Steampunk Era: Mad Abield
Chapter 403: Section 268: Facing Directly (Part 6)_2

Chapter 403: Section 268: Facing Directly (Part 6)_2

"We’re going over there!" Maiseer said, after attaching his bayonet, he moved through the trench, and he and Hark charged onto the platform, which had already turned into a hellish landscape.

Maiseer saw the headless corpse of the platoon deputy, saw the platoon leader spitting out blood while hitting a Chaos beneath him with the butt of his gun, saw a young soldier who had just smiled at him push away a swollen Chaos with his own life; he pushed the Chaos into a corner, and then the explosion of the bloated corpse shattered them both.

Maiseer raised his gun, first shooting the Chaos that leaped onto the platform, then hit another in the face with the butt of his gun as it charged toward him. As the Chaos’s head recoiled from the impact, Maiseer turned to the side, raised his gun again, and shot, blowing off the back of the head of a Chaos that had just risen from a fallen soldier.

Just as that Chaos found its balance, Maiseer’s bayonet had already stabbed into its mouth.

The Chaos grabbed onto the barrel of Maiseer’s gun with both hands.

Maiseer, expressionless, raised his leg, and his combat boot, complete with boot nails, kicked the Chaos in the face.

Pulling out the bayonet, Maiseer noticed that Hark was reloading. He turned his gun around and brought down the Chaos that was about to ambush Hark from the flank.

Comrades are your reliance on the battlefield; protecting them is protecting yourself.

This was the lesson from his Excellency Mendel, and Maiseer kept it in mind.

After Hark finished reloading, Maiseer pulled the bayonet out of the chest of a Chaos that had rushed over, wanting to engage him in close combat. The Church of the War God had taught him not only Spell Formation but also how to use a bayonet to defend himself.

Times had changed.

Taking out a clip of ammunition, Maiseer reloaded his gun, then heard Hark’s scream. He turned his head and saw a tall Chaos knock down his peer; the war hammer in its hand still stained with the blood and flesh from Hark’s severed leg.

As it raised the war hammer, wanting to finish Hark, Maiseer, unable to turn his gun in time, pointed at the Chaos, and a flame ray hit the Chaos, igniting it. As its hammer swung down, the burning Chaos lost sight; Hark dodged by tilting his head, narrowly escaping death. He picked up a revolver from the ground, pulled the trigger at the Chaos, and the bullet entered its eye socket, turning the back of its head into a blooming flower.

"It’s a Mage! Kill it!" the Chaos shrieked.

In an instant, all the Chaos on the platform acted on this command.

Maiseer used his firearm to bring down a Chaos, then pulled back the bolt.

Some Chaoses were intercepted by soldiers. Maiseer saw the platoon leader, propped against the wall, draw his revolver and take down two Chaoses.

Maiseer fired a second shot, killing the Chaos that pounced towards him, which fell at his feet, nearly knocking him over.

Pulling back the bolt, Maiseer saw the platoon leader overturn a Chaos only to be stabbed from behind with a bayonet.

The murderer was killed the next moment by a company commander. He pumped his gun, aiming at Maiseer who, acting on instinct, ducked just in time to see a Chaos head obliterated by buckshot.

Maiseer, lying on the ground, aimed his gun at the company commander, helping him out of a critical situation with a bullet that split open the Chaos grappling with him.

Then Maiseer raised his firearm, using it to block a long-handled ax aimed at him; the blade stopped just a centimeter from his face.

Next, he heard someone pump a shotgun, and moments later, the head of the Chaos became a pile of fragments that could never be pieced back together.

Maiseer got up and saw the company commander taken down by several bayonets from behind. As he fell, Maiseer saw him pull the pin of a grenade on his chest.

The next second, a massive explosion flipped Maiseer over.

The concussion from hitting his head against the trench wall and the pain in his neck made Maiseer feel sick. He struggled to his feet and, while lying on the ground, saw new Chaoses leap onto the platform.

A gunshot rang out beside his ear. Maiseer turned his head and saw Hark sitting nearby, leaning against the trench wall. Hark had fired all his rounds from the revolver, and as the sound of the hammer striking echoed, Hark was hit by successive bullets.

Maiseer drew the revolver from his waist and fired at the Chaoses; three were brought down, but more leaped toward him. You want to take me alive that badly?

Maiseer struggled to his feet, and just when he had decided to ignite his Spiritual Energy to perish together with these Chaos, an axe leaped onto the platform. It danced as it moved, toppling the Chaos in just a few seconds.

"So suddenly deciding to perish together is your Church of the War God’s usual program, huh?"

Then Maiseer heard the sound he hated most, turning angrily: "Why didn’t you come earlier..." Then he saw the head of the Prince in the hands of this tutor from the Church of the Goddess of Harvest.

Watching him toss the head aside: "I actually wanted to warn you not to come this way, but your platoon leader charged right into it, engaging in hand-to-hand combat with the Chaos, making it impossible for me to provide support fire from a distance." Malin jumped down, walked over to Hark, crouched beside him, and took a glance: "He’s dead."

At this moment, Maiseer collapsed onto the ground as if his strength had left him: "This...this isn’t how I pictured it."

"Yeah, war was never as glorious as you imagined. Every moment on the battlefield, people are dying. This is a madhouse, a grind, the most terrible hell imaginable for mankind." As Malin spoke, he took a blood-stained letter from Hark’s jacket pocket.

Maiseer blankly watched Malin put the letter into his own jacket pocket.

"Could, could you give me the letter?" Maiseer crawled over to Hark, looking at this peer riddled with bullet holes; he lifted his head to look up at Malin, who had stood up.

"Can you write a letter?" Malin asked.

"I can read and write, I... please let me do the transcription, they were my comrades." Maiseer said as he leaned against Hark.

"Then let me ask you, do you now understand what a real battlefield is?" Malin asked.

Maiseer nodded: "I...I really was very foolish before. Compared to that, the competition field really is just make-believe, and all the wins and losses are trivial. I was wrong, Mr. Malin." As he said this, Maiseer clutched his head with both hands: "I am truly a foolish guy. The so-called glory I pursued in the competitions, here, it’s nothing more than dung."

......

Malin looked at the boy in front of him, lie detection confirming he was not lying; his words and actions were genuine.

Finally, bent over, Malin retrieved a letter from the pocket of his coat and handed it to the boy: "Remember what you said today, Maiseer. I showed you a real battlefield so you could become a true brave man, not a coward who would never dare to stand up again! Now! Stand up!"

After tossing the letter into his hands, Malin stepped back, then he watched the boy struggle to his feet.

"Where are we going?" the boy asked.

"Back, this place is ultimately not your battlefield," Malin said.

Then he watched as the boy shook his head with effort.

"No." he said, looking at Malin: "Let us, finish this battle, shall we?"

Malin was silent for a moment, looking at his determined expression, looking at his still trembling legs, looking at his upright figure; Malin finally nodded: "No problem, you may stay here."

This was a brat who had found his way back from being lost. Although he used to be quite annoying, at that moment, Malin saw a transformation from a whelp to a man.

At that thought, Malin caught the Revolver and Rifle that Fio passed to him, belonging to the boy, and threw them into his arms.

At that time, the follow-up troops of the 17th Division leaped onto the platform, looking at this bloodied platform; the soldiers seemed unsurprised.

"See that?" Malin glanced at Maiseer, the boy silently nodded: "I saw it."

Yes, you’ve seen it, you’ve seen warriors traverse through hell.

Malin patted the boy’s head: "Follow them, don’t get yourself foolishly killed."