Book Five: Return from the Other Shore, Chapter 425: Counterattack (I)
Pursuing forces of the Papacy--
The person in charge of this operation, Quasi- Templar Knight Wright Weiss, was sitting in his car, listening to reports from his subordinates.
"So, there's still no sign of the Rebel Army Leader?"
"I'm very sorry, Wright, there's still no result!"
"What about the Rebel Army troops who came to provide support?"
"They haven't come out since they entered the Enport Forest; it seems they've stopped advancing!"
"Um..."
Wright waved for his men to be quiet, then frowned and began to think silently.
Starting from Gloria, he traveled light, utilizing the best vehicles and magically modified riding beasts to maximize his speed. After several days of pursuit, he finally arrived here. He was certain that he was very close to his target, but the problem lay in the fact that the Rebel Army's keen senses had exceeded his expectations. Now, the distance between the two sides was only twenty or thirty kilometers, and the Rebel Army Leader was rapidly approaching the Rebel Army forces within that twenty-odd kilometers, using the darkness and trees as cover.
In other words, this is a critical moment where one wrong step can lead to another, and any slight mistake could let Nid Bradwich escape.
"Wright, now..."
"Pass on my order: maintain the current formation and increase the speed. Under no circumstances can we let him escape!"
Otherwise, Wright will be in big trouble when he goes back.
"Yes, sir!... But, Lord Wright..."
"I know. As for that bunch of useless idiots behind them, just make sure they get the message across."
Wright sighed inwardly. At this point, the shortcomings of the temporary mixed formation of multiple units were already fully exposed: a lack of coordination, each fighting its own battle, and orders that could not be transmitted and executed in a timely manner. If this were not a pursuit but a war, they would probably all be in grave danger.
As for the Rebel Army who came to greet their Leader... it's understandable that they've stopped advancing. The two armies are currently only twenty or thirty kilometers apart. Once that distance shrinks to within twenty kilometers, the Divine Spellcaster can launch a long-range bombardment. Although they don't know the exact coordinates, knowing that the enemy is in the forest ahead is enough. At worst, they can bomb the forest flat as well.
The problem was that... in order to search for Nid, they had to cover as wide an area as possible, so they adopted a formation in which several large detachments were lined up in a row, like many layers of wide nets stacked together to advance. Although this formation could minimize the possibility of missing Nid, in actual combat, such an arrangement would be easily breached.
Wright was extremely troubled.
"Logically, the Revolutionary Army's objective was simply to retreat immediately after capturing Bradwich. If we had successfully captured him before then... is it really a matter of spatial scale? If we had captured him hundreds of kilometers away from the Revolutionary Army, we could have easily returned in triumph. But now we're so close. Once they realize we've caught our target, we can't rule out—no, there's a high probability they'll chase after us and forcibly take him back, fighting tooth and nail to get a piece of our minds. Although their chances of success are slim, if they really fight to the death, we'll lose a lot of men, given this formation, this poor coordination, this incomplete equipment..."
The more Wright thought about it, the stronger the inexplicable sense of crisis became.
"... No, we should switch to an offensive formation. Come here and inform the entire army--"
"Lord Wright!!!!"
The magical communication device hanging at his waist suddenly beeped.
"How?"
"The Rebel Army forces have made a move! They've dispatched a large battalion of over two thousand men to launch an attack on us!"
"What!?"
Wright was startled and sat bolt upright, not expecting the Rebel Army to strike first!
"I'm asking you... did they form a wedge formation and charge straight into the enemy lines?"
"Yes, sir! Our first wave has been breached! They are moving very fast and will soon meet up with the second wave!"
Really!
Wright slammed his fist on the cushion beneath him. Their search formation was spread wide open, while the enemy was a concentrated force—it was like stabbing a sharp knife into a stack of papers! There was no way to defend against it!
They are now divided into ten echelons, each with nearly 100,000 people, all lined up in a straight line for the search. He is in the ninth echelon, quite far back. If the enemy manages to break through like this—
"Immediately change formation! Second to fourth echelons form a crane wing formation, do not engage the center head-on, let the flanks flank and encircle them! Fifth echelon and beyond form a yoke formation for defense! Remember, although they are certainly elite, they only number two thousand, nothing to fear!"
Light armor reflected the moonlight, and valiant paladins drew their swords, which gleamed with holy light.
"Gun Array IV - Breaking Army, 80% Strength Required!"
--Then in the next instant, he was sent flying, like a flood bursting its banks.
The white-haired woman radiated dazzling purple lightning, her twin pistols flashing with blinding light, sweeping away the seemingly invincible Papal warriors like trash! If this assault team were a sharp arrow, she would be the most resilient and sharpest tip, breaking through the enemy lines and paving the way for those behind! Behind her was a force of two thousand, each a battle-hardened elite warrior, rapidly widening the gap created by the woman. Their swiftness and precision in movement were unmatched by the Papal army!
"They're here!!! They've broken through to the second tier!"
"Follow Wright Wright's orders and engage the enemy! Quickly!"
"We're here!!!"
Suddenly, a cloud of dust was illuminated by holy light, and the thunderous shouts of battle rang out. Although the enemy's two thousand men were only one-fifth of the second echelon, their mobility and combat power far exceeded their expectations!
"Attack! Aaaaaaah!!!"
The young commander's cry turned into a scream in an instant as a bullet crackling with purple sparks pierced his body.
This signaled the start of the full-scale battle.
"Get out of here!!!!"
The spiritual energy bullets exploded one by one in the air, setting off raging flames wherever they passed. Even without contact, the shockwaves alone were enough to obliterate anyone!
One by one, the paladins' gleaming, intricately carved armor shattered into fragments, and the once vibrant Papal warriors became cold, even incomplete, corpses. Xiao Wu bit her lip hard. In the end, she couldn't let go of her past rule of "never killing." Every time her hand took a life, a strange sense of unease crept into her heart.
(But we can't do without killing now...)
"Avoid the women charging at the front, and have the cavalry encircle and annihilate them from the left and right flanks!"
"--!!"
Xiao Wu to catch the enemy's shouts, and in the next instant—
"Pierce the Sun!"
She raised her hand and fired a shot to her left. The blazing beam pierced through the void, passing through the silver-armored right hand of the rapidly approaching cavalryman. The Greatsword that was about to fall on a female soldier's head was also deflected. Only then did the Revolutionary Army female soldier realize that she had just narrowly escaped death.
"Th-thank you, Xiao Wu-- "
"Be careful! We're a commando team, not a suicide squad!"
With that, Xiao Wu continued forward at her own pace. While the other soldiers rode specially modified horse-shaped demonic beasts, she was the only one running on foot—because there was no vehicle faster than her.
(That's right... We must kill now; if the enemy doesn't die, it'll be our own people who die!)
More than a hundred cavalrymen surged toward Xiao Wu, but under Xiao Wu's barrage of bullets, they fell one after another at intervals of tens of meters. And every time Xiao Wu activated her Gun Array, the rate at which the enemy troops were reduced would increase tenfold!
(Faster, faster--)
As the tip of the arrow, only by clearing the way and increasing the speed of the troops can we advance quickly and avoid engaging in close combat with them as much as possible! The fate of a mere two thousand-strong assault team if it is overwhelmed by the enemy's sheer numbers is unimaginable. Xiao Wu is fine, of course, but the other soldiers will certainly die! We must maintain mobility and advance at high speed at all times. Every time we slow down, it will result in the sacrifice of dozens or even hundreds of our own men!
"Watch out ahead! Their Divine Spellcaster!"
Several people behind her shouted, Xiao Wu herself noticed it too—the night sky was illuminated by dozens of huge orbs of light, each orb displaying silvery-white Divine Word!
Xiao Wu's side is now too close to the attacking cavalry. If the enemy's Divine Spellcaster were to launch a long-range bombardment at this moment, it would inevitably cause casualties to their own side as well. But clearly, they have decided to use a sacrifice tactic!
"If we find that the enemy has started using divine magic for long-range bombardment, that's a good thing. When they think 'it doesn't matter if their own people get caught up in it,' it means they're really desperate. In other words, they've started to psychologically tilt towards the disadvantage."
--That's what Nid said before he set off.
He even chuckled after saying that.
"Well, although Sister Xue told me this before, I'll just use it for now."
Is it really just something to "use briefly"?
Those who merely adopt existing ideas are unlikely to become decision-makers.
Perhaps... it was only after his sister's death that some of the hidden brilliance of this boy named Nid truly came to light.
Loxue was both his support and his shackles.
Just as a boy who is always pampered and spoiled by his mother can only ever be a good son, a boy who is always bound by his sister's gentleness can never become a man.
"Honestly, I'm a little confused. Was Loxue's death a good thing or a bad thing for him...?"
Xiao Wu unleashed a barrage of shots with both pistols, instantly shattering dozens of incoming light orbs into dazzling Fireworks. However, these lights did not disappear; instead, they quickly reformed, forming a giant Light Gun that flew towards them!
"Xiao Wu-- "
"What a hassle... that's why I hate dealing with these roundabout and tedious things!"
Xiao Wu decisively put away her dual pistols, pushed off the ground with all her might, and shot straight into the sky like a rocket, heading straight for the Light Gun!
"Form 107-1 - Crooked Sky!"
A flying kick, too fast to see clearly, shattered the massive Light Gun in mid-air, turning it into specks of light and disappearing completely.
Now that she was in the air, Xiao Wu could see the scene below more clearly.
The two thousand assault troops were like a small boat advancing in an ocean of enemy forces; if they slowed down even slightly, they would be capsized by the waves that gathered from all directions. The leading echelon formed an X-shape to block their advance, while the echelons that had been broken through earlier caught up and attacked from both sides.
(Now... their original formation has completely changed, and we've advanced to the fourth echelon... no, are we almost at the fifth echelon?)
The rest of the commando team probably couldn't advance any further.
Although Xiao Wu could survive even if she faced a million-strong army alone, she didn't think she could accomplish much on her own. By the time she was battered and bruised and forced her way to the enemy's rear, their commander would surely have already vanished.
(It's time to fulfill Nid's request--)
Xiao Wu a deep breath and roared at the countless enemy soldiers—
"You lackeys of the Vatican, hand over Nid Bradwich!!!"