Wooom!
A deafening cry reverberated through the desolate desert, sending shivers down the spines of everyone nearby.
“How dare you touch my base?! Know that none of you will survive!!”
Daron’s lightning-fast movements transformed him into a scorpion-like creature, effortlessly gliding across the sandy terrain with a searing heat emanating from his body. Each swing of his tail created explosive bursts of sand, propelling his monstrous form forward.
Upon recognizing the formidable threat, other freelancers frantically tapped into their mana, but Daron deftly weaved through the sand dunes, closing the gap with astonishing speed. With a swift motion, he brushed against a member of Squad 3 from behind.
Crack!
The unfortunate freelancer’s head burst like a balloon, blood spraying in all directions. Despite their mana shields, two members of Squad 3 had already met their untimely demise, leaving the rest in stunned silence.
Panicked and fear-stricken, everyone ran for their lives, their thoughts consumed by survival alone.
To their horror, a dozen figures emerged from the ruins of the base, riding creatures resembling camels, but armored with steel plates. These appeared to be the reserve forces that had set out with Daron to collect supplies.
Thud Thud Thud Thud!!!
The organization members on their steel-clad camels didn’t simply follow Daron; they strategically spread out, cutting off escape routes and encircling the fleeing freelancers.
Fatigue began to set in, and even if they managed to avoid Daron’s pursuit, the relentless steel camels would surely catch up.
Chen, leading the escape, contacted Dave through his earpiece, “Dave, can you buy some time with Squad 3? If things stay as they are now, reaching the truck won’t mean anything. We need to buy time to escape this area.”
“You’re telling me this now......!”
Dave grumbled with anger and fear, but a moment later, he changed his demeanor drastically.
“I surrender! I surrender!”
Dave dropped all his weapons and raised both hands.
“I’ll tell you where they’re headed, just spare me!! I’ll disclose all the information!!”
Chen let out a heavy sigh, taken aback by the swift and senseless act of betrayal, as Lennok merely shook his head.
While the thought of a mutiny had crossed his mind, he had never imagined such a rapid change of loyalty.
Though he knew the consequences could be severe, risking his standing in the bustling metropolis of Vulcan and even jeopardizing his livelihood as a freelancer, he was determined to avoid an untimely demise at this very moment.
His decision wasn’t without merit, considering that two of his team members were already sprawled lifeless in the desert, covered in blood.
“Hmph.”
Daron briefly glanced at Dave before turning his massive body. Dave looked back with a glimmer of hope, but before he could react...
Boom!
Daron’s enormous metal tail struck him, and his head exploded on impact.
“Who said you could surrender, you sons of bitches!!”
The freelancers of Squad 3 were left petrified as Daron roared in fury, disintegrating the rest of the squad before vanishing beneath the sand.
The anticlimactic betrayal offered no respite as the danger persisted.
Continuing through the shifting sands, Lennok placed a hand on his earpiece and addressed Hina.
“Hina, why wasn’t there any mention of Daron being such a monstrous war machine in the base commander’s profile? His devastating strength, steel armor, and that agile tail – it all makes no sense.”
Hina responded,
-As far as we know, such equipment didn’t exist until just before he left the base.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Lennok let out a hollow laugh.
“So, they must have equipped him with new modifications after receiving the supplies.”
-It’s the only plausible explanation under the current circumstances.
“What rotten luck we have...”
“Is additional support possible?” Chen, still running alongside Lennok, inquired.
With Team 3 nearly wiped out, maintaining formation was futile. Desperate and running for their lives, the freelancers needed all the help they could get.
Teams 1 and 2 found themselves mixed together, dashing around desperately to evade Daron, who was relentlessly pursuing them.
-We only have three drivers within a 10km radius.
Chen exclaimed in frustration, “Damn it.”DiiScôver new stories on no/v/e()/lbin(.)com
Lennok understood Chen’s annoyance, but he also knew that Evelyn had already faced consequences for a similar incident in the past.
This wasn’t the first time things hadn’t gone according to plan. It was almost expected that some operations would encounter unforeseen obstacles.
The strongest enemy, who had left his post, was now on their tail, well-equipped for the chase. Daron’s pursuit was wearing them down gradually.
“Arghhhhhhhhh!!” cries of pain echoed as one member of Team 1 fell with a pierced chest, and Gehan of Team 2 remained emotionless despite heavily bleeding from his missing left arm.
The members of both teams were sustaining injuries while trying to protect themselves from Daron’s relentless attacks.
Dududududududududududud!!
Up close, his face was a sight to behold.
His uneven teeth had all been replaced with sharp metal teeth, and his jaw was completely overlaid with a metal plate that extended his lower jaw.
One eye shone oddly with a red artificial eyeball, and even the nerve fiber bundles hanging from his strangely braided hair were visible.
‘He’s far beyond human.’
Lennok wondered if Daron could breathe and move smoothly even in the desert sand with that face.
It would be more fitting to call him a robot.
“So it was you who covered my base with this fucking sand mound,” Daron said with a smirk. “Good. If I take your head and spine as they are, the boss will turn a blind eye-!!”
Grrrr!
As Daron swung his tail fiercely, creating a strong wind pressure, a machine gun in his left hand began to rotate loudly, spewing fire at the same time.
Tutututu!
In response, Lennok instantly slid sideways, raising the sand beneath his feet.
Shh!
Normally, such rapid maneuvers would strain the body enough to interfere with combat, but it was different now when his body felt light due to the drug’s effect.
Even if he had to use a somewhat rough method, as long as he could change his position like this, Lennok’s options would endlessly expand.
Clank......!!
Thoughtfully, he unholstered his shotgun, released the shrinking spell, and cocked it.
At the same time, he stacked up three types of shooting support magic.
[Stack Shooting]
[Recoil Control]
[Overheat Shot]
Taah!!!
A shooting combo designed to maximize the firepower of a single shot burst into flames.
And for a moment, it hit Daron’s tail, which had lost track of Lennok’s movements.
Boom!!
If Lennok did not focus on recoil control, the high firepower could even cause injury to him.
If hit properly, it could possibly pierce through even steel.
Kwajik
Part of Daron’s tail, which seemed to be protecting his body, broke off.
Although it was the thinnest part, Lennok, who had cut off a length corresponding to 1/3 of the tail, backed off and inwardly nodded.
‘The shotgun works. That’s worth remembering.’
Unlike magic whose power varies according to the surrounding environment and conditions, the power of a shotgun enhanced by shooting support magic is fixed.
Daron’s tail’s durability could potentially serve as a critical benchmark, providing enough aid in combat.
However, Lennok’s face contorted in distaste as he threw a surreptitious glance at Daron’s back.
“Hey, what the? Did you just hit me?”
This was because the tip of Daron’s tail, previously shattered by the shotgun bullet, began to regenerate with a mysterious squirming sound.
“Just a bullet like this won’t hurt my tail, you little desert rat!!”
Regenerative alloy. Even if parts of the equipment were entirely torn away, it was a top-tier product that could still regenerate.
It was sturdy enough not to break from reasonable shocks or firepower.
In the end, the answer was to yank out the entire metal skeletal spine that supported the tail.
‘Anyway, I was planning on killing him, so it doesn’t matter much.’
Chen might have thought it was easier to damage Daron’s metal tail than to kill him, but Lennok had a completely different viewpoint.
A wizard who could bombard a wide area as easily as breathing.
Rather than accurately targeting and cutting off the tail, it was easier and neater to oxidize the massive body in one go.
Having finished the calculation in his head, Lennok quickly moved his fingers.
He had already decided on the first spell to use.
(To be Continued)
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