Crackle!
The red lightning forming the alchemy circle crackled.
The sky thundered.
Lighting flashed.
Tap! Tap!
A few raindrops fell.
Splash! Splash!
The rain poured.
The skies themselves cried.
"I give my life for this young child,"
The elder chanted.
With each word, his voice grew weaker.
Somehow, older.
The blood of the demon and human corpses flowed.
But as it touched the ground, it disappeared.
As if absorbed by the alchemy circle itself.
The corpses shriveled, dried.
The elder's skin sank.
His face grew older.
Thud!
The Demonic wings on his back withered.
They detached from his back.
As if withered leaves falling from an old tree.
Blinding light erupted.
Red light.
It illuminated the night.
The corpses disintegrated into red particles.
The wound on the commander's body slowly healed.
Clarity returned to his eyes.
He couldn't move or feel, but he witnessed everything.
'Who...is this?
He could see.
The elder's face aged rapidly.
But a warm smile remained on his face.
His eyes radiated love. Fatherly love.
Tears involuntarily rolled down the commander's face.
He was touched.
Touched by the love of this old man.
A fatherly, selfless love.
"Young man, I leave the burdens of the future to you."
The elder's body slowly disintegrated.
"If you meet them, take care of Zyriel and Verun. They are kind children."
The body turned into nothingness.
Only his voice echoed.
RUMMMBLE!
Thunder struck not far away.
Only the commander and the spear remained in the alchemy circle.
The spear glowed.
It gradually molded, taking the shape of a sabre.
Time passed.
The red lightning crackled.
The Progenitor consumed several corpses.
None of the people around dared say or do anything.
They watched. Holding their breath.
Silent tears streamed. Their bodies shook.
They prayed.
And they understood.
Something special was taking place with the commander.
They rested all their hopes on him.
Rummble!
Finally, the transformation completed.
The commander's weapon was finished.
The glow dissipated.
A sabre revealed.
A thick, powerful sabre.
Designs of skulls covered the handle.
Demon hound skulls and human skulls.
The tip arched.
And the sharp blade was blood red.
The alchemy circle disappeared.
The commander was free to move.
He grabbed the sabre and stood up.
The red flashed in his eyes.
He used his ability.
The lips turned black.
"Old man, I thank you for saving my life."
The commander didn't use the ability all the way.
He retained some clarity.
"This was your enemy, right? I'll help you fulfil your wish."
Swoosh!
The commander dashed.
But the Progenitor focused on feasting.
He paid no attention to the commander.
Slash!
The commander arrived.
A massive wound opened on the back of the Progenitor.
Violet blood sprouted.
Clang!
The Progenitor snapped out.
He swung the fist.
But the commander acted fast.
He put the blade before him, blocking.
The force of the punch sent him sliding on the ground backward.
Swoosh!
The Progenitor locked eyes on him.
His body blurred.
He disappeared.
'Fast!'
The commander's eyes widened.
The Progenitor reached his side almost instantly, swinging the leg.
The commander raised his forearms.
THUD!
"AGHHH..."
Pain surged.
CRACK!
BOOM!
Bones broke.
His body catapulted through the air, smashing into nearby rubble.
Dust cloud rose.
The commander lay in the rubble, but he didn't let go of the sabre.
The sabre left a massive slash on the back of the Progenitor.
It was far more powerful than the elder's spear.
'I just need to hold on,'
He gnashed his teeth.
'With its wound, it will bleed out. It will grow weaker.'
But it was just his wishful thinking.
"No..."
All his hopes shattered.
He saw it with his own eyes.
The wound on the back healed.
The healing speed visible to the naked eye.
The Progenitor slowly approached him.
The torn-up mouth, the visible teeth with chunks of human flesh, it all resembled a smile.
But no one saw the faint tears the Progenitor shed.
'How did the old man keep up with its speed?'
Terror filled the Commander.
And he finally came to an understanding.
Why the elder fought the Progenitor.
'We must kill this monster! It can't be allowed to live,'
But again, his wishful thinking.
He couldn't escape his own fate.
Suddenly, the Progenitor froze.
[You satisfied your hunger]
[Sanity returns]
An invisible red status window floated before the eyes of the Progenitor.
The deep, unquenchable desire for human flesh vanished from the eyes.
Compassion, sadness, regret, and emotions returned to them.
Vincent regained control.
[Transformation reverts: 9:56]
A timer went down
Vincent had ten minutes.
SWOOOOSH!
He didn't hesitate.
His massive body jumped.
Vincent ran.
He escaped.
Not them, but from himself.
In fear, he lost control again and slaughtered them.
Tears streamed down his face.
.
.
.
"I-It escaped?"
The commander blinked in shock.
'No,'
The face darkened.
A possibility flashed in his mind.
Could something far more dangerous be approaching?
A sense of urgency assaulted his heart.
"Someone,"
He shouted.
People collapsed, crying in relief.
But a few ran to the commander.
They helped him up.
"Commander, are you alright?"
The commander nodded.
"Just a few cracked ribs,"
The ribs cracked, but the situation was not life-threatening like before.
Pain surged through his body.
But with his Berserker ability half active, he didn't feel much.
And if he fully entered Berserker form, he would feel no pain.
But he would lose his clarity.
This much was enough.
"Get a grip together."
He ordered.
"Regroup. We'll plan our next course of action."
"Yes,"
The men obeyed.
One supported him to walk towards the building.
"See if there are survivors among the bodies. Leave no one still breathing behind,"
The shelter they previously used, the bookstore, was not far away.
They regrouped there.
.
.
.
The commander leaned on a wall.
People entered.
Mostly soldiers.
'So few ordinary people survived,'
His heart ached.
The previously full room was not even half-filled.
Many bodies lay around, barely breathing.
He counted.
And as he counted, tears streamed from his eyes.
Commanding soldiers, no problem, he could do it.
But commanding awakened, he had no clue how.
How to position them, how to properly use their ability.
He couldn't properly use them. He knew nothing of them.
'Only 120 people left,'
A lump stuck in his throat. Grief.
He couldn't swallow.
His incompetence led to so many deaths.
Of those 120 alive, many were lightly injured, and at least 15 lay unconscious, between life and death.
More than 180 people perished.
Cries filled the room.
They grieved.
The soldiers grieved their fallen comrades.
The dozen remaining ordinary people cried in fear, anger, and frustration.
"B-Brothers,"
His voice broke the silence.
His shaky voice. He didn't know how to face them.
"We must continue,"
He spoke, not trying to raise morale, but openly.
How he truly felt, and what had to be done.
"CONTINUE??!"
A person roared.
Not a soldier, of course.
"YOU INCOMPETENT FAILURE!"
He screamed.
"So many died! And you want to continue!!!"
"Brother,"
The commander raised his hand.
"You are grief-stricken. So am I. But we can't back out now. Otherwise, their death will be in vain. We must complete the mission."
"You can go and die if you want! DON'T DRAG US WITH YOU!"
The commander observed him.
The people around agreed.
He understood them.
He couldn't possibly blame them.
That fight shook even him.
If he didn't have to lead them, he would've collapsed as well.
"SHUT UP!"
Another shout tore the room.
The man who previously multiplied bullets.
He has survived.
"Don't act as if you didn't see the circumstances. We tried our best. We fought. But you saw the enemy. There were bound to be casualties."
He supported the commander.
"We were just lucky to survive. Nothing more. And had that last monster not escaped, he would've died."
Silence fell.
"I-I agree,"
The young man with buff ability spoke.
Even he survived.
"Sighh..."
The commander let out a sigh.
"Brothers, I understand you. I will give you a choice now."
He looked at them. His eyes full of compassion and understanding.
"Those who want to leave can leave now. I won't stop you or hold you accountable. You can even return to the military."
Silence again.
The people looked at each other.
Slowly and unsurely, the dozen people started leaving.
A few soldiers left with them.
But in the end, only the commander and soldiers remained. And the two men who stood up for him. The multiplier and the buff youth.
'You really hate me that much? You even risk dying in the night, but don't want to continue?'
Grief struck the commander's heart, but he quickly recovered.
"Brothers, thank you for staying. I know you have complaints about my leadership. But please wait till the mission is over."
The soldiers nodded.
"We'll depart when the sun rises,"
They sat in silence.
And the commander got lost in thought.
Lucian will wake up, he knew.
But another difficult choice awaited him: what to do with the heavily injured people?
He had no healer in the group or medic.
They were too important and rare, even for this mission.
All were left in the base.
The choice weighed on him as dawn approached.
More than 30 kilometers awaited ahead.
Abandon them? Or not?
.
.
.
A few hours separated the night from dawn.
In a half-collapsed house, a man lay.
Vincent.
The transformation had ended.
His eyelids moved.
The eyes snapped open.