About Talula Finding and Adopting Me: Chapter 41

Although everyone who had joined this unit was a warrior prepared for death, even seasoned veterans could no longer make optimistic jokes in the face of those battle-ready legions.

Even though Reunion had yet to enter the army group's engagement range, the oppressive pressure already made it hard for everyone to breathe.

The Third Army Group was an Ursus force of roughly fifty thousand soldiers. Though only a branch battlegroup of the Third Army Group was currently stationed near Chernobog, its numbers and firepower were still overwhelmingly superior.

According to the original plan, Reunion's goal was not to clash head-on with the Third Army Group branch. They were meant to use the surrounding terrain as cover, adopting a defensive posture to delay and obstruct the army group's advance toward Chernobog, buying time for Talula and the others' operation.

What shattered the dead silence was a communication from Talula's side—

FrostNova picked up the radio. Seconds later, Snow Rabbit's expression became grave and incredulous.

"Assassinate Viscount Kerk!? Are you serious, Talula? This is completely impossible! Our original plan was to block and delay the army group before it reached Chernobog. You know perfectly well how different it is to hold a defensive line versus actively attacking the enemy command post, Talula!"

FrostNova questioned Talula on the other end of the radio. This news that had broken the silence sounded like the drunken ramblings of a drunkard passed out by the roadside after too much White Horse liquor.

"I know—but the situation has changed. We need to do more than stop Grand Duke Baikal. The Third Army Group's deputy commander is also a ringleader who must be dealt with, or they will start a war! Orson is on his way to you. I trust Patriot, Orson, and you to lead the fighters and complete this mission. I know this is asking a lot, but—shhhhhh—"

The other end of the radio turned to white noise. The radio had been completely jammed. It seemed Talula's side was carrying out some kind of mission as well.

"Hah... Dad, the situation has changed. We can't keep building a defensive line to delay the army group. We need to launch a surprise attack on their command post."

FrostNova relayed Talula's request to Patriot beside her.

"Not impossible, but it must be resolved quickly. It is the complete opposite of a defensive line—prepare a defensive formation first."

"—Huh!?"

Patriot abruptly raised his shield halfway through speaking. At his command, the Shield Guards at the front of the formation immediately assumed defensive positions without hesitation.

Seconds later, explosive bolts and Originium Arts attacks rained down on Reunion like a storm from beyond visual range.

Boom—!!!

Deafening explosions erupted one after another, but the "shields" led by Patriot did not retreat in the slightest. They gripped their shields tightly, bolstered by Originium Arts, and forcibly received the entire volley head-on.

After the first barrage, the once snow-white earth was covered in overturned dark brown mud. Countless craters pitted nearly half of Reunion's camp.

Even so, Patriot still stood at the very front of the formation. His armor was caked in mud, but the shield in his hand remained unscathed, blocking every attack.

This was the "Shield of the Infected," the last Wendigo—Patriot Bojokasti.

Meanwhile, inside a marching tent behind the army group's front lines.

"The beyond-visual-range attack failed? You useless trash! You couldn't even hit targets like those rotten fish scraps that barely qualify as an army!?"

Viscount Kerk, the army group's actual commander at the moment, sat inside the tent and loudly cursed the messenger.

"Crush those overconfident Infected vermin—how hard is that order to understand? You lot eat Ursus military rations, so can you at least be useful for once? You can't even make a cup of coffee without putting in too much damn sugar!"

Viscount Kerk berated the soldiers, then spat the coffee in his hand aside and picked up a comb to tidy his flowing hair, which had been plastered with half a bottle of hair gel.

"My apologies, Deputy Commander... but we observed that the leader of that force is Captain Patriot. Also, reports from Chernobog say that The Silence of the North appears to be approaching this area as well. We should alter our formation and stop being so aggressive—"

"You're absolutely right. So why aren't you sitting in the commander's seat? That Patriot is just some ancient relic. How could that shabby armor of his possibly withstand Ursus artillery fire? And this Silence nonsense is just something those idiotic Enforcement Teams made up to cover for their own incompetence. All you need to do is fight and wipe out that rabble. Does anyone still not understand my orders?"

Kerk questioned the soldiers around him. The soldiers frowned, but said nothing as they left the tent.

"Hah... Shield Guards, fall back and adjust your formation! Abyssal Hunters, fill the gaps!"

On the battlefield, FrostNova panted heavily. While using Originium Arts to freeze the assault troops approaching the line, she also had to manipulate cold air currents to slow the enemy casters' attacks.

By then, large black marks of highly crystallized Originium had already surfaced behind FrostNova. In this state, her frost was at its strongest, but it also consumed the most stamina—even life force.

"Crossbowmen and casters, conserve your strength and ammunition. This is not the time to go all out. Veterans, keep watch on the newcomers around you. Do not let them make pointless charges, but do not stop pressuring the enemy line either."

Patriot stood at the front like an immovable boulder. Countless enemy soldiers who tried to attack him were sent flying by overwhelming force, while crossbow bolts and Originium Arts struck his battered armor without even leaving a mark.

Most people did not understand why Patriot had ordered the unit to feign repeated charges. By his own earlier words, it was merely wasting Reunion's strength.

"Excellent, these Infected scum really are nothing—haven't we played around enough? Gunners, deploy the heavy artillery battery! There's no need to keep tangling with these clowns. Just wipe them all out!"

After seeing Reunion's repeated assaults fail to make any progress, Kerk, inside the tent, directly ordered the army group to deploy a heavy artillery battery.

Rumble, rumble, rumble—

The enormous artillery battery slowly turned toward Reunion's line, the glow at its muzzle growing brighter and more blinding.

"Artillery fire—everyone, brace for the impact!! Damn it, is that guy insane? At this range, he'll hit the army group's own soldiers too!"

FrostNova noticed the heavy artillery battery about to fire and turned to shout at the fighters behind her.

"Artillery—!? Wait, at this range we'll be hit too—!!" "Fuck! Forget Reunion, find cover!"

"Madman... the civilians are behind us!" "Abyssal Hunters, gather up now! Use Originium Arts to create a buffer formation!!"

In the face of the incoming bombardment, everyone on the battlefield stirred into panic, the noise growing louder as the glow from the cannon muzzle became increasingly blinding.

Just then, a drone carrying a young man reached the sky directly above the battlefield at tremendous speed.

Curtain Call

In an instant, the battlefield became utterly silent—the fully charged cannon barrel did not roar as it fired. Instead, it abruptly went dark.

Orson released his hand and landed lightly atop the heavy artillery turret, placing his palm against the barrel.

Rest Note

The artillery battery suddenly resumed operation and began charging again. At nearly the same time, black, invisible matter spreading from behind Orson seeped through the turret's gaps and corroded its interior.

A muffled scream briefly came from the control room inside the turret. Then the muzzle grew brighter and brighter—

BOOM!!!!

With a tremendous blast, a piercing sonic boom and a flash bright enough to blind erupted from the melting, self-destructing heavy artillery battery.

Using Rest Note to block the shockwave, Orson leaped into the air, then manipulated Rest Note like fluid to disperse the impact and land steadily.

"What the hell is that guy!?" "Why—why did the turret self-destruct!?" "Damn it, medics, medics!!" "Fuck, fuck, what happened? That black thing—"

After the silence, the world became loud and chaotic again, but Orson remained silent.

"..."

He silently tore away the bandages that had been wrapped around his throat. Blood seeped from the startling wounds beneath them, while black patterns had somehow crept across his limbs.

FEVER TIME

Orson clenched his fist, then looked toward FrostNova in the distance and spoke softly—

"..."

No sound came out, but FrostNova nodded.

The moment for an all-out attack had arrived.

What Could Be Conveyed Without Words

Inside a filthy mining-area room littered with rubble and broken stone, FrostNova leaned against the only intact wall and breathed painfully.

All around her lay shattered chunks of bodies, their original forms no longer recognizable after being blown apart by explosives. Judging from the rags wrapped around the relatively intact fragments, most of the corpses belonged to Infected once imprisoned in this mine. A small number belonged to members of FrostNova's Abyssal Hunters.

Sure enough, if we keep raiding mines, we'll eventually run into something like this.

FrostNova thought with a bitter smile. This raid had been a trap aimed at the Abyssal Hunters from the very beginning. The Enforcement Team and the mine's overseers had strapped explosives to these Infected, intending to use them as human bombs when the Abyssal Hunters attacked.

What was more, Imperial Guards had appeared nearby for some reason. Perhaps these monsters had simply happened to pass through while heading for some city... Hah, when someone was unlucky, everything came crashing down at once.

This mine belonged to Duke Baikal, yet Imperial Guards had somehow appeared here. The unit she led was no match for those monsters. In the end, only she had survived, hiding in a corner of the mine pit under the protection of the Abyssal Hunters.

The Originium Arts deployed by the Abyssal Hunters before their deaths had helped her offset most of the blast's force, but even so, FrostNova could feel that several ribs and bones in both arms had been broken.

Thud, thud, thud, thud—

The distinctive bootsteps of the Imperial Guards drew closer from afar. This was probably one of those killing machines' twisted pleasures: announcing the impending death of their prey.

"Mm... ngh."

FrostNova tried to raise her arm and pick up the staff beside her, but her arm seemed to have detached from her body entirely and refused to obey.

"So this is the end."

FrostNova raised her head slightly and looked at the bloodstained, pockmarked ceiling.

What would happen to her father after she died? Could that lonely, aged Wendigo endure losing someone for a second time? That old man had already borne too many farewells.

Talula... she was a good fighter, a good comrade. Perhaps she was still somewhat immature as a leader, but if FrostNova's death could serve as a catalyst, then so be it.

Alina would be sad, but she would grow strong, for Talula's sake as well.

Sasha and Ino... it was a pity she would not see the expressions on those Ursus children's faces when they set foot on their homeland again.

And Orson...

When FrostNova thought of Orson, she paused.

Within Reunion, Orson was the only person she truly "couldn't stand." When she had first met him, that young man had said something unbelievably cringeworthy that left her utterly baffled. After they became a little more familiar, he started tugging on her tail and ears.

No matter when it was, he always looked foolishly cheerful. Were there really that many things in this world worth smiling about?

FrostNova did not know Orson's past, because he had never told anyone about it. She only knew that Orson had slaughtered that village—or perhaps he had been abandoned by it?

A self-absorbed idiot, an idiot who constantly made her angry...

Would an optimistic idiot like that become lost because of her death?

If you can pull yourself together, then Talula, Father, and the others will be in your hands... Orson.

FrostNova half-closed her eyes and softly prayed that this insignificant wish might reach him. When she opened them again, the executioner and killing machine known as an Emperor's Blade—an Imperial Guard—was already standing before her.

A grotesque mask, a deep voice, a saber at its waist, terror enough to make her blood run backward.

"Leader of the Guerrilla Force's snow monster unit, codename FrostNova. Escaped Infected from an Originium mine. Involved in more than ten armed riots. In the name of the late Emperor, you will be executed here. Your face and head will be severed."

The Imperial Guard slowly pronounced judgment upon FrostNova. She raised her head proudly and looked at it.

"You cannot oppress the Infected forever, remnants of an old age. The Infected will surely break through the shackles imposed upon this land."

"Nonsense."

The Imperial Guard drew the saber at its waist. FrostNova closed her eyes as well. Her life should have ended in that childhood mine. Every day after that old man rescued her had been a miracle. It had been enough.

But—"miracles" had not completely abandoned this Snow Rabbit.

"FrostNova—!!"

Orson's voice suddenly rang out, accompanied by the young man himself, surrounded by Rest Note and covered in wounds.

"...Orson!?"

Snow Rabbit's eyes widened as she watched Orson force his way into the room through the other side of the wall, simultaneously manipulating Rest Note to pounce on the Imperial Guard.

"Live! Don't die here!"

Covered in blood, Orson shouted at FrostNova. She could not even tell which bloodstains belonged to him and which belonged to the people who had tried to stop him as he desperately forced his way here.

Orson directly used Crescendo and High Octave on Rest Note, pushing its hardness and heat to the limit.

Clang!!

The dark-red Rest Note collided with the Imperial Guard's saber. At the same time, Orson drew a dagger and lunged low at the Imperial Guard.

Stab!

The dagger plunged into the Imperial Guard's side. Orson immediately withdrew Rest Note, extended his left hand to block the Imperial Guard's attack with a second dagger, and sent Rest Note spreading inward through the wound made by the first blade.

"Useless."

A layer of mist suddenly surfaced around the Imperial Guard's body.

"Then let's find out—Curtain Call"

Orson activated his ability. In an instant, the mist surrounding the Imperial Guard suddenly dispersed.

"—!?"

"I don't know how absurd your Originium Arts are, but as long as I make it impossible for you to use them at all, that'll do!"

Orson roared as he pulled out the dagger. In the instant the Imperial Guard was confused by the situation, he drove it straight toward its head.

Splat!