As the dust rose, several dark dots appeared on a yellowish sand dune, growing larger and larger.
"Woooooolololololo—!"
They shouted discordant, primitive war cries, riding on scrap-heap motorcycles that droned and roared across the ground littered with gravel and sand.
"Enemy approaching maximum effective range. Fire teams, switch to lasrifles, prepare to fire."
Due to the need to carry a large number of refugees, the flatbed vehicles Kasjia's team had chosen were barely faster than running.
It was basically impossible to shake off these annoying flies with speed alone.
"Fire!"
With Kasjia's command, a dozen crimson laser beams shot through the dust towards the small black dots in the distance.
Although very few shots actually hit their targets, and even fewer of those that hit could cause fatal damage to the heavily armored motorcycle units.
That's what you get with flashlights.
But killing was never Kasjia's goal. A volley of fire, serving as suppression, was enough.
"Now, escort teams with me on the bikes, flank them from the side!"
There are differences, even between motorcycles.
Compared to those roaring scrap heaps that looked like they could fall apart at any moment, their Kalliston assault mobile unit was like a godsend.
These off-road motorcycles, personally designed and improved by Fulgrim, could adapt to the environment on Chemos to a great extent, driving on sand and gravel as if on flat ground, without losing speed.
One great artisan is worth a hundred great swordsmen.
Fortunately, Fulgrim was both.
Kasjia thought as he closed in on the enemy with a single twist of the throttle.
Facing the astonished Sulpha not far ahead, he drew the bolt pistol in his left hand.
A master-crafted, artisan bolt pistol, forged by Fulgrim herself for Kasjia after dismantling bolt weapons and reverse-engineering the materials.
Very effective.
Not to brag.
With a muffled, solid hum and a massive explosion, the unlucky Sulpha and his beloved wild motorcycle were vaporized into a mist, buried under the gravel and yellow sand of Chemos.
Although the Sulpha were aggressive and highly mobile, making them the most troublesome nomads.
But when facing Kasjia, whose weapons and equipment were a tier above theirs, it was undoubtedly a modern military force beating up primitives.
Since their mobile unit set out, those once-valiant Sulpha were shot to pieces before they could even get close, falling one after another under the superior weaponry and firepower of the team.
When there's no sorcery or force fields involved, the doctrine of superior firepower is often much more effective.
"All visible Sulpha motorcycle units have been eliminated."
"Scout team, report the latest situation."
Kasjia calmly holstered his pistol.
However, before he could even feel happy for a moment, more bad news came through the communication device.
"Negative, Commander!"
"There are more motorcycle units approaching your position!"
"The number of people approaching our unit at high speed is constantly increasing, and a large number of unknown signals have appeared on the left flank as well!"
"And ahead! There are more unknown readings ahead, it's highly likely the Sulpha have a large force ambushing us here!"
The situation was not good.
"It seems they've sent out their entire nest."
Kasjia frowned upon hearing the news. "Send the signal. Notify Fulgrim to come for rescue."
The motorcycle cavalry that appeared on their right flank would normally be the entirety of the attack force.
Usually, the Sulpha's raids were just that—using highly mobile motorcycle units to snatch some slaves and goods, and then retreating with their mobility before the enemy's main force arrived.
Hit and run.
This tactic also made it difficult for him and Fulgrim to find their hiding places in the harsh surface environment of Chemos.
But now, the entire tribe had deployed almost all of its combat strength, including those non-mobile mutants, cultists, and swordsmen, just to ambush them?
Have these Sulpha people gone mad?
Risking exposure of their whereabouts, just to intercept this batch of refugees?
"Prophetess, does the god have any further instructions?"
The leader of the Sulpha was a heavily machine-augmented mutant.
Scars and mutations crawled all over his hideous face. Even with mechanical parts as cover, he still couldn't hide his horrifying, twisted appearance.
As for the prophetess he was asking, her body was withered and thin, with not much good flesh on her, yet she was adorned with countless gold and red ornaments, like a gaudy dancer.
Her face was covered by a curtain of numerous golden ornaments, making her features unclear.
If she weren't standing here, it would be hard to imagine she was a scavenger from a cannibal tribe.
"The god praises your piety, child."
The prophetess's voice was clean, not like an old woman's.
"All that He seeks is here."
"What, Prophetess?"
"But what is it that He wants?"
The leader was puzzled, but the Sulpha's prophetess, their shaman and divine messenger, continued to issue commands:
"The chosen of the Mother of No-Birth will come of their own accord. You need only to seek, not to ask, nor to think too much."
"Those two infants, a boy and a girl, are our future Saint and Vessel."
The prophetess spoke in riddles.
But he understood that she wanted two children, a boy and a girl, and she wanted them alive.
That was enough.
"Fine."
The leader looked down from his heavy war vehicle and saw the shocking casualties of his vanguard.
"Son of a bitch, how did these bastards suddenly get so tough?"
"Hold your fire. Ask them if they're willing to hand over the people first. It's not too late to fight after that!"
"A boy and a girl, alive?"
Kasjia rode his motorcycle back to the convoy.
Are they trying to make a sacrifice to a dragon king here or what?
The content of the Sulpha's shouts was very strange to him.
These people seemed to have a very clear objective.
They only wanted those two twin children. As long as they were handed over, they would leave, with no interest in looting the refugees.
Or rather, under the threat of Kasjia and his troops, the Sulpha didn't dare to be greedy.
There were only a handful of refugee children in the entire convoy, and the boy-and-girl twins the other party was asking for could only be one possibility:
The two children who had just talked to Kasjia.
But what did the Sulpha want with them?
Kasjia didn't know.
But as time went on, the Sulpha's encirclement grew tighter.
If a decision wasn't made soon, the disadvantage would only grow after they were surrounded.
"Commander, why don't we just give them the children?"
"We're all non-combatant refugees here. If a real big fight breaks out, the casualties might be..."
An escort guard suggested cautiously.
Fulgrim loved children the most.
And as her followers and believers, so did they.
Compared to this cart full of assorted mutants, the appeal of those two children was self-evident.
But no matter what, on the other side of the scale of life, there were countless lives waiting to be saved.
No matter how ugly and stupid the mutants were, they were still lives, they were still human.
Sacrifice two children to save a whole vehicle of guards and refugees.
It was a good trade.
The other guards all fell silent.
Although cruel, it was also the consensus.
The people of Chemos were long accustomed to this kind of cold transaction of human lives.
"Brother Kasjia..."
The two children were brought before them.
Although still young, their precociousness meant they already knew their fate.
"Brother Kasjia, it's okay. Just let us go."
"I... I don't want to be a captain anymore."
Her eyes were slightly red.
"The uncles all said before, we orphans are born to be eaten by the Sulpha outside."
How can a life born to be eaten become a captain?
Kasjia did not make an immediate decision.
"Little captain, what's your name?"
He only comforted the girl, and held both of them up to his chest.
"...My name is Koleon."
"Koleon... Koleon, interesting."
His expression changed slightly. He turned his head to look closely at the boy on the other side, then looked back.
"Alright, Koleon!"
"Now, hold on tight!!!"
Kasjia, holding the children, instantly mounted his motorcycle and slammed the throttle all the way down.
He sped off towards the horizon, towards the yellowish wilderness in the opposite direction.
-------
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