Chapter 490: Echoes Before the Storm (3)
As the clock’s hands ticked slowly ..but steadily forward...
Imperial forces began pouring through the colossal magic formation that had taken days and sleepless nights for the mages to complete.
Though the formation was massive .. allowing many to pass at once .. bringing through the full army still took a tremendous amount of time.
In the end, once the Empire obtained a clear overview of the enemy’s forces, including the nightmare creatures and high-blood warriors...
They sent 70,000 troops ..an overwhelming army comprised of the Empire’s greatest elites and warriors.
Great family’s leaders, guild masters, and renowned champions were all present.
Such a massive army quickly spread across the eastern shore of the continent, and the ground trembled beneath their feet.
The only ones left behind were 30,000 soldiers deliberately held back by Aegon .. reserved for his special plan later on.
Meanwhile, none of the SS+ rank powerhouses—such as Sir Alone and Maekar Valerion—had made a move yet. They remained behind, waiting for the enemy to reveal their full might.
The moment they entered the war... it would mark the beginning of the final battle.
To fully transport all 70,000 soldiers... took three full days and nights.
The vanguard camp, which had barely held 2,000 men previously, had now expanded dramatically .. covering a massive stretch of the Shizclar region.
The Empire had finally secured a foothold in the enemy’s lands for the first time in ages, and now it was only a matter of time before the second clash between both sides erupted.
...
...
...
The atmosphere of war was always... unique ..especially the nights that came just before a battle.
During nights like these, humans would often try to forget, even for a moment, the pressure and dread that threatened to crush their shoulders.
You’d see them passing the time with friendly sparring matches scattered across the camp, or simply spending quiet moments with those they held dear .. perhaps sharing what might be their final moments.
On the other hand, some simply couldn’t push the echoes of war from their minds ..especially those who had already experienced its brutal depths.
Some would isolate themselves completely, striving to keep their minds sharp for the perfect start to battle.
And then, there were those with... far different ambitions.
That small group that ventured out in search of one man... was a perfect example.
Inside one of the tents, set apart from the rest...
The man everyone had been talking about—Frey Starlight—spent his final days in near-total seclusion.
Not by choice, but because most didn’t dare to approach him.
He would occasionally step out to meet with important figures and military leaders, discussing the strategy and preparations for the coming assault.
It was said that Frey had chosen, of his own volition, to remain at the frontlines .. intent on facing the enemy and bearing the weight of the war alone.
In truth, most of the Empire’s forces—and even its citizens—had heard whispers of what Frey had accomplished in the last battle.
Though many dismissed it as exaggeration or outright fiction, it didn’t change the fact that Frey had become an existence that could no longer be ignored.
And so, approaching him became a problem.
If the rumors were true, and he really was that extraordinary... then how could ordinary soldiers even interact with such a miracle?
But if the rumors were lies... then he was still Frey .. the criminal many still hated, the one who was supposed to be executed.
Caught between awe and resentment... most chose to simply stay away from him entirely.
But for one particular group... that was no longer the case.
A group that chose to stay close to him... more than anything else.
Frey felt their presence, so he stepped out of his tent naturally .. almost as if he had anticipated their arrival.
Outside the entrance, he found dozens .. no, hundreds of soldiers gathered around his tent, their eyes fixed on him.
Most of them weren’t in good shape; some of their wounds were still bleeding through the tightly wrapped bandages.
Frey recognized them immediately.
"You’re still here, huh?"
Walking toward them, Frey stopped right in front of the girl named Selene, who stood at the front of the group.
They were the same ones who had fought alongside him before .. the vanguard troops who survived because of him.
"We deeply apologize for disturbing your rest, Lord Starlight."
Selene bowed low in apology, followed quickly by the others behind her.
But Frey made them all stand tall again with a silent surge of aura that forced their bodies upright.
"There’s no need to apologize. It pleases me to see the faces of those I once trusted to guard my back," he said with a smile. "Honestly, I thought you had all already left."
The soldiers’ expressions eased slightly, prompting Selene to take the first step and make her request.
"Forgive me... Lord Starlight! But... may we fight by your side again in your next battle—no, in every battle that follows?!"
She stuttered near the end, making her request sound foolish, and immediately regretted taking responsibility for voicing it.
But the other soldiers quickly backed her up, voicing their true desires.
"Let us fight beside you again, Lord Starlight!"
"We want to stay with you, Lord Starlight!"
They repeated the same words again and again.
Frey’s expression darkened.
And then, with a terrifying pressure, he released his aura.
The suffocating force silenced them all as fear overtook their faces.
Coldly, Lord Starlight spoke, subduing them with nothing but his presence.
"Do you even realize what you’re about to commit to... soldiers of the Empire?"
He stepped forward, eyes scanning each of their faces, one by one.
"I told you before. I may not know your names, but I witnessed your struggle, your perseverance. You were given a single mission .. and you completed it flawlessly."
The vanguard’s mission had been the hardest. Many died, and those who survived were given the rare privilege of withdrawing from the frontlines ..a chance most soldiers never got.
Many took that chance.
But some... some foolishly rejected it. And those fools were the ones standing before Frey now.
"Has your confidence blinded you just because you won once?"
"Has surviving death dulled your sense of reality?"
"Do you think you’re special... just because you lived while others died? Do you think it will always be like that?"
Pressing them further, Frey declared:
"Are you afraid of my aura? Does my power scare you? Let me tell you .. battlefields are full of people like me. Some may even be stronger."
"I made my decision long ago .. to fight this entire war, to kill and tear down as many of our enemies as possible. And for that... I’m prepared to stake my life. Are you?"
"Will you follow me to your death just because I told you to? Will you throw away your lives just to chase that fleeting feeling of glory? Wake up! This is war! And here, all that awaits you... is death."
Frey took one last step forward ..and unleashed his killing intent without restraint upon the soldiers.
Within seconds, most of them had turned and fled.
One after another, those men who swore to fight by his side until death ..ran.
Their false resolve shattered.
Their empty dreams collapsed under the weight of the grim reality Frey forced upon them.
His killing intent was thick, heavy, and horrifying ..something he had forged through the slaughter of countless humans and monsters alike.
In less than a minute... they were gone.
Frey watched their backs as they disappeared—but he couldn’t ignore the few who remained.
Still standing.
Upright, despite the crushing aura that weighed on them.
Only eight people.
Five men, three women.
Three looked young.
Two were his age.
Two more were middle-aged.
And one was an old woman, appearing to be in her sixties.
It was a bizarre lineup.
One of them even wet herself from sheer terror.
But she didn’t move.
That was Selene.
Her legs trembled. Her blue hair hid her eyes.
But she forced herself to remain where she was.
That made Frey smile ..and he withdrew his aura.
"I meant every word I said," he admitted. "But I acknowledge the will of those who remain. Fighting by my side means living each day with nothing but a threadbare veil between you and death. And today... you’ve proven that you’re capable of facing death itself."
Glancing at them once more...
Frey concluded.
"I’m sure each of you has your own reason for following me. Whatever those reasons may be... you’ve all earned my respect."
With his back turned, Frey walked away.
"We move out tomorrow. Be ready by then."
And the moment he said that ..
All eight of them shouted in unison, without thinking.
"Yes, sir!!"
In that moment, Frey gained the first members of his personal unit.
The unit that would follow him for a long time.
A unit that lived only for him...
And for the goals he had set long ago.