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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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Claude Lane made a quick judgment.
He had just joined the retreating allies and received a brief situation report. He left the 1st Platoon and went to provide support alone. There was a reason he had sent most of the troops back. Enoch Levandal was an officer who never made careless decisions.
What was the point of bringing the troops back if they had just been withdrawn? He had a feeling that taking the platoon with him would only lead to a worse outcome. It was just a ‘gut feeling,’ but once again, Claude’s intuition was spot on.
The air was thin. Intermediate Green magic, Vacuum. Since they had Lumia Blue, a Red mage, it was likely they had been using fire magic extensively. The flames created by magic replaced the ‘fuel,’ one of the three elements of combustion, with mana, but still required oxygen and heat.
Therefore, it was best not to use Red magic in this situation. The underground was already poorly ventilated, and shooting fire spells would only deplete the scarce oxygen even further.
‘…Of course, with a Mutant on the loose, it’s a ridiculous thing to even consider.’
As soon as he joined the Captain, Claude rushed towards the enemy who was casting Vacuum.
Kang, ka-ka-ka-kak!!
The dagger, thrown with great speed, was deflected by something hard. A sharp estoc came into view. Had he reacted to the lightning-imbued attack, thrown at maximum speed? He was a formidable opponent.
Claude Lane looked directly at the man with gleaming red eyes. The estoc, wedged between his crossed daggers, trembled. Fortunately, he had interrupted the casting of Vacuum. Air rushed back into the near-vacuum, and the neutralized comrades gasped for breath.
“Well, Claude Lane. I didn’t expect to meet the Butcher of Jeonroe here.”
“You know me?”
“Of course.”
The man replied. Was he someone who had participated in the Quornen War? It was a well-known fact that the Soviet Empire had been supplying Azov with resources at the time. Therefore, it wasn’t surprising that he, an imperial officer, recognized Claude Lane.
Kang!!
Claude’s dagger was deflected, and this time, lightning shot out from between his fingers. The man quickly dodged Claude’s attack and retreated.
“Not bad.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Claude wasn’t at full power yet, but neither was his opponent. He had been fighting with the three behind him for a few minutes, yet he still had more tricks up his sleeve? Claude felt a familiar tension for the first time in a while. He was a true powerhouse.
“Captain, are you alright?”
“I’m fine. But Lumia and Roxanna are a little…”
The Master Sergeant glanced over and saw the two non-commissioned officers still panting for breath. Their breathing had been forcibly cut off, so it would take some time for them to recover.
“Captain, take those two and get out of here. If you go a little further, you’ll meet up with our allies, so you won’t have to carry both of them alone.”
“I refuse.”
However, Enoch Levandal staggered to his feet and stood beside Claude.
“A captain can’t abandon his platoon leaders. That wouldn’t be a good example.”
“Useless pride…”
But he didn’t feel bad. Enoch Levandal was one of the few officers in the Ukrainian army that Claude Lane trusted. Having a comrade he could trust his back to greatly expanded his options. Even Claude, who preferred to work alone, couldn’t deny it.
The reason he preferred to work alone was that there were very few people who could keep up with his pace. If he had to worry about protecting allies and exposing openings to the enemy, it was a hundred, a thousand times better to fight alone.
But Enoch Levandal was a partner he could trust his back to and go all out.
“Keep up.”
“Watch what I do.”
“…?”
“First, let’s go!”
With Enoch’s cryptic words, the two men charged towards the Lieutenant Colonel.
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Lightning Spear.
I continued to fire lightning bolts, trying not to obstruct Claude’s path. As a result, the positions from which I could land a clean hit on the Lieutenant Colonel were extremely limited. It was difficult to hit him even with a clear shot, so taking potshots was even more inefficient.
Five out of five shots missed. Without any particular movement, the Lieutenant Colonel easily dodged my attacks and began to gradually ignore me, focusing solely on his fight with Claude.
‘Good, he’s underestimating me.’
It was natural for him to focus on the war hero unleashing deadly attacks rather than the nameless captain whose rank, name, and affiliation were unknown. That’s why he didn’t notice what I was aiming for.
Kagak, geu-geu-geuk!
Bang!!
Claude and the Lieutenant Colonel continued to clash. The other small fry were being taken care of by Lumia and Roxanna, who were slowly recovering from the lack of oxygen. Lumia, having realized that her flames had consumed all the scarce oxygen, was now only using her revolver.
Roxanna was using her specialty, wind magic, to draw in oxygen from outside. That was enough. The remaining mages of the General Directorate of Intelligence were also using their guns instead of magic, probably worried that their spells might hit the Lieutenant Colonel, who was engaged in a fierce melee with Claude.
‘Ironically, those two are fighting like medieval knights, with swords…’
The Lieutenant Colonel was holding his own against Claude in close combat, which was supposed to be a mage’s weakness. At first, I thought we had a chance, but now I wasn’t so sure.
‘But there’s no time. The more we’re held up, the more disadvantageous it is for us.’
A cornered rat will bite a cat. It was impossible to predict what the Empire would do, having been cornered, their remnant troops wiped out, the artifact stolen, and their Mutant experiment facility exposed.
In the worst-case scenario, they might just blow up the entire facility, regardless of the remaining allies, intelligence assets, or research facilities.
‘That’s the worst-case scenario.’
Both sides had shown their hands. If they managed to get us caught in the explosion… the Soviet Empire would lose an armory, but Ukraine would lose two battalions of its hard-earned Special Operations Brigade. The stakes were already different.
‘We have to retreat as soon as possible. It’s impossible that the people who created a Mutant research facility wouldn’t have that kind of contingency plan.’
I fired another lightning bolt.
Bzzzt!
Amidst the sound of tearing air, I heard something collapsing.
That’s it.
“Now!! Platoon Leader!!”
I immediately shouted at Claude. Although we hadn’t exchanged glances or words, I knew that Master Sergeant Claude would understand my hidden intentions. I decided to trust that possibility.
Simultaneously, Claude’s sword drew an arc. The lightning that followed the semi-circular slash struck the ceiling of the passage. High-level Violet magic, Overload. The immense output, flying like a Sword Master’s sword energy, brought down the pipelines hanging from the ceiling.
Crash!
Kwagagang!!
A landslide of metal debris fell between Claude and the Lieutenant Colonel. That was why I had been shooting Lightning Spears at strange places. Among the ‘Spear’ type spells, which were focused on penetration, it had the highest single output.
It could easily damage the tightly secured pipelines, and the accumulated damage had loosened the supports holding up the ceiling. As a result, the ceiling couldn’t bear the load and collapsed.
“Good!!”
I clenched my fist. Claude grinned and added, “Ha, I knew it would work.”
A wall of metal that looked to weigh several tons. Even with all kinds of explosive magic, it would take a long time to clear a path. We had secured a chance to retreat. Without even a moment to celebrate our success, I supported the two who looked a little dizzy.
“Can you run?”
“N-No…”
“Claude, take Lumia! I’ll take Roxanna!”
“Got it.”
We each carried a girl on our backs. Sorry, Lumia, but at this point, I could only carry someone as light as Roxanna. We finally ran up the endless stairs and out the exit where the 2nd Company had been deployed.
“Captain!!”
The 3rd and 4th Platoons, who had been waiting, greeted us. It was surprising how happy I was to see them after only a few minutes.
“Did the other companies retreat safely?”
“Yes, all of the 1st Company has retreated, except for the four of you, including the Captain!”
Erwin shouted proudly. Perfect. Had he already accounted for the personnel? As expected of the thorough Platoon Leader Erwin Luce.
“Good. Let’s get back quickly. Please take care of Lumia and Roxanna. They were underground for too long. They need some fresh air.”
Although their breathing had been restored, they had only received enough oxygen to barely breathe in the underground. The fact that they could even shoot properly in that condition was a testament to their strong willpower.
As we exited Section C, the airship had landed in an open space, as the ground had been mostly cleared. I saw Lieutenant Colonel Sony Zeppelin pacing anxiously.
“Lieutenant Colonel, we’re back!”
“Lieutenant Enoch!! Thank goodness—!! We have to leave right now. Most of the 3rd Battalion members have been loaded onto the other airship!”
She was happy for a moment to see my safe return, then she urged the company members with a frantic look. But the 3rd Battalion members, who were supposed to retreat on foot, were on the airship? Could it be? I didn’t ask further. The worst-case scenario I had predicted seemed to be imminent.
“Everyone on board!! The objective is complete! We’re leaving immediately!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Move it, move it!!”
The moment the 1st Company members boarded the airship at my command…
Boom—!
KABOOM!!!
A deafening explosion that pounded the eardrums echoed through the night sky. It was from the direction of the Guard Company barracks.
“…?!”
“Don’t look back! Get in quickly!”
Pillars of red fire erupted from all over the Lymansk Armory.
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