The Imperial Hunter Chapter 55 - El Maestre (10)

I picked up the sword that had lost its owner. The person who once wielded it was more like a beast than a human, with a size and appearance more suited to tearing beasts apart than humans. Although the blade was slightly twisted, there were no major issues with its overall durability. Should I really call it a titanium alloy, perhaps?

On the other hand, the appearance of the deceased Knight Commander, at first glance, resembled a knight from religious paintings. A knight of Christ who had fought devils and evil dragons. But the lifeless body he left behind was no better than the corrupt priests who called themselves drug lords.

As I looked closer, I began to feel a bit disgusted. The Knight Commander had a certain resemblance to the Masters. The Masters and the members of the Round Table shared a belief in being chosen by God. The latter was still an ongoing process.

After pushing the Knight Commander down with magic, I removed his armor and equipment. I also collected the weapons, shields, armor, chest rigs, and more from the dead henchmen. These were props necessary for the grand finale of this hunt.

Next, I ignited a fierce fire in the now-ruined cathedral. The fallen Jesus statue caught fire first, followed by the Virgin Mary statue, the angel statues, shattered or intact pews, the front wall with inscribed scriptures, the altar, and the lectern. The cathedral, collapsing in the heat, would make an excellent tomb for the knights’ corpses.

Since I was already at it, I decided to put in a little more effort.

Bang, thud, whoosh!

The deafening noise of what seemed like falling shells reverberated. My telekinesis, shimmering transparently, pounded the wretched corpses like a press. It would be challenging to even guess their original forms until they were completely obliterated and burnt in the intense heat.

Walking away from the brightly burning cathedral, I thought my dark shadow, swaying in the temple’s wavering light, resembled the silhouette of a dancing devil. This was probably the lingering ecstasy of an intense battle.

As I stepped out of the main gate, Kyung-tae nodded respectfully.

“You’ve been through a lot, hyungnim.”

“Hardly. It was an enjoyable and enlightening time.”

Rumble. A vibration from the corner of the cathedral collapsing behind me resembled the thunderclaps echoing in distant mountain ranges. As I descended the stairs, there was a loud shattering sound coming from high above, between the bell towers. When I glanced back, I saw that the clock embedded there had exploded due to the internal heat and pressure. I could see hot air escaping through the crack in the clock, emitting various colors of heat.

“What’s the situation? Has anything changed?”

“Yes. Half of Suyeon-noonim’s team is deployed along the Pitillal River Park. If you go down just three blocks from here, you’ll have a path to move anywhere in the city while avoiding the sky’s gaze. The plan is to use this axis as the center of movement. Also, the remaining reserve forces have attacked the city police and the Defence Army’s command nodes, securing their radios and destroying evidence. Based on the incoming communications, the estimated position of the British troops is…”

Kyung-tae’s communication was swift and concise. His memory in combat situations was as exceptional as Suyeon’s. I listened as he reported.

“…That’s all for the field command reports. Do you have any instructions?”

“No. Confirm and relay that I will follow as instructed.”

“Roger.”

Kyung-tae’s response included a message that I was unharmed.

I selected three subordinates under Kyung-tae, dividing the props for our performance. I took one for myself, while the Knight Commander’s full-body armor was assigned to Kyung-tae. Even though Kyung-tae was the largest among them in the security team, the height difference with the deceased Knight Commander was almost 10 centimeters, and their skeletal structures were quite different, making perfect disguise impossible.

However, we could overcome that with role distribution in the darkness and stage production.

A suitable means caught my eye.

“…A stable?”

Not far from the square we occupied, there was a stable not too far to the southeast. While residents fled gunshots and fires spread throughout the city, horses trapped in enclosures panicked, leaping around in fear amid the scent of burning and auditory chaos.

Mounted combat was actually a foolish act that consumed the awakened individual’s mobility and combat power. However, what we needed now was not Kyung-tae’s combat power alone but the presence of the Knight Commander.

“This way.”

I, who had determined the path, led the way. There was no reason to move cautiously in a world where obstacles could be ignored due to my field of vision.

We reached the stable without any obstacles. It seemed like a place where various businesses jointly managed horses, such as those used for tourist activities, but more than half of the stalls were empty, perhaps due to recent economic difficulties. The remaining horses were generally not in good condition.

Kyung-tae asked with some confusion, 

“Oh, are you planning to fight on horseback?”

“You’ll be the only one riding.”

“…Ah, I see. Understood.”

Kyung-tae’s response was somewhat deflated, and the way he fiddled with the sword’s handle was easy to read. He might have been disappointed that there were few opportunities to use a sword after we had captured him. It was an unusual type of real-world combat that he had never experienced before.

“This guy should be good.”

I pointed directly at one of the horses that had been left behind. I didn’t know if the facility was financially well-off or if the horses were privately owned, but the horse was in relatively good nutritional condition and was among the heavier ones. Although it was slow, it had good stamina.

Kyung-tae managed to calm down the horses that were making noise with some difficulty and skillfully mounted the horse, adjusting the saddle and reins.

“Are you okay?”

“What?”

“You haven’t ridden a horse in a while.”

“Oh, come on, hyungnim. What do you take me for?”

Kyung-tae, manipulating the reins skillfully, smiled from inside his helmet.

“Stay like that for a moment.”

I spent a few minutes opening up the circuitry in the horse’s mind that Kyung-tae was riding. The main purpose was physical enhancement. Since this was not a painstaking task, and it was my first time awakening a horse, the circuit that reduced the subject’s lifespan was completed. But…

‘Anyway, as long as this guy is fine until sunrise, it’s fine.’

The horse spoke in a low tone, a sudden surge of strength that seemed to startle it. Kyung-tae quickly calmed it down again. As I had previously damaged the horse’s hearing magically to prepare for combat, I had fashioned a makeshift cuirass from the four sets of body armor that had been replaced by titanium armor.

The hunting plan was simple. Four of us, including me, disguised as knights, would concentrate the enemy’s attention. Meanwhile, the others would surround the enemy from the outside and exploit their vulnerable rear.

Hence, the virtue of the knights who did not know Spanish was silence. How strange would it be if they heard us speaking English from this side? In the 21st century, it was an era where commanders shared the soldiers’ field of view, and during close combat, it was difficult to block telekinesis as a platoon leader. Conversation and communication were only allowed in a limited manner when keeping a distance from the enemy.

Still, the assigned roles were simple, so it shouldn’t be too difficult. I instructed my armored subordinates to remember just four Spanish phrases.

Cover, regroup, withdraw, attack. In close combat situations, these four phrases were sufficient. I could fill in the gaps with my own abilities if necessary.

And so, the hunt began.

“HVT (High-Value Target) confirmed! Four enemy personnel! Engaging!”

We were discovered—or rather, we had spotted the British unit first, and they welcomed us with flashes of muzzle fire. Turreturretung! The dull reverberation of titanium shields. With sword and shield in hand, I charged forward, effortlessly dodging the bullet storm that rained down upon us. It took about three seconds to eliminate the gaps, and unnecessary movements mixed in with my advance. A swift move, considering the wide gap in skill between me and the knights.

“What…!”

The smell of sweat filled the air. I swung my blade horizontally, enhanced with magical power, cleanly slicing through bones and flesh. The severed head spun like a roulette wheel, spraying blood.

“Bryn!”

Shouting the name of his fallen comrade, the wide-eyed sergeant aimed his gun at me. Bang! A close-range shot. The bullet, aimed at my helmet, bounced off with a dull thud. It was a shock that fell just short of smashing my head with the Knight Commander. Immediately, my counterattack strengthened with a force that could deflect attacks from easily defensible angles, struck.

Kagak! Kagagak!

I repeatedly slashed, the sergeant desperately defending against my attacks. Thanks to his efforts, his gun had its trigger guard broken off, and the magazine was brutally sliced away. Nonetheless, one round remained in the chamber, and the sergeant held the gun like a spear, pulling the trigger instinctively. Clang! I turned to face the point-blank shot. Tink! The bullet was deflected by the tilt of my armor. No matter how powerful the shot, if the angle of impact was off, what could it do?

The wall behind the sergeant collapsed. The recoil I felt through my shield was the violence I had just unleashed. The sergeant, impaled by concrete debris, was buried up to his waist. The screams and cries from behind me were the destruction and death my subordinates were causing. The ones following me now were the elite of the Round Table.

“Kuh…”

The sergeant, who had been mortally wounded in a single blow, looked at me with eyes full of disbelief. Blood dripping from his mouth was evidence that his organs were damaged, and the expression on his face, resembling that of a drunken person holding back the urge to vomit, depicted immense pain. It was the expected outcome. I hadn’t shown him the same mercy I had extended to Knight Commander.

I approached him and began stomping on his hand, which was holding a grenade, crushing it into a pulp. The sergeant, who had even been prevented from committing suicide, glared at me weakly. A camera was attached to the side of his ballistic helmet, signifying that the British military command was likely watching this scene in real time.

I made a change to the physical enhancement technique I had been using. A mage’s mastery of magical physical enhancement implied the ability to control muscles that wouldn’t obey the will, either directly or indirectly, when necessary.

The vocal cords are one of those involuntary muscles. Like when I played Huang, I was reciting a prayer with a voice that was not my own, digesting the role of a fanatic. The memorized prayer is the inspiration I gained from the showdown with the Knight Commander.

“Jehová, Dios de las venganzas, Dios de las venganzas, muéstrate. Engrandécete, oh Juez de la tierra. Da el pago a los soberbios. (Jehovah, God of vengeance, God of vengeance, reveal yourself. Exalt yourself, oh Judge of the earth. Render recompense to the proud.)”

“What… is this…”

The remnants of my master in my head contained the refinement of nobility, a twisted obsession with the Bible, and knowledge of three languages. Therefore, extracting a suitable passage from it wasn’t a difficult task. There might be some minor inaccuracies, but didn’t the Knight Commander do the same? Fanatics tend to distort doctrine.

Stab! Piercing through the bulletproof vest. The sergeant widened his eyes. I continued to stab without hesitation, imitating the fanatic’s role with a dry chant. Stab, stab, stab. With each thrust, fresh blood stained the blade. More blood flowed from the sergeant’s mouth.

“Oh, Jehovah. How long will the wicked be joyful, singing songs? How long will they boast with harsh words and display unfair deeds?”

“Stop. St-stop.”

“Oh, Jehovah. They break your people. They soak your heritage in violence.”

“…..”

Bang, bang! Along with the cries, new bullets flew. A bold attack from the enemy, thinking there were only four of us. Anger over losing comrades drove them forward. I began by using the refraction barrier to avoid the first three bullets, then quickly tilted my shield, altering its angle. Continually using the refraction barrier would reveal the presence of a technique controlled with precision. Such sophistication was far from achievable with primitive magic at this stage. After all, even the Knight Commander couldn’t surpass physical enhancement.

The shield, forming an acute angle with the ground, easily deflected the incoming semi-automatic gunfire. With each thud that reverberated through the grip and forearm, small deformations appeared on the shield. These were formidable firearms.

“¡Reúnanse! (Gather!)”

Three shields, bracing against obstacles, covered approximately 150 degrees around Kyung-tae. His dulled hearing was not startled by the noise of combat. Kyung-tae, perched high on a saddle, fired his hunting rifle in semi-automatic bursts. Bang, bang, bang! Each deadly accurate shot rapidly diminished the enemy’s firepower.

However, the odds were against them. A clear show of superiority increased the enemy’s density. Beyond that, amidst the heat of burning cars and buildings, and the smoke it generated, the sight of my subordinates leaping over obstacles and running across rooftops was visible.

As the encirclement closed in, I placed the lifeless body of the sergeant, his breath extinguished, on the shield and charged toward the enemy. An interval that disappeared in an instant. The enemies couldn’t easily open fire on a comrade whose life hung in the balance. It was a battlefield where there was still plenty of blood to be shed by the blade.