Welcome to Hell!

Chapter 112: The Carnela Port Recapture Operation (19)

While deftly evading the flying bullets, I relentlessly slashed through the enemy lines, determined to keep them fixated on me more than anyone else. Ordinary armored soldiers posed no threat, unlike the white-armored ones. Until the true threat arrived, I intended to dispose of every Ordinary soldier in sight, if possible.

“■■■■■!”

“■■■■!”

However, the threat came sooner than expected…. the white-armored soldiers. Three of them approached, targeting me as the one causing the most havoc. They probably wanted to put an end to my rampage. As expected.

I prepared to confront them with my two swords and tail, but there were others who stepped in before me. It was Tigar and Zald, standing to my right and left, respectively. They intercepted the attacks from two of the three incoming white-armored soldiers.

“Leave these guys to us!”

“We’ll handle at least one of them each!”

Engaging with three white-armored soldiers simultaneously was a challenging task. That’s when these two skilled allies came to provide support. It was incredibly helpful. Then I’ll give them to you guys.

Let’s focus on the white-armored soldier who I intercepted with my tail. The weapon he wielded was a poleaxe similar to the one Alexander used. Are you stronger than my master? I’m looking forward to fighting you, even if just for a little while.

“Gah!”

“■■■?!”

I delivered a forceful kick to the white-armored soldier standing before me, sending him flying. His armor seemed to be enhanced by activating the spiritual circuits within, but my kick broke through that reinforcement, causing his armor to warp. The white-armored soldier soared backward, flames erupting from his back as he temporarily suspended his movement in mid-air. Oh, so they can use it that way too.

As I marveled at the armor’s abilities, the white-armored soldier intensified the flames on his back, propelling himself even faster. With that speed, he swung the poleaxe downwards. I swiftly charged forward, intercepting the poleaxe with my black sword while simultaneously striking his torso with my white sword.

The handle of the poleaxe was caught by the blade of my sword. However, Hatakeyama’s blade boasted extraordinary sharpness. Without even employing the engraved spiritual circuits adorning its surface, I succeeded in severing the handle of the poleaxe.

“■■!”

“!?”

However, when the white-armored soldier pressed the severed handle against the connection point, it seamlessly fused back together as if nothing had happened. I had cut it; shouldn’t this be impossible? Well, there’s no point in pondering the reason now. It’s already evident that the Republic’s technology is impressive.

Skillfully manipulating the attached poleaxe, the white-armored soldier displayed a range of movements. Thrusting with the pointed end, slashing with the axe head, and delivering strikes with the pommel. The fluidity of his actions, coupled with the sheer size of the weapon, made each attack formidable.

“Gaaah!”

“■■■!?”

However, none of those moves came close to matching Alexander’s abilities. The enemy’s raw strength and martial prowess were decent, and his martial skills might even be slightly superior to mine. But compared to the Alexander I once admired, he was far inferior.

There’s nothing more to see here. It was time for me to go on the offensive. Discarding defense, I relentlessly attacked with both swords in my hands and the poisonous stinger on my tail. The enemy retaliated, but his strikes were all absorbed by my sturdy exoskeleton. Through sheer force, I gradually cornered the white-armored soldier in front of me.

“■■■■■!”

The white-armored soldier forcefully swung the poleaxe, attempting to deter me, and then swiftly retreated while jets of flames erupted from his back. Without hesitation, I tried to pursue him, but in an instant, the white-armored soldier aimed the pointed end of the poleaxe at me. A sense of unease washed over me, and instinctively, I shielded my face with the black sword.

Immediately afterward, to my surprise, the poleaxe extended at bullet-like speed! I deflected the pointed end with the black sword and continued moving forward. The poleaxe and the black sword scraped against each other, creating intense sparks.

However, I had successfully thwarted his hidden move. To swing the poleaxe directly, he needed to retract the weapon first. This flaw could be considered a weakness in his polearm-extending attack method.

I couldn’t let this opportunity slip away. Continuing my advance, I raised the white sword high overhead. Stepping deep into the white-armored soldier’s guard… then, with a swing of my tail from behind, I deflected the axe head that was approaching from behind.

“■■!?”

“Gagugiga, gigegegunga!” (Bad move; I can see behind me too!)

It seemed that the white-armored soldier had been manipulating the extended poleaxe in some manner, as it bent crookedly behind me, aiming to penetrate my back. However, it was his miscalculation because he didn’t know my compound eyes were also positioned on my back. Since I could see the incoming attack from behind me, I could easily defend myself.

This must have been his trump card, intending to finish off the one who had successfully defended against his extending poleaxe attack on the first encounter. However, he had chosen the wrong opponent. Did he really not anticipate being blocked? The white-armored soldier momentarily froze in disbelief. Seizing that moment, I deeply slashed his abdomen with the white sword.

“■■■……!”

The white sword cut deeply from his side, piercing through the armor to his spine. My original intent was to bisect his torso, but he managed to evade it at the last moment.

Nevertheless, it was evident that this was a fatal blow. The white-armored soldier crumbled to the ground, releasing his crooked poleaxe. He was still alive, likely due to his fighting spirit providing him with first aid. Despite the intense pain and bleeding, his ability to manipulate his fighting spirit was top-notch.

However, there was no doubt that this was a decisive strike from which he would not recover. Even though I couldn’t completely sever him in two, he was now in a similar state. Even now, blood gushed from the wound, along with organs spilling out. Any attempts to provide medical treatment would be in vain. It was a state where any life-sustaining measures would only prolong his suffering until his inevitable demise.

“■■……■…………”

I was the one who dealt the final blow to the white-armored soldier, but it was a pitiful sight. I have no interest in tormenting others, so I swiftly put an end to the suffering of the barely alive soldier by injecting my poisonous stinger into his neck.

After confirming that he was no longer moving, I glanced over at Tigar and Zald. I entrusted them with the task of stopping the other two white armored soldiers since they had honed their martial skills, but there was no doubt that the white-armored soldiers were formidable opponents to face on your own. Their fighting spirit and spiritual power were immense, and they wielded unique weapons such as the transforming armor and the poleaxe that extended and bent around. They were not only strong but also cunning warriors, capable of delivering a fatal blow to those encountering them for the first time.

“Gaooooo! You’re strong, damn it!”

Facing such white-armored soldiers, both Tigar and Zald put up a valiant fight. Tigar engaged in a fierce duel with the white-armored soldier, who wielded a similar greatsword, unleashing purple lightning from his entire body. Despite facing a white-armored soldier who surpassed him in equipment, strength, and skill, he fought without yielding an inch.

His fighting style was far from elegant, resorting to biting with his fangs in close combat or targeting the knees and groin when on the verge of being overwhelmed. However, there was no denying that he effectively used his honed kicks while fully harnessing his power as a demon. Personally, I admired his wholehearted approach to fighting in order to achieve victory.

“Wuooooon! He’s tough…! Can’t this sword break through?”

On the other hand, Zald’s opponent was a bulky, white-armored soldier who wielded a war hammer one size larger than what Tuhru used. He swung the massive weapon with sheer force. The power contained in the war hammer was tremendous, and a direct hit would surely be fatal.

However, his emphasis on power resulted in all of his swings being wide and easy to dodge. Particularly for Zald, who was a “Slashing Phantom Wolf” demon, using sharp claws and fangs to hunt his prey while making it difficult to perceive his own presence. Dodging attacks was a breeze for him.

But it seemed that the white-armored soldier wielding the war hammer had accounted for the openings created by his wide swings. His armor was notably thick and reinforced by spiritual circuits, making it impenetrable to Zald’s sword. Zald attempted to slip his blade through the gaps, but the enemy anticipated his intentions and twisted his body to block the attack.

Both of them still seemed capable of fighting, but it appeared unlikely that they could win as things stood right now. My part in the battle was over, so it was time for me to provide assistance. Zald should be the first to lend a hand. Tigar was at a slight disadvantage, but Zald, who couldn’t land a single blow, had an incredibly disadvantageous matchup.

“■■■…■■?”

“Hah! Take this!”

The moment the white-armored soldier swung down his war hammer, shattering the ground, I leaped forward and pressed down on the handle to hold it down. The soldier’s attempt to lift the war hammer came to a halt. Understanding this, Zald swiftly emerged and thrust his longsword into the gap beside him.

The white-armored soldier let out a scream of agony, and simultaneously, his armor glowed. Zald jumped back reflexively before multiple explosions occurred around the soldier’s armor. Considering the situation, it was likely a counterattack mechanism embedded in the armor. To rely on defense and generate a spiritual art that engulfs oneself… It was a forceful but effective method.

“■■, ■■■, ■■!”

“……!”

Though I couldn’t understand the words, the soldier probably cursed at me, who was caught in the blast while swinging his war hammer down. I remained lying on the ground and intercepted the attack by crossing both my swords and my tail. The swords creaked, and the outer skeleton of my tail developed cracks. However, I created an opening… Zald, now’s your chance!

With a swift movement, Zald circled around to the blind spot of the white-armored soldier and accurately slid his longsword into the gap between the helmet and armor. Before the soldier could counterattack, Zald swiftly withdrew his sword that had cut through his neck and retreated. Blood gushed forcefully from the wound.

The force of the war hammer, aimed at crushing me, noticeably weakened. I swung both arms and my tail, deflecting the weapon, and drove my swords into the sides of the soldier’s torso. Simultaneously, Zald pierced the gap in the armor from behind with his longsword. It was undoubtedly a fatal blow.

“■■■■■!”

Realizing his impending death, the white-armored soldier mustered his final strength and rapidly increased his spiritual power. As a result, the glow emanating from his armor became overwhelmingly stronger than before.

Intuitively, I sensed that he was attempting to take us down with him rather than accepting defeat. Therefore, I vigorously swung my tail, sweeping away the white-armored soldier. His body soared through the air, tracing an arc… and detonated violently in mid-air.

“Doaaaaaa!?”

The explosion caused several buildings to collapse, and my comrades who were fighting on the battlefield were knocked down by the blast’s impact. In particular, Tigar, who had been fighting closest to the explosion, was sent flying backward.

However, it wasn’t all bad news for him. After all, he was given the opportunity to regroup amidst a losing battle. I gently caught Tigar’s back with my tail as he flew towards me and set him down on the ground.

“That was close… huh?”

“Are they going to bring those things here?”

Tigar, who was about to charge at the white-armored soldier again, instinctively froze in his tracks. Zald, wearing an expression that seemed to convey disbelief, muttered to himself. In our line of sight, those self-propelled artilleries that had been parked in the warehouses began to move.