Slinging another spear of water towards a roaring human man, I watched as the liquid tip pierced his chest with ease, tearing past his surcoat and chainmail like butter.
Turning his heart to pulp, the spear skewered the man to a woman behind him, the two coughing out blood as the light slowly dimmed in their eyes.
Watching it all unfold, I enjoyed the spray of crimson droplets as the spear burst inside their chests, the mana pulverizing their other internal organs with frightening ease before dissipating, leaving them to fall to the ground, lifeless.
Laying in a pool of their own blood, the two nameless peasants of the Western Kingdom died just like that, little more than a brief afterthought for myself as I turned to the next enemy.
That was what I didn't want to be; I didn't want to be a strong persons afterthought when they killed me.
If I was to die in combat, I wanted that person to know that they killed ME, and I wanted to reach a level where, at the very least, I could guarantee take my killer with me.
Fuck dying alone again; if I am to die, whoever had the gall to raise their blade against me, to level their magic against me, had better crawl into hell alongside me.
With that on my mind, I continued to sling spear after spear, all while Leone accurately shot small spheres into the crowd, which exploded into a four foot sphere, turning everything in its radius into little more than a charred, burnt mess.
As for Jahi and Anput, the two women were butchering the peasants that charged towards them, their blades twirling around in beautiful arcs followed by a crimson spray.
Blood soaked all of us, and the metallic stench permeated the air.
A thick haze descended onto the battlefield, a result of Leone's magic and mine, as well as the various other mages inside the Legion.
Spells were hurled onto the rear of the enemy army, and we turned this deforested plain into a slaughterhouse, mountains of corpses forming around us as the Western Army threw themselves onto our blades and into our spells.
Nirinia stood just behind me, her half mask covering her lower face as she stared out over the carnage, her jade eyes fixed on Jahi and Anput.
She was leaning against her Dadao, waiting for the need to jump into the fray, but we were going against raw numbers, not skill.
The Demoness killed with a brutal display, limbs and heads flying around her as her giant great sword spun around in glittering arcs, each slice and stab resulting in the maiming or death of an enemy.
As for Anput, she spun around her area with an arrogant flourish, each movement followed closely by a gleaming slash as she waded through the enemies around her, dodging each attack with her lithe frame.
The two women worked with efficiency, neither wasting a movement as they created a marsh of blood and piles of bodies around themselves.
Seeing that, Nirinia chuckled slightly before her attention shifted towards Leone and I, the Djinn observing our swift movements as we traced out each spell with insane speed and accuracy.
Nodding to herself, Nirinia glanced away, off towards where the fighting was at its thickest.
Our small group had created a bastion in the midst of the sea of fighting, and while more and more soldiers threw themselves towards us, we never broke under any of the waves.
The second focal point of this battlefield was centered around Adelina Leonisa and her squad, each member fighting with a grace that made them seem like they were dancing.
With a two handed grip on her longsword, Adelina kept her movements to a minimum, flicking her blade out in smaller slices and utilizing quick stabs to swiftly, and cleanly put down her foes.
The Wolfkin banner-bearer behind her wielded a thick, heavy headed mace, which she spun around in wide arcs to bash in her opponents chests and skulls, all whilst hoisting the Legion's banner up high, not letting any of the blood around her dirty its fabric.
Next, a twin pair of helmeted men slipped around the field, their black armor blending in with the shadows as they flickered about, their daggers and short swords severing limbs and piercing hearts and throats with lightning like quickness.
Finally, a giant Minotaurkin roared, her giant axe cleaving through foes and bisecting them with each swing, showering blood and guts all around herself.
Those five killed and killed, each one surrounded by piles of bodies as they bolstered their section of the line, inspiring and pushing the Legion to fight harder.
Few of the soldiers in the Legion fell, each one expertly wielding their weapons and putting down their opponents, before moving on to the next.
Compared to the peasants, each soldier mind as well have been a Knight, what with the ease they pushed the Western Army back.
Only minutes had passed, but the death count had slowly inched into the thousands, and the amount of poorly armed foes decreased immensely with each passing second.
When the fighting finally stopped, the entire Legion panted, looking between one another and searching for their comrades, hoping to find them alive and well.
Most still kept their eyes on the enemy camp, but a silence descended onto the field, a silence that weighed heavily on many.
Seeing, and hearing nothing else, many began to look at their foes for the first time, to find that who they were fighting weren't soldiers, but conscripts, peasants.
The normal citizenry of the Western Kingdoms.
They had initiated a one sided slaughter against a common people.
Some hung their heads in shame, others teared up as the faces of their families overlapped with the dead.
Most grit their teeth, anger and reluctance in their eyes as they realized that the Western Kingdom cared not for their citizens.
As for me, I had to continue to hold back a grin, my mind slowly fracturing to something darker as I stared at the massacre around us.
The haze had turned a bright red from the amount of blood in the air, and the stench of the dead began to waft around us, each corpse and puddle of delectable crimson growing heated from the sun.
Burnt, charred flesh added to the hellish concoction, and many began to pull back, creating space between the charnel house-like field and themselves, some even covering their noses or puking.
Adelina stood in the field, her squad around her as they surveyed both the battlefield and their troops.
Giving them a nod, the squad swiftly dispersed, going to calm down and stabilize the moral of the soldiers.
As for Adelina, she stalked over towards us, her eyes fixed on the lounging Nirinia, who was speaking quietly to Jahi.
"Nirinia! Why weren't you fighting?!"
Peering over her shoulder, the Djinn looked down at the golden commander and shrugged, saying "They were peasants; not worth the time or effort. Besides, I'm here to make sure they get experience, not help in the campaign."
The Lioness growled at her, before taking a deep breath and looking around us, her golden eyes widening slightly as she took in the sheer carnage around us.
Leone stepped off her platform, her lips pursed as she too took in the sight, before she let out a low, despondent sigh.
Anput flicked the blood off her blade before sheathing it, her eyes focused instead on us as she searched for injuries.
Jahi also cleaned off her sword, strapping it onto her back before crossing her muscular forearms, her amethyst eyes calm, not belying the fact that she had just been part of this rather large battle.
As for me, I was taking deep, even breaths as I focused my mind on each girl, before switching my attention to the system.
[Quests Complete!
Aid each Mistress (3) - 10,000Xp (Completed; Awarded 24,734Xp)
Utilize Water Magic - 2,500Xp (Completed; Awarded 2,500Xp)
Utilize Wind Magic - 2,500Xp (Completed; Awarded 986Xp)
Utilize Ice Magic - 2,500Xp (Failed; No Penalty)
Utilize Daggers - 2,500Xp (Completed; Awarded 122Xp)
---
Humans Killed - 201 (Awarded 34,500Xp)
---
Total - 62,842Xp]
I stared at the screen with a disbelieving gaze, not knowing how to feel.
The 'human' part of me was sick; I had killed 201 people? Those 201 people had families, lovers, friends that would never get to see them again, people that would mourn their death.
But...
62,842Xp is a large number for such easy work!
Thats 6% of an entire level!
That line of thinking swiftly earned me a warning.
[That's a slippery slope there Kat... People aren't just numbers.]
Hearing the familiar voice of the system, I nodded slightly, but...
'I know that, believe me, I do, but... they weren't just people. They were enemies. I don't doubt that they had grand ambitions of what they would do IF they managed to win this fight. Besides, didn't they scream so beautifully as they died?! Numbers can't do that...'
[Kat...]
A tiny grin sprouted on my lips, and I glanced down at the dead around me, my heart fluttering in my chest.
'Only cattle can make such wonderful noises~!'
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