It seems the target has been found… Klein withdrew his gaze and made a rough judgment.
Since there was no portrait and the dead adventurer's face was burnt black, Elland clearly didn't recognize him as one of the targets. After surveying the situation and listening to the bone-chilling laughter for a few seconds, he pointed at the three or four military personnel lying not far outside the house and said in a deep voice:
"Drag them back first. Wait for the other teams to arrive before launching the attack.
"Or…"
He hesitated for a moment, then looked up at the dark blue airship approaching them.
Without saying anything more or giving orders to Klein and Danitz, Elland himself rushed toward the military personnel who had already frozen into unconsciousness, their faces purple.
Thump, thump, thump… The closer he got, the weaker his steps became. Soon, his body grew stiff, and every step was exceptionally difficult.
Having served as a boatswain in the Royal Navy, Elland was experienced. He made a prompt decision, stopped moving forward, slowly turned around, and stepped back one pace at a time.
The farther back he walked, the smoother it became, but his whole body still trembled uncontrollably, and a thin layer of frost covered his eyebrows and temples.
An unnatural flash-freeze… A disaster-like extreme cold… Through Elland's attempt, Klein grasped the danger level of that area and couldn't help sighing inwardly:
"Pity the '
Glancing at Elland, whose teeth were chattering and who couldn't speak despite wanting to, Klein's gaze swept over to Danitz.
He threw away his cane and said in a low voice:
"Fire."
Fire? Danitz was stunned at first, but quickly understood Gehrman Sparrow's meaning.
He had also seen Elland's entire failed rescue attempt!
A ball of dull red flame condensed in Danitz's right palm, and he threw it to the side, a short distance from the military personnel.
The fireball flew for nearly twenty meters, landed on the ground without making an explosion, and quietly rose into flames.
The pillar of red flame sizzled, shrinking and rapidly dimming.
Suddenly, it expanded, as if in a desperate struggle.
Klein, wearing a black wool coat, leaped out from inside it, landing right next to one of the military personnel.
He bent over, reached out, and grabbed the man's clothes.
Then, bracing his foot and using his back, he violently flung outward.
The military man was launched into the air, flew smoothly, and landed more than ten meters away, escaping the most severe area of cold.
Having done this, Klein snapped his fingers and, before the cold could seep into his flesh, lit a match he had deliberately separated and kept in his pocket.
A crimson torrent of flames surged out like water, instantly engulfing him.
When everything dimmed, Klein had disappeared from the spot.
Flashes of light burst forth, flickering on and off. Using Danitz's fireball and his own matches, Klein kept appearing and disappearing in the extreme cold zone, simply tossing the military personnel out one by one.
After two or three relays, he returned to his original position, carrying the last military man.
Elland had visibly recovered. He gave a thumbs-up and said:
"I am very glad and honored that I made the decision to ask for your help today."
Captain, I really like your euphemistic praise… And, remember to increase the reward… Klein nodded politely, half-turned, and looked toward the house with the open window. The laughter inside was getting stranger and stranger.
Danitz, on the other hand, curled his lips and silently cursed Elland:
"Didn't you see my contribution? "Although my fireball has become like a magic trick prop, I still made a real contribution! "This guy is nicknamed 'Fair Elland,' but he's not fair at all!"
As he muttered, a shadow fell over the area as the airship arrived in the sky opposite them.
"Evacuate the people in the surrounding houses!" an officer on the airship shouted from afar.
After Elland and the two teams that had arrived successively cleared the nearby buildings, the airship lowered its altitude and adjusted its cannons.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Artillery fired in volleys, blasting the house from which the eerie laughter came.
Hearing the explosions and seeing the intense flashes of fire, Klein held his cane and felt a momentary pang of emotion.
This was the "firepower suppression" tactic he championed. He had once proposed it in Tingen, but it couldn't be put into practice. Today, the military of the overseas colony demonstrated the real scene to him.
Amidst the deafening cannon fire, Elland and the others took up positions around the perimeter, guarding against a breakthrough by the person—or monster—inside.