Chapter 10: Weekend Border Duty(2).
“Emergency situation. One beast detected. Approximately 150 meters ahead of Lato Station. Requesting backup.”
Before Lager could finish, the massive praying mantis lunged at his head.
THUD!
Lager dove to the ground, rolling away. Springing up, he summoned a halberd and aimed its tip at the creature.
“Ale, hide somewhere it can’t see you!”
Lager shouted, eyes locked on the beast. Provoked, the mantis crouched its long legs, preparing to leap.
Chirrrr!!
With a THUD, it launched at him.
“Urk!”
It was lightning-fast. A split second slower, and it would’ve crushed him.
The mantis twisted, charging again. Lager raised his halberd horizontally, blocking its snapping jaws.
Its massive mandibles gnashed, aiming for his head as it barreled forward.
Pushed back by the creature’s ravenous strength, its red eyes gleaming with hunger, Lager slid backward.
“Ugh, grrr…!”
His arms trembled, gripping the halberd. The mantis’s face inched closer.
Just as its head neared his—
TAANG!
A shot tore through the air.
CRUNCH.
“Kieeeek!!”
One of the mantis’s middle legs blew off.
It whipped its head toward the sound, rolling its red eyes.
“Tch!”
Ale, who’d been prone, focusing on her aim, clicked her tongue and scrambled up.
She’d aimed for the body, hoping to hit a vital spot without risking Lager, but missed. The head was too close to him, and a leg wasn’t critical enough.
The mantis crouched to leap again. As Lager lunged to stab it—
Chirrrrr!
“Yujin!!”
Lager’s scream echoed.
The mantis shot toward Ale.
“Argh?!”
She dove aside, barely dodging, and sprinted. Lager raced to reach her before the creature could leap again.
“Ale! Duck!”
But then—
A shadow loomed over her.
“Gasp…!”
Turning, she saw the mantis mid-air, right behind her.
“Khh!”
CRASH.
It pinned her down. Ale struggled, pushing against its head, but—
“Ugh, grrr…!”
She wasn’t strong enough.
No matter how she thrashed, she couldn’t stop its jaws from closing in.
The next moment—
The mantis opened its mouth, aiming for her platinum blonde hair.
CRUNCH.
“…Huh?”
Ale, eyes squeezed shut, felt liquid dripping on her forehead and slowly opened them.
The mantis’s jaws were open—
Or rather, Lager’s halberd was lodged in its gaping maw, making it writhe in pain.
“Kieee, kieee!!”
Enraged, it charged Lager. He rushed forward, grabbing the halberd and yanking to free it.
“Urgh, come on!”
But it was stuck too deep in the creature’s jaws.
SLASH.
Blood sprayed from Lager’s arm.
“Argh?!”
The thrashing mantis had grazed him with the spines on its forelegs. Realizing he couldn’t free the halberd, Lager swung his fist, smashing its head.
THWACK!
“Kieek!!”
A brawl ensued.
Lager climbed atop it, pummeling its head. The mantis twisted, slashing with its forelegs.
When it knocked him down and swung its legs, Lager took scratches but kept throwing punches.
Neither could land a fatal blow, dragging out a brutal, messy fight.
Then—
“Ale! Shoot!”
“Huh…?”
“I’ll hold it! Shoot!”
Lager shouted urgently, but shooting wasn’t as easy as it sounded. If this were normal Ale, she’d snap at him for thinking it’s simple when he’s never even been to the military.
But there was no time to complain. She dropped to the ground, shouldered the rifle, and peered through the scope.
“Hurry!!”
The mantis drove its foreleg into Lager’s shoulder. CRUNCH. Blood spurted.
It gnashed its jaws, still impaled by the halberd, trying to tear into him.
If the halberd came loose, Lager’s head would be bitten off.
One shot.
She had to aim for a spot likely to end it in one hit.
To take down a monster that could move even without its head, she needed to cripple its mobility first. The easiest, most effective target was—
“…The body.”
Aiming at its writhing abdomen, Ale held her breath.
Slowly, as if pulling the rifle toward her, she moved her finger.
One shot.
Determined not to miss again.
Resolved to save Lager.
Carefully, she slid her finger on the trigger.
TAANG!!
The shot exploded through the mantis’s abdomen. It screamed in agony, collapsing and writhing.
“Kieeeeek!!”
Lager, drenched in its fluids, stood with a grimace, brushing off his pants.
“Ugh.”
Seeing his annoyed glance, Ale smirked, relieved he was okay.
“Hey, you’re bleeding a lot. Step aside, big bro’s got this.”
“Big sis, you mean? Or noona?”
“Shut up.”
The mantis twitched, its red eyes glaring, but its ruptured abdomen dragged on the ground, preventing it from leaping.
Ale raised the rifle again. As long as it didn’t move erratically, it was an easy target.
She held her breath once more.
And then—
TAANG.
The shot pierced its abdomen again.
Fluids leaking, it glared at her. In a final act of defiance, it crouched to leap—
Hop.
It managed only a feeble jump.
It thrashed in frustration before collapsing, motionless.
Lager approached, nudging it with his foot. Confirming it was dead, he placed a foot on its body and yanked the halberd free.
Finally able to unsummon it, he turned to Ale with a mocking tone.
“You had that awesome weapon and just watched? I almost bled out because of you.”
“Ungrateful jerk. Helped you out, and you complain? Should I have let you die?”
Ale shot back with a deadpan look.
Shrugging as if to say, Got nothing to say?, she got Lager to relent.
“Fine. Thanks. You saved me.”
Satisfied, Ale smirked.
“Good you know, punk.”
Her brash tone, despite her platinum blonde, pretty-girl appearance, was pure veteran soldier.
But her cocky demeanor didn’t last.
Lager was bleeding far more than she’d realized.
“Hey… what do we do about that?”
“What?”
“You’re bleeding like crazy! You might actually bleed out!”
“Don’t exaggerate.”
He laughed it off, but his uniform was shredded. His arms and legs were tattered, and blood from his shoulder soaked his shirt.
“Whoa, hold on.”
As Lager swayed, Ale rushed to support him.
“See? I told you, you’re bleeding a lot!”
“Guess so. Hey, hold me up.”
“Just sit down. Why do you keep leaning on me?”
“Come on, just hold me!”
What’s with him? Ale tried to push him off and sit him down, but Lager clung on playfully.
The desolate wind swept between them by the empty fence.