The first phase had come to an end, after they drove out 1000 of the monsters to retreated due to the numbers being reduced.
It is a confusing sight for those who know monsters very well.
Because originally, monsters don't have the intelligence to know to retreat because they believe that as long they survive and as long they continue to fight, they will evolve into stronger being.
[The Survival of the Fittest].
That is the number one rule within the monsters category.
But, despite having those rules, there's one thing that the monsters could sense, the sixth sense which no ordinary human could have...unless they learn about it.
That was... the sense of [danger].
These sixth sense of a monster enable them to sense danger, which allowed them to take an action to retreat.
And that danger...came from a single human who was nonetheless smaller than them.
With an axe that could kill hundreds of them every time he swung it.
And that number increased over time, more and more.
His body clad in dark flame, consuming everything that came near, turning the white land into scorched earth with every footstep.
The monsters know their rules, that this human is the strongest of all, which made them retreated.
The Northerners who witnessed that scenery felt scared and amazed at the same time.
[It was as if [The God of Destruction] himself had descended to punish the evil].
"And that was the words I heard."
Hiba explained while drinking a glass of ale.
"Seriously, must you drink now of all times?" Ashley complained.
"Well, it's fine, isn't it? We need at least a drink for our last moment!" Hilbert spoke loudly.
Meanwhile, Sharon and Alicia just smiled, seeing these rowdy trio always making a scene every chance they got.
It was already dark when they're all gathered together for a campfire in front of the gate of the Fort City, Halvenburg to eat and restore energy for tomorrow's second phase while also remaining on guard in case of a monster attack.
Some of them were peacefully resting, but there were also some people who couldn't help but be on edge thinking about the next battle.
The Adventurers team definitely knew about the tense atmosphere around them.
They survived, but at what cost?
"Thanks to Crimson, for aggroing all the enemy to the center, we got the chance to strike back." Hiba spoke.
"But...despite that." Hiba glanced at a certain tent that housed people with injuries.
"Many were injured during the battle. Luckily, they don't have monsters that could fly, or else the back line would be destroyed." Hiba spoke.
The mood went down again after realizing the situation they were in right now.
"The first phase went by swimmingly, but the second phase is where we march to their territory, right? So we don't know what we are going to fight against, rather than being sad or in despair, I shall take my last drink when I can." Hiba spoke as he continued to drink.
Hilbert and Ashley looked at each other as they took their cup to drink their share.
"Yepp, we definitely can do this!" Hilbert spoke with confidence.
"Yeah, we have been fighting together for so long. We can do this!" Ashley shouted.
Alicia and Sharon nodded their heads with a smile.
But Alicia's concern lies with Rei, who stayed behind to prepare for the next battle.
******
At his personal tent, Rei was resting on the bed.
He didn't wear his armor and was only wearing a tank top and long pants.
Despite suffering no injuries, he still received the backlash of the Hell Flame and Absolute Zero curse that was placed upon his body.
He began to feel unimaginable pain, his body sweating and quivering from trying to hold it down, his heart beating so fast and his breath getting rough.
"Ughhh..."
Even after all that, he still continued to fight on.
[Notice!]
[Skill "Pain Resistance" had reduced your pain]
His passive skill activated most of the time. He had to endure it despite having this skill already at the max level.
"I can do this..." Rei muttered.
In this cold weather, silence filled his tent.
He remembered the words that were given to him, knowing his condition and the unknown state of his partner.
[Why... why Houston hasn't woken up yet after 7 years!]
Was the question he had been asking towards the King of Dragons, Ignia.
*******
It was 5 months ago before this battle started.
"Master! Tell me why Houston hasn't awakened yet!" Rei asked his Master, Ignia, while training himself within the castle of the Dwarf Kingdom, Helga.
But Ignia didn't give him the answer he wanted to hear.
"Hmmmm...his soul is definitely still alive, and the broken parts have been restored fully after all these years." Ignia explained.
"Then...why?" Rei asked.
Ignia shrugged, "I do not know the answer for that."
"Huh? But... you are the King of Dragons." Rei stated.
"Even so, I don't have the capabilities of that of a God." Ignia replied to his statement. "Hmmm...unless..."
"Unless?..." Rei repeated her words.
"Unless... your partner there simply refuses to wake up." Ignia answered his question.
"W-wha...what do you mean by that? That is impossible. He wouldn't do such a thing!" Rei replied and denied her answer.
"Well the fact that he has been silent for years, is proof enough, isn't it?" Ignia spoke.
"Then...what is the reason..." Rei asked once more.
Ignia shrugged her shoulders, "I do not know, maybe he had no will to fight any longer, or... he just wanted to rest?"
"To rest...?"
"Indeed, all living beings can sometimes get too tired of everything right? For example you eat the same food everyday." Ignia explained and using that metaphor to explain it.
"When you eat it again and again, don't you feel empty? Don't you feel tired of it?" Ignia spoke.
"If you were given 10 pieces of your favourite meat each day, I can guarantee that you will soon leave it with only 2 or 3 pieces left."
"The more you ate, the more you stopped eating it, because you slowly get tired of it." Ignia explained while walking around him.
"It is the same in battle."
"When you fight your enemy, the more you fight, the more you become consumed by it. The feelings of hatred, sadness, and anger."
"The more you feel that way, the more you will soon get tired of it, as if the fight you started had no meaning from the beginning."
"Even if you kill your enemy, more enemies will appear, and they will be stronger than you are." Ignia grabbed her sword that was stuck on the ground and aimed it towards his neck.
"You will get bored of it soon, because the fight never ends, the thing that you had protected becomes nothing more than just a joke." Ignia spoke.
Rei looked at her in disbelief, even with that metaphor, he still couldn't believe that Ray would do such a thing.
But her words was right on spot, there's this feeling that sooner or later he will get tired of it.
But that also made him feel doubt, since he saw a piece of his memories, of how he fought and how he endured all the pain of losing.
'His parents and sister are alive now, the village who helped him was too, we saved many misfortunes that happened in the world before it could be ruined.'
'But...despite all of that, I do not know Houston that well, I do not know of what he had been through and I do not even want to know about it.'
'And now...because of my ignorance, I couldn't saved him from his grief and the hatred that he hide.' Rei thought of it.
'I know that you felt relieved to be able to save Iris...but....if I am the only one who survived, what is the meaning of our journey.'
'Is this your answer, leaving me behind....partner?'
Rei gritted his teeth, 'No...I do not care about your reason anymore, I'll drag you out from that comfortable zone you are in now, even I have to beat the shit out of you.'
Ignia immediately noticed the change towards him, 'Is he angry?' Then she smiled, "But, I guess it is a shame, I really wanted to meet this other soul of yours."
"I do have one method to wake him up, though it will be very difficult—"
"Then let me do it." Rei immediately cut off her words.
"I haven't finished speaking, yet you already accepted it." Ignia sighed.
"I do not care whether it is difficult or not, I want to save him, because he is my partner after all." Rei spoke to her with confidence.
Ignia looked at him with surprise, "You...are you perhaps ga—"
"Do not jump into conclusions like that, I still like girls." Rei interrupted her speech again.
"Hey~ I mean I don't even felt any desire coming from you~ despite you've spent so much time with me, especially when I wore these kinds of clothes, you still don't feel anything?~" Ignia showed off her slender body with a bit of muscular arms and abs while wearing tight sports bra.
Rei looked away, "Even though I sometimes fight dirty, I still have my Oaths to become a knight."
Ignia smirked widely, "Really?~ or maybe you prefer that Elf Queen that you slept with 6 years ago~"
Rei's face reddened when heard her statement, "Wha—how did you even know that?!"
"Or maybe that child you protected?~ Iris was it?~" Ignia smirked wider as she had so much fun teasing him.
"Ughhh...you peek into my memories again aren't you?!" Rei shouted angrily.
But Ignia pointed her sword towards his face, "Well enough with the jokes~ it's time to tell you the method~"
Rei stepped back a bit, and sighed, "What is it?"
*******
[The method is....you need to get stronger!]
Those were the last words she said to him before he was thrown out of the Kingdom.
"That crazy woman! Saying that I need to get stronger with this penalty!"
[Oh right, you are only allowed to use one weapon, using multiple weapons is allowed only once during a crisis].
He was reminded of the restrictions she gave to him.
"I did use my shield, but that can be considered as a weapon and armor, so it doesn't count."
"Well matter of fact, I saved up this one chance to fight the final boss, I must be patient." Rei spoke while getting up from his bed.
The pain had finally stopped, and he grabbed his helmet to hide his face and wore his armor once again.
"The next one would be tougher, so wait for me...Houston, we will go back to the capital and meet Iris once again." Rei then set out from his personal tent and went out to find their commanders.
******
Their strategic meeting was held in a big tent.
All of them were gathered inside once more to have this meeting before the next phases.
Rei was the last one to arrive, "My apologies for being late, I have to rest for a moment."
Rei spoke towards them, none of them complained about it because he did most of the job before.
"I understand, Crimson, do not fret, there's nothing urgent currently." Vincent replied.
"Then, are we finally going to vote for who will come with me in the second phase?" Rei asked.
"Yeah, we have voted for the volunteers who will follow you." Vincent spoke.
Raven then raised his hand, "First I am sending Hiba as the scout, his exceptional scouting skill as well as his sense are stronger than anyone in the group."
Hiba looked proud as Raven praised him.
"I see." Rei replied unimpressed by it and glanced at Hiba.
"Then for the second one is Alicia, currently we have enough healers. Since she is an outstanding Priest, she could be of help to you." Raven spoke while pointing to Alicia who stood there beside Hiba.
"I-i shall work hard for you!" Alicia confidently answered.
Rei nodded his head, "Then I'll be in your care."
Hearing those words, Alicia couldn't help but feel flustered and embarrassed.
'Crimson relied on me...Crimson relied on me!!' Alicia scream internally after hearing his words.
Then Vincent raised his hand, "The next one would be Gilbert." Vincent spoke.
Rei was surprised to hear that, "Him? But I thought you would be against sending your son to a dangerous place?"
"I do and still I am, but he is the one who insisted to follow you, no matter how hard I tried to stop him."
'Then try harder.' Rei commented.
"In the end I come to conclusion is that being with you is much safer than being here." Vincent spoke, while having this sour looks.
'He really given up.' Rei thought of it, but seeing he was determined to send his one and only son to the battlefield, it made him hard to refuse it.
Rei sighed, "I will try my best to protect him, but if the situation gets worse, make sure he runs first." He spoke while glancing at Gilbert.
Gilbert was overwhelmed with gratitude, and he bowed his head towards him, "Thank you so much! Crimson-san!"
"Do not thank me yet, I want you to go back home alive and not dead, so make sure to survive." Rei replied to him.
"Yes sir!" But Gilbert didn't falter by his harsh words.
Rei sighed, "So, Hiba, Alicia, Gilbert, and who else?"
Raven then raised his hand, "Of course, I volunteered myself as well."
Rei was surprised to hear that, "You? But wait, aren't you the guild master?"
"Well, yes I am." Raven proudly answered him.
"And aren't you supposed to be here with the commander to protect him?"
"Well, aren't I protecting him by going with you? Beside, I already have my permission from my lord." Raven answered with a smile.
Rei glanced at Vincent, but of course he looked away and shrugged his shoulders as if he didn't care anymore and pushed all this responsibility towards him.
"And to add it, I can protect Gilbert on this mission, so you wouldn't have a problem to focus on your fight." Raven added it.
With that reasoning, Rei couldn't refused his offer, "Fine, but like I said, variable can happen, so you all need to focus on surviving instead worrying others." Rei spoke.
"I keep that in mind." Raven replied.
"Is that all?" Rei asked Vincent to be sure there would be another one.
"That is all, Hiba, Alicia, Gilbert and Raven will be joining you in the second phase, to lead you to the final one." Vincent spoke.
Rei gave it some thoughts first, 'Four of them huh, the formation isn't bad.'
'Hiba as the scout and sub-attacker, Alicia as the healer and support, Gilbert and Raven as the rear guard.'
'As for me, I will be at front as the vanguard and tank, although Sharon will be great but considering my firepower is high enough, it will be tough for the other side.' Rei sighed.
"Then, I shall accept your will." Rei accepted the volunteers as they were happy to be of help.
"So, my first order to you all... is to rest now! Rest and rest! Do not let your heart falter and do not let other things bothered your mind."
"Because we don't know who will survive and who didn't, I also cannot promise you all to survive in this fight, but even so...I'll make sure everyone survive and I shall end this curse with all I got, understood!"
"Yes!" They answered simultaneously.
Vincent smiled seeing them steeled themselves to this dangerous mission.
While everyone leave, Vincent approached Rei before he could leave the tent.
"Crimson, may I have a talk with you for a moment? Of course, personally." Vincent spoke to him.
Rei slowly turned his body around to face him, "Sure."
******
But surprisingly, instead of talking in the tent…
Rei and Vincent were now walking above the fortress wall. The snow blew past them and the full moon above lit the earth with its radiance.
"It is such a beautiful night tonight. I can't believe that tomorrow might be our last." Vincent spoke quietly during his walk.
Rei said nothing as he listened beside him.
"You aren't that much of a talker huh? Despite being the same age as my son, your maturity is beyond your peers." Vincent spoke to him.
Rei decided to remain silent, 'Well if I count and include my age (15 years old) from before, then I am 24 years old now knowing that it has been 9 years since I lived in this world.' Rei thought of it.
Vincent glanced towards him, "I might be pretty rude to ask you this right now."
Rei looked at him, "What is it?"
Vincent stopped walking and turned around to look into his eyes straightforwardly.
"I shall be blunt, would you like to work with me?" Vincent asked him sincerely.
Rei wasn't surprised at all, knowing his capabilities, no one could resist wanting him to work under them.
But Rei didn't beat around the bushes, "I refuse."
With that answer, Vincent sighed and began to laugh, "Hahaha! I knew you would reject that!"
Rei looked at him a bit dumbfounded, "If you knew, then why would you still ask?"
Vincent stopped his laughter as he smiled towards him, "Well I just wanna give it a shot, besides, knowing full well of your rude and aggressive character, you would reject my offer even if I am a person in a high-position."
Rei looked at him again, "Having a higher-position doesn't mean that you can have anything you want, besides once you die, it's all over."
Vincent smiled despite hearing what he thought, "That is true, if I died, my position would be given to my son and I would have lost everything I have built so far."
"But I do not regret it, because my will and dream will be entrusted to him." Vincent replied while he walked towards the edge of the wall.
Rei approached him and they could see the bright light of the camp below from there.
Vincent fixated his eyes towards Gilbert who earnestly trained with his sword, while Garon was helping him on the side.
"So, instead of hiring you...I want to propose something else." Vincent spoke.
"What is it again?" Rei asked him.
"Would you like to be Gilbert's friend?" Vincent asked him.
"A friend?" Rei repeated his question.
"Yeah, instead of having you under us, I would rather you treat my son as your equal." Vincent added.
"Why do you need to ask me? Gilbert can choose for himself." Rei replied.
"Even if I don't ask him, he would still want to follow you." Vincent replied.
"I don't really get what you mean, why would he follow me who is a stranger to his life." Rei shook his head.
Vincent began to laugh again, "Hahaha, it seems you are pretty dense towards around you, do you not know what your title is currently in here North?"
"I do not know and I do not care." Rei answered.
"That is quite harsh, us Northerns have lived and admired strength. We believe to survive in this cold land, we need to be strong enough to fight off this harsh reality."
"So what is your point?" Rei asked.
"My point is that, when you come in, all the Northerners think it is a shame that an outsider like yourself is helping us out like this." Vincent explained.
'So that's why there's so many unpleasant stares on my back.' Rei thought of it.
"Well they can think all they want, because I am only here to finish my quest." Rei replied to his explanation.
Vincent smiled and shook his head, "But like I said, we admired your strength and you showed us what you are capable of, which none of us could pull in many years."
"Fighting over a thousand monsters, you remained steadfast while you were being swarmed by them."
"Even I couldn't believe what the report was saying, but the people have been talking about you non-stop." Vincent spoke.
"So what do you want to say?" Rei asked him.
"Nothing much, I just want you to know how grateful I am for your help." Vincent spoke.
"Your flattery won't change my answer, but I'll take that gratitude." Rei commented.
Vincent nodded and look forwarss towards the snowy land, "Tomorrow will be more dangerous than this, so...."
Vincent then bowed his head, "I wish you luck, warrior of the outside."
Rei didn't glance at him, instead he looked up to the night sky.
Despite everything that had happened, the night sky was filled with stars and the full moon illuminated this cold night.
"Yeah, I will."
Rei accepted his wish and looked towards him, "By the way...i'm curious about my title you people gave me." In the end, his curiosity get over him.
Vincent lifted his head with a smile, "I don't know actually." He said as he started to walk away.
"But let's go back, [God of Destruction, Crimson]." Vincent smirked as he name-dropped his title.
Which froze Rei on his spot.
"Huh??? What?!"
After that night, they finally organized their preparations for the next fight.
*******
But behind all of it, within a dark throne room, someone was sitting on the throne alone.
As the time ticked, the mysterious figure opened his eyes.
Revealing dark-purplish glowing eyes.
"It's time."
.
.
.
.
.
"Let the final banquet..."
.
.
.
.
.
*"Begin..."*
To be continued...