BMD 227

‘BREAK’

The letters that bloomed like snowflakes and were engraved on the transparent membrane were shaped like scraping the wall with sharp metal. The sharp handwriting and somewhat rough feeling of the word made the viewers instantly recognize the urgent internal situation.

As a result, Bruno, who didn’t have time to think for long, immediately jumped up from his spot and flew into the air. Then, he crossed over the heads of the members along the barrier line and shouted at the bewildered people.

“Attention! From now on, re-examine the location, fixing strength, and operating status of the Barrier Stones within 3 minutes, secure a safe distance, and prepare for defense. Immediately notify the location with Light Balls upon discovering non-operational equipment, and report the situation to the controller in areas where all preparations have been completed!”

“Yes, understood!”

The operation area where they were stationed was a section with a straight-line distance of about 200m. Therefore, it was difficult for Bruno’s voice to reach all the members at once.

However, they had heard the code of conduct for rescuing survivors so much that their ears were sore while moving from the northern barrier line to this place. They immediately moved in an orderly manner, visually inspected the location of the Barrier Stones, and tightened the chains to make all preparations so that they would not fall even in strong winds and water pressure.

Nero raised his eyebrows with a look of surprise at the sight of the members moving in unison as if they had suddenly planned it. Their movements had become much faster than before. Still, they were the type to do it when they had to, and he could feel that their momentum had changed in a short time.

‘They should have done this from the start.’

Nero, who was standing blankly in front of the barrier and watching the scene, soon jumped into the midst of the members, thinking that this was not the time to be doing this. Then, he diligently added his hands, sticking his feet firmly to the bottom of the Barrier Stones and matching even the smallest lines.

In the middle, he remembered the chain that he had been tying and turned his head to look around, but the chain that had been laid out was already neatly arranged by someone.

“A-8, preparation complete!”

“A-9, preparation complete!”

After about 2 minutes, the voices of the controllers stationed in each section echoed one by one.

Their voices shouting that preparations were complete had already reached the farthest point of the operation area. Subsequently, when the last controller announced the completion and standby status, Bruno, who had received a signal from afar with the blinking of Light Balls, nodded briefly.

He hurriedly flew to the middle of the operation area and went down behind the armed members who were waiting in advance. Afterwards, he stood firmly on the ground with both feet and watched the other side of the barrier where the waves were violently surging, and shouted loudly.

“Everyone, prepare to fire!”

The armed members standing in a row raised the firearms placed at their feet all at once. After wrapping the connected straps around their waists and completing the shouldering, the other personnel stepped back a few steps according to the instructions.

The members were not holding ordinary rifles. The magazines were long and elongated, making them look more like machine guns, but they were not intended to break the barrier, but to make only small scratches.

The ends of the barrels were narrow like needles, and the shape of the bullets was also like thin thorns. It was a weapon devised by Bruno to minimize the impact and reduce the risk of the barrier collapsing, while creating a hole for entry.

Piiiiii―

But just in time, two blue birds of prey, which flew in from somewhere, fluttered around inside the barrier. The creatures scratched the surface of the barrier with their claws, then self-destructed in the air, leaving behind a death cry that stimulated the eardrums.

The flapping, which had seemed urgent, instantly became small droplets and scattered in all directions. At the same time, a chilling Magic Power leaked out to the outside of the barrier, and Bruno sensed that the Legion Commander was urging him to hurry.

“Rainer.”

Bruno called Rainer, who was in one corner, with anxious eyes. Rainer, who was engraving a Magic Circle on the surface of the barrier with a dagger, turned around at his voice. He had just drawn the last stroke and was about to drive the tip of the knife into the ground as if to put a period on it.

Rainer, who received the signal from his superior through his eyes, turned back to the front and brought his palm to the barrier. At that moment, the transparent membrane nearby suddenly shone bright yellow, and the surface rippled and a subtle vibration occurred.

As if to mix with the rough waves in the back, the barrier was fluctuating more and more finely. Then, at some point, it hardened like a wall, and even the water droplets that had been splashing fiercely beyond it temporarily stopped the moment they touched the membrane.

It proved that Rainer’s hardening ability was still intact, and even had an impact on the entire barrier.

Bruno, convinced that all preparations were complete, raised his right arm without hesitation. His resolute gesture and clear voice echoed sharply among the members.

“Fire!”

Dozens of gun barrels aimed at the barrier fired small thorns all at once. Bullets so thin that they were difficult to identify with the naked eye pierced the transparent membrane and made scratches in succession.

At the same time, the members who were waiting with heavy tools struck the upper part of the existing Barrier Stones with all their might. Then, the whitish light of the Barrier Stones that had been rising upwards suddenly went out with a pick, and cracks began to form on the surface of the barrier at a terrifying speed. However, thanks to Rainer’s strength, it only rattled precariously and did not break completely.

“Follow-up team, prepare!”

At the vice-commander’s incessant instructions, another group of armed members stood in a two-row formation. When the regular footsteps stopped behind them, those who had been aiming their guns at the barrier stopped firing and quickly stepped aside.

The members of the follow-up team had thick gloves on both hands and stretched out their arms towards the clear guide line. Most of them were those who handled wind as their main attribute, and among them was also Squad Leader 8 of the 1st Battalion.

Squad Leader 8, who had concentrated Magic Power in her hands following Bruno’s hand signal, had a tired look on her face, but her eyes were clearer than ever. With the determination to save her direct superior and Leonardo Blaine, she shook off her fatigue and compressed the transparent air in her crouching hands.

“Fire!”

As the vice-commander’s order fell once again, her firmly refined magic was quickly fired forward. The attacks of a dozen or so people, including her, also flew all at once and collided with the barrier.

At that moment, the lower part of the barrier exploded violently with a huge roar that made her mind flash.

Kwaaaaang―!

The transparent membrane, which had been shaking precariously, was shattered in an instant as if it had been struck with a tool. At the same time, the black volcanic ash that had been filling the inside was mixed with the swirling water and spewed out through a single exit.

“Everyone, deploy Auras and form a line―!”

Even Bruno, who was shouting to maintain the line, hesitated and was swept away by the force. The bomb-like stream of water that burst out in an instant dug into the ground and turned the area into a scene of chaos. As a result, not only the Barrier Stones, but also the members who were preparing for defense were staggered by the shaking ground and strong water pressure.

Fortunately, the Barrier Stones did not fall over thanks to being firmly tied with chains, but the amount of water pouring down was so enormous that those who were holding on and enduring were all submerged at once. Moreover, the water temperature was so cold that it felt like their nerves were momentarily paralyzed, but the problem was that the figures of the two people they were looking for were not visible in the overflowing water.

“Uwaaa!”

“Hold on to the person next to you and endure as much as possible! You’ll be swept away if you fall!”

In the chaotic scene caused by the flood, the members’ shrill voices did not stop. Meanwhile, Nero broke away from the formation and flew into the air. He strained his nerves in the black smoke where he couldn’t see an inch ahead and looked for Leonardo Blaine.

‘Where is the Squad Leader?’

Just in time, Meterion, who had dodged the pouring water and leaped into the sky, manipulated the dust to clear away the thick volcanic ash. And at that moment, the armed members who were holding each other’s hands tightly and had finished preparing to enter the interior all looked up with pale faces.

“…What is that?”

In their field of vision, a huge tsunami was approaching, covering the entire barrier. It was an overwhelming height that one would only see in the middle of the vast ocean, making one momentarily confused as to whether this was a lake or a sea.

Rainer, who had been helped by his subordinate to evacuate into the sky, also stared blankly at the approaching wave with his palm on the barrier. He instinctively sensed that if that collided with this precarious barrier, something terrible would happen that he wouldn’t be able to stop even with his ability.

Perhaps that was why his head naturally dropped downwards. He looked at the members below and shouted with all his might.

“Everyone, retreat!”

Kwaaaaang―!

The tsunami that rushed in in the blink of an eye swallowed Rainer’s voice and shattered the barrier as it was. The fragments of the barrier, which had been broken like glass, were mixed with the vast water and poured down like a waterfall.

That pressure was beyond imagination, turning the already soft ground into a wasteland, and even the resisting members were entangled in chains and buried in the muddy mire.

In the midst of that chaotic pandemonium, two figures were swept away by the waves and revealed themselves.

Completely soaked, they were washed ashore, embracing each other tightly.