When the battle began, everyone not involved, including the Columbia mercenaries and Gavial's mercenaries, quickly turned and moved away from the battlefield, leaving only the two warring parties.
In less than five minutes, Alfonso's men and the three mercenary groups were all annihilated.
Goki and Skadi were never bloodthirsty, nor was Mon3tr under Kal'tsit's control; they chose the most efficient and fastest method.
They had no intention of bothering with those who had fainted, lost combat capability, or fled the battlefield.
Ending this farce as quickly as possible was the trio's goal.
Screech—
Accompanied by a piercing shriek, Goki, thrown swiftly by Skadi, grew larger and larger in the Liberi mercenary's scope, with even a faint sonic boom cloud visible around his body.
"Damn it—ah!"
This wasn't a sandbag casually thrown by a child, but a humanoid Titan directly throwing an elite pilot!
Although subjected to acceleration unimaginable for a human body, Goki remained conscious; he had always been very clear-headed.
Unless it was an organic injury like being hit on the head by Skadi, nothing could affect his mind.
By the time the Liberi tried to dodge, it was clearly too late.
Bang!
Goki directly crashed into the bird-person, slamming his head against the side of the vehicle. The powerful impact instantly knocked him unconscious, and he collapsed to the ground.
Meanwhile, Goki, while letting his bruised and swollen limbs return to normal, looked at the other few people in the truck bed, especially the sweating snakehead.
To be honest, Goki felt a little sorry for this old fellow. Of all people to provoke, why Kal'tsit?
"I don't know why you wanted to lay hands on Ms. Kal'tsit, whether it was for your own illicit gains or if someone instructed you to do it, but it was indeed a stupid idea, really stupid."
Who is Kal'tsit?
A traveler who roams between nations, a thousand-year-old Old Lynx, a patcher of the messed-up countries on Terra, an omniscient superhuman woman.
Of course, she is also the Grand Empress Dowager of Rhodes Island, and Goki's ex-wife—he believed that the two would remarry soon.
Not to mention how far Kal'tsit's vision extends or how much knowledge she possesses, just looking at her combat prowess displayed in the game's story, she can go toe-to-toe with Ursus's Imperial Guard using Mon3tr.
Those are elite troops Ursus uses to fight against the northern demons, a legendary unit loyal only to the Emperor, and their bodies even Seal the power of demons—just from their creation method, one can tell they are not much different from the Abyssal Hunter superhumans.
Skadi has also expressed many times that she finds Kal'tsit very dangerous.
Clearly, Kal'tsit could easily deal with these mercenaries alone.
However, Goki couldn't really not return Kal'tsit's favor, especially since, according to Kal'tsit's narrative, she was still that 'Leithanien scholar.'
The killer is not I, but Mon3tr!
So, Goki came before Alfonso.
"Stupid idea? Is that so? Probably. I've been cautious my whole life, and the one time I let loose, I ran into you all. It seems I'm unlucky—but a person has to take a gamble, right?"
Alfonso gritted his teeth, large drops of sweat seeping from his dark skin, as if enduring some pain, but even so, he still gave Goki that false smile.
"You're a bounty hunter, aren't you? What do you want? Money, women? Or a spot to go to Columbia? I can promise you anything!"
To this, Goki merely shook his head.
"Sorry, Kal'tsit is my wife. How do you expect me to choose?"
Since Kal'tsit wasn't here, Goki could naturally speak freely.
"Hahahaha, then I really am unlucky."
Alfonso gave a bitter laugh, seemingly feeling a bit hot, and directly took off his white robe, revealing several jagged, black, and gradually reddening Originium crystals on his chest. In his arms, faint blue veins were visibly bulging.
He was also an oripathy patient, a secret unknown even to his subordinates.
"I have oripathy. This damned place can't cure me. I just want to live—you two, buy me some time. I can take them down. The employer gave me good stuff, enough to defeat them!"
The Sarkaz held his greatsword horizontally in front of him, wary of Goki, while asking him in surprise.
"Alfonso, what did you inject yourself with? I feel something isn't right."
As Sarkaz, the power of Originium blessed this race and also cursed it. Even without learning Originium Arts, they had a keen awareness of Originium energy fluctuations.
And in his view, Alfonso had suddenly become a gradually escalating bomb, seemingly capable of exploding at any moment.
The other crocodile-headed man, roughly the same height as the Sarkaz, clearly didn't think as much. He waited very honorably for Goki to get up, then picked up the two huge battle axes in his hands.
"You are strong, she is strong. If I kill you, if I kill her, I will be the strongest champion warrior, and the Chieftain's position will be mine! You two are not allowed to interfere—Hmph, ah ah ah ah ah ah!"
His blood-red single eye fixed on the enemy before him. Like every Aegir person Goki had seen, this mercenary leader also let out a loud battle cry, charging directly towards Goki at the rear of the truck bed.
Of course, unlike other crocodile people, this leader was larger, and his entire body was wrapped in a thick armor made of discarded metal, painted with bright red battle patterns.
He was bigger, he was more waaaagh, he was the best fighter.
"Hmm, isn't that a bit too fierce? You're definitely not those comedians from Gavial's tribe."
Looking at the thick metal protection on the opponent's groin, Goki knew he couldn't continue to sneak attack like before.
Tiakau Champions, in the game, are elite tough guys who, once blocked, will start a true man 1v1 duel with the blocker, and no one else can damage them. Whoever wins gets dozens of points of attack power—Legion Commanders are nicknamed Tiakau Little Champions.
Of course, this type of elite enemy's compatibility was especially suitable for Titi, the block-one little princess—after seeing Skadi's true combat power, Goki repented many times for having 'milked' Titi online.
So... "Watch closely, this is the fighting style of an Ashina Hunter!"
Boom—
A thick, large hunter's blunderbuss, like magic, appeared in Goki's hand, spewing flames at the charging opponent.
Casually pulling out large firearms in public easily attracts the attention of the Laterano Inquisition, but in this isolated, enclosed space with no one else around, Goki abandoned all martial ethics.
Shrapnel from the mercury bullet scattered in the air, piercing through the armor and instantly embedding itself in the Tiakau Champion's body, causing his movements to halt.
In the past, Goki rarely dealt with enemies wearing heavy metal armor, and he was somewhat worried about whether the shrapnel could penetrate.
But now it seemed, whether it was because he had specifically increased his Bloodtinge stat, or because the black tech firearms of the Powder Keg faction were simply powerful, at least this armor made of scrap metal could be penetrated.
"Cough—"
Spitting out a mouthful of blood, the Tiakau Champion's charge was halted by the immense impact.
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Puff—
And then, a pointed retractable cane directly pierced through a gap in the armor, into the Tiakau Champion's waist, tearing his tough flesh and guiding Goki's hand into his body.
"This time, it's a real internal organ critical hit—hesitation leads to defeat!"
Grabbing the familiar internal organ, that round kidney protected by muscle and fat, Goki suddenly clenched his hands and crushed it.
There was no other way; with limited physical strength, Goki couldn't directly punch through such a hard-skinned crocodile, so he had to rely on tools.
Accompanied by a scream, this Champion warrior was kicked away by Goki. Although internal organ damage is not necessarily fatal for a super Terran, the pain was still very real.
"Ah ah ah ah ah—kill, kill, again!"
"Don't be reckless, let's go together, he has a large firearm!"
Seeing the weapon in Goki's left hand, the Sarkaz mercenary leader became even more wary. Just as he was about to join the fight, he was blocked by a blood-stained great axe.
"No one interferes, he is my—opponent!"
And with a painful roar, even with a crushed kidney, the Aegir tough guy still maintained seventy percent of his Battle Intent. He sprang to his feet with a carp-like flip, brandishing his twin axes, transforming into a bloody whirlwind, and charged towards Goki.
"No way, aren't Red Blade units exclusive to the Reunion Movement? Why are you going berserk with low health—"
The pain made him increasingly mad, and his offensive became even more fierce. For a moment, Goki couldn't pinpoint the timing for a Gun Counter.
"Goki, I'm here—is this?"
But then a reassuring voice appeared from beside Goki.
Clang!!!
Accompanied by a head-shaking clang, a black greatsword blocked in front of Goki. Skadi, holding the sword with one hand, gave a gentle flick, and the immense force instantly knocked both axes flying onto the truck ceiling.
"Ah!"
Bang—bang bang, bang bang bang.
Then, Skadi directly swung her hand and delivered a fierce left hook to the crocodile man. His huge body instantly turned into a small pebble, broke through the vehicle wall, and flew out, skipping across the sandy ground.
"Ha... Skadi, you're making me look a bit useless."
Goki sighed, smiling as he looked at Skadi beside him.
"Eh? Did I do something wrong?"
Skadi tilted her head, pointing her sword at the remaining three people in the truck.
"No, no, this is perfect—Alright, let's not have any more sacrifices, Sarkaz. Are you sure you want to end up like him? Surrender now, and we'll give you a way out."
Giving Skadi a thumbs-up, Goki looked at the Sarkaz greatswordsman beside him.
This was also the truth; if possible, Goki didn't like killing, especially those who were just doing it for money.
"No, Sarkaz will not entrust their lives to others. This is our only remaining choice—you killed my men, I don't trust you."
The Sarkaz raised his greatsword, full of Battle Intent.
"Ha, then there's no choice—hmm?"
However, almost instantly, Goki felt an inexplicable palpitation.
This feeling of palpitation did not come from the Sarkaz in front of him, but from Alfonso, who had seemed to have a ferocious expression just now!
This feeling was just like when Goki first used the Knowledge of the Madman and felt the First Speaker.
Within that vast network, deep in the Aegirian ocean, several powers, either docile or dormant, were hidden. Their tentacles spread throughout the sea, and the First Speaker was the longest extension among them.
And now, Goki's instinct suddenly felt a fierce, greedy, and mad power.
That consciousness was not in front of him, but in the distant southwest of Sargon! Beyond the Rainforest and the Blazing Wastes!
And the current Alfonso, just like the First Speaker, had become an extension of that ancient consciousness—expanding and collapsing!
"I will cure myself, I will go to Columbia!"
His skin cracked and peeled, igniting flames. Alfonso completely lost control and rushed towards the cockpit, the driver closest to him.
"Boss, what are you doing, I am—Ahhh!!"
Almost instantly, the two turned into a burning mass of flames.
Goki's pupils instantly contracted to tiny dots. He directly took Skadi's hand, not forgetting to shout at the Sarkaz.
"Go, jump out of the car—and you, don't just stand there!"
"Eh? Okay!"
The moment Goki held her hand, a blush crept onto Skadi's face, but she quickly reacted and was pulled by Goki as they jumped out of the vehicle.
"What have you unleashed, Alfonso?"
Meanwhile, the Sarkaz greatswordsman, seeing the humanoid figure that grew brighter in the flames, shook his head and burst out of the truck bed.
Boom—
The next second, Alfonso's vehicle exploded violently, and a huge fireball rose into the air.
And then, from within, a nearly ten-meter-tall humanoid figure, purely made of flames, appeared. It flickered like a blaze, seemingly on the verge of collapsing at any moment.
"Kal! 'tsit!"
A earth-shattering roar emanated from the giant beast's mouth.
——————
"Now, Rhine Lab Co., Ltd., Sargon Branch, one of the executors of the Ifrit Project, we are commencing the third stability experiment—Madam Director, I hope this time, our research team can collect further data for the Ifrit Project."
In the distance, on a small mountain, a team of personnel in research uniforms stood on the hillside, observing the burning humanoid figure from a distance with telescopes. One male researcher among them was speaking into a voice recorder, summarizing his work.
"If this experiment is successful, then the plan for modification experiments on Sarkaz subjects can proceed. If it fails, I think I will have to go further south, to the edge of the Rainforest and the Blazing Wastes, to find the truth we seek."
With a satisfied smile on his face, the executor added a few more sentences to these words that were about to be sent to Columbia.
"I recommend Ms. Silence to replace me as the head of this experiment. Her talent is admirable, but she is always prone to being soft-hearted—I also hope you can keep it a secret from the stubborn Ms. Saria... I wish you all the best."
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