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Chapter 40: Fortress Siege (2)

As I scrambled up the eastern outer wall, I spotted several soldiers from the invading army stationed on top. Their appearance was quite different from that of the human soldiers that I had seen before, with strange equipment that set them apart.

Their armor was all black and had a rounded shape overall, with small cylindrical weapons strapped to their backs that were even smaller than the small fortress defense weapons. Their helmets also had a rounded shape with no decorations. Only the eye area had transparent red plates, and a flat cylinder was attached to the mouthpiece like a mask.

The soldiers from the invading army saw me and shouted incomprehensible words while waving their empty hands. Then, a slender sword slid out from the forearm part of their armor, as if it were a weapon incorporated into the armor itself.

“■■■■■!”

A nearby soldier swung at me with the sword extended from both forearms. The blade gleamed with the radiance of spiritual power, and an intricate spiritual circuit was engraved on it. It would surely cut through ordinary armor.

I grabbed the blade with both hands and snapped it under my grip. My arms felt as powerful as the mighty pincers of my previous life as a scorpion, surprising even myself with their strength. Despite being a reinforced sword, it was easy to break.

The soldier, whose sword was broken, looked stunned as I delivered a powerful punch with my exoskeleton-clad fist to his face. The helmet twisted, and the transparent plate shattered as the soldier’s head was severed and flew off like a fountain, spraying blood in its wake. The soldier died on the spot after collapsing.

I hadn’t expected his head to be severed. I had put a lot of strength into the punch, but I had only expected the helmet to shatter. I was surprised. It wasn’t that I was strong; it was that these soldiers’ bodies were too fragile.

To be precise, these soldiers couldn’t use their fighting spirit, or spiritual power, properly. Fighting spirit was the physical strength of living beings, and spiritual power was the power of their souls. Every living being possessed them. In fact, these invading soldiers had both.

However, their power was incredibly weak. I had seen countless members of the human species in the arena, including juveniles, but these soldiers were even weaker. While there were differences in the strength of their fighting spirit and spiritual power, it was the first time I had seen adults of the human species being so weak. n ovel.com

As long as he had the minimum amount of training, his neck would not have been severed by a blow reinforced with fighting sirit. His head might have been crushed along with the helmet, but it shouldn’t have been this brutal.

Are the coalition army struggling against such fragile opponents? I wondered as other soldiers aimed their cylindrical weapons at my back without drawing their swords. And then they started firing at me in rapid succession.

The power of the shots was lower than those installed on the outer walls, so they couldn’t penetrate my exoskeleton. However, it was irritating to be shot at from all directions, and if they hit my joints, they could potentially create holes.

“■■■!”

While many soldiers were firing fragments at me, a few of them shouldered large cylindrical weapons and aimed them at me. Those must be somehow related to the the large cylindrical weapons. They seemed to be downsized for the soldiers to carry, so the power might have been reduced… But the time it took to fire and the speed at which the flame bullets flew were on a completely different level.

Dodging was difficult on the narrow passage atop the outer wall. I could try jumping into the inner side of the wall, but I had no idea what was below. I strengthened my exoskeleton to its fullest to fortify my defense.

“Ughhh…”

The heat from the exploding flaming projectiles wasn’t too intense, but the shockwave from the blast was considerable when it hit directly. My reinforced exoskeleton creaked and groaned, the vibrations reaching even the muscles inside. If I hadn’t been on the defensive, I could have sustained serious injuries.

If they could fire these exploding flaming projectiles while scattering metal fragments, they could massacre the coalition army before they could get close. If weapons with this level of firepower were usable in field battles or siege warfare, no matter how numerous the coalition army was, they would face an uphill battle. It’s understandable why we’re in such a dire situation right now.

I don’t know how many of those cylindrical weapons there are, but there can’t be just one here. Even if the main force manages to get past the explosions and board the walls, they would still have to storm through while these weapons are waiting. How many casualties would that result in?

“■■■!?”

“■■■■■!”

The fact that I had survived a direct hit from the exploding flaming projectiles seemed to surprise the soldiers. Despite using strange weapons and armor, it appeared that we weren’t much different from other humanoid species.

The soldiers aimed their cylindrical weapons at me again while firing metal fragments at me. It hurt, but I couldn’t afford to let them fire another round. I charged towards the soldiers with both palms open.

“Gige!” (die!)

Cutting straight through the rain of metal fragments, I grabbed one soldier’s head with both hands and crushed it in my grip. I threw the soldier’s body, along with his crushed helmet, at another soldier, knocking him down. I then stomped on another soldier’s head, crushing it, and kicked another soldier down. Yeah, I was starting to get the hang of fighting with this humanoid body.

Just as I was getting the hang of how to move my body, the prepared flaming projectiles were launched. I grabbed the arm of a nearby soldier and hurled him towards the incoming rounds. The soldier collided with the incendiary shell in midair and burst into a cloud of blood and smoke.

The shattered fragments of armor pelted my exoskeleton, and the nauseating smell of blood and entrails tickled my nostrils. Back when I was a scorpion, the smell of blood would have whetted my appetite, but since merging with the humans, it didn’t hold the same appeal. I instinctively knew that I could eat raw meat, but it didn’t really entice me.

What I craved more was the regular food that Mika would prepare for me. I didn’t quite understand the concept of taste, but cooking and eating prepared food gave me a greater sense of satisfaction. As I pondered such thoughts, my hunger grew.

“Ah, gaggi, gagagaga….” (Gah, they’re definitely heading that way.)

As I continued to battle on top of the outer wall, I heard the sound of explosions coming from the opposite direction of the main force. That was undoubtedly where the other diversionary unit had gone… Did they discover them and ambush them? If so, the main force would have to break through the barrage of flaming projectiles on their own and breach the walls. This was looking like a losing battle.

Just as I was thinking that, a voice echoed in my head. It was undoubtedly telepathy, and the voice belonged to none other than Orvo, the one who commanded me.

“Hey, can you hear me? It seems like we’re losing, so I need you, who’s on the outer wall, to do something. Clean up the south side of the outer wall. Once you do that, the main force will come pouring in,”

I had no choice but to comply. Killing soldiers along the way, I made my way towards the south side of the outer wall from the east side. Then, as soon as I cleared out the surrounding soldiers, a particularly strong hunk of metal rubble was hurled from the tower at the southeast corner.

It must have been a calculated decision to avoid hitting allies. Urgh, the closer the distance, the stronger the impact. It was difficult to move forward.

However, there was no escape on the narrow outer wall, and I couldn’t afford to run away in the first place. I used my tail to pierce through the corpses of soldiers and lifted them up, using them as shields while I crouched low and ran.

I tried to avoid damaging the bodies of my allies, but the people on top of the tower showed no mercy. They kept firing their cylindrical weapons, ignoring the fact that I was using the corpses as shields. Although the soldiers’ armor was strong, it was nowhere near my enhanced exoskeleton, fueled by my fighting spirit. In an instant, the corpses were reduced to minced meat by the metal fragments.

If the corpses wouldn’t serve as shields, then I’d make use of living soldiers instead. I turned around and approached a group of retreating soldiers, catching them with my hands and tail, and advancing while using them as shields.

The soldiers I had caught were yelling something, but surprisingly, even if they were alive, the ones on top of the tower kept shooting mercilessly. The soldier I had caught also turned into a mass of flesh while screaming.

At this point, it would be more reliable and quicker to use my spiritual power without being stingy with it to create shields. I originally wanted to learn more about the capabilities and usage of my body, but risking danger for that purpose wasn’t a good enough reason.

I conjured a wall of sand and had it hover in front of me. Although the sand wall couldn’t fully deflect attacks, it was effective in stealing their momentum. The metal fragments that had been buried in the sand no longer reached my body.

I climbed the wall straight up and landed on top of the tower. At the same time, the soldiers attacked me with their cylindrical weapons. I could predict their moves, so I used the sand wall I had created as a shield to intercept all the fragments. Then, I forcefully propelled the sand wall.

Inside the wall, there were still hundreds of metal fragments that I had intercepted. When the sand exploded, not only the sand but also the metal fragments were scattered everywhere. The speed at which the fragments flew was comparable to when using cylindrical weapons. The fragments pierced through the soldiers’ armor, taking down many of them.

“Gugiga, gagegoguge.” (The next thing is on top of the wall.)

Following Orvo’s orders, I jumped down from the tower to take control of the outer wall on the south side. Just like before, I instinctively attacked the soldiers, but this time I felt an unprecedented level of hostility.

As my body moved reflexively, just before I could think of anything, I fell flat on the ground. A high-temperature flash passed through the spot where my head was.

“■■■■■”

“Bagigugojigaga?” (Was that this guy’s doing?)

The one who aimed at me was a soldier in white armor, standing out among the black-armored soldiers. His armor was not only different in color but also in shape. The right arm part was not a hand but a peculiar sword with fine blades linked like chains.

Furthermore, his left arm held a cylindrical weapon that was larger and longer than what the other soldiers used. It had a short sword attached to the tip, making it capable of being used as a spear.

This one was formidable. It wasn’t just about the power of his weapons and armor. Unlike other soldiers, he possessed a formidable fighting spirit and spiritual power. This was not an opponent I could afford to underestimate.

As the white-armored soldier aimed his cylindrical weapon at me, a blinding flash was released. I quickly realized that it was a countermeasure against the powerful spiritual arts of the coalition forces. Without hesitation, I lowered my body and dodged the flash, swiftly running forward. The white-armored soldier, who removed the flash, threw his left-handed weapon at me and then swung his right arm towards me.

I dove into close quarters and used my left arm to block the strange sword. The sword seemed to have some kind of mechanism, as the chain-like blades on the sword spun rapidly, creating sparks as they scraped against my exoskeleton. While I wasn’t cut, it was still a fearsome weapon.

“■■■!”

“giggegiggo!” (I can already see it!)

Concealed behind the gleaming sword on his right arm, the soldier in white armor deftly drew a hidden blade from the armor on his left arm, aiming for my side. But I was one step ahead. Anticipating his move, I used my tail to parry the blade. At the same time, I tightly clenched my right hand and struck back, delivering a powerful blow to his side.

My punch distorted his armor, but the soldier managed to leap back just in time, minimizing the damage. Despite the brief distance that had opened up between us, we both recognized each other as formidable opponents after this round of exchange.

I knew I couldn’t afford to be careless in my assault, but my orders were clear: seize control of this wall. There was no time to waste on staring each other down. With a resounding battle cry, I charged forward.

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