As the meeting concluded, Ron didn't waste any more time and immediately headed out of the stronghold. There were still some things he needed to sort out.
The night was cloaked in a deep silence, broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves. He moved towards an inconspicuous forest, his senses sharp and alert to every sound and movement around him. The path he took was secluded, far from the eyes of any patrols or wandering scouts.
As he delved deeper into the forest, the trees also started to become denser, their shadows merging to form a enveloping dark blanket.
He continued until he reached a small clearing where a cave lay nestled between thick roots and rocks. He gave the cave a cursory glance before pressing on.
He continued moving further and after a few minutes, finally stopped before a seemingly ordinary patch of ground.
Ron gazed intently at the spot, focusing and channeling his mana.
Slowly, a strange pattern began to form on the ground, the mana tracing intricate lines and symbols.
Groan!
And soon, dust swirled up as the earth shifted; revealing a gigantic sliding door hidden beneath. The door moved aside with a groan, uncovering a long stretch of stairs that led deep underground.
Ron's expression didn't show any changes as he watched the unfolding spectacle. It was clear it's not the first time he's witnessing something like this.
Without hesitation, Ron started moving down the stairs. The air grew colder and heavier as he descended, the light from above fading into darkness.
...
While Ron was headed out into the forest to check out some things, the news of the impending stampede had already started to circulate within the Central stronghold.
And as one would expect, a commotion broke out.
"W-What? Is that true!?"
"T-That can't be r-real! I-It must be a joke!? How many us would d-die if that's true!?"
"DAMN THOSE FUC*ING MONSTERS!! They never let us rest in peace!
Those were the kinds of reaction that came out of the public. Some wanted to completely deny this reality, while others couldn't help but abhor those atrocities.
Thanks to the presence of Generals, the commotion was quickly calmed down as they all now prepared themselves to face the impending crisis.
Amid the commotion, a certain white haired man walked out of the Central stronghold.
His hazel colored eyes had a certain sharpness in them as he stepped out of the gates. No guard dared to stop him as they bowed in respect.
This man was none other than Nash and currently, he was going to a certain place to talk to a certain someone.
His eyes surveyed his surroundings with alertness, always on guard against any type of danger.
Soon, he spotted a large boulder in the distance.
The boulder was not what caught his eyes but man sitting upon it.
He changed his direction and moved towards the boulder with unhurried steps, skillfully avoiding all the overgrown nature and debris.
Step. Step. Step.
Sound of his steady footsteps echoed out in the panoramic expanse as he neared the boulder.
Soon, he reached the massive and boulder and gaze at the old back of the man who was sitting upon of it.
He bowed a little in show of respect and greeted the man "Thank you for accepting my call, Sir Orville." He said and waited for the individual, Orville, to reply.
"Hoho, it's nothing. I was actually surprised you called me out like this." Orville replied while standing up.
He just stood there on the boulder like that, looking ahead at particularly nowhere, his back facing Nash.
Nash gazed moved from Orville's back to the symbolic spear he was known for.
As he looked at the spear which was peacefully resting upon the boulder, his thoughts couldn't help but drift towards some certain rumours that had circulated within the human societies in the past years.
Many believed that he was as strong as Orville and could even overpower him if he went all out.
The rumours came about from the few spars that the Generals will undergo in front of others in order to motivate and inspire them to reach new heights.
They would battle with wooden weapons and make sure to avoid vital and delicate areas on attacking whom there were chances of inflicting great injury.
Even wooden weapons, when infused with mana, were capable of seriously injuring the opponent.
'So much for being stronger than him... ' Nash gave an internal self-depreciating smirk.
Him being stronger than Orville was just what the weak perceived as they saw their brawl.
But in reality, a real battle with actual weapons is way different from a mere 'spar'.
Just a single precise hit to the vitals is all what it takes to end one's life in an actual battle.
Nash was sure that, in case he went against Orville in a battle to the death, who had years of experience hunting monsters and extreme mastery over his weapon, he will die 9 out of 10 times.
Of course, he might be better in terms of speed and strength, but such miniscule difference in attributes wasn't enough to bridge the sheer gap in skill and experience.
Nash shook his head and let go his thoughts. He wasn't here to brood over useless things but to get answers to some his questions.
"So, what did you wanted to talk about?" Orville opened his mouth to speak first as he asked Nash with a very faint smile.
Nash furrowed his brows a little at Orville's words.
"You say that as if you don't know what I am here talk about... " He replied with an annoyed tone.
"The only difference is that I don't." Orville countered in an extremely calm manner.
Although he had an idea what Nash wanted to talk about, he still wanted to hear it from the boy itself.
"Okay, if you are adamant on playing games, I will do you a favor and say it out loud. I just don't understand. Just what is Ron thinking?" He said with a sudden outburst.
He has been keeping it in for a bit now but Nash was really, truly frustrated. He just can't seem to comprehend what goes in Ron's mind.
No matter how he looked at it, there was just no way they will be able to repel the current disaster.
Ron, who was their only hope in surviving the stampede, was sure to be preoccupied with the Marshall ranked monsters in the horde.
And it's currently unknown just how many General ranked Monsters they have in their ranks.
Under such circumstances, the best they could hope to achieve was the survival of Ron and all the Generals along with some other miraculously lucky survivors.
And the aftermath would not stop just there. It's highly likely that all the current strongholds along with whatever resources they are left with will all be destroyed in the course of battle.
They will be forced to move their base once again and this time, without any resources and towards the Northen mountains no less.
If they have no hopes of surviving this disaster in the first place, then why not just try and move to another continent?
At least there will a chance to start another life over there with their strength.
Nash was perplexed. It wasn't about being infuriated but he just can't seem to understand the rationale behind Ron's decision. He was sure that Ron, for one, understood all the implications listed above.
If so, then why exactly did he made such a decision?
Nash had nothing but questions in his mind and in search for answers to those questions, he identified Orville as the best candidate.
Not only he, along with Connor, was the closest individual to Ron but Nash also remembered the meeting that just took place.
The only time Orville spoke up through the entire meeting was when he gave his own report on the Apex Sanctum stronghold. Other than that, he never for once voiced out any of his thoughts.
To Nash, this severe lack of participation was abnormal, especially when the individual in question is Orville, who everyone knows has a strong sense of duty within him.
"There's no way we can expect a positive outcome out of a battle between the two parties. Out ranks our sure to get decimated. So just what's the point of fighting in the first place?"
"Don't tell me it's just that all of you, along with Ron, are some brain dead fools who are still clinging onto some worthless morals even in such times?"
Nash continued his outburst, not giving Orville any chance to speak. He really just wanted to vent out his frustration for once.
Orville didn't took any any offense at Nash words and spoke in a calm manner.
"Nash, you were still young when the apocalypse first descended so you may not understand, but it's more than just being about morals."
"All of us who have been birthed into this realm, are creatures of the world. We all harbor an unknown sense of affection and connection to our surroundings, living in harmony, smiling and enjoying the life. Along with the affection, peace and housing we receive, came the feeling of preservance."
"The world had changed but the connection we established in the past hasn't. We who call this earth as our Motherland, it's also upon our shoulders to carry it's fate. The duty of both self and nature preservance we have been endowed with, propel us forward to fight for the greater good."
"Letting go of that connection with all others around us and running when faced with disaster due to selfish motives, only portray us as unappreciative fiends who only know how to leech of others."
"The guilt that may assault you after everything is over may very well be too hard to bear.... "
"Do you understand what I'm talking about?" Orville concluded in a deep voice.
There was a momentary silence as Nash took in his words.
After a moment, he replied with a sigh.
"Sigh, I understand."
"So all of you are indeed brain dead."
He said and turned his back to move away.
"Just what is it that you will protect after reaching the afterlife.. " He muttered just loudly enough for Orville to hear.
He felt staying here any longer will make him go crazy.
"What do you think... " Just as he was about to move on, Orville words stopped him.
He glanced back to see a soft smile adorning Orville's face as he met eyes with him with a side gaze turning his head.
Orville looked ahead once more as he spoke with a tranquil voice.
"What do you think will weigh less on our conscience..?"
"Just outright abandoning the people and let them get eaten by monsters or... fighting together with them and seeing them die in front of our eyes?"
He said and Nash's pupils widened in sheer shock.
"You don't mean... " He bagan to say but the soft smile on Orville's face told him all he wanted to know.
'Ha..haha.... So that's how it is.. ' He laughed inwardly in extreme delight.
The meaning of Orville's words were clear.
They were going to fight the monster horde for only the sake of it. At the end of the day, all of them, the generals, are going to join forces to escape to the Southern continent anyway.
The reason for such roundabout approach was only so that they don't feel the guilt of abandoning the populace.... Although Nash still didn't understood it, he decided to go along with it anyway.
It was far better than rotting of on this continent which will soon be filled by monsters.
'I just have to survive this one time.. then all the Generals will escape to the Southern Continent together... I am positive we will be able to reach it with the help of Ron.... hehehe.. ' Nash thought with giddy anticipation.
But suddenly, he felt confused about a sudden question.
"Do others know about it?"
"Yes" Orville replied.
"When did it happen? Before I arrived? There was no mention of any of this in the meeting.... " He said in confusion.
"Making you give your report before his own and specific wording such as 'battle' instead of 'face'....they were all hints Ron gave out to deliver the message... " Orville replied with a smile.
Nash eyes once again largened in shock as he blurted out "What? How did everyon-
"Just so you know, everyone was able to caught upon the hints other than you who was too occupied with his own shenanigans to notice it." Orville concluded his sentence before Nash could ask any further.
'Wha.. ' Nash face turned red in embarrassment as he once again felt stupid for the second time today.
"Ah, whatever." He walked of with his face still red.
Orville just continued to stare ahead. He didn't turned his back even once through the whole conversation.
His eyes suddenly turned sorrowful as he moved his gaze up towards the sky.
He whispered in an almost inaudible tone as intense emotions seeped out of him.
"We have failed."
He said and closed his eyes, bathing in the crimson radiance of the moon.