OLD-WORLD EXTRA C.453: The Way A Healer Fights

***

Not counting Emir, the Hunter Group Alliance had ten leaders.

Nine of them were currently locked in battle, facing equally ranked opponents.

One remained-Lionheart.

But again, he had stationed himself near the entrance, now more commonly referred to as the exit.

The ruin had become a place to escape, not dive.

Within its confines was a war beyond the students' capabilities.

Templar was responsible.

That much had become abundantly clear to everyone.

Templar made sure of it-driving the point home even to those they slaughtered.

This attack had been years in the making. Possibly longer than Emir had been alive. Now, what did all of that indicate?

There was an enemy Seraphim on the loose.

Templar wanted to end or at least hurt the alliance.

They wouldn't make a mistake by coming one Seraphim short.

So that brought the question...

Where was the last Seraphim? What was he doing?

The answer to that was in the possession of Azazel. Emir's family.

After their failure at stopping the ascent of the Behemoth, they met up at the third

rendezvous point, which was south of the main station's entrance.

Once everyone was ready, they followed the students, secretly protecting them until the professors and HGLS arrived.

Of course, that couldn't have been such a secret if their entire platoon was with them, so they had sent them back to camp.

Besides, they weren't exactly ready to fight.

Most of them were injured and exhausted, more mentally than physically, even though some of them could barely move.

The deaths of their companions had hit them hard.

What happened right after did so as well.

They couldn't carry their bodies with them in the initial attack.

The dead would've slowed them down... they had to leave them behind.

None knew if the bodies had remained intact.

Monsters and constructs could've fed on them while they were away.

But thankfully, they eventually found out that the worst hadn't come to pass.

On their way to camp, they were ordered to bring the bodies back with them.

Nearly all were fine, with a few exceptions here and there, rubble causing the damage. Everything down there was dead, most likely due to the fight between Amon and the terror.

The sight didn't affect them that much; in fact, they were brought slight relief.

At least their families would have a body to bury; not everyone was as fortunate.

And so, time passed, slowly, very slowly, each second filled with death and blood.

All until they received a report.

A report that they were waiting for.

[Vice Leader! Commander! Someone's heading directly towards Sofia's cohort. He'll find them in under a minute; you have to move now!]

Lyra, gutting a soldier's stomach, looked behind her.

Kiera, who shot two in front of her, did the same, eyes locked with hers.

"Kill them all."

"Let's end it."

***

Sofia lay prone ten meters away from a few collapsed trains, her newly bought anti-material rifle set before her.

Calamity V-1-a colossal, matte-black weapon, taller than a human.

It had glowing energy conduits along its multi-chambered barrel and digital targeting systems.

She aimed at the monsters deep within.

BANG!

Each shot of hers thundered the ground, pushing her back slightly.

The recoil was barely manageable for continuous fire, even with the bipod she had sat down.

It felt as if she were firing tank shells with each pull of the trigger.

In fact, calling them that wouldn't be far from the truth-though technically, they were something far stronger.

Still, as terrifying as the weapon appeared, its results didn't match up.

That wasn't the weapon's fault, but the monsters-they were too tough.

The Metalzillas before her were proof that this area was too dangerous for them.

Normally, these two-legged lizards, with their metal-like armor coating their skin-like scales, wouldn't pose much of a problem. free𝑤ebnovel.com

But in a group, they were a completely different beast.

And this tunnel housed their nest, meaning they were definitely together.

Every time she lined up a kill shot, another would move in to shield its companion, their

armored bodies absorbing the brunt of her powerful rounds.

The metal scales could tank shot after shot, and it was getting annoying.

No matter how many she hit, they always had backup.

Sofia didn't mind the situation much, though.

She wasn't particularly focused on killing the Metalzillas, only on keeping them at bay until

her cohort finished looting.

Behind her, the rest of the group was scouring the collapsed trains for relics.

While one of them could have stayed back to help, she hadn't asked anyone to stand guard.

The reason was simple: it would've been counterproductive.

Their priority was gathering the relics and getting out of the tunnel as quickly as possible.

Otherwise, the cost of the rounds would likely exceed the price of whatever junk they could

find.

She wasn't worried about the off chance that she would get ambushed.

Her newly unlocked ability, {Rapid Retreat,} allowed her to escape in most scenarios.

At least against similar-ranked opponents.

Indeed.

It would only work against those that matched her in strength.

Not a Seraphim.

BANG!

Her next shot echoed through the tunnel, but just as it did, a figure appeared above her.

It was a white-haired man gripping a bladed staff with both hands.

Aiming directly for her head, he shot it down at a blurred speed.

Sofia noticed him instantly, as if she had eyes in the back of her head.

In that split second, she realized escape was impossible.

But instead of panicking like the others would in her position, her analytical mind

immediately began calculating.

A solution then took shape in her thoughts, clear and methodical.

It involved a sacrifice, yet that was the only way for her to survive.

Grabbing the base of her gun from the side, she flipped on her back and aimed it upward.

Clang!

The staff's blade hit her gun hard, denting it out of shape but not cutting through.

She had survived.

Her gun didn't.

Its chamber cracked, unable to handle the force applied to it.

Clicking his tongue, the attacker pushed himself off and landed on the ground, just in front of

the still-lying Sofia.

"Kids are too strong nowadays~."

Switching to the blunt end of the staff, he swung down again, this time aiming for her legs.

But before the staff could reach her, she had already disappeared, reappearing on her feet ten

meters away, closer to the nest.

Behind her, the Metalzillas began to exit the train as her constant shooting had stopped.

At the same time, her cohort showed up and stood confused before this strange man between

them.

"Who the fuck are you?!"

"Punk, who do you think you're interrupting?"

"...Y-Yeah!"

The man gave them a blank stare as if looking at lower lifeforms.

He wore a white cloak with Templar's insignia, proudly announcing his faction, yet none of

those three could make the correlation.

They couldn't be blamed for that; they simply hadn't seen much of Templar before today.

Sure, they learned of them in their private classes, but listening wasn't a particularly strong

point of theirs.

There was something of note, however.