CHAPTER 96: PAIN

At first, I don’t hear anything.

After all, one of my eyes is missing, and my entire body is filled with all kinds of pain.

It’s getting difficult to even breathe, not to mention paying close attention to my surroundings. As a result, it takes me a little longer than Zarius to notice what he meant.

I slowly feel the earth beneath me tremble, then I hear very vague shouts.

Then, I turn back.

A part of me is scared that doing so will bring about my end, but this Leviathan has already proved to me that he can take my life at any moment. I do not wish to die... but I also feel a deep connection to the slow rumbling that now grows in volume.

The moment my gaze travels a distance, and I witness the scene a considerable distance from me, my single eye widens in sheer disbelief.

For what I see approaching me and Zarius is an army!

The army appears to be ten thousand strong, and the flag raised belongs to a House I am familiar with—Duke Ravenwood.

Why is Duke Ravenwood’s army here?

Why are they marching towards us? Could it be—?!

My eye immediately brightens, but I feel a chill course through my body the moment a hand touches my shoulder.

Who else would it belong to but this inhuman fellow, Zarius?!

"So many soldiers... just for you?" Zarius chuckles a little. "Judging by your countenance, this is coming as a shock to you. Is this some kind of intervention from your Leviathan patron, too? I’m curious, to be honest!"

"What in the world did she do...?" I silently mumble.

Duke Marcus Ravenwood is one of the three Dukes of the Kingdom, and after the steady decline of the Noble Faction, his Household holds the most authority among the Nobles. He definitely has ties to me, as I helped him to find his family, but even at that... he wouldn’t go this far for me.

That means only one thing.

’Dahlia must have convinced him somehow...’

Ten thousand soldiers... many of whom will undoubtedly be Knights... such a large-scale army!

Surely, with these many people, there’s a chance we can win.

’I just have to find a way to reach them...’ I glance sideways at Zarius, who watches the army with a calm expression.

He isn’t displaying his usual grin, which must mean this has to be serious—even for him.

The closer the army gets, the more details I can see.

I quietly drink a few Potions to improve my perception. This allows me to witness the approaching army in greater detail, even to the point of seeing its members with renewed clarity.

Thanks to this, I am met with yet another surprise.

The Wandering Nine... they’re here!

’Oh no!’ The moment I see my friends, my pupil shrinks in fear of what this entails.

If I can see them, there’s a great chance Zarius can as well. He is well aware of their existence, and he could target them amidst the army.

I-I have to do something about this... before it’s too late!

’Why did you come?!’ I want to scream, pulling my hair out in worry. ’How did you even know I was here?!’

It doesn’t take me very long to figure it out.

Ruthina must have used Divination to find my location, and she probably told everyone about it.

Then, Dahlia must have gone to her family for help.

’You told me you had cut all ties with them, Dahlia...’ Beads of sweat form on my face. ’Yet you went this far for me...’

As tempted as I am to smile, the sheer feeling of dread makes me unable to.

For one, I know the Duke would not have given her ten thousand men free of charge. He must have set a condition, one which probably involves her returning to the Ravenwood Household.

The fact that everyone is here means she accepted that deal.

Dahlia... she would go that far for me?!

Despite my overwhelming emotions, relief coupled with nostalgia, a much deeper feeling courses through my veins, nearly causing my heart to stop.

—FEAR!!!

’No, you shouldn’t have come!’ I grit my teeth, feeling a terrible sense of foreboding within me.

It is so intense that I nearly vomit out of sheer worry about what is to come.

"NO! RUN! RUN AWAY! YOU CAN’T WIN!" I scream out loud, even using a Grade 2 Potion to amplify my voice to the maximum.

Right now... in this dire moment... I can understand my siblings even better.

They also told me to flee.

They understood the terror of the man I was up against.

It’s the same here.

Even if ten thousand soldiers can wear out and eventually kill Zarius, it’s still a risky venture that will come with a lot of casualties.

I’m sure... if he were to pick between who to kill, this sick bastard would choose my friends.

I can’t let him do that.

No matter what, I won’t allow that to happen!

’You won’t take anyone else away from me!’ I scream in my mind, taking in huge gulps of air.

"ESTHER, NATHANIA, RUTHINA, DAHLIA, RUPERT, AUSTIN, FERNAND... ALL OF YOU, PLEASE RETREAT! YOU’RE NO MATCH FOR HIM!"

However, much to my horror... I see them shaking their head.

Then, one by one, they drink Potions of Echo Voice to enhance their voices.

"JAVIER, WE’RE NOT LEAVING YOU BEHIND!" Ruthina roars with deep emotion, her brilliant smile only further accentuated by the bright sun shining on the vast land around us.

"WE’RE YOUR FRIENDS! WE’RE FAMILY! THE WANDERING NINE!" Austin, Esther, and Rupert yell out with brave and determined voices.

"JUST HANG IN THERE! WE’RE WITH YOU, JAVIER!" Fernand and Nathania yell out with terrifyingly loud vigor.

"PLEASE JAVIER... LET US HELP YOU!" This time, Dahlia speaks with her soft voice.

It echoes loudly, but is planted softly in my heart.

Tears fall from my face.

I want to shake my head and stubbornly refuse their help, knowing what could happen, but that would be an insult to their resolve. But who cares about insulting their resolve? As long as they’re alive, that’s what matters most.

These people... they’re the only ones I have left in the world.

I can’t lose them either.

"NO!" I scream, shaking my body violently—almost like a madman. "RUN! YOU’LL DIE IF YOU COME! PLEASE... PLEASE JUST RUN!"

I don’t want to see another person I care about dying.

I... can’t take it.

So, please... just save yourselves.

Please, live...

"JAVIER...!" All of their voices reach out to me at once. "WE WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU!"

I turn speechless.

My blurry vision rapidly regains clarity, and I reach out to them with desperation.

They’re only about a hundred meters from me now.

Maybe...

Maybe... there is a way we can actually—

"Hehe, this should be fun." Zarius’ voice suddenly echoes, instantly shattering the silence with a dreadful chuckle that causes my heart to jump.

Then...

WHOOSH!

... He vanishes.

The next thing I see is a terrible slaughter in front of me.

Dozens of soldiers, mowed down in a second, and a hundred fall per minute.

I try to move, but quickly realize that both my legs have been broken—shattered by Zarius—before he left in such a hurry.

"No... no, please..."

Even if I have to crawl, I begin to make my way towards the slaughtered army.

Against Zarius’ terrifying speed, they’re nothing but meat on a chopping block. They don’t stand a chance at all.

I quickly consume my Potions, trying my best to heal the injuries, but too many Potions in the body can cause adverse reactions. Plus, the effectiveness drastically reduces, as the previous Potions aren’t done being digested by the body.

Because of this, my healing speed is slow, despite my very immense determination.

And so, I slug along the path.

Salty, bitter waters constantly flow down my face, and all my blurry sight can see is heads flying and blood spraying in absurd degrees.

Even though I tried not to look, my eye inadvertently witnesses it.

—The death of my friends.

Esther is sliced in two, both halves falling on the two sides of her beheaded horse.

Rupert’s head is cut off before he can even raise a weapon.

Austin is shoved to the ground, and thanks to his paralysis from the waist down, is unable to climb back on the horse. Instead, the stampede of several panicked horses delivers a cruel, slow death to him.

Nathania and Fernand are both struck through the heart, but not before Zarius guts the latter’s stomach and shows yet another unborn child that was developing in the womb.

Ruthina is sliced into pieces, her head buried among the piles of other bodies.

Then... Dahlia... oh, Dahlia...

I can’t...

S-she... he strips her naked, slicing off her breasts and cutting her limb from limb before driving a blade through her mouth, into her throat.

Then, he steps on her head, bursting it as though it were a watermelon.

She dies in the most brutal way!

They all die in brutal ways, and then Zarius turns to look at me, winking mischievously before proceeding to decimate the rest of the army.

At this point, I stop advancing.

What’s the point?

I... there’s no reason for me to go towards the screams of death any longer.

I did see the Duke’s first son leading the soldiers, but he was one of the first to die once Zarius began his attack. He is long dead, alongside my friends.

The rest will soon die too.

What’s the point in trying... in struggling?

In the end, we will all die.

’If that is the case, then...’ I slowly raise my head, feeling all kinds of indignation swell within my chest. My bloodshot eye and empty, bleeding socket witness the golden ray of sunlight, as well as the dark clouds that threaten to hide it.

In that moment, I comprehend yet another aspect of life.

It is meaningless.

We all live and we all die... with no comfort or escape to help secure our existence.

No matter the plans a man makes, he can simply perish the next day, and regardless of one’s wishes... once death knocks, we all have to answer.

This powerlessness is the same among both Kings and Commoners.

Dread it... run from it... Death still arrives.

But, I wonder...

Is it the same for these Leviathans?

**************

An hour passes in the blink of an eye.

The corpses of ten thousand men lay strewn on the battlefield, and the Leviathan stands right in front of them, staring at me with a distant, almost detached expression.

"It’s such a fleeting thing, isn’t it?" He mumbles before turning his gaze towards me.

"Human life, I mean."

"...."

He walks towards me slowly, before stopping and tossing a bloody mess towards me.

"She kept whispering your name, even in her death..." It’s the remains of Dahlia’s head, unrecognizable from the beautiful flower she used to be. "You two meant a lot to each other, right? I understand... the joys of youth and romance."

"...."

"But look at her; the bloody mess, devoid of beauty and all forms of attraction."

"...."

"That’s how I view all humans. You are all ugly, worthless, and unattractive in my eyes."

Silence.

I say nothing to him.

Then, he sighs, staring at me meaningfully before nodding.

"It’s about time. Should we end it now?"