darted into the planted forest, chasing after their prey. Shortly after, gunshots and the sound of things breaking within the forest echoed, accompanied by triumphant roars and desperate screams.
Though the roars were one thing, the fact that I could hear screams meant that someone had been pierced by bullets and met a tragic end, right? Without hesitation, they leaped into the visually obscured, planted forest, and I believed that they had some kind of plan in place… but it seemed I had placed too much faith in them. Depending on these demons was proving to be a fatal mistake.
“Vice Captain!”
“You made it!”
In the midst of this exchange, Mika and the other flying demons arrived with the third group. As expected, the demons from our unit were reliable allies. Marcellus’ subordinates and my companions fought bravely, destroying the unmanned drones without any signs of danger.
Since Mika and his team hurried as much as possible, the entire demon squad managed to cross the river without much delay. However, during that time, the presence of the Republic Army, initially distant, was drawing closer to our position. Ten self-propelled artilleries (war chariots) and close to a hundred armored metal horses…..or rather, a hundred armored soldiers mounting on two-wheeled vehicles came into view from afar.
At the same time, the lights of the unmanned drones that had been surveying us began to flicker, signaling their intent to cease fire and charge towards us. They were undoubtedly planning to self-destruct, just like they did when Mika and I were escaping. Aware of their intentions, we calmly fortified our defenses, bracing ourselves for the blast.
“AAAAAAAHHH!”
“It’s hot! It’s so hot!”
It seemed that explosions had also occurred within the planted forest, as groans of agony and screams reached us from both sides. The flames generated by the blasts had spread to the planted forest trees, and the smell of burning wood reached my nostrils.
However, the more pressing concern was the sound of artillery fire immediately following the blast. The ten self-propelled artilleries, which had halted their movements to protect themselves from the blast, now mercilessly unleashed their bombardment towards us. It was clear that the coordinated self-destruction of the drones had been orchestrated to ensure the accuracy of this artillery barrage. How meticulously planned of them!
“Fortify your defenses with all your might!”
Marcellus shouted out orders to his subordinates, but their current Imperial Army’s light infantry equipment was nothing compared to the heavy infantry gear. The defense they hastily bolstered wouldn’t be enough to withstand one, let alone ten, rounds of artillery fire without any casualties. This was also true for our “fellow” demon unit.
That’s why I leaped forward. I hardened my exoskeleton while heightening my fighting spirit, creating as much sand as possible with my spiritual arts to intercept the incoming artillery shells. As the shells exploded, my exoskeleton creaked under the pressure, and the sand was scattered by the blast, momentarily engulfing the surroundings in a sandstorm-like haze.
However, it was certain that the impact had been diminished by my body’s defenses and the wall of sand. Marcellus and my comrades behind me only had to bear the aftermath, and no one was injured… except for Marcellus, who was writhing in agony with sand in his mouth.
The first shot, launched with a surprise attack, was successfully blocked. We would be prepared for the next ones, so we should be fine. That’s what I believed. However, although the second shot was indeed fired, it didn’t come flying towards us.
“…Are they idiots or something?”
Marcellus couldn’t help but mutter as he witnessed a group of individuals sprinting towards the self-propelled artilleries from within the planted forest. Naturally, they were the newly arrived demons, led by the crocodile demon. Despite the option to remain hidden, they recklessly launched a direct assault on the self-propelled artilleries.
If they had a reasonable chance of success, it would have been acceptable. In fact, I believed that I could withstand a direct hit, and Tigar and Zald could close the distance while evading or deflecting the artillery shells. If they were capable of doing the same, there wouldn’t be a problem.
“Gyaaaahhh…”
“Guoooohhh…”
However, it seemed that they lacked such skills. They simply charged straight towards the self-propelled artilleries without any plan in mind. As a result, while managing to avoid direct hits from the shells, many of them were sent flying through the air by the blast or had their limbs torn apart. The dense scent of blood carried by the wind reached us from such a distance.
Moreover, the enemy wasn’t just the self-propelled artilleries. Around them were nearly a hundred armored soldiers mounted on two wheeled vehicles. They aimed their firearms at the demons and unleashed a barrage of bullets and shells.
The demons, engrossed in the self-propelled artillery shells, soon found themselves caught in a hail of gunfire. While some demons, like the crocodile one, were impervious to normal bullets, the majority were not. After being pierced by bullets and immobilized, they were struck head-on by artillery fire, turning many of them into shreds of flesh.
“If they continue in this manner, they’ll be completely wiped out… Is there no one to take command over there? No choice then. Mr. Scorpion, go to their rescue. The rest of you hold this position,”
Marcellus ordered with a hint of regret. He couldn’t abandon this place, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave those new demons, who were technically allies, to meet their demise. It was a decision made amidst his torment. After nodding once, I sprinted towards the self-propelled artilleries.
Perhaps realizing my approach, one of the barrels of the self-propelled artilleries turned towards me. It took aim before firing a shell. However, a mere barrage of shells wouldn’t stop me. Shielding myself from the blast of a detonated shell at close proximity with my exoskeleton, I didn’t halt my advance.
Then, after recognizing the extent of my relentless threat, five barrels were pointed in my direction. Yes, that’s it. Aim for me. It’s what I want you to do.
“……!…………!”
The concentrated artillery fire from the five barrels was impossible to evade, and blasts and shrapnel pounded violently against my exoskeleton from all directions. Adding to the onslaught, a shot flew towards me from beyond the swirling dust kicked up by the explosions, striking me directly in the face.
While a hit to the torso would have been manageable, the impact on my face was truly jarring. My exoskeleton remained undamaged, without any signs of scorching. However, the force of the explosion rattled my brain, and my neck creaked and threatened to snap.
The pain could be suppressed, but the sensation of my neck grinding was incredibly unpleasant. Why did I have to endure such suffering for those detestable individuals? Even though I knew it was because of direct orders, I couldn’t stop the welling discontent.
“■■■■■!”
“■■■! ■■■■■!”
Fueled by anger, I transformed those feelings into forward momentum and sprinted at full speed. However, the armored soldiers were pointing at me and saying something. Suddenly, they abruptly ceased their attack. Then, while repeatedly unleashing suppressive fireshots, they inexplicably began to retreat.
I was curious and cautious about their sudden retreat yet also unwilling to let them escape so easily, so I conjured a multitude of sand spears using my spiritual arts and launched them towards the self-propelled artilleries. However, due to the considerable distance, the spears missed their mark as the enemy ranks fled far away before my attacks could be launched. They didn’t even forget to deploy a noxious smokescreen during their escape.
Frustrated by their successful evasion, despite my intention to unleash my pent-up discontent, I let out a deep sigh and sheathed my two swords. Then I shifted my focus to the new demons.
“Don’t you dare run away! Are you scared!?”
“Blood! Show me your blood! Let me kill you all!”
Despite enduring relentless bullets and blasts, the new demons persisted in their pursuit of the self-propelled artilleries, screaming and shouting. However, it became evident that they were not swift enough to catch up with the vehicles’ rapid retreat. Midway through, they gave up and resorted to hurling foul-mouthed insults instead.
Furthermore, many of the new demons exhibited behaviors and words that revealed their thirst for nothing but slaughter. They recklessly charged into the dense forest without any strategic plan, blindly advancing towards the self-propelled artilleries despite their vulnerability to shell attacks. Their aggression was excessively fervent, and their reckless tactics would undoubtedly lead to their demise. Engaging in such reckless tactics would only result in death. Was there no commander to control them? I couldn’t help but question this matter deeply.
“It hurts… it hurts…”
“Hii…hii…!”
On the other hand, the demons who couldn’t withstand the enemy’s attacks were moaning in agony, blood flowing from their wounds. Particularly unfortunate were those who suffered the loss of limbs due to being caught in nearby explosions; they cried and wailed like little children.
The intense pain from their wounds, the looming fear of death, and the sense of loss from losing a part of themselves must have overwhelmed them. Even if they were fortunate enough to survive and regenerate their missing limbs, it was uncertain whether they would be able to return to the battlefield. However, as demons, they couldn’t simply flee from the battlefield either. It was a predicament.
“Aaaaaaahj! I can’t take it anymore! I want to kill something!”
“I’ve got a great idea! Let’s slaughter those useless corpses lying around!”
“That’s a brilliant plan! They’re already useless anyway!”
“…………!?”
While I was worried about the fate of the severely injured demons, those who were still standing uttered something outrageous. And it wasn’t a joke or anything of the sort. Without hesitation, they swung their weapons down upon their fellow heavily injured yet still alive demons.
The final screams of the impaled demons and the gleeful cries of the standing demons, who had no intention of hiding their joy in taking lives, reverberated in my ears. It seemed they found sheer delight in the act of snuffing out lives. While I had already suspected their lack of companionship, I never imagined that they would not even hesitate to kill their own kind just to satisfy their own desires.
Nevertheless, I sprinted forward, determined to put an end to this one-sided massacre. My actions weren’t driven by a sense of righteousness or moral outrage, but rather by a personal feeling of not wanting to witness the madness of demons killing each other. I aimed to subdue the rampaging demons, restrain them, and deliver the surviving ones to Marcellus and his group… It seemed like this would become quite the troublesome task.
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