Chapter 85: East Asia Line Defense Battle (3)
Bang!
The precisely aimed shells struck the front line of the invading enemies.
A dangerously accurate fire capable of hitting retreating allies with even a slight deviation. However, those fleeing expressed no complaints about it.
With the explosion sound, they instinctively turned around. It gleamed in their field of vision.
Charging at the front was a giant wild boar. The grotesque creature had three legs on the left and five on the right, with deeply sunk compound eyes gleaming as it let out a bizarre wail.
Grrr-oooor Grrr-ook.
The source of that strange sound, entirely unlike a pig’s, was the sound of it spewing disgusting filth from its mouth.
“Evacuate!”
At the order of the squad leader, the squad members quickly scattered into a defensive line. The dark slime spread in a beast-like trajectory fell where the swiftly scattering members had been.
Chiiiiiick!
Making an ominous sound, it started to rot the ground.
Kiik-kik! Aim better, you stupid pig!
In a situation where they were being chased, it was impossible to comprehend this bizarre scenario.
Surely, perched atop the boar’s head were monsters. Not just any monsters but particularly weak small variants.
Even a civilian with a club could handle those feeble beings. The wild boar monster, getting hit and bullied by such a creature, was undoubtedly a creature comparable to A-Rank.
“Squad leader! This is strange! We need to report to higher ups…”
“Shut up and run!”
‘As if they don’t know this situation!’
Countless thoughts began to swirl in the squad leader’s mind. ‘This situation is definitely odd.’
Though he was called a squad leader, in the Association, a squad has a different meaning. Many special teams, like tactical suppression or strike units, are considered special forces.
And this squad leader was a veteran who survived the battlefield even before the Association was founded. Even he sensed a strange discomfort in this situation. ‘Like that thing.’
When he turned his head, the boar wasn’t charging at full speed but matching the stride of the enemies trailing behind, as if to suggest that this incident was orchestrated by someone.
Damn it. If that’s the case, we’re in deep trouble.
The collapse of the Great Barrier was already a significant issue, but if a command entity had appeared…
A multitude of battlefields filled his mind. Memories from the days before the Great Barrier, when people were ground up to maintain the frontline.
“Has there been any contact from the command?”
“The last message was to return to the branch as quickly as possible!”
“Quit the nonsense! I could give that kind of order myself!”
What was needed now was to grasp the positions of the scattered soldiers, send support, and quickly gather them to start a counterattack.
‘But to gather them without support all the way to that far branch? They might as well have said they were sacrificing troops for a demon summoning.’
Shriek.
As the squad leader sank deeply into thought, the wild boar’s wailing echoed again in the soldiers’ ears.
Bang! Bam!
Before the squad leader could issue a scattering order, shells rained down from the sky, momentarily halting the boar’s movement.
Nice shot!
Thanks to that, the squad could keep running straight without slowing down, reestablishing the distance that had briefly closed with the enemy.
Although the nearby shell explosions covered the squad members in dust, nobody could think to complain in the chaos of the battlefield.
“What on earth is the command thinking? I’m going to interrogate them endlessly through the communicator!”
Was it the squad leader’s fervent wish?
“Urgent contact from the command!”
Even amidst this chaos, the communication soldier shouted.
‘Support?’
Even while running at full speed, they turned to look at the communication soldier, despite knowing that even turning their heads would reduce their speed.
Perhaps it was their desperate hope.
“Due to nearby civilians, protect them while you retreat!”
‘Is that it?’
Following that, there were words detailing their coordinates and numbers, but the information was not particularly helpful.
It’s over!
The communication ended like that.
“Hand me the receiver!”
The squad leader, seething with anger, snatched the receiver from the communication soldier.
“Command, respond! The current patrol unit EA-34 has the capacity to…”
Crackle. Beep-beep-beep!
It seemed that the earlier communication had been a miracle, for all he could hear now was static.
“Squad leader, what shall we do? It appears the communication isn’t functioning properly.”
At this point, they could use the communication problem as an excuse to feign ignorance. Such was the whisper carrying meaning.
“What about the ammunition?”
“We have about two magazines each left.”
“What about the enhanced powder and grenades?”
“Almost consumed.”
“Can we reach the artillery unit?”
“It’s difficult.”
Even now, shells poured as if to maintain the frontline at all costs. The squad members could feel it acutely with just a slight turn of their heads.
There was no place beyond the horizon where flames didn’t erupt.
“Throw all the remaining grenades to the back.”
“We’re heading to a designated location. We can’t lure the enemy’s main force to where there are civilians, so we’ll widen the distance here.”
The squad leader’s order began to spread among the squad members. Though everyone frowned, they soon assumed resolute expressions and took their steps.
A squad that had been running in a straight line changed direction, each member throwing the grenades they held to regain their lost speed.
The silver-spherical grenades left the hands of the rear squad members and fell before the monsters.
Beep.
The grenade emitted an electronic sound that seemed out of place, making its presence felt.
“Look! It’s shining! An expensive one!”
Click.
As the shiny outer layer peeled away, small orbs and laser emitters were revealed.
With a brief motor sound, the laser emitter traced intricate lines, creating a magic circle in the air.
“Ughh…”
Simultaneously with the monster’s confused cry, the magic circle began to absorb the abundant power of the Otherworld around.
Ka-boom!
It exploded, blowing away everything around. A type of magical grenade that had become common in recent times, albeit a bit on the pricey side.
“The supply officer is going to hear about this directly!”
“I hope we survive to tell the tale.”
Even in the midst of such jokes, grenades continued to be thrown to the back. Perhaps it was because they were a squad that had worked together for a long time.
Without needing to say a word, each continued to throw grenades after the explosions.
“We’re out of grenades now!”
“Scatter grenades too! We’ll shake them off here!”
“Damn it. Is it really tough with individual weapons? If we had artillery support.”
In the squad leader’s eyes, the monsters were still desperately pursuing them.
Although the small monsters or low-tier enemies were swept away by the continued explosions, the main force of the enemy monsters merely had a leg or skin stripped away. They maintained their massive bodies, still obsessively chasing the squad.
“What about civilian locations?”
“All accounted for! We’ll come into contact in about 5 minutes!”
“5 minutes…”
“If this goes on, we won’t be able to guarantee their safety upon contact.”
“I know.”
The squad leader said that while blankly gazing up at the sky, hoping that shells wouldn’t rain down concentrated on their position.
While a few shells did fall behind the squad members, it was insufficient to halt the monsters’ dash. The squad leader firmly pressed on his helmet and spoke up.
“Can everyone carry a civilian while running? It’s only about 100 kg.”
“We can run, but the civilians and we will all probably die.”
“That’s true.”
Even now, they were barely maintaining distance by running at full speed. The squad leader had only tossed out that remark to shift the conversation momentarily.
The main point was what would come next.
“Support personnel report in within 3 minutes. Those whom you leave behind will die.”
The vice squad leader said nothing in reply, instead pressing the earphone to relay the order.
There was a brief murmur of conversations, but some individuals calmly indicated their participation.
“I won’t be dying alone.”
“You planned on staying behind, didn’t you? What’s your plan regarding command?”
Only after hearing that did the squad leader recall, and he tossed the command insignia to the vice squad leader.
“I’m leaving it to you. Lead the way to the branch somehow.”
The small insignia landed in the vice squad leader’s hand as it flew through the air.
The insignia was roughly torn, with some fabric still hanging from it.
The vice squad leader quietly observed the insignia, then pocketed it and spoke up.
“Are you referring to the civilians or the subordinates?”
“Both.”
“I’ll do my best.”
After their conversation ended, a brief salute was exchanged between them. It seemed that action, which had not occurred ever since entering the Association, conveyed the mindset with which he headed to the battlefield.
“Let’s go, guys!”
Accepting all the equipment except for basic firearms from the squad members, about ten individuals charged forward in the opposite direction of the fleeing personnel.
Against the flow of those escaping, they appeared as a desperate charge towards the enemy.
A path split to let them pass, and some from the rear fired their guns to support them.
It was a simple projectile that had not been magically enhanced or processed, but the bullets ricocheted off the charging wild boar’s flesh, yet the sentiment behind that act reached the desperate squad.
“Fire!”
The former squad leader, now the squad member leader of the charge, shouted, and scatter grenades soared into the sky.
Perhaps reflecting their resolve to protect the frontline until the end, the grenades soared precisely without a hint of deviation.
Boom!
The coating of the scatter grenades began to peel away, glowing in the air as it absorbed the power of the Otherworld.
“I thought it was just a monetary waste. If we’re going to use magic anyway, I should’ve asked the higher-ups to enhance the support bombardment.”
The squad leader’s thoughts raced as he recalled.
“I didn’t expect it to help in this scenario. I must cancel that request.”
The scatter grenades, overflowing with the power of the Otherworld, displayed an unimaginable force as they exploded.
The heat and shockwave from the explosion reached the desperate squad members.
“Prepare for impact!”
Squad members knelt and grimaced against the flying debris.
Even as mud infiltrated their eyes and stone shards tore at their skin, they endured, determined to secure this location for just one more minute.
“We can’t fall like this.”
Such thoughts rose within their hearts.
If they could only be stopped by these scatter grenades, the enemies would have never chased them this far.
Kneeling and preparing for the next shot, the dust storm created by the grenades cleared, revealing the monsters.
They halted their charge, dripping a bit of blood from their skin, gazing menacingly with fierce eyes.
They were no longer prey but looked upon them with hostility.
“Grrrrroooar!”
For the first time, the boar that had been tormenting the squad roared.
In response, the squad leader’s countering voice rang out, “Don’t be scared! Stand and die! It’s better this way! The longer we hold, the farther they will go!”
The squad leader’s intimidating shout rang out.
In reality, such a roar was meaningless, a mere bluster. It was an act aimed at delaying their charge, drawing attention.
Across the battlefield, their sacrifices would mean nothing whatsoever.
This location was merely a small part of all the fronts. The entities of the Otherworld on other fronts were charging toward the branch like water pouring from a dam.
Still, they quietly glared at the monsters, aiming to slightly raise the chances of survival for the civilians and their comrades, hoping to divert the monster’s attention.
Hrrrmm.
The sound of the boar’s breath. The ground trembling beneath its charging steps.
The stance dropping low in preparation for their charge.
As they prepared to dash, the moment arrived.
“Launch!”
The second scatter grenade was launched.
“Grrrroooar!”
However, it didn’t go as well as the first grenade did.
Were the monsters gaining awareness that they could withstand the power of the grenades? They charged toward the grenades and reached right before the desperate squad in spite of the explosions.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The numerous footfalls of the monsters reverberated through the ground. Even while feeling such vibrations, why did they stand their ground?
Until the very last moment, they aimed their guns, embracing the prospect of their own demise.
Zap!
Lightning glowing brightly from the darkness descended upon them.
A battering ram wrapped in black mist landed between them.
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