The sufferings of the weak

Grand Commander vigrahm Silverblood slammed his fists on the desk, causing the maps to shake. "How could we have let this happen?!" he yelled, looking up at his advisors.

"Sir, we were not aware of the enemy's movements until it was too late," one of the advisors replied. "We had no idea  they would be able to mobilize such a large force so quickly."

Vigrahm rubbed his temples, trying to think of a solution. As he did, a soldier burst into the room with urgent news.

"What is it?" Vighram demanded.

"Sir, we just received word from the frontline base," the soldier said. "most at the frontline base soilder were sent to the towns across the border and are under heavy attack at the towns. The enemy has already taken several towns along the border."

"How many soldiers do we have left at the base?" Vighram asked.

"Only fifty, sir," the soldier replied. "And the base commander is among them."

Vighram let out a frustrated sigh. "And how many are we up against?"

The soldier hesitated before replying, "Over fifteen thousand, sir."

Vighram stood up, pacing back and forth behind his desk. "We need to send reinforcements immediately. We can't afford to lose any more ground."

"Sir, the nearest battalion is a day march away," another advisor said. "By the time they arrive, it will be too late."

Vighram gritted his teeth, feeling the weight of the responsibility on his shoulders. "Then we'll have to make do with what we have. Send a ki transmission to the grand commander to Prepare the remaining troops for battle. they'll have to hold their ground until reinforcements arrive."

****

As Richard, the base commander, stood in his office, confusion etched deep into his face. The Cyval army's sudden appearance from no man's land had caught him off guard. All the intel they had received indicated that the enemy's plan was to infiltrate nearby towns slowly, not launch a full-scale attack on their base.

Panic set in as Richard struggled to come up with a plan to get his troops out of this dire situation. Just then, a soldier burst into the room with news from the Grand Commander.

"Reinforcements are a day away. The grand commander orders We hold out as long as we can" the soldier said, his voice urgent.

"Understood." Richard replied, his mind racing as he tried to come up with a strategy to keep his soldiers safe until help arrived.

****

Azrael had been running for nearly one hour, but despite not having ki, his stamina remained strong. However, the beating he had taken left him in immense pain. His leg throbbed from the fight, and his entire body ached, but he kept moving.

Finally, after about an hour more, he arrived at the forest where they had patrolled. The scene before him was horrific. Bodies of Zefron Empire soldiers littered the ground up until where the Cyval Empire soldiers stood. Hundreds of them were in the forest, while thousands of other soldiers waited in no man's land, ready to attack. Azrael saw the many numbers of soldiers, including members of his squad, lying dead on the ground.

His hands and legs trembled at the sight before him. Azrael had never seen death before today. He wanted to run away so badly. From his hiding spot, he watched as the enemy held Herald hostage, tied to a tree, and tortured him. Azrael was terrified but decided to try and save him. He waited and observed, but he was forced to watch as Herald was tortured. He knew that this was the only way they could escape alive.

After some time, it seemed that Herald had passed out, and the hundreds of soldiers marched on towards the frontline base. Azrael silently approached and began to untie Herald.

As Azrael struggled to untie Herald from the tree, he heard a noise and quickly turned around to face his attacker. He was met with a devastating blow that sent him flying backwards.

"I knew there was still some left. Maybe we can get the information we need from you," the person said.

Despite being in excruciating pain, Azrael managed to get back on his feet and faced his attacker.

"I don't have any information to give you. Just let me and him go," Azrael said firmly.

The attacker pointed to Herald and asked, "Oh, this man?"

Without warning, the attacker grabbed his spear and thrust it into Herald's chest, causing Azrael to let out a blood-curdling scream.

"Stop!" Azrael yelled.

"Well, now that he's dead, you won't need him going anywhere, would you?" the attacker taunted.

Anger and bitterness filled Azrael's grey eyes as he spoke. "Shut up! Just shut the hell up! I have no information, and regardless, I won't let you leave here alive."

"Oh, I see," the attacker replied with a smirk.

He lunches at Azrael swinging his spear at him,Azrael gritted his teeth as he blocked the man's initial attacks, but he knew he was outmatched.

Azrael's whole body was injured and he had no strength left in him,soon Azrael found himself knocked to the ground. The air was knocked out of his lungs, and he struggled to catch his breath.

"Since you're useless to me, I'll send you off" the man sneered as he raised his spear, pointing it down at Azrael's vulnerable body.

Azrael's heart pounded in his chest as he stared up at the man and the glinting spear. He desperately tried to move, to get out of harm's way, but his body refused to respond.

As the spear plunged into his body, Azrael let out a guttural scream of pain. His vision blurred, and he felt his strength leaving him.

Azrael's eyes flickered as he struggled to keep them open. 'Is this it?" he thought. "Is this how I die? So much for being the strongest. It's cold, so cold.' He thought

All his dreams, his desires and his will to protect, to become, were gone. All that remained was death.

'You'll find peace in its embrace huh?' he thought as his consciousness faded away

Then he felt it.

An aura so sinister, power so terrifying.