Vengeful Awakening II

A wave of pure mana exploded in all directions with him at the center of the explosion, pushing every ally and foe within a ten-meter radius away. The ones closest felt the impact more because they were thrown so far away before slamming into the ground.

*****

BOOM!

A wave of pure mana shot out of Luke's sleeping body in all directions just like Zeke's but it was way weaker. That didn't mean it was weak enough to not cause any damage. Every glass in Luke's room was shattered, even his walls had cracks on them. But Luke was sound asleep not knowing what had happened, caught in the dream that continued.

After the mana outburst, Zeke continued to walk in a certain direction. The greatest pressure came from a man in that direction. He cut down opponents on his paths like cabbages and he didn't stop. Luke couldn't even find their commander which could only happen on two occasions. He was either dead or he ran away leaving the others to die on this battlefield.

One step at a time, he walked toward the enemy commander. Everyone in his path paved the way for him when he got close and those who didn't fell with a swing of his sword. His rage wouldn't stop until this sword, which belonged to Owen, bathed in the blood of the enemy commander, the one who had placed his only brother in the arms of eternal darkness.

As he walked forward, he cut down those on his path. Soon, the commander sensed him approaching. He didn't sense Zeke's presence even after all this while. He only sensed him because of the murderous intent Zeke directed toward him.

'This one is dangerous.' The commander thought to himself. He dashed forward in Zeke's direction, seeking to cut him down as fast as possible.

Zeke smiled at him and dashed towards him too. His first step up the ladder was approaching him. If he killed this commander, they were sure to win the war.

Clang!

Their swords clashed against each other.

"You'll have to die right here. I can't allow you to grow any stronger." The commander spoke through his armor-covered face.

"Don't you think you should introduce yourself more politely? I'll use your head as a step to the promise I made with a brother whom you just murdered." Zeke said with a chilly voice and used the hilt of his sword to hit the commander's helmet away.

"A brother? Sorry, I don't remember someone resembling you. I've killed a lot of people and the number on this battlefield alone is about a hundred." The commander chuckled. His helmet had been removed, revealing a middle-aged man with brown hair and eyes. A scar ran from the left side of his mouth to his left ear.

"Very soon, you won't remember how life also felt. I'll give you a mark on the other side of your face as a promise to what I've just said." Zeke replied coldly.

"Die!" The commander roared. Zeke has insulted his pride. He got the scar when he was still a squad captain but it was very humiliating for him now that he was a commander.

"Sorry, but you'll be the one to die." Their swords clashed a dozen times in a few seconds.

The commander was a veteran warrior and had experience, but Zeke had been trained by the head guard of the Kurten family, Owen's family for a full year. He didn't have battle experience but he was fighting the enemy commander on equal grounds.

The commander got enraged and covered his sword in a coat of red mana and soon, the sword caught fire. "I'll burn you quickly so you can meet that brother of yours." He slashed his sword at Zeke, who jumped a few feet back to avoid the sword range but the heat from the sword singed the tip of his deep blue hair.

He took a deep breath and did the same thing the commander did. He covered his sword in pure mana. It was weaker than mana with an element but it was better than doing nothing. He dashed at the commander and swung his sword towards the left side of the commander's face.

The enemy scoffed and moved his head back a bit to avoid the sword but Zeke smiled at his error. The mana from the sword extended and the sword's length increased, piercing the commander's face from his right ear to his lip. Blood gushed out.

"Ugh." He touched his face and looked at his hand. His blood was all over his hand. He went mad with rage. "I'll kill you. I'll definitely kill you." The commander attacked and swung his sword randomly and Zeke had to face the whole attack. If he retreated, there would be no room for a counterattack.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The commander threw his sword at Zeke like a madman. The flame from the sword scorched Zeke's skin continuously but he couldn't stop defending right now. He would die if the sword directly cut him. He would burn from the inside out.

He quickly thought of ways to reduce the effects of the flames on his body and an idea ran through his mind. Just like he had wrapped his sword in pure mana, he wrapped his whole body with mana and it worked out. It didn't entirely stop the scorching heat but it reduced it to an extent that was bearable for Zeke. Zeke was smiling, he could see the openings of the commander after enduring his barrage of attacks continuously.

"You dare smile while fighting me? Die!" The berserk commander shouted and forced more fire mana into his sword than what the sword could absorb and slashed vertically at Zeke.

"Fool." Zeke cussed at the commander.

Before the sword reached its target, it melted and Zeke who had been waiting for the moment swung his sword from his left to right with all the strength and mana he could gather.

Plop. Psssh.

The head of the commander fell to the ground, his eyes still wide open and blood gushed out of his body.

Zeke walked forward and picked the head, raising it so he looked into his eyes. "I hope you rot in the abyss." He walked back towards a boulder. His body was red from the scorching heat and some parts were burnt.

He turned to look at the remaining enemies. He had to break their fighting spirit. He was exhausted but he had to stand strong for what he was about to say next.

"Your commander is dead. If you still wish to continue the battle, we'll gladly follow you till the end. They still have me but, who do you have?" To make a more genuine threat, he used mana left in him to pressure the others.

'Oh gods, please let them just leave. I've done all I can do. If they decide to fight, we're doomed.' He prayed inwardly.

The gods seemed to answer him because the enemies turned and started walking away. "Let them leave. Anyone who attacks them would be considered an enemy and cut down by me." He warned those allies who didn't seem reluctant to let these enemies leave here alive." They had seen what he did and were terrified as much as the enemies.

When the enemy had gone so far they couldn't be seen, someone shouted. "Victory! We won!!" The rest of them replied with shouts and cries. Many had lost their friends and loved ones just like Zeke had lost his only friend and brother.

He walked behind the boulder staggering. When he got in front of a corpse, he knelt and dropped the commander's head on the corpse, and with teary eyes, he spoke. "I did it. The first step is over." Luke who had watched everything from the inside of Zeke also had teary eyes.

Zeke sat close to the corpse and soon, the warriors surrounded him and all knelt to show their appreciation for what he did. Now, they understood why he had made the enemies leave. He was overly exhausted. He smiled as tears left his eyes and he fell asleep.

*****

Luke woke up due to the light that penetrated his closed eyelids. "Huh? Tears?" He touched his cheeks upon waking up and found that his eyes were wet.

He looked around his room and couldn't help being shocked.

"Ah… shit."

His room was completely destroyed.