However, just as the two were preparing to investigate further, the door of the entire Holy Water Hall suddenly burst open.
In Leon and Ashley's panicked eyes, dozens of servants and cultists suddenly rushed in from all directions.
They still wore gray robes and had bald heads, their eyes red, and they squeezed in hastily, holding scythes, flails, and battle axes.
And unlike last time, these servants and cultists were also carrying crossbows and shields—wooden crossbows and spiked shields, which should be weapons left over from the Middle Ages.
Although there were no firearms, these sturdy defenses and ranged attacks already put a lot of pressure on Leon.
After all, if he wasn't careful, he could be pierced through the head by a crossbow bolt at any time.
They might hesitate slightly towards Ashley due to orders, but towards Leon… it would undoubtedly be a lethal move.
After all, Leon had viciously insulted Raymond, the castle lord, before.
Now, Leon truly missed Javier and Ada.
If those two guys were here, he might not be under so much pressure.
Alas… Thinking of this, Leon couldn't help but sigh again.
It was one thing that Javier died, but Ada actually left him like that.
He should have known better and brought more money like Javier to hire Ada.
After all, as the president's personal bodyguard, his monthly salary was quite substantial.
Although not as outrageous as several million US dollars, it was enough to hire her once or twice.
What a pity!
"He's there! (Ahí está.)"
"I'm going to kill you! (Te voy a matar.)"
"You can run but you can't hide! (Puedes correr pero no puedes esconderte.)"
"Grab him! (Agárralo)"
"Bastard, I'm behind you! (Estoy detrás de ti.)"
As soon as the words fell, the shouts of the cultists and servants came from all around.
These puppets controlled by Plaga parasites surged towards Leon, speaking in hoarse, grating voices.
Seeing this, Leon's eyes narrowed.
He decisively unslung the Garand Rifle from his back, activated the 3x scope, and locked the crosshairs onto several cultists holding crossbows in the rear.
"..."
"Although Javier and Ada aren't here, I don't think I'm that easy to bully.
At least you need to send out some decent guys to make me suffer."
In the Garand Rifle's 3x scope, the crosshairs were firmly locked onto those cultists holding crossbows.
As the saying goes, when in a team fight, prioritize the ADC.
Leon was very clear about this.
If he didn't deal with these enemies with ranged attack capabilities first, it would be a very troublesome matter when the chaotic battle began later.
After all, the opponent could always take a cheap shot when he wasn't paying attention.
If he took an arrow to the kidney, then Leon's happy life in the latter half of his life would truly be ruined.
Not to mention that his fangirls would disdain his combat ability, even the goddess would look down on him.
"Stay close to me, Ashley…!"
"Bang—!"
Whispering to Ashley behind him, Leon decisively pulled the trigger.
With a gunshot, the black muzzle of the Garand Rifle erupted in a burst of sparks.
An orange-yellow, sharp rifle bullet shot out rapidly.
The still-fighting World War II veteran delivered this fatal blow.
Before the cultist holding the crossbow could react, his head was instantly blown off.
"Pfft…"
The Plaga parasite inside his body had no way to perform a Exploding Bug reaction and simply died, falling straight backward.
Leon, meanwhile, confidently cycled the bolt, ejecting the spent casing and chambering a new round.
The distinct sounds of the casing hitting the ground and the bolt cycling echoed, stirring Ashley's heart.
At this moment, Ashley once again felt an unparalleled sense of security.
As long as she followed this man, she would definitely escape safely.
Ashley, your father truly found you a reliable and handsome personal bodyguard!
"Bang—Bang—Bang—Bang—!!!"
The Garand Rifle in Leon's hands was like a exquisite musical instrument, elegantly performing and displaying itself in this Holy Water Hall.
The sound of the bolt cycling was exhilarating, and the bullets hitting one cultist after another, who were holding crossbows, was also a pleasure to behold.
And whenever a servant holding a spiked shield wanted to approach, Leon would switch to his pump-action shotgun for armor penetration and a breakthrough.
Against shields, the best weapon was a shotgun.
The shotgun's close-range power could easily shatter these wooden shields.
However, such a solo performance did not last long.
Because after killing several servants and cultists, these Plaga parasite puppets began to transform into Exploding Bugs one after another.
The powerful defense and troublesome nature gained after transforming into Exploding Bugs forced Leon to start moving and kiting.
The result of this was that Ashley could very likely be caught by the servants and cultists chasing them if she wasn't careful!
"Hey, Leon—!!!"
A familiar scream came.
Leon quickly turned to look, only to find that Ashley had been grabbed by a cultist in a black robe at some point.
He had her slung over his shoulder, preparing to abduct her.
Ashley was helpless, able only to struggle desperately on his shoulder, then loudly called out to Leon for help.
Seeing this, a trace of helplessness flashed across Leon's face.
He had still overestimated this little girl, Ashley.
But then again… she was still just a girl.
Even if he gave her a pistol for self-defense, she probably wouldn't have the courage or reaction time to use it.
At the same time, Leon also had to be grateful for the stupidity of these cultists.
Their intelligence was too low.
Because of being infected by the Plaga parasite, they could only execute the most basic commands.
In reality… if, when they caught Ashley, they didn't just carry her away, but instead used her as a threat,
Then perhaps, with Leon's personality, he would have been threatened to death dozens of times already.
So he could only be glad for the stupidity of these cultists and servants.
If they had even a shred of intelligence, Leon wouldn't have been able to escape safely multiple times after narrowly avoiding danger.
"Bang—!!!"
Another Garand Rifle bullet directly hit the head of the cultist trying to abduct Ashley.
A headshot.
Blood and brain matter splattered out.
The cultist immediately fell to the ground.
Ashley took the opportunity to break free and escape.
Looking at the blood on her palm, she shakily gripped the pistol, whose safety was off, and quickly stood up and retreated.
This was the difference between expectation and actual action…
Although they had practiced before, when it came to a teenage girl like Ashley actually having to use a pistol to kill someone—even if these people were puppets—the splattering warm blood still made Ashley feel terrified.
If she couldn't overcome these fears, she might never be able to protect herself.
So, Leon had to give her one last push here!
"Ashley…!"
"Remember what I taught you before?
Take a deep breath and calm down, don't be afraid.
Turn off the pistol's safety, grip it with both hands, extend your arms straight and high, aim for the head.
If you can't hit the head, shoot the legs.
Take a deep breath before pulling the trigger, count down three seconds!"
"Remember, they are not people, but parasitic puppets.
If you don't kill them, they will kill you.
Or… do you want to become a monster like them and stay in this hellhole forever?"
Looking at the trembling Ashley in the distance, Leon quickly shouted to remind her.
Although his words were a bit cruel, this was the best way to help this fragile girl protect herself.
And Ashley, hearing Leon's voice, gritted her teeth.
Finally, she bravely opened her eyes to face the dead body on the ground, and the other servants and cultists who were gradually running towards her.
Leon was right, she couldn't continue to be a burden, nor could she blindly rely on others' protection.
She was almost an adult, she could take care of herself.
She was Ashley, not a hindrance—!
"Hoo…"
"Grip it, raise the gun, aim, take a deep breath, count three, two, one, come on!
Ashley, you can do it!
Make Leon look at you with new eyes—!"
Following the method Leon had taught her, Ashley raised the blood-stained USP9 Agent pistol, locked the crosshairs onto the head of the cultist running towards her, took a deep breath, and after cheering herself on, decisively placed her finger on the trigger.
The next second,
"Bang—!!!"
A gunshot.
The bullet decisively left the barrel.
The sudden recoil caught Ashley off guard.
The muzzle lifted slightly upwards, but it was this slight upward lift that caused the orange-yellow bullet to swiftly hit the head of the cultist seven or eight meters away, a headshot.
The first blood of her life was not given to others, but to herself…!
"Pfft…"
The bullet passed through the head, and blood and brain matter splattered again.
The cultist rapidly fell in Ashley's eyes.
This sudden situation made Ashley pause for a moment, then she was overjoyed, immediately jumping up and down excitedly, shouting with great happiness:
"Haha! Target hit!"
"Ashley, I knew you could do it, you're really amazing, you're a genius!
Hey… Leon, look! I did it, I did what you said, I can use a pistol to defend myself now!"
Well, it seems this girl has found a new world.
Let's just hope this daughter of the president doesn't get addicted to shooting in the future, after all, shooting guns… that's not a good habit!
"..."
"I knew you could do it, you're great, girl!"
Meanwhile, Leon, while busy eliminating other servants and cultists, did not forget to give Ashley sincere praise and encouragement.
"Hoo hoo hoo…"
"Pfft—!"
However, just as Ashley was still immersed in excitement, the body of the cultist she had just shot dead on the ground suddenly began to mutate.
While his body convulsed violently on the ground, his original head instantly exploded.
Because the power of the USP9 Agent pistol was not strong enough, the corpse in front of her did not die immediately, but even underwent a Exploding Bug transformation.
"Gurgle… Bang!"
In Ashley's astonished gaze, the bald head decisively turned into yellow brain matter, liquid, and minced meat exploding, and from the neck, a hard, ant-like head rapidly grew out.
It had a shiny outer shell, and at the front, there was a sharp, pincer-like mandible, just like an ant's, as if clamping two large scimitars.
This was the Plaga parasite with ant mandibles mentioned earlier.
Although it had no special abilities, its hard head and sharp mandibles were very troublesome things.
The hard head was like a crab's shell, with astonishing defense.
Ordinary pistols could not easily kill it.
And the sharp mandibles could easily cut off Ashley's head.
And even more terrifying, the Plaga parasite that had already undergone Exploding Bug transformation had actually completely entered a berserk state.
At this time, they were already the species of the Plaga parasite, without any human intelligence.
This also meant that… the previous commands were no longer useful for the current Exploding Bug cultist.
It only wanted to quickly kill Ashley, this damned prey, not capture or abduct her—!
This was the most troublesome part, after all, the opponent was already attacking indiscriminately…
PS: Happy New Year, I wish all my benefactors a better life in 2024, good health, and all the best.
Thank you for your support, whether it's scolding or anything else, the author is immensely grateful.
I'm in a hurry today, please forgive any typos, I'll correct them after the update.
Go for it in 2024!
Chapter 45: Courtyard Garden
"This… what kind of joke is this?"
"You wouldn't attack me, right, big ant…?"
Looking at the cultist who suddenly transformed into a Exploding Bug, even growing a hard, armored head and sharp mandibles, Ashley's previously joyful expression suddenly froze.
This was completely different from the script she had imagined.
Therefore, facing such a terrifying monster, Ashley could only pray that the other side would go easy on her, a delicate young girl.
However, at this moment, the Exploding Bug cultist was no longer as gentlemanly as before.
Looking at its prey so close, it immediately opened its huge pincer-like mandibles, from which sticky saliva continuously flowed, making Ashley feel a wave of nausea.
"Hiss hiss hiss—!!!"
The next second, this Exploding Bug cultist quickly rushed forward, extending its arms, trying to give Ashley a loving hug, and then use its sharp pincer-like mandibles to help Ashley, this beautiful girl, comb her messy golden short hair.
"Ah—!!!"
"Help, Leon…!!!"
Seeing this, Ashley was so scared that she reverted to her true self.
She almost threw the pistol tightly clutched in her hand, let out a loud scream on the spot, and quickly scurried towards Leon's direction in a panic.