Beasts of the Tropics (12)
The awakened elephant's ferocious charge carved a straight line of devastation through the tropical jungle. Even if the path curved to avoid other awakened beasts, no mere human could stand against that power. The Sultana's men—whether beaters or laskar fighters—were all terrified, scrambling to get out of the way. A few brave souls fired back while retreating, glancing over their shoulders, but it was futile; their shots only sparked harmlessly off the war elephant's thick armor plating. Tracer rounds streaked wildly, deflected by the beast, which in that moment radiated a mythic presence.
"Menghindarkan diri! Cepat!"
Someone gestured frantically toward the rear, shouting urgently. The Sultana's defensive line crumbled into chaos in an instant. To the awakened ability users, the war elephant's presence felt like an invisible tsunami, sensed through their sixth sense. It was even more overwhelming for them than for ordinary folk who only had to endure the visual shock. That's why the elephant rider seemed a bit flustered by my crew's calm response.
What the hell? Why aren't these bastards scared?
But my subordinates, accustomed to the presence of grand magi, had no reason to flinch at an awakened elephant's mana field. Clang! Clank! Fire from the reserve unit, positioned in advance, concentrated on the rider. He was clad in heavy armor akin to a mount, needing no self-propelled movement, but his body beneath wasn't vehicular. The barrage—including hypersonic heavy rounds—was bound to hurt. Pain exploded across his body from impacts of various calibers. Especially the Nitro Express rounds left deep bruises wherever they struck. Blunt-nosed for stopping power rather than penetration, their punch was unmatched.
Curling up, the rider snatched his radio and barked irritably into it.
"Jahanam! Datanglah segera jangan ayal, banci!"
From the vibe, it seemed he was yelling for the cowards hanging back to advance. But I wasn't about to let that happen. I kept up relentless sniper fire to maintain broad suppression. I couldn't fully halt their push, but I could buy time for my team. Thump! Suyeon's shot shattered the main body of the rider's command radio. Oblivious, he kept screaming into the handset until, a beat later, he spotted the wreckage and hurled it away in rage. He then yanked an M79 40mm grenade launcher from a armored side compartment.
Thwung! The distinctive metallic launch sound rang out. But the grenade veered off course, exploding harmlessly without killing anyone—Suyeon's follow-up shot had thrown off his aim just before firing. Sniping from high in the trees effectively pinned the lower-positioned rider. After three failed reload attempts, he glared at his broken fingers and let out a frustrated roar.
That's why you don't lead with tanks.
The heavily armored elephant played a role similar to a main battle tank. And in urban areas or jungles full of obstacles, exposing a tank alone was suicide. Normally, you'd advance tanks under infantry cover or blast obstacles with heavy fire. These guys were just hanging on thanks to the elephant's sheer might. With short tusks fitted with long blades, the elephant could create a 2.5-meter fan-shaped kill zone just by shaking its head. Ordinary trees, no matter the girth, split with one swipe; humans fared worse, cleaved in two regardless of armor.
This beast executed such slashes multiple times per second— the physical prowess of an awakened elephant with a reinforcement coefficient over 10. Whoosh! Swoosh! Each swing sent gusts rippling branches, the air distortion visible to the naked eye.
Boom! True to its savage yet cunning nature, the elephant—sensing its rider's pain—veered toward weaker resistance, using obstacles for cover. Straight toward the Sultana's position. Its trunk snatched a laskar fighter, crushing him like fruit in a press. Blood sprayed across the facial armor, completing a grisly modern art piece. To me, this beast seemed to grasp the concept of morale. Elephants were smart enough to distinguish human languages by type; a bit of cunning was child's play.
Kyung-tae's voice crackled over the comms net.
「Shoot the eyes! The eyes! Doesn't have to penetrate!」
He wasn't targeting the rider, but the elephant's eyes. Protected by 10cm-thick aluminum glass, even an armor-piercing anti-materiel rifle might not punch through. But Kyung-tae wanted impact marks. White scars blocking vision would blind the elephant, stripping its rampage ability.
Despite my best area suppression, the Sultana's fire net collapsed, letting the enemy advance in earnest. I conjured a mist disguised as awakened beast work to serve as a smoke screen. Suyeon's role shifted to close protection for me—picking off foes emerging from the fog with rapid shots. What happened inside the dense mist was no one else's business; I disrupted the vision of enemies closing in by burning mana as fire. It also guided Suyeon to their positions via sensory linkage. This level of spellcasting didn't expose a grand magus's presence.
Thwip! Boom! The war elephant thrashed its head wildly in place. Kyung-tae's plan had hit: vision obscured by scars. The Sultana's men regrouped.
Kaboom! Explosions from dynamite carried by her beaters for herding. They couldn't pierce the heavy armor for direct hits, but they made the blinded elephant tense and backpedal. Industrial blasts tormented even enhanced eardrums, and shockwaves on the plating hit differently than bullets.
With the elephant's momentum broken, nearby enemies halted too. Self-preservation kicked in; they hesitated again. The rider's fall sealed it. Kwang! A short-fused dynamite detonated mid-air, blasting the rider off at point-blank. Grabbing the dangling reins—Kevlar rope—was his fatal mistake.
Crunch-crunch! Yanked sideways, the blind elephant spun like a dog chasing its tail. The rider couldn't hold seconds longer and let go.
"Unang!"
His scream cut short as the massive bulk flattened him. Crushed armor and mangled flesh between. Even an awakened body's toughness meant nothing under that armored weight in frenzy—especially post-death, with its mana circuit evaporated.
Crunch! As the defensive line recovered, the elephant used its trunk to rip off its facial armor. Frustrated blindness. When one eye finally glimpsed out imperfectly, 5 meters away stood Kyung-tae, leaping high.
"Die!"
His hurled bomb lance struck the temple. Simultaneously, red blood mist erupted from Kyung-tae's thigh.
"……!"
Damn it. A chill ran down my spine. The shaped charge detonated, spike of blast pressure piercing the skull like a skewer. Bone shards shredded the soft brain. Yet the elephant's vast brain volume kept it from instant death.
「Casualty! Security Chief hit!」
I snapped at the delayed report.
"Get him here! Now!"
His wound was severe. Laymen dismiss thigh shots, but a femoral artery sever means death without swift action. Plus, femur damage worsened peripheral bleeding. Counterfire whizzed over the dying elephant; the sniper who hit Kyung-tae crumpled, spurting blood. Suyeon caught Kyung-tae tossed from below, dragged him to me like luggage, and unpacked her trauma kit from her belt.
"Ow! Sis, easy—"
"Shut it. You should've sent subordinates for that stunt."
"But leading by example, right?"
"Forgot? You're a high-priority asset to hyungnim."
"Fair point. I am kinda important to him."
Unlike his chatty mouth, Kyung-tae's face was ashen. His awakened heart, pumped by battle adrenaline, had gushed blood post-hit. He suppressed reinforcement, but too much was already lost. Awakened or not, blood volume isn't superhuman—just regenerates faster. Retrieving shrunken vessels required forceps deep in the wound, practically elbow-deep.
With ample circuit output, I'd neutralize his mana field, telekinetically pull vessels, and splice with Life Incantation. But now, I couldn't expand my mana field beyond the beasts'. At least the bullet passed clean—small mercy.
"Morphine."
The Sultana's armory stocked old U.S. medic kits our org handled plenty. Suyeon uncapped at my order; Kyung-tae waved it off.
"I'll tough it out. Punishment fitting."
"……Fine."
Narcotics best avoided. Suyeon stuffed her handkerchief in his mouth instead. He gave a thumbs-up. I washed hands with gathered water, sterilized tools with mana fire, shook my head inwardly, and ordered her.
"You take command now."
"Yes, sir."
Mmmph! Muffled scream from his gagged mouth as I plunged forceps without mercy. Good thing for Golden Age's Eye; I pinpointed the severed vessel ends quickly. A normal doc would've flushed blood with saline, fumbling by feel. Minimal mana use, five breaths to splice.
Then bone, muscle, nerves, blood volume restoration. Goal: downgrade critical to minor before battle's end, no sequelae. Limited mana, and Sultana's folk witnessed—full heal impossible.
Huuuuh……
Nearly a minute of agony passed; he exhaled weakly. Spit out the handkerchief weakly, bowed his head lying down.
"Thanks, hyungnim."
"Just be careful next time."
"Yes, sir."
Gunfire faded into distance—defense turned pursuit. Optimizing Life code on the fly within mana limits, I focused on his treatment. Close call; nearly a huge loss.