Chapter 551: The Fearless
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
"Are you deaf? Haven"t you heard me?" Seeing none of the soldiers obeying his command, Si Ke shouted out at the top of his lungs.
"My lord, we understand your concerns, but none of us can bear this humiliation any longer. I quit! I will lead whoever wants to follow me out of our bunker and fight to the death."
"Yea, Captain! We will follow you wherever you go!"
"You, You!" Si Ke"s hands trembled out of sheer fury. He watched as Jan Si and a dozen other strongest guard-captains removed their badges and threw them onto his desk.
"Brothers and Sisters, follow me!" Jan Si announced as soon as he threw down the badge.
"Lead the way!"
…
The golden colored dark one had been slaughtering innocent civilians for a while, but he had found no idea target to collect gene samples yet. Suddenly, his nose twitched as he sniffed out something in the air. Sensing the promise of a potential target, he flew himself right in front of Jan Si.
As the dark one folded his crinkly bat wings, his rat-like face gave the human soldier a "welcoming smile." A forked tongue slithered out of a hairy mouth as a few words were squeezed out form its narrow windpipe.
"Excellent... I thought all of you humans are cowards. But you, you are different."
The dark one"s sudden descent had startled many civilians. These new breed of dark ones were able to fly much longer distances than their predecessors, and therefore, were able to hara.s.s settlements far beyond the human defense line. Their attacks were able to catch humans off guard, and they often used fear to deal a blow to the humans" morale.
Jan Si was shocked by the dark one"s ability to speak human language. But he quickly gathered himself. "I have no time to chitchat! DIE!"
Without any hesitation, he plunged his blade at the dark one. The dark one opened up his wings and lifted himself off the ground in an attempt to dodge. "Haha, you are the only soldiers who have dared to stand in front of me so far. I will give you a chance and allow all of you to attack me at the same time."
KOM!
A hulking centipede-like Zerg landed right beside the dark one, kicking up a plume of dust. One dark one paired with one mutant primitive Zerg was the standard makeup of a Zerg team.
"Don"t you dare look down on me! If you consider yourself a true warrior, let"s fight one on one!" Jan Si announced.
"Captain, what are you talking about? We don"t have to play fair with these monsters! They don"t deserve it."
"Shut up, and stay out of this!" Jan Si commanded; he didn"t even spare his followers a glance.
"What a fool! Your friends are trying to save your life. Have you just found out how powerful I am? Haha…well, it is already too late!" The dark one laughed loudly in the air, his voice laced with conceit.
Before Jan Si walked out of the bunker, he still had a sliver of hope that he might be able to overcome the dark one. But, after he had a taste of its power, he knew that he had no chance in surviving the fight.
In order to save the lives of his followers, he challenged the dark one into a one on one duel. However, having his ruse being seen through, he knew he had no option but to double down on his original plan of ganging up on the dark one.
"Formation!" Jan Zi ordered.
From the dark one"s point of view, he saw not only rows of human soldiers, but also arrays of data regarding each soldier"s ability and power. He was disappointed to find out that none of these soldiers qualified as gene samples. However, they were perfect materials for his nasty personal hobbies.
As soon as the soldiers readied their weapons, the dark one disappeared. Jan Si was the first to have sensed danger, but before he could utter a warning, the dark one had pierced the hearts of two of the level eighteen soldiers. The dark one"s attack outright ignored the defense of the METAL suit.
Jan Si turned around and attacked the dark one with abandon. However, the cunning enemy picked up two more human victims and flew off. Meanwhile, the centipede Zerg was wreaking havoc in the streets a few blocks away. It seemed utterly disinterested in the safety of the dark one, perhaps because it knew that the dark one needed no protection at all.
"What a foolish and selfish idiot!" Si Ke grunted. Although Jan Si could be stubborn at times, he had been a solid soldier and a loyal companion to Si Ke until now. It would be heartbreaking to see his best soldiers die in vain. The loss of such a powerful warrior would knock his reputation and fame down a few notches as well.
By then, it was evident that the dark one intended to toy with his prey before he dealt the killing blow. He picked off Jan Si"s followers one after another, provoking him and leading him deeper into madness. If Jan Si were a level twenty one warrior, he might still be able to save one or two of his followers; but, he was only level twenty.
In five minutes or so, nearly all of Jan Si"s followers had died, leaving the general so helpless and frustrated that he thought he was going mad.
"A*shole! Come at me! How about picking on someone of your size?"
The last two soldiers smartened up as they stood back to back with each other, covering each other"s rear.
"Lao Dao, Da Qiang, steady! Don"t break out of the formation. This b*stard wants to lure us out, so don"t fall for it."
"Captain, he killed our best friends. I can"t stand it!"
"Pull yourself together! Otherwise, all of us will die here. Is that what you want? To let that jerk laugh at our dead bodies?"
Jan Si finally realized something was amiss about the dark one in front of him. Not only had it evolved into a humanoid body, but its mind was also eerily human. Picking off the weaker opponents first and then focusing on the stronger ones was the tactics often used by human warriors.
"Although he is faster and stronger than us, he has a very weak defense. Let"s take our time and plan our attacks."
As a level twenty warrior, Jan Si had the ability to gauge the power of the dark one accurately. Each dark one had their own unique abilities; this one had not only reached the legendary level, but also excelled in speed and offense. However, its speed and agility came at the cost of a weak defense.
The dark ones conducted these raids very often, and the humans had seen all kinds of dark ones. Some dark ones excelled in speed, some in strength, and some even in making battle strategies. There were so many different traits that practically no two dark ones were the same.
Since this dark one had incredible learning abilities, Jan Si wagered that it must have specialized in speed and brain functions. Like just human warriors, it was almost impossible for a dark one to be good at every aspect of warfare. Those very few who did served directly under the dark lord, and were rarely seen during such small skirmishes.
The loss of Jan Si"s comrades" lives was a wake-up call for the captain. This dark one was exceptionally smart, and he had been purposely aggravating the human soldiers to break out of their ranks so he could pick them off one by one.
Bang, bang, bang!
After another slew of attacks, the three-person formation became even tighter as the three soldiers each took a half step back to cus.h.i.+on the blows. Jan Si had to marvel at the incredible might of his opponent.
"Captain, let me lure him away! We will all die here if we stay together." Lao Dao announced. Even as he spoke, the dark one jabbed a bone spear at Jan Si. He blocked the attack with his blade, but the impact sent a shock through his body. His super METAL shone brilliantly after absorbing the most damage of the blow.
"Just let me do it!" Da Qiang shouted. To lure the dark one out meant using one soldier"s life to buy some precious time for the other two to escape. Was losing one life really that much better than losing two anyway?
"You two are not strong enough; I will lure him away myself. Run!"
Jan Si left the formation and charged at the dark one. The dark one rose to the bait, as it stormed toward him. Jan Si didn"t flinch; he doubled down on his attack as he raised the blade high above his head and channeled all his might into its sharp edge.
However, at this moment of life and death, the giant centipede Zerg came back to help its partner, going straight for the other two weaker and defenseless soldiers.
Zzeng!
In a blink, Lao Dao fell into the Zerg"s death clutch. However powerful a level nineteen warrior was, he didn"t stand a chance against the giant centipede.
It was evident by then that this dark one was highly intelligent. It had ordered the giant Zerg to pretend to be uninterested in the fight in order to lower the human soldiers" guards. The giant centipede only lashed out at the most critical moment of the battle, with the element of surprise on his side.
The dark one jabbed a bone spear through Lao Dao"s shoulder blade. Instead of killing the human soldier right away, it lifted its prey into the air and shouted. "I have heard that humans possess a special chemical reaction in the brain called humanity. I often wondered if that were true. Now, tell me, human, are you willing to die for the others?"
"Captain...don"t mind me. Kill this SOB!" Having his body pierced through, Lao Dao couldn"t start his GN force. He was as vulnerable as an ordinary human without any military training.
Da Qiang squeezed his lance tight in his hand as he urged Jan Si to make a move, "Captain!"
But unlike Da Qiang, Jan Si remained calm. "What do you want from us?"
"Am I not clear? I want an exchange. Cut your arm off, and I will let go of his." A sly smirk found the dark one"s face. Equipped with high intelligence, these dark ones were much worse to humans than those mindless brutes.
People in the city poked their heads out of their covers to watch the dramatic fight. Everyone knew that to make a deal with the dark one was to shake hands with the devil himself. Including Jan Si, everyone wished that they could ignore the offer and save Lao Dao. However, Jan Si simply couldn"t watch his best friend die while he knew there might be a chance in saving him, regardless of whether the chance was actually real or not.
Suddenly, Jan Si heard a painful cry: Lao Dao had tried to sacrifice himself for his friends, but the dark one stopped him by jabbing a bone spear into his spine, paralyzing him from the neck down.
Lao Dao"s agonizing cry reverberated throughout the city and made listeners" hair stand on their ends. It sounded so heartrending and real that the listeners thought that the spear had jabbed into their own flesh.
Lao Dao rounded his eyes, squeezing two eyeb.a.l.l.s until they were about to pop out of their sockets at any moment. The unimaginable pain rendered his body twitch uncontrollably as it thrust and throbbed with each fit of spasm.
The dark one wrenched Lao Dao"s left arm off his body as he would to a twig on a branch. The crisp sound of bone snapping out of joints made the listeners" hearts skipped a beat.
"Well, well, looks like the so-called humanity is nothing but bullsh*t! Now, your right arm." As the dark one spoke, he reached out for Lao Dao"s right arm. Jan Si didn"t hesitate this time, as he immediately punched his right arm and severed it from his body.
"Now, let him go!" Jan Si shouted.
"Not bad! Haha! Now, it"s the left leg."
"Captain, don"t do it!" Da Qiang rushed to Jan Si and embraced him to prevent him from harming himself further.
"Buzz off!" Jan Si pushed him away and then threw his head back as he shouted. "Listen, everyone! Today is the day that my friends and I die for the City of Apollo. However, as long as you see another fellow human still standing, you know that these worms will not defeat us all! My son and my brothers will carry out my unfinished task and fight with these SOBs till they are all dead!"
After he had spoken his last words, Jan Si severed his left leg without any hesitation.
The dark one furrowed his brows after hearing Jan Si"s dying words: his plan to demoralize the humans had failed. With a leg and an arm missing, even the strongest human soldier would not pose any threat to the dark one. He figured that if he couldn"t dispirit the humans, he might as well teach them to fear.
The dark one then pulled the bone spear out of Lao Dao"s body and let him free fall from a hundred feet above, head first.
Da Qiang wanted to save his friend from the fall, but the dark one was already on his way to him. The citizens who were watching the fight covered their eyes to avert the gruesome view. Jan Si also closed his eyes with regret. He shouldn"t have come out of the bunker; he shouldn"t have led his comrades to their deaths.
KOM!
People thought that since even Jan Si could not overcome the dark one, Da Qiang would stand no chance at all. However, after the impact, it was the dark one who had been sent flying backward. However, it was not Da Qiang whom the dark one had come in contact with; it was someone else. No one could see who that was, other than just an elusive shadow of a man. The shadowy figure not only delivered a blow to the dark one, but also saved Lao Dao from the fall.
The dark one gathered himself and started to scan the new opponent, quickly finding out that something was amiss. The readings indicated that the shadowy figure was just an ordinary human, although the blow he had received suggested otherwise.
Einherjar!
"Einherjar… He is an Einherjar! The G.o.ds finally answered our prayers!"
"That"s him, that"s the new Einherjar that had been saving other cities!"
Hearing the commotion, Jan Si opened his eyes, and then heaved a long sigh of relief. However little he could do, he had done all he could to protect the human world; and now someone abler could finally finish what he had started.
"Well, well... An Einherjar...Finally!" The dark one didn"t attack the new opponent right away. Instead, it tried to drag out the conversation while he waited for his partner, the centipede Zerg to come to his aid.
The Einherjar shot the dark on a cold glance. w.a.n.g Tong"s glare made the latter feel like as if his mind was as naked as a newborn child, and twice as vulnerable. Feeling naked, the dark one refrained from making any more devious plans in his mind. Running out of tricks, it ordered the centipede Zerg to attack, as the latter shot out thousands of lightning tendrils at the Einherjar. Meanwhile, the dark one also charged at his opponent with abandon.
The Zerg and the dark one landed their blows on the Einherjar at the same time, and after two consecutive explosions, all three figures disappeared, leaving only a plume of smoke behind.
Suddenly, the centipede Zerg felt a powerful force coming from behind, and it was dealt a blow squarely at the back. The dark one was much faster, and therefore was able to launch himself to a higher elevation and evade the blow.
Despite being slower, the centipede Zerg had an exceptional defense. It was able to pick itself up even after a deadly blow from an Einherjar.
"Give up now, human! Or we will kill everyone inside of this building!" The dark one and the giant Zergs found a roof of an apartment building. The centipede had already charged up his hundreds of claws with lightning, ready to kill all the innocent people in the building.
Taking human hostages was an old trick of the dark ones.
As the dark one thought that his ruse had worked, he saw a golden blade appear in the Einherjar"s hand, a sign that he was not going to give up the fight yet.
The dark one didn"t waste any time as he ordered the centipede to start killing the hostages. As the centipede threw a flurry of lightning b.a.l.l.s at the building below him, people screamed and ran out of their home. However, some civilians were slower than the others.
KOM!
The lightning b.a.l.l.s landed on the building, and the impact shook the ground like an earthquake. As everyone thought that all souls in that building were lost, they were surprised to find out that the building didn"t seem to have received any damage. A golden s.h.i.+eld expanded itself over the entire building and protected it from the blast.
The development had alarmed the dark one. He knew this Einherjar was much powerful than he had thought. Being smarter than an average Zerg, his first thought was to run away.
The centipede Zerg charged at the Einherjar to cover for the dark one while he escaped. Having blocked an attack from the giant centipede, the Einherjar counterattacked with his golden blade, cutting through the centipede"s hard sh.e.l.l like b.u.t.ter and through its body, continuing to hew right at the back of the escaping dark one.
Sensing the incoming attack, the dark one dodged to the side. However, the blade also changed its course and veered toward the direction of the dark one.
KOM!
Both the Zerg and the dark one"s body fell from the sky. Seeing the enemy killed, the citizens of Apollo rushed out of their covers to meet their savior. In an instant, the empty streets were crowded with people and the city was filled with cheers.
Praise and fame had always belonged to the strongest. But, had the people already forgotten about the soldiers who were willing to die for them? The answer was no.
Da Qiang helped Jan Si to his feet. Seeing the corpse of their best friends, they felt dead inside. The two shambled to Lao Dao, who had been tortured beyond description. In the best case, he would survive in a permanent vegetable state, in which every living breath meant punishment.
"Da Qiang, help your brother, will you?" Jan Si said calmly.
Da Qiang gritted his teeth, trying to fight off the instability in his hands. "Lao Dao, I will see you soon." Da Qiang said as he plunged the tip of his spear toward the heart of his friend.
KOM!
A bolt of lightning shot down from the sky and knocked the spear to a side.
The din had caught everyone"s attention, and the public finally remembered the real hero who had risked their lives for them. The heartrending scene they saw had taken away the joy in their hearts and filled it with sorrow and regret.
Da Qiang threw his head back and shouted to the sky, "Who do you think you are? If you are so mighty, why didn"t you come earlier?"
"Da Qiang!" Jan Si urged the other to stop the insolence toward the Einherjar.
"Let me finis.h.!.+ Why will these Einherjars allow the Zergs to ravage the land and the people in the first place? My brother is dying, and I have to finish him off. Why? Why? WHY?" Tears poured out from Da Qiang"s eyes; he couldn"t muster enough courage to do it again.
"Shut up, Da Qiang! He is the last Einherjar that dares to stand up for us. He is different from the others." Jan Si explained.
"Captain, I know... I know... But, look at Lao Dao! Look at HIM!"
Death was not a terrifying thing to a warrior; the condition that Lao Dao was in was much worse than death.
Floating in the air, the Einherjar opened up his arms as a beam of white light was cast onto the three soldiers. Jan Si was the first one to feel that something had happened to him as he started to feel his legs and arms again.
Da Qiang shouted out in surprise: "Captain, your leg!"
Suddenly, the dying Lao Dao sprung back to life as he puked out a large blob of dark blood. After that, he heaved a deep sigh and then said, "It"s choking me to death!"
The white light didn"t fade away for about ten minutes; during that time, the center of the beam where the light was most intense focused on Lao Dao. When he was brought back from the verge of death, everyone cheered for the miracle.
Unable to suppress the overwhelming joy, Da Qiang kowtowed to the Einherjar, banging his head hard on the ground until his forehead started to bleed.
The mysterious Einherjar didn"t disappear like he would after he had saved the other cities, Instead, he flew to the ground with his golden sword and announced in a booming voice, "In the name of Valhalla, I anoint you the knight of the Bloodsworn."
Jan Si regraded the golden blade in the most dignified manner; he knew this was a solemn duty that he was about to accept. And then, he slowly reached out to the blade.
The crowd cheered. Jan Si was no longer the personal guard of a craven lord as he embraced his new ident.i.ty: the knight of the Bloodsworn. In this time of hards.h.i.+p, humans needed the spirit of bravery and gallantry more than ever.
Watching the development from afar, the overweight city lord Si Ke knew that his days as the commander of the Apollo City were numbered.