Modern World Warlock-Chapter 373: The Novarian Military

As Dante crawled out of the crater while dragging the unconscious Asphodel behind him, he tried standing up, but his legs trembled and gave out each time.

The warlock groaned with both annoyance and exhaustion. He could barely remember a time when he had to use all of his power during a fight, and the numerous wounds on his body didn't make it easier on him.

After a few seconds of struggling, Dante managed to carry Asphodel on his back, and as he sensed the unknown presences approaching, he could also sense Sami and Lexia.

'Shit, I used so much umbra… I hope Sami can still detect it,' Dante thought.

While waiting for the cyborgs to arrive and pick him up, Dante heard loud steps marching to his location.

He gazed to the other side and saw a large group of soldiers wearing tactical armor turning the corner, which made it evident that they were looking for Dante.

The soldiers' armor was wholly black, and they wore masks that covered their entire faces and were made of a strong alloy that could even deflect bullets.

Dante compared them to the mask he was given by Paige, wondering if it was made of the same material. Still, he couldn't ponder for too long as the soldiers closed the distance.

When the warlock saw that all the men were carrying large rifles and machine guns, his eyes sharpened. He felt curious to know who they were and what they were doing inside the ruined district mere minutes after Netherius' death.

However, he could also tell that the soldiers weren't there just to talk, and as he tried to think of a way to escape the area, Sami's shout could be heard in the distance, calling for Dante.

The Hell-Cyborg had scanned every nook and cranny of the destroyed districts to look for Dante, and the moment she found him, he was carrying Asphodel on his back while facing dozens of armed men.

The sight prompted Sami to speed up, and when she got closer, the soldiers aimed their weapons and prepared to shoot, only for one of them to command them to lower their aim.

"Dante!" Sami exclaimed, ignoring the presence of the soldiers as she descended next to the warlock.

"Who are these guys?" Sami asked, glaring at the group of disciplined soldiers.

"I have no idea. But I don't think they are allies…" Dante replied without taking his gaze from the group.

One of the armed men took a few steps forward, and the warlock noticed a small badge attached to the side of his jacket, so he thought that the man was their leader.

"Are you Dante Shadowvale?" The man asked, leaving an awkward silence in the air hanging for a few seconds.

"Who's asking?" Dante replied with another question.

It was already difficult for the warlock to lie, so he had to divert the questions to avoid answering them.

Still, the leader didn't reply and simply put his hand on his earpiece. "Contact. Awaiting orders…" the man said.

'So, this guy isn't the big boss…' Dante thought.

Not even five seconds later, the man raised his hand, which prompted all the other soldiers to aim their weapons at the warlock.

At the same time, Sami also raised her open palm and pointed it straight at the group of soldiers. "Dante… Should I wipe them out?" she asked.

For a Hell-Cyborg like Sami, who had the frame of a demon king's soul, casting a quick 'Destro' spell that could erase the group of soldiers was mere child's play.

However, there was something about them that made Dante uncomfortable. 'Are these guys regular soldiers?' He pondered.

As the tension in the area became heavier, a couple of red dots appeared on Dante's body, and the warlock simply glanced to the side and spotted a sniper sitting on the roof of a building almost a mile away.

Even the sniper saw Dante looking straight at him from his scope, and the soldier was slightly freaked out about it.

Still, before anyone could act, a voice interrupted the tense moment.

"What the hell is going on here!?" Camille shouted.

After Sami detected Dante's presence, Lexia decided to pick up Camille and give her a lift so that she could get to the warlock faster.

Lexia knew that the group facing Dante was part of the Novarian military since she and her family had worked with them in the past to create weapons, though she didn't know their intentions.

As Lexia descended to the ground and released Camille, the handler didn't hesitate to walk up to Dante to check on his condition.

Once she had quickly inspected him and made sure that he wasn't enduring any mortal wounds, Camille's gaze sharpened with ferocity as she glared at the soldiers.

"What are you doing here? The military was supposed to take care of the evacuation areas…" Camille commented, her tone serious and cold.

The leader took another step forward to communicate, and after taking his mask off, Camille still didn't recognize him.

"Miss Winter. You are not our target, so I'll kindly ask you to move aside," the man replied.

"Yeah, no. You are pointing your weapons at MY people. I'll move if you give me a convincing argument," Camille said, and even though she had no intention of moving, she wanted to extract a bit more information.

"With all due respect, we do not need to answer anything…" The man said, raising his hand with two fingers.

"..." An awkward silence ensued.

After a few seconds, Camille smirked and looked at the leader of the soldiers with a condescending expression.

"Did you just try to command your snipers to finish the job?" Camille sarcastically asked.

"Sorry to break it to you, buddy. We've already taken care of them," she continued.

The leader widened his eyes, slightly perplexed that all of their snipers were out of commission.

Each of the snipers that were ordered to target the warlock had been taken hostage by members of the Jade Dragons.

"We've known there were some mysterious bastards walking around since earlier. Did you think I was just going to let you roam around freely?" Camille asked, her cold tone slicing the air.

"Now, I'll ask again. Who the hell are you, and why are you targeting Dante?" she continued.