CHAPTER 208: THE BEGINNING OF THE OPERATION
Aurora watched the assault team.
The sun was about to rise and her group would be moving.
The Falion Empire team consisted of three official captains, four if she was added.
Only there was a difference.
If Aurora’s goal as captain was to be a mobile team member, then the others had specific tasks.
Alros, Meden, and Siba were leading a Rank A team with five members per team, not counting themselves.
It was quite a remarkable team, and that was because the Terranovians, to reach a certain rank, had to level up and that meant they had killed quite a few creatures.
They also had multiple abilities thanks to being able to use magical energy naturally, and some were dedicated to one type of magic or had a talent for a particular magic.
The point was that they had greater strength than an earthling.
Also, there was a military assault team that seemed to wear exoskeleton armor capable of increasing their strength to Rank C and even Rank B, similar to Leslie.
The Cosmos Enterprise and the Taranis Enterprise gave that unique equipment to show support for stopping the portal.
Locked in a room with raised barriers, Urfin surveyed those present seriously.
“From now on, the actual combat will begin,” Urfin said, and looking at those present, he announced. “Our overall aim is simple... We need to capture an S-Rank leader.”
Getting straight to the point, there were some surprised looks, though everyone waited for the explanation which was given immediately.
“From the north, the Executors of Order have the same objective. From the west, the guilds will also carry out the same mission. The idea is that at least one team will capture an S-Rank,” Urfin reported, and looking at those present, he detailed. “Our scouts and watchers have found that the goblins have not moved from the portal and from time to time bring more of their people.”
Silence stretched at such a report, though some had already noticed that the goblin numbers were increasing every day.
“Even though our top commanders are SS Rank and from time to time let out their aura, they have not moved. We have not found SS Rank among the goblins. However, they don’t seem tense knowing what they are up against. I would like to believe it is ignorance, but possibly they have a secret card.” Urfin said earnestly.
The goblins were protecting themselves with barriers and the drones or satellites could not scout as they should, leading to everything being problematic.
However, there was magic and psionic energy, which meant that technology was not the only means to act and they could find ways to spy on them.
“The idea behind this mission is to capture an S-Rank to get information and learn about plans or targets, but we also want to discover the cards with our attack,” Urfin explained, and solemnly, he warned. “The mission will be difficult. The leaders are very well protected and dangerous. Be extremely careful.”
Obtaining the assent of those present, he nodded, content with obedience.
“I will pass you the report. In ten minutes, I want it ready,” Urfin ordered, retiring immediately.
Aurora read the report on her holographic watch.
They had captured A-rank hobgoblins and the smaller ones that were called ‘little devils’, but they didn’t manage to discover too much.
Although they had another language that sounded like incomprehensible guttural sounds, perhaps because of the vocal apparatus, it wasn’t too difficult to connect with them.
A mind magic mage could connect their mind and a psionic could do the same task.
Unfortunately, this language did not make the list that Terra nova’s Goddess of Knowledge could translate and thus those like Aurora, who received the ‘baptism’, could not understand what they were saying.
That they could not discover too much information led the higher-ups to target an S-Rank leader, and those individuals were very well hidden and guarded.
While not many in number, they were present.
Capturing one of them would allow them to learn the goblins’ plans and objectives and at the same time, if this did not work, they could draw them out of their lairs and pressure them to reveal the secret cards.
Once it was discovered whether they had the capacity to retaliate or simply had the numbers in their favor, it would be decided how to act.
While the abyssal portal was unstable and problematic, it was a matter of time when the allied forces were led by two SS Ranks.
The number of the goblins was high, however, most of them were the little devils who were usually C-Rank.
Although there were Rank B and Rank-A members among them and while it might not seem like much, it all changed when one realized that there were close to two to three thousand of those creatures.
“Our mission is to try to capture an S-Rank or generate enough pressure for other teams to do so, but there is also the Romanian army accompanied by some guilds that came to support and heroes from nearby regions that have come forward to lend a hand. On that note, they will be in the vicinity trying to attract attention, while we will go deep into the enemy camp,” Siba muttered and earnestly, he commented. “If they do their job well, we won’t be completely surrounded when we go in.”
This mission was on a large scale and there were about thirty to forty S-Ranks that were participating, not only in the primary force dedicated to capturing an S-Rank but also on the part of the support team.
It was a very high number and although compared to the population of the Earth; it seemed to be lower; it had to be taken into account that the mobilization was only one nation and several allied forces.
And among that number were healers and those skill users who were not focused on combat.
One reason was that the Romanian guilds still supported the idea that they could handle everything, causing the Romanian government to only accept the church and the intervention of the Falion Empire.
The other countries were more restricted when it came to sending their force, with the heroes being the ones who had a greater ability when moving because of their international status.
Aurora didn’t know what to say to her colleague’s pessimistic tone.
“Let’s get moving. We need to be in position,” Alros warned earnestly.
They all nodded and moved outside, heading to where the portal was located.
Aurora noticed that, in the camp, there were already soldiers ready to begin the attack and among them were some paladins from the Church of Time and Space and a couple of heroes.
They were going to be the force that would directly support them.
Some light combat vehicles were also mobilized and were next to a tank, prepared for a war and for when heavy force would be needed.
These tanks had magical barriers and were created by a metal with magical resistance to prevent them from being damaged, while gunfire could injure an unprepared A-Rank and wound an S-Rank.
It was another support of the Taranis Company when it came to dealing with the portals.
They would only be used around the city and when necessary, as they did not want to cause damage to buildings.
Apart from the fact that in guerrilla wars they were not so effective and were only useful in large-scale wars.
Unlike light vehicles that were quicker to fire, fast individuals could avoid tanks.
Directing her gaze to the portal that was installed in a large warehouse that was erected, Aurora only watched as a mechanic executed it.
This portal connected not only to the different camps but to the typical Cosmos Portals, making it possible for some people with access to get here from anywhere in the world.
It also allowed them to move to certain places, and that was what they were going to used to approach the city.
After activating it, the group drew their weapons and entered, arriving at a building where a scout was located.
They installed cloaking barriers and space magic to prevent them from being detected at the same time that some psionic energy artifacts with the same function were active.
Aurora, walking to the window, observed the square in the distance where the abyssal portal was located.
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Around the portal and some nearby buildings were blurred because of the barriers, but as they moved further away, that barrier disappeared, revealing several hundred goblins moving everywhere.
Everyone checked their gear as they waited for the mission to begin... This operation was setting the stage for what was to be a tough showdown.
******
A hero watched the military as they prepared.
Taranis and Cosmos Enterprises gave the equipment.
While only the best soldiers took part in this operation, it was known that armies were always weaker than even guilds.
Perhaps they had heavy weapons, missiles, or tanks, but the skill users were individuals who could create great destruction and were faster than a tank and more versatile than them.
If these tanks were around before the Great Cataclysm, then surely they would be the best war equipment a country could get.
“Were war weapons allowed for use?” The young hero asked a fellow Paladin from his own group.
The Paladin was a member of the Church of Time and Space of Rank S, a paladin in full body armor with a helmet that concealed the entire head.
“I don’t know,” replied the paladin with a sharp tone, making it clear that it was a woman who was inside that metal shell.
The hero nodded, and after glancing at his quiver; he heard the warning that they were starting to move.
Their mission was beginning, and they were about to move deeper into the city to generate pressure against the creatures and reduce their numbers.
Taking a deep breath, with his bow in hand, the group began to advance down the main street while the tank was ahead.
The machine gun on the tank and light combat vehicle was aimed from the inside, making it a safe weapon to use, but soldiers were all around.
Drones were flying around, scouting the surroundings, while others were using magical artifacts to scout.
The hero observed the city that was already evacuated.
The buildings were on every side and were in perfect condition, only with cars in slight disarray along the street.
He had not been there at the time of the evacuation, but he knew that the priests of the Church of Time and Space participated by opening portals so that the citizens could flee.
They also used the portable portals designed by the Cosmos Company.
It was a quick evacuation and in just one week they cleared the city for combat to take place, but the cost of that was that many people lost their businesses, their possessions, and their homes.
Carrying what they had on hand, citizens ended up abandoning their homes... While the Romanian government was now helping to keep it from becoming a refugee problem, it was tragic to lose everything they had built.
Moving into the goblin zone of influence heading for the Abyssal Portal, the hero heard a noise from a building, and when he paid attention to where the noise was coming from, he realized it was a butcher shop.
The entrance was closed by a metal cloak, making it clear that the building was protected against monster attacks, but now there was a hole in it.
The hero signaled to the paladin and stepped forward with her at his side, managing to observe what was going on.
Inside were five small goblins with their wolves eating everything they could find, while others were carrying backpacks carried by those wolves.
The wolves were large, being B-Rank magical beasts, but since the goblins were small, they were perfect mounts for them.
The freezers were broken, and they loaded the meat into the wolves’ bags without creating bulk.
For the hero, the ‘magic bags’ that were equal to space rings in function were not the most striking thing. What caught his attention was the way they ate the meat raw.
Rather than hungry ‘monsters’, it made him feel as if they were desperate for food.
“Grr...” a wolf growled, and the paladin immediately moved, performing several slashes in the air.
Even though she was wearing metal armor that looked heavy, the movements with her sword were swift, while space was sliced with each swing of the sword.
“You were stunned,” the paladin pointed out getting the hero’s expression to change.
“Sorry. I’m new and this is the first time I’ve seen this kind of creature,” said the hero and, glancing at back at the corpses, he muttered. “Besides...”
Besides, it felt like they were desperate for food... He swallowed those words that let out some empathy he shouldn’t have.
He was young in his twenty-five years, but he was already an S-Rank and in his record were different missions, with rescuing refugees in the lawless lands being the most notable.
In those lands, there were places where humans were treated like slaves and sometimes even cattle... Helping such people was a remarkable and very dangerous act.
What he had just seen felt like those refugees entering abandoned villages, taking whatever they could eat to survive and trying to escape.
Although in these times the demons were suppressed in the area of Turkey thanks to The Fallen Guild and the Pacific Demon King, having that feeling again made him not to attack immediately.
Setting off again and joining the caravan, the hero hid that feeling in his mind.
Moving forward, getting closer and closer to the portal, they could notice another small group of goblins patrolling the area.
*Bang*
A soldier aimed the gun and fired, managing to hit the shoulder of one goblin.
“Guguruaa!” With guttural sounds, a goblin let out a scream and the others began to flee, but before they could get any further, the hero fired.
With a speed that lived up to his title ‘Swift Burst’, the hero fired ten arrows in one second with shocking speed.
His arrows were fast and pierced the goblins in the chest.
Did he shoot simply to try to erase that doubt or because he knew that on a mission, he didn’t have to let his thoughts distract him?
It was hard to answer, but the hero walked over to look at the group and noticed that the goblin the soldier had shot was on the ground moaning in pain.
They were C-rank creatures and the weapons the soldiers were carrying could get through the natural barrier and their low-quality armor.
As for the hero’s arrows, they were even more lethal because they were launched by an S-Rank.
“Gurua!”
Roaring in anger, the goblin shattered a small crystal, and from afar, they could hear several howls.
“They’ve already given a warning,” said the paladin, cutting the creature’s head off and looking at everyone else, he declared. “Get ready. They will surely be coming.”
They did not cut off communication with magical artifacts because that was what they wished for... That they would come to attack.
The hero looked over the corpses of the goblins and noticed that they were inferiorly equipped and also noticed some malnutrition.
It made him feel like those refugees who ended up becoming raiders to get some food... What they were doing was wrong, but it was the cause why they got to that point that was hard to accept.
Sometimes there was no other way... That was what the hero had discovered in those lawless lands, where death and crimes were a common day thing.
Looking at the other goblins, he noticed the same thing and although he tried to hide his doubt, in the end, he muttered. “Is this an invasion?”
The paladin gave him a silent look, and the hero fell silent.
This was the first time he had seen this, and it was hard to imagine that these malnourished creatures were ‘invaders’.
They might be C-Rank having a higher average strength than humans, but to be an invading ‘soldier’... They felt that the conditions they were in were not suitable.
“I don’t know, but what I am sure of is that I don’t want these creatures to spread across this world. I don’t want the villages to live in fear because of goblins that may come at night to loot and kill,” said the paladin, and opening her helmet revealing her face, she announced. “I have seen the cruelty of these creatures.”
The paladin was a woman in her late forties, so the hero realized she was a former player.
The hero was silent.
He understood that former players didn’t like to talk about their past as ‘players’ because of the actions they did... Many of them are too shameful or cruel to remember.
Treating living individuals as if they were mere artificial intelligence decorating the world trying to make everything feel alive for their enjoyment was the most common and in a scale of action the least that could be done.
The biggest concern of the old players was to let this creature spread throughout the world.
The rapid reproduction of the goblins was what they were concerned about.
Once it spread through the world, many would be in danger.
Perhaps this world was not like Terra nova, where many times their villages were disconnected and completely isolated, but to say that everyone was safe was being overly optimistic.
Not all cities had portals, let alone towns or small outlying villages.
If the goblins were widespread and as savage as the old players claimed, then the world would not only face monsters but a race that could be smart enough to hide and cunning enough to strike in the least protected places, with a high birth rate added to rapid accelerated reproduction.
An unquestionable danger.
“Come on,” said the hero, checking the arrows in his quiver again.
That quiver was in a style similar to a space ring, allowing the arrows to pop up when used.
Fast-forwarding to the side of the tank, howling began to be heard, and looking at a soldier wearing a holographic watch, he noticed how all over the area, goblins were moving.
They split into three separate groups, heading to the three sides where the allied forces were attacking.
“Get ready!” ordered the paladin rising into the air.
The soldiers readied their weapons, and the paladins stepped in front of them to offer protection.
The tank pointed down the street, and after a moment, dozens of goblins could be seen running wildly.
They were the small ones among them, those who were known as imp by the allied forces.
Showing their fangs as they drooled, their eyes were red in a state of extreme madness.
“FIRE!” commanded the paladin waving her sword wildly.
The sword sliced through space, creating a line in the middle of the ground, splitting several goblins.
The soldiers using modern weapons started firing, while the tank and light combat vehicles also fired.
It was a tank and two light vehicles firing; the latter having faster guns, creating small explosions and holes.
The hero fired the arrows swiftly, and the creatures began to fall from the gunshots, arrows, and ranged cuts.
“...”
In just a few seconds all around was silent and everyone looked at those creatures... At the corpses.
Painting the ground red, some of them twitched in agony on the ground.
A massacre... That was the only way it could be seen.
Nearly a hundred fiends died before the gunfire of a platoon.
Were modern weapons that powerful?
No, it was just a combination of too many factors and among them mechanics with firearms mastery talents and finally two S-ranks along with tanks worth millions.
Wasn’t it too easy?
That doubt was on his mind at the moment and he was not the only one, as the others also had strange expressions on their faces.
Moving along the main street, they slowly approached the abyssal portal and still saw no A-Rank and no S-Rank had appeared for the capture team to initiate the mission.
It was at the moment they passed a large multi-story building that the hero felt an ominous sensation.
*BOOM*
Before he could put it into words in the northwest direction where the Romanian group should be located, an explosion was heard and at the same time things on his side changed.
“URURUAA!” with a fierce scream from the second floor jumped a hobgoblin falling above their heads.
The hero moved in an instant and shot an arrow with enormous power and pierced that creature’s head.
Before he could sigh in relief, he noticed how other hobgoblins jumped not only from that building, but from other buildings.
In size, they were not as tall as hobgoblins, reaching a meter and a half with luck... They were the other most common type of goblin.
Slender and slightly shorter in stature than the average human, they were fast, jumping from all parts of the building.
Ten, twenty, thirty, forty... The number rose.
“It’s an ambush! Be careful!” shouted the paladin, waving her sword cutting through the air.
The soldiers fired and the tank’s machine guns moved, but they were attacked from above and it was difficult.
The hero was stunned for a moment because of how well they were hidden.
However, he reacted instantly and fired with the bow, managing to shoot down many of those creatures in their flight.
“Die you beasts!”
“Gurururuaa!”
Both sides shouted, and the paladins waved their swords as space twisted around them.
A few A-Ranks clashed against several A-Ranks.
*BOOM*
*BOOM*
Two explosions rang out. One was from the tank that had fired its cannon, creating a huge crater ahead and another was the earth splitting in half, revealing a tunnel from which more goblins emerged.
It was as if there was a cave beneath the city that they themselves were unaware of.
“It can’t be...” He muttered, thinking of an idea.
And just as expected, more goblins came out of this tunnel that the drones could not discover.
It was a large number, doubling their platoon and slowly increasing.
These were not two or three thousand goblins... Perhaps they were more.
Watching as two S-Ranks appeared alongside several dozen A-Ranks and a large group of B-Ranks, his expression turned ugly.