Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage Chapter 839: The Reprisal III

CH839 The Reprisal III

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When Viscount Dunhill fired attack after attack at the swarm, cleaving through scores of Vulture Bee Drones, he didn’t realise that he had drawn the attention of a dangerous predator.

"Found you, Ace of Diamonds."

A graceful figure whose face was hidden behind an Eagle mask spoke.

[Shadow Dash]!

Her figure suddenly disappeared from where she stood and reappeared metres away, directly behind Viscount Dunhill.

’This is for insulting my Master,’ Eagle muttered inwardly as she drove her shortsword through the gap in the Viscount’s armour.

"Argh!"

Viscount Dunhill endured the attack, almost simultaneously moving to counterattack.

However, Eagle had already achieved her aim. She dove back into the shadows, disappearing once more.

"My lord!"

The adjutant quickly rushed to the Viscount’s side to check his condition.

"What are you doing? Chase after—"

The words died in Viscount Dunhill’s throat, as his assailant had already vanished.

The adjutant looked worriedly at the wound, and so did the Viscount.

’Why did they...?’ Viscount Dunhill wondered why his attacker had abandoned the assault without finishing him off so easily.

However, before he could even finish the thought, he got his answer.

Plat!

"Commander!"

Viscount Dunhill spat out a mouthful of blood.

’Poison!’

Realisation dawned on him.

He tried to mobilise his Combat Energy, but it refused to move.

The poison aggressively coursed through his veins, and before long, the Viscount was bleeding from all seven orifices.

"Commander! Viscount!" the adjutant called out.

He tried to feed the Viscount a precious healing potion, but it did little to help.

The Viscount’s condition deteriorated rapidly, and before long, he was dead.

The adjutant’s mind raced, trying to calculate what to do next.

Fortunately, those who had witnessed what happened were the Viscount’s personal guards, and the surroundings were already engulfed in chaos.

The adjutant quickly issued a gag order, lest the situation deteriorate even further.

The Viscount’s personal guards quickly carried the man’s body away, making it look as though they were merely retreating.

The soldiers assumed their commander was withdrawing to reinforce another area under greater pressure, not realising he was no more.

However, could the ANBO Unit really let the Viscount’s personal guards have their way?

Out of nowhere, six bird mask-wearing individuals appeared, each carrying a strange weapon in hand.

Thwack!

Before the Viscount’s guards could react, they were gunned down by crossbow bolts that looked oddly similar to the stingers fired by the Vulture Bee Drones.

"The Commander! The Commander is down!"

After the Bird ANBO operatives left the scene, another ANBO disguised as a Stronghold soldier shouted to draw attention to the corpses which had beelike stingers sticking from them.

"What? The Commander!"

The news echoed across the battlefield, even as the fighting raged on.

Morale immediately plummeted.

This opened a gap in the fort’s defences, allowing the swarm ahead—who, in fact, seemed to have been waiting for exactly this moment—to suddenly pounce.

Their attacks intensified significantly, leading to the defenders dying at an even quicker pace.

Eagle watched the scene unfold from the shadows without making any further moves after taking out her target, the Ace of Diamonds.

"Nine of Clubs down."

"Black Joker confirmed to be away from the ToO. I repeat, Black Joker is outside the Theatre of Operations. Please advise."

The last two reports she had been waiting for finally arrived.

"Copy on Black Joker’s status," she responded. "All operatives, exit the current stage. Move on to Stage Two."

"Copy!"

"Understood!"

"As you command!"

Different responses came over the comms.

Eagle nodded to herself before disappearing into the shadows.

She reappeared well away from the fighting, in Mirador, where she waited for a few minutes.

Moments later, the masked individuals returned to the secluded staging house in the lower city.

"No casualties? Good. I am moving out. You know what to do."

Udara removed her Eagle mask.

"Yes, ma’am," the group replied.

Udara disappeared into the shadows once more.

Her figure jumped in and out of the darkness until she exited the city.

After Udara left the city, there was a subtle change in the movement of the drones. One particular drone pulled back to the swarm’s rear lines and released a soundless cry.

Well, soundless to human ears.

Moments later, a new threat entered the battlefield.

Prancing Antelopes, Branchhorned Mountain Goats, Greenskinned Sabretooth Tigers, Water Elks, Steelscaled Rhinos, Bloodhorned Boars...

Yes, the very same beasts that had been part of the tide wiped out as collateral damage during Alex’s battle with the Tribulation Doppelganger.

Of course, these were not real berserk beasts, but drones made by Ava.

However, the defenders on the walls of the Stronghold didn’t know that.

They recognised the beasts that roamed the fringes between the Frontier March and the Great Berserk Beast Forest, and their expressions immediately darkened.

They were already struggling to hold back the Vulture Bee Drones. This new beast army threatened to shatter what little remained of their will to fight.

"Do not give up!" one soldier suddenly roared.

"We are soldiers of the Stronghold! Defenders of the North-East! If we fall, this entire Imperial territory falls with us!

"We have enjoyed glory as soldiers of the Stronghold. Now we must earn the right to keep that glory.

"Brothers of the Stronghold! Fight! Kill!" the soldier roared.

"Fight!"

"Kill!"

"Fight! Kill!"

It started merely as the whisper of a single soldier, but soon every soldier on the walls echoed the war cry. Dragging out the last remnants of their determination and will, they persevered and continued to fight.

Alas, this beast tide was different from what they were used to. The beasts on the ground didn’t all charge towards the obvious target—the Stronghold’s thick walls.

No, the beasts split into two groups. One group manoeuvred to attack or block every exit from the fort, preventing anyone from leaving. Meanwhile, the second group bypassed the Stronghold entirely, heading straight for Mirador City.

"Do not entertain useless thoughts. Focus only on what is in front of you! If you want to save anyone, you must first save yourself!" the soldier roared again.

It was often said that it was in the greatest of perils that a person’s true nature was revealed.

The man, who was nothing more than a private, stood up bravely after their Commander, Vice Commander, and Captains had died, while the Sergeants cowered, fearing they would be next. He rallied what remained of the troops in an effort to hold the line.

The soldiers soon began turning away from their sergeants, who had hidden themselves away, and instead looked towards this soldier as their leader—completely disregarding his apparent rank.

Similar scenes were unfolding across the walls, with different soldiers rising up to quickly fill the gaps in leadership and rally the surrounding troops in order to survive.

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