Before the kingdom crumbled, General Fuery stood bravely at the northern gate, unaware that this would certainly be his final battle.

  The cold wind bit against my skin, but I barely felt it. There was something far worse. A massive dark army marched, their flags flickering like black flames.

  “Why are they all… so black?“

  “No… this is impossible.”

  “I need to get back to my boy… whatever the hell this is.“

  I could hear the murmurs of my soldiers, their voices laced with worry and dread. Some visibly trembled with fear, their eyes wide, and some even prayed to whatever gods they believed in. But I am not one to easily show fear. I led these men; therefore, I will show bravery no matter what I have to face.

  We've made deliberate preparations to fight any enemies that march and try to attack our city. Archers are set atop the walls surrounding the outer city and deployed in the main army that has been spread out behind me. Cavalries and infantries are also in position, readying the horses for battle and tightening the grips on their swords and shields.

  I held out my sword in front of me. Its guard bore a fire-like yet noble pattern with the handle purpose for two-handed wielding wrapped with dark leather. The blade, like the sun, blinding with its shine. The design was the embodiment of my fiery, raging, yet calm spirit; that was what King Ren had told me when he gifted this to me.

  I've attained many achievements throughout my service. From a rookie soldier to a general at the tender age of twenty-six. I can only be grateful for the talent I had with the sword since I was a child. I was gifted. Nicknamed the Sword Saint, I was undefeated in every battle.

  With my dark brown hair kissed by the wind, I glanced to my right to see a female knight. She adorned the usual silver armor, but it was the kind that nobles wore. I wasn't of noble birth; that's why it was a miracle for me to even become a general.

  With strong but gentle steps, the female knight came towards me. “How are you feeling, General?“ She seemed relaxed, but after countless battles on the battlefield and seeing death far too many times has made us numb. I knew she was a bit similar to me, maybe that's why I had some feelings for her.

  “This one feels different, Captain Vanessa. Worse,“ I expressed my concern, but not enough to show any fear. Sheathing my sword back in its scabbard, I turned my gaze back to the advancing black army.

  “Not something you can't handle, right, General?“ she chuckled. Humorous, isn't she?

  “Have you prepared?“

  “Yes, Sir.“

  Without wasting any time, I hopped on the back of my valiant white horse, which has always been with me, facing death so many times. “Soldiers!“ I shouted with vigor, my gravelly voice echoing, gathering the attention of the masses. My dark, azure eyes were strong and fierce, piercing even the fears that clouded their judgment. “I need you all to know that you are not alone in this fight. You have capable captains, and I am leading you all here!“

  I continued, slowly pacing left and right in front of them, “You are all soldiers of this kingdom. This is your home. Without your home, you have nothing!“ I unsheathed my sword and pointed it to the sky, “Will my men cower in fear from this puny enemy?!“

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  I shouted once more, but this time, riling up my anger, pointing my sword to the incoming army, “Or will you fight with me to end this enemy that will destroy your homes, your friends, and your loved ones?!“

  With those last words, a roar erupted among the soldiers. Burning away any hint of fear, only for a moment. Of course, the Sword Saint alone gave the soldiers peace of mind with his proven strength.

  I readied my horse, sword in hand, and with only a gesture, we charged towards the enemy. My soldiers were trained to fight in formations, we weren't weak, feeble-minded warriors.

  What…?

  Suddenly, like the rain, balls of fire formed in the sky. They were two meters in diameter, too big. What sorcery is this? Ever since I've lived, I've never seen anything like this… it could only be witchcraft.

  Distracted by the despairing sight, some of the enemies have already entered our ranks and started their massacre. “Retreat! Retreat!“ I didn't expect this; we were completely overwhelmed. Many of our soldiers had been killed

  And then I saw them— massive figures, riding massive horses. They all shared one distinct feature… horns.

  Shit! Demons?!

  Soldiers were screaming left and right, accompanied by clashes of swords, and fireballs were flying, burning some of the soldiers alive. While some soldiers were decapitated instantly or slashed in half, that's how powerful the demons were.

  I couldn't leave the soldiers who weren't fast enough to retreat; my body moved on its own to protect some of them.

  I was fast enough to initiate a downward slash at a demon that was about to stab a soldier, but could only dig my sword into its shoulder halfway. Not deep enough.

  “You tough bastard!“

  In the demon's defense, it tried to swing its sword at me, I parried, and perfectly cut its head off clean this time.

  “So I have to use that much strength.“ I panted.

  “G-General, behind you!“ a voice cried.

  I turned my head over my left shoulder to see a demon almost halfway through his left swing, almost reaching my eye. By good luck, I had the reflex to evade it, but I lost footing and landed on my ass as a result.

  The demon came in again, chasing me with a downward swing, but I successfully blocked it. In quick succession, I rolled my body to the right and quickly slashed its throat, standing back up, readying my sword for another threat.

  I realized that I couldn't save everyone and that I needed to regroup with the main army. Fortunately, only one layer of our army charged to the front, and the other two layers were still near the wall, ready to kill any of those who passed by the first layer.

  I hastened my steps and ran to the main army, killing a few demons on my way. They were tough to deal with, even for me.

  The main army was still intact, but I could see that they were having a hard time.

  Cavalry units were reduced to infantry because of how the demons were targeting their horses before, ultimately, killing them.

  Three foot soldiers were needed to even kill one demon.

  Archers needed to aim for the demon's joints to slow them down, due to their armor being too hard for them to penetrate.

  It's a grim sight…

  This isn't a battle. It's a massacre. Hopeless

  “General!“ a voice called out to me, “Are these demons?!“ Vanessa panted. I could see that her then-silver armor was now painted with blood.

  “It's hard to believe… but I think they are demons.“ I swung my sword at the ground, trying to get rid of the viscous blood tainting the blade. “With their size and those… horns. It's them.“ My expression was grim.

  “At this rate, we'll all be killed!“ I can hear her voice trembling. “I heard from the soldiers that some demons have gotten into the city!“

  Shocked, I narrowed my eyes at the horde of demons, “We need to—” Before I could even finish, I heard something whiz beside my right ear, landing with a thud.

  It caught me off guard, and as if time was frozen, there I saw her. Vanessa, the woman I liked, with her eyes that, a moment ago, were looking at me, slowly fell to the ground.

  Her eyes were devoid of any light…

  Lifeless.

  That moment stretched into eternity. I knew for a fact, as a warrior, I couldn't let emotions get the best of me. I had to… kill my emotions.

  “Fuck, FUCK! I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU!!“ My scream tore from my throat, swallowing the sounds of battle.

  I couldn't kill my emotions well enough. Rage consumed me, I lost control, I went berserk. My mind blurred. All I wanted was these accursed demons to die!

  I lunged into a group of demons. My blade pierced one beneath its chin, killing it instantly. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw an oncoming blade, but I quickly parried, staggering the fool. Severed the hand that was holding the blade, then stabbed it through the heart.

  My onslaught on the demons went on and on before I realized I was standing in a pool of blood, surrounded by the dead bodies of more than ten demons.

  My body ached. I'm exhausted.

  Clap. Clap.

  “Bravo, bravo! That was an amusing show!“ I turned around to a demon, but… I knew it was special, “Killing a lot of my men is an incredible feat for an insect like you.“

  I didn't hesitate, I charged, swinging my sword with all my might. It blocked the blade… with his hand. My judgment was correct, but how could it be this powerful?

  “He stopped General Fuery's blade— just like that?!“

  “No, no… we're going to die.”

  The soldier's morale plummeted more and more with each swing I did to this demon. Useless.

  “I'm tired of this.“ Its tone went serious, with such intensity it grabbed the blade of my sword and… snap.

  The sword King Ren had given me was shattered, like a mirror of my failure. I failed you, my King.

  It was hopeless, that without my sword, I couldn't do anything.

  Not to an enemy of this caliber.

  I dropped to my knees. I could feel the blood seeping in through my armor.

  I raised my head…

  Three steps away, General Fuery's head lay in the dirt— eyes wide, frozen with great sorrow…