Chapter 385: The Second Continental War (8)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 385: The Second Continental War (8)
Ssssshh—
Shadows dispersed throughout the city.
Sweeping through the alleys as swiftly as the wind, their red eyes flashed the moment they spotted a human.
Crunch!
Squelch!
"A-Aaargh!"
They tore into human flesh from all directions.
Before anyone could even think of resisting, limbs were ripped away. Agonizing screams echoed as the alley walls were drenched in blood. The invaders were like bloodthirsty, starving ghosts. Any semblance of strategic movement was completely cast aside; the moment they detected a living creature, they lunged like rabid beasts and tore them to shreds.
For this operation, the shadows deployed were closer to demonic beasts than assassins.
Wary of potential magic bombs, they avoided targeting people inside buildings. However, anyone exposed outside—such as those transporting supplies—was marked for death. Dmitry was plunged into chaos in an instant. Since most of the fully armed forces were fighting a life-or-death battle at the Outer City, the powerless civilians could only watch, desperately clamping their hands over their mouths to stifle their whimpers.
It was then.
"Ah..."
In that brief moment, a shadow locked eyes with a woman inside a building.
She had peeked out the window to check the situation. At the sight of her, the shadow's face contorted into a demonic scowl.
"Grrrrrr."
Kill every human you find.
That was the order given to the shadows.
While they avoided entering buildings whenever possible, they weren't intelligent enough to overcomplicate things and spare a human they had already spotted. The shadow bloated its massive body. Just as it was about to swing its overgrown claws toward the window, the sunlight shining down on it was suddenly blocked by a mysterious figure.
Thud!
Crack!
A sword pierced its head, snapping its neck.
With a final, choked shriek, the shadow died.
That was the signal.
Now that his position was exposed, McBurney violently wrenched his sword from the shadow's head. He glared at the other shadows that had noticed him and roared.
"The enemy's numbers are small! Their goal is likely to cause chaos in the city and create a breach in the Outer City's defenses. From this moment on, we protect the civilians! Kill every single shadow running amok before us. We must stop them here so that this chaos does not affect the Outer City!"
"Understood!"
Rustle—
The Special Unit moved out.
Their movements were all unique. One limped, another was missing an arm like McBurney, and another walked with a slightly slow, awkward gait. This was the defining trait of the Special Unit. These were men deemed unable to ever hold a weapon again due to the aftereffects of war, yet they had taken up arms once more, driven by a fierce, burning desire. To them, McBurney was a beacon of hope. By proving that even a one-armed man could possess devastating martial prowess, he had inspired people to seek him out day after day, ultimately leading to the creation of this Special Unit.
And behind them stood Roman Dmitry.
To those who yearned so desperately, Roman had the power to provide solutions, just as he had done by teaching the Left-Handed Sword.
"Grrrrr!"
"Agh!"
Screams echoed.
A limping Special Unit member leaped off the ground and slashed a shadow's chest, while the others rushed forward to engage the rest. The shadows resisted fiercely. Those in beastly forms bloated their bodies and bared savage fangs, while others wielded swords and unleashed Aura.
Rumble!
A sword came crashing down toward a Special Unit member's head.
Like McBurney, he was missing an arm, and having just committed to an attack, he had no way to defend himself.
But then—
Clang!
"Counterattack!"
Another member blocked the blow for him.
They had trained to compensate for one another's physical limitations. A member with a bad leg deflected the shadow's strike. The transition between offense and defense was seamless. As if he had anticipated it, the one-armed member immediately channeled his Aura and slashed the shadow's chest in a single motion. The shadow shuddered and dissolved into smoke.
This was Dmitry.
It was a terrain the Special Unit members knew intimately.
As they utilized the narrow alleys to swiftly dispatch the shadows, hope began to flicker on the faces of the watching civilians. McBurney's performance, in particular, was outstanding. His lightning-fast strikes made one completely forget he was missing an arm, turning dozens of shadows into dust.
However, it was too early to celebrate.
Just as McBurney was about to finish off a fallen shadow, a sudden, perilous energy pierced his senses. He raised his sword to block.
Boom!
Rumble!
"Ugh!"
He was pushed far back, sliding across the ground.
Blood welled up in his throat.
"To think you tried to stop us with mere trash like you. I will prove how futile your efforts are by taking your head."
Rumble!
Aura surged wildly in all directions.
There was no mistake. The shadow standing before him was a 6-Star Swordsman, the leader of these shadows.
*
In the span of a single breath, McBurney saw the shadow lunging right before his eyes.
Flash!
Rumble!
He barely blocked it.
Though he managed to raise his single arm in time to prevent his head from being severed, the sheer force of the blow sent him hurtling backward. His opponent was a 6-Star Aura Swordsman. Even though the system of Aura had been redefined by Roman Dmitry, it was impossible for someone of McBurney's level to withstand a 6-Star Aura.
Ptu.
He spat out a mouthful of blood.
In that split second, seeing the shadow prepare to charge again, McBurney tore open the magic scrolls he had prepared.
"Haste. Strength."
Whoosh!
They were buffing spells.
While this wouldn't bridge the gap between him and a 6-Star, he couldn't simply turn his back and run.
'The ordinary members of the Special Unit stand no chance against a 6-Star Swordsman. I have to buy as much time as possible. The only way to defeat this bastard is for the others to clear out the remaining shadows and launch a coordinated attack.'
In truth, it was a hopeless plan.
He would die.
Even knowing this, it was something McBurney had to do.
Clang!
Clash! Clash! Clang!
It was a fierce clash.
Faced with the shadow's relentless onslaught, McBurney frantically defended himself while aiming for vital spots with bizarre, unpredictable movements. It was the unique irregularity of the Left-Handed Sword. His strikes, deviating from standard trajectories, targeted the shadow's blind spots, but the 6-Star Aura user possessed reaction speeds that far outmatched McBurney's.
Clang!
His attack was blocked.
At the same time—
Flash!
Blood splattered from his face.
If he hadn't tilted his head at the absolute last second, his head would have been taken off by that strike. He gasped for breath. Back when he was at the Southern Training Camp, he had never even dreamed of fighting a 6-Star Swordsman.
No matter his status as an instructor, he was ultimately just an ordinary man of humble origins. Even now, he lacked the confidence to achieve the legendary feats of Chris or Kevin. But he would endure. Because there was no one else to stop the slaughter unfolding in the city, McBurney swallowed the nauseating blood welling up in his throat.
Whoosh.
He lunged for a vital spot.
The shadow's lips curled into a smirk.
"Arrogant bastard."
The only reason McBurney could even exchange blows like this was because the opponent he had trained against was no ordinary man—it was Roman Dmitry. A destructive power that overwhelmed even a 6-Star Aura. The grueling hours spent training against Roman had forged the McBurney of today, and that resilience was highly irritating to the shadow.
This was Dmitry without Roman Dmitry.
To think mere trash like this dared to stand in the way of Alexander's ambition was offensive. While the 6-Star Realm was rare in the human world, the Kronos Empire had deployed a new, hidden 6-Star Swordsman even after Sven's death in the previous operation. That was the difference in class. Because they were fundamentally on different levels, the shadow unleashed its wrath, driving McBurney back with overwhelming force.
Boom!
Crash! Crash!
His body shook violently.
With every heavy impact, McBurney's eyes trembled. He felt as if his very life force was burning away.
At that moment—
Slash!
"Ugh."
His leg was shallowly cut.
As McBurney stumbled backward, the shadow grinned, sensing victory.
"Go on, call for help. Beg them to save you. Tell them the people of Dmitry are all going to die, so they must help you regardless of what happens at the Outer City. If you refuse to call for aid to the very end, I will slaughter everyone in Dmitry. I will turn this place into hell, march into the Inner Castle, and take the head of Dmitry's king."
It was over.
It had been an impossible fight from the start. He was not Chris, nor was he Kevin. He wasn't even of noble lineage like Fernando, who had earned everyone's respect. He was a mere instructor.
This was McBurney's limit. For a one-armed man like him, the very premise of blocking a 6-Star Aura Swordsman was flawed.
Thump. Thump.
His heart pounded.
'Is this where I die?'
Most likely. It was an unavoidable reality. Yet, even so, he believed the Special Unit would carry out their mission to the very end.
It was then.
Boom!
Rumble!
A massive explosion erupted a short distance away.
At that sound, McBurney recalled the conversation he had shared with the Special Unit members an hour ago.
*
An hour ago.
The Special Unit had expressed their desire to assist at the Outer City. However, Knight Commander Jonathan had reminded them of their respective duties and asked them to prevent any unforeseen variables.
Beyond the Outer City walls, the din of battle echoed. Listening to the sounds of exploding magic, screaming people, and clashing weapons, McBurney spoke to the members of the Special Unit who followed him.
"...The day I first met you all, I thought you were completely insane. Men who had lost arms, legs, and eyes, who couldn't even sleep at night because of nightmares, begging to take up arms again for Dmitry... I found it both pitiful and ridiculous. I didn't ask you why back then. But because I had gone through the exact same thing, I accepted the position of commander, hoping you might find some reason to keep living."
At the time, McBurney had been skeptical.
A bunch of crippled men banding together as a 'Special Unit' was bound to look pathetic to outsiders. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to refuse them. Just as he had fallen into despair the day he lost his sword-wielding right arm, he couldn't turn away from these men desperately struggling to find a way to live. And so, the Special Unit was formed. Though they were assigned duties, they trained while burying the lingering doubt of whether they could actually perform in real combat.
And today, Dmitry was in crisis.
In a situation where the Special Unit's strength might actually be needed, McBurney finally voiced the question he had suppressed for so long.
"Why? Why did you want to join the Special Unit?"
"...Well, isn't it obvious?"
It was a familiar voice. A man who had been quietly listening to McBurney's words lowered his head, staring at the ground as he recalled the past.
"Commander, we still can't forget what happened when we were captured as prisoners of war. We trembled in the dark, never knowing when we would be tortured, and our comrades who were dragged away screaming were thrown back onto the floor barely breathing. We heard the news that the war was over, but Dmitry wasn't coming to save us. The resentment almost drove us mad. Honestly, it wasn't Dmitry's fault. Dmitry didn't even know we existed as prisoners, and even if they did, tearing up a ceasefire agreement just to save a few of us was far too sensitive of an issue."
His name was Carol.
He was a former prisoner of war who had been assigned to the 3rd Unit after his release. He had gathered his comrades, persuaded McBurney, and created this new group called the Special Unit.
"But Lord Roman Dmitry saved us. It was completely absurd—he was willing to go to war with the Kronos Empire just to rescue a handful of prisoners. Commander, you ask why we wanted to join the Special Unit? As others say, we could easily live off our war compensation in the safe, new roles we were given. But that is precisely why we cannot just stand by and watch. I absolutely cannot tolerate Dmitry—the place that refused to abandon us to the very end—being destroyed by evil bastards like Kronos."
One man's sincerity infected the rest.
One by one, they voiced their true feelings. Despite their physical disabilities, they had actively sought out ways to serve Dmitry.
"Perhaps we will die as members of the Special Unit. Someone might say it's a meaningless life to die like that right after barely escaping being prisoners of war. But if I, if we, die for Dmitry... if Dmitry survives to the end because of our sacrifice, I am certain that Dmitry will take care of my family. My wife, my children... Dmitry will never abandon them. So even if I must die, Dmitry must stand strong."
His voice grew increasingly passionate. His eyes turned red.
He was only human. The thought of dying was terrifying, but through his many trials, Carol had learned that there were values more important than life itself.
The others agreed in silence. Everyone shared the same sentiment. Though their bodies were not as healthy as those in other units, their spirits were fully armed. People willing to give everything for Dmitry—that was the true identity of the Special Unit.
McBurney remained silent for a long time. Then, he spoke.
"I have prepared something for a day like today. I requested formal permission from the higher-ups, but they rejected it. Knight Commander Jonathan is about the only one who knows of this. He opposed it to the very end, but I emphasized the need to prepare for the worst-case scenario and barely managed to secure his permission."
His voice was cautious. However, with Dmitry pushed to the edge of a cliff, McBurney was ready to do whatever it took.
"What I am about to tell you is our secret, and I pray this secret never has to be revealed to the world."
*
Spurt!
Blood splattered.
As red droplets painted the sky, Carol stumbled, his eyes losing focus.
'...Is this how I die?'
The past few years had been incredibly turbulent. As a soldier of Dmitry, he had watched a mere barony rise to become a kingdom, and though he wasn't anyone grand, he had contributed in his own way across various battlefields. Then, he had been dragged away as a prisoner during the war with the Kronos Empire. He had been tortured daily, and just when he thought his life was truly over, Roman Dmitry had acted on a piece of communication that could have easily been ignored, appearing to rescue the prisoners of war.
He was grateful.
This world was a place where absurdity was the norm. A rigid class-based society divided humans into ranks, and nobles all too often treated commoners as mere disposable tools. That was why his feelings toward Roman Dmitry were so profound. While everyone devoted themselves to Roman, Roman never took their devotion lightly.
Whether through monetary compensation or his actions, he never accepted anything without giving back.
Because Carol was so grateful for that heart, and so thankful that Roman had looked after his family's safety that it brought tears to his eyes... Carol had truly embraced Dmitry. He was proud to be within Dmitry's embrace, and he had formed the Special Unit to do whatever more he could.
"Argh!"
A shadow lunged at him.
Behind him, he could hear the screams of civilians. The shadow would tear him to shreds, and not satisfied with that, it would slaughter all the civilians.
Carol smirked.
"Dmitry is not a land you bastards can covet."
His only regret now was that he would never see his family again. But he knew that if Dmitry fell, they wouldn't be safe either, so he had no regrets about this choice.
Crunch!
His flesh was bitten into.
As the shadow prepared to tear him apart, Carol threw his arms around it, locking it in a tight embrace.
"Come with me."
At that moment, the magic bomb connected to his heart reacted.
Boom!
Rumble! Crash!
Kaboom!
A massive explosion!
A blinding flash of light erupted, instantly engulfing Carol and the surrounding shadows.