The horizon was being dyed by the setting sun. Darkness, like water soaking into cotton, was establishing its dominance in the sky.
As the dominion of the sky is about to change, the battle on the ground is also reaching its climax.
Shouts of anger and vindictiveness swept the ground. Thinking only of defeating the enemy, thinking only of their own survival, everyone continues to fight with single-minded devotion.
In the midst of all this, a young man with black hair and black eyes was quizzically looking down at his hands.
âAs I thought⌠I had a strange feeling about it.â
A hand that was still numb, there was a definite response. But when he turned around, Loing was standing there, unharmed.
âI didnât think someone as good as you could be âcorruptedââŚâ
His discomfort was quickly answered, but there was much he could not understand about why someone as powerful as Loing wanted the power so badly.
When Loing heard Hiroâs question, he smiled in a way that didnât look out of place on the battlefield.
âIs there something on your mind, Your Highness Hiro?â
He expressed his emotions abundantly, which showed that he was in complete control of his power.
It may be that the five great generals are different from ordinary people.
âUraaaaaaaaa!â
âGuahh!â
After slaughtering the attacking enemy soldiers with a single swing, Hiro turned his head to Loing once again.
âCan I ask why youâve become the Fallen One?â
There was a battle going on around them. There should be no time to talk about it when the situation is so disturbing. But even so, he couldnât help but ask.
A man of his caliber â recognized by his country, his family status is not inferior to the five great noble families. He even has a family to support. He couldnât understand why he would throw away his happiness and fall into a state of depravity.
âYour Highness Hiro is very kind. But at the same time, itâs a very cruel word.â
ââŚ..â
Hiro didnât answer but urged him to continue.
âI love my family. However, since I was born a man, I want my place of death to be on the battlefield. I guess you could say thatâs my responsibility for having risen to the rank of one of the five great generals.â
âSo why did you take such a stepâŚ? If you have fallen, you will never be human again. You have to live as a monster forever.â
âFor eternity⌠if I can live as a warrior, I will be happy.â
Loing gave a slight chuckle and then pulled out the spirit weapon on his hip.
âIf I tell you more, I might be overcome with emotion.â
He held the weapon up high.
âItâs unfortunate. You made the wrong choice.â
Hiro, who sighed deeply as if in sorrow, suddenly changed his attitude and laughed. And before Hiro could even set up his âHeavenly Emperor,â Loing moved.
In the blink of an eye, he closed the distance and came in closer. The tip of the sword cut off Hiroâs bangs with tremendous force. Taking a step back, Hiro thrusts out the âHeavenly Emperorâ with blinding speed.
Sparks flew.
Hiroâs blade tip shot up into the sky, and Loingâs sword tip aimed at his heart.
Hiro, who had shifted his body half a step to the side, easily dodged the powerful thrust and spun his body to flash the âHeavenly Emperor.â But Loing catches the slash and throws a fist at him.
The air roared in his ears. Hiro quickly slammed his palm into Loingâs jaw.
âUgh, nuaaaaa!â
Hiro looked at Loingâs counterattack even though he was dazed.
 (âŚItâs quite hard)
The blade that was released sharply continues to aim at Hiroâs vital point. He was able to avoid it with small movements, but Hiro started to counterattack to get back the flow.
âAah!â
Now that Loing had been âcorrupted,â it was safe to assume that his physical strength was inexhaustible. If thatâs the case, then itâs best to use a moderate counterattack in order to keep him from taking the initiative.
âUgh!â
Hiro drew a precise trajectory and slid his sharp blade into the gap between the armor. But Loing, who sensed it beforehand, flicked it with his gauntlet and slashed at it with the dagger he had planted there.
Hiro turned around to avoid it and tried to shake off Loing, who was chasing him with the âHeavenly Emperor.â
However, he swung his foot into the ground, causing sand to roll up and take away Hiroâs vision. The slash that went through it with tremendous force cut through the thin skin of Hiroâs cheek.
âHehâŚâ
âIt is better not to be too careless. Iâve been on the battlefield for a long time. I know how to win.â
Of course, he didnât mean to be careless, but he also didnât mean to be easy on himself. Itâs just that he hasnât been able to adjust his power properly.
If he used that power here, Liz and Skaaha would surely find out about it.
He wanted to avoid that.
(At least⌠if I can take off my eye patchâŚ)
When he first came to this world, he could not withstand the vast amount of knowledge that was pouring in.
Therefore â in order to suppress the power, he had to wear an eye patch with a spirit talisman, but now that his body can withstand it, it has the opposite effect. Itâs because heâs suppressing his power so much that heâs having trouble adjusting it.
âIt canât be helped. Just a little, only for a little while.â
Hiro muttered to himself and surrendered himself to the frenzy. With half of his body submerged in darkness and with an eerie smile on his face, he let the tip of his blade run wild.
âHaha!â
âW-wha!?â
After receiving a strong slash, Loing retreated as if he was going to burst. He looked down at his numb hands in astonishment and then looked at Hiro with a happy expression.
âGood. Itâs been a long time since Iâve had such a good opponent.â
âIâm glad to hear it. Then let me give you more pleasure.â
The two sides clashed again as they readied themselves. When the sound of sword fights rang through the air, the earth cried out, unable to withstand the vibrations. There are many wounds on Loing, and fresh blood splatters all around. Some of the wounds could have been fatal.
However, he has become the Fallen One. So the wounds instantly healed.
âItâs just one step at a time. May I take my time?â
âCertainly⌠there is no end to this.
Shrugged his shoulders, Hiro stopped and cut his gaze from Loing and looked around him.
Everyone was fighting desperately to survive. The soldiers on Hiroâs side didnât have the luxury of being intimidated by the difference in numbers; they were just slitting the enemiesâ throats that appeared in front of them like animals.
He wondered how long he would be able to keep that up. If the first or second group of dispersed enemies came back, they would be annihilated in the blink of an eye. Above all, he didnât know if he would be able to maintain his strength until then.
âIf the commander is defeated, no matter how many there are, they will just be a bunch of crows.â
ââŚYeah. Thatâs right.â
âThen you may defeat me. The rebel army will surely fall apart. But that doesnât mean I will die for nothing.â
Hiro gave a quizzical look to Loing, who kept a comfortable smile on his face.
At the same time â someone had fallen off a horse somewhere, and the horse, which had lost its rider, began to run wildly across the battlefield, and unfortunately, was struck by a stray arrow and the neighs of the horse fell on both sides.
On the battlefield, humans, animals, and nature are all equally equal.
A great deal of death is sucked into the ground, and a great amount of blood stains the earth red. Yet, the battle never ends. Unless one side surrenders, the killing will never stop.
âItâs reckless. This war is reckless from the beginning.â
Loing, realizing the intent of Hiroâs words, slapped the back of his head in annoyance.
âItâs true; there is no battle as reckless as this one. If I were to win here, I would inevitably find myself under siege. If I were still one of the five great generals, I would have disbanded the army and sent the soldiers home long ago.â
The old general suddenly raised his voice and amusingly cleared his throat.
âBut I am here because I found hope in a reckless battle. Above all, there are those who follow me because they think we can win, and I will not give up so easily.â
Hiro had to agree with him on that.
There are those who still believe in Hiro and are fighting for him. Fifteen thousand against one thousand eight hundred â if the separate units are not included, only one thousand are left here.
At the edge of Hiroâs vision, Hugin was fighting with a bow in her hand, giving orders.
She, too, believed that Hiro would win, so she stayed here and kept out of the way. With Hiro in the line of battle, the enemyâs resistance would be futile.
However, Hiro is sure that she could get to him faster than he could finish off Loing.
âItâs almost time.â
ââŚ..Do you still have a plan?â
âThereâs a cloud of dust rising behind us. If you listen closely, you can hear it, canât you?â
It was coming from the rear of the rebel army, which was stretched thin as it rushed to support the main camp.
The sound of sword fights never ceased. A large cloud of dust rolled up from the rear, where no enemy was supposed to be, and no battle was supposed to take place. But the sound that was gradually becoming clearer and clearer was the death call of the rebel army.
âEnemy attack! The enemy attacked from the rear.â