Elijah once more awoke, the familiar smell of mud and sweaty men assaulting his nostrils.
Elijah was more or less used to the cat eared man's unwavering stare, but one thing he will never adjust to, is the pain of death.
Elijah's body convulsed as he finally puked out his breakfast, his teary eyes struggling to stay open as he coughed violently.
"Fuck," he muttered, wiping his mouth with a shaky hand. "That one hurt way more than my first time."
With a grunt, he forced himself forward, his bloodshot eyes burning with determination.
...
This time, Elijah followed the commanders orders, he realised that fully adjusting to the battlefield could help him accomplish the Demon Lord Revival Systems first mission with greater ease.
Elijah ran amok, he was new, but all the soldiers that saw him fight on the battlefield were amazed by his resilience, sure he died a couple times, but only he remembered.
...
"Equip".
Elijah yelled, summoning a short dagger into his hands.
The Thalorian was caught off guard, and Elijah plunged the dagger into his abdomen.
Elijah was drenched in so much blood, even his allies had to create distance from him.
Elijah put away his dagger and raised his rifle, shoulder level and shot a Thalorian running in his direction.
But before he could catch a break, more Thalorians came running at him, it was clear that he had made an impression of himself.
Elijah's eyes locked onto the broken bayonet at his feet. With a fluid motion, he slid his boot under it and flicked it upward.
Utilizing a perfectly executed crescent kick, he sent the blade spinning through the air, its edge burying itself deep into a Thalorian's chest. The enemy crumpled into a heap of blood.
Elijah didn't wait to be pinned down, he shot towards them with immense momentum and stabbed another with his rifle.
He temporarily released the handle and once more summoned the dagger, this time quietly.
His hands were skillful, he rotated the dagger in between his hands like an assassin that had trained for years.
When a Thalorian came close enough and raised his rifle with the intention to stab him with his bayonet.
Elijah recoiled, dodging to the side he carefully side stepped the man before sinking his dagger into the man's neck.
Before the Thalorian hit the ground, he snatched the man's rifle with a swift motion and hurled it, the bayonet slicing through the air before embedding itself into another enemy aiming at him from afar.
Elijah was a monster on the battlefield, he looked like a man that not only relishes, but also enjoys taking the lives of humans.
Elijah knew the battle would last hours, and his given up on trying to stop casualties from happening on the first day, but there was still one more thing he had to do before the day comes to an end.
He had to make sure First Lieutenant Verayth does not die, ofcourse he doesn't know whether she dies or not, but they did die together once, and that was enough for Elijah to take a precautionary measure.
Elijah pulled his dagger free from a man's skull, the sound wet and unnerving, before making his way to retrieve his rifle.
His breathing came in shallow, erratic bursts, and his bloodshot eyes reflected the crimson streaked chaos around him.
He glanced at the sky. Through the streaks of artillery fire, he could tell the sun would set in a few hours, it was the same time he'd found Verayth, moments before they were both killed by a shell.
He had to go find her once more, but before then.
Elijah walked towards a bloodied man laying on the ground, even while gasping for breath the man stared unwaveringly at Elijah, his bloodshot eyes tearing him to pieces with raw hatred.
"Just who the hell are you?". The man stuttered.
Elijah was pretty indifferent to the man's hatred, where he was from, even his parents hated him before they even got to know him. Funny enough, they didn't even want to know.
Elijah pursed his lips mockingly.
"The voice in my head calls me The Demon, and you will be number fifty two in this time".
As Elijah raised his rifle, intent on driving the bayonet clean through his enemy, a sudden gunshot rang out. The bullet struck the blade, wrenching the weapon from his grasp and sending it clattering to the ground.
Elijah raised his head in annoyance, but was met with an entire squad of Thalorians heading his way.
His blood instantly ran cold, he looked around him and realised that he was the only Umbral left in the area.
And without hesitation he took off, leaving his rifle behind.
"Fuck, where did all those bloody cowards run off to".
...
Elijah followed the pattern from before, hoping to find First Lieutenant Verayth, luckily. Nothing had changed.
First Lieutenant Verayth was still a goddess on the battlefield, her speed unmatched and her killing intent refined.
Verayth stopped and stayed clear of the enemy after spotting Elijah, just like before she was wondering how he got to her, and if he was hit in the head.
But this time, not because he was shaking his head like a psycho, but because he was covered in blood from head to toe.
Without a word, Elijah once more grabbed her wrist, and pulled her down to his level.
"Before you say anything, No, all this isn't my blood, It was generously donated by the Thalorians... Also, I know you know that the enemy is only using this attack as a decoy, and that they are planning to build a stable base to maintain an oppressive invasion to officially destroy the Black Ash Battlefront".
First Lieutenant Verayth's irises narrowed into slits, what Elijah just said was supposed to be confidential information.
But just as she opened her mouth to speak, Elijah shushed her, he even had a finger on her lip and everything.
"Listen Lieutenant, I'm gonna tell you something real crazy, even crazier than usual, Okay".