Marcellus and the others set off to explore the area surrounding the fortress walls, blending in with the invading army soldiers while entrusting the lookout to the hades scorpion demon. However, their steps were anything but light. Exhaustion weighed them down, and the disturbing sights they had witnessed in the warehouse district lingered heavily on their minds.
(Having served as a soldier for a significant period, I have encountered my fair share of gruesome corpses. But that…)
The warehouses in the district mainly housed cart like metal boxes, filled with food supplies cultivated in the occupied territory—essentially containers. Yet, there was one specific spot that Mika pointed out, mentioning, "There's an odd smell coming from there." Marcellus, driven by curiosity, ventured into the location to investigate, only to soon regret his decision.
A pungent smell of harsh chemicals permeated the building, assaulting their nostrils. The foul odor was so intense that not only the two demons, with their keen sense of smell, but even Marcellus grimaced in disgust. Braving the foul smell, the trio proceeded further, only to discover… parts of human species preserved in transparent glass jars.
Each jar contained a pale yellow liquid that submerged dissected human muscles and organs. It became apparent that the invading army had been meticulously preserving the corpses of the empire's fallen citizens as specimens. Countless shelves within the warehouse held a haunting display of jars, lined up one after another, each containing a gruesome and unsettling specimens.
The three of them were overwhelmed by an indescribable sense of fear and disgust within that eerie space. They quickly captured the scene using the projection orb and hurriedly escaped from the warehouse district. When they regrouped back in their temporary hideout, the Hades Scorpion demon observed their peculiar behavior, but no one felt inclined to explain the situation to him.
From then on, the three approached the fortress walls in near silence. Once again, they entrusted the Hades scorpion demon with the task of keeping watch as they infiltrated the surroundings of the fortress. They blended in with the countless armored soldiers and swiftly captured the images of the war chariots in the warehouses and the defensive weapons on top of the walls.
"It's not enough to record them from below. We need to go up to the top of the wall," Marcellus said.
"Ah, please wait a mom…!" Mika said
Ignoring the latter's warning, Marcellus took the lead and infiltrated the inside of the wall himself. It was an act of carelessness to proceed without assigning the lead to Mika. And the consequences proved to be quite heavy.
There was a door in the metallic wall that led to the inside, and Marcellus opened it, stepping inside. At that moment, he felt as if he had breached a thin membrane. Thinking it might be his imagination, he was startled when Mika grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back.
"What is this?" Marcellus asked.
"It's a barrier that detects intrusions. It seems our presence has been revealed." Mika answered.
"There's someone with a strong spiritual power coming this way. Quite formidable."
Marcellus felt an overwhelming urge to punch his past self under the mask from a few seconds ago. If only he had let Mika take the lead, they could have avoided being detected. However, there was no use dwelling on being exposed. The next thing to consider was how to escape from this situation.
"Let's retreat immediately and flee into the city. " Marcellus began to say, but before he could finish, an immense fighting spirit and spiritual power surged from a location away from them. It spread out, dispersing as it infiltrated a certain building… And moments later, the building erupted into a fierce blaze from within.
"It's Mr. Scorpion!" Marcellus exclaimed.
"The illusion spiritual art I cast on him was forcibly shattered… What incredible spiritual power." Rinne added.
"He's intentionally acting in such a conspicuous manner… It seems he wants to become a decoy for us. We should retreat while we can." Mika suggested.
"Wait. Are we just going to abandon Mr. Scorpion?" Marcellus exclaimed.
"What other choice do you propose?"
In response to Marcellus' question, Mika deliberately replied with another question. Marcellus found himself a bit intimidated by the emotionless tone of Mika's voice, causing him to gulp in response. Sensing this, Mika began with an apology before continuing.
"Thanks to his sudden attack, a formidable enemy who was heading towards us… the white armored soldier, wasn't it? They turned their attention towards him. If we don't flee, he'll have to keep fighting the white armored soldier," Mika explained.
"That person is much stronger than us and not foolish. I believe if we run, he'll do the same. Our best support for him right now is to escape," Rinne added.
"That may be true, but… hmm?"
Marcellus hesitated before making a decision, even after being persuaded by the two. Suddenly, yet, something within his field of vision caught his attention. It was one of the warehouses where those fire breathing war chariots were kept.
If it had been an ordinary warehouse, it wouldn't have piqued his interest. However, what drew his gaze was a particular warehouse at the edge of the row, noticeably larger than the rest. During his earlier recording, he had mistaken it for a different building, but now he could see that its doors were wide open, allowing for the entry and exit of some fire breathing war chariots.
Marcellus entered that different looking warehouse as if being led by some force. Mika and Rinne exchanged glances before reluctantly following behind him.
"Are these really the fire-breathing war chariots? They look…" Marcellus mused.
"They look like steel bugs?" added Mika.
What the three of them beheld when they entered the warehouse was a strange-looking, large, fire-breathing war chariot. The main cylindrical weapon mounted on it was larger in caliber and longer than any fire-breathing war chariot they had seen on the front lines. On each side of the main cylindrical weapon, there were four smaller barrel-shaped weapons serving as secondary weapons.
However, its most distinctive feature was its four legs, which touched the ground instead of wheels. At the tip of each leg were three claws, neatly folded, making them appear smaller than expected given the massive size of the warehouse.
"…..This is it," Marcellus exclaimed.
"Eh?"
"We're going to steal this. And then we'll escape from here with Mr. Scorpion," Marcellus proposed.
Mika and Rinne, upon hearing Marcellus' suggestion, were momentarily at a loss for words. However, they quickly regained their composure and urged him to reconsider his decision.
"That's absurd! Can you even operate it in the first place!?" Mika voice his concern.
"Oh, I can. Those of us in the Imperial Army above a certain rank have learned how to operate captured weapons. That includes knowing how to operate fire-breathing war chariots."
"…Is this fire-breathing war chariot the same as the one you mentioned?"
"No, it's different. But they' should be mostly the same."
Confidently asserting his words, Marcellus climbed up the legs and searched around the base of the turret. He discovered a door that opened upward, lifted it, and entered the interior of the war chariot.
Mika, who had thought he would come out unable to move it, was taken aback as the fire-breathing war chariot unexpectedly roared to life, making a rumbling sound. It unfolded its four folded legs and raised the body to a slightly elevated position. It was now ready to depart.
"It's moving… What should we do?" Rinne asked
"We don't have a choice. Rinne, accompany Mr. Marcellus inside that chariot. I'll tidy up the area outside a bit."
"Okay… Be careful."
"Yes, of course."
Rinne leaped onto the fire-breathing war chariot and glanced back at Mika, who was heading outside, before entering the chariot herself. The interior of the war chariot turned out to be smaller and more cluttered than Rinne had anticipated.
However, there were about three seats with backrests, so Rinne knew they could all have a seat there. After settling into one of the seats, Rinne conveyed Mika's opinion to Marcellus, who was gripping two levers while seated in the central seat.
"…But, is this really okay?"
"Okay or not, Mika has already gone outside, right? So… whoa! We can't waste any more time. Let's go!"
Marcellus had wanted Mika to be inside the chariot as well, but at that moment, a loud explosion echoed from outside. Realizing that they needed to act quickly, Marcellus nodded in understanding, closed the door of the fire-breathing war chariot, locked it, and then pressed a protrusion at the tip of the lever.
With a thunderous boom, a white, glowing projectile was launched from the cylindrical weapon, striking the doors of the warehouse directly. The doors, which had only a narrow gap large enough for a person to pass through, were obliterated by a single shot from the main cylindrical weapon, scattering it into pieces.
"…The power is tremendous. Can we assume that the larger the barrel, the greater the increase in power?"
Meanwhile, Mika had already stepped outside the warehouse and was systematically eliminating enemy soldiers who were surrounding the area. He approached them, pretending to be an ally, before striking their vital points from behind, and dragging them into hiding spots. He had already taken down around ten enemies using this method.
Mika was silently and swiftly clearing out the enemies from the surroundings of the warehouse. However, Marcellus's flashy entrance drew the attention of the enemy, diverting their focus. Mika sighed as he threw away an enemy soldier he had been carrying and sharpened his hearing to pinpoint the exact location of the Hades Scorpion Demon.
"Mr. Marcellus, can you hear me? He is located in the nine o'clock direction from here…?!"
Mika skillfully maneuvered his four legs and leaped onto the body of the fire-breathing war chariot as it emerged from the warehouse. He was about to indicate the location of the Hades Scorpion demon, but to his surprise, Marcellus started heading straight in the direction Mika was pointing.
Between the straight path of the war chariot and their destination, several other warehouses stood in the way. Mika tightened his grip on the chariot, thinking that they would crash into the walls if they continued like this. But astonishingly, the fire-breathing war chariot suddenly jumped upwards right on the spot.
The sudden ascent exerted pressure on Mika, and he desperately clung to the chariot to avoid being thrown off. Whether knowingly or unknowingly, Marcellus continued to operate the war chariot, causing it to jump again and leap from one roof to another across the warehouses.
"Is that a white armored soldier? Are they fighting?"
By jumping across the roofs, they quickly closed the distance, and Mika could now clearly see the figure of the hades scorpion demon. The latter was already locked in combat with a white armored soldier, both poised with their respective weapons, slowly inching closer to each other.
Mika silently faded into the shadows, erasing any trace of his presence, and planned to launch a surprise attack from behind. However, once again, Marcellus's movements proved to be faster. He made the fire-breathing war chariot leap once more, landing near the two of them. Despite its considerable weight, the war chariot made surprisingly little noise and without mercy, Marcellus fired with the main cylindrical weapon.
The power of the main cylindrical weapon was tremendous. It struck the white armored soldier directly, shattering the armor on his back and causing the soldier wearing it to get blasted forward. Despite the release of such a powerful blast, the war chariot hardly shook, which secretly amazed Mika.
Afterwards, right before his eyes, the hades scorpion demon dealt a finishing blow to the white armored soldier and seized his weapon. Then, he leaped onto the top of the fire-breathing war chariot, which Marcellus was piloting.