The Butcher of Sargon (Patreon)

Chapter 52: Each on Their Own

The early arrival of the rainy season caught everyone off guard. 

Not only in the Foehn Hotlands but even in Acahualla, hundreds of kilometers away, it began to rain heavily.

Gavial, who are staying at Garde's house, started to gather the clothes. "Why is it raining so early this year?" she wondered, feeling a bit down as she thought of Garde, who had left the rainforest with the Rhine Lab group. 

She wished she could have gone with them.

Next time, she'll have to ask Inam for some newspapers related to Rhine Lab. 

The convoy Garde joined was called Rhine Lab, right? Based in Columbia?

Gavial wasn't worried about Garde encountering danger outside because she knew how strong he was—he’s stronger than she could ever be after all. 

She was just curious about when Garde would return and what the outside world was like. 

Many Tiacauh who left Acahualla never wanted to come back. 

Would Garde return?

Shaking her head, Gavial brushed aside these baseless speculations. 

He would definitely come back! 

Four years ago, everyone thought Garde was doomed when he left Acahualla for the Foehn Hotlands, but he returned half a year later, unharmed and bearing medicine to treat Oripathy.

Thinking of this, Gavial couldn't help but feel a bit regretful. 

If Garde's mother hadn't died, she might have already married Garde, and perhaps his mother would already be able to cuddle with her grandchildren by now.

Curled up on a chair, her head resting on her knees, Gavial looked at the temporarily empty room. "Garde, I miss you."

...

Splash! 

Deep in the ocean, the tide surged.

A girl wielding a circular saw swung her weapon, slicing a Seaborn in half. 

She had a feeling, perhaps a misconception, that the Seaborn were avoiding her, reluctant to attack her. 

Which is why she had to seek out the enemies actively, rather than waiting for them to come to her.

"Laurentina, cover the left flank!" In the distance, Gladiia's voice rang out. 

Laurentina's body made a graceful arc in the water. 

Holding down a Seaborn with one hand, Gladiia watched Laurentina's back with some concern.

Although she didn't notice it initially, Gladiia realized that Laurentina's movements had become noticeably strained since they set out. 

With time, Laurentina's posture grew increasingly graceful, and she seemed to be experiencing a second growth spurt.

This made Gladiia secretly worried. 

There were examples of Abyssal Hunters having offspring, and some of them even having an offspring with ordinary Agor people and not another Abyssal Hunter. 

However, the notion of an Abyssal Hunter and a land dweller having a child was unprecedented.

Under normal circumstances, Gladiia might not have paid much attention to this. 

But given the current situation—the impending silent disaster and the massive Seaborn invasion—what if Laurentina did end up having a surface dweller's child? 

How would she explain that to the Inquisition? 

It wouldn't be possible to hide it.

But it should be unlikely. 

The chance of Abyssal Hunters having offspring was quite low, and the chance of them having offspring with ordinary Agor was less than one-tenth. 

As for Abyssal Hunters and surface dwellers?

There’s no case of that kind of pairing having children.

Dismissing the possibility, Gladiia focused on the enemies before her. 

If it did happen, she could always team up with the other three squad leaders to take down that damned Crocodile Man. 

If it’s four against one—they wouldn't lose again, right?

...

"Achoo!" In the pouring rain, the said Crocodile Man sneezed, yet is still able to cleanly decapitate a disaster beast with his giant axe. 

The water on the ground had risen past his knees. The sand, now saturated with water, became dangerously unstable, and with one misstep, he found himself nearly buried in the water.

At this critical moment, the ropes around his waist became essential. 

In the pouring rain, six sand vehicles were connected by heavy-duty ropes reminiscent of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers from Garde's memories. 

These ropes could withstand various harsh environments without breaking easily.

By connecting the vehicles, any car that got stuck in the mud could be quickly pulled out by the others. 

The motto was simple: they would survive or die together.

Garde and Saria, being the strongest in the team, took the lead, clearing the way for the convoy. 

On both flanks, twelve fully automated crossbows were mounted on the windows. 

These crossbows would tear apart any disaster beast that got too close.

Unfortunately, Casters were too physically frail for such conditions. Otherwise, their utility would far exceed that of the crossbowmen, whose arrows would deplete, while Casters only needed to expend their own energy.

The heavy rain had been pouring for nearly two hours, creating pools of water everywhere. 

It should have been daylight by now, but the dark clouds obscured the view, making it impossible for the group to navigate by sight. 

They could only press forward, gripping the steering wheels tightly, ready to confront any enemy or obstacle in their path. 

In the Hotlands, getting lost was a severe risk that only Garde could endure.

Garde’s massive frame acted like a bulldozer, killing enemies and smashing through obstacles. 

When confronted with a several-meter-high bare rock, Garde didn't hesitate and charged straight at it. 

To him, the rock was no more formidable than his well-trained muscles.

Boom!

A siren-like noise echoed ahead as something massive moved in the rain-soaked sand sea. 

The ground trembled, and a pair of door-sized eyes suddenly opened, glowing like green lights in the darkness. 

A colossal beast, its size reminiscent of a blue whale, opened its mouth, drawing in rainwater and threatening to swallow the entire convoy.

"Get out of my way!"

Without hesitation, Garde charged into the beast's mouth. 

The beast's size reminded him of the blue whales from his previous life, the largest creatures he had known. 

But this was a desert! 

Although temporarily flooded by rain, the sand would soon dry as the water evaporated.

With no other choice, Garde knew he had to kill the beast blocking their path.

"Move aside!"

Inside the beast's mouth, Garde performed two consecutive strikes, his giant axe tearing through the beast’s mouth and brain. 

The beast's mouth, along with its brain, was shredded by Garde’s ferocious assault.