'Annihilate the rebels in the South.'
Those were Number 23's orders. Even though his country was a hegemonic power, some dissidents were bound to be within the ranks, particularly among the colonies annexed during the war.
It was a small rebellion, a force just a few hundred strong. However, despite being small, they built their base in the dense wilderness. Tanks and infantry would be more of an obstacle than an asset when fighting against their guerilla tactics. Using bombs or gunpowder could ignite a forest fire that would decimate the entire region.
Therefore, there was only one solution left.
Use Transcendents to annihilate the rebels altogether. And not just any Transcendent…
"Lieutenant, status report."
"S-Sir, our reconnaissance team has finished surveying the area. We believe that the rebels are hiding at these coordinates."
The soldier, barely able to keep himself from shaking in his boots, pointed to a sizable holographic map and carefully began to brief his superior.
"Good work… What's the plan?"
"W-We will send our forces to encircle their encampment first, and…"
While the Lieutenant trembled, Number 23 looked around the tent and observed his entourage. There was a wide variety of officers, both young and old. Some were battle-hardened veterans who had seen decades of war. Scars and leathery wrinkles decorated their coarse skin, and the muddiness of their eyes wasn't enough to hide the experience that lay within.
But not all of them were veterans. A handful of them were just like the young Lieutenant, fresh and green. Stars in their pupils betrayed their eagerness to jump into battle, hungry to prove themselves to their commanders.
On the surface, it seemed that the army's upper brass had provided Number 23 with enough manpower to complete his mission; however…
'They won't be useful at all.'
Number 23 mentally sighed. The soldiers sent to aid him weren't of the best quality. But Number 23 understood why his superiors provided him with this battalion.
The rebellion was deemed minor, and sending one Transcendent was enough to execute the rebels. Not to mention, they were sending in the world's most powerful Transcendent. Even the most experienced battalion would simply get in the way of his mission.
Therefore, the commanders grouped together veterans who were reassigned to safer zones as they waited for retirement and greenhorns who had just graduated from their respective military schools and were sent on their first deployment to gain experience.
'They are really making me work extra hard.'
Number 23 shook his head subconsciously and raised his gaze to the rest of the officers. Naturally, since they were observing his every move, they paused and waited for his response.
"I-Is something wrong?"
"There's no need for such a complicated plan," Number 23 sighed. "Surround them as planned. Ensure no one can escape your encirclement, and stay a safe distance away. After that… Leave the rest to me."
"L-Leave it to you?! O-Okay!!!"
"Let's do it that way."
There were no objections from the officers. Some of the newer faces may have raised their eyebrows at the simplistic plan, but most simply nodded in agreement. Ultimately, they were just humans.
In a fight where Transcendents were involved… They were more of a liability than an asset.
Number 23 stepped out of the tent and gazed into the morning sky. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky, and the Sun shone ever so brightly into the verdant forest. The corners of the warrior's lips rose at this sight as he moved his line of sight into the deepest parts of the woodlands.
"We'll end it by sundown."
❖❖❖
An hour had passed since Number 23 made that declaration. The sky had gone dark as countless grey clouds obscured the heavens. Distant thunder could be heard while crackles of white lightning decorated the darkened sky.
Not that it mattered to those on the ground. The various military men looked down at the battlefield in horror, many of them holding back the urge to hurl their guts out. Nay, the younger cadets, who barely saw war, were already puking at one corner, tears streaming down their faces. Even the battle-hardened veterans, who had seen war and murder, couldn't help but freeze at the horrific sight that lay before them.
Hundreds of bodies were littered all over the forest floor. Most of them were beheaded in one clean stroke, and those were the lucky ones...
Severed torsos, dismembered limbs, bodies split in half…
The carnage that had fallen upon the once pristine forest could only be described in one word.
A massacre.
And it wasn't the military that caused this bloodbath. None of their weapons were fired, and none of them shed a single drop of blood. Heck, none dripped a single drop of sweat. They gulped, frozen in their position as they watched their leader… Their Transcendent… Nonchalantly walk across the forest with an indifferent expression.
Number 23 looked down at the final rebel, desperately crawling to his feet. It was a scene he'd experienced many times before. The weakened rebel, exhausted from the previous 'battle', couldn't muster the strength to stand. His body was filled with sweat and blood, while his eyes had lost all colour of hope.
Was he the rebel leader? Number 23 didn't know.
His blade didn't discriminate at all during the massacre.
Whether they were men in their prime, teenagers who barely hit puberty, or elderly men who had one foot in the coffin, Number 23's blade sliced through them all. Which led to the complete annihilation of the rebel group. If this was a typical battle, the winning side would capture prisoners, especially when the other side had surrendered.
Alas, this wasn't a battle.
It was a massacre. A massacre that Number 23's direct superior had ordered. There was no need to leave any survivors.
"S-Spare me…"
"..."
Number 23 gave the rebel one final look. His cold eyes, which were devoid of humanity through years of inhumane training and unbreakable brainwashing, wavered. For a brief moment, the cold-hearted killer felt a slight wench in his heart.
But it was only for a fraction of a second.
Remembering the order he had, the Transcendent increased his grip and landed the final blow.
There was no mercy in the battlefield. No, perhaps Number 23's desire to give the rebels a quick death was a form of mercy. Alas, it didn't matter anymore.
The work was done.
The Transcendent had completed his mission, and it was time to go home…
Or so he'd thought.
BOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!
The ground beneath him shook as Number 23 was about to return to camp. Tremors shook his core as his spine tingled with unease. The Transcendent drew his sword from his sheathe once more, only to be greeted with a peculiar turn of events.
The corpses that littered the floor began combusting simultaneously while the temperature soared within his vicinity. Flames ignited from nowhere and doubled in size every second. Number 23 was surrounded by a phalanx of fire in no time, giving him no chance of retreating.
With all his vectors blocked, Number 23 could only hope to take to the skies for a clean escape. Alas, when he attempted to jump, an invisible pressure crushed his shoulders, forcing the invincible man to bend his waist.
"What's going on?!" One of the officers shouted. "Didn't we check for traps?!"
"W-We did!" The intelligence officer cried back. "Our radar and sonar equipment didn't pick up any mines or bombs!"
"So what's going on?"
"Men!!! Ready your weapons!"
While the younger officers panicked, the seasoned veterans instantly figured out what was happening. Their faces hardened like stone as they raised their weapons. Many in the battalion were slow to action, but there was one… One Lieutenant ran to the corner of the fire barrier and yelled:
"MAJOR!!! TRANSCENDENTS!!!"
Number 23 heard his subordinate's warning, but it was too late. The trap had caught its fish, and it was time to reap the harvest. The ground shook violently again, but the tremors were strong enough to force the swordsman off his feet this time. Losing his balance, Number 23 fell to the ground and when his body was at its most vulnerable state…
BOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM!!!
An explosion, no, an eruption destroyed the verdant landscape, turning the lush forest into a demonic hellscape. Molten rocks flew in all directions while a pillar of black smoke rushed towards the skies. The aftershock was enough to fly most of the battalion, including their heavy equipment. The immense wind pressure instantly uprooted trees that weren't caught in the explosion, leaving behind a barren landscape of melted rocks void of any lifeforms.
The destruction was akin to that of a small-scale atomic bomb, though the aftereffects were just as severe. Shellshocked and dazed, it took the Lieutenant a few good minutes to gather his wits. However, when he realised the situation, his eyes lit up with intention as he cried out in horror.
"M-Major!!!"
The flames burned the brightest at the epicentre of the explosion. Even through all the smoke, dust, and debris, the Lieutenant could see the orange core burning as brightly as the Sun. The heat was blistering, and he felt like his skin could melt at any moment.
Even facing the immense heat, the Lieutenant had half a mind to run into the fire to save his superior.
Fortunately for him, his actions wouldn't be needed.
"Stand back, Lieutenant."
Just before the young officer could make the decision to risk his life, a familiar voice beckoned to him from the hellfire. Emerging from the destruction like a phoenix experiencing its rebirth, Number 23 appeared right in front of his subordinate as if he'd teleported.
Completely untouched by the fiery destruction, Number 23 dusted off his pristine uniform as if nothing had ever happened to him. However, his expression had become less controlled, as a visible irritation burned in his eyes.
"M-Major! Y-You're alive!"
"... Did you want me to die?"
"N-No, that's not the case! I-I'm just amazed that you survived that blast!"
"I see… Thanks."
Watching his subordinate's fearful expression, the experienced Transcendent immediately ruled out a potential betrayal. As much as the government feared him, there was no way they would harm their most important asset. With his mind cleared of doubt, the Transcendent's brain began deducing the culprit.
'That power… Man-made machines couldn't have done it. Was it another Transcendent? But, to generate such power, I can only think of a handful of Pyromancers with that capability. Eliminating those from my country, there should be only one…'
Number 23's brain worked on overdrive as he eliminated all the potential culprits. And fortunately for him, he didn't have to wait long to confirm his suspicions.
Dozens of silhouettes appeared in all directions, surrounding the battalion in minutes. The soldiers attempted to defend against their assailants, but a telekinetic force neutralised their weapons. Unable to retaliate, the battalion could only watch in horror as over a thousand people emerged from the shadows.
However, they weren't the powerless rebels described in the mission. Every individual in the attacking force emitted dense energy that no regular human could possess. Young men and women… Old men and women… Even children… They were all in the mix.
They came from all sorts of ethnicities and genders… And yet, they all shared the same expression.
Faces filled with fierce determination and hatred.
"T-Transcendents… All of them?!"
The entire battalion couldn't find the words to describe their situation. Finding one Transcendent was already rare enough, yet a thousand were present. One had to note that most of the Transcendents perished in the Great War, and only 3,917 registered Transcendents were left.
The country Number 23 was from had a third of all Transcendents, meaning half of the world's remaining Transcendents were gathered at this very spot.
It was a fighting force that they couldn't compete with, no matter what weapons they had.
Many in the battalion dropped to the floor. Some blanked out and fainted on the spot. Some began vomiting while the rest stood silently with blank expressions. But there was one person, wholly unfazed by the entire situation.
"Titus, won't you come out now?" Number 23 spat while twirling his trusted sword. "You're the only Pyromancer I know who can set up that annoying trap, so don't bother hiding."
"... You bloody monster. Can't you even pretend to be hurt?"
A well-dressed man in his forties walked out from the crowd of Transcendents with his hands firmly in his pockets. Though his surprise attack failed to damage Number 23, the world's strongest Pyromancer didn't seem to mind. Instead, he fully expected this result and simply flashed a fake smile.
"Are you even human?"
"..."
Number 23 kept silent. His mind wasn't focused on the man before him but rather his entire entourage. Titus, the Pyromancer, was widely considered the second-best Transcendent in the world behind himself. However, he wasn't the only one present.
'Deathbringer, Piercing Blade, Winter Maiden, Earth Dragon, Nightmare Whisper, Ocean Spear… There are several named Transcendents here.'
As a Transcendent, Number 23 knew all his fellow compatriots well. After all, they crossed paths multiple times during the Great War. But even with his long history with war, this was the first time he'd seen so many of them gathered in one location.
"I doubt you've gathered so many Transcendents here just to help us defeat some mere rebels, right?"
Number 23 joked, raising the eyebrows of everyone present. Titus narrowed his eyes for a brief moment before his hoarse voice sounded out.
"Lunar Blade… Your existence threatens the balance of mankind. The only reason why your country won the Great War was because of your dominance. And you're still so young. If we leave you be, in a few decades, your country will rule the world, and the rest of us will suffer as your vassal states. For the sake of our planet, we must eliminate you."
Number 23 gave the Pyromancer a bitter look before letting out a chuckle.
"For the sake of our planet… You make it sound like it's such a noble cause."
"... I must admit, I do have a selfish agenda."
Titus pulled a locket from his pocket and hung it out for Number 23 to see.
"My wife… Angelica. She died by your sword."
"Oh, I see… That's a shame."
Number 23 shook his head as he tried to recall who Titus' wife was. Unfortunately, the number of people who died by his sword was in the tens of thousands. There was no feasible way for the man to recall who the woman was.
"... You don't even remember her face, do you?"
Titus kept his pendant with a regretful sigh. However, as he stopped talking, the other Transcendents erupted with anger.
"Do you remember my father?! He was innocent, and you beheaded him in cold blood!"
"You monster! You split my sister in two!"
"My son!!!"
All of the Transcendents screamed their grievances, each more gruesome than the last. As he watched the agitation of the vicinity soar, Number 23 knew that he wouldn't be able to get through this without a fight.
"I'm guessing an apology won't cut it," the Lunar Blade whispered with a cold breath. "Lieutenant, were you able to contact the command centre?"
"N-No, sir! They seemed to have jammed our signals!"
"Makes sense; since they planned this trap, they would have jammed our communications… There's no other choice… I'll create an opening; you lead the battalion out of this place and call for help. I'll hold them off in the meantime."
"Sir! Will you be okay?"
"Do we have another choice?"
"..."
Number 23 stared at his opponents with weapons drawn and killing intent firmly directed at him. Fortunately, their objective was just him. They could care less about the soldiers in his battalion. And that gave him an advantage.
"I will hold them off for an hour. By that time, make sure that reinforcements arrive."
"Yes, sir!!!"
The Lieutenant didn't stutter anymore. Firmly etching his superior's orders to heart, he steeled his nerves and watched as the Major walked forward towards the thousand Transcendents with his blade drawn.
Energy particles were gathered at an astonishing rate underneath Number 23's feet. All of the Transcendents in the vicinity instantly felt a blistering chill descending their spines as many felt a pressure beyond anything they'd experienced yet. Some of the weaker Transcendents fell on their knees, while those who resisted could feel blood dripping down the corner of their lips.
Only Titus and some Transcendents could keep their wits, but their faces showed a tinge of surprise that went beyond their calculations.
But alas, they could only watch as Number 23 transformed from a seemingly ordinary swordsman… To the world's strongest Transcendent.
"You will regret this."
The words that were spoken didn't reach anyone's ears. Yet, its meaning was displayed spectacularly—as when Number 23 finally swung his sword…
The Moon descended.