Chapter 442: Rangers and Holy Bullets
After being reorganized into the Ranger Regiment, the Nomad Cavalry was still responsible for border security. However, compared to their previous guise as nomadic tribes, they now wore neat and close-fitting military uniforms, helmets, and light armor. They retained their scimitars but their primary weapons were replaced with semi-automatic rifles, revolvers, and long-handled grenades. They also carried machine guns and detachable mortars, emphasizing mobility.
Due to the widespread use of firearms, the Rangers no longer needed to charge into battle and maintain a large force to sustain combat effectiveness. Except for their fixed camp, they mostly operated in units of one hundred men. Therefore, a single regiment could often guard a vast area. They were the guardians of the territory’s border defense, serving as a mobile wall, far more reliable than trenches and barbed wire.
Currently, a Ranger battalion was patrolling a hundred miles away from Mara City. Each Ranger had two horses, carrying sufficient supplies. They only needed to send someone back to the camp to report and bring back some supplies, allowing them to patrol the wilderness for extended periods.
Their location was far from the main trade routes that used Mara City as a hub. Aside from wild beasts roaming the wilderness and lost travelers, it was rare to encounter outsiders. However, this was already a common part of daily life for the Rangers, who came from nomadic backgrounds, and they did not feel lonely or anxious because of it.
During their patrols, if they were truly restless, they could always venture into nearby Secret Realms. However, they were not so leisurely today, as their scouts had discovered suspicious tracks, indicating that rats had infiltrated the territory from this direction.
After dispatching two men back to camp to report the matter, the Ranger battalion began their pursuit. However, judging from the tracks left behind, although the number of intruders was small, the situation was not optimistic.
Everyone in the territory was a believer of the Temple. Holding the holy emblem could enhance their perception and resistance to evil to some extent. Now, they felt a sense of unease, as they smelled a faint sulfurous odor where the intruders had stopped.
According to the booklet issued by their superiors, this situation usually indicated something related to demons.
“We might encounter demon warlocks and demonic creatures ahead. Everyone be careful, do not approach them easily, avoid close combat, and replace your bullets with holy bullets. It’s time to use them,” the Ranger captain said cautiously, halting the battalion.
Everyone had undergone specialized training and knew what kind of opponents they would face, so no one dared to be careless. They ejected the bullets from their rifles and opened the special ammunition pouches at their waists.
The ammunition pouches bore the emblem of the Temple. Inside, the silver alloy bullets were coated with holy oil, emitting a sacred glow. Just like their rifles, which also bore the emblem of the Temple, the soldiers would regularly pray over them to enhance their effectiveness against evil enemies.
Because all the soldiers were devout believers, coupled with the group effect, this method was genuinely effective. Therefore, after loading the holy bullets, their lethality against evil-aligned enemies far surpassed that of ordinary ammunition.
However, this type of ammunition not only consumed silver but also needed to be consecrated in the Temple for seven days to allow faith and divine light to permeate them, resulting in limited production. Only a few soldiers were equipped with them.
However, as the sentinels of the border and the mobile wall, the Rangers were one of the few regiments fully equipped with holy bullets. This was their greatest pride.
After reloading, the captain instructed his men to spread out in squads, forming a seemingly loose but deadly encirclement at cavalry speed, to hunt down the evil enemies who dared to invade their territory.
Less than half a day’s journey from the Ranger battalion, the group led by Bailey and Johnny was desperately hurrying along.
Both were high-ranking members of the Demon’s Head. However, the internal structure of the Demon’s Head was very loose. Naturally, they had to obey their superiors, but if they were conscripted, they had to do whatever they were told without complaint, otherwise, the chances of accidents were too high.
However, if they did not encounter their superiors, they were quite free to do whatever they wanted, without anyone to manage or question them.
Therefore, the two, who disliked restrictions, came to the Northland to make a living and had enjoyed a carefree life for quite some time.
This place was once a paradise for demon warlocks and necromancers. Unfortunately, first, they encountered the Northern Glory Alliance’s crackdown, and then the rise of the Divine Shield, making their lives increasingly difficult. They had initially planned to lie low for a while, but a big opportunity had presented itself.
Although it was very dangerous, the reward offered was too great to refuse. Therefore, relying on their familiarity with the Northland, the two led a group of people to bypass Mara City quietly, attempting to reach North City by taking a detour.
Unfortunately, they still underestimated the Rangers. Even though they had a dedicated thief in their group to cover their tracks, they could not hide from them for long.
“Damn it, we’ve been spotted!” Bailey, whose skin was dark, said with a grim expression. Although they also rode horses, they did not have the ability to escape the Rangers’ pursuit in the Northland, which was why they chose to take a detour and avoid being discovered as much as possible. However, they had only managed to buy themselves less than a day’s time.
“North City is still two days away. We won’t make it,” Johnny, who was not as dark as Bailey but whose exposed skin was covered in evil runes, said with a frown.
Their current location was very awkward because, to avoid detection, they had chosen a route as far away from settlements as possible. This meant that, after being discovered, they could not even perform a blood sacrifice to summon demons because they could not find any people.
“We have to take them out, otherwise, once we’re surrounded by their army, no one will survive,” Bailey said. This was not only directed at Johnny but also at the group of accomplices he had gathered.
Besides Bailey and Johnny, there were eight other people. They were all powerful demonkin. If they could work together, they might have a chance of winning.
The so-called demonkin were humans who, after consuming demon eggs and undergoing demonization, could still return to human form and maintain their sanity. Therefore, they possessed the strength of demons and the intelligence of humans. Although their strength was inferior to that of demons, and their intelligence was just average, at least they were not as easily out of control as demons, could serve as bodyguards for extended periods, and did not require blood sacrifices.
Most importantly, demonkin were naturally subservient to demon warlocks, making them the preferred bodyguards of demon warlocks.
However, it was not easy to cultivate a demonkin warrior, and the failure rate was high. The Demon’s Head had distributed a large number of demon eggs in the Northland to select suitable demonkin candidates.
Hearing Bailey’s words, the demonkin exchanged glances and silently nodded. However, they still requested to receive their payment in advance.
After a brief discussion, Bailey and Johnny agreed and handed over the specially prepared demon eggs to them.
The strength of demonkin increased rapidly, but it was difficult to break through their limits. Their strength was both granted and limited by their demonic bloodline. As long as their demonic bloodline could not be improved, their power would remain stagnant.
To enhance their demonic bloodline, they had to consume demon eggs made from the flesh and blood of the same demon, which undoubtedly made them dependent on demon warlocks.
Otherwise, who would not know the power of the Northern Glory Alliance? Only a fool would provoke them.
In fact, not only the demonkin shared this thought, Bailey and Johnny felt the same way. If it were not for the lucrative reward, who would dare to come here so easily? Did they not know how many of their peers had died here? It was all because of greed.
