Chapter 37: Never Let Your Guard Down

*Thud!*

"Fuck! Yes! We did it!"

The earth rumbled as the gate crashed down. The soldiers smile in glee and hurriedly escape.

Insig was riding Guster, when he heard numerous explosions in the sky. He looked up only to see fireballs in the sky. They were like roses blooming in the sun, beautiful and full of thorns.

"It's the fireballs! But how? I thought they took hours to prepare!?"

Insig knew that once the fireballs fell down, thousands of soldiers will be wiped out, it may even include him.

"Geez, just where are you, Phillip and Jessie?"

Insig frowned and sighed. He was worried about them. Even though he wasn't the original Insig, the memories of the original one have assimilated with him.

If you saw the whole life of someone, of course you will be attached to that person! I mean, why else would people cry at k-dramas or anime?

That's why Insig felt that he 'knows' them and he is attached to them.

Helpless, Insig can only continue.

"Guster, let's go! The fireballs are about to fall! Thankfully, because of their size, their speed has decreased a bit."

Guster increases his speed and is about to go out of the crowd, when Insig pulls on his fur. It was only a slight pull, so it didn't hurt, but it was strong enough to get Guster's attention.

"Guster, wait."

Guster stops at the front of a legless middle aged man. Blood was spilling from his legs, creating a grotesque picture.

"Guster, help him up."

Insig points at him and pats the place behind him, so that Guster can understand what he meant as the wolf doesn't know language.

Guster understands Insig's signs and he bits the wolf of the man.

*Boom!*

"Oh fuck!"

One of the fireballs has crashed at the wall unknowingly. The explosion attracted everyone's attention for a moment.

*Rumble* *Boom!*

The earth rumbled from the impact and the fireball exploded. Flames spread all around and the debris was scattered. Clouds of dust were lit up by the fire, and the aura of the fire scorched everyone's skin and eyes.

The area affected was so large that a whole portion of the wall collapsed.

"Kyaaa!"

"AaaAaáaAårgh!"

Hundreds of soldiers were hit by the debris and the ground hundred of meters away from the impact seemed to have caved in.

"Oh fuck! Guster! Run!"

Seeing this, Insig, who underestimated the power of a fireball, was shocked. He panicked and hurriedly ordered Guster to run away.

Actually, he didn't need to order Guster, because Guster was already running away. As a level 3, the sheer aura of the aftermath alone has scared him.

His fur slightly erect due to fear, and with crazed eyes, he bolted out far away to the forest with the human still in his mouth. He

had actually forgotten that he still had a human in his mouth, but the three of them ignored it. They just wanted to get away from here as soon as possible.

*Boom!*⁴ *Rumble!*⁴ *Explosion!*⁴

Like a switch, starting from the first explosion, numerous ear-splitting explosions thundered in the background.

"AaaAàâAãrghhg!!!! Help meeee!!!!"

Hundreds of soldiers who were too slow were pulverized. Some who were unlucky had their lower body crushed, but because they were still alive, they died painfully and slowly, feeling the heat and pain creep in while they wail in darkness and despair.

Their vision slightly reddened and their hearing was lost. They were shaking and their hairs stood on their ends. But their pain was ignored, as everyone was busy saving themselves.

Hearing their screams of despair, Insig can't bear to look at them. He fears that he would develop nightmares if he does. He really WANTED to save them, but mostly, he wanted to live. He wanted to be alive.

'I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.'

While hugging the neck of the wolf, Insig kept repeating these words in his mind. He was sorry for them. Sorry because he couldn't save them. Sorry because they had to suffer, and sorry to himself. Because he was too weak. So weak that he can't stand by his decision, nor for himself.

He buried his face in the soft fur of Guster. His eyes slightly moistened and the stars in his eyes dimmed. He was breathing heavily to calm himself and to accept himself. He wanted to acknowledge his weakness, so that he would not stop aiming for strength.

"Hahaha... Insig, you haven't changed a single bit."

Insig laughs in helplessness. His weakness was taking a toll on him. Everything he does, he feels weak. He feels useless, helpless, and powerless.

*Boom!*

Insig was still having his episode, when suddenly, a loud explosion thundered behind him.

*Crackle* *Rumble*

A fiery aura suddenly spread out behind him. The earth rumbled and Guster slightly lost balance. Fortunately, Guster was a distance away from the fireball.

"Guster! Hurry!"

Insig slightly panicked. Now that the fireball was closer, he can further sense the fiery aura scorching his skin. It feels as if a sharp knife was peeling his skin, exposing his nerves and flesh.

This is even more so for the wolf. The fur in his body was starting to heat up. His fur was now slightly dyed red, alight by the fire.

Insig heals Guster so that his respiratory and cardiovascular endurance is boosted.

Feeling the life energy passing his body, Guster feels slightly strengthened.

Guster increases his speed and Insig feels the cold wind of the night blowing on his face. It felt like an ice-cold body was hugging him. Everytime it touches his skin, it would enter his pores and freeze his bone and blood, making him slightly shiver.

"Phew~!"

Insig closes his eyes and sighs in relief. He slightly went into a daze as he thought of his mistake.

'As long as there is danger, don't let your guard down.'

This time he learned not to judge things by what he sees. This is because he was shocked by the power of the fireball, when it was just so small up in the air a while ago.

'Thank goodness, now that we're quite far away, our chances of surviving increases.'

Insig thought in relief, but he didn't know that he had just raised a death flag.

*Swoosh!*

The sound of something splitting in the air resounded far away. Insig heard this but he was quite relaxed because the sound was too far, like 500 meters away. Except that, mother nature was unpredictable.

*Boom!*

The fireballs crashed down, but the sound it produced was different from normal. Curiously, Insig looks at the source of sound.

There, he saw a beautiful work of fire. Like fireworks, small debris of flames was flying from the center of the impact. Insig recognized where the impact came from.

'Wait..! Don't tell me!'

Insig was right. The first fireball in the ground was hit by the 2nd fireball, making the first fireball explode and scatter. However, Insig realized too late.

*Boom!*

The debris of fireballs exploded from the source of the explosion. The nearby soldiers, trees, grass, and beasts were pushed away by the shockwave.

*Rumble!"

The earth shuddered from the impact and the running soldiers tripped. But that was not all. Some of the debris from the fireballs exploded so far that they hit the soldiers.

"AaáåAäAà@aaãrrrrghh!!!"

They screamed in pain due to the scorching pain that the debris gave them. Some were hit in the legs, immobilizing them, while others were hit in their vital areas, burning their bodies to ashes.

The fiery aura invaded deep within their bodies. They used the energy of their mana core to resist the attack, but to no avail. All of their energy was burned into smithereens, including themselves.

Insig kept watching the explosion, scanning any danger that might show up, when suddenly, the temperature started to rise and Insig felt a fiery aura coming towards them. He quickly looked up to see the piece of fireball and warned the wolf.

"Guster! Quick! Dodge!"

However, being the wolf that he is, he only understood his name being called and didn't understand the warning. He hears his savior panic and he looks up, only to see a fast approaching fireball.

Guster subconsciously wanted to run, but the fireball was too fast, and however he moves, he would surely be hit because of his size.

Seeing this, Insig felt indecisive for only a millisecond. He was pressed between a stone and a hard place, to save himself or to save Guster.

Insig suddenly remembered the screams of the soldiers who were crushed by the fireballs. Their despair and fear was so obvious just by their voice, as if they were intangible. Their voices were capable of giving goosebumps to anyone who heard it.

*Swoosh*

Unconsciously, Insig moved and blocked the fireball. He crossed his arms in front of him to make them receive most of the damage.

*Thud* *Sizzle*

"Aaaaaaaargh!"

Insig involuntarily screamed due to the pain. He felt like his skin was being scraped. The heat entered his pores and burned him. Blood flew out of his arms and some of it evaporated. The sound of sizzling entered Guster's ears as the flesh of Insig was burned.

After a second, the fireball burned his skin and flesh. Consequently, the fireball moved on to burning his bones.

"AAAAAA!!! AAAAAA!!! GRASS!!!!! AAAaaAaAaaaAAAaaÁáåAâAāsÅĀaa!!!"

With random tones and pitch, Insig screamed his lungs out. He felt like his vocal cord was gonna pop, but the pain occupied most of his mind.

This pain was vastly different from the lava when Zowie used a technique, this is because this attack was concentrated, while Zowie's was spread out, decreasing the damage. (Chapter 25 vs. Now)

Insig's heart was beating so fast, he felt like he was having a heart attack. Snot trickled down his nose and his bloodshot eyes were tearing up. His pupil was crazed because of the pain and he kept rolling on the ground, squealing in pain. Sweat kept pouring out of his pores, desperately cooling his body down.

However, no matter how much he screams, the pain won't go away. Insig desperately reaches out for comfort, and he finds it inside.

Insig clumsily manipulated his life energy to flow through his wound. Because of the pain, he wasn't able to focus much, but he grinded his teeth and persevered.

The life energy passed through his body, rejuvenating him and making him feel full of strength, as if he can run a whole marathon without rest.

However, the pain doesn't subside one bit, instead, as if it was provoked, the flame energy inside the fireball wreaked havoc in Insig's insides.

It entered his blood stream, flowing to his heart and other parts of the body. The nearby flesh burned even faster, turning charcoal black. The flame was so strong, reaching the level of 8, which was capable of killing Insig— a level 5.

"AAAAAA!!!! STOOOOOOOO PPPPP! IT HURTS ZZZZZZZ!"

Insig screamed in pain and he couldn't bear it anymore, the pain was just too much. It was as if a thorny vine entered his blood vessels, flowing in his heart, limbs, brain, organ, lungs, mouth, eyes, or ears. After entering, it would then scratch his insides, making him bleed all over.

These seconds felt like years of pain, traumatizing Insig.

Because of the pain, Insig decisively removed his arms. Through anger and fear, Insig drives his death energy to cut off his shoulders.

Black miasma appeared in his shoulder, decaying his skin and flesh. Black spots surfaced in his skin like freckles, making his skin saggy, wrinkle, and blackened. These dots rapidly spread until his flesh can be seen.

It was the flesh's turn next. His scarlet flesh, trickling with blood, slowly withered. Like a leaf on a barren land, it quickly decayed.

Blood was splashing from his shoulder, but they quickly turned into miasma because of death magic.

His bones were much harder to decay. The bones slowly turned into decayed bones, but the mineral in them still remained. This is because they are not life nor death, but minerals.

Still, because of this, Insig's whole arm was gone, but the pain lessened considerably.

*Huff*

Insig was lying in the ground, sobbing, choking, convulsing, and panting. He was trying really hard to take in all of the cold wind, and they would burst out all at once after.

His heart was rapidly sending blood all over his body, making him warm. However, the cold wind of the night and the sweat-soaked skin of his made him shiver.

He tried to hug himself, but his arms were gone. He pressed himself to desperately retain some heat in his body.

*Bark!*

Guster rushed to him and panicked. His tail was swaying back and forth, spinning around Insig, sniffing him all over, trying to find a way to help him.

*Slurp* *Whimpers*

Guster dropped the man on his mouth and licked Insig, but Insig remained dazed. Guster laid down on the ground and watched Insig while whimpering.

Insig subtly felt something sticky, but his nerves were too occupied with the pain, blocking his senses. His ears were buzzing and his vision was becoming dark. He sensed the presence of someone, so he weakly called out for help.

"H—.....H.....el...p..."

Insig sickly called out in a hoarse voice. Guster heard it but he just anxiously paced around and licked him.

Feeling that no one was there to support him, Insig remembered the time there was a HAVOC IN THE FIELD. There, he can only rely on himself.

So, with the last of his energy and will, Insig pushed his life energy, but he didn't know that this was one of the largest mistakes he would ever make.

As the life energy passed through his bloodstream, the lingering flame aura in his body flared up. Insig's blood vessels grew red and burned scorching hot.

Insig was too weak to scream because his throat was so hoarse and scratchy, but his body was convulsing and smoking intensely, releasing a burning scent.

Insig's eyes rolled to the back of his head and passed out. The death element cloaking his aura disappeared because there was no one controlling it.

*Bark! *Whimper*

"Woof!"

Guster desperately called out to Seiki, but his barks fell on empty ears. Guster anxiously paced around, the worry in his eyes was nearly tangible.

At this moment, all of the fireballs had rained down, but the war was not over yet.

"Clean up the battlefield!"

Melajane said and the troops dove down, but their squad leaders were deep in thought.

'Amazing! This number of fireballs... It must be that they decreased the cannons that they were working on, so that the personnel per cannon would increase! Even though this is common knowledge, not everyone has deep common sense!'

*Flap* *Swoosh*

All the Ershnirians who survived hurriedly ran away. The flapping of wings sounded like the grim reaper flying down as they killed all the survivors trapped or wounded.

"Split into 4 groups! The other 3 groups! Follow me! Kill all the refugees!"

Melajaine commanded.

"Yes, ma'am!"

The other 3 groups hurriedly chased after the escaping soldiers who entered deep into the forest.

With bloodlust flowing all over the field, Guster felt threatened and he hurriedly carried Insig in his mouth and walked away. However, he suddenly heard a desperate sound.

"Wait! Wait! Help me!"

Guster looked down and saw a legless man looking at him desperately.

Guster was in a momentary dilemma when he suddenly remembered that his savior ordered him to save this guy.

So, he dropped Insig and carried the guy. After that, he put him in his back and carried Insig in his mouth again and escaped deep into the forest.....