'I will make sure that your death is painful.'
Emma muttered under her breath.
And in the next moment, both her and the monster clashed.
The ferocious battle between two General class insued. The handful of members from the elite team that were left alive tried to help but in a battle of Generals, it proved to be useless.
Both Emma and the Nightmare Conductor exchanged blows after blows as sparks erupted out and the dust flew up.
The Nightmare Conductor's speed was unmatched. It was even greater than the current Emma, who was known as the strongest of humanity.
But this was due to Emma already sustaining heavy injuries. She has been fighting monsters since the very start of the stampede, and has sustained numerous injuries while trying to injure the Nightmare conductor.
'I have to end it soon'
She thought.
She knew her stamina won't last forever and the monster, in it's current enraged state, will keep attacking mindlessly without any regards to it's injuries.
/Thwack/
She pushed back the monster after landing an mana infused upper kick on it's body.
She collected her remaining strength in her sword and readied herself for her next attack.
Her eyes turned cold as she gazed at the monster and focused on controlling mana.
/haa../
She exhaled a deep breath. The mana around her sword started gathering on it's blade, almost turning it an corporeal ox-blood hue.
'My control is still inferior to Ron.' She laughed deprecatingly, thinking about the genius of a son she neglected in her quest for strength.
Regret started gnawing at her as she thought about her son.
She looked ahead once more with renewed determination.
She gathered strength in her legs, and...
/bang/
With an explosive bang, her figure shoot toward the monster who had regained it's balance and was now looking at Emma with hate.
Within a split second, both of them were facing at each other at arms distance.
The monster made the first move as it launched an attack towards her head.
/splurt/
But in the next second, the same hand was flying in the air, severed by Emma's deadly upward slash.
/GRrrr/
The monster cried out in pain but Emma's sword didn't stop there.
Following it's momentum, the swordstrike continued it's path in a downward motion, creating a mesmerizing arc of light.
It aimed at the Monster's neck but the Nightmare Conductor, sensing it's death, avoided it at the last moment and instead launched an attack of it's own.
/slash/
The monster's right side was completely obliterated as it's innards and organs were now in full view. It managed to deviate the slash path, but wasn't able to avoid it.
/cough/
Emma threw up a mouthful of blood, a deep wound appearing from her shoulder to the waist. In her exhausted state, she wasn't able able to do anything against it, and took it head on.
'Hah.. Hah... this is it for me.. '
She thought. She knew there was no way she was going to survive after taking a hit like that. The blood loss will surely kill her with time.
'But'
She looked at the monster with a cold gaze. It's situation was even worse then Emma and it was having a hard time merely trying to stand up.
It will soon die too if left alone but Emma wasn't going to end it like this.
She walked towards the monster with hatred filled eyes while also channeling as much as she could in her sword.
She came near the monster and..
/slash/
She cut of it's leg. The monster wasn't able to avoid it. It didn't have any any strength left.
But Emma had no plans of stopping.
/slash/ /slash/ /slash/ /slash/ /slash/
She continued to slash the monster again and again. The beautiful and elegant display of swordsmanship was nowhere to be seen, as what transpired now was just a one-sided violence.
She cutted of all it's limbs, piece by piece, finger by finger. Making sure to inflict as much pain as possible while also not killing it.
With each slash, the wound on her body would open up more, causing her excuriating pain but she would continue with her work.
The monster, no. It didn't look like a monster anymore. It was now turned into a sorry mess of flesh.
Emma, as if realising the futility of her actions, finally stopped and..
/splurt/
Finally severed the head of the monster, which was intact up till now, with one clean strike.
With her sword in her hand, she moved towards Frank's body with what little strength she had left.
She soon reached near Frank's body and knelt beside it. Frank has completely stopped breathing by this point.
She hugged Frank's corpse, tears rolling down her eyes.
She raised her hand with the sword...
/stab/
In a clean line, she stabbed both her and Frank's mana heart, taking her life. She continued to hug Frank's body in that position and died like that.
Only one thought was left her in mind as she finally closed her eyes...
'Ron, please, don't die.'
The end of the battle between Emma and the Nightmare Conductor also marked the end of the Stampede.
But the aftermath of the calamity was nothing short of devastating.
The Veye Bastion stronghold of the time and another stronghold were in ruins, their remnants a testament to the scale of the disaster. Other strongholds suffered great damages, barely holding on amidst the relentless assault.
In the face of such overwhelming force, humanity was forced to retreat, moving their strongholds further north to regroup and rebuild.
The cost was immense, both in terms of lives lost
and the psychological toll on the survivors.
The fall of heroes like Emma and Frank Williams left a void that was keenly felt.
The stampede was not just a disaster, it was a cruel reminder of the threats and terrors that run amok on the land. It was a call-up as to the kind of world they are currently living in.
A World where there is no guarantee if you will live to see another day.
•••
All of the Generals recalled the disaster almost simultaneously.
Some seemed to clench their fist, some have determination in their eyes while there were those who were just sorrowful.
But among everyone, a figure of a single blacke eyed man, remained stoic and unblinking.
Everyone, inspired by the figure of their leader, raised their heads once again.
'That's right, as long as he's here, everything will be fine.'
They all thought the same thing.
Ria, at this point, was the first one to gather her courage and broke the silence.
"Ron, can you give a brief overview of your findings? We would like to see it for ourselves what was it that led you to your current conclusion." She requested politely.
None of them doubted Ron's words, but they needed to understand the situation themselves in order to devise suitable countermeasures.
Ron didn't reply and just stood up from his seat.
He then slowly walked walked over to a large map on the side wall, marked with various colored pins and lines.
He turned his back to face the wall with the map as his front now faced the Generals ahead.
The air was thick with anticipation as Ron started to speak, "I received the report from Nataya 3 weeks back, and was headed out for investigation as soon as he could. My first destination were the destroyed ruins of the previous strongholds, which was now believed to be a part of the monster territory."
He took a pause, taking in the expressions of everyone present.
"I expected to encounter a lot of monsters, but surprisingly, there were not many of them present there."
"And this was also the case with all the other destroyed strongholds of the past, not many monsters, except... "
He glanced sideways towards Nataya, giving her a subtle look.
"Except the previous Veye Bastion stronghold. It was different. As soon as I entered it's vicinity, the monsters started increasing in number."
"With each step forward, their ferocity and numbers would increase. Their intent was clear. To eliminate any intruder who dare to step foot on their territory."
"The situation only worsened going forward, with more more monsters launching assaults on me and soon, the 4-metre class also started attacking me."
"Since I had already achieved my purpose and there was no point in battling them any further, I retreated from the place."
"I continued to explore the expanse, looking for more clues and evidences on monster movements and my findings were alarming."
A solemn look appeared on Ron's and everyone's face.
The generals leaned forward, their attention riveted on Ron. He continued, "The behavior patterns we've observed—monsters moving in larger groups, unusual migratory paths, increased aggression—are not random. They are the precursors to another stampede, similar to the one we faced in 2043."
"During the past 2 weeks, I have used all kinds of possible means I could to track down these monsters and their habitat but most of their speculated accommodations are deserted."
He then turned towards the map and pointed towards several clusters, each at a significant distance from the other.
"These areas show increased monster activity, which is completely different from our already gathered intel on their behavior patterns."
He took a small pause and said with a serious tone. "It seems they are rallying and gathering from all directions."
"But there's more. I've discovered that some of the larger monsters, the ones we classify as 3-metre class and above, are displaying a certain level of coordination."
Everyone's eyes enlarged and their pupils dilated at that information.
The signs couldn't be any clearer.
Ron continued speaking. "The signs are unmistakable. The emergency signal I sent was not just a precaution. The data I've gathered shows a clear pattern. The monsters are converging again, and this time...
"Their numbers are even greater. Also, t his time....
"The threat is greater.. way greater than before."
Silence descended over the place as no one spoke anything for a bit.
"Sigh"
The silence was broken with a relaxed sigh that came from Kenny. He started speaking to Ron and everyone else present, "It seems that our situation is rather dire this time around... "
"But we have someone as strong as Marshall Ron on our side. Not to mention, the number of Generals we have is greater than during the 2043 stampede. As long as we plan our strategies carefully, we should be able to get away with minimum damage, right?"
He explained his analysis of the situation. With someone as strong as Ron participating in the battle, they could still be said to have the upper hand in this situation.
All of them nodded their heads, agreeing with Kenny's remark. This was the same thing they were all thinking.
They looked at Ron once again in anticipation of further directions.
"It seems you all didn't get my words." Ron's voice rang out and this time, everyone furrowed their brows a little.
"What do you mean?"
The one to ask this question was Ria.
Ron answered her question with utmost seriousness "The coordination among monsters I talked about... It was not simple."
"This level of coordination suggests a new level of intelligence or perhaps even a hierarchy among the monsters. It wasn't like the time the Nightmare conductor just sent them into a frenzy and guided them towards the human strongholds... "
Ron took a small pause and this time spoke with coldness in his voice.
"This time, it seems like the 3 and 4 meter classes are leading other smaller groups."
At those words, everyone's pupils dilated in extreme shock.
"Don't tell me.. " They whispered in a grave tone.
And Ron confirmed their fears.
"That's right. When I said that the threat is 'greater than before', I wasn't referring to their numbers."
"This time... "
He spoke gravely.
"I have confirmed the presence of Marshall Ranked monsters... And I also believe them to be ones who are orchestrating this stampede."
He revealed and as soon as he did, an oppressive silence descended over the place.
'Shit'
All of them muttered inwardly.
Those Marshall rank monsters.. Even if they are not as strong as Ron, his words confirmed that their are not one, but multiple of them present.
There was just ni way they themselves could hope to fight against them. And thinking so was just plain ignorance.
All of them clenched their fists hard.
"Hahahaha... It seems our situation is more or less hopeless this time, isn't it?"
A playful laughter, along with some sarcastic words was heard. And none of them even bothered to look at the person.
There was only one individual who was capable of laughing in this situation.
"But all you don't need to worry. Unlike you lot, me and my Terra Australis stronghold has brought some good news to the table this time around."
Nash spoke out. His tone was as confident as much as it was whimsical.
"I have finally achieved some success in my task... "
He spoke, while taking small breaks in between.
"It's finally within reach."
He spoke with a wide grin, his tone playful yet solemn and heavy.
"The Southern Continent."
He said and everyone's eyes enlarged once again.