0.4

BlueLizard: Oi, anyone else still playing this game? I'm probably going to give up after this round.

Shadow_King: Same. It's too difficult.

DisguisedPigeon: How can anyone clear this in a solo run? Idk what the developers were thinking.

Shadow_King: At least every time you restart, the setting changes a little so you don't get bored.

BlueLizard: Sure, but it's been too many years now. I'm done. I will try my hand at that new game that everyone's been buzzing about instead.

[ Active Players: 3 ]

[ Active Players: 2 ]

[ Active Players: 1 ]

***

It was a beautiful summer day and death was on the horizon.

I gazed around at my comrades on the stone city walls. Their expressions weren't good.

"The demonic forces of Kobar may outnumber us, but they do not have the courage and strength that you all possess! Together we shall defend Adovoria! We shall defend our home!"

Grandov's voice boomed, completing his speech.

No cheers or applause followed. There was only stiff silence among the soldiers.

Even our charismatic and fearless leader lacked his usual spark to inspire confidence.

Yet, despite everyone's fear, we were all still here. The soldiers here had families and friends within the Adovorian Kingdom that they wanted to protect. My own family was long dead, and most of my friends had perished over the years. But two of my friends remained, Fin and Grandov, and they both stood alongside me now.

I clenched my jaw at the sound of the brass horn. The enemy had been sighted.

A dark outline appeared where the blue sky met the yellow grass fields. The darkness stretched across the entire horizon, and then it poured downward, turning the yellow fields black. Such was the size of the enemy army.

Grandov managed to put together 70,000 soldiers for today's battle. But seeing the fields continue to blacken as the demonic army of Kobar marched towards our castle walls, I had a sinking feeling that we were severely unprepared.

"…Is the ground shaking?"

Concerned voices sounded all around me.

"I think so. Just how many are there?"

"How are we supposed to beat that?"

I could hear fellow soldiers tremble in their shabby armor. Many lowered their weapons, and shoulders fell in despair. The sight of what we were up against overwhelmed everyone.

Heck, even Grandov had a frown frost over his face.

"I had hoped the mage squad would have made a bigger dent," he mumbled.

The yellow fields were almost entirely darkened with the enemy forces, clad in black armor. There was no end to them.

I think we all realized it. There was no hope. We were all going to die today.

But what other choice is there other than to fight?

I grit my teeth.

The alternative was to lay flat and be killed. There wasn't time to run away. Nor was there anywhere to run away to. The pigs that ruled over the Adovorian Kingdom had long abandoned us. They took their best knights and mages and fled, leaving us lowly soldiers and common folk to defend ourselves.

No. They left us here to be sacrificed. To quench the thirst for blood of the demonic army of the Kobar Empire, while they sought asylum in neighboring countries, ruled by equally rich fat pigs.

I felt something ignite within myself at how unjust and unfair this all was. Were we all just going to die pathetically? Squashed as easily as bugs? Even the always confident Grandov looked to have given up.

This won't do.

I jumped up onto the city wall and grabbed onto a metal flag pole, turning to face my fellow men and women.

"I know you're scared!" I bellowed. "I'm scared too. I see what you all see. Their army is twenty times the size of ours. It's larger than any of us expected. What hope is there against such odds?"

Fin cast a spell to magnify my voice, as he had done for Grandov earlier.

I looked over the downcast faces.

"I'm not going to tell you that we'll be victorious. Nor that you'll all live. We all know that won't be true. There's no hope for that. You will probably die. I know that I'll probably die as well–No. I'm certain that I will die today."

My audience's crestfallen expressions were replaced by curiosity. It wasn't confidence, far from it. But it was better than their defeated expressions from earlier.

"But you know what? I'm not going to die so easily. No. I will make killing me the hardest, most annoying thing for those damned bastards."

I increased my voice to drown out the approaching army behind me.

"We may be mere bugs to them. But even bugs can bite back. Even bugs can kill and take down a beast. So please, join me. Join me and make those damned demons wish they hadn't bothered kicking our hive. Show them what Adovorians are made of!"

"Hurrahhhh!!" Fin cried out first.

A few of the men and women standing on the walls joined in. It started small, with just a few voices. It was almost awkward. Then more joined in. And more. Some stomped their feet. Others thumped their weapons against their breastplates.

A deafening roar spread across the entirety of the castle walls until it was the only thing I could hear. It was the sound of men and women pushed into a corner with no way out. Desperation and madness fueled them. But at such impossible odds, insanity was an appropriate motivator. The only remaining motivator.

"Archers! Get ready!" Grandov called out.

Fin sent a signal into the air.

"LAUNCH!"

Thousands of fire-covered arrows flew toward the enemy. Some hit soldiers. Others hit the grassy fields. A wall of fire spread across the dry plains that Grandov had ordered to be covered in oil earlier.

"Oi, Luca, I've never heard such a speech before from you. That was a first." Grandov came over to me. He had a smile on his face.

He continued speaking.

"And I can't believe you managed to get everyone's spirits up by comparing us to bugs. You even got me fired up."

I scoffed.

"I'm your second-in-command," I said. "Raising morale is the least that I can do. Get it together yourself. It's unlike you to be so resigned."

I had known Grandov for three years but sometimes felt like we had known each other longer. We had met in a tavern within these same city walls. He convinced me to join The Order and protect this kingdom with my sword. I joined mainly to escape my past and earn some coin but ended up becoming good friends with him.

"You're right, though." Grandov's smile withered away. "We're all going to die here. We don't stand a chance. This is going to be my final fight alongside you."

"Who knows. Maybe a miracle will occur? It's too early to give up."

"I doubt it, but I like your optimism. It's been fun, Luca!"

He drew his sword. The enemy was scaling the castle walls already. Grandov hacked away at a black-clad enemy soldier.

I drew my own sword and sliced at a different enemy that reached the top.

***

"Hah! Hah!"

I gasped and swung my sword. My movements were stiff. My muscles burned, but I couldn't stop moving my weapon.

I wiped the blood on my face with the back of my hand and barely blocked the sword coming toward me. I lunged forward and slashed across my opponent, cutting him down.

A second Kobar knight moved towards me. I parried his attack and stepped back into position. My goal right now wasn't to kill but to protect.

"Hey Fin! How's your mana levels holding up?"

I had to protect Fin until he could recover long enough to cast another spell.

"Not good. And I'm out of mana replenishing potions."

I laughed bitterly at his answer.

"Don't you now wish that you had accepted my offer to learn the sword?" I asked.

I blocked another attack from the enemy in front of me. This Kobar knight used a tungsten spear which made fighting him difficult. Every blow was so heavy.

Tsk.

And once I defeat him, another will just step forward. The enemy's numbers were never-ending.

Voices of fellow soldiers rang through the air. But few remained. Silent corpses replaced them. The stench of death filled my nose.

"Yeah, I do..." I heard a groan behind me.

Shit.

I looked back and saw Fin had an ax stuck in his lungs. Another opponent had slipped through from behind and attacked Fin. He hacked the ax out and swung it towards Fin's neck.

Neither Fin nor I had the time or energy to scream out. Fin's head came off with a sickening sound.

I wasn't in any position to scream for my old friend anyhow. The Kobar knight in front of me took advantage of my split attention and thrust his tungsten spear towards me.

I blocked it. But I didn't block it fast or hard enough. The spear was right in front of my sword one moment. And then it was gone.

I looked down and saw it pierced deep in my abdomen. I didn't even feel it slide back out.

So that's what my guts look like? The thought crossed my mind in an oddly calm manner.

I knew I was a goner. But my opponent stabbed me once again for good measure, pulling more of my innards out. The shock was enough that it just felt like a dull pain. It didn't feel real.

I dropped down to my knees and fell back against a pile of corpses. My quivering hands felt at my intestines spilling out, but there was no use trying to put them back in. I had one remaining healing potion, but what use was it? My vision blurred.

The demonic Kobar knight didn't even bother finishing me off. It was apparent my death was near.

Somewhere on the right, I saw Grandov fighting against three enemy soldiers at once. But I knew he wouldn't last long either. He already had two swords plunged into his body. Then the same bastard that killed Fin hacked his ax into Grandov's neck.

Damn it.

I turned away and stared up. Fluffy pink clouds lined the almost twilight blue sky. It was too beautiful a sight for such a messy end.

I chugged down the healing potion. It wouldn't save me, but it'd prolong whatever little was left of my life.

And maybe a miracle will occur after all?

It was my life motto: No matter what. No matter what happens. Never ever give up.

I laughed bitterly.

Then again, what did it matter now anyway? Everyone I ever cared about was gone. Every last one of them. My friends, family, and comrades were all dead. Now even Fin and Grandov were gone.

Yet here I was. I was the only one remaining like always.

Despite the odds, I had always managed to survive in the past. Just like a cockroach. While everyone around me always died in the end.

I hoped that my efforts were enough to allow the people in the city to escape at least. But the far-away screams suggested it was a futile hope.

And once our capital fell, the rest of Adovoria was as good as gone.

Tears blurred my vision.

It wasn't fair. Why couldn't at least one person I cared about survive till now? Why wasn't I able to protect at least one person?

"If only I had… just one more chance…"

[ Active Players: 0 ]

[ Insufficient players to continue the game. ]

[ Analyzing. Analyzing. Possible solution identified. ]

I blinked.

Am I hallucinating since I'm dying?

A bright blue translucent screen appeared in front of me.

[ Hello Luca. You have been identified as having the aptitude needed to be a Player. Would you like to reset the game and try again? ]

Two options appeared as buttons. [ Yes ] and [ No ]

"What do you mean by 'game'?"

Blood spurted out of my mouth.

"Is this God?"

[ No. This is the System speaking. ]

More words appeared on the blue translucent floating box.

[ This world is part of a game called 'Adovoria's Fall'. Players came to clear the conditions and prevent the fall of the Adovorian Kingdom against the Demonic Kobar Empire. ]

[ However, all Players have left due to the difficulty level. There are no more active Players to save Adovoria. ]

"A game?"

I laughed. Blood spilled out of my mouth and ran down my neck.

"Are you telling me this world–that saving the people of Adovoria–is some sort of game for you?"

[ That is correct. This world is a game. You are currently an NPC: a Nonplayer Character. Do you accept the role of a Player and want to reset the game to try again? ]

"I must have lost my mind…"

But I suppose it's better than facing this shitty reality.

"I don't know if this is some weird near-death hallucination… but if I have a chance to reset everything and save everyone I cared about… of course I damn well accept."

I lifted my blood-covered fingers and tapped the [ Yes ] button on the blue screen.

[ Player found. Conditions being met. ]

[ Reset in progress. ]

[ Beginning Round 2. ]

[ … ]

[ Error. Partial Player. ]

[ … ]

[ Active Players: 0.4 ]