OBS Chapter 235
Chapter 235
Chapter 235
"Do-Jin!"
Ye-Jin approached the fallen Do-Jin. He stood precariously, barely able to support himself with his sword.
Ye-Jin unleashed her divine power.
"Don't move! I'm drawing a h-healing array!" Ye-Jin shouted.
Her hands trembled, hindering the drawing process. Ye-Jin was more talented in blessings and miracle replication than healing. Even if she tried to use blessings or miracle replication now, it seemed like it would work as she wished.
"Cough...! Hoo... ugh...!"
Do-Jin coughed while Ye-Jin drew her healing array. With each cough, a hunk of blood flew from his mouth and fell to the ground.
Splish, splash.
With trembling hands, Ye-Jin finally completed the healing array. However, she couldn't determine what exactly she needed to heal. There were no visible external injuries, but seeing him coughing up blood suggested there might be internal ones.
"Hold on a moment."
Ye-Jin swiftly lifted Do-Jin's shirt, revealing his abdomen decorated with dark bruises. He was in critical condition. While the wounds weren’t fatal, he would most likely have to spend several weeks in the hospital even if she managed to heal him. What on earth caused such extensive damage to his body?
"...What happened to you?"
"I...ouup."
"Don't force yourself to talk if you need to," Ye-Jin said with a choked voice.
Do-Jin, supporting himself with his sword, weakly spoke while looking at the Cult Leader approaching from a distance. "I got punched in the face."
Quite literally, he had been punched in the face. Seeing that the Cult Leader wasn't controlling the weather, Do-Jin thought that the Cult Leader was being careless or perhaps had lost the power to bend the atmosphere to his will. Or perhaps the Cult Leader would at least attempt to negotiate for the sake of the Voodooists.
However, after getting punched, Do-Jin realized that the Cult Leader wasn’t careless or weak-hearted. Rather, the Cult Leader just didn’t feel the need to use his strange ability to control the weather or manipulate fire and water.
Not a lot of manpower had been deployed to suppress the mercenary corp. The ones dispatched on the mission were the Trinitas Crusader Order, the Holy See's direct Crusader Order, and a few clergymen who came by themselves. The number of men totaled to one platoon at most. It was a lot of men in terms of subduing a single mercenary corp, but the story changed upon the Cult Leader’s appearance.
"Ye-Jin... take out the radio. We need to issue a retreat order..."
"Radios were only supplied to the crusaders. You don’t have one on you?"
"...Damn it,” Do-Jin muttered and gripped his sword.
He started walking unsteadily in the direction of the barrack tent. Ye-Jin stopped in the middle of drawing her healing array.
"Come here! Why are you moving in your condition? Do you have a death wish?"
"I'm not going to die. I'm not that badly hurt."
"You'll die, you crazy son of a bitch!" Ye-Jin yelled angrily, then cleared her throat and spoke again. "...Just stay still until I finish healing you. It'll be faster that way."
"We need to issue a retreat order right away... Otherwise, we'll all be dead. We'll be wiped out."
"Alright, then I'll go and tell them to retreat. So...”
"Do you think they will listen to you?" Do-Jin said, raising his head.
Crusaders ignored priests and paladins, just as priests ignored the crusaders and paladins, and paladins ignored the crusaders and priests. They might listen if someone like Joseph gave them orders, but they wouldn’t even bat an eyelash if Ye-Jin issued them commands.
Do-Jin continued to walk, using his sword as a staff. "I have to go."
"...If we give the retreat order, what then? Do you think the Cult Leader will just let us go?"
"It's okay. I'll fight and buy us some time. They won't be able to pursue us then."
Do-Jin was in a state where he could barely walk, and yet he made it seem as if it were obvious that he would fight the Cult Leader. Meanwhile, Ye-Jin finished drawing the healing array. The light of healing enveloped Do-Jin.
Thanks to Ye-Jin's healing, Do-Jin could feel his steps becoming a little lighter. However, the burning pain in his abdomen remained.
"...How are you going to fight with a body like that?"
Do Jin gripped his sword and answered Ye-Jin’s question. "I can fight."
Thanks to the healing, he no longer needed to rely on his sword to support his body to walk. Then, he saw the Cult Leader’s approaching figure in the distance.
At this point, they had no choice but to continue shooting. If they kept firing, they would eventually hit the Cult Leader with at least one bullet. The crusaders, following John's command, pulled the triggers in unison.
Bang, bang!
Dududududu─!
The gunshots didn't stop. The bullets hit the tree roots and giant leaves that had risen from the ground. However, they only scratched the roots and leaves of the trees, and the bullets could not penetrate through them.
The forest surrounding the Cult Leader was too thick and resilient. They’d be wasting bullets if they kept firing.
John racked his brain.
What was the Cult Leader thinking? Was he waiting for the crusaders to waste all their bullets before launching a full-scale attack? If that was the case, they should have given the order to stop firing.
No, it might be a trick to try and take advantage of the pause in the rain of bullets to launch an attack...
Ssssssh–!
At that moment, a giant spear-like object flew toward John. He reflexively twisted his waist to avoid it. He momentarily stopped shooting and examined the object that the Cult Leader had thrown at him. He thought it was a spear when it had been flying toward him, but upon closer inspection, it wasn’t.
"...A staff?"
It was the staff that the Cult Leader had been holding. He didn't have time to think about why the Cult Leader had thrown the staff toward him.
Thud!
[Ah, you mannerless child...]
The ordinary staff instantly transformed into the shape of a giant snake. The sweet, alluring voice of the snake penetrated John's mind, robbing him of the luxury of wondering why the staff had flown toward him.
Reflexively, John drew the pistol he had on his waist. He aimed the barrel at the giant snake's eyes. He pulled the trigger.
Bang, bang!
Two gunshots rang out, each aimed directly at one of the snake’s eyes. However, the bullets didn’t reach their target and plopped to the ground with dry, hollow sounds.
It wasn't just an ordinary snake. It was an overwhelming and absolute existence that couldn't be dealt with by human strength alone.
Thud.
John let go of the pistol in his hand and slumped down.
Whoosh.
The snake swung its giant tail.
The attack was not aimed at only John. It was an attack that targeted all the snipers in the area.
Smack–!
"Arrrgh...!" John let out a scream as the hit from the snake sent his body flying.
The snake continued to thrash its tail about. John's sniper rifle was crushed by the snake’s massive body.
Other snipers, like John, were hit by the snake's tail and flew away. They dropped their guns and fell to the ground, vomiting blood and sprawled about.
Fortunately, the snipers who managed to dodge the snake's attack shot its eyes with their guns. Some resilient crusaders stood up after eating the blow from the snake’s tail and tried to pierce its scales with their daggers.
However, no bullets harmed the snake. No daggers could pierce the scales as they instead broke.
"Ah, ah...!"
No attack was successful. Even those who took their last stand with guns and daggers lost their will and dropped their weapons. Looking at the terrified crusaders, the snake flicked its tongue.
[It's a shame I can't eat you,] the snake said, licking the faces of the pale crusaders with its long, slender tongue.
The crusaders confronting the Cult Leader with swords, spears, and holy artifacts in front also panicked as they helplessly watched the giant snake overwhelm their comrades in the back. The crusaders in the front ranks were lost, unable to advance due to the Cult Leader or retreat due to the snake.
"..."
Amid excruciating pain and fading consciousness, John realized the Cult Leader's scheme. He had used the snake to suppress the rifle squad located in the rear and block the crusaders’ retreat. Thus, the Cult Leader was luring the crusaders into his territory.
"A-advance! Advance!"
The crusaders in the front feared the giant snake, but they hesitantly moved forward. They had no other choice but to move onward. They looked just like moths drawn to a burning flame, throwing themselves into what would inevitably kill them.