Welcome to Hell!

Chapter 107: The Carnela Port Recapture Operation (14)

The heavy infantry unit had been decimated by the wide-range attacks of the new unmanned drones. We quickly sprang into action to rescue them. However, a noticeable disparity existed between our speed and that of the Imperial soldiers. Though they had bolstered their physical abilities with fighting spirit, the gap in physical prowess proved insurmountable.

Should we reduce our speed to match theirs? As I pondered this while running, Marcellus shouted loudly from behind.

“Press forward, everyone! Save as many as you can!”

Perhaps Marcellus believed that it was better for us to hurry and that there was no need to reduce our speeds. In that case, let’s run with all our might. The other demons followed closely behind as I led the charge, swiftly overtaking even the important figure who had started running ahead of us, bringing us closer to Carnela Port.

While running, I estimated that we were within the enemy’s firing range. It became apparent that half of the defensive weapons previously targeting the fallen heavy infantry unit were now aimed in our direction. Counterattacking with spiritual arts was not possible due to the distance. Should I instead focus on preventing the attacks?

Channeling my spiritual power, I conjured numerous spears of sand without aiming at any specific point and directed them toward the source of the Republic’s artillery fire. In mid-air, the artillery rounds collided with the spears of sand, causing an explosion and a cloud of swirling sand to fly around. It seemed I had successfully defended against this round of artillery fire.

However, it was clear that the enemy would launch the next barrage immediately after I managed to block them. So I quickly devised my next move. Using my spiritual power, I manipulated the swirling particles of sand that just collided with the artillery fire and caused a massive sandstorm that engulfed the entire second wall.

The sandstorm prioritized expanding its range rather than strength, so the wind speed within it wasn’t strong enough to damage those that found themselves inside it. However, perhaps due to being surrounded by thick sand, the artillery fire had ceased. It seemed that rendering the enemies unable to aim had been effective. Seizing this opportunity, I increased my running speed and reached the fallen heavy infantry unit.

“Ugh… Agh…”

“Gah… Gii…”

The surviving heavy infantry soldiers, though still alive, could only emit groans from their throats while twitching and showing no signs of movement. With no other choice, I grabbed one on each shoulder and one by the tail, then lifted as many heavy infantry soldiers as I could with a pair of hands made of sand before withdrawing.

Occasionally, beams of light would be released from beyond the sandstorm, but due to the storm’s interference, the Republic soldiers’ aim seemed to falter, causing the beams to fly in random directions before landing in empty places and exploding. The sandstorm was functioning effectively as an obstruction.

However, it wouldn’t last long either. If the sand were scattered by sudden gusts of wind, it would be easily neutralized. Currently, I could sense an increase in spiritual power on the other side of the outer wall. They must have realized this simple solution as well. It was time for us to flee.

“…”

“Yes, I understand. Everyone, let’s all escape without overdoing it!”

When I turned my attention to Mika for a brief moment, he instantly grasped my thoughts. He raised his voice, urging everyone to flee. Without hesitation, Tigar and the others nodded in unison, and they swiftly proceeded to carry as many heavy infantry soldiers as possible before we all escaped towards the rear.

A loud explosion reverberated from behind us as something burst into pieces. At that moment, the feeling of my control over the sandstorm vanished from my consciousness. And with my compound eyes, I could see that the sandstorm had been dispersed behind us. It seemed they had indeed grasped the solution.

Though we had rushed to the scene faster than anyone else, our numbers didn’t exceed fifty. With many of us being strong and capable, we managed to transport around two hundred survivors at once… but this was only a small part of the heavy infantry unit. The ones who hadn’t been rescued were still being subjected to artillery fire.

“Carry the wounded to the main camp! Once you’ve done that, return!”

Marcellus who was running alongside other light infantry soldiers during our retreat, issued the order in passing. To think that we would need to dive back into that deadly area once again all because of our fast speed… What a shame.

However, we couldn’t simply ignore the situation. Following the orders, we delivered the wounded to the main camp and immediately returned to the front lines. Light infantry soldiers desperately carried the surviving heavy infantry soldiers while being bombarded by artillery fire that hit the barriers of the spiritualists trying to protect their backs, causing explosions. Such scenes unfolded throughout the battlefield.

“…”

“So the same approach can only work once, huh?” Mika said.

I tried creating another sandstorm for rescue, but this time it was scattered in no time. As Mika had said, it seemed that the same tactic wouldn’t work twice. The enemy was not foolish. We had no choice but to persistently assist in other ways. With a sigh, I plunged back into the battlefield once more.

◆◇◆◇◆◇

Through the hellish rescue operation carried out by the light infantry, the complete annihilation of the heavy infantry unit was avoided. However, the damage was significant. Thirty percent of the heavy infantry and ten percent of the light infantry soldiers who went for the rescue mission had perished. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call the second attack of the Imperial Army a complete defeat.

With the large casualties, the top brass became divided into two opinions. One suggested a temporary retreat, while the other advocated for continuing the siege. After lengthy deliberation, it was decided to proceed with the siege, but not through a direct frontal assault. Instead, a method of patient, time-consuming strategy was adopted. Marcellus mentioned that the former food storage area had been converted into a supply relay point, with soldiers constantly stationed there.

“Ah~! My back is killing me!”

“Quit complaining. We’re all feeling the same.”

Amidst such circumstances, the order given to us was to dig an underground passage leading from the main camp to Carnela Port. Apparently, during the first attack, an earthworm demon of Karelvo’s unit had dug a tunnel to launch a surprise attack. It seemed they took that as a reference.

However, it was reasonable to assume that the Republic’s army would also be wary of underground surprise attacks. Hence, we were instructed to dig the tunnel at a considerable depth. We had no choice but to follow the orders without question; rebellion was out of the question.

We smashed the bedrock with the provided pickaxes, hauling away the rubble and tossing it outside through the hole that led to the surface, where the flying demons could dispose of it. Through diligent and grueling labor, the underground passage inched closer to Carnela Port.

“But seriously, I want to get out of here soon. It’s been… um, how many days has it been?”

“Exactly one month and eighteen days… I mean, it’s not so bad for me since I can see well in the dark, but if I wasn’t a demon, I’d probably lose my mind.”

“More likely you’d die from exhaustion before that.”

“Heh, you’re probably right.”

Exactly like Tigar and Zald had said, none of us had set foot outside since we started digging. We relied on flying demons like Mika to bring us our meals, so we had to keep digging with no breaks.

The underground passage was pitch dark, and the digging work was grueling. However, we were not humans; we were demons. Everyone had night vision, so darkness was not a problem, and our bodies were sturdy with ample stamina. As long as we took slightly longer breaks during meal times, it was manageable.

By the way, I could also use spiritual arts to turn bedrock into sand. In fact, we reached this depth by my transforming the bedrock into sand all the way from the surface. However, Mika wisely advised against doing it when digging sideways, as it would likely cause the underground passage to collapse.

After hearing that, I decided to wield the pickaxe alongside Tigar and the others. However, that doesn’t mean I wasn’t using spiritual arts throughout the process. Since the underground passage would collapse if left unattended, I solidified it with my spiritual arts, making it sturdier than the original bedrock.

With it reinforced to a greater degree, it shouldn’t crumble. If we were told to turn back and dig in a different direction, it would be challenging to dig again… but I wanted to believe that wouldn’t be the case.

“Oh, another tremor. Has another fierce battle erupted on the surface?”

“It’s bigger than yesterday. Seems like the fighting has intensified.”

As we diligently dug away, the underground passage shook, and dust fell from the ceiling. While we were working underground, the Imperial Army was engaged in battle on the surface.

However, they weren’t employing the same infantry-centric approach as before. It appeared they were engaging in long-range exchanges of fire using weapons that incorporated both spiritual arts and the Republic’s technology. I didn’t see it firsthand with my compound eyes since I was deep underground with the others, but Mika, being one of the flying demons, kept us informed about the situation outside.

The Empire’s weapons seemed to be inspired by the Republic’s cannons. They were likely assembled in the rear before the start of the war. However, instead of exploding flaming projectiles launched from large barrels, they fired huge, thick spears that were as tall as an adult and didn’t explode upon impact.

Even with the Empire’s technology, it seems they were unable to fully replicate the Republic’s cannons. However, they had a relatively simpler weapon at their disposal: the guns wielded by ordinary armor soldiers.

When Orvo handed a gun to Hatakeyama, the same craftsman who made my swords, he mentioned that the mechanism of the gun itself was simple. It merely propelled accelerated bullets through engraved spiritual circuits. It was indeed a simple concept.

The Imperial Army adapted this idea to create a weapon that launched enormous spears instead of bullets, maintaining the size of a cannon. However, since they were propelling larger projectiles than bullets, Mika speculated that the amount of spiritual power required to fire a single shot had increased several dozen times.

One might think that the increased requirement of spiritual power would make it difficult to operate, but it turns out that wasn’t the case at all. In fact, the guns were designed to be used even by the Khan race, who have very weak spiritual powers So, it seems anyone, even ordinary humans, could handle them.

And it seems that the tips of the spears they launched contained the bombs we had previously dropped on the battleships. At that time, we only had a limited number that we could transport ourselves, but they must have quickly ramped up production. It’s a battle strategy made possible by the immense national power and resources of the Empire, the strongest nation on the continent.

“Heave ho…? Oh no!”

“We hit a water vein! We’ll need your help again!”

As I continued digging while envisioning the intense exchange of fire taking place on the surface, water began seeping out from the spot where Linardo swung his pickaxe. When digging underground, it was not uncommon to encounter water veins, and incidents like this would occasionally occur.

I nodded once and then reached my arm into the flowing water. Using spiritual arts, I altered the shape of the bedrock, redirecting the flow of the water vein. Initially, I made several mistakes due to my unfamiliarity with the veins, but now it was something I had become adept at.

After overcoming various troubles in this manner, we continued to dig through the bedrock and it took us ten more days until we finally arrived directly beneath Carnela Port.