With the sunrise of the following day—
There was no time to rest.
The soldiers were dragged back to the assembly grounds almost immediately, sharp commands slicing through whatever scraps of peace they had managed to cling to.
No stretching.
No hope.
Not even a single minute to prepare themselves mentally.
Only orders, marching footsteps, and the constant rattle of armor.
This time…
everything was different.
The formation had changed so drastically that it couldn’t be hidden.
The three ranks they had stood in yesterday no longer existed in the same shape.
The losses were painfully obvious: a third of the army had fallen in yesterday’s clash.
It wasn’t just a number on a report.
It was a gap.
A real, visible gap.
You could see it in the ranks.
You could feel it in the air.
An absence.
One that could be seen.
One that could be felt.
An absence the size of countless souls.
The army had been divided into two organized groups.
One on the right, the other on the left.
Two parallel formations carrying a heavy, silent tension.
Darun glanced around quickly—
Then released a small breath.
Amy…
was in the same group as him.
Just seeing her—seeing her straight back and the calm steadiness in the way she stood—eased something inside him, if only a little.
Like a thin thread he could cling to amid a raging storm.
He lifted his gaze toward the horizon.
The enemy army had adopted a completely different formation from yesterday’s.
A massive semicircle stretched across the battlefield, surrounding them from three directions.
From the right.
From the left.
And from the front.
His eyes narrowed.
They’re trying to encircle us.
Now he understood.
Dividing their forces into two wings hadn’t been random.
It was an attempt to break the encirclement before it could fully close around them and prevent the enemy from wrapping around their flanks.
His gaze shifted to the ground between the two armies.
And he froze.
The green plains…
Were no longer green.
They had been dyed red.
Blood stained the battlefield everywhere, dark patches of varying sizes scattered across the earth.
Even after the bodies had been cleared away, yesterday’s horrors remained.
Torn limbs.
Dark stains soaked into the soil.
The land itself seemed to remember.
The sound of war horns thundered across the field.
Once again.
And with it—
Everyone moved.
This time, it wasn’t merely a reckless charge.
There was anger.
Hatred.
Something heavy hanging in the air, as though the battlefield itself had absorbed the souls of yesterday’s dead and turned them into fuel.
As though every soldier carried a grudge, even if they didn’t know the names of those who had fallen.
Their formation was defensive.
The enemy surged forward like a human spear.
It didn’t take long before they collided.
Shouts.
Clashing steel.
Cries of pain and fury.
The chaos began anew.
The fighting swallowed the front ranks first.
Then it drew closer.
And closer still.
The wave of battle advanced toward him step by step, and with every step, his heartbeat grew faster.
They’re coming.
“Get ready.”
Amy’s voice came from his right, calm but firm.
There was no fear in it.
Only vigilance.
The vigilance of someone who knew exactly what was coming.
Darun tightened his grip on his sword.
His breathing quickened.
The faint trembling in his legs remained.
He still hadn’t learned how to overcome it.
Then suddenly—
They appeared before him.
Four enemy soldiers charged straight toward them, eyes focused and movements aggressive.
There was no time to think.
Amy moved first.
With astonishing speed.
Her body was so light it seemed almost weightless.
Her short sword flashed beneath the morning sun, a brief streak of silver.
A single motion.
One that ended before its beginning could even be fully perceived.
And it was enough.
One soldier fell before he even realized how.
She engaged another without hesitation.
Two remained.
Darun focused on one of them.
The soldier wore well-crafted leather armor, and his sword rested in the grip of an experienced hand.
His gaze carried the cold calculation of a seasoned fighter.
Then Darun charged.
Their blades collided with a harsh metallic screech.
His attack was crude.
No elegance.
No technique.
But he poured everything he had into it.
Every ounce of strength in his arms.
The soldier pressed forward, attempting to cut him down.
Darun retreated.
Dodged.
One step.
Then another.
He wasn’t truly fighting.
He was surviving inside the fight.
Avoiding blows rather than delivering them.
That was all he knew how to do.
Then—
A moment.
A tiny mistake.
A brief lapse.
The soldier’s eyes shifted for an instant toward something behind Darun.
An opening.
His chance.
Darun lunged with all his strength and drove his sword into the man’s throat.
Warm blood splashed across his hands.
Both of them crashed to the ground.
He tried to stand.
But his body refused.
His muscles rebelled.
The earth seemed to drag him down.
And in that fleeting moment of weakness—
The last soldier attacked.
From behind.
Darun couldn’t move.
His body was still struggling to regain its balance.
The world…
Slowed.
The sounds vanished.
Only fear remained.
Naked.
Helpless.
I’m going to die.
Then suddenly—
Blood.
The soldier stopped.
His eyes widened.
Then he fell.
Behind him—
Amy stood with her short sword buried deep in his back.
She kept it there for a moment longer, making sure he was dead.
She had saved him.
Again.
“Get up!”
Her shout allowed no hesitation.
“The battle isn’t over yet!”
Darun rose with difficulty.
He pulled his sword from the ground and rushed toward another approaching soldier.
But his mind was elsewhere.
She saved me.
Once.
Twice.
How many more times?
For how long?
Would he remain like this forever?
Relying on her just to survive?
He clenched his teeth.
A new feeling began to grow inside him.
Not fear.
Not guilt.
Something far more bitter.
Hatred.
Directed at himself.
Because he was weak.
Because he couldn’t survive on his own.