Ch.205205. Infection War (3)

Right after repelling the attack of the Ratmen, the subordinate race of the Plague—the rat beastmen—the Avenger Legion decided to use the tunnels they had dug during their invasion in reverse.

The tunnels were surprisingly large for having been dug by small rats, spacious enough to leave some room even when several Avenger Legion members passed through.

Following the strategic deployment typically used when attacking such narrow passages, special operations squads consisting of six members each were formed and assigned to each tunnel.

One Veteran to serve as the squad leader in charge of field command.

Two Holy Assault Troopers capable of rampaging in close combat and dismembering enemies.

And three heavy flamethrower operators from the newly formed Heavy Weapons Squad of the Avenger Legion.

These soldiers were selected from existing units and trained specifically for combat in such confined environments, equipped with specialized gear suitable for these conditions.

Their equipment, a minor copy version of Emperor Bjorn Wolfson’s armor from the Great Dawn Empire, was a magical powered suit designed and developed by Chancellor Lunifer Ficentrius himself for prolonged combat in enclosed environments.

Thanks to its structure, which was practically like wearing a golem, it was completely sealed from the outside and equipped with various auxiliary functions to operate in extreme environments.

The helmet alone featured toxic substance shielding, night vision, expanded perception range, and when extended to the full armor, it included an exoskeleton that assisted all movements, temperature control systems, and in some cases, even incorporated expensive constant defensive magic.

Of course, the feeling of “wearing a golem” couldn’t be helped, greatly restricting the wearer’s movement and significantly reducing mobility.

Also, despite using high-grade neural transmission circuits, the limitations were clear—for practitioners of intermediate skill or higher, it was just unnecessarily heavy and uncomfortable metal, but…

“They’re coming! Fire!”

FWOOOOOOOOSH!!!

In these restricted situations and environments, there was perhaps no equipment more efficient than these golem armors for subduing low-level troops and advancing.

No matter how many enemies swarmed, the flamethrowers were nearly invincible in narrow spaces. It might take some time, but they could easily incinerate hundreds of rats.

With sturdy heat-resistant shields made of the same material as the armor, they blocked the heat while burning those bloodless creatures with holy flames.

The breakthrough power of just six people was almost unbelievable, as the remains of the burned rat-humans blocked the passages.

But even they… couldn’t completely push back the rats and occupy the tunnels.

The passages, neither too narrow nor too wide, were literally blocked by the bodies of thousands of rats that came crashing like waves.

Anyway, while such fierce battles were taking place underground…

“Break through!”

“Yes, sir!!!”

As the Knights of Plague appeared on the surface, the battlefield entered a new phase.

※ ※ ※

These warriors of intermediate rank with plague-corrupted and decayed bodies—the Knights of Plague—appeared riding giant plague-mosquitoes, who were also intermediate servants of the Plague God like themselves.

These hideous mosquitoes, nicknamed “flying trolls,” were more like alien insects similar to ■■■ or Ara■nids than actual mosquitoes.

Moreover, no matter how decayed and rotted their bodies were compared to normal, the combination of the blessing called plague and the physical abilities of intermediate warriors was terrifying.

“Fire! Stand your ground to the end!!”

The Avenger Legion members fired their laser-muskets with desperate determination, but ultimately, they were insufficient in many ways to face enemies of intermediate rank or higher.

With the limitations of firepower based on the technology reproducible in this era, the persistent Knights of Plague finally leaped onto the top of the walls—

“Guh, GAAACK!!”

“Block them, block them!!”

“Hold the line!!”

—CRASH!!!

What followed was the sight of the Avenger Legion’s defensive formation being torn apart by the contaminated greatswords wielded by the Knights of Plague.

The soldiers of the Avenger Legion truly fought with all their might, but the difference in power between low and intermediate ranks was too clear to overcome with effort alone.

Rather, the fact that some giant plague-mosquitoes collapsed under accumulated damage was proof of how powerful the Avenger Legion was.

The difference between low and intermediate ranks, to put it simply, was like infantry versus tanks. In the end, these achievements were like infantry destroying tanks without anti-tank weapons.

But despite such heroic feats, the tide of battle was clearly in favor of the “Plague,” and soldiers were beginning to turn into miserable corpses one by one—just then.

NEEEEEIIIGH!!!

With a majestic neigh that could hardly be considered a horse’s cry, something black and red flew swiftly through the sky (clouds).

The supreme commander of the Dawn Empire’s Aerial Cavalry and one of the few official high-rank forces.

Helena Valerinus, the “Black Lance,” charged toward the enemies riding her mount, a corrupted pegasus lord.

—THWACK!!

In a moment too brief for reaction, a Knight of Plague died instantly.

As a veteran warrior who was once an apostle of the 12 main gods in the Rom Empire’s pantheon, she pierced through the heads of several knights in one breath with her specially enchanted cavalry lance.

Moving at a speed that even awakened aura warriors of intermediate rank couldn’t react to, appearing like a black flash, she produced three corpses in an instant.

“”””””””—?!!””””””””

Seeing their comrades’ headless bodies beginning to fall to the ground, the Knights of Plague and mosquito riders (low-rank soldiers) were thrown into confusion.

But they wouldn’t continue in this state of confusion for long.

WHOOSH—SLASH!!

Helena, who leaped into the battlefield with a sound they could barely react to, skillfully wielded her massive lance as if it were part of her body, slaughtering the enemies.

The lance, wrapped with a blade of aura sharpened into a keen form, was itself a powerful weapon like the scythe of death that brought demise.

Thus, while Helena swung her weapon and slaughtered the enemies before they could react, her mount, the corrupted pegasus lord, was not merely watching either.

This winged horse, mutated into a “demonic being” by an evil god’s blessing, not only bit and clawed at enemies—it also used “magic.”

Originally able to use a few simple holy magics as a pegasus, now after being mutated by demonic influence, it was better than a mediocre intermediate magician.

It burned enemies with hellfire magic unique to demons and used mental magic to confuse the plague forces, making them fight among themselves.

Furthermore, it even used summoning magic to call forth demons unrelated to the Demon Archdukes of Hell—demons with no connection to the infernal world.

Anyway, after sweeping away hundreds of elites in one breath upon entering the battlefield, Helena briefly looked around before heading toward another nearby point.

However, if there was one fact she momentarily overlooked—

—CRASH!!

“…Enemy, eliminate.”

The Plague side had, of course, prepared high-rank forces in advance.

Having just arrived due to the characteristically slow speed of the Plague forces, he was an insect-human who had become almost monstrous in form due to the influence of the Plague’s blessing.

Armored in the Plague’s distinctive corroded green armor with a leather coat over it, he had an appearance close to a priest—and indeed, he held the highest position in the Plague cult.

Several pairs of wings similar to those of mosquitoes protruded from his back, and in his hand, he held a living staff connected to his armor and internal tentacles.

The Pope of Plague, the Spreader of Disease. The Foremost Servant of Plague.

He was Ense-Pesgut, the First Apostle of Plague.

The first to offer himself to the Plague God and fall as a slave to the evil deity, his body had completely transformed as a result of repeated blessings that corrupted his mind and body.

The divine artifact given to him as the god’s first apostle had completely fused with his body, as had his other equipment, becoming part of his flesh.

In terms of pure power, he couldn’t compare to a transcendent being, but instead, Ense-Pesgut had overwhelming experience spanning hundreds of years.

Because of the invisible pressure generated by this overwhelming experience, Helena Valerinus tensed up and raised her lance.

CRASH!!

Immediately after, as she desperately deflected the formless plague-magic attack launched by Ense-Pesgut, the situation on the battlefield once again plunged into uncertainty.