The Elu mage that had been hosting the ceremony stopped his movements. The Elu mage slowly turned around. He had sensed a different kind of psychic energy. The Elu mage peered towards Han. The mage was certain that there was an intruder in that spot.
Kuuuu!
Light spilled out from the psychic crystal. The exact location did not matter, all the mage had to do was blow up the whole place.
-Han!
Han didn't know he was letting his psychic energy leak out. He had only noticed after receiving his squad members' messages. He had lost his cool for just a moment. That tiny mistake had cost them heavily.
Kwaaa!
Psychic energy shot out like a particle emitter. Sergeant Red that had been closest to Han, moved. He kicked Han to the side and shielded him with his body. Han had escaped from the range of attack, but Sergeant Red's right leg had gotten tangled in the explosion.
Hwwiiii!
Sergeant Red couldn't fully escape the range of the explosion, and tumbled across.
"Ah."
Han, who had been pushed, stared to Sergeant Red. There was nothing below Sergeant Red's right knee, blood gushed out.
'It's my fault. I got worked up unknowingly, and unconsciously let out my psychic powers.'
Sergeant Red was disabled due to Han's mistake. Han quickly ran to help Sergeant Red up, though his own life was in danger.
-We will retreat for now. Cover fire.
Han's lips trembled as he spoke. He wanted to give up on everything. The guilt pressed down on his entire being. However, he was put as the second-in-command. He had not forgotten.
Bang!
Simon's gun sounded loudly. He used his shield to block the Elu warrior's bullets as he joined them. He blocked an incoming Elu warrior's attack. He lifted a rock the size of his head with his telekinesis and threw it at the Elu warrior's head.
"Haa, haa."
This was Simon's first battle, and he was able to efficiently use his full power. He was prideful and high handed, but he was as strong as he was confident. He didn't easily panic for a different reason than Han.
P—uff
Silence commenced battle without a sound or battle cry. He used his blink skill in succession to slaughter the Elu warriors. The Elu warriors had a difficult time trying to defend against Silence's attacks.
Drip drip.
Blood flowed from beneath Silence's helmet. He had used his psychic powers too much, causing his nose to bleed. His head felt like it was being crushed by a sharp force.
'I must endure. Sergeant Red is…'
Han and Simon took hold of Sergeant Red and ran. Behind them, Silence was fending off the Elu warriors. The Elus bathed in their own blood from his twin swords.
The Elu mage commanded them to stop chasing after the youths. The Elu warriors slowly returned, trudging. The Elu tribe had a more important task than chasing after intruders. Team Whiskey hid in a safe spot for a breather.
"Put pressure on his wound. Turn on the protein gauze. One, two, three."
Swaaa!
Han flipped on the switch for the protein gauze. A mushy foam gushed out from the end of a rod. The foam hardened around Sergeant Red's knee. The bleeding stopped immediately.
Sergeant Red took breaths with great effort. His bone was broken in many different places from the explosion. He did not have an enhanced body like the youths of Ark.
"Administering pain killer."
Han ended the emergency treatment as protocol. Once the crisis settled, Squad Whiskey fell into deep silence.
-Get up. Han.
Text blinked from Silence's helmet. Silence grasped Han's collar and punched his face.
Ba-m!
Han's helmet flopped to the ground. They couldn't see Silence's eyes, but his eyes were probably menacing. Han wiped the blood from his lip and stared back at Silence.
"It was my fault. My mistake has ruined the operation. Sergeant Red got injured because of me." After seeing the members of Squad 13 skewered in that state, his anger boiled over and he was unable to maintain a cool head.
-Shut up.
Silence let his anger rise. This operation would have been easy as pie. If their undercover operation succeeded, the Elus wouldn't have been able to put up resistance at all.
-Now it's impossible. Their guard is up and prepared for any attacks. We are evacuating.
Silence looked to the squad and commanded.
"No, we must proceed with the operation."
Han said. His words had fed the flames of Silence's anger.
Bam!
Silence kicked Han. Han had been kicked where he was securely armored so he wasn't injured in the least. Rather, Silence's feet was the one hurting.
-How can you dare say that when you're the one who ruined everything?
"I admit everything was my fault. However, we will proceed. Now that Sergeant Red is unable to command, it's up to me to command. I've chosen the route to move forward."
Han glared chillingly. He had compartmentalized all his guilt and anxiousness to the very bottom of his heart. The one who had lost composure was Silence.
"Silence, listen to Han's words until the end before you make the final decision."
Simon said.
He didn't get worked up over Sergeant Red's accident. He didn't particularly feel any affection toward Sergeant Red as another human, rather, he held animosity due to all the happenings during their first year.
Simon held only slight pity toward Sergeant Red's accident, as it had been a mere accident.
"Han, we're in this state due to your mistakes. If you can't back up the reason for your decision, I don't care about any sort of chain of command, I'll beat you up until you can't stand."
Simon was able to mediate the stifling situation. As a second year, Simon had long witnessed Han's true abilities.
'It's hard to admit, but it's true. His psychic skills are practically rock bottom, but he's got the best head amongst the second years.'
Han thanked Simon with his eyes. Simon helped coordinate the flow of opinions.
"Don't get worked up and listen to my words. Silence. I am aware that I don't have the qualifications to say this, but now is not the time to think about such minor details. The overall situation right now is not too bad."
Silence flared. However, he continued to wait for Han's next words.
"It's not too bad?"
Simon questioned.
"Yes. The most dangerous factor of our operation, the psychic crystal has been completely spent. I observed this fact before we withdrew. Additionally, they lost four Elu warriors while blindly chasing after us. Other than the fact that their guard is up, we have the upper hand."
Han had been able to settle down his own panic in the crisis and objectively observe their full situation. Han's words were greatly persuasive.
"And?"
"The reason we chose a surprise attack was because the Elu mage could teleport and use its psychic beam. However, now that it doesn't have that strength, it is defenseless. The Elu mage will not escape via teleportation because he has some sort of 'important task.' It has used its last psychic beam. If Sergeant Red were in our situation, he would order us to attack rather than to withdraw. With all the evidence and data we have, the Elu mage's task right now is something more important than its life."
The Elu mage had remained in hiding for the past ten years. It was cunning and careful. Yet, the Elu mage did not escape this dangerous situation and chose to remain near the dimensional crack.
"Gate."
Simon shortly said.
"In the worst case, the gate will open. It could be an army of minions that could come marching out. If events turn for the worst, we won't be able to escape with one or two sacrifices."
Even young children will understand the choice they must make with such words. They were actually children, but were more mentally mature than adults. Childish emotions and expressions would appear occasionally, but in the regards to battle and war, they received training to think in this way.
-Understood.
Text appeared on Silence's helmet shield. He looked a degree calmer.
"Their numbers have decreased. But, I'm sure the Elus that had been sent to patrol the area have been commanded to return. Simon and I had used most of our psychic powers. Silence, how many more times can you use your blink skill?"
Simon leered at Silence
-Three times. Even if I want to endure, I will lose consciousness.
Silence had wasted his energy too much while they withdrew. He didn't rest at all and consecutively used it many times. If Silence had not done so, they would not have been able to escape from the enemy.
"I will get the Elu mage. We will make a surprise attack from behind the dimensional crack. If Elu mages sense psychic energy in the same way as us…, it will be extremely difficult to sense us there. The light coming from the dimensional crack messes up one's senses. Additionally, they will not be able to see well due to the blinding rainbow colored lights shining out from the ground."
"The distance from the crack is dozens of meters away. You're planning to go over to them with airbeats? However, as you said, the psychic energy in that area is chaotic. Are you confident enough to control airbeats in that space?"
"I'm not strong, but I'm confident in my psychic control skills."
Han's psychic control was on another level from usual psykers. The drill instructors were not aware how minute his control could go.
During the second year, his psychic control had grown exceptionally. Everyday, he practiced by himself and had accidentally discovered the fact.
-If you fail and fall into the dimensional crack, we will abandon you and withdraw. We don't have any methods to rescue you.
Silence sent a message. He excluded all his personal feelings and simply texted matter of factly.
The dimensional crack had no bottom. If Han were to fall into the crack, that would spell the end of his life.
"I am aware. I'm not trying to take responsibility for my mistakes just now. It's just that I'm the best candidate for this role, so I had volunteered to do so. We don't have time to relax here. We will proceed with the military operation immediately. I will attack from behind the dimensional crack. You guys will distract them from the front with your guns. We will start the attack in fifteen minutes. The current time is 14:33. Move out."
"Moving out."
The squad members hid Sergeant Red under camouflage before proceeding. Han took a detour around to settle behind the dimensional crack. He felt nauseous from the blinding rainbow colored light. He didn't rest and went to the back side of the dimensional crack.
"Haa, haa. There are eight minutes left."
Han checked the time before catching his breath. He was just outside the dimensional crack boundaries, and it still stressed the body to simply stare into the dimensional crack. The dimensional crack would make one's psychic senses chaotic.
'Sergeant Red suffered a serious injury because of me. He lost his right leg.'
Han didn't let the guilt linger inside his heart. Sergeant Red had said he would make a good striker. Strikers must keep going forward no matter what the circumstances, even if the entire squad had been massacred, they had a responsibility to end the dragon's life.
'I will not repeat the same mistake twice.'
Han moved to the backside of the dimensional crack. Silence and Simon moved to the front side of the Elu tribe. Silence and Simon lowered their body once they drew closer to the previous camp location.
-We still have time remaining. Stand by.
Silence sent a message. Simon nodded. There were many Elu warriors on guard while scanning their surroundings.
'What had Han been looking at previously?'
Simon was surprised with this military operation. Simon was already aware of the excellence of Han's leadership skills, but after receiving the orders directly, Han had exceeded his expectations by a large margin.
'So there is a reason why Squad 13 has such blind faith in Han. Although Sergeant Red had become injured due to Han's mistake, Han managed to closely observe his enemy and think of the next best step in the operation. It's no wonder Squad 13 crushes the other squads all the time.'
Han's battle skills were also on another level. His mind had a robot-like level of coolheadedness.
'Though his mistake had been due to losing his calm…. that situation was beyond his control. If he didn't feel such emotions, he really wouldn't be a human.'
Simon lacked a bit of social skills due to his high-handed personality, but he also developed much attachment to his own squad members. That was what it meant to be a human being. Whether you like the other or not, it is unavoidable to develop a bond with one another. It would be weird if he didn't get mad seeing the Elus make a fool of their peers in this way.
-Time's up. Let's go.