40 A Single Slash

A handsome boy, as described by his peers, awoke from his slumber, observing his surroundings in pure perplexion. He blinked rapidly, his eyes trying to adjust to the unusually bright light that shone all around him.

Lifting himself using his palm as support, the boy, also named Alex Horatius, stared in shock at his surroundings. The squalid scent of blood tickled his nostrils as he gazed at the scene before him.

People that he had accepted as subordinates engaged in battle with the hobgoblin that had almost managed to end Alex's life. It was a scene out of the epics, where a natural disaster swept the humans by their feet, ending their lives. Yet, the humans did not relent, continuing to return with a firmer mindset after each death.

The monster who seemed to be committing the massacre howled in rage as it violently swung its limbs. Many died due to the action, but the hobgoblin suffered just as many wounds as those it murdered. Its large figure offered a wider surface for the humans to attack, in turn resulting in them causing more damage.

Yet, despite the apparent advantage provided to the humans, the result seemed to favor the hobgoblin, who possessed strength far surpassing the humans, who it treated as pests that deserved to be swatted.

No, it treated them highly now and considered them opponents. That was why it was enraged, and instead of trying to crush them, it now used mana to attack more effectively. The gap was vast, and the number of humans was declining rapidly.

"Rise, my warriors," A monotonous voice resounded throughout the battlefield, piercing the ears of all who dared stand in proximity. The voice seemed emotionless, as if of a being transcendent to the concept of feelings.

Eric, the person who produced the voice, shone in a dark light as darkness emerged from his body, creeping up toward the corpses of the deceased humans at a rapid pace, slithering through the rough soil. It penetrated the bodies of the deceased life forms, absorbing their flesh, and turning them into undead who lived only to stay under the command of their lord, the necromancer.

Tens of undead in the form of skeletons stood, bowing toward their lord in a very grandiose manner. They viewed the majestic figure of their creator in reverence and determination, though they did not possess any emotions to speak of.

They were lifeless dolls without vitality, an insult to necromancers all over Telos Dou Dromou. Yet, it was an achievement to have gained proficiency in the art of raising the dead despite it having been less than a month since the initiation of the apocalypse.

It was an overstatement to speak of Eric as a full-fledged necromancer, but considering the amount of time he'd spent polishing his skills, the man seemed to be a prodigy. Alex smiled as he gazed at the sublime scene. Despite not stating it outwardly, he admired Eric and Maxwell's growth. Eugene and Sarah seemed to be growing quickly, too.

Alex turned, taking a glance at Maxwell's unconscious figure, which seemed riddled in wounds despite having been fed Stones of Soma. 'Did Eric not have time? Including my bag, he should have enough to heal several people.'

Taking his eyes off Maxwell's figure, Alex unsheathed Durendal, which shined under the moonlight as it always did. The light refracted off the blade, producing a legendary appearance only seen in movies.

A cyan flame kindled in his eyes as veins bulged from his muscles. He exerted his strength to the maximum, cracking the ground beneath him as he leaped towards the battlefield, clutching Durendal tightly.

Many watched as he practically flew over the battlefield riddle with blood and corpses, colliding with the ground near the hobgoblin, who growled in disgust when it spotted him.

Eric seemed to be invested in his character, continuing to raise the undead without any intention of acknowledging Alex's presence. He seemed blank as if his emotions had faded.

"It's him!"

"The boy who killed all those people!"

"Alex Horatius!"

Many whispered about the appearance of the amethyst-eyed boy as he stood face-to-face with the hobgoblin. The latter sneered as it raised its club, infusing it with mana before swinging it at Alex.

Alex leaped to the side, and instead of staying on the defensive, he instantly lunged forward, slicing the hobgoblin's already wounded ankle completely. As the hobgoblin's center of balance was destroyed, it struggled to stand, collapsing on its knees as blood poured from the open wound.

The hobgoblin howled in pain, and that's when it occurred.

It screamed in a mana-infused voice, almost shattering the eardrums of the humans listening. Its body began turning crimson, displaying its emotions explicitly. Veins bulged from its muscles as a pained expression appeared on its face.

Alex narrowed his eyes as he gazed at the monster, who seemed to be undergoing a transformation. 'Is it self-destruction or a last resort tactic to boost its strength? Wait… could it be berserker?'

Berserker was a state in which the user was suspended from many laws of physics and gained strength incomparable to its past. In return, it sacrificed its vitality to nature, helping to better sustain its surroundings.

It was a tactic and state created by the deities to maintain the state of nature, and to prevent global warming in Telos Dou Dromou by regularly providing vitality to the surroundings, which translated to nutrition for all plants and animals.

Eric's undead, who had been chipping away at the hobgoblin's body, flew at rapid speeds away from the monster. Raging winds approached all humans, sending them flying backward. Eugene, Sarah, Eric, and Alex were the only ones who managed to somewhat resist the wind, maintaining their position on the battlefield without change.

'If this continues, all of us will die,' Alex concluded inwardly as he braced himself. He prepared to use a single attack, hoping to end the hobgoblin's life in seconds using all his power simultaneously.

It would be a large blow to his mana recovery, which could potentially cause permanent damage. However, at the end of each tutorial, every survivor was healed, which could be used to Alex's advantage. If he could end the hobgoblin with a single strike, he could reign triumphant in the battle.

'The problem is drawing that much mana,' Alex thought. He had only consumed two Stones of Soma, which caused his reserves to be extremely shallow. His body could not handle the overexertion of mana. If he gave up due to the intense pain he would feel, the mana backlash would immediately end his life.

Dismissing those thoughts due to having no other option, Alex prepared a stance. Infusing mana solely into Durendal while neglecting the protection of his body, he braced his core for a giant leap.

The flame in his cyan eyes became vicious as it raged, providing fuel to the amethyst-eyed boy. Eugene and Sarah stared at him dumbfoundedly, failing to recognize the tornado of mana that bent to his will.

"What is he doing?" Sarah asked as she leaned towards Eugene, who shook his head in response.

"I don't know," he answered quickly. "But it seems important. He's breathing heavily and shit."

Alex, after successfully enduring the excruciating pain that assaulted his body after he squeezed the last of his mana, clutched Durendal extremely tightly. He grit his teeth as he strengthened his knees, leaping upwards after doing so.

He practically flew through the air, defying gravity itself as he approached the hobgoblin. His foe's eyes widened as it stared blankly at Alex, who approached without any measures to escape.

'Kill!' Those were its only thoughts as the hobgoblin witnessed the unguarded figure of its foe. It swung its club as hard as it possibly could, resulting in extreme pain emerging from its joints.

Alex swung using all his strength, squeezing the last bit of mana that remained in his body. An arc of pure power sprayed from his blade, lighting up the entire world, even under the darkness of the night.

The blade split the hobgoblin's head from its other body parts, ending its life instantly.

However, due to overexertion, Alex fell from grace, entering unconsciousness instantly. No, he had fainted even before the blade connected with the hobgoblin's neck. The blade had been swung purely on instinct, even after no thoughts remained in Alex's mind.

No sound entered his ears as he fell into the abyss.