Bermuda

At that moment, a sound of something rustling and dragging on the dirt floor came from the far corner. Most people seemed not to have heard it due to the fierce wind, but it was clearly audible to the two who had their senses on edge. It was also then that they remembered the Dermocas that had been sprawled out carelessly.

Leonardo and the 8th Platoon Leader turned their heads with tense faces. As soon as they shifted their gaze, they saw the creature that had been unconscious wriggling its body and crawling on the floor.

The tranquilizer that had put it to sleep was so powerful that it could knock it out for almost half a day, but it seemed that the strong wind carrying the mother body's ultrasonic waves had shaken its consciousness awake earlier than expected.

Now that the subjugation force had not yet identified the exact location of the mother body, if the Dermocas regained consciousness and called its companions, there was a risk of all operations ending in failure. Moreover, it was the largest and most ferocious among the three captured, so it would be quite troublesome if it went on a rampage in a place like this.

Before Leonardo could finish his thought, the 8th Platoon Leader immediately stretched out her arm toward the staggering Dermocas. The five thorns created from her hand grew longer and sharper, as if they were about to be fired, drawing in and compressing the surrounding air.

Seeing her, Leonardo widened his eyes and immediately grabbed her arm, pulling it down.

Kwang-!

Kaaaak-

In the blink of an eye, her attack grazed the feet of the Dermocas. Then, the creature that had been biting through the sealing stone with its teeth flinched back and roared fiercely.

That sharp cry served to alert the other members at the scene to the emergency situation, but the 8th Platoon Leader glared at Leonardo, who had made her attack miss.

"What are you doing?"

"It's also one of the elements of the operation, so you should knock it out, not try to kill it—"

Leonardo couldn't finish his words. It was because the creature began to swell its body and tremble.

As the lump on its back twitched as if trying to contract, Leonardo didn't hesitate and grabbed the long sword at the 8th Platoon Leader's waist. He thought of knocking it unconscious by striking the back of its head with the flat of the blade, as using magic might accidentally kill it.

As if the sharp sound of the sword being drawn was a signal, the Dermocas, instinctively sensing the threat, stood on all fours, twisting its muscles as if waking up its body.

The creature, gripping the rock with its claws, suddenly climbed up the wall and rolled its feet to jump into the area where the members were concentrated. It seemed to know that if the target was entangled among allies, it would be difficult to swing the sword easily.

"Everyone, get out of the way!"

At someone's urgent cry, the interior became chaotic. Hugo, who had been listening to the briefing from a distance, also turned his head at the shout that pierced through the wind and the fierce roar. The complexion of the commander who had turned to look with a puzzled expression rapidly turned pale.

"Why is that..."

In their sight, they saw the Dermocas rampaging in all directions and Leonardo following behind it. The members scattered to the sides to avoid the creature and quickly drew their swords, but among them, there were some who froze in place, perhaps due to the sudden situation.

Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Hugo immediately took about three steps forward and stretched out his arm toward the front. His palm was aimed at the Dermocas. He intended to kill the creature.

The Council's tranquilizer was very powerful, but once a creature had been put to sleep with it, it developed a temporary resistance to the anesthetic, making it difficult to sedate it again immediately even if the drug was re-administered. Therefore, the only way to stop the creature from inflating its hide and calling its companions was to kill it instantly.

At the tip of his outstretched hand, a fierce chill surged in an instant, and powerful energy gathered to form a transparent sphere. The condensed mana, which seemed calm yet sharp, was about to be fired at the creature.

At that moment, Hugo's vision blurred.

'This...'

As a sudden dizziness swept over him, Hugo flinched and hurriedly lowered his arm.

"Commander?"

The commander next to him, seeing him lowering his head and pressing his eyes and temples, was startled and grabbed his shoulders and arms as if to support him.

Hugo immediately waved his hand as if he was fine, but his complexion didn't look very good as he closed his eyes tightly and opened them again.

In fact, for a while now, he had occasionally felt that objects appeared blurry, and even he himself felt that his condition was unstable. However, it was an obvious fact that if the overall commander left the scene for any reason during the execution of the operation, it would increase confusion for those remaining.

Because of that, Hugo, who couldn't reveal that he had dizziness, quickly raised his head and composed his expression before the commander could ask if he was alright.

In the meantime, the Dermocas, which had changed direction, was charging toward a member who was standing still. Since the element to be used for the operation was rampaging, the others also hesitated, unable to attack recklessly.

Hugo, who had blinked his eyes to focus, immediately caught his breath and watched the creature's movements.

The chilling eyes aimed for a single opening.

Meanwhile, Leonardo, who had narrowed the distance with the Dermocas, gritted his teeth in annoyance as he saw the member standing stupidly not far away.

'What is he doing there?'

"Hey! Why aren't you avoiding it?"

Some of the members who had scattered around urgently shouted at their comrade who had not managed to avoid it. Some even turned direction and rushed in to save their comrade.

However, since the distance between the Dermocas and the member was less than 10 meters, Leonardo had no choice but to tighten his grip on the sword in his hand, intending to kill the creature. Then, putting strength into his legs, he kicked the ground and charged to gain speed.

Just before the tip of the sword he was holding pierced into the wrinkled lump of the creature, the member who had been standing still changed his posture slightly as if taking a running start.

Leonardo, who had caught that momentary movement, flinched in midair.

Kugugung-!

Suddenly, the ground shook violently, and a chill that offset and even overwhelmed the hot air gushed out from underground.

The ground between the member and the Dermocas cracked, and a thick ice pillar that seemed to be about three spans thick soared upward as if to protect the member.

Leonardo, who had reflexively twisted his body urgently, managed to stop, but the Dermocas, which had been charging with its mouth wide open, couldn't avoid it and collided head-on with the pillar.

In the next moment, the member's foot that crossed the air kicked the creature and the pillar.

Kwang-!

The massive body of the Dermocas instantly flew and crashed into the wall, echoing throughout the cave interior.

Along with the impact sound, dust rose and fluttered chaotically, ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ mixing with the wind. The creature made a sound that didn't suit it and went limp as soon as it fell to the floor. It seemed to have fainted from the intense physical impact.

"...?"

Leonardo, who had witnessed the scene right in front of him, staggered for a moment and landed on the ground, frozen with his sword raised high. Even with his quick dynamic vision, it was difficult for him to immediately accept the situation that had suddenly unfolded.

'What was that just now?'

He slowly lowered his arm and alternately looked at the Dermocas that had collapsed far away and the ice fragments under his feet with wide eyes. Eventually, he raised his head and stared straight ahead, and the face of the dumbfounded member was reflected on the ice pillar that had been precisely cut in half.

Leonardo and that member silently looked into each other's eyes for about 3 seconds.

The one who broke the silence first was the member's comrade who had rushed over belatedly.

"Hey! Are you crazy?"

The comrade, who had approached in a state of confusion, looked up and down at the member's condition. Then, judging that he was fine on the outside, he immediately grabbed his shoulders and shook him repeatedly, shouting,

"You should have avoided it. What if you had been eaten? Why did you kick it with your foot?"

At the nagging mixed with worry, the member who had been standing blankly stared at his comrade's face. Then, as if he had suddenly come to his senses, he abruptly looked down at his own leg.

After blinking for a moment, the member's face gradually contorted. Soon, a groan escaped from him as he crouched down.

"Ah, aaah!"

The member plopped down on the floor, grabbed his leg, and began to tremble. His face quickly turned red, and he was sweating, looking quite pained.

The other comrades, who had hesitated due to the soaring ice, immediately rushed near him upon hearing his painful groans. On the other hand, Leonardo stepped back two steps to avoid the crowd while looking down at the member who had collapsed on the floor.

In the meantime, the thought that something was strange kept lingering in his mind.

"Why, why is it like this? Does it hurt here?"

"Ah! It hurts, it hurts!"

The comrade who had run over first fumbled the member's leg with a flustered face. Then, perhaps he had pressed on the injured area, the voice of the member in pain grew louder.

Unable to bear it, another comrade nearby pulled up the combat uniform pants to check the condition of his leg. Then, murmurs of half surprise and half worry poured out from those around.

Below the cuff of the pants, his ankle and shin, which had turned blue and even red, were revealed. It even looked quite serious, slightly swollen.

Those who were capable of recovery quickly approached to examine his leg, but those skilled in treatment had been excluded from the current deployment, so everyone was very perplexed.

At that moment, when they were at a loss and couldn't do anything, a low voice was heard cutting across the chaotic crowd.

"Step back."