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“According to the information provided by the Inquisition, the group that stole the Saint’s blood has been identified as a cult organization called ‘Al Kair.'”

A blueish light painted the screen, while dark navy hues seeped through the cracks of the split walls.

Wavy, crooked letters danced on a white background. The moment I pressed the button, images emerged beneath the symbols of the religious organization.

I pointed at a building in the pictures.

“The group associated with Al Kair is currently believed to be residing on Ash Tree Alley in the Necropolis. As you can see, this is the residence consisting of two three-story buildings.”

“…….”

“For convenience, we’ve labeled the two buildings as A and B. There are eight individuals living there. Surveillance has confirmed the presence of individuals matching the descriptions of the suspects who infiltrated the Refugee Camp.”

Photos captured by the camp’s surveillance equipment and reconnaissance images taken by Kair appeared simultaneously. Local men with bronze skin. The soldiers of the Order of the Holy Knights stared intently at the photographs.

After displaying images and blueprints of buildings A and B, I scanned the room with a serious expression. I then explained to the Order of the Holy Knights and the Operations Team.

“The operation is set for midnight tonight. As the pre-festival for the event known as ‘Walpurgis Night’ will take place starting this evening, it is estimated that many residents will leave for the street where the festival is held. However, not all residents will participate in the festivities.”

“Therefore, it is crucial to remain cautious not only while approaching the target location but also while conducting operations within the building. The longer we delay, the greater the risks involved.”

“While you subdue the cultists and search the buildings, our team members will be stationed on the outskirts to support you.”

I added a few pieces of information that the Order of the Holy Knights needed to know.

The fact that illegal firearms have flooded the Necropolis due to the civil war, that the cultists only use the front door while locking the back door, and the existence of a basement we learned about by interrogating the architect involved in the building’s design.

“I haven’t determined the basement’s purpose, but I judge there is a high possibility that blood packs are stored there. The materials I’m about to distribute include personal information on the group that infiltrated the Refugee Camp. Memorize their faces, and if you encounter anyone matching those descriptions on-site, eliminate them immediately.”

“I will now explain the operation. The operation area is divided into buildings A and B. I will handle Building A, while Ismail will take care of Building B. Once we subdue the cultists inside, we will proceed with SSE to secure information and holy blood….”

As the commander Ibrahim took over to explain the plan, one member from the Order of the Holy Knights quietly raised his hand.

“Are there civilians inside the building, aside from the cultists?”

I shrugged my shoulders while leaning against the wall.

“I noticed people coming and going while observing the neighbors, but I couldn’t confirm whether they were members of ‘Al Kair’ or relatives of the cultists.”

“Then what are the rules of engagement?”

Ibrahim’s gaze subtly shifted toward me.

Matt, who was changing into military uniform in the corner, looked at me too.

“…….”

Rules of engagement, huh.

Well, do we even need to follow those?

I pulled out a cigarette and spat it out dismissively.

“You can do whatever you want. Feel free to shoot anything that moves.”

In any case, if the situation turns sour, we’ll have no choice but to shoot everything in this environment.

Even if you don’t want to shoot.

—

Episode 17 – The Tree That Drinks Blood

—

Thud! The sensation of dust mixed with stone powder hitting my military uniform was vivid. The particles scattered, as if water had been splashed all over me.

Even before the shock of the explosion faded, the soldiers moved. When a soldier kicked the front door open, the pointman stabilized his weapon.

“We’re entering.”

The team member in position one crossed the threshold. Just as the clanking of the gear faded to the right, another team member waiting behind the stone wall on the opposite side slipped inside to the left.

Following that, two more team members of the Order of the Holy Knights passed through the main entrance. The team members flowed into the yard like water, keeping an eye out for their surroundings, and shortly after, they sent a radio message.

-‘Yard secured.’

Ibrahim lightly tapped the shoulder of the lead team member. Receiving the signal, that team member pressed against his weapon and quickly crossed the front door.

Twelve team members had entered the yard in the blink of an eye. With each member passing through the door, they widened their spacing, gradually occupying the yard.

I entered the yard last, alongside the rear security.

Once Ibrahim confirmed that all members had arrived, he issued a command over the radio.

“Moving to the building. Gregory-6 will take A Building, and Gregory-7 will take B Building.”

The Order of the Holy Knights’ Unit 92541. The deputy commander of the Uthrant Order began to move with five members. This was the team tasked with Building B.

As four members guarded the yard and building, one team member responsible for clearing the passage approached Building A.

“…….”

Swiftly assessing the door material, the team member reported through the radio.

“A Building entrance. Wood. We will use explosives.”

“I’ll cover you.”

Two members, keeping watch, approached Building A. As the laser visible only through night vision targeted a first-floor window, a crouching member fetched the explosives secured with a rubber band on his gear.

Snap…. The transparent paper covering the adhesive came off, and the cleaving explosive device adhered tightly to the door handle.

The member, ensuring the explosive wouldn’t fall off, carefully retreated while holding the detonator.

“…….”

I gazed at the firmly closed front door of Building A, considering.

After all, the explosion earlier was loud enough to break open the front door. There’s no way they didn’t hear that commotion.

So then.

“I’ll detonate it. Three, two,”

We need to finish this as quickly as possible.

“One.”

Click, the sound of the detonator pressed resonated for a moment before an explosion erupted from the locking mechanism, and the front door began to shake.

At that moment, a scream echoed from inside the entrance.

As the members of the Order of the Holy Knights, armed and ready, burst in, they discovered a man crawling on the floor. Securing the corner, one member seized the man with a rough hand and slammed him against the wall.

I carefully stepped over the debris left from the explosion to approach the man. The member quickly removed his night vision goggles and shone a light on the local man’s face.

Opening the map sack wrapped around his wrist, I confirmed the man’s identity.

The face matched perfectly with the one in the photo.

Surveying the upper body of the man, I aimed my rifle at his abdomen.

– ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ !!

Ibrahim, emerging from the entrance, witnessed the scene.

“…….”

He locked eyes with me for a brief moment.

“I’ve terminated one cultist. I repeat, I have taken down a believer of ‘Al Kair.'”

He communicated the situation over the radio.

The four team members finished their search on the first floor and gathered in the hallway. Ibrahim stood with his subordinate next to the staircase, while I quietly approached him.

A hand cautiously rested on Ibrahim’s shoulder.

Receiving the signal, he whispered softly.

“We’re heading to the second floor.”

Eight rooms exist on the second floor.

“Entering.”

The PT, who had been waiting at the last step, whispered.

He immediately ascended to the second floor, and the team member waiting right behind him headed down the corridor on the opposite side. Thus, a group of five members from the Order of the Holy Knights and one information officer took their positions on the second floor of Building A.

The moment Ibrahim gave the order, the team members began to sweep the room. One person guarded the hallway while two members opened the door and entered the room, confirming that it was empty before exiting into the hallway to advance to the next door.

Just then, the team members who had secured the third room in the left corridor found something. The door across the hallway was slightly ajar.

The team member who sent the signal cautiously pressed against the wall and touched the doorknob. The door, pushed by the slightest force, gave no resistance at all. Confirming this fact, the team member kicked the door open hard and entered with the light on.

– ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ !! ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ !!

The sound of gunfire shook the bedroom.

The team member pulled the trigger, and the target fell behind the chair. The team members who had been moving slowly in the room quickly rushed into the hallway. The team members who stormed into the bedroom checked the corners, and one who secured safety after following his colleague fired a couple of shots into the chest of the cultist he had just taken down.

“What happened?”

Ibrahim, searching the third room in the right corridor, spoke up. Confirming that the cultist was not moving, the team member pressed the radio and answered.

-‘One cultist neutralized in the left room.’

“Identify later.”

-‘Understood.’

After finishing the search, Ibrahim stepped into the hallway. The team member watching the tightly closed door sent a signal indicating that ‘the door is locked.’

After a moment of contemplation, he immediately issued new orders. The team member moved the firearm aside, pulled out the shotgun, and pressed it against the lock.

– Bang-! Bang-!

With a crisp explosion, the broken door splintered. The team member who smashed the lock turned back and kicked the door, while Colonel Frederick, waiting with his gun raised, entered the room.

In Ibrahim’s view, following the information officer through the entrance, a man came into sight. He appeared to have just woken up, dressed in pajamas, startled to see the intruders in his bedroom, reaching for the wall.

At that moment, the clear outline of a firearm hanging on the wall was distinctly visible beyond the night vision goggles.

Ibrahim pulled the trigger at the man reaching for the gun. Frederick also fired at the bed. The bullets crossed in midair, hitting different targets.

Confirming the man collapsing, Ibrahim turned his head toward the bed.

Typical wooden furniture found in the Mauritania Continent; a woman, presumably the man’s spouse, was rolling off the bed.

Frederick spoke up.

“Two cultists down in the fourth room on the right corridor. Weapons confirmed. Everyone, stay alert.”

The information officer, having released the radio, started striding toward the direction of the bed.

Crossing over the body of his wife, Frederick detached the rifle hanging on the wall. He removed the magazine, pulled the trigger to clear any remaining ammunition, and then threw the rifle and ammo out the window.

The information officer, having lowered the window, glared at the commander of the Holy Knights.

“Three down, and now five remain.”

“…Let’s go.”

Frederick grabbed his rifle and exited the room.

*

The world as seen through the night vision goggles was an exhausting, murky green.

Multiple beams of laser scanned the windows and balconies; soldiers occasionally passed by the windows, and every time a door opened, the sight of muzzles flaring was sharply visible.

Building A had been secured up to the second floor, and Building B was now halfway through searching the second floor. It wasn’t particularly strange considering the much larger structure of Building B compared to A.

However, a problem arose.

– Ratatatatatat!! Ratatatatat!!

Just as they secured the room and stepped into the hallway, chilling gunfire swept past. The team member who was about to exit instinctively shrank back and quickly retreated, while a colleague behind him forcefully pulled him back.

The bullets were coming from the very far end of the second-floor corridor. At the end of the long hallway was the point leading up to the third floor.

– Bang!! Bang! Ratatatatat!! Bang! Bang!

The loud gunfire continued. Recognizing that a shootout had erupted, a team member grabbed a mirror that was scattered on the vanity and peeked down the hallway.

The glaring muzzle flames reflected vividly in the glass. Assessing the situation of the corridor by tilting the mirror this way and that, the member of the Order of the Holy Knights called for help on the radio.

“Cultists at the end of the second-floor corridor of Building B. They’re holding the stairs that lead up to the third floor; can we get a shot?”

Just as the button was released, static crackled. A thin, cat-like voice came from the radio.

-‘What’s the direction?’

“North.”

-‘Can’t see the window, huh?’

“Hold on a second.”

The team member lowered the radio and started to visualize the structure of the corridor in his mind.

The corridor was a long straight line. If they knocked out the windows, they could see everything from outside, just like on a highway.

“Cover me!”

As a colleague pressed against the door frame, exposing his upper body to provide suppressive fire, the member scanning the corridor found a window.

The moment he dashed out into the bullet-ridden corridor, the team member raised his rifle and smashed the glass. With vigorous thrusts, he shattered the window, wildly swinging his gun until it completely shattered the remaining pieces.

Amidst the flying shards, the team member who broke the window hastily leaped into the room and shouted.

“Now!”

And then, the green world visible through the night vision goggles.

The green lights from the night vision equipment poured in, revealing:

The long barrel and scope resting on the waterproof gun bag and ballistic helmet, the clear image of the second-floor corridor captured in the lens.

“…Meow.”

Kair, lying prone on the rooftop of the building, pulled the trigger.

A thud broke the silence with a heavy impact, followed by a sharp noise that pierced the bright ears.

Something small zipped across the falling glass before a muffled bang rang out, abruptly cutting off the gunfire.

The Beastman confirmed the shape of a human slumping over through the crosshairs. Only then did Kair remove his finger from the trigger and whispered into the radio.

“Target neutralized.”

The team members of the Order of the Holy Knights heard the radio and stepped out into the corridor of Building B. The team member who had broken the window followed suit.

Confirming the cultist lying sprawled at the end of the corridor, he turned and waved his hand toward the window.

*

A team member stood on the staircase that boasted about four steps or so.

The member who stepped up the stairs was on alert, keeping an eye on the upper area. This was the landing leading to the third floor.

At the junction of the stairs and corridor lay a person sprawled out, and a thick stream of blood flowed down the steps in the direction of the incline. The bright red blood pouring from the corpse gradually expanded its territory, spreading outward.

“……”

Turning around, the long line of team members came into view. Four members, including Ibrahim, stood ready with their weapons.

Their eyes met PT, who had stepped back in the middle. Having felt pressure and fatigue while searching the first and second floors under the command of the commander, he switched positions with a colleague.

At that moment, a voice from another team crackled over the shared channel. News came in that Building B had been secured up to the second floor.

The Order of the Holy Knights’ radio was blocked by the headset, leaving them unaware of the scene below. Frederick heard Matt’s voice just as blood was dripping down the stairs.

-‘…16 minutes passed. The area is quiet, but it may be best to hurry.’

Frederick looked back ahead. He lowered the barrel that was aimed at the ceiling.

Both Buildings A and B had secured the second floor.

Now, what remained was the final third floor.

Frederick carefully placed his hand on PT’s shoulder. It was a signal that everyone was ready.

“…Entering.”

With a creaking sound, the point man advanced forward.

The long line of team members started to ascend the stairs, one by one.

 

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