Chapter 134: | 134 | Taking Out the Inquisitors
Abraham stood over the corpses of the Inquisitors riddled with dozens upon dozens of holes. Blood dripped from every one of them, bringing about a crimson pool amidst the evergreen grassy landscape of the park.
While he carefully observed them, etching their image to his very heart and mind. A low groan sounded out from the Humvee, taking his attention. He turned his gaze towards the upside down military vehicle and saw his subordinates awakening from their terrific experience.
"Aurgh!"
"Dam-nit!"
The driver and the machine gunner of the Humvee awoken from their slumber. They immediately noticed their upside down perspective, making them realized how they had landed upon their unexpected tumble.
Though, instead of worrying about themselves, the two of them looked around inside the military vehicle trying to find their fleet admiral. After all, his safety was paramount and they had failed to maintain his safety.
"The two of you calm down. I'm here, alive and well." Abraham crouched, looking over the two soldiers through the broken front window of the Humvee. The edges of his lips rose as he smirked at the two.
"I'm more or less good, how about the two of you? Are you in pain or injured?" He questioned while his smirk faded, replaced by tender seriousness. While he was okay, that didn't mean that the soldiers with him would be in the same state.
After all, he was different from an ordinary human. Others would have splattered upon impact after falling so high, or they would have gone unconscious in the crash. But none of such things happened to him.
His body was far stronger than he could have imagined.
"The two of us are okay, Sir. Our bodies have gone through worser than this." The driver responded while the machine gunner nodded in agreement.
Seeing that they were really okay, Abraham sighed in relief and stepped closer to them with his head lowered near the window. "While I'd like for us to be in a hospital to get treatment, our adversaries have already arrived."
"I want the two of you to lay low and retreat from the park. Since I'm still in capable conditions, I should hold them off while the two of you escape." He suggested to the two men.
Naturally, they shook their heads and flat-out rejected his suggestion. They were the warriors of the United Army. Running away while their fleet admiral bought time was akin to treachery to them. It was something that would appear in their nightmares.
"I'm afraid we cannot run away, Sir. Instead, we will fight you. We still have enough strength and capability to hold a gun. As such, we must face our enemy." The machine gunner expressed his thoughts.
"He's correct, Fleet Admiral. We shall not retreat while you fight in our stead. We are the warriors of the United Army, not some random children in need of saving." It appears that the driver's thought aligned with the former.
Seeing their determined words and resolute expressions, Abraham understood that they were as stubborn as him when deciding to do something. With this in mind, he didn't force them to retreat but instead gave them weapons.
"Alright, since the two of you won't run away. You will be fighting to the death with me. Our enemies are the secret police of the Inquisitors. They are skilled in magicraft, making them an unexpected and unknown variable."
"The only effective weapon we got against them is the machine gun. So, I'll have to use it wisely." Abraham held the machine gun tightly and continued. "The two of you will provide cover for me and attract their attention."
"These assault rifles of yours should prove itself to be enough." He pointed at the assault rifles in their hands. Even though they might not penetrate the shields of the Inquisitors, they should be able to get their attention.
"I will be setting up a kill zone and I need them to be 20 meters away from the Humvee. Will the two of you be able to do that?" Abraham asked, while the other two saluted almost instantly and replied. "The Fleet Admiral's wishes are our command."
"We should be able to attract their attention, Sir." The driver said confidently to the middle-aged man. With the confidence that his subordinates had, he understood that he needed to rival their enthusiasm.
"Okay, let's begin!"
...
In the entrance of the small park, several Inquisitors emerged from the darkness, gazing at the rolled over Humvee in the middle of the grassy landscape. They understood that it was the vehicle of their target, the Fleet Admiral of the United Navy, Abraham Shepherd.
But what astounded them was the two corpses near the Humvee. The bodies belonged to their comrades, who were alive just recently.
"Be careful, they must still be alive." One of the Inquisitors said and commanded his grimoire to cast a protective spell around himself. The others also followed, further reinforcing their defensive spells.
After their preparation, they walked closer to the Humvee and were about to cast another fireball towards it. However, before they could do so, they were met with the suppressive fire of the two men beside the military vehicle.
"Take this!"
*BBRrrrttt!*
"For the Fleet Admiral!"
*BRRrrtt!*
While the bullets of the assault rifles were far from effective in penetrating their defensive spells. It still brought them disturbance that interrupted the casting sequence of the fireball spell.
"Damn them! Kill these annoying mongrels!" The leading Inquisitor cried out while the other Inquisitors casted icicle spells and lightning bolts towards the military vehicle.
The Humvee shook while ice grazed its armor and electricity crackled throughout its body. The driver and machine gunner remained in the sides of the military vehicle, laying suppressive fire towards the annoyed Inquisitors.
But unfortunately for the two, their assault rifles soon lost its ammunition. The suppression was halted for a moment, however their took out their handguns and continued firing at the Inquisitors.
Though, the Inquisitors already understood that the two were losing their ammunition. It wouldn't take long until the Inquisitors would be right in front of them and they wouldn't be able to do anything about it.
"There are slowly dwindling their ammunition. Converse your spells and don't waste mana. We will execute them once they lose everything in their hands." The leading Inquisitor calmly ordered.
The others stopped casting their offensive spells and stood beside the leading Inquisitor. The handguns of the two soldiers soon finished up its ammunition, leaving them weaponless.
When the leading Inquisitor noticed the unnatural silence after a few seconds, he smirked and soon signaled his comrades to follow him.
They calmly walked towards the military vehicle where two men hid themselves as the leading Inquisitor remarked. "You should have surrendered the life of your heretical leader and be punished by the grace of the Sovereigns."
As he said so, he chuckled along the way and thought of several torturous spells he would cast towards the two soldiers that wasted his time.
But as he and his entourage got nearer to the Humvee, he noticed his heart beating rapidly for some reason. The hair on his skin rose as though detecting something.
It was his instincts screaming at him.
Unfortunately, the leading Inquisitor was already too late.
Inside the Humvee was Abraham pointing the barrel of his machine gun towards the group of Inquisitors. The spells they casted were bothersome. Luckily, none of them conjured a fireball. Otherwise, it would have been problematic for him.
'However, I'll probably survive.' Even if they did cast some fireball and shot it at the Humvee, he would still survive the ordeal. That was how he was. A human who's not so human anymore.
Anyhow, Abraham didn't hesitate and pulled the trigger of his machine gun. Crimson flashes littered over the barrel of his gun as hundreds of rumbling echoes followed.
*BBBRRRRRRrrrrrrtttt!*
The proud Inquisitors who stood amidst the cornered Humvee now found themselves at deaths door. Their defensive spells cracked and collapsed like a flimsy mirror. What followed was their bodies getting riddled with holes from the rain of lead.
Abraham shot everything towards the Inquisitors, causing the scene to last for a dozen seconds. Afterward, silence followed along with the corpses of the Inquisitors.
Though, the leading Inquisitor was crying in pain as he managed to survive Abraham's ambush. On the other hand, Abraham raised his eyebrows, wondering how the guy managed to survive.
It was then he noticed the leading Inquisitor laying behind the bodies of multiple Inquisitors. This meant that he used his comrades as shields to saved himself.
Abraham furrowed his eyes and got out of the metallic confines of the Humvee. He looked at the leading Inquisitor with disappointment clear in his gaze.
"P-Please h-help me! I will pay y-you anything..." The leading Inquisitor begged since he felt his life waning before his eyes. He didn't want to die, he still had many things to do to Europa and his Sovereign. He must not die.
Nevertheless, destiny was always far from the expected.
"Oh, my... I didn't expect the Inquisitor of the infamous Sovereign of War to be begging for mercy." A mocking voice echoed, attracting the attention of everyone in the grassy landscape.
Abraham and his men turned their gaze towards the direction of the voice and saw the red-haired Inquisitor. Abraham squinted his eyes and muttered. "Leonhart, you're late."
"Apologies for being late, Fleet Admiral Abraham Shepherd. I was merely observing your humble abode. I must say, it is fairly unique." Leonhart apologized while lightly bowing to Abraham.
"Though, these trashes seem to be dirtying it." The red-haired Inquisitor frowned and flicked his fingers. The corpses of the Inquisitors burned in crimson flames, immediately disintegrating into ashes.
After the bodies of the Inquisitors faded along the breeze of wind, Leonhart gazed at Abraham and announced.
"It will be your turn."