Chapter 262

The prologue of the Second Battle began when the 1st Company of the Violet Battalion finally reached the first defensive line of the Federal Special Forces, which had crumbled.

As the loud footsteps echoing on the stone pavement and the distorted cries of beasts grew closer, the Ariel Group turned back.

“It’s time. You all step back! Support the evacuation in the rear!”

The girl who introduced herself as the Squad Leader of the Ariel Group waved her right arm, giving orders.

If an outsider were to join in the indiscriminate melee and firefight, they would only be a hindrance.

Between the steadfast unity of the Violets, they would undoubtedly act as unnecessary impurities.

The hunters trailing behind turned without a word. The senior officer leading the mobile unit spoke up as if he had been waiting.

“…We’ll regroup with another mobile unit and return. Terrorists.”

“Do as you please! Hurry up and go!”

Major Klein surveyed his surroundings. The faces of the relaxed soldiers and awakened mobile unit members showed a complex mix of emotions.

Joy at finally escaping this hellish place.

The discomfort of having cooperated with notorious terrorists.

Relief at not having to deal with those dreadfully violent killing machines for the time being.

‘There’s no one here with a foolish sense of vanity, right…?’

The major’s concerns turned out to be unwarranted.

Among the hunters retreating to the rear, whispers began to circulate.

One hunter who had volunteered to join muttered with a look of disbelief.

“Is that really a human? Not a robot? I haven’t seen them speak.”

“There’s no way a human could control a clone that level of intricacy, right?”

“By the way, that’s a girl, right? It’s hard to tell due to the recognition interference, but she seemed small.”

Despite the cute title, the hands of the Ariel Group were extremely cruel and destructive.

To those who did not perceive the network, Violets were merely a gathering of taciturn killing machines that rarely uttered a word unless necessary.

“Kiyaaak!”

“Uueeek!”

Fortunately, their cute cries and messy howls got drowned out amidst the sounds of gunfire and explosions.

A fortunate occurrence for the Ariel Group, which aimed for mystique.

And, they had seen too much to blindly reject this infamous terrorist organization.

A silent procession slowly advanced, stepping over the corpses of monsters.

Soldiers, who swung their swords mechanically like meat processors at a factory, were disturbingly calm.

The layered masks and goggles, along with the blurred and distorted images from the recognition interference, led observers to see them as unknown warriors.

Not only that, but these petite soldiers were both reckless and maddeningly violent.

They carved and shredded through the roars and screams of the monsters with their swords.

As they retreated from the defense line, the imaginations of those who faced the unyielding determination of the soldiers who would not hesitate to throw away their lives began to flare up gradually.

“Hey, remember the rumors from the last Magnavis incident? They said it was the Federal Clones…”

“Nah, no way. I heard those Luminexa folks made bio-weapons that were half-human, half-monster.”

The whispers spread among the soldiers.

“Commander, are those guys really a secret unit created by the higher-ups?”

“I can’t say for sure.”

The Deputy Mobile Unit Leader, seeing the major’s exhausted appearance, kept his mouth shut. If an officer from the academy didn’t know, it must really be unknown.

Around the time they had retreated a bit from the defense line, the sound of wind slicing above them suddenly reached their ears. The major looked up and couldn’t help but frown.

“Uh, wait? Isn’t that the sound of our military mortars? Surely they’re not—”

“There’s artillery mixed in. It’s outdated and only used by the rear units. When did they prepare that?”

While the sounds of impacts echoed from the defense line, the major couldn’t help but think.

‘Could those people really be a secret unit of the federation?’

Above in the sky, chaotic wings flared. The hang glider squad faced a miserable defeat.

“No! We’re going down!”

It is said that everything falling has wings. Unfortunately, the fire from flying monsters resembling rays scorched the wings of the hang gliders. I truly fell without any wings.

“Uugyaah!”

The flying squad fought against the ray creatures with machine guns and crossbows, but they were much faster and nimbler than us.

This must be what it looks like when biplanes from World War I battle fighter jets from World War II.

“Hang on! It’s dangerous if we lose air superiority!”

Fortunately, while the flying squad was tied up in the sky, ground battles went smoothly.

Our battalion steadily advanced, blocking the tide of monsters.

“Democracy!”

“Liberation!”

As the first close combat began to falter, the monsters attempted to initiate a ranged attack.

Various types of gunfire pierced through us.

“Get down!”

“Take cover! Take cover!”

What came flying were the aging bullets of ghouls, spines infused with magical power, and poison needles.

“Kyaaak!”

And various forms of magic!

The Squad Leader Violet immediately called for fire support.

Fiercely pointing a finger filled with determination towards the enemies.

“Command Center! Request artillery support at designated locations!”

The will conveyed through the network connected immediately to the artillery units.

No need to pass along coordinates. Violet is the coordinates!

They heard the whizzing sound slicing through the air above. The shells flew in, striking the monster hoards.

Had the Apostle caught onto our attack? The monsters began trying to scatter, but at that moment, the Violets stuck to each monster.

“Don’t let them escape! Tie them up in close combat!”

“Broken Arrow!”

With a thunderous explosion, dust shot up into the sky. The remains of Violets and monsters alike soared upward together.

As the close-combat units started thinning out, more Violets rushed in to fill the gap.

“More shells! More shells!”

With a dazzling light, the Violet-made rockets rained down, slamming into the ground like screaming mortars.

The weak monsters that couldn’t withstand the bombardment were smashed to pieces.

The monsters that could endure thanks to Ether protection and physical abilities survived but flinched from the shock.

“Heavy Weapons Team, prepare!”

Once the initial barrage had passed, what remained were the stronger monsters capable of shrugging off shell fire.

Lightly, a finger gently pressed down on the tactical map.

Dotting the positions of the Violet heavy weapons team one by one as if tapping on a tablet.

“Missiles ready!”

“Recoilless guns ready! Machine guns completed!”

Like moving a mouse cursor, fingers selected the threatening monsters one by one.

“Attack!”

All of this takes less than a second within the Violet network.

The missiles flew lazily, following their targets. Within the crosshairs, the bright flashes ignited.

-Boom!

The specially made monster-destroying warhead crashed down onto the head of a bull-like monster, knocking it over.

As the bull monster fell, the larger monsters retreated temporarily, while the remaining smaller monsters surrounded it for protection.

Then came the heavy metallic sounds striking down at the monsters.

-Thud thud thud!

The fast grenade launchers and machine guns mounted on the rooftops of ruined buildings kept firing relentlessly.

“Reload!”

By the time the shells ran low, the ammunition-supporting Violets busily replaced the clips and belts.

With a sharp sound, the loading handle was pulled again. The hungry machine gun was now swallowing shells.

With each bang echoing through the air, the bodies of monsters burst open.

“Concentrated fire!”

Shells and bullets rained like wild clubs onto the bodies of the pig-like monsters.

The shimmering protective magical barrier flickering above its body gradually weakened.

At that moment, the rushing Violet assault squad shouted.

“It’s going to burst!”

-Bam!

The upper body of the pig giant, whose protection had weakened, was blown away in an explosion.

“Physical laws do not lie!”

To break through the Ether, you need Ether. This is common sense in Rustroom.

However, the truth is only half correct. The other half of the truth is this.

If you keep hitting it hard enough, you will eventually win. Physical laws are honest.

“Hit it! Hit it! Keep hitting it!”

“We need more ammunition!”

Even the tough skin or armor of the mid-large monsters altered by magical power could be ripped apart using heavy weapons.

Even the Ether protection surrounding its skin could be weakened or broken simply by beating it excessively.

Like primitive hunters chasing mammoths, I took down the powerful monsters one by one with concentrated fire.

What was necessary for victory were more bullets, shells, and explosives.

Yet sometimes, Ether would frustrate physical laws.

-Ting ting!

Ahead, a monster resembling a Tyrannosaurus, Kranos, charged at us.

As it opened its mouth, I attempted to control the heavy weapons team to subdue it.

The recoilless gun belched flames from its rear and spat out shells.

Now, I intended to sever its legs and suppress it when it flinched from the impact.

-Kakaaang!

The shell veered off uselessly into the sky.

In front of Kranos appeared a lattice-patterned curtain. Another fast-moving barrier!

Could there be monsters somewhere that called upon other barriers? Wardens or other beasts perhaps.

Without close combat or magic, our current firepower couldn’t penetrate.

“Emergency! Emergency! Monster warriors appearing!”

And once again, new monsters revealed themselves.

The monsters wielding swords and shields that had been suppressed by close-range self-destruction before. They guarded the mid-large monsters like soldiers safeguarding tanks, keeping a watchful eye around.

Monsters never seen before, not even studied in the academy.

The command center had roughly labeled them as monster warriors.

This was clearly a simple yet cunning ploy by the Apostle.

To place a monster capable of artillery behind barriers and surround it with monsters adept at close combat.

“No way!”

-Boom!

Not only that, but the monsters’ gunfire cleverly targeted only the Violets wearing explosive vests.

Self-destruction was also impossible.

As similar situations unfolded across all fronts, the command center devised a countermeasure.

“Their vigilance has increased! Self-destruction is eliminated!”

“Our vehicle units are still approaching! Break through the outpost and infiltrate inside the barrier!”

Adding to the misfortune, the flying monsters began targeting and attacking our heavy weapons units.

Those creatures, who had been favorably leading aerial combat against the hang gliders, comfortably bombarded the ground.

“No! Our artillery!”

“Anti-tank missile losses!”

The bullets from the ghoul snipers primarily targeted soldiers wielding formidable weapons.

Every ranged attack, from the lowest-class Scrags casters to the unknown monsters constantly firing light bullets, concentrated on Violets armed with rocket launchers and grenade launchers.

Our physical firepower was being blocked one after another.

Though the artillery continued to fire, they couldn’t exert the same power against the barriers.

“Ha, did you think such shoddy weapons and shallow tactics could crush our military might?”

The Apostle’s unpleasant laughter echoed throughout the network.

Had it peered into my field of vision just now? I felt more connected to it little by little.

But the number of Violets stands at 2500. Thus, there are 2500 strategies.

“I’m opening the Vision Memory Chip repository!”

There’s no need for worry. The Apostles have not seen all our tricks yet.

Choosing the Violet squads within the tactical map, I retreated.

Upon receiving the command, I turned back. The unit should seem to struggle in the firefight against the monsters.

“Hyahhh! I’m gonna die!”

“No!”

Intentionally allowing a few Violets with simulated severe injuries to perish made the onslaught of monsters even fiercer. They gradually stepped forward and began to advance again.

“The monster warriors are moving!”

Surely, those must be their elite forces.

All fronts, Violets were gradually retreating. The monsters began to engage in combined assaults.

As each Violet fell, those firing their rifles initiated the charge.

“Did you remember the attachments?”

I desperately shouted and ran.

“Uaaah! Long live the Ariel Group’s independence!”

“Democracy!”

“Banzai for the Academy City!”

“Uraaaah!”

The monsters halted their gunfire and charged again. They awkwardly assumed their shooting stances and pulled the triggers. Bullets ricocheted everywhere.

And the moment the monster warriors moved to swing their swords.

An accessory attached beneath my rifle glowed brightly.

“Beware of our magic!”

“Melting Ray!”

The magic circle unfolded before the rifle, and the gun-mounted staff handcrafted by MagnaVis’s former mage-engineer emitted heat as hot as the sun.

-Boom!

With a direct hit, the beam sliced through monsters.

The melting ray turned the monster warriors into liquid, obliterating the ranks as Moses parted the sea.

“Hahaha! You fell for it!”

In an instant, I saw the scene as the monster army became rigid and froze in confusion.

“Looks like the Apostle is flustered!”

This must be a manipulation error mixed with emotion. It was clear our magic had surprised it.

There was more joyful news.

-Boom!

From a distance, a thunderous explosion echoed, different from the noise of gunpowder.

As the blocking barrier was lifted, a shell imbued with blue light soared in, blasting off Kranos’s head.

A heavy rumble echoed. The dull sound of engines approached.

Two light tanks, covered in bullet holes and soot, appeared.

“Rugilinn’s iron fist!”

Our brave and sturdy ally had arrived, bringing fire, blood, and death. The armed vehicles following behind were a bonus.

Simultaneously, brilliant flashes of light painted the sky.

-Whoosh!

The nasty ray monsters torturing the hang gliders burst in a moment of consecutive explosions.

Salvos of anti-air missiles ripped through the monsters like the claws of a bird of prey. Amidst this chaos flew a menacing black figure.

As the helicopter elegantly slid into the barrier, the hang glider squad followed like chicks trailing a mother bird.

“I’ve arrived!”

-Ratatatata!

The machine gun mounted on the helicopter opened fire.

Perhaps the quality of the flying monsters was poor. In an instant, a single aircraft secured air superiority.

“Alright, let’s push forward again!”

At that moment, an anomaly occurred.

-Crack!

A rift in space split open.

A strangely shaped giant with four arms, several times larger than a Violet, appeared at the defense line.

As if it had been there from the beginning.

“Uh, what?!”

Though it was an entirely new sight, I suddenly realized.

The aura it emitted resembled that of the white man from before.

It was an Apostle.

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