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Chapter 123: The Carnela Port Recapture Operation (30)

A large piece of rubble struck me directly in the abdomen, rendering any chance of course correction impossible, so I gave up on the idea of the sand cushion. However, it didn’t mean I had given up on survival. I had a mission to fulfill, one that I had carried since the day I was born.

(Strengthen the exoskeleton on my back! Deploy the sand shell! After that… huh?)

I fortified my defenses in every possible way, preparing for the impact of the imminent fall. However, the expected shattering impact didn’t come. Instead, the sand shell I had constructed to protect myself was gently caught by something soft with a gentle “poof” sound.

I couldn’t comprehend what had happened, but it seemed like I had been saved somehow. Puzzled, I removed the sand shell, and something palm-sized fell onto my head from above. Instinctively, I snatched it out of the air.

“…!”

“■■!■■■■!”

What fell onto my head was a small Popi, a member of the small humanoid Popi race. The sight of me seemed unexpected for the child-like Popi race member who was now struggling and shouting something in my hands. He spoke the language of the Republic… Could it be? Was he one of the Popi people I had rescued?

Perhaps he was the one who had saved me as well. No, considering the situation, it was highly likely. If that were the case, he would be my benefactor! I couldn’t repay kindness with hostility. So, I gently set the Popi member down on the ground.

“Gagugegegugege, gagigago.” (Thank you for saving me.)

“■■…? ■■■!”

I bowed my head in gratitude to the Popi race member I had set on the ground. Though we couldn’t communicate well with words, he seemed to understand that I held no ill intent and that I was expressing my appreciation. And then, as if it were all a lie, the initially timid little guy now stood confidently before me while puffing out his chest.

As I cherished the heartwarming moment, I felt something touching my two swords. I glanced back, using the compound eyes on the back of my head, to see the cause. It was another Popi race member who had reached out to them.

Why were they touching my swords? The answer to that question came quickly. They pulled the swords slightly from their scabbards and gently touched the blades, causing them to glow faintly. It seemed to be the special ability of material transformation that was unique to the Popi race. But for what purpose?

After the Popi race members left, I decided to draw my two swords. To my surprise, they appeared to be in pristine condition, as good as new. Could it be that they had taken care of my swords? I had always assumed it was Mika who did it, but perhaps it had been them all along?

“Cough, cough! Are there any survivors? Anyone! If you’re alive, respond!”

The voice of an imperial soldier came from the swirling dust raised by the collapsing wall. In response, the Popi people swiftly vanished at a speed even my compound eyes couldn’t keep up with.

Just like the other Popi races on this continent, they seemed to avoid contact with other humanoid races, especially since these particular ones had a history of being subjected to forced labor by the Khan race. It was only natural that they didn’t want to be seen.

However, I wanted to show my gratitude properly. But I had nothing to offer… No, there was one thing I could give that only I possessed.

“…”

I pulled out the poisonous stinger from the tip of my tail at its base. Blood stained the base as I forcefully yanked it out, but I wiped it off with my hand and then tossed it in the direction where the Popi members had been standing. With a gentle underhand throw, I ensured it wouldn’t be seen as an attack. Still and all, before it hit the ground, it vanished in a flash.

I knew exactly where the stinger had gone. Satisfied, I stood up after giving my newly grown tail stinger a big swing. The bombardment from the fleet seemed to have ceased already, and there were no sounds of explosions or collapsing structures. Only the screams of surviving imperial soldiers and voices expressing concern echoed through the rubble-filled Carnela Port.

◇◆◇◆◇◆

In the spring of the 826th year of the Altera period, the Imperial Army succeeded in recapturing Carnela Port. Initially, they had tried to overpower the Republic’s defenses with their massive army, but the Republic’s forces held their ground, and recapturing the port wasn’t an easy task.

So, the Imperial Army resorted to digging underground passageways to send soldiers in through there. The plan was simple, but executing it swiftly would catch the Republic’s forces off guard and lead to a successful surprise attack.

The unit that infiltrated behind the frontlines during the large-scale diversion attack employed soldiers familiar with the terrain. Thanks to this advantage, they managed to subdue the defenders while the diversionary forces kept the Republic’s troops occupied.

Trapped within the outer walls they had meant to defend at Carnela Port, the Republic’s forces chose to retreat rather than fight to the end. Then, after opening the gates, they used thick armored self-propelled artillery as shields and offered moderate resistance while making a mad dash northward to escape.

Naturally, the Imperial Army pursued them, launching attacks on their fleeing backs and employing fast cavalry to chase them down. However, they couldn’t eliminate all of them. After all, even though they emerged victorious, the Imperial Army couldn’t spare the full force of their pursuit.

The reason that depleted the Imperial Army’s resources was the bombardment of artillery fire from the fleet floating on the sea. Of course, the Imperial Army didn’t ignore the Republic’s fleet either. They organized a unit of spiritualists capable of flight, armed them with powerful bombs that had a proven track record of destroying Republic battleships, and sent them on a mission.

However, despite their efforts, they couldn’t render the fleet powerless. There were unexpected disruptions in the air that hindered their plans.

Based on the analysis of Republic military technology, the bombs were now producible in large quantities compared to when they were first created. With enough of these bombs secured, the plan was to drop them from a high altitude and have the fleet vanish like sea debris. The spiritualists tasked with the bombing were thrilled at the prospect of easily earning military merit.

Nevertheless, the Republic’s forces had prepared meticulously. When the spiritualist unit arrived above the Republic fleet, they were met by ten white-armored soldiers ready to intercept, flames jetting from their armor’s backs.

This forced the spiritualists into a fierce battle against formidable foes. Despite the surprise, they did not cower or flee. They were skilled elite soldiers of the Imperial Army, proficient in the complicated art of flying. Not only were they larger in number, but they were also adept at aerial combat. They believed that they could handle the situation and decided to drop the bombs and retreat instead of backing down.

The spiritualists’ judgment was accurate, yet at the same time, it was also flawed. They evaded the attacks of the white-armored soldiers who came to intercept them with three-dimensional movements. These white-armored soldiers seemed to be individuals skilled in aerial combat, but they were burdened with heavy armor, despite having spiritual circuits engraved in it. They couldn’t keep up with the spiritualists’ agility and maneuverability.

As the spiritualists continued to drop the bombs, something took flight from the largest battleship, ascending faster than a cannonball and joining the aerial fray. The spiritualists were astonished when they saw its appearance. It was a soldier two sizes larger than the white-armored soldiers and gleamed with a golden hue.

Though initially surprised, the spiritualists quickly grew wary of this golden-armored soldier, even more so than the white-armored soldiers. The reason being that this guy’s armor lacked any form of weaponry.

White armor was capable of transforming into weapons, so every white-armored soldier they had encountered so far had carried separate armaments. However, this golden-armored soldier had no weapons whatsoever. It was as if he had no need for them. The spiritualists couldn’t explain why, but they all reached the same conclusion in an instant.

And their conclusion was proven correct. When the white-armored soldiers caught sight of the golden-armored soldier, they came to an abrupt halt. Well, strictly speaking, they weren’t entirely motionless; they were trembling.

“■■■■■?”

The golden-armored soldier murmured something, his voice reaching the ears of all the combatants in the sky, despite its softness. Upon hearing this, the white-armored soldiers were rendered immobile, trembling with fear. Without anyone giving orders, the spiritualist unit unleashed their spiritual art on the golden-armored soldier.

Their attacks all struck the golden-armored soldier directly, yet they couldn’t even leave a scratch, let alone pierce his shining armor. Unfazed, the golden-armored soldier casually waved a hand, and suddenly… almost all the members of the spiritualist unit perished.

A few managed to survive, but due to the explosion of bombs carried by fallen spiritualists, all except one were wiped out. The sole survivor managed to return and report the failure of the Republic’s fleet’s extermination before succumbing to exhaustion.

The existence of an enemy surpassing even the white-armored soldiers, the golden-armored soldier, became apparent. However, there was some good news for the Imperial Army too. The newly deployed demons proved to be extremely effective as a new force on the battlefield.

Demons were synthetic beasts based on the human species, a kind of superhuman possessing far superior physical abilities and regenerative powers compared to regular humans. While their characteristics varied depending on the strength of the materials used, there were no recorded cases of them being weaker than their original human form.

Even by combining with livestock or easily captured small to medium-sized wild creatures, they were significantly enhanced compared to their human forms. A weak and untrained man could become as strong as an average soldier in the empire. Of course, if one aimed to defeat armored soldiers single-handedly, careful selection of materials was necessary, but that could be easily overcome by sheer numbers. There was no easier way to amass military strength.

While Karelvo’s demons had the disadvantage of being bloodthirsty and prone to running amok, it actually worked to their advantage on the battlefield. They charged forward without any trace of fear, allowing them to be used as robust soldiers with endless reserves if firmly controlled by the binding spiritual art. Recognizing this capability, the Imperial Army decided to mass-produce these demons and form guerrilla units composed of them.

Upon hearing of their performance, the coalition army that was supporting the central front offered to provide materials for these demons in exchange for their production by the empire. The first deployment of demons was on the central front, and they were the ones who first took note of their strength. With a mass production system in place, it was only natural for them to request the creation of more of these entities since they were willing to provide materials.

The empire was one of the countries supporting the Eastern Front but also a member of the coalition army opposing the republic’s invasion. As a result, they never turned down formal requests and, in fact, were delighted to collect data on the demons.

The coalition army, equipped with the newfound power of demons, was not the only side gaining an advantage. The Republic also increased the deployment of their white armored soldiers on the battlefield and upgraded their already threatening armor and guns to even more advanced versions.

The war intensified, and both sides engaged in a fierce back-and-forth, clashing repeatedly at the borders of their respective territories. After going back and forth between victories and defeats, the coalition forces gradually pushed the front line back to the north.

Four years after the recapture of Carnela Port, in the winter of the 830th year of the Altera Period, the coalition army finally succeeded in reclaiming territory right up to the doorstep of a crucial Republic stronghold. However, this also meant that they had to engage in a fierce battle for control of the base.

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TN: This is the end of the second volume: Battle Slaves. Next chapter marks the start of the third Volume: Demon War.