Welcome to Hell!

Chapter 111: The Carnela Port Recapture Operation (18)

The drainage channel extending from Carnela Port was also under surveillance by the Republic Army. It was expected that they would anticipate our infiltration route through this channel, and they likely had guards stationed at every exit to either monitor or block them. The Imperial army did not underestimate their enemies, especially those who had forcibly seized their own territories.

However, I was confident that they wouldn’t completely seal off the exits. The network of underground drainage channels that spread throughout the depths of Carnela Port was too intricate. If they forcefully demolished it, some part of the port above would crumble as well. That’s why destroying the drainage channels was not an option. It was only natural that the Empire was well aware of the intricacies of Carnela Port, as it had once been Imperial territory.

And so, we successfully dug an underground passage leading to the remaining drainage channel. However, our goal was not to proceed toward the exit of the drainage channel. Our next task was to create an inclined path that would allow us to ascend diagonally. In other words, we needed to create a path that pierced through the underground passage above and reached the surface of Carnela Port.

From the beginning, the Imperial Army never believed they could reclaim Carnela Port without any damage. They didn’t harbor such naive thoughts. If they were bound to incur some casualties, they didn’t mind causing some destruction themselves. Their priority was to swiftly and efficiently send as many soldiers as possible into the depths of Carnela Port.

“…!”

I carved a hole towards the surface, similar in width to the underground passage we had dug. The drainage channel and the ground seemed to melt, transforming into sand, and even the neatly laid cobblestones on the surface turned into sand. I put all my strength into it…. and forcefully pushed into the sand that had been created, and right then, with a powerful surge, the sand got launched out of the hole almost like a dragon’s breath.

From the newly formed hole, gentle sunlight poured in, accompanied by the sound of structures collapsing and turning into rubble. They must have been swallowed by the torrent of sand. Did I go too far? I briefly wondered, but there was no time to dwell on such things.

“Go! Go! Go! Run!”

“””””Garrroooarrr!!!”””””

Marcellus bellowed out orders. After transforming into our demon forms, we raced up the incline, aiming for the surface. Leading the charge, I ran while reinforcing the walls to ensure the hastily constructed hole wouldn’t collapse. The fruits of my daily control training were apparent even in this situation.

As I sprinted through the hole I had created, I found myself in the heart of Carnela Port’s downtown area. I spotted the tall brothel where we had taken a break during our infiltration mission. It remained as desolate as ever, devoid of people… or rather, enemies. I was relieved that we didn’t emerge right in the midst of enemy ranks.

With a sense of relief, I surveyed the surroundings of the hole. To the north, many buildings had crumbled due to the transformed sand, but conversely, the south remained intact. It seemed that pushing the sand out diagonally had proven successful.

As I unsheathed the two swords from my waist, I climbed onto the roof of the tallest building on the south side. From there, I surveyed the entire Carnela Port, and it seemed that, as planned, the Imperial army had launched their attack from three locations, including this one.

(One of them is not too far from here, on the outskirts of the downtown area. It’s slightly north of here, so like this area, there are hardly any enemies in the vicinity. The problem is…)

While we initiated our surprise assault from underground, the attack on Carnela Port from the surface had also commenced. It involved more intense long-range bombardment than before. Thanks to that, the enemy’s presence seemed concentrated on the southern side, where the outer walls stood, with only a few stragglers in the warehouse district and elsewhere.

Due to this situation, there was no sign of the enemy around us. However, the third location posed a problem. The exit there was in the southern section, which used to be the slums but now served as barracks for the Republic army. Naturally, there were plenty of enemies there, and the fighting had likely already begun. Will they be alright?

(Hm? Are those figures emerging from that passageway demons?)

The ones responsible for creating that location’s hole appeared to be the demons created by Karelvo. Karelvo’s demons had suffered numerous casualties throughout the battles, but their numbers hadn’t diminished. If anything, they seemed to be increasing.

It seemed that while we were busy digging the underground passage, Karelvo had been busy producing more demons in the rear. Criminals and low-class subjects were transformed into ferocious demons that were mere disposable forces capable of engaging in combat to some extent. The Empire seemed to be quite fond of this utterly ruthless strategy. What a disturbing thing to do.

These demons charged forward fearlessly and recklessly, one could say. They fell, riddled with gunfire, collapsing in a heap, but those who managed to withstand the bullets would leap into close combat, tearing apart ordinary armored soldiers with their fangs and claws. Despite the risks of their rampage, they undeniably possessed the strength to break through and were recognized as useful assets on the battlefield.

“Decius’ unit, defend this hole at all costs! The remaining units, completely seize control of the port and warehouse district! Mr. Scorpion and the others, advance south and divert the enemies’ attention near the outer walls as much as possible!” Marcellus commanded.

That was Marcellus’ order. We obeyed the command and sprinted southward. We didn’t bother taking narrow alleys. Instead, like myself, most demons climbed onto rooftops and leaped from one to another. Meanwhile, Mika and the others flew above us, following our movements closely.

As soon as we started running across the rooftops, we spotted a group of armored soldiers approaching from the south. Naturally, not only I but also my companions had them in their line of sight. I sent a hand signal, and a few members of Tigar’s squad jumped down from the rooftops.

“Garrrrooarrr!”

“Gruuuuon!”

They landed right in front of the armored soldiers, roaring as they charged forward. It seemed the soldiers were taken aback, perhaps not expecting an attack from above. However, despite the initial disruption, they quickly regained composure and began firing at them from a safe distance.

But just as they started shooting, Zald and the others jumped down from the rooftops, launching a surprise assault from directly above. This two-pronged attack proved to be effective, as the group of armored soldiers was crushed without being able to put up much resistance. Ah, this two-pronged surprise attack strategy is quite useful. I’ll remember that.

After dealing with the armored soldiers, Tigar and the others climbed back up to the rooftops and resumed running alongside us. The downtown area was vast, but with our speed, we didn’t need much time to run through it. While taking down all enemies in our path, we swiftly reached a spot where we could see the first outer wall…. which is the innermost wall of the Port.

As usual, there were numerous warehouses surrounding the outer wall that housed those self-propelled artilleries (War Chariots). The other buildings near the warehouses were still in good condition, but I couldn’t hear the clattering noise I heard before. It seemed that being in the midst of battle, there was no time for unnecessary actions.

Below us, the armored soldiers were moving about in a state of confusion. They seemed unsure whether to ascend the outer wall or deal with the unexpected presence of those of us who emerged from underground. The situation was so sudden that they couldn’t make a quick judgment.

“It hasn’t been that long since then, but it feels nostalgic.”

Mika murmured softly behind me. Indeed, it hadn’t been a significant amount of time since we completed our infiltration mission. However, within that short span, many things had happened. Even the relationship between Mika and me had changed significantly. Somehow, I felt quite sentimental…

Ah, there, that building was the one I destroyed in a flashy way. Now it has been neatly repaired. Seeing it, I couldn’t help but be curious, so I focused and searched for any signs of activity in the surroundings.

I could sense about eight strong presences inside the inner part of the outer wall. They were likely white-armored soldiers. Among them, two of the presences were swiftly heading towards the central area of the barracks, near the hole that had been created there. It seemed those two were making their way there to deal with the situation.

However, the most important thing was that I couldn’t sense any presence of the Popi race within my range. It could be assumed that those who were captured at that time had managed to escape safely. Relieved, I let out a sigh of relief.

“■■■■■!”

“■■! ■■■■!”

Oh, it seemed they finally noticed us on the rooftop. The armored soldiers pointed at us and mercilessly showered us with a hail of bullets. I jumped down from the roof and landed; then I used the strength of my exoskeleton to charge forward before slaying the armored soldiers without mercy. Tigar and the others followed suit, and together, we easily dispatched around a hundred of them.

“…”

After that, I created sand using my spiritual art, before shaping the sand particles into spears and hurling them toward the buildings surrounding the outer wall. Just like before, as the sand spears pierced the structures, they exploded, demolishing the buildings.

The inner parts of the buildings, protected by the outer wall, couldn’t have dramatically improved their defenses within such a short time. Just like before, the sand spears lodged themselves and exploded, creating significant holes in the buildings and igniting fires due to the impact. Demons skilled in spiritual arts like Sharl also joined in destroying the buildings, causing the damage to escalate rapidly.

“■■■!?”

“■■■, ■■■■!

Our flashy rampage had paid off, as the enemies were now flocking towards us from different directions. Even the white-armored soldiers on the outer wall seemed to be redirecting their attention away from Marcellus’ group and towards us.

It appeared that we had succeeded in our mission of luring the enemy. From this point on, we had to fight in order to survive. I firmly gripped my two swords once again and pounced on the group of incoming enemies.

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TN: I don’t remember everything, but those buildings are supposed to have some chemicals or stakes that upon impact explode. That’s why they exploded once attacked by sand spears. Mc’s sand spears don’t have exploding properties to my knowledge.