The mountain trail northwest of Crossbell was once a thriving scene. Whether it's a long-distance traveler with a glimmer of hope for gold, or just an honest worker who works diligently for pay, they have all had a brief time here.

Later, however, as the development of the mining town became a modern industry, and a large amount of land was acquired by the government and chaebols, these scattered self-employed businesses gradually disappeared. With the rise of the mining town of Mainz as a major economic and industrial pillar of Crossbell, the abandoned mines in the mountains have been gradually abandoned, along with the muddy paths that once existed here. What was once a barrier to landslides and mudslides is largely abandoned, and when it rains heavily, it adds to the chaos. The government of the autonomous prefecture also ignores this, after all, the funds of the autonomous prefecture must be used to generate revenue, and there is no time to manage these messy things that have nothing to do with interests.

However, it is precisely this management omission that has made it a famous place in the underground world. Due to its geographical location, it is possible to completely bypass the security of the Garelian Fortress and the Belgard Gate, and thus easily enter the autonomous region, so it has also been used as a secret trading route for various mafias and arms dealers. And this time, there is another group of people who look very eye-catching, walking on this path that has been full of vicissitudes.

They maintained a seemingly disorganized, but actually well-balanced team, wrapped in pitch-black metal armor and armed with well-maintained guided rifles. There was disdain and indifference in their eyes, and they seemed to have no emotion for everything in front of them, and some even yawned boredly.

In the center of the formation, two small trucks with off-road performance stand out. The trucks were loaded not with goods, but with dry food and drinking water, and - portable guided artillery.

There is no doubt that this is a hunting regiment, detouring the abandoned mine road, coming to Crossbell from the far west. There were nearly a hundred of them, and they appeared to be well-trained and well-equipped. Although most of the members are in a trance for the time being, the team members in charge of guarding are still very dedicated, and the slightest wind and grass can't escape their eyes.

Of course, it's just common sense.

Such a vigilance may be able to detect the movements of ordinary people, but it cannot stop the real masters from peeping into the shadows.

"Haven't their rear troops entered the ambush circle yet?" Looking at the sides of the canyon, the guards who had already been ambushed were still silent, Arios felt a little strange, he frowned, picked up the communicator, and asked in a low voice, "It's almost time to enter Wenzel and them." ”

"No...... It seems that the other side is still on guard, and there are still a squad of more than a dozen people with well-equipped heavy weapons lurking in the rear. Commander Sonia's somewhat helpless voice came from the other end of the communicator - standing at the top of the canyon, she could clearly see the other party's movement pattern from a place with an excellent view. The elite members, who were armed with axes and guns made of fine alloys and other combat equipment, still had no intention of passing through the canyon, but were discussing something later.

According to the plan, the original mode of operation should be when the opponent has all entered the ambush circle, and the garrison will condescendingly carry out rapid artillery fire, trying to destroy the heavy weapons in their hands that can threaten the buildings in the city. Subsequently, the pre-arranged guerrillas and the elite of the police department selected to participate in the exhibition were ambushed at various ambush interception points, trying to cut off their attempt to detour from the back road to the top of the canyon. The road to the direction of the autonomous prefecture will be resolutely resisted by a well-known master like the "Wind Sword Saint", with the elite drawn by the garrison, but the retreat will be appropriately left to them. After all, if the other party is forced to the point that they have to do their best, then the garrison and others will inevitably suffer considerable losses, and in fact, there is no need to do that to that extent.

However, now the elite troops of the other side are reluctant to act. In this way, if an attack were launched at this moment, the elite of the opposing party would be able to leave the canyon almost immediately with it intact, so as to rush to the top of the canyon in a complete state - in a head-to-head confrontation, it would be very questionable whether the members of the non-elite garrison in their hands could withstand the murderous attack of the hunters. Even if he can win in the end, Commander Sonia will have to take into account the attrition on his side.

However, if a large number of members of the opposing party were just allowed to pass through like this, even the "Wind Sword Saint" would have a high probability of being injured in the face of dozens of well-trained hunters. Two fists are hard to beat four hands, as long as they have not reached the level beyond the limitations of human beings, no matter what kind of master they are.

A decision had to be made - was it the life of the rookie of the garrison, or was it the risk on their side of Arios?

"Deputy Commander, give the order." The adjutant on the side, Warrant Officer Mireyu, reminded eagerly. The observer in charge of the observation had already made several gestures - the other party was about to leave the ambush circle.

"I can't help it...... Do it. A voice from Arios' side came, "Plan change...... I'll push the ambush circle forward a little bit and work with you to flank the enemy. ”

“…… That's all there is to it. Commander Sonia gritted her teeth, "Fire!" ”

In an instant, the originally calm canyon was filled with the roar of artillery and guide guns.

"Enemy attack!" In the face of the sudden attack, the battle-hardened hunter commander had no intention of panicking. The canyon road here is too narrow for even guided artillery bombardment to completely cover, and the sporadic artillery fire of the garrison's level is not a threat to him at all—as long as he can figure out the blind spots of the fire network and quickly pass through the opponent's firepower in small units-

Soon, the sound of artillery fire stopped. Although a few corpses were left unprepared, on the whole, there was no loss to the entire hunting regiment at all.

If only that were the case.

The commander of the hunters, who had just calmed down from the shelling and tried to reorganize the formation, was caught off guard by another force. Accompanied by a round of accurate volleys, several more hunters were concentrated by the bullets on their necks, temples and other parts inside the gaps in the armor, and they were killed.

"What?" This round of neat firing was stronger than the shelling just now, and the threat was greater.

"You've got too many questions." An indifferent male voice swooped down with a howl like a gale—a white shadow flashed, and the cuirassal on the commander's chest had been torn open with a gap, and blood was pouring out.

Afterimages in the air were pulled out when the hunters were caught off guard. Arios, who has the title of "Sword Master of the Wind", moved as fast as lightning at this time, and without waiting for the other party to react, he continued to wield the blood-stained sword and launched the next attack. After a few crisp tearing sounds, several more people fell under the sharp sword.

The "...... of the Damned" was a little farther away, and several hunters who had not yet been affected reacted immediately, gritted their teeth and raised the guide gun in their hands to shoot. In the midst of the rain of bullets, Arios relied on his amazing physical skills, either dodging with light skills, or blocking with a sword, or shaking away with a fighting spirit - under a series of shots, he was still unscathed.

"Weird...... Ah......" Before the exclamation of the word "monster" could be spoken, a majestic fighting spirit crushed with the movement of Arios swinging his sword. With the explosion of fighting spirit, there was a bang, and several hunters who had gathered together were immediately shaken apart and lay unconscious on the ground.

In just half a minute, dozens of hunters, including the captain, had already fallen to the ground - the scene in front of them deeply shocked the still alive hunters.

However, shock is shock, the other party has only one person anyway, and they can see it clearly. As long as you can calm down - how long can the opponent's profligate fighting style, which relies entirely on speed and explosiveness, maintain this kind of intensity?

The hunters were accustomed to killing and quickly stabilized their positions. After a burst of firepower, the elites under the leadership of Arios, the initiator of the salvo just now, were already overwhelmed by the firepower. As long as you can slowly consume the person in front of you-

Unbeknownst to them, the nightmare had only just begun.

Sporadic gunfire rang out from the exact opposite direction - this time the shooting was not as neat as before, but it was even more deadly. A large conductive rifle that can penetrate even the metal armor worn by a hunter. The sound of internal organs and brains popping inside the steel armor was clearly audible.

"Drink!" A burst of sword light flashed, although it was not as fast and brave as the black-haired young man just now, but the solid knife technique and strong body were still not to be underestimated. The rest of the members of the Guerrilla Association of Crossbell Autonomous Prefecture also came to the aid of the battlefield here.

"Tai Chi Wheel!" The orange fighting spirit, accompanied by the delicate drink of vitality, rose from the ground like a tornado. Several hunters around the girl in sportswear and with double ponytails were confused by the surging fighting spirit, dizzy, and no longer had the will to fight.

Where there's sunlight, there's also shadow—when that seemingly inconspicuous black comes to mind, that's when death strikes. The assassination technique that "Dark Fang" relied on to become famous, and the Grim Reaper, who appeared in the shadows, once again tasted the long-lost hunt.

It's not that the hunters haven't tried to fight back. These new attackers, while powerful, were far less invincible than the men they had just looked. As a result, the hunters' sporadic counterattacks also left them with bruises and blood stains - but the attackers did not have the slightest hint of physical problems, because not far behind them, a woman with long pure white hair, with a tactical guide in each hand, was running at an alarming speed. On her hands, blue light, which symbolizes healing, and orange light, which symbolizes protection, alternately fly out of her hands, resisting attacks for her comrades, relieving pain, and replenishing strength. She closed her eyes and was engrossed in her support, unconcerned about her comfort, for beside her, her longtime partner and best friend, was roaring and smashing away all the hunters who tried to approach her side.

Aeolia, a guerrilla with a medical license, and Lin, who was born as a "Taidou Liu", appeared at the back of the group.

In the Crossbell area, seven B-class guerrillas or above - all appeared on the battlefield.

"Damn ......" suddenly had so many masters, even the hunters, who were originally extremely confident in the number of people, suddenly lost their hearts. But there was still a trace of doubt in their hearts: how did they suddenly appear here? What are the elite troops who deliberately stayed behind just now doing?

"We changed shifts a little bit." Looking at Arios, who was also puzzled, Wenzell put down his sniper rifle and said, "Let Deputy Commander Sonya, who has the advantage in numbers, lead the members of the garrison to suppress them...... We abandoned our previous ambush plan and came to help destroy the large forces. ”

"Are they okay?" The doubts on Arios' face became less, but the worry remained undiminished, "In the previous judgment, neither I nor the deputy commander had this confidence in the ordinary members of the garrison......

"yes...... That's how it should be. Winzeel winked slyly, "But after our help appeared...... Things are turning around. ”

"Help?"

"yes...... The problem on Helriga's side has been solved...... Two hours ago. "Guy's team, which was going to ambush there, was also sent away by that guy...... Since over there, the guy from Heliga said they didn't need help, so they came over to help here. ”

"I see...... With their words, it is indeed ......" Arios knew in his heart, and the investigators under Guy were also the elite of the elite, usually pressed by the police chief who was in cahoots with Harutman, and now he finally had a chance to vent, how could he let it go? Naturally, it is a pain to call a cool. However, Arios was still a little puzzled: Heliga, why did he suddenly have to fight the hunting group alone? Although he has no doubt that he should be able to do it......

“…… We surrender. "The hunters are very accurate in their judgment of the situation. After hearing each other's conversations, how can they not understand that the tide is turning? Originally, it was to get money to do things, and there was no need to put everyone's lives here. And if you think about it carefully, if you can let so many masters go out at the same time, your employer's enemy this time is probably also a powerful figure. If you still want to continue to mix on the road, there is no need to provoke such a big guy.

The mood of surrender gradually permeated the surviving hunters.

One laid down his weapon.

Another person...... Next person......

Soon, the hunting regiment of nearly 100 people, under the combined encirclement of the police department, the garrison and the guerrillas in the Klos Bell Autonomous Prefecture, was subdued - at the cost of almost no losses, only a few people died in the battle. This is much better than the pre-war estimates.

Unlike the fiercely fought Old Mine Canyon, on the other side of the battlefield, a completely different scene is reflected.