Battle

As the sun rose over the horizon, the mercenaries awakened from their slumber.

They swiftly cleared away the traces left from the previous night. Then, following the arrangements their employer had issued long ago, they took up their respective positions.

The ground began to tremble. The source of that tremor was the landship under the mercenaries' heavy protection. Fully activated, it resembled a colossal beast awakening from its slumber.

The landship's camouflage had been removed, and Roy finally got to see its true form.

Most men possessed an almost instinctive fascination with such massive machinery, which made them exceptionally curious about its construction. However, the ship's interior clearly did not require mercenary protection, so all Roy could do was look at it from afar.

When the sun had fully risen above the horizon, the landship finally finished warming up. Its speed gradually increased as it headed toward southern Kazdel. Presumably, the destination of this group of employers lay in the Rim Billiton region south of Kazdel.

In the world Roy had once lived in, one would have needed a vehicle to keep pace with a landship's speed. This world, however, was different.

Thanks to their naturally superior physiques, the people of this world surpassed the ordinary humans Roy remembered in every regard. For those who could become mercenaries and survive, running as fast as a car that had not yet reached full speed was effortless. That was not even the limit of Terra's inhabitants.

According to a book Roy had once read, some of this world's strongest fighters could cover several kilometers in an extremely short time. With the blades in their hands, they could cleave through mountains; with the power in their bodies, they could unleash might akin to a natural disaster descending. There might have been some exaggeration, but reality probably was not far from those accounts. After all, who knew whether this world's "beastmen" included colossal creatures like orcas?

"Be careful! The enemy is approaching!"

As soon as the scouts' message arrived, Hedley's voice reached the ears of every Sarkaz Mercenary Corps member. Almost at the same instant, everyone but the standard-bearer drew their weapons.

The Sarkaz Mercenary Corps were not the only ones to react. The other mercenary groups did the same.

The next moment, a large number of Sarkaz emerged from both sides of the road. Judging by their attire, these men belonged to Theresis. They were rebels!

Although Theresis and Theresa each currently controlled half of the Sarkaz mercenaries, Theresis had gained the support of the Confessors, and his strength had in fact begun to surpass Theresa's.

However, that was not the direct cause of the current situation. The fundamental reason was that they were presently within territory controlled by Theresis. Had they been in Theresa's territory, this could never have happened.

Many mercenaries died at the enemies' hands the moment the two sides clashed. Clearly, these attackers were not mercenaries hastily assembled from wherever they could be found, but men who had received a certain degree of training. Moreover, there were Confessors among them!

"Hmph. Die, shorty!"

Just as Roy's blade left its sheath, an enemy Sarkaz had already come for him. He was a large, powerfully built fellow wielding a massive axe. One look was enough to tell that he was a strength-based fighter.

As the great axe came down, Roy twisted aside to evade the chop. At the same time, the blade in his hand began to glow faintly.

The instant it struck the Sarkaz's armor, the armor split apart with a sharp crack. Without the slightest hesitation, Roy swung his blade again and drove it directly toward the opening. At that very moment, he heard the report of a grenade launcher firing behind him.

As if by instinct, Roy shifted aside just before the Originium explosive reached him. The next moment, it detonated against the Sarkaz mercenary's body. In almost an instant, the intense heat completely swallowed the Sarkaz!

When Roy turned to look at W, she still wore that dangerous smile. Yet for some reason, Roy felt that she looked a little disappointed.

"What a grudge-holding woman. I just showed off a little—was that really necessary?"

After muttering that complaint, Roy turned and threw himself back into the battle. These Sarkaz mercenaries might have received some training, but they still were not much of a match for the current Roy.

For the other mercenaries, however, these Sarkaz mercenaries were far more dangerous.

Since the battle began, several small Sarkaz mercenary groups had already been wiped out. Even some medium-sized mercenary groups had started suffering heavy casualties.

Even a mercenary corps like Hedley's was beginning to show signs of being unable to hold on under such an assault.

We need to find a way to deal with those Confessors.

That thought surfaced in Hedley's mind, and he turned his gaze toward W.

"W, take care of those Confessors!"

"Understood!"

Perhaps what had happened earlier had left her deeply annoyed with Roy, but she knew perfectly well what needed to be done in the current situation.

Once her ammunition was loaded, she turned her Originium grenade launcher toward the masked figures in gold. Then grenade after grenade shot from the launcher, which bore obvious signs of modification. Yet just before they could strike the Confessors, chunks of rock suddenly rose from the ground and formed a barrier between the two sides. When the fiery glow faded, the shattered clods of earth sank back into the ground.

That Confessor looked toward W. His face could not be seen behind his mask, but there was surely a trace of disdain on it. After all, in most cases, simple explosive weapons like these could not have much effect on Confessors who wielded such peculiar Originium Arts.

However, he had clearly overlooked the meaning hidden beneath W's smile. From the very beginning, W had not expected such attacks to defeat the Confessors. It was not as if she had never fought them before. She knew how to deal with these people.

As she made the motion of reloading, W pulled a device from her bag.