Chapter 154: No.471 Great Eagle Escort Mission (4)

Chapter 154: No.471 Great Eagle Escort Mission (4)

-Whistle—!

A sharp whistle pierced the air.

Immediately, the men in black stopped their attack and retreated before they soon vanished from the scene like the diminishing tide.

“Whew...”

“Damn it...”

Everyone collapsed onto the ground and let out heavy sighs.

Their sighs were a mix of relief for the brief break and lamentation knowing it wouldn’t last long.

Ratty wiped the blood off his dual swords and spoke.

“I’ve lost count of how many times this has happened.”

After intense battles that risked their lives, the fight would end as soon as Go Hyeon-woo took down a squad leader of the men in black.

And just when the escorts and Ronin thought they could catch their breath, the battle would start again.

This has been repeated countless times up to now.

The attacks which began when the sun was high had continued through the dusk, midnight, and now into the pale blue dawn.

No one had eaten or slept properly, so everyone’s condition was terrible.

In the midst of this, Woeful may have felt the need to eat something during this break and stuffed jerky into his mouth.

Then he asked while chewing aggressively,

“Don’t those guys ever sleep?”

“They probably do, but they are from the Demonic Cult after all.”

The King of Hell Squad was, after all, a fighting group of the Demonic Cult.

The escorts must have been thoroughly trained from the beginning to be able to overcome all kinds of adverse conditions, so what’s the big deal about not being able to sleep or eat for a few days?

On the other hand, the Ronins had lived freely and as they pleased, without being tied down by anything.

So, the same adverse conditions hit them harder.

Moreover, though it wasn’t mentioned to avoid lowering morale,

We are undergoing a war of attrition.

The defense on our side was unexpectedly solid.

Go Hyeon-woo who was a master far beyond the King of Hell Squad’s expectations was here, and each Ronin was also quite skilled.

This was because the escort agency had brought only the strongest in this mission.

After several clashes, the King of Hell Squad seemed to have concluded that a frontal assault would not lead to victory.

Hence, they resorted to a war of attrition with multiple groups taking turns to harass the convoy.

This gradual accumulation of small damages, like clothes soaking in a drizzle, was the current situation.

A Ronin watching the rear sighed and muttered,

“They’re coming again...”

His voice was low, maybe because he no longer had the strength to shout.

Everyone probably felt the same but they couldn’t afford to give up their lives.

Although they were struggling, they each held their weapons tightly.

And once again, the King of Hell Squad attacked.

“Ahhh!”

Someone’s desperate scream echoed.

When I turned my gaze to the source of the scream, I saw a Ronin clutching his arm.

His forearm had been deeply pierced by a King of Hell Squad member’s sword.

Injuries are starting to appear.

Although everyone had accumulated minor injuries from continuous skirmishes, they were only superficial wounds that bled a little.

This was the first Ronin to be injured to the point of being nearly unable to fight.

“Ahh!”

In the next attack, another Ronin had a long cut carved into his thigh.

Though it didn’t hinder his ability to swing his sword, he now had to limp.

With each successive attack, the injured Ronin became three, five, seven...

And the number kept increasing like a growing snowball.

Everyone’s stamina was already at its limit and with fewer people able to fight, the damage was inevitably getting worse and worse.

And there would be more injuries to come.

Moreover, there was another big problem,

We’re being slowed down.

Taking care of the injured had also slowed down the convoy’s speed.

Everyone realized this and the injured themselves were no exception.

Eventually, the injured people gathered together in a corner and began discussing something with their faces close together.

Their faces grew increasingly grim but they eventually seemed to reach some sort of agreement.

One of them spoke to head guard Kang as a representative.

“Head guard Kang.”

“What is it?”

“It seems this is the end for us. Go on ahead.”

“It seems there are only a few injured, yet so many of you remain? You have incredible courage.”

“...”

“In recognition of that courage, I shall grant you a painless death.”

The vice commander gave his order.

“Execute them all.”

Sssss...

A sound like a snake slithering across the ground echoed through the area.

The men in black began to pick up speed and closed the distance.

As everyone tensed up in extreme anticipation of the clash.

Suddenly, I spun around and shouted.

“Behind!!”

“!?”

Everyone reflexively turned to look behind them.

And what they saw were head guard Jo and the escorts who were stationed at the rear swinging their swords towards us.

Clang, clang,

Ratty hurriedly crossed his dual swords to block head guard Jo’s blade.

“What are you doing...?”

However, no matter how one thought about it, the situation was all too clear.

Having been caught trying to launch a surprise attack from behind, there was only one conclusion.

“Is this a betrayal!”

“Betrayal? No.”

Head guard Jo smirked wickedly.

Soon, a sinister energy began to emanate from his entire body.

“I was always a demon. I was simply faithful to the role I was given.”

“...!”

“Hehe, what a pity. If it weren’t for that guy, you would have died without even knowing how.”

“Ugh...”

Ratty was barely managing to fend off head guard Jo’s continued attacks.

At a time when we needed to unite, head guard Jo and the escorts revealed themselves to be members of the Demonic Cult.

As we struggled to fend off their attacks, the King of Hell Squad continued to close in on us moment by moment.

Was it a coincidence? In the midst of such an urgent battle, Ratty and Woeful’s eyes turned to me at the same time.

And at the same time, a puzzled expression appeared on their faces. Probably because I looked too calm for the situation.

I bowed deeply to the two of them.

“Thank you for trusting and following me, brothers.”

“Young brother Kim?”

“From now on, leave it to me.”

I turned my back on them and walked leisurely toward the approaching King of Hell Squad.

Then I pointed forward with Root.

[Activate ‘Amplification’]

[The rank of ‘Twister’ increases. (C±>A+)]

Whooooosh—

The wind imbued with physical force gathered in one place and formed a huge whirlwind.

“......!”

“......!”

The men in black desperately tried to escape the whirlwind, but they were helplessly dragged in by the relentless gusts of wind.

The men in black gradually gathered into one place.

And now that I was facing them, I clenched my other hand tightly and crimson flames erupted from it.

Soon, I pulled back my burning fist as if drawing a bowstring, then thrust it forward with all my might.

Boom!

The ensuing firestorm engulfed the men in black trapped in the whirlwind.

A moment later, when the firestorm subsided, all that remained was a deep crater along its path and flames still burning within it.

“What, what is this?”

“How could this be?”

Everyone was in utter shock and just stared blankly at the devastation before them.

Among them, the most astonished was probably the vice commander of the King of Hell Squad.

He had barely escaped the whirlwind with his life and seemed to recognize someone from witnessing my skill.

“...Flame Emperor!”

I blew out the remaining embers on my fingertips and shrugged my shoulders.

“I’m not that guy.”