◈ Episode 086

Soldiers wearing gas masks pressed the front line, firing their rifles. The bullets flew fiercely from a distance of hundreds of meters. The field trenches were rained down with bullets.

"Ugh!"

The soldier who was aiming his gun from behind the sack was pierced in the head. Even if it was a pescatum, he could not survive being shot through the brain.

"What the heck…!"

The Bastet soldiers hid in their pits, clutching their old-fashioned bayonets. The sound of the battlefield was louder than I had imagined. The clashing of swords and spears was nowhere to be found, and only gunfire and explosions filled the air.

"Don't hide, fight!"

The knights shouted, but the poor condition of their equipment did not change. The only good thing was that the Legion was approaching on its own.

If they were to enter a melee, this side would have the upper hand. Legion, which was mostly Minos, would inevitably be at a disadvantage in close combat. The commanders of the Bastitera army had no doubts about this.

Just a little patience. Just drag it out a little longer.

Battlefield Commander Moron waited for an opportunity to turn the tide of battle.

300m, 200m, 150m.

As they got closer, the shooting became more and more precise.

The soldiers held their breath in preparation for the imminent charge. They shared the experience of feeling their own heartbeats as loud as the sound of gunfire.

When the distance between the two armies was about a hundred meters.

Degururur.

Legion soldiers wearing gas masks threw smoke canisters. The distinctive black smoke began to spread across the battlefield. It wasn't just a smokescreen to obscure vision.

Moron recalled the information he had received from the Minos. The smoke confuses humans. If it enters their respiratory system, they lose their reasoning, become more aggressive, and act like beasts.

"Was that really true?"

Even though I heard about it in advance, I didn't prepare.

In the first place, it is quite a hassle to provide gas masks to all soldiers. It is even more so in a unit that is treated as a burden by the military.

Above all, it was a story that was hard to believe and a scratch on pride. There was no way a strong Bastet warrior would be fooled by something like acting. That was the conclusion the commanders reached.

The enemy continued to advance while creating a smoke screen.

Several soldiers fell to the ground after being hit by blind bullets. The difference in skill between the soldiers was overwhelming, regardless of their physical performance. If things continued this way, the front line would collapse in vain.

The professor, who was observing the situation, gave instructions over the radio.

"now."

A number of holograms appeared before the professor's eyes. Non-combatant Selim's spell. If you install a 'camera' in advance, you can check the images remotely and in real time.

- Chiiik!

Machines buried beneath the snow spurted air like turbines, the hot gases mixing with the graphite slowing down progress.

That wasn't all.

The agents who had been interspersed among the soldiers moved. They were people who had been selected separately by the professor. Navy, who had temporarily been part of Kim Yi-hyeon's operations team, was one of them.

The air layer that was created in front of the trench pushed away the poisonous gas. Also, artificial wind was created somewhere. A strange scene unfolded here and there, as if blocked by an invisible wall.

The professor breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, everything is going smoothly."

Battles with the Legion always had a similar pattern: incapacitating the enemy with gas and then quickly breaking through the enemy lines.

As you experience it, ways to deal with it will naturally come to mind.

- Professor, are we still waiting?

― Leila has changed a lot too. Do you want to fight that much?

- No, that's not what I meant... ... .

Leila flinched at Rosetta's words. It wasn't a joke, but everyone in the lab knew that it was meant to calm Leila down.

If it were normal times, the professor might have acted like Leila.

But now was a time of war. She had a duty to protect her allies, the Bastitera soldiers, and more importantly, the Lab's agents.

"Wait. Not yet."

He had to calmly prioritize. He couldn't save everyone. If it were Kim Yi-hyeon, he would rather throw in three hundred soldiers as bait than let thirty of his comrades die.

'… … It must be so.'

Of course, I don't think Kim Lee-hyun is always right. He sometimes makes extreme decisions. However, the professor also deeply sympathizes with his principles of action.

The professor watched the rear of the legion. There were clearly figures who looked different from the regular soldiers and were not moving. The tall woman who appeared to be the 'godmother' was also the same.

Next, I looked back.

Even here, away from the battlefield, there was an agent who wasn't a sniper. While the other combat agents were kept on standby, ready to join the fight at any time, one was left out.

It was Asterique.

"...."

The professor knew little about Asterike. He followed the strings excessively, and there was a big difference in tension when he was next to the strings and when he was not.

And is it as strong as an elite agent?

"Excuse me, Professor."

Asterike suddenly spoke to me. It was difficult to read her inner thoughts from the eyes that were looking outside the tent. I didn't feel much emotion.

"When will Hyun come back?"

"Well, well. I don't know…."

"I see."

He closes his mouth again. He looks like he is crouching down, hugging his knees. His childish attitude doesn't match the urgency of the situation.

'I wonder if Hyun is okay.'

The battle had only just begun.

* * *

Drrrrrr!

The ammunition belt dragging on the floor was rapidly shortening. The cartridges poured out in torrents. If the equipment had been less durable, the barrel would have overheated and bent long ago.

Fine-tuning was impossible. They continued to fire in rapid succession, changing direction appropriately. If they were lucky, they would pierce the brain with a single shot, but on the other hand, there were infected people who were hit in the limbs by more than a dozen shots.

But one thing was certain: firepower.

The corpses of the infected piled up at their feet. I felt pity, but no guilt. This was an infection caused by a spell. There was no way there would be an established treatment.

'If the parent Camellia dies, the contagiousness disappears… .'

Those who have already been infected by the fungus will not get better. They are destined to die from cell necrosis if they continue to attack people like they are now. I don't think it's about freeing them from pain or anything like that.

It's a pity that they're in such a bad situation, but they're an enemy that needs to be eliminated. That's the only way I can feel about it.

'Is the temperature starting to drop?'

It was time to run out of ammo. Kim Yi-Hyeon took the minigun out of his hands before it even ran out of ammo. He could remake it, but he didn't want to risk the recoil of making duplicates.

If there are any weapons to use, there are plenty.

A mace was formed in Kim Yi-hyeon's right hand. It was an iron ball with sharp protrusions growing out of it, like a beast's paw. A congratulatory text was engraved on the golden iron handle connected to the weight.

Kim Yi-hyeon gave up the safety zone that had been created and jumped into the crowd of infected people. Even in the brief moment of running at explosive speed, his brain received and processed information from his surroundings.

The corpses acted as obstacles, causing the infected to stumble. Other infected people fell over the staggering bodies like dominoes. On the other hand, there were also places where the corpses were relatively sparsely placed.

Perception of surrounding space. And prediction and action.

Phew!

Kim Yi-Hyeon struck down the struggling infected with all his might. The piled up chunks of flesh burst apart. The increased muscle strength and the weapon's attack power alone produced an unrealistic power.

He glanced at the blood-stained clock and began to count the seconds in his mind.

'13, 12, 11....'

After confirming that the danger ahead had decreased, he let go of the handle. The chain hanging from the bottom was caught in his hand.

I swung the chain as if throwing it at a group of infected approaching from the right. The infected who were hit were pushed back as if flying. There was a sensation of bone being crushed.

Even though he was making detailed judgments in real time, his movements were instantaneous. Accelerated thinking completely separated his mind and body. It was a sense of observing himself through an out-of-body experience.

'There are still so many dirty ones.'

Even though they've been dealt with a lot, the offensive doesn't seem to be weakening. Time is important, but managing your stamina is also important. Even if you're successful in clearing them out, it's not good to just collapse right away.

'It's not that I don't trust the professor, but... ... .'

I guess it will be a classic.

The Legion has a Godmother. Camellia is also an extremely dangerous enemy, but if you focus only on 'battle', the Godmother is definitely more difficult to deal with.

In extreme terms, Camellia would just abandon the city and the civilians. After all the infected die, she'll be left alone and the rest will be over.

Godmothers are a different class.

It is a burdensome enemy for the current professor and the lab staff. They have to hurry up and get back while conserving their stamina as much as possible.

It sounds contradictory, but.

'There's nothing I can't do.'

Kim Yi-Hyeon's eyes quickly scanned the area. He found shadows moving stealthily between the human barriers formed by the infected.

Little by little, we are getting closer, but surely.

Wedge!

A stake flew in, aiming for the square. Kim Yi-hyeon naturally bent his waist as he swung his mace. The rusty iron bar passed by his ear at a distance of a span.

'8, 7, 6.'

The stake was thrown from a completely different direction than before. It didn't reach the target this time either. But it was only a sheet of paper away. Compared to the first time, the aim was noticeably sharper.

In some ways, it was a messy fighting style.

Shadow, Snowfield, and Mithril. Up until now, the legion leaders who had fought Kim I-Hyeon had all fought in a way that revealed themselves to the front.

On the other hand, what about Camellia? She hides behind the soldiers and pretends to be an assassin. A tactic that thoroughly wears down the opponent by taking advantage of the gaps.

It may not be 'boss-like', but I don't think it's mean either.

'It's rather reasonable.'

Camellia doesn't need to inflict fatal damage on her enemies. One bruise is all it takes. Unless you immediately cut off the wound, the bacteria will quickly spread throughout the body.

In the game, Camellia's overall ability value is adjusted when there are soldiers around her. There is even a logic set up where she retreats if there are no soldiers in front to use as shields.

In the 14-6 stage where you face off in earnest, mobs appear almost infinitely. The standard strategy of clearing out mobs around you and then focusing on attacking the boss does not work.

but.

As always, there was a strategy. Kim Yi-hyeon was aware of the iron ball of the mace. A soft light that was not very noticeable was seeping in.

'4, 3, 2.'

The third stake was shot like an arrow.

A distance of only about ten steps.

Infected people surge forward from both sides.

There is not enough space to avoid it even by rolling your body.

The decision was quick.

Kim Yi-hyeon only turned his upper body to the left. It was the minimum evasive action necessary to organically continue the next movement. It was a reaction that occurred in a short moment divided into several times a second.

But just a little bit, the timing was delayed.

Choaack!

The stake swept across Kim Yi-Hyeon's arm. His jumper was torn and a straight line of wounds were carved into his skin. The germs that had quickly penetrated began to discolor his skin.

'It's over.'

Camellia was confident of victory.

The idea that revenge was futile was nothing but nonsense. She had been suffering from a sense of emptiness since the day she heard of Snowfield's death, or even before that.

My desolate and empty heart was filled with joy for a moment. That alone was meaningful. After all, it was only half over.

'I will let you kill that woman with your own hands.'

With that, the revenge was complete. Since one side was killed somewhat pointlessly, the other side was to suffer more. I had to see their faces distorted with hatred.

"Ahaha."

Camellia tilted her head and smiled crookedly.

A brief delay.

All these thoughts slowed down my reaction.

'...light?'

Since some time ago, the mace had been scattering intense light. The remaining distance was only three steps. Kim Yi-Hyun swung the mace at the infected who was blocking the camellia like a shield.

A golden flash erupted.

The body of the infected person who was hit directly burst without any resistance. Camellia's left arm, which was in the path of the trajectory, was also crushed. And yet, the iron hammer, still with momentum, struck the ground.

-Whoah!

It was a loud noise, comparable to a bombing. The floor split open and the entire station shook. The shock wave spread out in all directions, shattering the lights on the walls.

Thud.

Glass shards came down like hail. Kim Yi-Hyun lifted up [Sacria], the light of which had disappeared. A small pit had been dug where the mace had struck it.

"Oh, this is off."

At the muttering voice, Camellia shuddered.