"I'm sorry, elder, I'm not doubting your ability, but aren't that many beasts for you to face alone?" Most people nodded in agreement.
"I'll go first and when I fall, you can take over, okay? If I die, it won't make any difference to what happens, but I ask for a constant flow of pure mana every 1 minute."
After a little reluctance, the mayor silenced the voices that started to speak and agreed, that it wouldn't hurt and he could help them a little. A group of people was quickly organized for the requested task, but the general said that it needed to be at least thousands of people.
At that moment, the mayor became apprehensive. That was a lot of mana they were going to waste. The general had to use some good old-fashioned persuasion of the strongest to get what he wanted. After that, he sat in the air meditating.
Not long after, closer footsteps and roars could be heard. At some point, several beasts appeared on the horizon. There were thousands, from packs of wolves to packs of birds.
Giant worms, fire crows, raging bulls, giant snakes. Practically a zoo of animals.
The man opened his eyes and every person in the city felt like a colossus had risen. He began mumbling unintelligible words and making small movements with his hands.
The beasts were quickly approaching, but when they reached 3 kilometers, they felt the general's aura. The high-ranking ones were the first to stop, as they felt the strength of the faster man. A line stretching for miles was formed in front of the city.
After a few seconds of hesitation, they started forward again. At that moment, thousands of fire spells could be seen being cast around the general. There were so many of them that he looked like a sun shining in the air. Some people could hear him speak:
"I, Han, will not shame my ancestors. Their tombs will not be desecrated in my lifetime." As soon as he finished his sentence, he climbed even higher and the inhabitants could see where so much confidence came from.
"The sun serves my will." After that sentence, thousands of fire spells started to head towards the herd. It looked like a curtain of flames, but each one was something different, from swords of flames to balls of fire.
The animals did not expect such a swift attack. The first few hundred meters were charred to ash in a matter of seconds. For a moment, everyone froze. The humans were in shock and the animals were in fear.
Hope welled up in the mayor's eyes.
"Quickly, find more people willing to share mana. We need to help that man at all costs." As soon as he shouted that, he started to gather pure mana along with the pre-selected group of people.
Thousands of people could be seen simply sitting down and starting to gather mana, practically shutting themselves off from the outside. A beast could come within millimeters of a few's necks and they would go about their business.
"Mana," Han shouted and a whirlpool formed beneath his feet. A frightening amount of mana was gathered in seconds. Again he started the strange signals and mumbling.
The high-ranking animals already had a certain degree of intelligence and saw that the same attack was being prepared again. Quickly, they urged the herd to continue attacking.
As soon as they started running again, they saw the same scene repeat itself. A sea of flames rushed towards the invaders and turned thousands to ashes. The level of the magic was unreal as it needed to cover at least a dozen kilometers wide.
The beasts weren't willing to give up and kept sending more animals. They had millions and they didn't believe that a single human could hold them back for long.
Seconds ticked by and turned into minutes. Every person capable of gathering mana was sitting on the city's ground, concentrating to the best of their abilities. Han remained unshakable in the air, his back as straight as a mountain was visible.
A wave of flames was released every 30 seconds and Han asked for mana once or twice a minute. This was only possible because millions of heads were gathering mana for him.
Minutes turned into hours. The situation began to be broadcast on the internet. The funny thing was that it seemed to be without sound from the inhabitants. There was just absolute silence in every corner. Some realized that it wasn't exactly silence, but rather the sound of a race fighting for its survival.
After 12 hours, the beasts stopped advancing. Not even orders from superiors were able to make them proceed. They saw how each wave was turned into nothing more than ash.
The fighting in the other cities had barely begun, but in this one, it was over. Why? The answer was simple. Fear. A man imposed absolute fear on all the animals that were there.
It wasn't a rational fear, it was something instinctual, strong enough to prevent any chance of retaliation. The herd was seen returning in the direction from which they came. After not hearing Han's orders for a few seconds, those who still hadn't passed out from exhaustion opened their eyes.
The once-green horizon was gray. There was not an inch of life left in kilometers. As soon as they realized what happened, people started screaming with happiness. Very
They were awakened by the screams and quickly joined in.
The deputy mayor opened his eyes when he heard the screams and, realizing what had happened, he ran to talk to his father. Upon reaching there, he saw a dead man gathering mana. For a second, he couldn't believe it.
Your father died of mana exhaustion. He forced himself to do his duty until the last second of his life, and even in death, his body still honored his wishes. Placing the corpse on the ground, the man said:
"Father, rest. You may not be here, but I will make sure your memory is eternal." Tears could be seen dancing in his eyes, but the man swallowed back his tears and looked for the general who had saved the city.
Han was lying on the ground about 50 meters from the city. When the deputy mayor reached his side, he saw every inch of his body exuding steam, similar to a manica that had overheated. Quickly, he called a doctor.
After a few seconds, a healer arrived to provide care. It stirred up Han's body a bit and sent a flow of mana to some parts.
"I have never seen this in my life. I don't even know how he's breathing. Every inch of your body has been used beyond measure. Your mana core doesn't even exist anymore. He used every drop, and that's already over 2 hours. He was in this state of pain the entire time." The doctor began to run a hand through his hair as he spoke.
Meanwhile, on the internet, the general has been given a new name.
Han, the Bulwark.
In the present day
"That… is the father that person? He's practically a living god." Hearing that story made Kayden's blood boil. One man against millions, that shouldn't even be possible.
"I was also surprised. After that, the city took an unbelievable turnaround. First, they erected statues for each of the thousand people who died from mana exhaustion that day." Heimer began counting on his finger.