– Frey Starlight’s Pov –
How is a warrior supposed to wage war?
That question had haunted me these past few days.
It had been half a month since I recklessly charged into enemy territory...
I’d pushed so far in that we were now surrounded on all sides.
Since the tenth night, we’ve been unable to advance any further. The enemy kept attacking without pause.
Many have already died, and only a few dozen remain from my original special unit.
We’ve fought thirteen battles so far, and we’ve won them all.
Yet, we paid a heavy price .. a price paid with the lives of our men.
"Lord Starlight... I beg you... Let’s retreat. We’ve already accomplished our mission! No... we’ve achieved far more than expected! No one would blame us if we pulled back now."
On the fifteenth night... a soldier .. one whose name I didn’t even know .. clung to me, pleading with every ounce of his being.
He was far too weak to escape on his own, not when we were surrounded by enemies.
So he had no choice but to stick with me and the others... but even that was reaching his limits.
He looked terrified... hopeless.
"So many have died... We’re dying every day, and I no longer understand what we’re doing this for... You refuse to tell us anything... Lord Starlight, we followed you because we believed in you, in your overwhelming power... But all you do is butcher the enemy, indifferent to everything else."
His words were painfully true.. the others clearly agreed. I could see it in their eyes.
"Please... Let’s retreat and regroup with the others. If we keep going , there will be no one left but you... We’ll all die!"
As that nameless soldier trembled in my arms, begging for his life...
I remained silent for a while.
The rest of the soldiers shared his fears, and the only ones unaffected were the criminals I had deliberately chosen to include in my squad.
Among them, I saw the apostate Grim step forward .. and from the way he moved, it was clear he intended to do something to the soldier kneeling before me.
There was no doubt. He wanted to kill him.
I had no choice but to stop him with a simple hand gesture.
Thankfully, Grim obeyed my orders without question, halting in place with that sick smile still plastered across his face.
Truly, a troublesome squad I had assembled for myself.
Back to the poor soldier...
I gently placed a hand on his shoulder and gave my orders.
"We’re staying here. If the enemy attacks, we’ll fight. If they don’t... we’ll go to them ourselves. Nothing has changed."
The moment I uttered those ruthless orders, I saw the light leave many faces .. as if I had just pronounced their death sentences.
The soldier before me tried to protest, but he froze as the killing intent from several people behind me descended upon him.
He couldn’t take another step forward.
Many couldn’t accept what I was doing now.
Only a few madmen actually enjoyed it.
I saw the hesitation clearly in Uriel... and in Ghost too.
Even Sansa Valerion couldn’t grasp what I was trying to accomplish.
Yet each of them had their reasons for staying by my side...
Ghost .. my partner in crime who chose long ago to carry my sins with me...
Sansa .. who decided to support me no matter how great the atrocity my hands might commit...
As for Uriel... I honestly didn’t know why she was still following me.
Her nature should’ve made her stand against me, but she didn’t. Instead, she kept helping in silence.
Even when I read her thoughts, I couldn’t tell what was happening in her heart...
But since she never blocked my path, I had no choice but to thank her .. and silently apologize to her again and again.
I would often isolate myself.
Sometimes, Sansa would join me .. my only solace in solitude.
Other times, I sat alone... reflecting on the changes happening within my body.
Sitting atop the scorched sands of the Ultras continent... I could feel every cell of mine trembling.
Under the veil of night, I breathed heavily as I watched the bloody circuits glow fiercely beneath my pale, fragile skin...
Just as that strange book had instructed me .. I had spilled plenty of blood.
I had killed thousands. My sword had become death incarnate on the battlefield.
My thirst for blood had grown .. and I spilled so much of it.
In return, I began to feel like I was losing something important within myself.
And yet at the same time... I was gaining something.
The power I sought...
The Path of Blood was bizarre. The more I killed, the sharper my blade became.
My body began evolving, absorbing aura faster than ever. My muscles grew stronger, and my level increased gradually.
It felt like I was absorbing the souls of those I killed .. stealing from them not just their lives, but whatever awaited them after death.
This strange evolution came with excruciating pain that sometimes left me paralyzed...
But I’ve been used to pain for a very long time. That’s why I endured it .. and kept moving forward, unfazed.
As long as I was gaining power, nothing else mattered.
That night, I wandered alone in the darkness, haunted by ghosts bearing faces I had never seen before...
The Ultras attacked again ..an early strike before the sun had even risen.
It was a coordinated assault. They unleashed nightmare creatures alongside a significant number of knights who controlled those beasts with terrifying precision.
Their numbers were immense, overwhelming, enough to drive despair into the hearts of the surviving soldiers still with us.
When I drew my blades and threw myself into the fray...
When my heart pounded and my muscles trembled uncontrollably...
I found myself tearing through dozens of them in an instant.
Mercilessly, I stole the light from their eyes .. human or monster, it made no difference.
Before my blade, the only fate awaiting them... was death.
They kept coming, tightening the siege around us.
Their numbers were terrifying .. thousands against mere dozens.
And in such a situation, what I felt wasn’t fear. It wasn’t despair.
Many had died already, yet I felt no sadness, no anger.
Pleased that they had sent so many.