Chapter 187
October 1st, 11:15 AM
Ursus, near Lake Vega.
A burly man wielding a sharp axe and clad in heavy armor approached the large tree. He addressed the man wearing a black hooded coat, a red scarf, and carrying a long sword:
"Red, you've been on duty all day. Go and rest, I'll relieve you."
"Need not."
"I heard those Ursus bastards won't be here for a few days. You're sleepy now, how are you going to fight them then?"
Red thought for a moment, then briskly stood up and said:
"Okay, then I'll leave this place to you."
After he left, the burly man with the axe sat down in the shade of a tree to cool off and chatted with another infected person.
After an unknown amount of time, a man wearing a black trench coat and a gas mask approached from a distance. Judging from the markings on his clothes, he appeared to be an officer from Ursus.
The burly man with the axe immediately became alert and gestured to his infected partner to go back and report the situation. He was too large to retreat now.
"Tap, tap, tap..."
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the man in black walked directly towards the tree.
Hearing the footsteps getting closer, the burly man with the axe swung it like he was chopping wood. The moment the other man came into view, he swung it down with all his might!
Unexpectedly, Black Substance appeared out of nowhere around them. Like a thin mist, it made the burly man wielding the axe swing his weapon unusually slow.
What, what's going on?!
The next second, the burly man wielding the axe was struck through the head by a powerful blow. He collapsed to the ground with a thud.
The Emperor's Blade was fixed on the direction the infected were fleeing, and a slight smile played on his lips beneath his mask.
Run! You'd better take me to the camp.
The hunt has begun.
250 A mere child's play, yet they dare to show off their amateur skills before an expert? (3K)
The Emperor's Royal Guard is the Ursus Emperor's personal guard with swords, and also the strongest fighting force in Ursus.
Their individual combat abilities are extremely strong, and they often appear in large groups, making them a formidable fighting force. Whether in conquest or extermination, they are invincible.
Unfortunately, many years ago, they were ordered to fight against the 'Abyssals' in Sunset Canyon. More than twenty Inner Guards were killed in this battle, causing the number of Inner Guards to plummet.
Inner Guards who survived were among the strongest fighters, truly Elite Guard.
Faced with such a massive loss of combat power, His Majesty the Emperor urgently needed to fill the void. He thus tasked the research department with using the inhuman remains obtained during previous campaigns in the north, along with fragments of Demons, to modify the warriors' bodies. Combined with ritualistic rituals and the constraints of Combat Suit, this created a new Inner Guards with formidable fighting capabilities.
Like the Elite Guard Inner Guards, the new inner guards are creatures born of war, with only their consciousness remaining human.
Their bodies are composed of a peculiar, black, unknown substance. Once their Combat Suit are damaged, the Demons power will spiral out of control, triggering annihilation.
However, the new Inner Guards lack the experience and overall ability of their seasoned predecessors. It is estimated that three to four new Inner Guards are equivalent to one Elite Guard.
The Inner Guards dispatched to participate in the operation to eradicate the infected organization were Elite Guard.
He followed the infected members of the Rhodes Island all the way to the vicinity of Lake Vega. Later, he surprisingly abandoned the pursuit and seemed to be communicating with someone using a communicator.
A few minutes later, another Elite Guard, wearing the same gas mask and trench coat, arrived at the scene to join them.
With two Elite Guards, their strength far exceeds the expected troop strength for this annihilation operation.
The reason they met here was that they were afraid that applying to fight at the same time would attract the attention of the Ursus leadership.
The Elite Guard had made a deal with Duke Koschei, the 'The Undying Black Serpent,' and knew that he wanted to use Talulah as a vessel to seize her consciousness and be reborn.
As Talulah's ideology gradually aligns with Koschei's, she will gradually lose control of her body.
Elite Guard arrived here under the guise of participating in the extermination of the infected. In reality, they wanted to confirm whether Koschei had successfully possessed Talulah.
If Koschei's plot succeeds, they will simply withdraw and abandon the operation. Given their status and position as Elite Guard within the country, they have no fear of being punished for it.
If His Majesty the Emperor were to inquire personally, one could simply say that one got lost after entering Lake Vega and that would suffice.
Of course, this is the best-case scenario.
The worst-case scenario is that Koschei is still in hiding and hasn't managed to control Talulah. Patriot's guerrilla force appears and surrounds the Elite Guard.
Precisely because of the perilous situation that would arise from operating alone, two Elite Guards were brought in this time. Even if surrounded, they would be able to escape unscathed.
Patriot, Pureblood Wendigo, once defended against powerful Demons from the North. Out of respect for the strong, the Elite Guard will treat him with utmost respect and importance.
Decades ago, the Elite Guard would have been inferior to 'Patriot' Broca.
However, he is now suffering from Originium-related illness, and his health is deteriorating rapidly. Meanwhile, the elite...
The Inner Guards can still maintain nearly 90% of its peak fighting strength.
With this shift in power, the outcome is immediately clear.
Even if the Patriot possess an unyielding will, two Elite Guards would be more than enough to handle them.
The only thing to worry about is Broca's desperate counterattack when he's in dire straits. All we need to do is injure him and let him die naturally.
The Elite Guard has considered all aspects; with such a powerful combination, it's impossible to imagine them losing.
The two Elite Guards were natural hunters. After meeting up, they followed the footprints and tiny tracks in the snow, heading northwest.
After walking about three or four hundred meters, the two spotted other fleeing infected individuals. They didn't attack them, hoping the others would lead them to the Rhodes Island camp.
While crossing a plain, a strange thing happened!
An arrow shot out from somewhere. The Elite Guard, who had been strolling leisurely, finally became serious, and the Black Mist around them surged.
When the crossbow bolts entered the area affected by the fog, their speed became extremely slow.
"Whoosh!"
Soon, a second crossbow bolt hurtled straight at his face. But the result was the same; those who were slower could easily dodge it.
The Elite Guard quickly pinpointed the sniper's location based on the second crossbow bolt; he was just 200 meters away.
"A mere trick, yet you dare to show off your amateur skills before an expert?"
In addition to using knives for melee attacks, Elite Guard can also unleash ranged spacetime magic.
Once a collapsed serve touches the target, it's basically game over.
Before they could make a move, the snipers in camouflage in the distance seemed to sense the danger and quickly retreated.
"Hmph, at least this kid escaped quickly."
The two Elite Guards, having discerned the direction the infected and snipers fled from, have already determined the location of the camp.
As they ventured deeper, more and more infected individuals appeared around them, attempting to stop them. But they were like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, utterly outmatched. Anyone affected by the Black Mist would die instantly within seconds.
Talulah was patrolling the camp when she suddenly saw a scout stumbling in.
"Something's wrong, boss! Something's wrong!"
"What happened?"
Her quick reaction made her heart skip a beat:
"Don't rush, tell me slowly."
"The Ursus Inner Guards are attacking!"
What?!
Talulah had lived in Ursus for many years and had heard of this legendary weapon of war. With her current strength, she should be able to hold her own against them.
"Don't rush, roughly in which direction is the Inner Guards? How many troops are accompanying them?"
The investigators were panting heavily, still recovering from the exhaustion of their frantic run.
"No, there are no other troops... there are two, boss, two Inner Guards!"
Upon hearing Talulah's pupils dilated sharply.
With one Inner Guards, she was confident she could handle the situation calmly. Even if she couldn't defeat them, she could use the flames to stall for time and buy everyone a chance to escape. But with two inner guards, the situation would take a sharp turn for the worse, and victory would be impossible.
Hearing the scouts' loud shouts, Alina emerged from the cave and inquired with concern:
"Talulah, should we retreat now?"
"Withdraw! Of course we must withdraw!"
Talulah took out the hand-drawn map that Broca had left behind the day before and handed it to her most trusted companion:
"Alina, this is a map of the Lake Vega area. Take the children and women and head north to meet up with the Patriot's forces first."
Finally, Talulah suddenly remembered the masked, peerless powerhouse. The chilling pressure seemed so real, bringing back that painful memory. After a moment's hesitation, she continued, "..."
"Also, Alina. If you get to the Patriot's camp, you can find a masked man and ask him for help. If he doesn't want to, you can find a woman named Chen on site; she will help the infected."
"Okay, I understand. I'll organize the evacuation of non-combat personnel immediately so as not to cause you any trouble."
Alina held the map in her hand, stared intently at her best friend, nodded emphatically, and continued:
"Talulah, you must be careful. Don't try to fight your way through; if you can't win, run. You are the hope for the infected on this land; you cannot let your hope be extinguished."
Talulah nodded, and seeing Red had just been woken up, instructed him to protect Alina's safety.
The Rhodes Island camp was in complete chaos, like a boiling pot of water. Everyone was running around, gathering their belongings, and starting to organize combat personnel to defend against the attack.
Talulah didn't have time to give individual instructions, so she quickly rushed to the Frontline against the flow of people.
"Ouch, my hand is gone! It hurts so much!"
"I don't want to die, someone please save me..."
The Elite Guard arrived at the camp in a short time. Their black trench coats billowing in the wind were like the dark clouds before a storm.
The infected, armed with substandard weapons, charged forward howling. But once they entered the area affected by the black mist, they collapsed to the ground with a thud, never to rise again.
The Elite Guard looked around at the panicked crowd, their deep voices echoing across the area:
"Kneel down and surrender immediately, or let us cut off your noses and take them with us. The choice is yours."
"Without a nose, wouldn't I become a faceless monster? Then I wouldn't be human anymore."
Elite Guard
Upon hearing this, he snorted coldly:
"Ridiculous, an infected person dares to call themselves a human being?"
Before they could continue speaking, they suddenly felt the temperature on the cold ice field rise steadily.
"Ugh, the smell of burning."
Talulah arrived at the Frontline of the camp, hoping to draw the attention of the Inner Guards and buy time for the others.
Two Elite Guard spotted the target, exchanged a glance, and shouted out numbers that were incomprehensible to ordinary people:
"3, 7, 22, 36..."
"11, 45, 14..."
Talulah looked completely bewildered, not understanding what the two Inner Guards were shouting about, and asked with a frown:
How did you get here?
The Elite Guard ceased their attack and responded:
"We're looking for you, the Daughter of the Duke. We've come today to assess the current situation."
Although Talulah often wore aristocratic attire, she rarely mentioned her background to anyone. Only her close friend Alina knew about it; the others were unaware.
She believed she had escaped the Duke Koschei's control and couldn't understand what assessing the current situation meant:
"**What are you talking about?"
The Elite Guard was displeased and warned: