Chapter 111: Forged in Fire
[I'm changing the bonus chapter requirement to every 500 powerstones. In return, I promise not to change it for another month. You can only blame yourselves for being too powerful <3]
Leonel was furious. He had never expected for such a thing to happen.
No matter how much stronger he was than Captain Sela, he wasn't at the point where he could break chains with nothing but his brawn. Even the alloys of the 25th century were beyond his means, let alone the fact that this chariot was a C-grade treasure she must have gained as a Zone reward.
'I was careless…' Leonel's gaze blazed with a cold light as he was forced to continue running.
He never thought that Captain Sela would be so brazen. She probably thought that he was trying to get her killed, which was why she had reacted like this, but at this point, Leonel didn't care. The incompetence of the Slayer Legion was turning him off from them more and more.
Aitken slammed his tower shield in the ground, trying to get a stronger foothold against the gorilla.
By now, there were only three that could remain standing in his squad, including himself. He could tell that support would be coming soon, so he was only doing his best to hold the creature back. Though he was a dick, it seemed that he wasn't a coward who left his squadmates behind.
Unfortunately, he wasn't very powerful. He seemed to have an ability that boosted the density of his muscles, but his strength was hardly over 0.80.
It was at that moment that Captain Sela came rushing in.
"Damned beast!"
Another chain came rushing out of her chariot, trying to lock the beast down.
'Idiot!' Leonel roared in his mind. Unfortunately, the next scene was bound to play out exactly as he had expected.
The chain snaked forward, wrapping around the gorilla's thick forearm just before it could launch another attack toward the squad.
Aitken looked up, pleasantly surprised. In fact, when he saw the sorry state Leonel was in, having to rush after the chariot with his hands bound like that, there was even deep satisfaction in his eyes.
Though he had been a distance away, Leonel's roar of commands had covered the entire battlefield. How could he not be enraged after Captain Sela exposed his intentions. In fact, by now, many thought that Leonel had a voice compelling ability and had long since put up their guard against him.
Seeing that the gorilla was tied down, Captain Sela's eyes brightened.
She raised a sharp broad sword with a two meter long blade from her back, hacking down with all the might she could muster.
But, she had forgotten one key detail. Tying someone down necessitated that you had a strong enough anchor. The best way to use this chariot's ability was to make use of its high maneuverability. The chain was meant to be a hidden card pulled out at an opportune time, not something to open a battle with.
Sela had managed to catch Leonel off guard and had the forward momentum of the chariot to help her keep control of him.
However, the chariot was going toward the gorilla, not away from it. And now she had shot out a chain and wrapped its forearm. She had even grown confident enough to send a direct attack. But…
Just when the Captains and soldiers were feeling excited, the gorilla slammed its free arm into the ground, roaring with all its might and swinging its bound arm upward.
'Goddammit…'
The chariot lost its footing, soaring into the air and taking Sela and Leonel along with it.
Leonel followed the arc of the chariot helplessly, both of his wrists bound together.
BANG!
The chariot crashed and skid across the ground, its bronze light dimming somewhat.
The gorilla rose to its legs, its fists beating wildly against its chest. The sound was deafening. It felt as though a sound wave was tearing their eardrums apart.
Leonel grunted, landing on the ground heavily. He rolled further and further completely out of his control.
Though his chain necklace had taken the direct strikes for him, his inner organs still stirred upon impact. And, as though that wasn't enough, the chariot he was tied to was now rolling toward him.
Leonel rolled to his back, facing his two feet toward the coming chariot in hopes of stopping it with his legs. Unfortunately, reality was cruel to him.
A ledge of the chariot got caught in the ground, causing its skid along the ground to stop in favor of it popping into the air and crashing down toward him from above.
Leonel grimaced.
Without a choice, a green light lit on the sole of his treasure shoes. He slammed down hard, sending him skidding along the ground faster and just out of the range of the chariot.
Finally, the bronze chariot slowly came to a stop, but Leonel's expression was as dark as it could be. His fury was near reaching a tipping point.
Leonel pulled at the chains on his wrist, but they still wouldn't budge. It might not have been that bad if his hands were bound individually, but with them stuck together like this, he couldn't even use a spear. And, it was obvious bullets wouldn't work on this beast.
He cast a glance toward Captain Sela who had landed in the distance. The chariot had been going at 50 kilometers an hour at least and it was obvious she didn't have a defensive treasure as good as his own. She could only rely on that thick skin and that armor she wore.
As expected, she was covered in blood and gravel. Leonel guessed that if it wasn't due to her awakening as an Evolver, she would have already died.
At this moment, the other units were still charging, having lagged behind Captain Sela's chariot. They had seen everything happen and couldn't help but look toward the gorilla in horror. However, for some reason, the gorilla only seemed to have eyes for Leonel now.
Leonel's expression turned awful. 'Could it be this thing sensed me use Force just now?'
The situation was as bad as it could get. His hands were bound, there was a chariot weighing hundreds of pounds chained to him, and now this thing had locked onto him. And, as though that wasn't enough…
"Invalids! Invalids are coming!" Captain Zhang roared.
Just as Leonel had told them before. One group at 2 O'Clock and another at 11 O'Clock. Three B-grade Invalids between them. And now they were all here.
It was at that moment that the gorilla leapt across several meters, casting a vast shadow over Leonel as it raised its two fists into the air.
Leonel ground his teeth. He had already decided. This damned Slayer Legion would have nothing to do with him after today.
**
In the distance, there was a large ship slowly swaying off the harbor. Leonel had seen it the first time he stepped onto the harbor, but he had never considered why it was that it was there and why it seemed that no one from within it had done anything despite the looming threats.
Within this massive 200 meters long wooden ship, two men stood on the deck, watching the scene unfold.
"Are we really not going to help?" One of them asked.
"This group is too incompetent. If they're not forged in fire, if they don't lose their lives today, they'll lose it at a later date. There wasn't much of a chance before the Metamorphosis for our lower level soldiers to get real fighting experience, but now we can slowly temper them…"