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Bermuda Chapter 62
🕑 Added 2024-04-20 12:19:30 +0000 UTCChapter 62
Kieeeeek-!
The procession that had officially set out for the subjugation was quickly passing through the huge gorge created by Leonardo blowing up the peaks up to the 3rd peak, and beyond that, they were traversing the deep valley between the sheer cliffs towards the 4th peak, whose scale rapidly increased.
From there, the screams of unknown monsters kept echoing, but the long procession simply marched forward without showing much fear. The reason was probably because those monster screams sounded like the death throes of creatures on the verge of dying.
'There's no need for me to step in.'
Leonardo was feeling bored as he passed through the path where monster corpses were already strewn about, having been killed by those in front.
He had wondered why the members didn't have fear in their eyes, but it seemed to be because strong commanders like the Commander and battalion commanders were standing at the very front, slaying the monsters and clearing the path for the procession to easily follow.
It was a tactical system unimaginable in the military, but with truly skilled individuals at the forefront, they had already entered quite deep into the valley despite not much time passing.
Looking up, the sky was not visible due to the thick fog between the narrow valley crevices, and that dark curtain contributed to making the valley feel more eerie and enclosed. Moreover, perhaps because it was a dormant volcanic zone, the surrounding air was warm, but the energy rising from the ground evoked an uncanny coolness.
Leonardo thought that this utterly quiet valley would be truly peaceful if not for the screams of monsters coming from the front and the few members in the rear ranks looking at him with very curious eyes, as he followed the tail end of the procession.
"Blaine, you were really amazing earlier."
"..."
"I was watching from a distance, but did you see Meterion's expression? It was the first time I saw him so surprised, you know?"
Among those looking at Leonardo with curious eyes, a woman who seemed to be a battalion commander of the Council kept talking to him. Leonardo ignored her words as if annoyed, but she didn't back down and chattered away enthusiastically on her own.
Listening to her incessant talking, Leonardo was reminded of Shorendo Hazelnut, the Deputy Commander of the Central Branch, who was similarly talkative before. And he quietly thought, 'Why are all these Council people like this....'
Just when he thought someone from the Council had excessive animosity towards him, someone else had excessive interest in him. And the woman beside him right now belonged to the latter.
As Leonardo continued not to answer, she suddenly clapped her hands as if realizing something and said,
"Oh my, where are my manners? I'm Delua Rivera, the 6th Battalion Commander of the Council's Central Branch. I never thought the Commander would entrust you to me, but please take good care of me."
As Delua spoke with a smile, Leonardo, who had been looking ahead the whole time, turned his head as if dumbfounded.
"Agrizendro didn't entrust me to you, but entrusted you to me."
Hearing Leonardo's answer for the first time, she looked at him blinking for a moment, then said with a beaming smile,
"Oh my, goodness. Why is your voice so nice? You're not just handsome!"
At Delua's fuss, the scout members walking ahead turned back to look at them.
Meeting those gazes, Leonardo felt an extremely embarrassing feeling and turned his head away. And it seemed the deputy commander of the 6th Battalion felt the same shame and embarrassment, as she quietly approached Delua, her superior, and whispered,
"Commander... We're not here to play around. Please stop..."
"What's the big deal? The Commander and Meterion are handling everything at the front. Since we're going anyway, it's good to go happily, isn't it?"
At Delua's appearance of not caring at all, the deputy commander sighed deeply as if she couldn't stop her. Leonardo also shook his head.
In the valley, only her chattering voice echoed, and a relatively quiet and peaceful march continued. Leonardo was now in a state of enlightenment, treating Delua's voice almost like white noise.
Just when the tension was loosening, at that moment, a small piece of rock fell from above the cliff on his left side. Although it was a subtle sound, Leonardo instantly changed into sharp eyes and looked up.
Nothing was visible, obscured by the thick fog, but a subtle energy was felt lurking around.
Leonardo stopped in his tracks and focused on the presence he felt. As he stood still, Delua Rivera, the 6th Battalion Commander who was with him in the rear ranks, and Marlen Diaz, the deputy commander of the 6th Battalion, also stopped and looked back at him with puzzled eyes.
"Blaine, what's wrong?"
Instead of answering, Leonardo approached the spot where the rock fragment had rolled down. Pressing close to the cliff, he placed his ear against the sheer rock wall and closed his eyes. At his actions, Delua and Marlen glanced at each other once, shrugged their shoulders, and watched what Leonardo was doing again.
After sensing something for a while, he soon opened his eyes wide and stepped away from the wall, saying to them,
"They're coming. At a very fast speed."
At Leonardo's words, Delua's expression, which had looked simply joyful, turned quite serious. Not only her but also the members of the 6th Battalion around her showed a highly alert appearance.
Delua gave orders to the members in front,
"Scout members, narrow the gaps and quickly follow the procession. All escort personnel, gather at the rear."
"Yes, understood!"
Delua was completely different from before.
Seeing her swiftly giving commands and preparing a defensive posture, Leonardo thought he could somewhat understand why she was a battalion commander, despite doubting if she was really one until just now.
At her stern orders, the members moved in unison. The scout members quickly caught up with the procession ahead, not wanting to lose them, and quite a large number of escort personnel from the 6th Battalion immediately gathered at the rear.
They promptly drew the swords at their waists and loaded ammunition into their firearms, assuming an offensive stance. Then they waited for the monsters to come, holding their breath.
How long had the eerie silence passed? Even after quite some time, the energy of the monsters didn't get closer, so Marlen Diaz, the deputy commander of the 6th Battalion, asked with a strange look,
"Nothing is appearing?"
"Shh."
Delua suddenly gave Marlen a look telling her to be quiet, then slowly scanned the cliffs surrounding the valley. At that moment, the sound of birds fluttering and flying away was heard from the quiet surroundings, and the ground began to vibrate and resound slowly. Marlen, who had been briefly letting her guard down, sensed the flow of energy and hurriedly shouted,
"Everyone, close the gaps and align the formation. Don't scatter!"
At Marlen's words, the members narrowed their gaps once more and assumed an offensive formation, standing in their designated positions.
Kieeeeek!
Soon after, the ground vibrated rapidly, and the sound of a horde of monsters rushing towards them from the rear was heard. Even a brief listen made it clear that their numbers were not small, and the hands of the members holding swords and firearms tightened.
At that moment, a tense member took a step back and slightly brushed his arm against the cliff on the right. Then, rock fragments rained down on his shoulder and above his head, and he reflexively raised his head to look up, his pupils instantly expanding.
"They're coming from above!"
At his shout, all the members shifted their gazes to the top of the cliff.
There, several monsters with black, glossy skin were crawling down from the fog with their four-pronged mouths open, as if pouring out. They stomped on the cliff with their deformed, bent legs and sharp claws, rushing towards the members at a fast speed.
The combat personnel of the 6th Battalion also all leaped up and began slashing the monsters without hesitation.
Inside the monsters' wide-open mouths, hundreds of teeth protruded up to their throats to tear flesh, and their long, three-stranded tongues served to grab the prey and shove it into their throats, preventing it from moving.
However, as the well-trained members swung their swords, those tongues were brutally severed, and their already gaping mouths were torn further. One monster, whose eyes were pierced by bullets and its head exploded, hung limply with its claws stuck in the rock wall.
"Commander, they're Drocs!"
"All water attributes, to the front!"
Since Drocs disliked water, Delua immediately gathered the water attribute mages of the 6th Battalion in a line. As they simultaneously fired powerful water cannons in sync with the signal, the horde of Drocs showed signs of hesitation under the pouring, fierce water baptism.
However, it was only for a moment. The Drocs climbed the rock wall to avoid the water cannons, then jumped down again and began attacking the members floating in the air.
Moreover, the horde rushed in like a flood not only from the top of the cliff but also from between the valleys, increasing exponentially in number and forming a vast group. They seemed to be clumping together like a single giant monster, trying to break through the streams of water shot by the members and advance. Leonardo, who had been observing that sight, felt something strange.
'They seem to be trying to avoid the water, but why aren't they running away and keep rushing towards us?'
Originally, dozens of Drocs that should have had seizures and disappeared at the mere sight of water were hesitating at the members' water baptism, but instead of fleeing backward, they were gradually pressing forward.
The only fortunate thing was that although the monsters were numerous and agile, they belonged to a relatively easy type of monster for the members of the 6th Battalion to handle with their skills.
The horde of Drocs clung to the members like moths flying into the fire, but they were slashed and torn apart by the swords and mana wielded by the members, and their corpses and blood piled up to the brim between the cliffs.
As Leonardo quietly observed that sight, Delua, who had approached at some point, stood next to him and spoke.
"How is it? Our 6th Battalion fights well, don't they?"
Delua's words didn't seem appropriate to say while watching in the middle of a bloody scene, but certainly, all the members of the 6th Battalion were accurately stabbing the Drocs' throats with bullets and blades, instantly killing them with a single strike.
Following that, the members with water attribute mana poured out attacks, driving the Drocs to one side and blocking their escape route, showcasing excellent strategy and skills, thanks to which the number of those numerous monsters gradually decreased.
However, the creatures still showed signs of persistently holding out, which was somewhat strange in this situation even though they were monsters with low intelligence, recognizing they were at a disadvantage.
And at that moment, a thought suddenly flashed through Leonardo's mind.
'Could it be that Sigals are following?'
Comments
Bernie Jay
There’s also that moment of “Quiet! There’s something coming!” Love that he has someone enthused about him!
Jesse Gibson
Leo’s going to save the day.
