Proofread by Thomas F
Rahzira Axseer
'Their numbers are few; they might not be able to hold,' he said, and a moment later, blurry images entered my mind.
It's not his skill, but one of his men. He is not even Lv. 20; so the images aren't good, but I could still deduce the condition of the people attacking the undead inside.
I could see the difference in the number, given the close setting. It would be even worse if they didn't get the support.
'Lt. Colonel Luskin. Take the squad of mages with you and support the revolt,' I ordered.
He was the highest-ranking cavalry officer and brought his company of men with him; the other two companies stayed with General Cardin, while another accompanied Lord Silver.
Calvary is useless unless the gates are opened, but there are some mages and archers in their ranks.
I am also sending a squad of mages.
Their purpose is not to break the gate; they wouldn't be able to, but rather to harass the enemy, taking a little load off the people fighting the undead inside.
I am moving as fast as I can, but it will still take some time for me to reach the southern gate.
Calvary will reach them very quickly.
I hope to relieve some of their pressure. Keep them engaged in battle until we arrive.
…
Orwin Dunwall
"I will not kill you quickly, you ant. I will keep you alive and torture you for weeks. You will beg for death, but it will not come," Wendel said with a grin and attacked with a large red sabre.
"Good," I replied simply to his frustration and swung my halberd in counter.
Activating Vanguard Slash and Strong Arms, which filled my hands with strength.
Clang!
My halberd clashed against his saber, and it shook me, before taking a step back, while he followed with another swing from that red saber filled with more power.
I didn't move my halberd forward to defend against it. No, I moved with a Swift Foot.
My class is Vanguard Officer.
As its name says, I fight from the front. My skills are oriented toward it. They are focused on speed and agility, to kill as many enemies as fast as possible.
So, I dodged the attack, which wasn't easy; I was barely able to dodge it by an inch.
Unlike me, Wendel is a balanced fighter; they are hard to finish off quickly, and this one has an edge of four levels over me.
I appeared to his left and launched an attack.
Clang! Rip!
He defended mine easily and attacked faster than before. I tried to dodge the attack, but failed this time, and his blade cut across my chest.
It's a deep cut, but only a drop of blood had come out of it.
Bloodseal.
It's my capstone skill, which I got when I reached Lv. 30. It's a potent skill as it stops the blood loss instantly, but it's not without limitations.
Too many cuts and the blood will start to come out.
"Nice skill you have," he said, and I could feel the jealousy in his voice. "I nearly died for it," I replied.
The battle that made me level up to Lv. 30 had nearly killed me. It was why I had accepted the offer when the commander came to me with it.
It was the last battle that secured this region for us.
Since I fought to win it, I might as well make it my home. It was the worst decision of my life; the only good thing that came out of it was Veyra.
He didn't say anything and attacked, even faster than before. This time, I decided to defend.
Clang!
I activated Officer's Parry as our weapons touched, but he broke it, and I felt the full power of the attack.
Even with the Strong Arms. My arms shook, and I got pushed back hard.
As I did, he moved forward with another attack, while I used the force to move back at greater speed, dodging the attack, but another came immediately.
Hun!
I was moving to dodge it when the shield to my left flickered, and an arrow passed through it.
I stopped immediately and brought my Halberd forward defensively, while at the same time, arching backward.
Clang Rip!
I defended the attack, while the arrow cut along my neck. The cut is slight. If I hadn't reacted on time, it would have been a lot more significant.
'What happened?' I asked, worried.
That was Veyra's shield that had flickered and disappeared. She is the best mage here with more battle experience than I; it isn't easy to break her concentration.
'A rogue with a skill to disrupt the spells,' she replied, and my heart sank further.
Rogues are the enemy of mages. It made me worry about her.
'You focus on the battle; I will deal with the rogue!' she added as if feeling my worries. 'Ok,' I replied, and turned ahead to focus on the enemy fully.
Rip!
His blade cut through my armour, giving me another cut across my chest, before attacking again.
Clang Rip Clang!
I defended the attack, but he launched another and cut across my leg, before cutting my arms.
The difference in our levels is significant, but I need to keep him engaged. I cannot let myself die; once I die, he will move toward the others.
Time passed as cuts appeared across my body, but not as many as he had expected.
As time passed, I understood his style and began to adjust my defence accordingly. I am still getting cuts across my body, but not as many as earlier.
"I have seen many fools, but unlike you. To think, you would be able to overpower us to open the gate for Silver's forces," he said, looking at me like I am feeling.
"It is not for Silver or anyone else. It is for ourselves, for our freedom and dignity!" I replied and defended against his attack.
My answer surprised him, but it also seemed to make him angry as his eyes blazed.
"Don't worry, you will get the freedom you desire so much, eventually!" he said with a sick grin and attacked me, once more, which I failed to dodge and got the cut across my stomach.
Time passed, and my people fought, but there were too many undead.
They surrounded us from all sides and even above, from where the archers, mages, and cannons attacked us.
It is pushing our mages to their limit. If they continued to use the spells like that, they would not last for much longer; a few minutes at most.
Clang!
I defended the attack, and it moved for another one, when I saw a frown appear on his face, and his expression turned bad.
"It seemed like I would have to kill you quickly," he said, with a regretful expression. Earlier, he wanted to torture me, and now he wants to finish me fast.
Before I could think of what was happening, he came at me, faster and stronger than before.
I wanted to dodge it, but instead I moved my halberd forward.
Clang!
I defended, but I stumbled back, and he attacked me again. Once more, I pushed my halberd forward. Knowing, I wouldn't be able to dodge his attack.
Although I am defending it, it comes at a cost.
The heavy attacks are shaking me from top to bottom. They are powerful, so my arms begin to strain.
I could feel it as the shock sent deep pain from my arms and widened the cracks. It is excruciating, but I bore it as it is the only thing I could do.
As I was doing it, I noticed the intensity of the attacks lessening slightly.
Even saw the people turning one of the cannons to the other side.
'Have they come?' I asked myself, before shaking. It's far too soon. Maybe it's rapid units or cavalry; the army couldn't reach the gate so fast.
Whatever it is, it has relieved a little bit of pressure from my men.
Though only for a minute before his forces adjusted and came down aggressively on us, even more than before.
"Hehe, you shouldn't have hope. Even if the army came, the fate of you and your men will remain the same," he laughed. "We will see," I replied.
I've pushed my skills to the limit for more power, but I am already using everything I have.
I could not harness any more than this.
It is already a surprise to me that I could bring out such power. If Wendel had been at my level or even just a level higher, I might have had hope to kill him, but with a difference of four levels, it's tough.
Nearly impossible.
From the beginning. I knew I wouldn't be able to kill Wendel, and that was never my purpose. I want to stall him till the army comes and breaks through the gates.
Hun!
The shield to my right cracked suddenly by a spell, and it came toward me.
Clang!
Immediately, I pushed myself backward, nearly stumbling when I bore the attack and force that came with it.
It is happening more and more. Till now, I dodged and came out with minimal injuries, but soon, one of these spells is going to strike me squarely.
The undead are targeting our mages hard. They are the ones protecting us; killing them will end this fast.
Another minute passed, and his intense attacks continued. I am defending, but I won't be able to continue for long.
Clang!
I defended against another attack and moved to defend the one that came after, when my expressions turned bad while a smile appeared on his face.
Andra died. I felt her death.
"One of you is dead. Soon, you and the other one will die too, along with your little lover, who is already close to dying," he said with a laugh.
Hearing that, my heart skipped a beat, and I saw Veyra. Her body was covered in deep gashes.
She couldn't even stand. If not for the soldier supporting her, she would have fallen, but despite that, she is casting spells, and her shields are around me.
Seeing that, I felt a pain far greater than injuries could give me.
Veyra is the only person I have ever loved. She is kind, fierce, and willing to lay down her life for what she believes in.
She is at nearly death's door to protect me when I should be doing that.
I turned to the man and saw that another of his attacks was coming toward me, with a big grin on his face.
I moved my halberd, but not to defend, to attack.
There is only death waiting, and I am already at the limit. I could only defend for a minute or more, at most. That will not help.
So, I might as well go on the offensive; it will very likely rushing to my death, but there is a faint chance that it might bring his head.
The chance is so low that it feels foolish, but it is the only one I could see.
That will let me finish him. It will give Veyra a chance to survive and live her life.
"Ahhh!" I screamed as I swung my rapier, pushing the skill beyond the limit, when I felt a shattering sound from deep within me.
A power that is as vast as the world came out of me. spreading far and wide.
It froze the grin on his face and made his eyes widen, but a moment later, he seemed to recover, and flames of anger burned brighter.