episode_0182

“Who are those people? I’ve never seen their faces before.”

“I don’t know.”

In a shabby restaurant in a rural village.

When the farmers stopped by to eat Chinese food, they asked the owner, who nervously replied, shaking his head.

In one corner of the restaurant, a man in tattered clothes was hastily devouring soup and bread, while a girl was clinging to his arm, looking anxious.

“Where are you all from?”

“…”

The man briefly made eye contact before returning his gaze to his food, showing no intention of answering.

Just as the owner was about to approach him in frustration, he grabbed the man’s arm.

“Enough. He’s not going to answer no matter how much you ask. As long as he doesn’t cause trouble, let’s leave him be.”

“Do you have money to pay for the food?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Then why did you give us the food?”

“Don’t you see the sword at his waist? The cost of the food is not more expensive than his life.”

“…”

Upon seeing this, the farmers immediately understood.

He was someone who had been through a lot.

There was no one more dangerous than someone who had nothing to lose.

It was best to leave him alone, as there was nothing to gain from provoking him.

The farmers agreed with the owner’s words and sat down.

“What kind of people are they?”

As the farmers observed the man and the girl, their suspicions only grew stronger.

This area was where the undead legion roamed.

A land that had been taken and retaken by the undead legion.

Although for the past year, it had been under the occupation of the alliance forces without any breaches.

But it was still a dangerous area where being taken over by the undead legion was not uncommon.

The fact that outsiders had come here was truly rare.

“Is it because it’s become safer?”

Recently, the opening of the floodgates had made the defense line even stronger.

Had those who heard about it decided to migrate here?

The farmers pondered these thoughts.

“Important news to share! Everyone come to the square!”

“…”

Bang!

As the door swung open, a guard wearing a helmet shouted.

The farmers, putting down their spoons without finishing their meal, stared at the guard in silence.

Seeing that not a single person was willing to get up, the guard was taken aback.

“What, what are you all doing? Didn’t you hear me?”

“Is he a new recruit? Why is he so disrespectful?”

“Why is the guard coming out so aggressively towards innocent farmers?”

“If you’re going to gather people, at least give a reason and call them properly.”

The guard’s face turned red at the farmers’ nonchalant attitude.

After hesitating for a moment, the guard spoke with a trembling voice.

“The undead legion has crossed the river…”

Upon hearing his words, the farmers’ expressions hardened.

Without any hesitation, they quickly grabbed their farming tools and stood up.

“Enemy has crossed the river and is advancing. They are expected to reach the nearest town in 6 hours.”

“6 hours…”

Gritting her teeth, she slammed the map on the table.

6 hours.

Time was running out.

Upon hearing the news of the enemy crossing the river, the Frost Lord had already set out, but it would take over 12 hours for her to arrive.

By the time she arrived, the villages ahead would be in ruins, and perhaps even the second defense line would be breached.

If the second defense line was breached…

“It’s a disaster!”

The disaster Luna had foreseen.

A future where the world was engulfed by the undead legion.

Although she had sent out a fleet, the slow speed of the airships meant that they would be late to join the battle.

Ultimately, the fastest response would come from the ground forces and the Frost Lord…

Perhaps we should abandon even the second line of defense and establish a third line of defense.

Jill, after grasping the strong possibility of the third line of defense, made a decision.

“No… ”

It was a defense line that involved abandoning more than half of the southern continent.

If things continued like this, the old capital of the Holy Kingdom, Kyrn, as well as Basil and the ancient Elvengard, would all fall into enemy hands, and Pettenburg would be surrounded.

The alliance would suffer a devastating blow to the point of disbandment.

We must block the enemy at the second line of defense by any means necessary.

But even so.

There was no change in the fact that leaving tens of thousands of residents between the first and second lines of defense to die was a choice that had to be made.

Even though she knew it was the best option, Jill’s heart was torn apart as she made the decision.

“Lady! The peasants are volunteering to defend!”

“What? Send them back immediately! The enemy will swallow them up, infect them, and take their weapons to strengthen themselves even more!”

“They understand all that, but they insist on facing the enemy with only makeshift weapons and farming tools, saying that their main goal is to buy time for their families to escape…”

“…!”

Unexpectedly, Jill’s eyes widened at the sudden news.

Knowing they would die.

Knowing they would not rest in peace even after death.

And on top of that, to fight with inadequate weapons to prevent the enemy from gaining more strength.

“How could they… ”

Jill couldn’t finish her sentence and swallowed her words.

How could they make such a choice?

The answer was simple.

Only for their families.

To buy time until their children safely reached a secure place, they were willing to go to such lengths.

In such a short time, Jill felt an infinite sense of respect for those who made such a decision.

“Rescue as many people as possible who are seeking refuge at the second line of defense. And then… I will hold a memorial for each and every one of those who went to the battlefield.”

Thanks to them, time was bought.

What could spread to millions could be stopped by thousands.

Jill began to have hope.

…

…

…

“…”

A baggage cart heading towards the battlefield.

The inside was filled with a cold silence.

Peasants clutching their farming tools and hastily made spears.

On one side, someone was writing letters to leave for their families in place of the illiterate, and on the other side, someone was collecting the letters.

They all had determined faces.

“But who are these people?”

“I don’t know… ”

“Why would foreigners come all the way here… ”

The peasants inside the cart glanced at them and shook their heads in confusion.

They were sacrificing their lives to protect their families, but what about these people.

Despite warning them several times that they were going to their deaths, they followed along reluctantly, and although they had no choice but to bring them along, their actions were incomprehensible.

Shouldn’t at least the girl be sent to safety?

The peasants had thought about it, but when they saw the girl clinging to the man’s arm like a piece of gum, they couldn’t bring themselves to do it.

They had never even considered forcibly pushing her away and sending her to the rear.

But every time they got closer, the red glint in the girl’s eyes made the peasants feel a boiling sensation of fear.

A primal fear.

They didn’t know what she was, but it was clear that this girl was the natural enemy of the human race.

“We’ve arrived! Everyone, disembark!”

Before they knew it, the cart had stopped.

The door of the cargo hold opened, and the peasants’ boots stepped out one by one, scattering mud everywhere.

As they stepped outside, they saw that the dozens of carts that had stopped were now being emptied of peasants, each carrying a weapon.

They all looked disheveled, as if they had just come from work, and they exchanged glances, clenched their lips, and moved forward.

Spread out before them was a mud pit, the ground soft and squelchy from the rain.

Not the ideal place to work.

But the perfect spot to catch the enemy off guard.

“Here comes the enemy!”

Up ahead, the laborers who had arrived first were already digging trenches and waiting.

The farmers flocked to join them, shaking hands and exchanging greetings.

“We were worried you wouldn’t come. The enemy will arrive in less than an hour…”

“The traffic was bad, so we were a bit late. Is this… building a defensive line?”

“Yes. It may be humble, but at least it’s something…”

“Better than nothing, I suppose.”

It was quite impressive considering how much they had built.

Deep pits, wooden stakes, and layers of trenches.

Maybe they could hold out for at least two hours.

The farmers’ faces began to show determination.

“The plan is simple. We, who are illiterate and can barely write letters, what do we know? First, set fire in the front. Second, fight with spears from the back. That’s all.”

The village leader, now the commander of the farmer army, shouted in front of the assembled group.

They had never fought before, never even held a weapon.

They didn’t know tactics or strategies, and even if they learned, they doubted they could apply them in real combat.

So simplicity was key.

There would be no complicated commands.

Just a simple plan that everyone could execute successfully as long as they didn’t panic and run away.

“Those who volunteered for the first trench, smear mud all over your bodies! If you don’t want to burn to death!”

The first trench.

It was meant to delay the enemy’s advance as much as possible.

It wouldn’t take long for the enemy to climb over each other and get out of the pit.

But if they filled the pit with oil and lit it when the enemy tried to climb out, they could buy some time.

If the enemy managed to cross the pit while on fire, they would retreat to the second trench.

“Retreat to the second trench, hold the wooden stakes firmly, and the rest of you, stab the enemy trying to break through the stakes!”

And then resist from the second trench filled with wooden stakes.

If they broke through there, they would fight to the last man in the third trench.

“In the last third trench… fight until you die! That’s all!”

After that, there was nothing.

Hoping they had bought enough time, they would have no choice but to be slaughtered by the undead horde.

The farmers who received the orders began to move to their positions.

Some sat in the trenches, drawing symbols and praying.

Others hammered the wooden stakes deeper into the ground.

And some covered themselves in mud, holding torches and watching the front.

Among them were also the guards who had joined, discarding their armor and expensive weapons.

“What’s that sound?”

“…”

Someone tilted their head in confusion.

Silencing everyone, the village leader listened intently to the ground.

Boom, boom, boom, boom.

The chaotic vibrations intensified, freezing his expression.

Soon the vibrations grew louder.

The noise became so deafening that there was no need to listen to the ground anymore.

“They’re coming!”

At the shout, everyone stood up and turned their eyes to the front.

From the forest, a silhouette that seemed to be moving rapidly could be seen.

And then, grotesque figures emerged, pushing through the grass.

“What in the world…!”

Some had two torsos attached to one lower body.

Others had four arms, each holding four swords.

There were creatures running towards them with axes in hand, without heads.

Each undead was carrying heavy gloves and weapons, running at speeds that no human could match.

Each undead was as powerful as a knight.

But the horde that covered the horizon was close to ten thousand strong.

“Ah…”

“Can’t even buy us some time…?”

The peasants paled at this realization.

They couldn’t stop them.

The deep pit in front of them would be leaped over in an instant, and their necks would be broken with a single blow.

Even if ten of them rushed in, they would be cut down in an instant.

“Don’t be afraid! It’s too late to run away anyway! Running away and getting hit in the back of the head and dying is a real dog’s death, but if we delay them even for a minute, it’s our victory! Weren’t you all prepared to die anyway!”

“…!”

The leader picked up a torch and stepped forward.

The plan was simple, so even if the commander died, there would be no difficulty in execution.

If they were going to fight, they would do so at the front, inspiring their comrades with courage and facing death.

“We will follow!”

“I will go to the first line too!”

“No, don’t come too close, you guys…”

As the leader gritted his teeth and stepped forward, the morale of the peasants began to rise.

There was no dog’s death here.

Everyone here would die meaningfully.

They had never received military training, but they were now standing in an orderly manner.

The vibrations of the enemies running towards them were like an earthquake, but no one was trembling in fear or preparing to flee.

“…?”

As they gripped their weapons and prepared for death, someone stood up and began to move forward.

A man and a girl.

They had been silent all along.

“Even though we cannot choose how we live with honor, shouldn’t we choose how we die on our own…?”

“What?”

“I admit it. You guys are ‘true humans’.”

“What on earth are you talking about?”

The two of them stepped forward, stepping on the corpses.

There was no tension or fear in their eyes.

But there was no determination in their eyes either.

It was a look that could be seen in ordinary daily life.

The girl’s expression showed no emotion at all.

It was clear that they had lost their minds.

Everyone thought so.

“Hey, what are you doing…!”

The man passed even the first line, and stepped in front of the deep pit.

But instead of sinking down, he walked through the air, followed by the man and the girl.

The peasants were dumbfounded.

From this point on, it was beyond the understanding of the peasants.

A giant.

It was clear that he belonged to the category of humans known as such.

“Hehehe…”

Even though thousands of undead were approaching within 200 meters, the man just laughed.

Slowly, he drew a single black sword.

From the hilt to the blade, it was a strange black sword.

“What do you think you can do alone?!”

Certainly, it was said that a giant like the Frost Lord could stand alone against an undead horde.

But that was a story when fighting on advantageous terrain.

No matter how strong a giant was, facing thousands of undead on an open field would surely lead to being surrounded and killed.

Losing such a giant would be a much greater loss than losing hundreds of peasants.

Despite knowing this fact, the peasants felt the heavy sense of responsibility and urgency that had taken root in their hearts gradually fading away.

From the man who stepped forward with a single sword, they inexplicably gained a sense of relief.

“Darkia Ryu Oui.”

The man’s foot slid back, leaving a mark on the ground.

And with both hands gripping the sword, the man pulled back and prepared to swing it.

The girl who had been by his side all along was now standing back.

“Kreeeeeeek!!!”

Suddenly, the undead horde was only 100 meters away!

They were so close that you could count the dots on their faces.

The man’s sword, filled with determination, struck out.

“Crescent Moon!”

Clang!

Silently extending, a white crescent-shaped blade.

The blade swiftly swept through the undead horde, cleanly cutting through everything it touched.

The only sound echoing was the relentless slicing of the undead horde.

Although the sharpness had dulled considerably towards the end.

Where the blade had swept through, undead creatures with their upper and lower bodies separated were writhing grotesquely.

It was like a field littered with dismembered corpses.

The peasants stood frozen in shock.

“Kreeeeeeek!!!”

The undead creatures writhed and screamed grotesquely.

The separated upper and lower bodies rejoined, slowly rising one by one and starting to run.

The peasants’ faces turned pale once again.

The man, as if expecting this, nonchalantly let out a snort and took up his stance to strike again.

“If they don’t die with one strike, I’ll keep cutting until they do. Darkia’s Wrath…”

Suddenly, a fully resurrected army of thousands of undead.

As they charged forward, causing the ground to tremble with their deafening vibrations.

The man grinned wickedly and swung his sword.

But this time, the peasants couldn’t tell which direction he had swung in.

“Ironblood Stormstrike!”

A white mesh covering their field of vision.

It was only then that the peasants realized.

The man hadn’t swung his sword in ‘a direction’.

He had swung it in ‘every direction’.

As the mesh of blades covered them.

The screams of the undead being cut down gradually faded away, and a thick mist emerged from the destroyed undead.