Chapter 119
Chapter 119
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: Two Choices (8)
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Once upon a time, he had thought himself special. A talent that mere ordinary folk could never even dream of touching.
There had surely been a time when he saw himself not as a stone, but as a gem. But now he knew that wasn't true.
The gem-like talent he had thought so special was nothing compared to a real gem, and far more common than he had imagined.
On that day, his world had crumbled. And the shock of it lingered as a scar on his heart that had yet to heal.
Ironically, the true uniqueness he possessed began to reveal itself only through the endless cycle of deaths.
In truth, it was no coincidence that the Blood Will had chosen him. A man who, frustrated by his own incompetence, had denied reality.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [You're desperately denying it, but deep down, you crave to be special more than anyone. Yes, a fine talent indeed.]
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [That man will spill even more blood by exploiting his repeated deaths. He's arrogant to the core, after all.] The fundamental reason was simple. To them, the man was arrogant, yet frailer than anyone else.
Such a man would eventually break and crumble. And then he would become a blood-soaked demon of slaughter.
Yet the possessed man acted differently from their expectations. No matter how many deaths he repeated...
Even when it seemed he would break under the hopeless reality, he refused to yield. Instead, he gritted his teeth and swung his sword.
Though he belittled himself as a talentless stone, the gift that made him special endured nonetheless.
That talent began to blossom on its own before the insurmountable wall. To overcome the hopeless despair.
"Kill him! He's a traitor!!"
"The betrayer who turned against the kingdom is right there!!"
"Kuh...!!! Block them! We have to block them somehow!"
"Y-You crazy bastards!! Ignoring us and charging straight at him?!"
Like a raging storm, tens of thousands of kingdom troops ignored the imperial forces entirely and surged toward Cain all at once.
Of course, the imperial army didn't just stand by. They strained every effort to halt the kingdom's advance.
But in that chaotic melee, the imperials could only hold back so many. A few hundred at best.
It took at least four soldiers per kingdom trooper just to stop them, and even that wouldn't last long.
But Cain wasn't disappointed. His expression remained as calm and unyielding as unbreakable steel.
There was no easy answer to be seen. He simply swung his sword with all his might. To surpass this desperate wall...!
"Kuh...!!!"
Was it because he held nothing back? The moment his strength waned even slightly, the kingdom troops regenerated without dying.
Thanks to that, one kingdom soldier who hadn't been slain in a single blow finally drove his blade into Cain's leg. His balance shattered.
The kingdom troops pounced on the unsteady Cain. Swords, spears, axes... countless weapons plunged in.
Chilling blades pierced flesh and embedded in bone. A pain he'd endured countless times, yet it still hurt.
They easily tore through his already tattered armor from the prolonged battle, and malice-filled metal burrowed in effortlessly.
A crossbow bolt snapped bone with a grotesque crack. An axe swung in fury cleanly shattered his skull.
"Huff, huff."
Even the stamina restored by Defeat Regression drained away in an instant, as if it had never been. Simply a lack of ability?
No, that wasn't it. If anything, his abilities overflowed. Even if the kingdom army was an undying horde...
They were just kingdom soldiers and knights. No match for him, a veteran who'd clashed with a Master.
The reason Cain kept getting held back was simple: for the sake of the imperial troops behind him.
'If we ignore the kingdom army and charge at Andre, the abandoned kingdom troops will rampage and sweep up our soldiers. And many will die.'
Yes. Because he couldn't bear to see his soldiers die, Cain had chosen from start to finish to face the kingdom army alone.
It was certainly the mark of an ideal commander who cared for his men, but not a great general.
War was, after all, a winner-takes-all game. Saving many subordinates meant nothing if you lost. The same held true now.
Thus, Cain's best choice at this moment was to accept some sacrifices and take out Andre.
If he could kill Andre, the root of all this, it would put a serious dent in that absurd miracle.
Then the remaining imperial forces could easily mop up the now-mortal kingdom army.
'I know that. I know it all too damn well. Who doesn't know that war is winner-takes-all?'
Two and a half years. If you counted each death as a day, it easily surpassed ten years.
He had sent that much time and countless lives off the battlefield. How could such a Cain not know war's most precious truth?
Yet Cain stayed put. His mind screamed to kill Andre now, but his body refused.
'Ridiculous. It's just like being forced into an either-or choice. Two things equally irreplaceable...'
Two Choices.
Victory or lives. It felt like being told to pick just one of two things he couldn't yield.
Cain gave no answer to the despair-tainted demand. And he paid the price. A sword pierced his throat.
A throat sliced and stabbed countless times, yet the pain remained. So agonizing he wanted to flee...
"......"
After a long death, Cain finally made his choice. Victory or survival... If he had to pick just one.
He would gladly take both.
Call it stubbornness. Scold him for letting emotions override his command. But he had no intention of yielding his path.
"I won't abandon either. That's my choice and my conviction."
The man who had been broken and knelt to despair countless times now faced it squarely with his own will for the first time.
And in that instant, everything he had built along his path responded to his resolve in unison.
Thanks to that, he overcame the massive wall blocking his way.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The elite kingdom cavalry led by Andre was rated on par with the empire's best in terms of skill alone.
In fact, the knights in the cavalry took pride in their prowess, claiming they didn't lag behind the empire's.
But with divine blessings and the miracle of immortality on top, who could possibly stand against them?
Andre had planned to deploy the cavalry from the start to end it all. If Jerod hadn't stopped him.
"Why hold back the cavalry?"
"I have a bad feeling. We must serve as His Majesty's shield for any contingencies."
"......My own blood is captured right before my eyes."
"You must endure, Your Majesty. How can we rescue Her Highness the Princess if you're not safe?"
Due to Jerod's persuasion, the cavalry wasn't committed to the battlefield this time and instead guarded Andre.
That decision became the divine move that saved Andre's life today. He blankly lifted his head.
One swing. Just a single stroke. Yet its power didn't end there.
"What... what in the world is this...?"
Moments ago, the undying army toying with the empire had its momentum utterly reversed right now.
There was a saying: Only a Master could face another Master... A maxim as commonplace as common sense.
Surprisingly, not a few doubted it. Andre was one such skeptic.
How could one person, no matter how strong, face an army? Exaggeration had its limits.
But right now, Andre had no choice but to admit it. Because he was facing a true Master.
Just before, Cain had been on the ropes. Now, he was completely overwhelming them.
"B-Block him!! We have to block him no matter what!!"
"No way... He doesn't even tire?!"
"Damn it all...!!!"
The ominous black aura around Cain, fading like a dying ember, blazed hot in an instant.
Like an eternal flame, like the sun in the sky. An unquenchable aura slashed through the soldiers.
Crushed by the overwhelming presence of a Master for the first time. It felt like facing a colossal giant like a mountain.
"Full cavalry charge forward!! Buy time with an assault, and the rest prepare to retreat!! Your Majesty, you must flee now!!"
If Jerod hadn't snapped to his senses even a moment later, if the cavalry hadn't bought time with their lives.
Or if Cain had reached the Master's realm just one day sooner... Andre's head would have hit the dirt that day.