In the summer of the 830th year of the Altera period, the Enzo continent – the second largest continent in the world – was facing a problem that had been haunting it for seven long years. The issue at hand was the invasion of a group of people who had crossed the sea to the north, causing great concern among the inhabitants of the continent.
The army of invaders was strong. They were clad in heavily armored suits with various gadgets and weapons that fired metal projectiles at high speeds or explosive flame bullets. The power of the weapon, now known as a gun, was tremendous, and only skilled warriors who had trained in combat using fighting spirits or spiritual arts could hope to stand a chance against them.
The soldiers donning armored suits and armed with guns were known as armored soldiers, yet they did not serve as the trump card for the invasion army. Surprisingly, over 90% of the invading force comprised these armored soldiers. Thus, even the regular soldiers were regarded as adept warriors by the invading army.
Furthermore, there existed a class of armored soldiers who were even more potent and were deemed as the elite units. These soldiers, referred to as the "white armored soldiers," were painted in white and possessed immense strength that rivaled the heroes of different nations. Equipped with cutting-edge weaponry, they stood out as a force to be reckoned with. Their military prowess was so vast that they could not be vanquished by an equal number of regular soldiers.
Faced with overwhelming military power, the countries of the Enzo continent fought together, forming a coalition army. Not only the northern countries that were invaded, but also the countries in the central part of the continent sent reinforcements and formed the Continental Coalition Army. They compensated for the quality gap they couldn't cover with numbers and continued the back-and-forth struggle.
The front lines had become deadlocked due to the evenly matched forces of the invading army and the coalition army, and for years neither side had been able to achieve a decisive victory over the other, with only small-scale battles erupting from time to time. It was said that the outcome of the next major battle would determine the outcome of the war.
"Head, everyone's in position," said a scarred bald man.
In the region north of the front line, where both the invading army and the coalition army maintained their positions, a group of people concealed themselves in the forest close to the highway. It was apparent that these individuals were affiliated with the coalition army, as they hid and lacked the telltale armored suits that marked the invading army.
A burly, bald-headed man with a prominent scar on his face was briefing a blond man who sported black armor. Though smaller than the burly man, the blond man was taller and had a bulky, long, two-handed sword affixed to his back. The blond man heaved a sigh and playfully tapped the burly man's bald pate.
"Didn't I tell you not to call me the head anymore? Get used to it already. "
"Uh, sorry! Um, chieftain!" replied the bald man hastily.
The scolded big man bowed his head and apologized profusely. His ten or so companions laughed at him. The man in black armor let out a sigh and realized that some things never change.
"You guys are still making mistakes all the time… Well, don't get too carried away just because someone doesn't care."
"Understood, Chieftain," the companions replied in unison.
The blond man, who had been sitting on a fallen tree, stood up with his weapon in hand. His weapon was a thick, two-handed sword that was almost as tall as he was. He untied the cloth wrapped around it and tucked it into his belt.
At the same time, his companions also began to prepare their weapons. Some had bows, some had spears, and others had war hammers. It should also be noted that the bald man's weapon was a huge battle axe, which looked incredibly heavy, but he lifted it easily and carried it on his shoulder.
"You've done this multiple times, so you should know, but let's do one final check. Our target is the wagons supply convoy passing through this highway. Basically, we're here to disrupt their food delivery."
"That's a subtle yet effective form of harassment. Without food, even the soldiers will become sluggish, whether they like it or not."
"Ooh. Our plan is the usual one. The boss will launch a surprise attack and create chaos among the enemies. We'll kill off the escorts, destroy the wagons, and set fire to them before making our escape. However, we went a little overboard last time, so the number of escorts has increased. We can't let our guard down."
As they waited in silence, a group of five carriages and a large troop of guards approached from the end of the highway. As the blond man had predicted, the number of escorts was much higher, around fifty people. It was twice the size of the similar troop they had ambushed before.
The blond man clicked his tongue in frustration. With their skills, accomplishing the mission itself was attainable. However, there would surely be injuries, and though unlikely, there could even be fatalities. While injuries were inevitable, he had hoped to avoid any deaths.
(To prevent the enemy from obtaining our technology, we have to turn the bodies of our fallen comrades into ashes…That's why you're bastards.)
The blond man unconsciously placed his left hand on his neck, cursing the one who had given him the order. On his neck, a complex tattoo was engraved, which served as a spiritual circuit.
The same tattoo was engraved on all of his comrades. Its effect was subjugation. It had the same effect as the "Binding Collar" attached to the necks of battle beasts. They were used as fighting slaves, or rather, battle thralls.
That's why they had to obey the orders of the spiritualist. Even if the order was one they didn't want to follow, they couldn't defy it.
"Ugh…Understood, Boss. We have received the order from the Boss. It's time to make our move."
The blond man whispered his orders to his companions, who nodded in silence. After several seconds, the middle supply wagon among the five suddenly flipped over. A hole had opened up beneath where the wagon had been passing, and it had been attacked by something that had jumped out from underground.
The armored soldiers who were escorting the wagon drew their weapons and fired wildly at the attacker, who was now hidden in the smoke. The intricate spiritual circuits inscribed on the inside of their armor allowed them to shoot bullets at high speeds, turning the attacker into a pincushion. However, the sound coming from among the smoke was not the wet, tearing sound of flesh being torn apart, but rather the hard, metallic sound of bullets ricocheting off something solid.
"Now, let's go, you bastards! GAOOOOOOOH!!!"
"GARURURURURURURU!!!"
Taking advantage of the enemy's diverted attention, the blond men let out a war cry and jumped out from the cover of the trees. Running and brandishing his weapons, he underwent a transformation as he ran. In just a few seconds, the blond man's head elongated, his mouth split open, his canine teeth grew sharp and long, and his head had transformed into that of a tiger.
Not only did he transform, but his companions also underwent the same metamorphosis. The bald man became a ferocious ape, the spearman turned into a crimson lizard, the hammer-wielding fighter became a muscular bear, and the archer sprouted wings and provided support by firing arrows from the sky.
"■■■■■!?"
"■■■■, ■■■■■■!"
As the invading army spoke a language different from that of Enzo's continent, their words were unintelligible. However, it was clear that the armored soldiers were in disarray. Amidst the angry shouts, the man who had become a golden tiger charged forward, wielding a two-handed sword as a shield, blocking bullets, and cutting down the armored soldiers at the forefront of the convoy.
His companions also began to take down the armored soldiers one by one. Battle axes cleaved through from the head to the crotch, spears pierced vital points through the armor, and poison-tipped arrows struck through the gaps in the armor. Their surprise attack was a success, inflicting a major blow on the convoy's escort.
However, the armored soldiers quickly launched a counterattack. They swiftly regained their composure, and about twenty of them activated their armor's gimmicks. A part of their armor on their backs transformed into swords, and they used their guns to defend themselves from behind. Other armored soldiers began to provide support from the rear with their guns.
The movements of the armored soldiers were on par with those of trained warriors in terms of pure martial arts skills, but what made them difficult opponents were the engraved spiritual circuits that enhanced their physical abilities and defense. The frontline armored soldiers focused on defense and endured the attacks, while those in the rear provided support with gunfire.
"Ugh… I can still fight!"
"This hurts, you bastard!"
However, the beast-headed warriors continued to fight without stopping, even while being pierced by bullets. Their gunshot wounds quickly healed, and they turned their pain into anger and fighting spirit as they wielded their weapons.
They knew, however, that their hard struggle could not continue for long. Even if their wounds closed up, the intense pain they experienced when shot was difficult to ignore, and the loss of blood resulted in a decrease in their physical strength.
"Gaoohhh!"
"Grrrrrrrr!"
Nevertheless, their ambush was a well-coordinated three-stage attack. First from underground, then from the front of the supply column, and finally from the rear.
The third ambush was unexpected, and the armored soldiers who were attacked from behind suffered a heavy blow. Loud shouts and screams echoed through the road from behind. The armored soldier who had been fighting with the tiger-headed warrior was unsettled by the commotion, and his movements became slightly slower. The tiger-headed warrior did not miss this opportunity.
"Die, you armored bastard! Garuaaa!"
"■■■...!"
With a swing of his two handed sword, the tiger-headed warrior successfully knocked the sword out of the armored soldier's hand. With a gaping maw, he then bit down on the soldier's helmet, his sharp fangs piercing through the metal. The warrior's powerful jaws crushed both the helmet and the soldier's head, leaving nothing but a mangled mess.
The tiger-headed warrior picked up the armored soldier's sword and hurled it at another nearby soldier. Although the sword was deflected by the armor, the impact of the heavy object caused the soldier's body to stagger. Seizing the moment, the tiger-headed warrior stepped forward and struck the soldier with a downward slash of his two handed sword, killing yet another soldier.
"■■■■■!"
"Gaaah!?"
The Tiger-Headed warrior seemed to have shown his might a bit too much. Before he realized it, numerous gun barrels were pointed in his direction, and steel fragments were fired at him all at once. He instinctively used his two-handed sword as a shield and managed to prevent hits to his vital points, but unfortunately, it seemed he was shot in the knee. He lost his strength and ended up kneeling down.
He was already starting to heal, so he would be able to stand up in a few seconds. However, stopping his movements in front of so many gun barrels would be fatal. It seemed like the next volley of shots would turn his body into a beehive.
However, the bullets never reached him. The ground between him and the armored soldiers rose and became a wall of sand, intercepting the gunfire. The bullets were stopped in the middle of the sand wall with a deflating sound.
"■■■■!?"
"■■■, ■■■■!"
The armored soldiers were surprised, but they still tried to destroy the sand wall with the rain of bullets. However, just before they could, a sword sprouted from the chest of each of the two armored soldiers. Someone sneaking up from behind had pierced their armor, and their hearts were skewered along with it.
By the time the other armored warriors panicked and turned around, it was already too late. The assailant swiftly drew the sword and started to slay the armored warriors one by one with the swords he held in both hands. The rounded tip of the straight sword held in the right hand gouged out the vital points from the gaps in the armor, while the thick single-edged sword held in the left hand severed flesh and bone together with the armor.
"Boss, behind you!" The tiger headed warrior shouted urgently.
"■■■■■■!"
Before the voice of the Tiger Headed Warrior could reach him, one of the armored soldiers charged from behind. But the man who was called the boss did not even turn around, not because he could not react but because there was no need to.
Just before the sword touched his skin, a huge impact ran through the armored soldier's abdomen. And then his body was lifted, as if being thrust up from his torso. The one who lifted the armored warrior's body was… a scorpion tail wrapped in an exoskeleton extending from the so called boss's tail bone area.