Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: The Eve of the Storm (4)
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The excruciating pain began to gradually subside. At the same time, my vision faded to black, and my breathing grew steadily rougher.
Eventually, it would come to a complete halt, just like drowning in water.
That was death. A fear I'd experienced countless times, yet one I could never grow accustomed to.
I wanted to live.
I didn't want to die.
I hated the pain. So I tried to flee from the death chasing me right up to my eyes.
For my own sake, I even tried to sacrifice others. But even that was blocked by someone else's will.
Left with no choice, I picked up my sword. To avoid dying, I had to fight with everything I had.
That was all there was to it. Yet at some point, people started gathering around me.
Perhaps that's when it began—when my purpose started to slowly change.
This time, I wasn't just avoiding the death I'd once fled from; I was facing it head-on, even using it to my advantage.
This path was one I'd chosen myself. With the resolve not to be played by Defeat Regression's whims, I confronted death.
'Don't be afraid. Swing your sword at least once. And take in every single sight before your eyes, without missing a thing.'
I had come here prepared for death from the start. It was the grave I'd chosen myself, to seize the future I desired in the way I wanted.
I didn't turn away from the approaching death. I kept my eyes wide open and faced it squarely.
Yet even as I stared death down, my greatsword never reached the enemy.
Power King Ban.
One thing was certain: his physical prowess surpassed even Master Grandel.
A despairing gap. But this time, at least, my spirit didn't break.
Because this was the battlefield I'd chosen myself. The death I'd selected personally.
For the future I wanted, I picked up the shovel myself and buried my own corpse in the earth.
Then I trampled over the buried body and pressed forward. A thick stench of blood pierced my nose.
'Not yet. Still not enough. You can't win with this much...!!'
Even as I repeated endless deaths, my instincts refused to stop thrashing.
The desperate struggle to escape death honed my senses to a razor's edge. In that state, I faced death again.
Perhaps because I kept confronting it without fleeing—something strange began to appear.
At first, I thought I was going mad. Or maybe it was just déjà vu.
A fist crashing down like an iron hammer shattered my greatsword and split my head like a watermelon. My brains scattering as I collapsed.
That was unmistakably me. Yet here I was, still alive and unharmed.
Of course, I died right after. Exactly like the hallucination I'd seen myself.
'Could it be... I'm seeing my own death in advance? From dying so many times...?'
I'd heard of it before. Masters who reached the pinnacle of their arts could predict an opponent's next move just from their footwork.
It was probably something similar. No one else had died as many times as I had, after all.
In other words, what I was starting to see was my future death. A path to ruin, a dead end.
Thanks to glimpsing these dead ends, I could endure far longer than before.
Of course, mentally, it wasn't great. Watching your own death from a third-person view was more horrific than I'd imagined.
My head exploding, my abdomen pierced and spilling guts, my head ripped off vertebrae and all, my legs grabbed and torn vertically.
I died like that. And Cain took in every one of those gruesome deaths without missing a single detail.
"What the hell is this guy? His movements aren't even that fast or precise... but he dodges every lethal blow like a ghost?"
Regardless of likes or dislikes, that power undoubtedly helped him a great deal.
But its duration wasn't long. Maybe five minutes at most...
Once my death force was depleted, not only could I no longer see the visions, but I also lost my physical enhancements and died immediately.
Still, thanks to that power, I avoided quite a few deaths and gathered information.
'A bizarre power to foresee and dodge death one step ahead... Yes, let's call this power the Death Eye.'
Though it consumed death force at an insane rate, I realized that activating the Death Eye let me hold out meaningfully longer.
And finally, I put an end to that long, grueling cycle of deaths. I'd learned everything.
The enemy's formations and objectives, of course. Even their available forces... all of it.
As expected, I opened my eyes again. Princess Morgana, who had blocked me every time so far, stood in my way once more.
"Lord..."
"You're not wrong."
"Pardon?"
"I'm sorry. I got too worked up and..."
"Hoo, as long as you understand now."
As I backed down willingly, not only Morgana but the other nobles let out sighs of relief and returned to their seats.
"Then, our policy going forward..."
"We'll march into the Demon Realm as soon as preparations are complete. You said we can muster about 5,000 troops right away?"
"Y-yes, but scouting hasn't..."
"Every moment we delay means 100 imperial soldiers lose their lives."
I shook my head firmly. That was the reason I'd kept charging to my death over and over.
"I won't let a single one die."
For that sole purpose.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ In truth, mobilizing the army without scouting wasn't the best choice.
If things went wrong, we might suffer greater losses just to save those 100.
But compared to sending the lord charging in alone, it felt like the better option—no helping it.
'Better than letting the lord go alone. This is far preferable.'
'Besides, we can't just abandon the wyverns we worked so hard to capture.'
His negotiation skills had landed perfectly by accident, allowing him to lead 5,000 troops into the march without issue.
Of course, concerns weren't few. There was a chance of an ambush.
But Cain asserted confidently there was no ambush and even explained why.
"The enemy is holding not just 100 soldiers but even the wyverns captive. Controlling them will consume considerable manpower. They won't have the spare resources for an ambush."
It wasn't wrong, but there were holes in the logic.
They could restrain the wyverns with magic instead of brute force.
Or their large forces might simply have the capacity anyway.
Still, no one raised objections, thanks to the trust built up until now and the confidence in his words.
"I-is there really no ambush?"
"Looks like the lord was right after all..."
"Then there's no reason to hesitate. Let's advance quickly."
Even plans full of holes gain massive trust once proven true.
Before long, not just the soldiers but even the nobles began to believe Cain's flawed claims with ironclad faith.
Morgana was the exception, but even she was now bewildered by the confirmed absence of an ambush.
Thanks to that, Cain pressed forward without delay and immediately faced the beastkin.
"What? He actually brought an army. Admirable courage... at le—"
"Master Grandel!!"
At Cain's shout, Grandel instantly grasped who the target was.
The moment the command fell, Grandel kicked off the ground and launched forward.
Boom!
The massive shockwave from sword clashing against fist swept over the surroundings like a storm. Ban clicked his tongue and said,
"Not bad for a human. So, you're my opponent?"
"You talk too much. Let's get started."
"Fine!! Bring it!!"
As Grandel and Ban began their deadly duel, Cain let out a sigh of relief. No more variables now.
The reason he'd died so many times to gather intel was simple: to account for any other potential variables.
For all he knew, there could be another powerhouse here slightly below Power King Ban.
Fortunately, there wasn't. And he'd mapped out the enemy's formation completely.
'The beastkin's formation is a triangle... Power King Ban at the protruding tip, with Bear Clan soldiers holding the formation behind him.'
Power King Ban acting as the front shield and spearhead. The other beastkin forming the wings behind.
Fortunately, the Power King had taken Grandel's bait perfectly, chasing him off in another direction entirely.
That left breaking the beastkin's triangular formation. Cain swallowed dryly.
The heavy burden of command weighed on his shoulders. Everyone's lives hung on his choices.
"Hold the formation!!"
"We hold here until the Power King returns!!"
Likewise, the beastkin steeled their resolve and tightened their formation. At last, Cain's tightly shut mouth opened.