Chapter 209: Second Pioneer Village
“The Aerial Escort Ship, Kreios, is currently engaging the Mountain Boars. While extermination may prove difficult, we should at least be able to drive them away.”
“Wh-what is that doing in the sky…?”
A massive something passed overhead. The girl dispatched from the Paraiso casually informed us of its name.
“They’ve deployed additional forces. We can ensure safety as well.”
As she spoke, something began descending from the sky.
With a thunderous roar, it landed one after another on the road.
“W-whoa… Golems are falling from the sky…”
Four Golems joined the caravan fleeing from Pioneer Village Ralan. Originally, there were five wheeled escort Golems accompanying the caravan, plus two from the village. In total, eleven Golems were now guarding this caravan.
“…”
That said, the Golems that had fallen from the sky were released from the enormous ship that had just passed overhead. It appeared they had dropped something small from their bellies, but who would have thought that it was the same type as the six-legged Golem of the guardian?
In other words, that ship named Kreios was unimaginably massive.
“We will also deploy additional forces to the western Pioneer Village, Clavine. After that, we plan to attack the Mountain Boars. If we can successfully repel them, the village should be safe.”
“I-I see…”
Somehow, our lives had been spared. I thought that perhaps the village might be saved as well.
Hearing this, the Defense Officer and the village chief nodded in a daze, unable to comprehend what they were being told.
Well, there was nothing more we could do. For now, we just needed to reach the safe rear city with this caravan.
“By the way… Is Eighteen alright?”
“She has been placed in a Medical Pod. She is injured, but if it’s just that level, she should be able to move by tomorrow. I apologize for causing you worry.”
“N-no, not at all! No, I’m relieved to hear that… Really, thinking about what could have happened. Once again, we are grateful for your protection.”
He and the village chief bowed deeply. In response, the Five Dissector merely nodded lightly.
“We are simply doing what we must. When that Hidden Player appeared, to be honest, I didn’t think we could protect everything. Thanks to your cooperation, we were able to repel them faster than anticipated.”
The girl replied calmly, neither boasting nor lamenting, simply stating her thoughts.
After bowing once more, the Defense Officer and the village chief sat back down. Currently, they were riding in a transport Golem owned by the caravan, which had many wheels. Despite being described as simple, it was well-constructed, with plenty of sturdy chairs, large enough for all the villagers to sit comfortably.
Since light snacks had also been distributed, many villagers sat with their eyes closed. They were undoubtedly exhausted.
“It might get a bit dark, but we should reach the city by nightfall. Please leave the guarding to us.”
The Massive Arm is a monster that lives in packs. Normally, they do not venture far from their territory, but due to a stampede, they had moved into this shallow part of the forest.
That said, they are not particularly strong as monsters. While they are certainly not weak, they lack any magical elements aside from their abnormally developed arms, making them easy targets among the hunters of the Forest Country.
“Fire!”
Two Gracilis-Cosmos unleashed a barrage of bullets from her Assault Rifle. In response, the Massive Arm charged at her, using its arms as shields.
“Strike!”
From the side, the head of the Massive Arm was shot through. It was a hunter from Pioneer Village Clavine.
The Communicator Android drew the attention of the Massive Arm with her Assault Rifle, while the hunter shot it from the side. This kind of teamwork was being executed on the battlefield, and one by one, they were taking down the Massive Arms.
“Thanks for the help, Two!”
“You’re welcome. Next one is coming.”
She swapped out her magazine with a click and smoothly moved through the uneven forest terrain, aided by her Assist Suit.
Such scenes were unfolding throughout the forest.
While the pack of Massive Arms posed a threat, the forces from Paraiso were fully protecting the village, allowing the hunters to actively engage. Given the situation, even though the Massive Arms had high offensive power, their lack of defense made them not particularly terrifying foes.
“If it stays like this, we should be able to hold them off…”
“We received word from Ralan. Do you know about the Mountain Boar?”
“The Mountain Boar? The one from the bedtime stories?”
The Mountain Boar was moving toward Ralan, causing numerous Mantises to attack. While they had repelled those, they could not contain the Mountain Boar, so they were retreating.
“Since it’s still some distance away, it shouldn’t come here, but with the Mountain Boar’s movement, there’s a possibility that more monsters will come.”
“If the stories are true, it should be the size of a small hill…”
If such a massive monster were rampaging, it would naturally scare off smaller monsters and animals.
“We should have about two more hours until our reinforcements arrive. Can we hold out until then?”
“At this rate, we could last for hours. You have a way to communicate with the others, right?”
The hunters were beginning to understand the unique abilities of the mercenary girls from Paraiso as they fought alongside them. Without uttering a word, the girls coordinated their actions. It seemed they were also able to coordinate with the main force, the Multi-legged Tanks, as there were times when they received sudden support from their main cannons.
Moreover, from their actions, it was clear they were in contact with other pioneer villages or even the homeland.
However, it was a fact that they were risking their lives to protect the village. Sometimes, they would even step forward to act as bait ahead of the hunters.
Thus, rather than feeling threatened, they felt a sense of reassurance.
“Two ahead. Observing… Support fire.”
“Turning left.”
“Understood. Three, two, one.”
The main cannon of the Multi-legged Tank fired at the Massive Arm. This precise bombardment was made possible by the presence of the Communicator Android on the front lines.
While artillery fire was possible even in the forest, the trees obstructed the view, making it difficult to target the enemy. The Communicator Android’s sensors allowed for indirect aiming.
A shell traveling at over 2,000 m/s blasted through the trees and struck the Massive Arm directly in its arms.
If it had a magical barrier, it would be different. However, the Massive Arm was a monster that did not possess such a barrier.
While its arm’s hardness and strength defied the laws of physics, it was not enough to deflect a railgun’s projectile.
The guard of its arms was brushed aside like a curtain, and the Massive Arm was sent flying. Even so, the fact that its arms remained intact was what made this monster so fearsome.
The second one, distracted by the Communicator Android in front, was startled by its comrade being blown apart and was then shot through by an arrow from the side.
The hunters of Pioneer Village were primarily skilled in stealth. Thus, they were well-matched with the noisy personnel from Paraiso.
“Clear. Next target, 300 meters ahead. Number is three or four.”
“Leave it to me.”
The defense force of Pioneer Village Clavine received additional Multi-legged Tanks via air drop from Kreios, establishing a solid defense.
The villagers were astonished by the sight of the giant flying ship, but receiving the Multi-legged Tanks and supplies seemed to dispel their anxieties.
In the end, there were no major issues afterward, and the attacks from the Massive Arms subsided. Fortunately, it did not escalate to a situation where the entire village needed to evacuate, as had happened in neighboring Ralan.
Although the arrival of the Soul Butterflies continued, it seemed the large-scale movement of monsters had settled down.
That said, the distribution of monsters and animals within the Demon Forest had likely changed significantly. It would still be a while before they could return to the daily life they once knew.