Burning City (2)

Two hours earlier.

Outside the city gate, there was a white tent with two people inside.

"What is the current situation?" asked a deep, resonant voice emanated from the chest of a man of imposing stature.

"The monster already wiped out the entire city" answered a young soldier firmly.

"Are you sure there are no survivor?" he asked again.

Despite receiving many confirmation from his command officers stationed across the city gate, he had a feeling that something was wrong. He trusted his gut instincts, and they rarely failed him. But he couldn't use 'just a feeling' to keep his subordinates guarding an empty city invested with monsters.

"Yes, Sir..." replied the soldier, confused by the captain's question.

Taking deep breath, the captain continues to ask.

"How many casualties do we have?" he inquired, his voice cold and emotionless, but he couldn't lie to himself the truth.

"We lost 22 soldiers, sir, and 72 are seriously injured. Another 57 have minor injuries, the rest is still able to fight," the soldier answered, his tone showing a hint of emotion since he had lost a comrade during the operation.

With a heavy heart, the captain finally made the decision. "Burn the city."

A short while later, more than 100 mages who can still standing took their positions on the city walls and cast a spell called "Fire Rain." They created a large orange magic circle in the sky, pouring their mana into it. Minutes later, a rain of fire descended upon the city, burning everything, it touches.

'We have no choice' his battalion is greatly outnumbered by the monster. They tried to fight but under the Red Moon all tactic become futile.

The Red Moon made the monsters stronger, faster, and tougher to defeat. Normally, his battalion could handle around 700 Gloombeasts with a few injuries. But this time, they were caught off guard by a sudden attack of enraged Gloombeasts, and things didn't go as well.

Standing on the city gate, he felt sadness as he watched the city burn. It was his hometown, where he grew up. The streets used to be lively, filled with colorful shops and people laughing. Now, everything was destroyed and turned to ashes. But that odd feeling inside him remained, refusing to go away. rather it growing more and more.

'whats wrong with me?' he asked himself. His heart ache make him harder to breath.

-

An hour later.

"What's wrong? I think your face couldn't get any worse, but it seems I was mistaken," she said.

"I don't know. My instincts tell me something is off, but I can't figure out what it is," the captain replied, his confusion matching that of the woman before him.

Startled with the captain answer, he clenching her hand tighter. trying to suppressed her emotion, because she felt the same.

"You can't stay like this Captain! we have 1000 soldiers under our command. We've already passed our time limit and completed our objective an hour ago. It's time for us to leave," she said, her voice cold. She understood the captain's accurate instincts better than anyone since they had been comrades for the past five years.

But she also knew they had no choice. The kingdom was in chaos, with many cities being attacked by monsters. Although the situation in Ember Stone was particularly dire, requiring extreme measures to stop the monsters from advancing toward the capital. They couldn't stay here other cities still needed help, and any help could make a difference and save more lives.

"Captain, it's time for us to leave," she continue. Her captain's shoulders slumped as he faced the burning city before him.

"Yes, prepare the teleportation spell," he commanded, still gazing at the city.

The soldiers grouped in 100, forming a circle around a mage who stood at the center, chanting the spell.

It took 20 minutes to teleport all the soldiers, and then it was his turn.

"AARGH, DIE YOU BASTARD!" Suddenly, a human voice echoed from the heart of the blazing city.

"Freya, did you hear that!?" the captain asked her, his expression filled with surprise.

"I heard—" Before she could finish her sentence, her captain was already charging towards the voice.

Taken aback by his sudden action, she ordered the remaining soldiers to wait for their return.

She ran towards her captain, ignoring the pleas of her fellow soldiers.

—

Cedric Leonhardt, his armor reflecting the fiery glow of the burning city, stood atop a building that had once been a library, witnessing the chaos unfold before him.

"Where are you?" The captain prepared to continue running, unaffected by the scorching heat due to his high fire resistance.

Soon, his vice-captain caught up with him on the rooftop. The smoke was thick, making it impossible to see in the city clearly.

"Freya, use your Life Detection skill, quickly!" he commanded, his breath uneven.

Annoyed by her captain's orders and breathing heavily, she activated her skill.

"I'll remember this," she muttered resentfully under her breath.

"[Life Detection!]" As she activated the skill, she could see the life energies within a hundred-meter radius around her. It was like a radar, with white dots representing humans and red dots indicating monsters.

In her vision, she spotted seven remaining Gloombeasts nearby, along with three white dots. One dot was her captain, one represented herself at the center, and the other was located 74 meters northeast, near the temple.

"I saw him in the temple plaza—" Before she could finish her sentence, he had already disappeared once again.

Frustrated, she suppressed her anger, knowing that her time would come, but it was not now.

—

Running with all his might finally he sees the temple hall. In front of it there are statue of Auros standing there in middle of the ruin of the temple. Standing there menacingly ignoring the chaos of world in front of him and before him. There he saw a skinny panting boy in his fifteen carrying a spear that taller than his body.

Cedric 's heart sank as he observed the boy's exhausted and worn-out state. Fatigue showed through the boy's trembling body. And what he sees after the boy make his heart stop for a while. A Gloombeast with three meter tall and five-meter-long monster standing with his four feet opening its jaw sowing its full salivate sharp fang. Looking at the boy as its prey.

'I'm late' he blames himself. Still running in the boy direction.

Chills ran down Cedric's spine as he saw the boy gaze.

'Those eyes, its like a calm lake under the full moon, with no fear inside. It filled with determination and patience, waiting for the perfect moment to strike, like an predator that looking at his prey.

The heaven must be crazy, 'how fifteen years old have a gaze of a veteran warrior?' the only times he has seen those eyes were his father eyes when he fights with him against the demon invasion ten years ago. The eyes that see nothing except the death of his opponent.

In an instant, the beast jump toward the boy.

-Bang!

The after shock shocked the ground, but the boy held his ground. The beast charging with its own might towards the boy. His crude footing struggled to maintain stability on the uneven terrain, his malnourished body tremble under the weight of his giant spear. Beads of sweat soaked his body, mixing with the dirt and blood that he certain it's not the boy blood that soaked his body.

The captain clenched his fists harder, feeling his heart ache more and more. 'Faster, I need to save him. or else I will regret it for the rest of my life'

Yet, the boy stands like a mountain towards the approaching death, his fingertips brushing against its cold metal never let it go. Maintaining his eyes toward the death in front of him.

"DIE!" the boy shouts filling the empty burning city with his cry for his life.