Chapter 32: White Light
Leon, who was one of the awakened in front of the cohort battling through the horde, was the leader of the forward march.
With his daggers in hand, he was an unpredictable and deadly awakened, managing to cut through the army with ease and create a path for the others — that was why he had taken the lead of the cohort.
However, now his ability to fight the endless horde was coming to a halt. He fought valiantly, nonetheless was growing weary faster than he thought he would.
Being the lead of the cohort had strained both him and his ability, and at this pace, he knew his body would soon give in to exhaustion.
Leon was a family man, having a wife and a kid — all the reasons for him to live, and the reason he had made it this far.
’I want to see Shiro grow up...’ he thought, parrying a blow from a large ogre and immediately striking the beast down. He had a lot to live for; nonetheless, at moments like this — when he had no idea when he would be killed — thinking about his family made him feel empty rather than scared.
It was as though his mind had lost all hope of survival but still held on desperately to life. And then, his eyes flickered — something up ahead catching his attention.
At first, Leon thought he was hallucinating because of what he saw. But as he began to hear the shouts from his comrades on either side, his eyes widened in awe, and his mouth opened in what could only be described as utter thrill.
"Light—
Light up ahead!"
At the top of his voice, Leon screamed for all the cohort members to hear. Many found it hard to believe; some even faltered in disbelief — those on the sides losing concentration momentarily, which cost a few lives here and there.
The rear too faltered for a second, unsure if they had heard correctly what was being shouted from the front.
And then it came again.
"It’s the tunnel out!"
The cohort, for a brief second, seemed to slow down — as if they were hesitating — although that wasn’t what was happening at that moment.
They were reeling back, catching their breaths, and exuding the last of their reserves. It was times like this, when the goal was in sight after such a long, harrowing journey, that the human mind became a fury of need.
"Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!"
All at once they chorused in a battle cry — the cohort charging forward with a pace faster than before. They struck down enemies with their weapons, shoulder-clashed others with sheer strength, and knocked them down to the ground.
Many of them, during the enraged charge, got separated — pulled in by the monsters and losing their lives in moments. Others lost body parts but still pressed on.
Those at the rear were the ones who lost far more men — many being left behind as they found it hard to keep up, soon getting swarmed and slaughtered.
Others stumbled, but having their goal in mind, the survivors found the resolve to keep themselves steady while defending the rear.
Drake, for one, had lost his sword at the beginning of the immense charge and had resorted to using his fists to fend off the monsters.
’At this rate, we won’t make it. Those of us at the rear are barely keeping up; we’ll be separated soon,’ Drake knew this. Running backward took its toll, and judging by how many of those at the rear had already fallen and gotten swarmed, he knew he could be next — or even Tessa. Luna had fallen a few times but used her ability to escape being borne down by the ruthless numbers.
However, it was only a matter of time before one of them would actually slip up and die.
Drake turned quickly to face Tessa. "Use the strongest fire skill you have and destroy as many of them as you can!"
Tessa hesitated at his words, questioning if she had heard him properly.
It was something Drake expected — he was, in truth, asking her to commit suicide, and she was supposed to accept his gamble without any assurance of being saved.
"Do it now, or we’ll all die!" he yelled again, yet she still hesitated, torn between fear and the instinct to survive.
"Tess! Do it!"
Tessa complied this time, dropping to her knees. With both hands stretched out, she unleashed a blast of fire — one so large it engulfed more than a hundred feet of the area, incinerating dozens of monsters and severely burning others.
The attack had given those at the rear space to move forward without being assaulted, and now they could run freely with the rest.
Tessa, in turn, after unleashing the attack, instantly lost control of her body, collapsing face-first out of exhaustion.
Luna stepped in at that moment, catching Tessa on her back and continuing forward at full throttle.
Drake stretched out his hand and concentrated. ’This better work!’ he thought, crouching low and then launching himself into the air before summoning Kyvern right below him.
The dreadful beast spread its mighty wings in the air and flew forward at full speed above the cohort and toward the monstrous army.
"Now, Kyvern!"
Up in the air, Kyvern opened its maws and rained down endless fire upon the horde, scorching dozens every passing second as it soared over them — filling the air with shrieks, smoke, and the horrid stench of burning blood.
Seeing this sight, the cohort felt chills down their spines. It was a vision to be revered — a demon-masked man atop a draconic beast that rained hell upon their enemies. Iconic, yet numinous.
And in the end, it provided the cohort with a fighting advantage, as now there were only a few numbers between them and the light up ahead.
At that moment, they pushed forward with all they had, their gazes seeing nothing but the burnt corpses of their foes littering the path — the steep tunnel and the bright light of the sun awaiting them.
Leon, one of the few still leading, doing his best to ignore the pain coursing through his body, stared up at Kyvern soaring above, obliterating the monsters pursuing them. At the sight of it, teardrops began to roll down his face, and a tremulous smile formed on his countenance.
"Thank you... masked man."