Bang, Bang!!
The sharp sound of gunfire continued to echo.
At the hour when people were deeply asleep, in a village that was only filled with quietly settling darkness, it was soon covered by the screams and shouts of the people.
Even though sentries had been posted, from the point where they were secretly overpowered, the gunshots heard everywhere were terrifyingly frightening.
However, it was a group composed of criminals who had risked their lives to cross the border. They also launched sporadic counterattacks.
“First Lieutenant! The enemies have barricaded themselves inside the building! What should we do!?”
“Wait a moment…!”
Sergeant Hilton Callia peeked out cautiously. Even though there were high-ranking personnel, the enemies were fortifying a civilian house for defense despite the rapid advance.
No matter how superior individual weapons were, they couldn’t penetrate thick walls to explode or anything like that.
If the enemy was hiding behind cover and holding a defensive position, sending troops into that area would be madness.
But.
‘Hold on…!!’
Hilton suppressed the rising battlefield breath from within. Another personality inside her kept provoking her continuously.
‘Hold up? Just push them aside. Let’s charge!’
‘Shut up, it’s not time yet…! It’s not that dangerous…!!’
She knew that if she let go, she could slaughter all those barricaded inside.
But what about her squad members?
Until now, Hilton had always been in the ‘combatant’ role. This was the first time she had experienced commanding properly since joining the 8th Rapid Assault Magic Infantry Battalion.
She couldn’t recklessly go berserk as before. If she did, how would her squad members, who believed in her, fare? She realized just how dangerous it could be even in a fragmented way during the recent snow mountain training.
Thus, she needed to hold back even more.
“Squad Leader! Give us orders!”
“We’ll wait until support arrives!”
Hilton knew her own level well. She was a Level 1 Purple Mage, but specialized solely in lightning magic.
In fact, all the former squad members of Enok Revendale had been peculiar people. Regular mages usually couldn’t handle attributes other than their specialization.
She couldn’t cause powerful explosions like Lumina or shatter walls with immense water pressure like Bella.
Although she had learned several higher-level Purple spells, once the enemy was holed up in a brick building rather than a wooden one, her magic wouldn’t be very effective.
Entering recklessly here would surely send her subordinates to their deaths.
Zing—!
“Watch out, Squad Leader! It’s dangerous!!”
A bullet whizzed past Hilton’s eyes as she scanned the area. She might have suffered a serious injury if the deputy squad leader hadn’t pulled her away just in time.
“Th-thank you, Sergeant.”
“Don’t use your body recklessly! I can’t handle command alone if something happens to the Squad Leader…!”
Then, a woman with silver hair approached with a flustered expression.
“Hilton Squad Leader!? What are you doing here?”
Lumina Blue, the battalion’s adjutant, was currently acting as the battalion commander Enok Revendale’s eyes and mouth, running around the battlefield.
“The front has been fortified…! We can’t rush in recklessly.”
“Fortified?”
Lumina came closer to Hilton and peered out. Sure enough, another barrage of bullets began raining down. Lumina stepped back in fright.
It seemed at least ten people were holed up in a two-story brick house.
“We need artillery support.”
“We don’t have any mobile artillery…”
“Magic artillery, then!”
Lumina looked around. She alone, as a Level 1 Red Mage, was no match for such a solid fortress.
And at that moment, Lumina spotted the battalion commander, Enok Revendale, rushing around with a pistol in hand.
“Battalion Commander!!”
“Lumina, Hilton! What are you waiting for? The enemy is setting up defenses!”
“It looks like the Fourth Platoon is already blocked by those defenses!”
Enok Revendale hurried over. He quickly assessed the situation and nodded.
“We’ll launch an artillery attack. Lumina, prepare the Flame Buster!”
“Yes!”
He already knew that besides Purple magic, Hilton wasn’t particularly skilled. He didn’t expect her to know higher-level Red magic like Flame Buster.
However, Hilton was sufficient.
That was his judgment.
“Fire on my signal!”
Lumina and Enok exchanged glances. Gradually, red mana dissipated, and magical runes spread from their fingertips.
“Ready, fire!!”
Almost simultaneously, the Flame Buster activated. A straight line of flames collided with the bricks, causing an enormous explosion and spewing crimson flames.
“……!!!”
Their perfect synchronization.
The small fortress-like brick exterior crumbled, and the bandits’ screams echoed.
“Fourth Platoon, advance and join forces with the Third Platoon! Lumina, we’ll head towards the First Platoon! Let’s take out the boss quickly!”
The battalion commander said nothing more and headed deeper into the battlefield with Lumina.
This scene was more than enough to inspire Hilton Callia, the squad leader.
“Did you hear the battalion commander?! Advance!”
Hilton stood up and shouted. Her squad members took their positions behind her.
“You scoundrels! Charge! Don’t hesitate and run if you don’t want others to steal your glory!!”
“Yes—!!”
Excited soldiers charged forward, shouting. With the path ahead clear, nothing could stop the Fourth Platoon.
They rushed in before the bandits could set up defenses, turning them all into fugitives.
Quickly deploying, they crushed any additional reinforcements.
This was the moment when the legend of the ‘Assault Team,’ who would lead all future battles, began.
*
“Fallen from the sky?”
“Yes, Brother! It’s chaos outside right now. You need to escape!!”
Jeblet, the leader of the bandit gang that had taken root in Modor Village, wondered if he was dreaming.
Just a few hours ago, he had slept peacefully without any worries, but suddenly being attacked from the outside?
But the situation was clearly urgent. Gunfire never ceased, and his subordinates, who would normally be snoring all over the place, had disappeared to fight.
“Moreover, according to those who returned alive, they were dressed in pitch-black uniforms, unlike the Biyaltock garrison’s attire.”
“Pitch-black uniforms? The National Guard?”
“It might be, but seeing they fell from the sky, it doesn’t seem so…”
“Damn it! They’re really going all out!”
Jeblet slammed the chair in frustration. He assumed this whole thing was due to ‘Yekaterina.’
Yekaterina Pedro.
The eldest daughter of Count Jacques Pedro, the honorary lord of the current Biyaltock region.
A few days ago, she had encountered the escort team from Biyaltock while on a reconnaissance mission in a nearby village, wiping out the entire team. Yekaterina Pedro was among them.
Nobility. Even if it’s honor, a person with authority on paper is worth much more than hundreds of gold ingots to a bandit leader like Jeblet.
With frequent skirmishes against the task force recently,
Jeblet had been pondering how to solidify their foothold in Biyaltock.
Amidst this, he had captured the count’s daughter. This alone gave him a much better negotiating position against the lord.
So he had instructed his subordinates not to touch Yekaterina’s group. Despite the horrific treatment they could have faced or forced labor until death, they lived comfortably in a corner prison.
If any harm came to them, even as just a bandit leader, Jeblet couldn’t handle it.
He wasn’t a fool like other bandit leaders.
He had fled from the Soviev Empire primarily due to treason against the royal family.
He wasn’t the type to act without considering the consequences.
He had captured the village virgins because there was no strong force to protect them.
And to control his dim-witted subordinates, he had to provide some form of reward.
“But they couldn’t wait and deployed the central army. Now, we can’t afford to be lenient.”
For Jeblet, the only option left was to flee. If the central army had been deployed, the bandit gang’s collapse was certain.
From now on, preserving his life was key.
“Bring that noble girl immediately! If you want to live, gather your gear and follow me!”
“Yes…! Yes, I understand, Brother!”
Why keep her hostage? If the attackers’ main goal was rescuing Yekaterina,
Jeblet’s safety would be guaranteed as long as he held her life.
Soon, a subordinate rushed to the place where the prisoners were held, bringing a woman with her hands bound in chains. Despite being buried underground for days, her platinum hair still gleamed brightly.
In such a situation, it would be natural to cry and scream, but she stared at Jeblet with burning eyes.
“Your desperation shows, Jeblet. It’s too late to regret now.”
“You bitch! You stopped me from getting a rough deal when the boss showed mercy!”
Smack!
The subordinate kicked Yekaterina’s abdomen, causing her to cough painfully and fall.
“Stand her up. Tie her mouth shut to prevent useless words. We’ll leave through the back door. Quickly!”
“Yes, Brother!”
Escaping the village was the top priority. Using the external mine passage deliberately left open, they could escape safely.
But before he could drag the hostage away, the door of the mine management office where he was staying burst open.
Bzzzt!!
With fierce lightning, two men appeared. One was a seasoned warrior with a distinct scar on his face, and the other was a blonde man exuding aristocratic charm. Were they nobles related to Yekaterina’s family?
More people surged in behind them, all thoroughly armed soldiers.
In that short time, they broke through all resistance and reached Jeblet in the center.
“This bastard… Kkch…”
The subordinate quickly aimed his gun, but a purple flash and a thrown dagger pierced his neck, causing him to collapse instantly.
A ruthless killer.
Despite not being less courageous than others, Jeblet felt intimidated by the sight of his subordinate bleeding profusely and dying right before his eyes.
“Damn it!”
Still, he had no choice. If he gave up now, he’d die anyway.
Jeblet pulled Yekaterina in front of him. She winced in pain as he roughly grabbed her hair.
Then, he quickly drew his pistol and aimed it at Yekaterina’s head.
“I know who you want! If you want her to be safe, get out of the way now!”
No matter how fast that warrior killed his subordinate, Jeblet could pull the trigger faster. That was obvious.
But their reaction was strange.
They showed no sign of concern even when seeing Yekaterina. As time passed, Jeblet was at a disadvantage, so he thought he needed a stronger move.
He turned the gun aimed at Yekaterina towards the front and pulled the trigger at the blonde man leading. Jeblet was in a favorable position. Without hesitation, killing the noble would be a sufficient threat to them.
Bang!!
A gunshot echoed. Jeblet smiled as if to shout, but instead, he let out a painful scream.
“Aaaaah!!!”
Clack. The pistol fell to the ground, and blood dripped onto it.
A blue flame rose from the gun held by the blonde man.
Did he block the shot? How was that possible? The sudden question couldn’t be answered.
Puuuuk.
With a tearing sound, a dagger pierced Jeblet’s forehead.
