Death and Blood

Despite the overwhelming mana flowing through his entire body, enhancing his strength by many folds, it still fell short in the face of a B-rank monster.

Boom! Almost like a resounding explosion, Allen was flung away, crashing through multiple buildings, his body aching from unimaginable pain, gritting his teeth as he struggled to stand.

After he stood up and grabbed his fallen sword, he felt a sense of confusion overwhelming him. The monster he expected to attack him did not appear; however, that was when he realized he wasn't the actual target.

Tightening his grip on his sword, he ran at full speed, leaving the crumbling building. Just then, as he appeared on the street, he immediately caught sight of the dark troll chasing after a group of humans. The dark troll did not seem to rush; it was almost like they killed for the fun and fear of it.

Allen, at that moment, began to advance towards the dark troll when he realized a woman had tripped on some rubble. The dark troll, almost grinning with delight, raised its enormous legs, thrusting them towards the woman, ready to crush her to death.

Allen, moving at max speed, realized he wouldn't be fast enough to save the woman. However, he knew he could still try to get the dark troll off balance, potentially missing the petrified woman.

"Come on!" Allen thought loudly, gritting his teeth as he gathered all his strength and momentum before slamming his shoulder into the dark troll's back.

However, to his despair, it felt like he had hit concrete, his shoulder immediately dislocating upon contact. Yet, his efforts remained worthless, the dark troll's leg finding itself on the body of the woman, crushing her head as blood and brain matter splattered everywhere.

At that moment, Allen was left shaken, his gaze wavering as he caught sight of the unrealistic yet real grin etched on the face of the dark troll, making Allen shiver, backing away instinctively.

However, rage took over, stopping him in his tracks as boiling rage enveloped his thoughts. "You bastard, I'll kill you," Allen yelled, charging towards the monster as he brandished his sword downward.

The dark troll, unthreatened by the hopeless attempts of the human, effortlessly grabbed the sword, gripping it with unimaginable strength. Allen was unable to pull out his sword from the dark troll's grip, no matter how hard he tried.

Abandoning the sword, he went in with his fist, punching with all his strength. Yet, his efforts remained unrewarded before the dark troll once again sent him flying, his strength growing weaker and weaker as he took more damage.

Digging his hands into the ground, he finally stood his ground, his breath haggard and his thoughts in turmoil. He glanced around, and all he saw was mangled bodies, torn flesh, crushed bones, blood flowing across the ground like a river, the sight unimaginable, his brain unable to process the sight before him.

"I...I won't let you get away with this," he growled, his eyes bloodshot in rage, tightening his fist. He once took his feet, his mana at rock bottom, feeling dizzy as mana exhaustion set in. "No, not yet."

The dark troll once again catching the scent of another human with its extreme sense, took off running. Allen, sighting this, chased after the troll, though his speed was a bit lacking due to his unstable condition.

Just then, as Allen turned around the corner, he saw a young girl who seemed to be in her teenage years in the grasp of the dark troll. Despite the tears that ran down her eyes, it was clear that she had accepted death, a feeling Allen couldn't explain how he knew.

Unwilling to lose yet another one of his race, he ran towards the dark troll, his body feeling sluggish as tiredness and fatigue flooded his consciousness, almost as if asking him to rest.

But in the face of a crisis, he knew he could not rest until it was over. So, steeling his body and muscle, for one last time, he held his fist tightly in one final attack he hoped would work.

However, the dark troll was ready, holding the girl in his hands. It turned towards Allen, who didn't seem to understand what was about to happen due to his strained thoughts.

But when he realized, it was too late; he was already too close to the dark troll. With his incoming speed and tired body, he couldn't slow down due to the momentum. And then...

And then, in the next moment, he saw his hand lodge straight through the girl's heart, blood smearing his hands as he realized what he had just done. "No, no, no... What have I done?!" Allen gasped, his voice trembling with horror as he stared at his hands stabbed straight through the girl's heart. "I... I didn't mean to... I didn't see you... I'm sorry..." He said as tears dripped down his face uncontrollably.

The fatigue he held in finally began to leak out, his consciousness fading slowly, catching the sad yet assuring smile of the girl's face before her body went limp.

***

Allen, lying in the hospital bed with all his injuries attended to, suddenly woke up startled, his gaze traveling as he realized he was in the hospital. Spotting Jackie and Eisha by his side, he glanced away, feeling guilt overwhelm him.

He glanced at his hands, remembering the blood of a girl he had murdered, accidental or not, he knew he was still the one that ended her life, the one that punched a hole into her chest.

"Allen, it's not your fault," Jackie tried to comfort, but it had little to no effect. Allen's mind seemed to be in another plane of existence.

"Jackie, don't... I think I need to be alone," Allen stated, unwilling to open up, his gaze avoiding Jackie's.

"Allen, whatever you think, know that it was not your fault," Jackie once again tried to convince before he walked out, seeing that Allen needed some space.

Eisha was also about to walk out to follow Jackie, giving Allen space, but Allen suddenly proposed a question. "Eisha, do you think I'm a murderer?"

Eisha, sighing heavily at Allen's question, turned around before she answered. "No, Allen, I don't think you are a murderer. In fact, I think you saved people. Though you might not have saved some, know that some did escape because of you. So, I think it won't be stupid for a handsome, brilliant man like yourself to think it was your fault."

"Thank you, I needed that," Allen thanked with a small forced smile before taking Eisha into his embrace, hugging it out. Just then, he glanced at the large screen before him.

"Recent events have brought forth a significant catastrophe within our city. Approximately five hours ago, two unexpected dungeons materialized, unleashing chaos as they destabilized, allowing their respective monsters to roam freely.

"Located on the southern periphery, the first dungeon expelled B-rank monstes, notably Dark Trolls, while on the western front, A-rank Cerbriexs emerged.

"Regrettably, the response from the Systemholders Association was delayed, prioritizing the A-rank dungeon over its B-rank counterpart, leaving the latter unattended for an extended period.

Tragically, the repercussions have been dire, with an escalating death toll currently standing at 378. The gravity of this situation prompts concerns about potential future occurrences and the potential lack of readiness to address them swiftly.

As a reporter, overwhelmed with emotion, attempted to convey the severity of the situation, her transmission was abruptly terminated, leaving viewers to ponder the unresolved uncertainties.

"I don't think you should be watching that," Amunet's voice resounded from the opening door, her dress as casual as usual. Allen, glancing in her direction, smiled before sighing heavily.

"Sorry, I couldn't make it in time. I had to finish up some things. Have you been holding up well?" she inquired, before glancing at Eisha and hugging her slightly afterward.

"Ha, yeah, I'm fine," Allen responded, but from his gaze, it was clear he wasn't okay, his mind lingering on something.

"Oh, my baby Barr, don't beat yourself so hard for something that's not your fault," Amunet advised before hugging Allen a bit, which seemed to wake him up a bit after all he had gotten a good feel of her too fronts.

"Ok, I'm fine. Can you ask the doctor when I can be discharged and call Jackie, please?" he pleaded.

"Sure, why not," Amunet agreed before walking out of the ward, giving Allen a wink from the transparent closing doors.

"Ha, Allen, I will be right back. The food I got you has gotten cold, so I will ask around if anyone here has a warmer, okay?" Eisha informed, carrying a food container filled with food out of the ward.

"Nice to see you are smiling again," Jackie encouraged, his face as cheerful as always.

"Jackie, sorry for the cold shoulders," Allen implored, feeling bad that he showed indifference to a friend he considered a brother he never had.

"Naa, no need to apologize. Besides, I know that only a few people can break you out of your shell, and by few people, I mean women, just like your mother," Jackie added, remembering the days he spent at Allen's house.

Allen, hearing Jackie's words, smiled lightly, the smile representing something unsure.

"Just like that time your crush rejected you in Elementary school and how you wouldn't leave your room for days," Jackie joked wickedly, laughing his heart out.

"She was not my crush, besides, you were the ones who dared..." he paused, "just forget it." He sighed in defeat, remembering how he wouldn't come out of his room because of embarrassment.

"Those were the days, wasn't it?" Jackie intruded, spotting Allen's similar thinking expression. However, his mind still couldn't leave the events of today. "No matter what, I will make whoever is responsible for this pay with their life."

***

"Caroline, did the plan go well?"

"Yes, master, it did"

"Good, but this is just the beginning."