Chapter 2
The general gave out an evil smile, and for some reason, the pale young boy felt chills at that sight.
The criminals in front of the general were breathing heavily. Although a few of them could breathe properly, none of the criminals were able to stand straight.
"If you try to flee, you will be butchered and fed to those hungry people in the outer sectors. The same meat you have been eating up until now."
The eyes of every criminal standing there widened. They always questioned in their minds as to why they were given meat when it was a luxury even in the inner circle.
Were they now cannibals? Of course, there were some who did not even care.
The pale young boy was feeling disgusted at the thought that he might have been eating corrupted meat up until now.
Of course he didn't believe that they were actually being fed without purification. Even if they were, the corruption might have swallowed the outskirts way before he was even born.
The pale young boy understood that he was just warning them with fear. If they didn't obey, they would receive something worse than death.
Though this fact could be understood by anybody with logic, there rarely was anybody sane among those who were brought from the outskirts.
"Let me make one thing clear. You are just expendables to be used for the greater good of the holy empire. You are criminals who rebelled during work, and now you atone for your crimes with your lives. The only chance of redemption for you is to die for your empire. "
The pale young boy wanted to die and was ready to do anything to escape this continent he loathed.
He, along with others brought here, had already lost any hope of living. They only hoped that they didn't get corrupted before blowing themselves up.
This group of a hundred was just one of the units brought here from the outer sectors. There were 2048 units from 2048 distinct outer sectors as well who would defend their side of the wall.
The corruption increases every month. During a particular day of a month, the stored up corruption in the corrupted is suddenly released. That particular day is known to be the day of despair.
Today was the day of despair and is also the reason why they were brought here. Today could be considered the worst day of despair in the entire history of the Holy Empire.
The general went away after giving his short speech and intimidating the criminals. They were not even given time to recover as they were forcefully brought somewhere. They reached the base of the wall near a large gate.
From a high vantage point on the wall, one could see hundreds of thousands of cannon fodder disguised as paladin soldiers marching towards their death.
As they approached the wall, a soldier captain blew his horn to signal something. After his signal, the large door opened. The pale young boy expected a loud noise, but the door opened rather silently.
Honestly, the pale young boy did not understand how they predicted when the day of despair would come and why they had to be cannon fodder when they had such a mighty wall to protect them from the corrupted outside.
The pale young boy could only sneak out far enough to encounter the corrupted twice in his life during work hours. He obviously wanted to die during those times, but he could not due to the curse placed upon him.
Both the corrupted he encountered were mostly bones with barely any flesh on them. Today, he was going to witness what a true ancient horror looked like.
Dark clouds loomed, and all they could see was darkness thicker than they were used to in the perpetual night of the outskirts.
The pale young boy, along with others, stepped outside the wall while feeling the wet mud on the ground through the metallic shoes they were wearing.
Everybody formed a line parallel to the wall as they were instructed and had to start marching forward when the horn was blown.
When their shield dies after a few hours, they will lose control of their bodies and move towards the nearest source of corruption. They will be at least 10 meters away from their allies when they get blown into smithereens.
The pale young boy held a large transparent shield made of condensed 'will' which could be retracted. He also held a large flamethrower that could emit a large quantity of holy fire at the corrupted. All he had to do was press the switch.
The pale boy was a little tense because he initially thought that he wouldn't be able to lift the flamethrower along with the transparent shield through his lean physique and thin hands.
The entire set of armor, along with all the accessories, was much lighter. The only thing that he felt bad about was the cold he felt in metal armor due to the sharp winds.
Though, he wished that the cold might become warm when the flamethrowers were used.
All around him, he could hear the sound of gulping and incoherent mutterings that told him how scared they all were of the abominations outside.
The pale young boy had an unreadable expression as he looked ahead. Behind him, paladins rushed out to form a defensive formation.
Ahead of him, a thick darkness nestled. If he turned back now, he would be caught by the paladins and paralyzed. Just when everybody was waiting for something to happen, they heard a loud voice.
It was a loud horn that was blown by a paladin. The criminals took hesitant steps in a disorderly fashion and marched towards the thick darkness when they heard the sound of a horn. Now, they had crossed the line that the corrupted hesitated to cross.
That is when he saw 'it'. No, everybody saw 'it'. 'It' rose from the muddy ground and looked at them with hollow eye sockets. 'It' had countless small holes in its body that looked like a labyrinthine ground.
It was as if countless holes had been drilled into the corrupted creature. The most revolting part of it all was that countless maggots were writhing in those labyrinthine holes of its body, extending to the ground like roots of a plant.
It opened its maw wide and let out an ear-piercing shriek while revealing countless uneven teeth that were growing inside its maw.
Following the shriek, countless other corrupted beings rose from the bloody mud and let out a shriek of their own while running towards the wall.
The entire zone descended into chaos as everybody lit their flamethrowers while some intercepted those unholy beings in the flesh.
These corrupted beings were a little different from what the pale boy had seen before. They looked mutated beyond recognition.
The pale young boy and countless others felt fear for the first time when they encountered those beings. Their dread multiplied when they saw that not all of them were completely humanoid.
There was a creature that looked like a twisted fusion between a human and a tree. There were some that were too big to look at in the distance.
Some were an amalgamation of twisted vines and flesh. Even if their size and shape were distinct, all had labyrinthine holes with countless tiny maggots in them.
…
In a large opulent hall of the ancient cathedral, a paladin had betrayed his faith and was questioning the 'purple saintess of mysteries'.
"Before I answer the second reason, what proof do you have that you really did decode those cursed words?"
The paladin narrowed his eyes and explained the words he read from the cursed texts.
"A few centuries ago, there was no such thing as God in our continent. There was no faith and no 'will' to be used. Everything changed when the three continents split apart due to the movement of tectonic plates. That is when the concept of 'will' came into existence when '!@#$%^&*' appeared on our continent."
The paladin felt confused for a moment and spat a mouthful of blood. He had uttered something he shouldn't have.
Not just the paladin, but the 'purple saintess of mysteries', along with all those who heard the word, had their ears burst in that moment.
The assassins waiting in the shadows for an attack too had their ears burst due to what the paladin had said.
The 'purple saintess of mysteries' healed herself with her 'will' and smiled at him.
"Some things are not meant to be said out loud."
"What the hell was that?" The paladin said with blood in his mouth.
"You are just a mortal talking about the matters of gods. You even dare to spell out the true name of powerful entities! Do you even realize what you have donnn…"
The 'purple saintess of mysteries' suddenly stopped, and her eyes became dazed.
Everything about their previous conversation had been forgotten as if some phenomenon had erased their memories. Even the blood and injuries of those who heard it somehow disappeared.
After a moment when everything calmed down, the paladin dug his dagger a little deeper into the pope's throat. He was threatening the 'purple saintess of mysteries' to answer her questions.
The 'purple saintess of mysteries' was a little confused and felt like something was wrong, but she forgot what it was. She eventually answered with an evil smile on her face as her eyes became a darker shade of purple.
"The second reason is simply the prophecy we got centuries ago along with the use of 'will'."
She looked outside the hall and at the countless stars. She had a mysterious light in her purple eyes.
"What! Huh…?"
The paladin lowered his head. His breathing stopped as well. He fell down, and suddenly, his skin turned purple.
Behind them, a second 'purple saintess of mysteries' could be seen with a purple dagger. The dagger had the blood of the paladin that fell down.
…
Another corrupted fell due to an arrow being pierced down its throat. I could see nothing but darkness ahead that was being pushed back by the light of flame throwers.
It seemed as if the horde of these corrupted beings was endless. The more we killed, the more they spawned from the infinite darkness ahead.
I could feel my muscles roaring in protest. I had killed around 4 of them. They were rather easy to kill with the flame throwers we were given.
Though, the question still remained in my mind. Why was I struggling when I finally had the opportunity to die? Why was I trembling so much?
I questioned myself again and again. Was there really a reason worth living a life in this shitty continent? What crime did I commit in this life to be given such a punishment?
I was just another child without any speck of corruption. I had been thrown in the outskirts just for a simple reason as a possibility.
Though I survived in the outskirts as it was not possible for anybody to kill another human due to the curse, I also couldn't kill myself.
I remembered the days when I was raised in the cathedral like the other children thrown out of the walls. Would my life be different if I had the capability of creating my 'will'?
These thoughts ran through my head for just a fraction of a second before I intercepted another abomination. This one was more like a dog than a human. The flamethrower did its job burning the creature.
Suddenly, my foot slipped in the mud, and I fell down. The burning creature lunged at me to sink its sharp teeth in my soft flesh. Though, it never happened as I was able to utilize my transparent shield.
This time, I saw the creature up close with the help of light coming from flamethrowers nearby. The hideous abomination was biting the shield, while its tongue held countless holes with maggots in them.
The sight stirred something in my stomach. I was feeling disgusted right now, and my head was spinning. I was breathing heavily while my muscles were in pain.
Suddenly, the abomination was sent flying, and I looked around only to find the old man holding his shield. The old man didn't get to celebrate his small victory, though.
It was because another abomination with a hideously humanoid appearance appeared from the gap left behind by the old man and pierced its claws in one of the cracks of his armor in a sickening crunch.
I didn't think much and reacted as I brought out my sword from its hilt and severed the abomination's neck in a swift arc while it was busy with its target.
At the same time, there was a loud noise and a blinding flash. One of the criminals was blown as he was corrupted by them. A beat later, I had to divert my attention to the ones coming for me.
Only a few minutes had passed since the chaos began, and I was already at my limit. Suddenly, I heard the old man who was dying speaking.
"I never asked for your name, boy."
"I never had a name."
He glanced at me for a moment before closing his eyes and saying-
"I am Floris."
"Nice to meet you, damn it!"
I couldn't help but curse at the antics of this mad old man. Who even says their name to somebody they had interacted with for years at the end of their life? I did not know, but I felt a pain in my heart for some reason.
I couldn't think much when the old man with closed eyes got up and ran towards the creatures. It might be due to the function engraved on his collar.
I saw as he blasted himself. I was still in a muddled state as I saw this. I was panting heavily from repeatedly fighting those abominations.
Another abomination as large as the cathedral they got food from was dealt by a cannon fired by the paladin soldiers stationed on the walls. The march was still progressing when another loud roar was heard, just like the one they heard at first.
Just after the roar was heard, the number of corrupted monsters incoming doubled. Did they just awaken another nest of corrupted abominations?
I smelled the acrid smell of burnt, rotting flesh. As we marched, I stepped on the remains of the abominations I had slain. Through those remains, white-yellowish maggots crawled up my armor.
I couldn't hold back as I spewed a mouthful of vomit on the ground, which brought a chance for another abomination to lunge at me. I was lucky again as I was able to utilize my shield.
The abomination was sent flying back again. This time, though, there was no old man to protect him.
The soldiers behind had used their 'will' to punch the creature back. I would have been thankful if not for them to trample on my shield and move on.
I wanted to get up, but I was stuck by the weight of their bodies. If not for the shield, I would have been dead. Though, I felt like I wanted to sleep really badly.
I could feel my back pressing deeper in the wet soil due to the pressure of footsteps on my shield. I was getting buried alive right now. Is this how I die?
'Being buried by the same army of the empire that I had to sacrifice my life to protect? All I wanted was a proper death, or, at the very least, a proper name for others to call me. How pathetic of me and my life to die like that. Maybe if I had another chance…'
…
As the pale young boy got buried alive in the chaos, the general standing on the wall looked at the far end. He could see and sense far more than the mundane. The horde of corrupted they were dealing with now was just an appetizer.
The real horrors were coming their way. His eyes flickered to the battle below. If he let things be like they were now, they would lose the battle. The general smiled cynically and went to the edge of the wall.
There was no other choice but to enter the fray himself and change the situation. He looked down and jumped from the majestic 100-meters wall.
He had shitty luck because the corrupted he was facing were not only the worst in history, but their intensity was the highest compared to all sectors.
Only 10 minutes after the battle started, all the cannon fodder were dead. There were more and more of those corrupted sirens waking up from their slumber, which in turn woke even more corrupted.
The corrupted beings of this sector had gone through a terrifying evolution. He could only curse his luck for finding himself in a shitty situation.
The number of corrupted was increasing exponential and more and more paladin soldiers were required to fill in the gaps left behind by the dead every minute.
The soldiers were losing morale every minute. They understood that if it continued like this, they would all be wiped out in just a few hours.
It was when suddenly, a meteor struck in the middle of the darkness where the corrupted nestled and created a 100-meters deep crater, all the while killing one of the 'siren' abomination.
The paladins were shocked, and all the corrupted beings were attracted to the anomaly like moths to flames. They abandoned everything and moved towards the light in the middle of the battlefield.
The anomaly that landed in the middle of the darkness raised his arms and slashed in a horizontal arc towards the horde of corrupted beings ahead. The corrupted beings within 200 meters ahead were cleaved into multiple pieces in the next moment.
One of the paladin soldiers narrowed his eyes and looked a little closer, when suddenly his eyes widened. He shouted in a loud voice towards his fellow soldiers.
"It's General Austin! He descended the battlefield to fight himself!"
The other soldiers regained their clarity as they noticed the general cleave the abominations into several pieces with just a wave of his hand. They could only marvel in awe at the powers displayed by him.
Where they were having difficulties dispatching a few of those corrupted abominations, their general just killed a thousand in a single move of his hands.
Of course it wasn't as easy as it looked. General Austin had to use a lot of his 'will' to pull off a stunt like that. Though, this turned the tide of the battle as the soldiers quickly started dispatching more of these creatures.
That is when more of those siren monsters were killed. Whenever the general found more of those siren creatures, he would dispatch them before they could shriek.
This gave the soldiers high morale and confidence. Later, the corrupted creatures started falling on their own due to sleep, which gave the soldiers an opportunity to end them in silence.
The operation went on for a few more hours when all the corrupted creatures that were mutated due to some reason in their sector were killed.
Now, they could see the usual weak, corrupted creatures they fought every month. It was when the bloodied general noticed something strange in his vision.
He spotted a strange white spherical object in the distance. He was just about to search it when he sensed something.
He sensed a spherical mass of object 'gazing' at him. Sensing the danger, the general used his 'will' to cover his body and moved towards the spherical object.
The white spherical object vibrated, and suddenly, two large ethereal wings that were dozens of meters in length, grew from 'it'.
The general sensed the giant sphere with ethereal wings and raised his guard to the utmost. He could feel a danger unlike anything he had felt in his life.
Suddenly, he sensed movement from the creature. His eyes widened, and he turned to project his voice and warn his army of the danger, but it was too late.
The giant white sphere opened like an eye, and 'it' gazed at the mortals beneath from the sky. The general closed his eyes in time and covered himself in his 'will', but the people behind him were not so lucky.
The eye had countless holes. Its irises shimmered between different colors. The eye was more like an amalgamation of countless 'wills' that were forcefully given shape.
Anybody the eye gazed was corrupted. The corruption spread like a wildfire, and all people behind the general were turned into mindless distortions of their previous selves.
Some became a mixture of multiple paladin soldiers, like a flesh goliath. Their flesh started to rot, and their blood fell down through countless holes that appeared in them.
The general could sense things even if he closed his eyes. He could sense his soldiers he trained for years turn into mindless abominations.
He was angry at the unknown thing that corrupted them. Right now, the corruption had spread to him already, and he was slowly but surely losing his mind.
He lunged at the eye in rage and punched it with all he could. The force of his punch was sent into oblivion as if there was an invisible barrier surrounding 'it'.
His hands started distorting and morphed into tentacles of flesh. He sliced his arms and healed himself again with his 'will'.
He poured all the 'will' he could gather and punched the 'anomaly' once. The punch didn't affect the strange 'anomaly' in the slightest.
He realized that he was rapidly turning mad in the presence of this 'anomaly'. Even thinking about 'it' brought too much madness into his mind. He calculated that he would die a mental death in the next few moments.
In a last-ditch attempt, he materialized his stigma and released all the 'will' he stored in it. This was one of the 9 transcendent arts that were lost in history. He had currently gathered enough will to devastate the entire continent.
He had currently become the strongest on the continent. After he gathered all the 'will', he released it towards the 'anomaly'. The anomaly's eye closed when the barrier shattered, and the force of the punch sent it flying on the walls and shattering it.
Due to the force of the punch, the ''anomaly landed near the wall and lost consciousness. The anomaly was bleeding and looked to be heavily injured. Though the general was dead from the punch he gave to the creature.
Suddenly, a hand rose from the ground near the 'anomaly'. The hand belonged to the pale young boy who was buried alive. He was barely alive when he was jolted awake by the force of the 'anomaly' landing beside him.
He somehow crawled out of the wet ground and looked around. He was a little surprised to find a large white stone near his vicinity.
Maybe it is a part of the wall that fell down. He was a little confused as to how he was alive when he should be dead.
Suddenly, he turned and saw a large number of monsters coming his way. They were far away, but they were coming nonetheless.
He felt his control over his body loosening as he dashed towards the large marble stone. He was still dazed and felt like everything was a dream.
Though, what he didn't know was that he was already corrupted due to the corruption present in the air. Suddenly, the surface of the white sphere moved and opened like an eye and looked towards him.
He was now so close to the creature that he could see the small labyrinthine holes in its eyeballs. Before he could think anything, the shackle on his neck exploded, killing the injured 'anomaly' without any protection and him in the process…