EP.205 Land Flowing Like a River - 7
The un-raid raids continued. Historia frowned at the relentless guerrilla warfare using the King of Beasts.
"...Damn it."
The Gun Corps. A multi-purpose long-range suppression unit personally led by Historia.
Having advanced early, they built fortifications far ahead and poured out bullets.
Repeating reconnaissance and suppression, the Gun Corps' objective was to fight a delaying action, dragging the enemy's feet until the main force arrived. They repelled the enemy by spraying their supplied salt bullets without hesitation.
They had even managed to repel the Progenitor, if only for a moment.
However, the next entity to appear was unexpected.
'The Dog King?'
If the boy wielding the invisible sword had jumped out instead, Historia would have just nodded and faced him herself.
But the Dog King in thick armor was not something they should engage, and doing so would be problematic. On top of that, they had no ammo to waste, so Historia immediately ordered a ceasefire.
Just like that, the Dog King trotted right into the middle of the Gun Corps without any interference. The Gun Corps tensed up, glancing nervously at the Dog King. Even if it couldn't harm them intentionally, it was a monster that could smash the base with a mere struggle.
It was when Historia approached to drive it away herself. One of the soldiers raised a finger.
"Major! On its back!"
Only then did Historia notice something was clinging to the Dog King's back. While she was hesitating whether to shoot it or not, the bag on its back rapidly inflated.
It was a tear gas bomb.
It was only for a moment, but the Gun Corps, who had been aiming at the container, cried out in pain. It was because Historia's sharp command forced them to maintain their aim even amidst the chaos.
In the meantime, the Dog King also rolled on the ground in pain, but regardless, the ones who took the hit were on this side.
'Our nerves are being gnawed away.'
They had taken advantageous positions to pressure the enemy and fired unilaterally. But far from being tense, the enemy was tormenting them with all sorts of tricks.
The Dog King jumped out, barked, and went back. Bullets were wasted. When Historia, unable to bear it, ordered them to only shoot at the Progenitor, the Dog King happened to wear a pitch-black parasol and poked its head out. Then, the highly tense soldiers reflexively fired special rounds.
When she told them not to shoot and just observe for a moment, the real Progenitor appeared. People screamed.
Every time this random box of unknown contents opened, the Gun Corps' nerves stretched and contracted like rubber bands dozens of times, eventually losing their elasticity and ending up completely limp.
It was a familiar tactic. Wasn't it one of the main doctrines employed by the Military State?
'This is your strategy, Hui. Your view was that if an army is a gathering of people, you can wage psychological warfare against them just like you would against people.'
The Military State's combat doctrine was simple. If regular soldiers or officers depleted their Qi or magic power, generals led by Yuk Jang-seong would clean them up. That was it.
Anyway, regular soldiers were just an annoying swarm of flies that could be left alone, treated exactly as such. That was until Historia appeared.
Historia, who fired guns using Qi, was the final piece the Military State had been looking for. With the addition of threatening gunfire within suppressive fire, regular soldiers—who were nothing but discardable pawns—rose to a position where they could be strategically utilized in the Military State.
'Right. Just like the Dog King right now.'
Historia fell into thought as she watched the Dog King trudging back.
'The Dog King is harmless. But since we don't know what it might be carrying on its back, we must stay on guard.'
The Dog King itself probably wouldn't kill people, but what good was that? They didn't know what was inside the bag. Thanks to that, the Gun Corps members could never let their guard down.
While the Dog King, assumed to be outside their combat power, was being utilized strategically, their own forces remained unchanged. Naturally, they were forced onto the defensive.
'Hah. They're still poking at our weaknesses where it hurts...'
It was around the time she finished her thoughts.
Historia was monitoring a container with a strangely lower saturation than the others through her sights. A supply officer approached with a short salute.
"Major. We're out of ammo..."
"I've contacted the signalman. Receive the supplies at the next point."
"...We'll get ready."
Even with the fact that supplies would arrive soon, the officer's steps didn't regain their vigor. Fundamentally, it wasn't just the ammo that was depleted.
Even mental fortitude and concentration were resources that could be consumed.
'...It's dangerous. It would be troublesome if they jump out right now.'
At the tension constricting her entire body, Historia unconsciously smiled. Her body, anticipating the fight, flushed hot.
It's the perfect chance.
The frequency of bullets has decreased, and the enemy's reaction was late when Aji appeared. The delayed reaction might be a reflex issue, but there's also a psychological reluctance to use bullets. They must have run out of ammo.
The sun has risen enough. I stood up with a challenging smile.
"It's about time. Aji's delivery service will temporarily halt now. Aji has worked hard enough."
True to my words, we were having quite a bit of fun with our bomb delivery puppy.
Aji cannot harm people. If a lethal bomb is strapped to his back, he'll run away from where humans are.
But what about tear gas? A bomb that doesn't kill people but only causes pain. Thanks to that, Aji, who couldn't attack humans, became strategically viable. Coincidentally, the Regressor had smoke bombs, too...
"Grrrrr."
...Though it seems Aji has strategically turned against me, too. Startled, I put the pre-cooked meat down in front of Aji and spoke as gently as possible.
"Aji. You're the best! There's no combat dog with performance as good as yours!"
"Grrrrrrrrrrr."
Huh, he should be happy with this much praise.
Snot was flowing from his nose, red from sneezing too much. His eyes were red as well, but it was a glare full of hostility, clearly because his reverse scale was touched rather than sentimentality.
I wiped Aji's eyes and nose with a wet handkerchief and said,
"Here, eat the meat! I won't forget your hard work."
"Grrr. Share."
"No, what the heck is a share?"
"Grrrr."
"Alright. You're nothing but a thug! Fine, I'll give you a share. Happy? Take it yourself!"
"...Woof! 10%!"
No, what did you do to already get 10%? What happens when it reaches 100%?
Before I could even check, Aji, his expression softened, immediately sat down and began to chew the meat. Usually, Aji ate dog food quite deliciously, but the face chewing the meat right now looked exactly like he was gnawing on an enemy.
I should probably accommodate his mood for now. Hmm.
"Hey, you'd hate it if I pretended not to know you later, right?"
"...Alright, yeah. I'll take good care of you. As if I'd pretend not to know you."
"Woof!"
He seems to be in a better mood, but I don't know why he's happy, which is scary. Anyway, he did work hard in his own way, so I have to acknowledge it.
Leaving Aji sniffling and eating the meat, I gestured to Tirna and the Regressor, who had been holding their breath until now.
"We've been bowing down too much to the violence of the majority, haven't we? Shall we go get our revenge?"
Tir rested her parasol on her shoulder as if she had been waiting for this. A subtle smile lingered on her lips.
"Let us do that. I shall teach a lesson to these blood-feeders who believed they were safe from the darkness just because they are under the sun."
The Regressor, who had been calmly gathering her strength, had also finished preparing.
"Let's break through quickly. If we suppress the Gun Corps, things will become much easier."
Power is at its peak. Nothing consumed. On the other hand, the enemy is a ragtag group mentally harassed by Aji.
A perfect opportunity has arrived. On this chessboard, there are two cards: the Regressor and Tir. On the other hand, they only have Historia.
Hahaha. This battle is my victory, Historia. You haven't forgotten that I perfected your tactics, right? I know your weaknesses inside and out!
Come on, see the power of the 1st place rank you ignored! Form is temporary, but rank is forever!
The container door flung open, and Tir, carrying a pitch-black coffin, marched out alone.
Until now, Aji had jumped out with Tir's parasol about five times. Because of that, those who vowed not to be fooled again observed for a moment even when they saw the dark parasol.
But Tir's appearance was different from Aji's from the very start. The moment she revealed herself under the sun, the Gun Corps soldiers felt the illusion of fog clouding their vision. Ordinary humans felt chills down their spines at the sensation of the very darkness that existed on this land walking out.
Bullets poured down on Tir, but the Tir now was slightly different from before.
Strands of darkness flowed out from the floating coffin. The darkness faded a little under the sun, but even that was ominous. The moment the lid opened, it felt as though the clock hands spun out of control and evening had descended.
The bullets flying in with terrifying sounds could not pierce the veil of darkness. Occasionally, salt bullets flashed and parted the darkness, but that was it. Because they were too depleted, it wasn't enough to tear the veil apart.
Tir walked steadily as if she had become a tank. When she parted the space with one hand, the bullets that couldn't pierce the veil were all swept to the side.
Taang.
At that moment, a stream of gunfire rang out. The veil swirled and tore, and Tir's head on the other side snapped back.
Someone in the Gun Corps clenched their fist and shouted.
"It's the Major's bullet! How does it taste, monster...!"
But those words couldn't continue. Above Tir's left eyebrow, blood swirled in a tiny vortex, pushing it out in sync with the rotating bullet.
As the Gun Corps members gasped, Tir shone her red eyes and muttered.
"...Monster, you say. I've heard it so often that it evokes no emotion in me."
Tir turned her head back. Historia's bullet couldn't even hold back her face and bounced off.
"Go ahead, shoot. The sun is shining, after all. Now, when the hot light curses me, is the only chance to weaken this body. Go ahead."
After briefly calculating the odds, Tir smirked.
"If you shoot me a hundred times a hundred, it might actually put me in quite a bind."
True to her words, the blood scorched by the sunlight had discolored into pitch black. If all her blood essence were to be scorched like this, even the Progenitor Tirkanjaka would be in danger.
But that was merely a handful scooped from a distant sea of blood.
Historia lowered her muzzle with sunken eyes.
'I can't win with bullets that consume considerable Qi for every shot fired. I'll be depleted first. Now that the salt bullets are gone...'
Historia, having finished her thoughts, raised two pistols. Heavy pistols, pre-loaded with plenty of ammo, were gripped in her hands. Feeling the cold, heavy touch of metal, Historia spoke.
"I will hold them off until the main force arrives. Form up and fall back."
"Major, it's dangerous! You must never fight a Progenitor head-on...!"
"Then what, when they come asking for a fight?"
It was when Historia, shouting in annoyance, took a step forward.
Before she could even take that step, an ominous presence was felt from above. Historia hurriedly aimed at the empty air and fired.
Bang, ping. With a short interval, the sound of gunfire and a bullet bouncing off rang out simultaneously. Right after, someone fell like a meteor into the middle of the Gun Corps.
"Who says! Your opponent is me!"
The Regressor, who had flown into the sky while all attention was focused on Tir, landed on the ground with a massive storm. The moment she struck down with Jizan as she fell, both the earth and the atmosphere began to tremble. Earthquake and storm, a shock shaking people from both sides—when everyone momentarily lost their balance.
As if promised, the two warriors targeted each other and charged the moment they landed. They swung their weapons at each other without a hint of hesitation.
Clang. The crossed guns received Cheonaeng. Sparks flew from the scraped steel, and the two women's gazes clashed.
"Major!"
At someone's call, Historia immediately shouted without looking back.
"Don't mind me! Stop the Progenitor!"
"Hah, can you handle it alone?!"
The Regressor shouted and twisted her wrist. The invisible sword, riding diagonally off the pistol, shot toward Historia's face. Seeing the trembling sword tip clearly, Historia chuckled.
"Alone? That's my line, sweetheart."
Historia instantly laid her body down.
She pulled her waist back and lay parallel to the ground. In that state, she precariously balanced and extended her other leg. As Historia momentarily disappeared from her field of vision, the Regressor, whose center of gravity pitched forward, urgently raised her knee to block the kick.
Pow, a refreshing sound. The Regressor, sent flying into the air, flipped her body and landed on a belt. In front of her, clicking her tongue softly, the commander walked steadily forward.
"What about you? Will you survive until the Progenitor arrives?"
In her hands, two bladed pistols spun around.