Vol 12 Chapter 7

SPACE 7. The MURAT SAGA (PART : 1)

“Are we late?”

The words emerged from Hawk’s mouth. A 3D image made from sand was floating in front of him.

The first thing that came into sight was a large pyramid towering in the middle of the desert. The pyramid was the Holy Land Tri-Force where the device to operate Abraxas was asleep.

But the pyramid wasn’t the only thing in the picture. Thousands of soldiers were surrounding the pyramid. There were also dozens of armoured vehicles that looked like tanks containing weapons.

“Doesn’t it seem like there are at least 5,000? There are dozens of Sphinx- Murat tank- so far. It is a scale I’ve never seen before. The number of troops to capture a city also wasn’t of this scale. This isn’t the number of troops that should be stationed at a Holy Land. It is still increasing.”

This was the reason why Hawk asked if it was too late.

Set knew that one of the sanctuaries contained the control device for Abraxas. However he didn’t know the exact location so he stationed troops at all the Holy Lands on Muratio Star. The fact that they were bringing in reinforcements meant that he identified the location. The Fly Ranger probably transmitted information about the expedition in the Valley of Darkness before it exploded.

Of course, Ark and Hawk had expected this. They ran quickly but the troops had already received reinforcements.

“The rebel numbers stationed at Tri-Force outnumber us by 4 times. Furthermore, they are expecting us to come so the odds aren’t in our favour?”

“It would be stupid to fight when the odds aren’t in our favour.”

“Fortunately we were able to contact Rasius and two other lords before leaving Minaheim. Perhaps they’ve advanced to a close place. Shouldn’t we wait here until they manage to join us?”

“That would be great! I would prefer to do this!”

The nobles spoke unanimously. Hawk frowned and was about to open his mouth.

“If we continue to delay then it is suicide. The Abraxas control unit is Set’s only weakness. Not that Set has discovered that the control device is at Tri-Force, he will use everything he has to defend it. The militia is coming here but Set’s forces would also concentrate here. They will be dozens of times the size of the militia. It will just be disadvantageous to delay the time….isn’t that right?”

Ark looked at Hawk and smiled.

“….That’s right.”

Hawk gave him a sharp sidelong glance before nodding with an uncomfortable expression.

“But aren’t the odds not in our favour right now?”

“I never said the odds weren’t in our favour.”

“Then the odds are in our favour?”

“No, the odds definitely aren’t in our favour. That is definite.”

“What? Are you joking right now? Who do you think we are? We are the Murat nobility. I don’t know where you humans came from but you should be aware of your position. Rudeness won’t be forgiven even if you are the militia leader.”

“I have no intention of being rude…..”

Hawk sighed and muttered.

‘Huhuhu, that Hawk bastard. He’s in trouble. Please be in trouble.’

Ark inwardly smiled while watching Hawk. In fact, Ark had already expected that the nobles would act like this to some extent.

Kurai and the nobles’ lives were the most precious thing to them. They wanted to help Prince Kuhwen stop the uprising but they have no intention of risking their lives. They would even become Set’s subordinates if it meant surviving. Therefore this reaction from the nobles was expected.

However Ark didn’t say anything to Hawk. He wanted to see Hawk in a difficult situation from the same stiff attitude that Ark had faced. Of course the nobles wouldn’t accept it. After Hawk was in trouble for a sufficient amount of time, he would use the 3 monkey brothers to persuade them. Ark would come forward and solve Hawk’s difficult problem. Of course the eyes would have no choice but to change from Hawk to Ark.

Then Hawk turned and looked at Harley. Harley pointed his pistol without hesitation to his temple and pulled the trigger?

Tang!

The nobles shut their mouth with shock after hearing the gunshot. While Harley was bleeding from the temple, Hawk raised his hands and said.

“That’s enough.”

“W-what are you doing?”

“You nobles seem to have misunderstood so I am showing you our resolution. I am a Murat. I don’t know why you are calling me a human. But my resolution is different from yours. If it isn’t possible to stop Set’s rebellion then I will die. This is my resolution. Isn’t there any need to waste more time with words when time is against us? So please be polite. Come here.”

…..The nobles approached.

‘This bastard, what is his identity?’

Ark looked at Hawk with amazement.

It took Ark one day to determine the nobles’ inclination and to find a method for obedience. However Hawk did it in only a few minutes. No, if he looked at the results then the actual situation between Hawk and Ark was different. Ark threatened them by staging a scene of bloody assault but Hawk didn’t use any threats.

-If you interrupt my work then I’ll kill you. I don’t want any troubles.

Hawk’s eyes were clearly conveying that message. Normally people would placate the NPC but Hawk just disturbed them without any mercy. When he thought back to the beginning, Hawk also did that to the investigation team. He turned each faction against each other for his own purpose.

‘Now once again…..’

He really was frightening. At this moment, other people were thinking the same thing.

“What, what the? That guy? He is no better than Ark.”

A pale Ferguson muttered as he looked at Hawk. In fact, Ferguson’s heart had jumped at the appearance of Hawk.

‘I am being dragged by Ark just like in New World. No, it is worse. Ark won’t let us get away with taking money from him in New World. He will make various excuses to use me until only my bones remain. But that doesn’t mean it is impossible.’

Ferguson immediately thought of Hawk.

‘I don’t know why but there isn’t a good relationship between Ark and Hawk. And Hawk is the head of the investigation team and one of the Seven Swords. If I’m glued to Hawk then Ark won’t be able to touch me. Yes, that’s it. The only way for us to live is Hawk. I would rather shed bloods and tears under someone else instead of Ark. Okay. I should flatter Hawk immediately until so that I can stick with Hawk when returning to our original world!’

He held such ulterior motives. However he changed his mind when he saw the blood dripping from Harley’s temple. When the nobles were bothering Hawk, he had given a command for his subordinate to commit suicide. Hawk showed a cruelty even more outrageous than Ark.

Ferguson thought about it. The old authority was the better authority. At least Ark wouldn’t order people to suicide with a gun like Hawk.

‘It’s over. Once again our game has ended here.’

And he felt despair. Of course these were only the concerns of monkeys. Hawk started talking once he dealt a blow to the nobles.

“There odds aren’t in our favour if it is a fight. But our goal isn’t to fight. It is different from exterminating the enemies. Our purpose is to release Abraxas. Kuhwen needs to reach the control device.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

Kurai frowned and said. But when Hawk turned around, he evaded his eyes and coughed. That was Hawk’s intimidating effect.

“No, I….”

“If the purpose is different then our method also changes.”

The person who interrupted Kurai’s words was Ark. When the scout told the situation at Tri-Force to Ark, he had already planned a strategy to apply to present circumstances. The reason he didn’t speak was because he wanted to see Hawk’s reaction. But Hawk’s expression indicated that he was thinking similarly to Ark.

“That’s right.”

Hawk answered with a shallow smile.

———————————————————————-

“Are you ready?”

“Of course.”

Ark laughed as he took out his lightsaber. Then Hawk also pulled out his pair of swords.

“Now there is no reason to hide it so I will speak. I will go forward with you. Our purpose is the same so I will cooperate but this is still Galaxian. You and I are joining forces to fight together but this is probably the first and last time.”

“I agree.”

“Then don’t say anything more.”

Hawk grabbed the reins of a camel and raised his sword. At the same time, a wide expanse of soldiers appeared along the desert ridge. Needless to say, these were the soldiers brought by Hawk and Ark.

The strategy meeting only took 10 minutes. Now that Set knew the Abraxas control device was at Tri-Force, there was no reason to delay the time. Both Ark and Hawk thought the same thing.

Things proceeded rapidly once a specific operation was decided. They crossed the desert and arrived in front of Tri-Force where the rebel army were stationed. It was the battle to decide the fate of Muratio Star!

Hawk looked down at the distant Tri-Force and shouted.

“Everybody, charge!”

“Waaaaahhhhh!”

The soldiers burst out shouting and the assault began. The rebel army in formation around Tri-Force didn’t panic at the charge of the militia. 1,000 soldiers crossed the desert without concealing themselves. Naturally the rebel army had been waiting for the militia. The rebel army camp charged at the same time.

Pepepepeng! Pepepepeng!

The Murat’s tank called the Sphinx started attacking. The flying shells covered the sky! However, Ark and the employees of Dark Eden already experienced such a thing on Beltana. Ark gave Hegel an order.

“Hyung-nim, over there!”

Hegel’s trajectory prediction skill that he used after a long time!

“That shell will do direct damage to us!”

Hegel designated some shells and the gunners of Ark’s team, Leon and Kalliben lifted their rifles. There was the continuous sound of gunfire and several shells exploded in mid-air.

The scene of a few shells exploded above Hawk’s team caught his eye. There seemed to be a soldier with the same skill as Hegel in Hawk’s team. But it was impossible for Hawk and Ark’s team to intercept all the shells. Dozens of shells hit the militia’s camp.

Kwa kwa kwa kwang! Kwa kwa kwa kwang! Kwa kwa kwa kwang!

The desert shook and pillars of sand shot up all over the place. However the damage seen wasn’t that big. They had expected a bombardment and deployed a wide formation beforehand. In addition, Hawk hadn’t ordered a blind charge.

“Rune Carving, Crest of Protection Om!”

“Rune Carving, Crest of Grace Phantom Veil!”

“Rune Carving, Crest of Iron Wall Kubenatian!”

<The defense of all allies within 100 metres will increase by 50% for 1 hour>

<The evasion ability of all allies within 100 metres will increase by 50% for 1 hour>

<All splash damage to allies within 100 metres will be invalidated for 1 hour>…..

The Rune Carving used by the nobles! The nobles were of great use on the battlefield. There was also the recovery of Kuhwen’s ‘Ankh’ rune. Fortunately they penetrated through the bombardment and reached the hostile area.

“Now! Everybody, fire the plasma bullets!”

Hundreds of plasma bullets instantly plunged into the hostile area. There were sparks as the plasma bullets hit and the enemy was engulfed in heat, instantly disappearing. Of course the enemy didn’t receive the attack politely.

They returned fire!

Pajijijik! Pajijijik!

Sparks occurred on all sides as the soldiers melted. Hawk was no exception. Hawk led the soldiers so he was the focus of the plasma shots. But Hawk was one of the Seven Swords so he wasn’t hit by such shots. Ark thought it was possible for Hawk to avoid…..

Hawk revolved in the sand and two plasma bullets passed by close to him. Thus far it was like Ark expected.

However his next movement was impossible to expect. Hawk crossed his two swords and the shots were blocked like spider webs hung there. Then the pair of swords uncrossed and the bullets returned to the enemy?

‘What? This ridiculous defense technique?’

A skill to block or avoid long distance attacks was indispensable to a warrior. Ark also had a skill called Sword Defense. But due to its nature, Sword Defense could only be used with a lightsaber and it was basically an evasion technique.

He had studied the skill through continuous study yet the probability of success was still only approximately 50%. He could also only return fire to the enemy 1 in every 3 shots. But Hawk had reflected 1 shot simultaneously while avoiding 2 plasma bullets. He had to admit that Hawk’s ability to defend against long range attacks was one step above him.

However the scene afterwards was even more amazing.

Pepepepeng! Pepepepeng!

The tank units lined up behind the rebel troops. The Sphinx was a Murat tank in the form of a lion with the head of a human. The form was a Sphinx but it didn’t speak in riddles like the stories.

Shells came pouring out of the gaping mouth! Every time the Sphinxes emitted flames, pillars of sand would fly up and dozens would die in the militia. Then Hawk rolled between sand pillars and exclaimed.

“Harley, is it ready yet?”

“In a moment! I’m not familiar with the Murat’s machines….but…..done!”

Harley replied while manipulating a small machine. One of the Sphinxes turned its head and started to fire at its own side.

“Ack! A-are you crazy? Where are you shooting?”

“W-we’re not operating it! The equipment suddenly jammed and is moving by itself!”

“By itself? Dammit, the controls have been hijacked! Cut off all connections including communications!”

“It is already too late! The Sphinx control system isn’t connected!”

“Then cut off the power supply. It doesn’t matter as long as the bombardment is stopped!”

The enemy unit fell into panic.

“Damn. As a controller, seeing the controls being hijacked is really creepy.”

Park shuddered and muttered while controlling Car and Kum. But what happened next astounded Ark.

“Now! Minsk, Brian, go!”

The two teams that Hawk nominated flew towards the Sphinx still bombarding the militia. They grabbed the armour and climbed up to the turrets!

“For Captain Hawk-nim!”

Kwa kwa kwa kwang! Kwa kwa kwa kwang!

The Sphinx was wrapped in light and exploded.

‘Oh my god! Self-destruct? Did the NPC subordinate just use Self-destruct?’

Ark’s mouth dropped open as he stared at the flaming Sphinx. There were human NPCs in this world. Even pioneers who could resurrect wouldn’t easily accept death.

Yet their loyalty was high enough that Hawk’s subordinates would Self-destruct when commanded. And Hawk’s men even said nonsense like ‘For Captain Hawk-nim’ before dying. This meant that his subordinates’ loyalty transcended imagination! Ark shuddered at the thought of such loyalty.

‘Hawk can inspire faith in users…..’

Ark could feel such a thing. It was a faith in his purpose. That was the faith Ark felt from Hawk. And he was able to identify this on the battlefield. Hawk’s ability was strong but the onerous thing was his subordinates’ attitudes.

Previously Harley had even fired a gun towards his head because of Hawk. This degree of command over his subordinates meant that Hawk wasn’t an ordinary user.

The problem was a user like that was obstructing Ark. Not long ago, Hawk had declared that he couldn’t get along on Ark. They were grasping hands at the moment but would become enemies again once returned to their original world. A guy with subordinates like that would become his enemy. A sigh naturally emerged when he thought about the future.

Furthermore, Hawk wasn’t Ark’s only opponent.

‘But I’m not someone who will soften under something like that. What? I wouldn’t understand even if he told me the reason? I don’t want to understand! And I don’t like you either. You’re mistaken if you think I will tremble under something like this. What is this? I am Ark. I’ll start taking direct action now!’

…..This was Ark’s resolution. Ark wanted to show off his skill and indicate that he wasn’t inferior to Hawk.

“Units 2 and 3, switch to a defense posture and slow the charging speed. Unit 1 will maintain your rush!”

The militia slowed and formed a formation in the shape of a △ that was focused around Hawk. In other words, it was converted into a wedge formation. After Hawk and his subordinates took the lead and concentrated their firepower, the rebel army started to be pushed back.

But that was only the camp at the front. The power of the left and right wings started weakening under the rebel army. The size of the rebel army was 5 times the militia so it was natural. Nevertheless, the reason the militia’s formation didn’t collapse was due to Ark.

–Like I said, our objective isn’t to annihilate the rebels. Even if all the troops are killed, it will be our victory if Kuhwen operates the Abraxas control device. Therefore we only have one strategy. Once the battle commences, everyone will use all of their power to penetrate through towards Tri-Force. But Kuhwen’s defense at the back will weaken if we concentrate our breakthrough power in the front. So your mission is to protect Prince Kuhwen in the back. If Kuhwen dies then it will mean nothing if we break through the enemy.

Those were Hawk’s words.

‘It is Hawk’s instructions but…..’

“Defense Break! Khafra Fencing 3rd style! Galaxy Sword!”

Ark wielded his lightsaber and pushed back the enemy. Dozens of swords spread out in a vortex and hit enemy lines.

Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!

‘Concentrate on the quest! Don’t worry about Hawk!’

Ark wielded his lightsaber in a trance. Sword Defense struck the flying plasma bullets as he plunged into enemy lines. A bright trajectory of light dealt with 10 enemies. In the midst of all that, he didn’t forget about Kuhwen who was the key NPC.

“Ferguson, A, and B, protect him! If something happens to His Highness…do you understand?”

“I-I’m aware of that!”

“Stop! Stop! Throw your body on the battlefield!”

The 3 monkey brothers ran around and blocked every shot heading towards Kuhwen with their bodies. Meanwhile Ark quickly and accurately attacked the enemies aiming for Kuhwen!

“Slayer, concentrate on protecting Prince Kuhwen along with Ferguson, A and B. Expand a circle around Kuhwen to receive the enemy attacks. Don’t forget. The purpose of this battle is to escort Kuhwen safely to Tri-Force.”

“I know! DNA transformation!”

“Lightning Spear!”

“Bring it on! Wahhhh!”

Tu tu tu tu! Tu tu tu tu! Tu tu tu tu!

Ark’s team formed a circle around Kuhwen and relentlessly knocked back waves of attacks. Prominent among them was Basak and Ellain.

…..Of course, there was a reason for it.

“I’m more loyal to Hyung-nim!”

“Don’t make me laugh! That is the purpose for my existence!”

Basak and Ellain had competed against each other as soon as they met for the title of Ark’s most loyal subordinate. Their argument didn’t end even when the battle started. In the end, they agreed that the person who was more useful in the battle would become the most loyal subordinate.

Thanks to that…..

“Iron Wall! Burning Shield!”

Basak stopped the attacks heading towards Ark with his shield. And ‘heh, how about that? Isn’t it good? Now will you admit it?’ popped onto his face as he looked at Ellain wielding a sword. And Ellain destroyed a few enemies in front of Basak while his expression said ‘Heh, I was waiting for you to finish.’

This loyalty competition between Basak and Ellain resulted in a great synergy effect. Thanks to that, the pile of bodies around them was so high that it looked like a wall! But when looking at a similar scene, Hawk’s reaction was different from Hawk.

“Yes, there needs to be this much if you want to be my opponent.”

Hawk smiled as he looked at Hawk while raging behind enemy lines. But the military situation started becoming difficult over time despite Ark and Hawk’s efforts.

Apart from Hawk’s team in the lead and Ark’s team gathered around Kuhwen, the rest of the militia started to collapse under the onslaught from the rebel army. The enemy forces breaking through the formation made it difficult for Hawk to maintain his rush.

This was the inevitable result. The difference between the rebel army and militia was 5 times. 1 to 5 or 10 to 50 wasn’t a large difference to excellent users like Ark and Hawk. However it was different when talking about the thousands.

“Hawk-nim, any more is impossible!”

“40% of the militia has been killed!”

“If we delay any longer then we won’t be able to retreat and will be wiped out!”

“As expected, is it impossible to break through the defense?”

Hawk bit his lip and muttered as he heard the incoming reports. So far Hawk had never retreated against an enemy. But it would be stupid to insist on advancing when it was impossible. A superior commander needed to know when to retreat. And Hawk knew that time was now.

“…..Retreat.”

A sigh emerged from Hawk’s mouth.

“From now on, all troops switch to defense.”

Thus the first and last battle Ark and Hawk would fight together ended in failure.

———————————————————————-

“Kuhahahaha! Those ridiculous bastards.”

Deep within the rebel camp stationed in front of Tri-Force. A middle aged bearded man laughed as he looked at the militia running away. He was Nemet who was in charge of the troops stationed at Tri-Force.

“They intended to penetrate us for Prince Kuhwen but it is impossible with their numbers. Indeed, it is natural. Set has already occupied 25 of the major cities. And the remaining 5 will soon enter our hands. So the space fleet won’t dare go against Lord Set even if Abraxas is turned off! Then….”

Nemet’s eyes narrowed like a hawk.

“I will rise even higher.”

Nemet was dissatisfied with his status. A person who assisted in a rebellion always hoped for a gain like that.

Nemet and others participated in the rebellion because that profit was guaranteed. But once the rebellion started, he was placed in charge of the 2nd Corps and stationed at a Holy Land. Set explained that it was an important duty to stop the release of Abraxas but there was no guarantee that Kuhwen would come.

He might be caught by other troops or the Abraxas control device was at another Holy Land. If he did nothing then his compensation would be minimal compared to the rebel leaders that captured the major cities. He had become really depressed until Kuhwen’s army appeared.

‘My mission is to defend Tri-Force. The militia is defeated here so my mission is accomplished. But there are only 1,000 of them. It is impossible for such a militia to penetrate through 5,000 troops. This is enough for me to be proud. But it will be different if the militia is wiped out and the Prince captured alive.’

He had no room to think about it during the fight. But the power of the militia wasn’t enough to cause Nemet worry.

The rebels had only suffered 10% damage during the fighting. On the other hand, the militia had lost 40% of their troops. In such a situation, he couldn’t just watch the enemy running away.

Nemet was about to give the order to chase when he flinched.

‘Wait? Isn’t something strange?’

Nemet’s intuition stopped him.

Kuhwen coming here meant that the Abraxas control device was hidden somewhere in Tri-Force. The only way for Prince Kuhwen to stop the rebellion was to release Abraxas. In other words, there was no future for the militia if they failed to recapture Tri-Force. They had to use every type of method to regain the Holy Land.

‘But they gave up too fast. Even if 40% of their power is wiped out, that is still sufficient for Kuhwen to send them to capture Tri-Force. Yet they still ran away…..’

Nemet raised his head and shouted.

“Scouts, send the Fly Rangers to search every corner!”

Dozens of Fly Rangers flew through the desert at Nemet’s command. After 10 minutes, Nemet was able to confirm his hunch.

“There is an ambush prepared about 3 kilometres behind those sand dunes!”

“…..That’s right.”

A smile formed on Nemet’s mouth.

The 3D image showed 100 soldiers hiding behind the sand dunes. There was also a small body with a cloak wrapped around the face.

The cloth made the face hard to see but he could easily guess who it was. A small physique was mixed in among the burly physiques of all the other soldiers. Nemet knew of only one person in the militia who would have such a physique!

“Prince Kuhwen, he is using petty tricks.”

Now Nemet was able to understand the situation. The militia gave up attacking and ran away as a lure. Prince Kuhwen was hiding among the soldiers behind the sand dunes. While the militia was luring Nemet, Kuhwen would try to enter Tri-Force. Nemet admired the strategy once he grasped it.

“If it was any other leader then perhaps they would be fooled. But I, Nemet am different from everyone else. Prince Kuhwen, your greatest misfortune is meeting me here. I’m sorry but I’m going to use you as a stepping stool for my rise.”

Nemet turned and shouted.

“Hajas, I will give you 3,000 troops. Chase the militia and wipe them out immediately. And all the remaining troops will follow me. Hurry. We have to slaughter them!”

While the main unit entered the desert, Nemet led a smaller force to the sand dunes. But there was one thing Nemet hadn’t noticed. Hundreds of bodies were scattered on the field from the battle just then. There was a red viscous liquid like gum on the ground.

And…..

———————————————————————-

-A strategy to lure them.

Hawk said just before the attack.

-The troops stationed at Tri-Force outnumber us by 5 times. We are also lacking time. It is impossible for us to deal with those numbers. But it is different if we trying to allow Prince Kuhwen to enter Tri-Force.

–So the conclusion is a luring strategy?

–Are there any other strategies?

-No. The thought just made me annoyed.

–I’m also annoyed hearing it.

Hawk gave Ark an unpleasant look.

-Whoa! Whoa! Relax. We still have to fight a war. Now isn’t the time for us to be fighting. I agree about the luring strategy. But as with all strategies, it will be no use if the opponent isn’t fooled.

–Are you saying I can’t deceive properly?

–I don’t mean that. You’re definitely good at lying. You made the factions strike against each other and hid the self-destruct mechanism on the grey planet from me. You’re a gifted guy in that respect. I guarantee that. Excellent.

Ark gave a thumbs up while talking. Then Hawk smiled while clenching his swords.

-Aha! Yes, I understand now. Let’s end this here.

–No, I’m talking seriously. Anyway, if you made up your mind then you can get away with scheming.But this battle doesn’t just have lives at stake. Our spaceships might be lost. So shouldn’t there be a safety device?

–What do you want to say?

–You might now know this but I’m also an expert at tricking people. In my experience, people think they are cleverer than they are. And those guys have a habit of searching deeply. So I’m talking about a hidden answer.

Hawk nodded after Ark’s words and replied.

–If they start doubting then the answer is to hid something in a key spot.

–You understand. It is the right answer.

–I know what you’re saying. It is better to trick the people on that side. The problem remaining is where to hide it. –Is there a place you’re considering?

-There is.

Ark smiled and nodded.

–Darkness is hidden under the light. Do you know what that means?

The darkness under the light that Ark spoke about…..

———————————————————————-

Shake, shake.

While Nemet was leading his troops. The red liquid on the ground of the battlefield suddenly rose and one person emerged.

The person was Ark! Ark used the new skill from the Myutal DNA ‘Hide’ in order to move across the battlefield unnoticed.

‘For the time being, it seems like the enemy leader Nemet has been tricked…..’

“Ah, you! Who are you?”

“The enemy!”

‘….Just like I expected.’

Nemet hadn’t left Tri-Force empty. He had left 100 soldiers and 2 Sphinx behind. And Ark had appeared in front of them. An ‘!’ floated above the heads of the soldiers as Ark suddenly popped up on the battlefield.

Pajijijik! Pajijijik!

And the moment the plasma bullets were fired!

“Come out, Shire! Rune Carving, Hwairam!”

Ark’s hand moved through the light and formed a complex pattern. In the next moment, the rune formed the shape of a giant foot and hit the ground.

Kwa kwa kwa kwang!

There was a roaring sound as the ground shook. The sudden shaking caused the enemy to lose their balance and stumble.

“Come out, Shire! Rune Carving, Kuem Radon!”

Meanwhile Ark had drawn a new rune without any delay. A light shot up from the rune like fireworks and formed a giant eye in the sky. At the same time, a small window showing the battlefield appeared in Ark’s vision. Kuem Radon was a scouting skill that allowed him to observe the surrounding area. The piercing eye glanced around Tri-Force from the sky.

‘Now there are only 100 soldiers remaining at Tri-Force. And I can’t see it from the bottom but there are two snipers hiding in the upper part of the pyramid. It will be difficult if I’m under attack from the enemy sniper without any cover.’

“There is one on the right hand side in the 3 o’clock direction with a height of 20 metres! Another at the same height on the left hand side at 7 o’clock!”

Tutung! Tutung! Tutung!

Ark pointed to the locations and yelled. The sound of gunfire continuously rang out from between the corpses on the battlefield. He could confirm the result with the Kuem Radon eye.

Ark saw blood flying from the head of the snipers before falling down the slope of the pyramid. At that moment, Ark took out his sword and ran towards the enemy troops while shouting.

“That’s it! Everybody, strike with full force!”

It was at that moment. Ark rushed to the enemy lines. Sand rose up and dozens of soldiers appeared behind Ark. The two people that ran out first were Slayer and Basak who were holding huge shields.

“Hyung-nim is always next to Basak! Iron Wall!”

“Damn, if you speak first then it is like I’m imitating you! Iron Wall!”

Basak and Slayer used Iron Wall at the same time and a small fortress was formed. The plasma shots pouring towards Ark were stopped by the shields while Kurakan, Rapid and Kaya started shooting the enemy.

Meanwhile Sadain, Ellain and the rest of the team approached. They attacked the enemy troops stationed at Tri-Force like a thunderbolt.

“Ugh! W-we were tricked!”

“These guys, they didn’t run away at all!”

The enemy burst out after receiving a surprise attack out of the blue. But Ark and his team that popped out of the sand only numbered 15 people. On the other hand, Nemet had left 100 troops stationed at Tri-Force. The enemy quickly regained their stability.

“There are only 15 of them! We can handle them immediately!”

‘That’s what they think…..’

Ark grinned and laughed at the enemy. Dozens of sand pillars suddenly welled up behind the enemy troops. 50 soldiers were revealed after the sand pillars soared up. And the man at the head of the soldiers was Hawk!

This was the last stage of the operation that Ark and Hawk developed. Once again, the difference between the power of the militia and the rebel army was 5 times. It was 5,000 to 1,000. Ark and Hawk weren’t foolish enough to have a frontal confrontation with such a large power difference.

So they considered a luring strategy. They used camouflage to lose the main Tri-Force army. The issue was how to conceal the troops from Nemet’s eye in the desert.

The problem was settled surprisingly easily.

———————————————————————-

-Kuahahaha. The militia, they’re not my opponent!

Nemet declared with high spirits after the previous battle. Only dozens of minutes had passed and approximately 400 people had been killed in the militia. But that was Nemet’s mistake.

No, it was more accurate to say that Nemet was tricked. It was impossible to guess the number of enemies that fell down on the battlefield. The easiest way to check the power difference was to make a head count of the soldiers still fighting. This was the part that Ark and Hawk aimed at.

–Reduce our number while fighting?

–Of course they would think we were dead.

–Yes, there is no special terrain to hide out troops here. If the number decreases then naturally the enemy would think that they are dead. The commander might think that an ambush is planned but he would never expect us to be hiding right there at the front.

–If there is a way to hide there….

–There is a way.

Ark smiled and replied.

It was digging! While Hawk was fighting intensely and caught Nemet’s eye, Ark was working at the rear. In the early stages of the battle, he had poured water over the sand and had people dig! Dig! Dig!

People dug places in a few places. Then soldiers would hide in the pit with a shield above them and they were covered with corpses and sand. The militia sequentially disappeared so Nemet judged that he was winning. But there were only approximately 300 militia soldiers killed.

Ark’s team, Hawk’s team and 70 militia had hidden in the sand.

–But there is no guarantee that the enemy will chase after the militia.

–That’s right. So we will throw a bait.

–Prince Kuhwen?

–There is no better lure to the rebel army then the Prince. Their mission is to desperately defend Tri-Force. There is no reason for them to chase us if we retreat. Those guys will win if they keep defending Tri-Force. But if they pursue Kuhwen then they won’t protect Tri-Force. That will be a chance for victory.

This was Ark and Hawk’s plan. And Nemet took the bait in front of him. He thought that Kuhwen’s party only consisted of 100 soldiers.

Of course, Kuhwen wasn’t actually used as bait. The person Nemet regarded as Kuhwen was actually Tori wearing a cloak since his body shape resembled Kuhwen. The actual Kuhwen was hiding under the sand with Hawk and Ark. This was the Unclear Lamp operation!

“Hiding in the sand….”

“Dammit! Tricked again! We’re surrounded by them!”

“There is no need to panic! There are still only 60~70 of them!”

“We also have the Sphinxes! Sphinxes, those guys…..”

Fushu! Pepepepeng!

Before the enemy could finish, a column of flame shot up from the Sphinx. Hawk’s lieutenant Harley was kneeling and aiming a tank destroyer that he had fired at the Sphinx.

Ark learnt that Harley was a NPC that specialized in hijacking and destroying tanks. But there was also a user in Ark’s team who specialized in tanks.

“Park, the remaining Sphinx is left to you!”

“Okay! Leave it to me! I am the original professional autobot controller! Go Car, Kum!”

The dinosaur and autobot forms rushed towards the Sphinx. The autobots were a weapon specializing in fighting tanks. The autobots had high defense and their armoured attack meant they would deal more damage than general users.And the general enemies…..

“Khafra Fencing 3rd style! Galaxy Sword!”

Ark threw his body towards the enemies. Dozens of swords swirled out and shredded the enemy. And Rapid rushed to the centre behind Ark. Rapid’s pistol revolved like a spin top and fired all over the place. The revolving pistol was Rapid’s specialty.

Tang! Tang! Tang!

The gun seemed to be firing wildly but every shot hit an enemy! The bullets flew all over the place and passed through the enemy’s forehead.

Kurakan’s M-620 also shone in this battle. The hit rate wasn’t accurate in a 1 on 1 battle but the machine gun could wreak havoc in a wide battle like this. Its strongest use was the random shots!

Tu tu tu tu! Tu tu tu tu! Tu tu tu tu!

“Wuhahaha! Take this! Take this! Take this!”

Kurakan exclaimed with a satisfied expression.

The enemy was busy trying to escape the hail of bullets.  However there was no place to flee to. Hawk’s team had created a battle formation. While Ark’s team was charging, Hawk’s team members were attacking from behind.

100 against 70. The enemy still had the advantage in numbers but numbers already meant nothing. Once Ark and Hawk simultaneously attacked from two fronts, the enemy rushed back and forth as their formation collapsed. The one sided disadvantage had been wiped out.

While Ark and Hawk took care of the troops, Harley and Park took care of the two Sphinxes. The time it took was only 10 minutes!

‘Certainly…..’

Ark glanced at Hawk.

Hawk had done a dazzling job when fighting against Nemet’s main army. But Hawk hadn’t shown 100% of his power then. There was no reason for him to do his best when they had the luring strategy in mind.

But in this battle they needed to exterminate the enemy as quickly as possible. Now Ark could see the true combat power of Hawk and only a sigh emerged.

‘Hawk had more subordinates and his team is stronger than mine. I hired Slayer and Kaya’s team for a total of 6 users but there is a large difference. And he declared openly…..’

Unlike the first game, Ark had felt a little easy.

Ark had encountered Lucifer a few times. And the result of the fight against the Red Slaughterer, or Lucifer was enough for Ark to conclude that they had similar combat power. There was no reason for him to become hasty. But it was different when a strong user like Hawk was aiming at him. Now that Hawk had declared himself, he counted as an enemy along with Lucifer.

‘I can’t relax anymore. Hawk’s power is enough to interfere and make it difficult to grow on the space frontier. I have reinforce my power base before the different becomes too large. I need to survive and become stronger.’

Ark once again became irritated. But this was a different time and space. If he failed the quest then he would lost the Silver Star and his growth. Ark turned his back to the enemy and shouted.

“Prince Kuhwen, now!”

Kuhwen exited the sand with Tot.

“Come out, Shire! On the order of a blood relative of Horus, break this seal…..”

And he began to draw runes in front of the pyramid. This was the sacred rune passed down through the generations of Horus in order to open the doors of the Holy Land that contained the control device of Abraxas.

‘This long quest will end now!’

Flash! Kwa kwa kwa kwang!

Then a light suddenly exploded from above the pyramid. Shock waves spread as an airship exploded. The player on the airship threw his body towards Kuhwen while Ark and Hawk jumped in front of him without hesitation. At the same time smoke started to blow from the airship.

Kwa kwa kwa kwang! Kwa kwa kwa kwang! Kwa kwa kwa kwang!

“Sword Defense!”

“Flow Sword! Return! Bullet!”

The swords belonging to both of them scattered the bullets. But it was impossible for Ark and Hawk to stop all the bullets coming from the airship.

Ark embraced Kuhwen’s body and rolled to the ground as a few bullets hit him. At the same time, a black object fell where Kuhwen used to be and a huge sand pillar welled up. Ark and Kuhwen rolled several metres along the ground.

One man then jumped down onto the sand.

Basak grabbed his shield.

“Hyung-nim, it is dangerous!”

“A Casain dares interfere!”

A man wearing a black helmet yelled as his arms moved violently. Basak went flying like he was hit. Meanwhile Ark and Hawk raised their swords and stood in front of Kuhwen. The man stared at Kuhwen with red eyes after hitting Basak.

“I finally met you Prince Kuhwen.”

“Set…..”

Kuhwen said with a moan.

A red warning message floated in front of Ark at the same time.