BMD 287

Ting, ting―!

A bullet like a steel ball scratched the rear bumper diagonally and bounced off. Another bullet, which crossed the hazy smoke, attacked the steel wheel of the tire, shaking the balance of the vehicle.

Two shots also hit the blurry rear window, but it was only slightly scratched and not broken. This was because the surface of the vehicle was covered with a thin layer of ice. Thanks to this, the enemies’ indiscriminate firing was meaningless, but for some reason, the distance was gradually narrowing.

The wide road also narrowed so much that if you turned the steering wheel even a little, you would crash into a pillar. Three escort vehicles drove through the bushes, which were taller than people, as if performing acrobatics.

“Lord, this direction is….”

The driver, who was busily moving her hands, feet, and eyes, glanced at the rearview mirror as she gradually became familiar with the road. Hugo, who was looking at the rear, turned his head and replied casually.

“This is the only way to shake them off for sure. Go straight.”

The driver bit her lip with a worried expression but soon focused on the front.

Before her eyes, the lush forest path that she had run away from earlier reappeared. The eerily drooping branches on both sides were sometimes broken off, revealing their bare flesh.

There were traces of spinning wheels everywhere on the dirt floor. Following the road, a sparse grayish-white landscape appeared between the dense leaves.

The magnificent granite structures piled up in layers spread into view, making her realize that the long-awaited dam was getting closer.

‘Four followed this way, and one….’

Hugo, who was staring out the car window, checked his watch and hugged Leonardo’s waist, who was sitting between his legs.

The intention was to cushion the impact, but the psychological stability provided by the relatively warm body temperature could not be ignored. Smelling the scent of sunlight on his blond hair, Hugo repeatedly clenched and unclenched his right hand.

Of the five people he first encountered at the dam entrance, a total of four knights followed the lagging escort vehicle. They were currently chasing him, so the entrance would be empty, but the absence of one person was particularly worrying.

As it was, it might be better to assume that all sides were minefields and teleport the entire vehicle, but he didn’t have Leonardo’s monstrous recovery power. The aftereffects of the battle had not yet disappeared, and he couldn’t even estimate how much Magic Power would be consumed, so a rash attempt now, when he needed to conserve his strength, would be a foolish act of wasting hope.

As his head became hot along with the overheated engine sound, a warning sign indicating 50m ahead of the dam entrance passed by him like an arrow. Hugo turned his head and created a thick fog behind the vehicle.

“We’re almost there.”

The driver, who also saw the sign, slowed down a little to turn the direction. At that moment,

“Wait, in front―!”

Screech―

A large shadow jumped out in front of the vehicle from the bushes. As soon as the driver, who had discovered it from the passenger seat, screamed, she turned the steering wheel and slammed on the brakes in surprise.

Crash―!

Immediately, a dull sound followed as if it had collided with a wall. A horse of the royal guard was properly hit by the front bumper and screamed as if its ears were tearing.

It was instantaneous, despite the driver’s excellent reflexes. There was a light chain collision with the vehicles following behind.

Moreover, the knight riding the horse reflexively struck down the sword blade, creating a gruesome crack in the front windshield. However, he had already disappeared under the bumper, and there was no way to know if he was alive or dead. The driver took a trembling breath and gripped the damp leather steering wheel tightly. A silent chaos, disguised as curses, leaked from her distorted mouth.

Meanwhile, in the passenger seat, she quickly opened the car window and gestured to the other vehicles.

“Go first!”

From behind, the continuous gunshots stimulated her composure. Hugo readjusted Leonardo and grabbed the driver’s shoulder, trying to calmly convey.

“It’s okay, calm down.”

As the two following vehicles turned their direction and advanced to the entrance first, the appearance of the unwelcome guests who were close at hand became clear.

Moreover, as if the worry had become a reality, another group was rushing in from the opposite side, shouting. The startled driver wiped the tip of her chin with the back of her hand and quickly turned the direction.

“I’m sorry.”

The vehicle shook violently as if it had stepped on something on the wheel, but no one mentioned it.

They, who had been lagging behind for a while, soon turned the curve and passed through the ‘under construction’ sign that had been formally erected without hesitation.

Above the vast dam and the connecting grand canal, a long bridge unfolded before their eyes. The magnificent pillars soaring on both sides greeted those who were being chased.

^

“They’re coming!”

One of the managers, who was holding binoculars and looking out the window in the high barrier control room of the dam, shouted urgently. Then, the other managers rushed over and stuck to the windows, scanning the area near the bridge with their eyes wide open.

“Oh, oh, there they are!”

Three black dots lined up in a row were now entering the starting point of the white bridge, which was over 1km long. The long tail following them also revealed its appearance one after another.

“Everyone, get ready!”

As soon as two of Hares’s knights confirmed the presence of the royal guard, they waved their arms greatly as if telling them to move to their positions.

The managers, wearing thick and rough gloves, opened the door of the control room and ran outside following their voices. The point where the managers were moving was the upper part of the barrier lined up horizontally, also known as the crown of the dam.

In order to open the magnificent sluice gate with elaborate engravings, the cross-shaped crank handle on the upper side of the sluice gate had to be manually operated. However, the reason why they had hesitated to do so until now was literally because hundreds of thousands of tons of water were overflowing beyond this. Moss was abundant on the wet stone floor, as the reservoir water that had not been opened in time occasionally overflowed.

As soon as the sluice gate was opened, a wave-like wave would form, starting from the point where the water was drained. In the worst-case scenario, a huge amount of water could come over the heads of the managers controlling the handle and sweep them away together.

But now that they’ve come this far, they can’t postpone it any longer. Eight strong men took turns holding the handles of the cross handle in pairs. Their arms and trapezius muscles were tense, and one of them shouted with a mix of energy.

“Turn it!”

The heavy handle slowly moved, grinding away the old rust. The surface of the reservoir, which had been quiet for a long time, began to stir.

^

Boom―

Hugo, who was passing through the straight bridge, stared straight at the large dam on the right. The wall of the dam, which overwhelmed people with its height and width of hundreds of meters, was made of grayish-white granite, and its smooth surface reflected light.

‘Is it starting.’

A slight vibration occurred beyond that. The flow of chaotic water particles was conveyed to Hugo as it was.

“Slow down.”

Following the solemn voice, the driver, who was looking at the side mirror, slowed down and maintained a distance that seemed to touch the pursuers. Then, as if they saw hope, the knights riding horses lowered their posture even more and desperately followed closely.

‘―――.’

‘―――!’

Perhaps because the emotional turmoil caused by the colleague who was hit by the bumper was great, the speed at which the enemies were chasing was noticeably faster. The sound from outside was blocked, so he couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he could tell that the shouting was hitting the car window without even opening it.

As the order of the vehicles changed and he came to the very back, he realized that the intensity of the attack that the rear was enduring had exceeded a reasonable level. Moreover, even six or seven knights, who he didn’t know where they came from, had joined, and it seemed that almost the entire main force had gathered here. It seemed that they had given up on the pretense they had been putting up until now and had decided to do their best. That was what he wanted.

Two of them in the lead came out, and the horse’s head vaguely flickered in the car window. The swinging sword blade repeatedly hit the wheel of the escort vehicle. It would be nice to break the sword and pierce the horse’s temple, but Hugo only thought about it and stretched his arm towards the other side, slowly clenching his fist.

The rapidly moving vehicle was crossing the waterway and approaching the center of the white bridge. Below, the barren grand canal, where the water had dried up, boasted a vast scale.

If they fell from this height, both sides would suffer considerable damage. Nevertheless, Hugo, who was prepared, gradually bent his trembling fingertips. At the moment when a thin stream of water flowed down into the deep and wide waterway that penetrated the earth,

Kugugugung―

A more violent vibration than before occurred.

The knights riding horses instinctively looked back at the source of the vibration.

“…What?”

The solid bridge floor shook slightly. The horses, feeling an unusual elasticity, became agitated and noticeably slowed down.

Although there was a target to catch right in front of them, the knights stared at the shimmering sluice gate instead of whipping the reins.

“Shit….”

Their complexions all turned pale. An uncontrollable fear spread in their upward gaze.

A vast amount of water began to pour down like crazy, making a roaring sound. White foam opened its fierce jaws and rushed like a tsunami to swallow them.