Chương 39: True reality

Fury burned inside my veins. The gleeful look in the Shaman's eyes was imprinted into my mind. The joy they took in killing my soldiers was a type of violence I had never experienced before. They walked next to the corpses and kicked whatever remained of them. The bones, covered in melted flesh, were flung around like rubbish. Like the dead were just some kind of toy for them. I took a deep breath. Keep calm. Ice-cold logic.

My fists unclenched, and I stopped thinking about rushing into the group of Stone Rank Shamans. Even if I won and didn't die, that would have been a foolish move. I looked around and saw that most of my soldiers were getting overwhelmed as more and more beasts kept flooding the second choke point. Luckily, the group of Goblins near me was the only one. It was at that moment that one of the Goblin Shamans looked up at me. Our eyes met, and for a brief moment, the world seemed to still. The sound disappeared.

The fighting disappeared. And just for a second, I could only think about the Shaman in front of me. The Goblin smiled viciously, its ugly teeth showing. As everything stilled, the thoughts inside my mind turned simple. Kill. Kill the ugly being in front of me. Slaughter the Goblin that killed my men, avenge them, and win the battle. I clenched my fist, mana gathering inside my legs as I got ready to jump down. Then— CRUNCH! The grinning Goblin crushed the skull beneath its feet.

Its grin brightened, but the thoughts inside my mind disappeared. It hit me like a ton of bricks. Magic. That fucker was using mind magic and almost manipulated me into doing something foolish. But it didn't know me. It didn't know that the crushing of the skull was the biggest mistake it was ever going to make. The fury boiling inside my blood turned into icy-cold rage as I stared at the Goblin. It grimaced. Calmness returned to my eyes, and the world around me seemingly returned.

The sound of battle was heard again. Then I mouthed something I was sure it was going to understand. You will die. The green flighty thing turned slightly pale, but I paid it no mind. Instead, I channeled the mana from my legs into my throat. It hurt. My vocal cords ached. I kept going despite it.

"Retreat to zone three! Third choke point!" I roared, overshadowing the sound of battle and death for a brief moment. I broke down in another coughing fit, but that was alright. I watched as my soldiers sprang into motion. The reinforcements moved forward to help out the currently fighting soldiers. They slayed the animals together before moving back as fast as they could. It was also at that moment that magic was flung from the back of our army.

It was not the Goblins, nor was it Sebastian, who had a separate task. No, it was the twin duo who happened to awaken a trait. Fireball followed by Icebolts smashed into groups of animal after animal. The power was devastating. It could already compare to the strength of the Shamans. That's what Rare Classes were for. Their Skills started at Rare. In the far distance, a group of wolves got ready to pounce upon a couple of archers before a ball of fire enveloped the Wood Rank animals.

Their fur turned the same color as the forest. On my left, an Ice Bolt smashed into the face of a muscular charging boar, punching a giant hole straight through its skull. I nodded, glad I had managed to recruit those two monsters. I was even more glad that they followed my commands without hesitation. The call to retreat to the Third Chokepoint was the signal for them to spring into motion, and I was happy they did. Let's go, I mouthed to Gerald, who nodded. By now, only he and I remained upon the earthen wall.

The archers had long retreated. I glanced one last time at the Goblins, who didn't seem to bother to charge with the beasts. They were trying to whittle us down. I once again promised to take each and every of their lives before we too retreated. As we ran down the mound of earth, a wolf charged around the corner. It opened its maw wide, ready to chomp down on Gerald's shoulder, but we had long heard the animal approach.

The man swung his gigantic double-handed sword with one hand and cleaved through the animal easily. The wolf's momentum continued to go on, causing one half of its body to scatter behind us, while the other flew towards me. Gerald kicked the second part away, and without saying anything, we continued running. Behind us, the wolf was followed by its pack. We continued running but slowed down our pace.

The animals continued to mindlessly charge behind us like we were some kind of prey as we made our way back towards the town and the third and last zone. Just outside our archers' range, I turned back to the animals. There were ten, all Wood Rank. Besides them, there were no other beasts. I decided to engage with them and save a few arrows. My Mana gathered at the palms of my feet, and with a flash, I disappeared from my spot. Mana Step was getting better and better.

I arrived in the midst of the charging wolves before the first could even react. My fist smashed into the leading animal; a grueling crunch was the result of my attack. I didn't bother checking whether or not the animal would live. I knew it wouldn't. In quick succession, I moved amongst the beasts, kicking, punching, and throwing the animals through the air. Each of my attacks was powered with Mana, therefore delivering enough force to one-shot all of those Wood Ranks.

It didn't even take ten seconds before I was surrounded by the corpses of ten wolves. My Unarmed Combat Skill was growing even more. I could feel it being on the verge of taking the next step. I thanked the Gods for Minor Simulation. Then I jogged back to Gerald, who watched me with his arms crossed.

"Satisfied?" he asked. I glanced at the archers in the distance. Their eyes were filled with hope again. I nodded. Then we sped back towards the last zone. The soldiers stood upon the walls, drew back the strings of their bows before firing at will. It was quite the sight watching the volley of arrows arc into the sky, disappear into the dark sky before reemerging a moment later as they descended. For a breath, I heard the whistling, followed by the cascade of thuds as the arrows pierced ground and animals alike.

I didn't linger to watch the spectacle. Instead, Gerald and I increased our speed, and finally, we arrived at the wall. We climbed it with ease, a few soldiers running up towards us and making sure we were safe. After confirming we were, they went back towards their posts. Standing at the top of the wall, I breathed in deeply and Meditated, recovering my Mana. A notification rang through my mind. I opened my eyes and glanced at the notification. Meditation [Common] has reached level 7.

I dismissed the notification and closed my eyes once again, entering Meditation for a few more minutes. My Mana was now back to being full. The moment I laid my eyes upon the battlefield, I saw the same scene from before play out. The rest of the close-range fighters and I stood in position, simply waiting and watching as the mass of beasts closed in upon us. However, this time I noticed that the beast tide was significantly smaller. And it shrank even further as the animals once again were confused by our maze.

Others fell into holes, and even more went the wrong path. Volleys of arrows rained down from the sky, injuring more and more animals. Minutes passed with deep anticipation, combined with an anxious heart that was forced to wait. Finally, after what felt like eternity, the first animals reached my soldiers, and the last battle began. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. We couldn't retreat further, or else the town would be overrun.

We couldn't step back, or else our families would die. This was where it was going to end. It was either us or them. Weirdly, it was the wait before the fight that was the worst, and not the battle in of itself. When you were forced to wait, all your worries, doubts, and fears would crash down on you. It was overwhelming. So, I thanked my lucky stars as I watched a particular group of animals emerge through the maze. They shouldn't be here. Yet they were.

"Position 4!" I screamed, despite my aching vocal cords.

"Stone Rank! Retreat at once. Gerald and I will take care of it." I noticed Gerald frown, but he didn't refute my orders. We were the closest Stone Ranks to the beasts. Not only that, as we began to move towards our enemy, I couldn't but feel the power that was oozing off it. It wasn't just Stone Rank. It was at the peak of the Rank. Even worse. It had multiple comrades at the beginning of Stone Rank. Only Gerald and I were capable of taking on such a force.

We arrived within seconds, making sure not to waste any time. I scanned the battlefield briefly, making sure none of the Goblin Shamans were here, and after confirming they weren't, my full attention was devoted towards the group of beasts in front of us. They were a group of wolves with midnight black fur that blended in perfectly in the dark. Besides their faint silhouettes, only their crimson eyes staring down on us were visible. I could feel the strength oozing off their bodies.

Not every Peak Stone Rank being was the same. This wolf was much stronger than Tom was.

"We have to take care of them quickly," Gerald said, and I nodded in response. We didn't wait for the wolves to make the first move. But neither did they. As we dashed forward, a swirling mass of fire formed right in front of the leading pack animal. I barely had the time to register that what I was seeing was a fireball before it was flung towards my face. The Mana around my heart flared, and I channeled it right into my legs.

A faint blue glow surrounded them for a brief moment, before the Mana exploded out from the balm of my feet, and I was thrown to the side. Mana Step. Heat brushed past my cheeks as the fireball smashed into the ground behind me. A loud explosion rang out, but I paid it no mind. I used Mana Step another time. The distance between me and the wolf was closed in an instant. Its crimson eyes tracked me carefully, so I knew I didn't have the element of surprise on my side.

Instead of opting for Snake Strike, I used Mana Strike. Mana flowed through my Mana Channels and condensed around my fist. I tried to shrink Mana Strike even further but it wouldn't budge. My overhand was thrown with my whole body behind it. I wanted to put as much power in it as possible. But because of it, my attack was extremely telegraphed. The wolf dodged Mana Strike with ease by sidestepping to the right. I continued my momentum, and followed up with a kick.

I tried to use Mana Strike with my foot but it didn't work. At least not fully. Once again, my attack was thrown with everything I had. The monster saw through it. I continued my onslaught. A straight towards the monster's snout. A low kick towards its front legs. The wolf dodged it all. Its intelligent eyes looked down at me in amusement. But at the end of the day, it was still just an animal. It fell right into my trap.

Around 50 feet behind me, Gerald crashed into the group of weaker wolves, with shield and sword in hand. Golden light illuminated the night, briefly followed by wails of pain. The leader's amusement turned to horror as it tried to rush past me. It was met with an overhand powered by Mana Strike to its snout. I could feel the soft body part squish beneath my attack as the beast was flung back. It bounced off the ground a few times before getting back on its legs.

It looked at me and growled as its pack was slaughtered behind me. Divide and conquer. I grinned, and the beast and I met head-on. Its attack increased in ferocity. The wolf clawed towards me as I punched out. Both attacks landed, but I was the one to come out worse as a giant gash formed on my arm. I ignored the pain and simply moved forward, hoping to catch the beast off guard. Unfortunately, the wolf had the same plan. Its eyes glowed with a red light before its paw lit up in a dark crimson flame.

The heat resonating off that attack made me rethink my decision of throwing a wild haymaker. Instead, I used Mana Step again, to dodge the strike to the side. Then as the flaming paw passed by me, my shin, coated in Mana, struck out and smashed into the monster's face. Its bones cracked. But I didn't stop. I repeated the motion once again, this time truly making sure to use Mana Strike on my feet. And to my luck. It worked out—a notification acknowledging my skill.

The System has detected a Martial Art—Mana Strike [Uncommon]. Do you wish to turn it into a Skill? I denied and put Mana Strike into Martial Forms right before my next attack landed. The effects were devastating. My shin met the monster's head and crushed it like it was nothing. I could feel how my leg deformed the side of the wolf's skull before digging into its brain. Its eyes gouged outward as the brain inside was pushed through every orifice. I watched the body hit the ground with wonder.

I hadn't expected that much of a difference. Did Martial Forms really strengthen my Skill that much? I thought then the jolt of pain reminded me that I was still injured. Looking at the blood dripping down my arm, I calmly applied a healing paste from the same pouch every person on this battlefield wore. Then I slipped into meditation. I wouldn't heal instantly but meditation would help me to stop the bleeding. Also, even though the fight looked like it was easy, it was not. My Mana was drained.

Not to the point where I had a headache but close. Mana Step and Mana Strike were blackholes when it came to consumption and so was the simple strengthening effect of Mana Manipulation. But still, thanks to my fighting style, I was able to fight far above my level. The cost being that I couldn't keep this strength up forever. With Bodyforging covering my other Stats, and my next Life Simulation being close... I guess I can put even more stats into mana. And 20 free points...

I almost started to drool before Gerald pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Are you done meditating?" I opened my eyes and turned to him. Unlike me, he wasn't injured. In fact, his armor didn't even look scratched. Sure it was covered in blood, but so was the battlefield behind him. None of it was his. I nodded.

"Then let's go." I didn't move. Gerald just stared at me.

"You want to recover some more?" He asked, unsure. I shook my head, and did a splitting motion. Seeing he still didn't understand I pointed towards the east, then at Gerald. Next, I pointed at myself and the west. Then it dawned upon him.

"You want to split up," He said.

"That's not going to–" I grabbed him by the shoulders, wanting to scream. But I held back. My vocal cords would hate it if I did. I pointed at the east, forcing him to look with me. Monsters were raging rampant amongst our soldiers. Their dying screams traveled all the way over here. Worse of all, it were the Stone Rank Monsters that were the ones that did the most damage. Then I forced him to look west. I pointed out each and every Stone Rank Monster I could see. There were a lot.

I grabbed him tighter and forced him to look into my eyes. Then with a hoarse and trembling voice that was barely audible, I said, " Our people... are dying." Gerald was reluctant but nodded eventually. We had already discussed this beforehand. At the beginning, I would have to play the leader. I would have to stay safe and command my troops. But we both knew that this wouldn't last forever. We both knew I would have to join the war eventually even if I didn't want to.

There were simply too many Stone Ranks and our Town couldn't handle them all. So we split up–Gerald east, and me west. Fortunately or unfortunately, none of my soldiers needed any more commands. There were no more tactics. No more games. No retreat. All that was left was to either fight and win or die. And all of us knew that. I sped up as I watched a Stone Rank Boar pierce one of my soldiers with its horn. The man was lifted off the ground and thrown through the air, a gaping hole making him bleed viciously.

I arrived in front of the boar, Mana Strike empowering my fist before I threw a wild haymaker towards the monster's midsection. It didn't see me coming. The attack landed without any issue or resistance, and the innards of the boar imploded. I kicked the boar's front legs, breaking them with normal Mana-infused strikes. Then I broke its hind legs. It would bleed out on its own. I could tell by its sharp, raspy breath and whimpering as it lay on the ground. Instead, I went towards my man on the ground.

His eyes had a hazy look to them, as he kept muttering something. I looked at the wound and clenched my jaw. He wouldn't make it. The hole was the size of a basketball, and I could see right through him. I grabbed him by the shoulders, trying to get his attention. It didn't work. I slapped him across the face, and finally the haziness from his eyes disappeared, and he looked at me in confusion.

"Lord?" He asked in a weak voice." You are dying, soldier," I said with great difficulty, each word sending a jolt of pain through my throat." What's your name, and do you have a last message to your family?"

"I am dying? Who said I am dying? Why—?" He rambled on, and I simply pointed at his stomach. He lifted his head, paused, and then let the back of his skull hit the ground. For a minute he stayed still and said nothing. I let him. Then tears began to fall down his face, and he sobbed. He sobbed like a little child.

"I don't want to die. Please, Lord, I don't want to," he said between sobs. I didn't know what to do and simply hugged the man. A grown man sobbed inside my arms as he laid down on the battlefield, bleeding out. It felt like an eternity, as the man clutched my shirt tightly. I could feel his unwillingness to die, and yet there was nothing either of us could do. He would die. It was just a matter of when.

"My name is Anthony," the soldier finally said.

"My wife's name is Lisa and my daughter's name is Kayla. Tell my wife and daughter that I love them. Tell them that Daddy is sorry he couldn't keep his promise and that he will wait for them in heaven. Kayla, tell Kayla to follow her dream. Tell her that I was wrong. And that I was sorry for yelling at her before leaving. Tell her that whatever it is that she wants to do in life, she should follow her dreams without doubting herself." He looked up at me, his eyes red.

It was then that I saw that his heart had stopped beating. With one final struggle, he said, " And tell Lisa that I will love her even in heaven–" Then his body turned limp inside my arms. I wanted to ask the man so many questions. Why did he yell? What was his daughter's dream? But I couldn't. It was too late. Too damn late. All because fate dealt us such a shitty hand. In the end, I simply shoved all of these thoughts away, and simply looked at him for a brief moment. I imprinted his face and words into memory.

I promised to deliver his message. I stood up, making sure the body didn't just drop to the ground and looked around. The battlefield around me was littered with corpses. Men and women lay on the ground limply. Beasts and animals all around them. The emotions came to me all at once. Shame. Anger. And sadness. All of it plagued my mind as I took in the scene in front of me. Shame because I couldn't save them.

Anger because we were put into this position and sadness because these men and women weren't just a statistic. They were people with families. Their own dreams and problems. They were human and not just some kind of number on a battlefield report. Yet, I had to push all of these emotions away. And I did. I did so without hesitation. I put them into a compartment of my mind I hoped I would never have to look at again for the darkness inside it might just overwhelm me.

I walked over to the whimpering beast that was still alive. Mana flowed through my leg and I snapped. My shin smashed into its skull blasting it into bits and pieces. Then I was off again.