As dust rose into the air, several dark specks appeared atop the dim yellow dunes, growing larger and larger.
"Woooooolololololo—!"
They shouted discordant, primitive war cries as they rode motorcycles cobbled together from scrap, their engines buzzing and roaring across the ground strewn with gravel and sand.
"The enemy is approaching the maximum effective range. Fire team, switch to laser rifles and prepare to fire."
Because they had to carry so many refugees, the metal-plated vehicle Kasgar and the others had chosen was barely faster than running.
Trying to shake off those annoying flies through speed alone was basically impossible.
"Fire!"
At Kasgar's command, over a dozen crimson laser beams pierced through the swirling dust and shot toward the distant black specks.
Very few actually hit their targets, and even among those that did, even fewer could inflict lethal damage on the heavily armored Motorcycle Unit.
That was just how flashlights were.
But killing them had never been Kasgar's objective. As long as the volley of fire could suppress them, that was enough.
"Now, the guard squad rides with me! We'll flank them from the side!"
Not all motorcycles were created equal.
Compared to those roaring heaps of scrap that looked ready to fall apart at any moment, Karax's assault mobility squad was practically divine.
Personally designed and improved by Fulgrim, these off-road motorcycles could adapt exceptionally well to Chemos's environment. They crossed sand and rubble as though on level ground without losing any speed.
A skilled craftsman could rival a hundred skilled swordsmen.
Fortunately, Fulgrim was both.
As he closed the distance with a single twist of the throttle, Kasgar could not help thinking so.
Facing the startled Sulfa people not far ahead, he drew the Ignition pistol at his left side.
It was a masterwork Ignition pistol personally forged for Kasgar by Fulgrim, using materials salvaged from dismantled ignition weapons and reverse engineering.
It was extremely handy.
Not that he was bragging.
With a dull, solid hum followed by a thunderous blast, the unlucky Sulfa man and his beloved wild motorcycle burst apart and atomized, buried beneath Chemos's gravel and yellow sand.
The Sulfa people had fierce attacks and high mobility, making them the most troublesome nomads.
But against Kasgar, whose weapons and equipment were a full tier above theirs, it was undoubtedly a modern force beating up primitives.
Once their mobile unit set out, those Sulfa people who had once been so brave and battle-hardened could not even get close before being riddled with shots, falling one after another beneath the group's superior weapons and concentrated firepower.
When sorcery and force-field shields did not exist, superior firepower doctrine tended to work much better.
"All visible Sulfa Motorcycle Units have been eliminated."
"Recon squad, report the latest situation."
Kasgar calmly returned his pistol to its holster.
But before he could celebrate for even a moment, the communications device delivered more bad news.
"No, sir!"
"More Motorcycle Units are approaching from your position!"
"The number of people rapidly closing in on our forces is constantly increasing! Large numbers of unknown signals have appeared on the left as well!"
"And ahead! There are even more unknown readings ahead! The Sulfa people may have ambushed their main force here!"
The situation was bad.
"Looks like they've come out in full force."
Kasgar frowned deeply upon hearing this. "Send the signal. Notify Fulgrim to come reinforce us."
The motorcycle riders appearing on their right would generally have constituted the entire attacking force.
Normally, the Sulfa people's raids were just like this—using their highly mobile Motorcycle Units to seize slaves and goods, then relying on that mobility to withdraw before the enemy's main force arrived.
Hit and run.
This tactic also made it difficult for him and Fulgrim to locate their hiding place amid Chemos's harsh surface environment.
But now, the entire tribe had deployed nearly all its fighting strength, including mutants without mobile equipment, cultists, and swordsmen, all just to ambush them?
Had these Sulfa people gone mad?
Were they risking exposure just to intercept this batch of transported refugees?
"Prophet, what further instructions does the god have?"
The Sulfa people's leader was a heavily mechanized mutant.
Scars and mutations covered his hideous face. Even the mechanical components grafted onto him as concealment could not hide his horrifyingly twisted appearance.
As for the Prophet he addressed, she was withered and gaunt, with barely any flesh on her bones. Yet she wore countless golden-red ornaments like a flamboyant dancer.
Her face was obscured by a curtain made of numerous golden decorations, making her features impossible to discern.
If she were not standing here, it would have been hard to imagine that she was a scavenger from a cannibal tribe.
"The god has praised your devotion, child."
The Prophet's voice was remarkably clear for an old woman.
"What it seeks is all here."
"What, Prophet?"
"But what exactly does it want?"
Doubt arose in the leader's heart, but the Sulfa people's Prophet—their shaman and Oracle—continued issuing orders:
"The chosen of the Mother of Nothingness will come of their own accord. You need only seek them. Ask no questions, and give it no thought."
"The two infants, one boy and one girl, are our future saint and vessel."
The Prophet spoke in a manner that was difficult to understand.
But one thing was clear: she wanted two children, one boy and one girl, alive.
That was enough.
"Fine."
Looking down from his heavy troop carrier, the leader saw the shocking casualties among the vanguard.
"Fuck, when did these brats get so good at fighting?"
"Don't engage them yet. Ask whether they're willing to hand over the people first. There'll be time to fight later!"
"A boy and a girl, alive?"
Kasgar rode his motorcycle back to the convoy.
What was this, some ritual sacrifice to the Dragon King?
The Sulfa people's demands struck him as extremely strange.
These people seemed to have a very clear objective.
They wanted only those twin children. They would leave once they got them, without even coveting the refugees.
Or rather, under the threat posed by Kasgar and his troops, the Sulfa people did not dare covet anything more.
There were only a handful of refugee children in the entire convoy now, and the boy-girl twins the enemy sought could only mean one thing:
Those two children who had spoken with Kasgar not long ago.
But what did the Sulfa people want with them?
Kasgar did not know.
But as time passed, the Sulfa people's encirclement drew ever closer.
If they did not make a decision soon, they would only be at a greater disadvantage once they were surrounded.
"Sir, how about we give them the children?"
"This whole convoy is full of refugees who can't fight. If a major battle really breaks out, the casualties might be..."
A guard cautiously suggested it.
Fulgrim loved children most of all.
And as her followers and believers, so did they.
Compared with the assorted mutants filling the vehicle, the two children were naturally far more endearing.
But no matter what, countless lives still awaited saving on the other side of the scales.
No matter how ugly or foolish the mutants were, they were still living beings. They were human.
Abandon two children and save an entire vehicle of guards and refugees.
It was a good bargain.
The other guards all fell silent.
Though cruel, it was also everyone's shared choice.
The people of Chemos had long grown accustomed to such cold bargains over human lives.
"Big Brother Kasgar..."
The two children were brought before everyone.
Though still young, they were mature enough to understand their fate.
"Big Brother Kasgar, it's okay. Just let us go over there."
"I—I won't be a captain anymore."
Her eyes reddened.
"The uncles said it before. We orphans were born to be eaten by the Sulfa people outside."
How could a life born to be eaten ever become a captain?
Kasgar did not make a decision immediately.
"Little Captain, what's your name?"
He merely comforted the girl and lifted both children into his arms.
"...My name is Corleon."
"Corleon, Corleon. Interesting."
His expression changed slightly. He turned to carefully inspect the boy beside her, then turned back.
"Alright, Corleon!"
"Now, hold on tight!!!"
Holding the children in his arms, Kasgar instantly swung onto his motorcycle and slammed the throttle all the way down.
He sped toward the yellow wilderness on the horizon, in the opposite direction.
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