We dashed from one branch to another as we secretly moved through the forest. The scouting group had collected information about the whereabouts of the enemy flag, which we were heading towards.
I was trying to stay as close as possible to the main cast not to lose them. Soon the whole group halted, and I could see a red flag uttering due to wind on a 1-meter stick. Our objective was to steal it and bring it to our base.
The demigods signaled each other with hand signs and gestures without making any noise. From what I understood, the plan was to send a decoy troop from the other side to divert their attention. Once the defense around the flag was weakened, the other ones would be able to push past them and get to the flag.
The decoy troop maneuvered to the other side while we waited still. After a minute or two, we heard the war cry of our comrades, which quickly averted most of the defense forces towards them, leaving the flag open to assault.
"Now!"
We all rushed at the enemy flag, eliminating anyone unfortunate enough to have come across it. The ringing of metals clashing reverberated through the forest as the painful screams of demigods filled the air. Although the weapons were dull, it still hurt like hell. Of course, killing was strictly forbidden, and once someone couldn't fight anymore, they were eliminated from the war.
A demigod went for me. He was a few years older than me. For some reason, the look in his eyes held a spark of hatred towards me.
"Oho... Look who we got here. Isn't this the infamous son of the rich one!"
*Sigh...*
'I can't avoid these flies even in the middle of a fucking war... I just can't.'
I had gotten enough of this shit already. For the past week or so, I have been constantly harassed and annoyed by unhinged stares. Normally, I wouldn't have minded his attitude but now that I had a viable excuse for beating the shit out of him, I decided I would take on this opportunity.
He unsheathed his sword, and so did I. We both channeled our divine energy through our bodies and lunged at each other. His swords met my dagger, and fiery sparks appeared at the point of contact. I diverted his swords to the side and slashed horizontally, which he dodged by backing a little.
Seeing how I counter-attacked, his face was turning serious. I pressed against the ground and shot myself. As I examined his body movement, I noticed his footwork changing to side-step.
'Too late...'
As I approached him, he sidestepped to the right, thinking I would thrust my dagger. But, to his surprise, I didn't thrust my dagger. In fact, I just didn't use my dagger. I threw my dagger away and connected my fist, coated with divine energy, into his stomach.
He fell to his knee and held his stomach while trying to inhale but he couldn't. I had caused a spasm in his diaphragm, causing him to be unable to breathe properly. Taking advantage of his vulnerable condition, I reverse-gripped my other dagger and swiftly thrust the blade deep into the space just below his right lung.
"Arrgh! What the fuck!"
The blood flowed out of the wound and dripped onto the ground. He had lost his strength and fell on his face. He was groaning in pain. I finished off by kicking his head as hard as I could, causing him to faint. The detector on him went off, indicating he was eliminated.
The sound of battle and my vision of surroundings darkened as I looked at my bloodied hands. They were trembling, but I couldn't discern whether what I was feeling was fear or thrill. The memories of my parents getting stabbed to death once again forced their way into my mind.
I recalled the sensation of stabbing him. Yet I wasn't distressed by the fact that I had just severely wounded a human.
Why would I?! Why should I give a damn about inflicting pain on others when nobody ever gave a damn about me? This is the harsh, unforgiving truth of being weak. Weak individuals don't even deserve to feel wronged or upset when nobody shows an ounce of care towards them.
This is the epitome of human hypocrisy. Everyone comfortably turns a blind eye, content in their indifference, as long as they're not on the receiving end of the pain. It's always been like this. If not, then why were my mother and father forgotten? They had done nothing wrong but all they got was a painful death!
In a world where the weakling is being thrown away to rot in a corner, it is difficult to believe in such a thing as morality. The only way to survive in a world like this is to seek your own benefit. Even the sacred human life loses its meaning within the ethical framework of this world.
'So what if I hurt another? Why or how does that concern me? If the act of killing was such a taboo, why did the blood of my parents remain unavenged? Why was no one there to stop him before he took my parents' lives away? Why didn't a hero save my family from its demise?'
After all, the end always justifies the means. And only the strong survives. That's why I had no other choice but to be strong. So that I won't ever feel miserable like I did that night.
I snapped out of my thoughts and the trembling of my hands ceased. As my mind calmed down and my emotions settled down, everything became much clearer, as if I had finally reached a resolution, a salvation out of this unsettling turmoil.
The battle was still going on and my team was pushing forward. I took one last glance at the faint person I just stabbed and caught up to my team. As my eyes searched the main cast, I saw them fighting on the other side of the battlefield.
Adriel was overpowering everyone who tried to prevent him from reaching the flag.
He was controlling the air to slow down his enemies and increase his own agility. His spear was also covered in electricity, which looked quite threatening.
On the other hand, Eleanor wasn't any worse than Adriel, as she was fighting beside a river. Once in a while, masses of water were thrown at her enemies with great force. As I watched her, I noticed the wounds across her body were slowly healing as water fused with them.
'As expected, they both have awakened their first bloodline abilities and can effectively use their authorities over their respective elements.'
As the battle continued, we finally reached the flag. As the last opponent fell to the ground after her leg was pierced by the tip of Adriel's spear, the path to the flag was clear. Adriel ran towards the flag and grabbed it, raising it as high as he could to let the aggression group know their mission was done here.
However, just as we were about to retreat, the enemy reinforcements arrived and ambushed us, catching us off guard. They had outnumbered us. Realizing there was no other option but to run with the flag, the one who was responsible for the aggression group shouted at Adriel.
"Adriel, take a couple of people with you and run towards our base as quickly as possible. The rest of us are going to hold them back! Understood?!"
"But-"
"There is no time to argue! Just go!"
Adriel's heroic heart didn't allow him to leave his comrades behind, but he too knew we had no choice. He glanced around the battlefield to spot his friends.
"Amelia! Eleanor! We are retreating with the flag! Follow me!"
The two girls quickly met up with Adriel and they left the battlefield without looking back twice. As they left, the roars of the battlefield fell silent until nothing could be heard. The last thing they heard was the shouting of some people.
"They are escaping with our flag. Everyone! Chase them!∼"
"Soldiers! Hold the line with your life! The only way to get past us is by stepping over our dead bodies!∼"
However, amidst the chaos of the battle, a boy with black hair left the scene unnoticed. He traveled through the shadows under the trees, following the traces of the three demigods that had just left the battleground with the flag.