Chapter 272 March
At the rate that they were killing the appearing curses, Nero thought that the fight would end in a few minutes. He was wrong.
He finally understood why, even when the curses began to appear, the convoy continued to move forward at their slow pace, and none of the soldiers got out of their jeeps or trucks. In fact, it was only the first timers like Nero who were surprised at the number of curses that attacked the convoy. The rest took it in their stride.
They did not relax, but they also did not need to stop or take special measures. With the support of the Juggernauts, the countless strong card masters, and an insane amount of coordination, the convoy kept moving, and kept killing curses. The curse, in turn, kept appearing as if there was no end to them. The only redeeming factor in all of this, if it could be called that, was that so far none of the curses had been too strong.
Nero had questions, but now was not the time to ask them. He also finally understood why, in the heat of such an intense battle, he was kept constantly scouting for more enemies. While all the fighters were focused on the curses up in the air, scouts spread throughout the convoy kept searching for new enemies attacking from other directions - and they came, just as expected.
Some came with the wind, invisible and with a gentle touch, yet completely lethal. Others emerged from the ground underneath them, while others still simply appeared right amidst the convoy itself. When such curses appeared, all the scouts would use a specific card given to them that marked the enemies in the senses of all the warriors, and they would take care of the rest.
The convoy was an efficient yet ruthless killing machine, never stopping, never tiring, always on the search for more prey.
Even though Nero did not fight himself, he could feel the heat of battle. The aether itself in their vicinity was hot as it was pulled into the Juggernauts, while the jeeps and trucks heated up from all the soldiers' attacks. The intensity of battle drew sweat from the brows of even those seated. In comparison to the fever that had gripped the soldiers, the light of the summer sun was a gentle caress, any warmth it carried like the fingers of a lover, softly running across their bodies.
Nero was completely taken. It was not like he had never faced a fight before. It wasn't as if he had not risked life and limb, not like he hadn't risked his neck against formidable foes. But this was different.
On the road, surrounded by warriors, by machines of metal and aether, by the burning corpses and remains of curses, what he felt was something different. What he felt was the call to arms that slept in the blood of every Kolari. What he felt was the embrace of the battlefield. What Nero felt there was the understanding of why the Kolari, as an entire nation, could not resist the allure of battle itself.
Just when Nero thought he finally understood, finally felt what all the soldiers across their nation felt, the rhythm of the fight changed.
Boom.
He felt it, deep within his bones. Each and every hair on his body stood on end, his senses heightening as they searched for that one sound. But how could he hear something like that here? The battlefield was filled with sounds. It was-
Boom.
The sound prevailed throughout the entire battlefield, its origin distant yet near at the same time. Nero's heartbeat quicked. He felt silly when he realised what was happening, and felt silly that he had forgotten about it. In his defence, he was too focused on the fight. But now that he knew what was happening, he did not miss out again. He raised his foot just slightly, noticing all the others in his jeep doing the same, and slammed it down at the same time as them.
Boom.
Nero was not one to lose control of himself, but for once he had to struggle to control himself as excitement filled his veins. How could he forget? Forget the oldest, ancient most tradition, not just of Kolar, but of mankind.
Boom.
The sound was getting loud, and the tempo slowly building. Chants. Cadence. War songs. Victory ballads. Different people called it by different names, but at the end of the day it was all the same.
Boom.
Whether it was to raise morale, to build coordination, to strike fear into the hearts of the enemy, or to build courage in the hearts of the friendlies, when the armies of Kolar marched, they did not do so in silence.
BOOM!
The convoy was in full form now, fighting for every metre of land they covered, killing and slaying foes without the blink of an eye. This was not even war for them, no. This was just a random Tuesday.
BOOM!
He knew what was coming, and Nero lamented from the bottom of his heart that he had not learned the war song for Fordham. But he would learn it now, surrounded by his brother-in-arms, in the heat of battle, and he would sing along with them.
BOOM!
The beat was established, the tempo set, and now all that was left was for the lead officer of the convoy to sing - to defiantly and provokingly sing a song as they slaughtered their way through
"MARCH!" a voice declared from the very front of the convoy, at the same moment as the next boom, signalling the start of the Fordham war chant. As one, the soldiers joined their voices, just as they joined their strength, and sang without pausing their slaughter.
"March! In the dark of night.
March! In the light of day.
March! Through the fogs of grey.
March! To the end of an age."
BOOM!
"March! Though the road is long.
March! Though your bed is warm.
March! Though you leave home behind.
March! Though your end is nigh."
BOOM!
"A chest covered in armour,
A heart full of courage, of honour, of pride,
A promise to return,
A waiting lover, a mother, a friend."
BOOM!
Nero's clenched fists trembled as he struggled to contain himself. The past few years, there had been too much disappointment in his life. All his ideals, one by one, were crushed by reality. But right now, he was not surrounded by sinister plots, by evil intentions, or by honourless scum. Right now, he was surrounded by soldiers, one and all.
"Under the shadow of the Dark Moon,
Over the mountain of my brothers ashes,
Across the tide of eternal curses,
We will march to the beat of our hearts!"
BOOM!
"March! Along the armies of Kolar!
March! To the end of the world!
March! Death is an old lover we love to tease!
March! While you still have blood left to bleed!"
BOOM!
There was a fire in Nero's heart, and its colour was not blue. Passion, vigour, energy, power - it all coursed through his veins at that time and he wanted nothing more than to rush into the curses and rip them all to shreds. But as the rhythm of the song reached a crescendo, Nero's trembling hands finally stilled, and the raging feeling in his chest stilled.
He had done it a few times before, and he chose to do it now again. As if his flames could freeze even his emotions, Nero allowed them to cool his head and bring himself to the peak of self control.
That did not mean that the feelings left Nero.
BOOM!
This did not mean that he was no longer affected by a convoy of soldiers, bravely, audaciously, arrogantly singing in the face of an enemy that could kill them all. Far from it. He embraced it with his entire being, for this was what he had always imagined being a warrior was all about. But that did not mean he could allow a lapse in self control.
Nero himself was a warrior, and the first weapon he mastered was not the spear, it was himself.
BOOM!
He heard the song. He learned the words. He sang along. But more than ever, he became focused on the task that he had been given. Even though he knew that as a Neophyte, he was never actually meant to discover any enemies. More than anything, it was just to get him accustomed to how a convoy travelled, and what role he might play in the future.
BOOM!
His heart beat became stable once more, and Nero reached the very peak of his focus. Whether it was the tempest of emotions, the whirlwind of aether, the heat of battle, or something even more esoteric, in that moment something within Nero moved, and he suddenly had a feeling.
He had just reached 30% card absorption.
BOOM!
"March!" This time, Nero's voice joined the chorus.