Journey to Become the Zenith

Prayer Before the Storm

Lane saw the incoming Dullahans and prayed in her heart. ’I will never pray to any God or Goddess since you told me never to do that... Instead I will pray to you my Love Victor, so please grant me strength.’

The cold wind swept across the battlefield.

The smell of blood, mud, and decaying flesh mixed together beneath the darkened sky. Countless undead stretched across the horizon like an endless black tide. The ground trembled beneath the charge of skeletal warhorses.

The Dullahans were coming.

Each rider wore ancient rusted armor stained by centuries of death. Some carried broken lances while others wielded cursed swords covered in dark mana. Their severed heads hung from their saddles, their empty eye sockets glowing with eerie green flames.

Lane slowly exhaled.

Her black hair danced behind her.

A faint smile appeared on her usually indifferent face.

”Victor...”

The whisper escaped her lips.

No one heard it.

Yet somehow, merely speaking his name eased the pressure crushing her heart.

Nearby, Eon tightened his grip around his gigantic axe.

Brinda swallowed nervously as several mana circles appeared around her fingers.

The remaining subordinates stood in formation.

Fear was visible on every face.

Only Lane remained calm.

She lowered her stance.

Dark mana flowed around her body.

”Everyone.”

The group looked toward her.

”When they reach us, don’t think about surviving.”

Several people froze.

Lane continued calmly.

”Think about killing as many as possible before you die.”

A few of the men laughed bitterly.

Somehow those words made them feel better.

Eon grinned.

”That’s the most encouraging thing you’ve ever said.”

Brinda rolled her eyes.

”Only you would find that encouraging.”

The distance between both sides rapidly disappeared.

Then—

The Dullahans charged.

”Here they come!”

One of the men shouted.

The battlefield exploded into motion.

Lane vanished.

Boom!

The ground beneath her feet shattered.

Dark mana erupted around her legs.

A newly developed combat spell activated.

”Shadow Step.”

Her figure blurred.

Before the leading Dullahan could react, Lane appeared directly above it.

She was able to easily kill her enemies with these kinds of moves because all of Lane’s moves had a large amount of mana being released as she strikes.

Crack!

The first Dullahan’s neck shattered instantly.

The skeletal rider flew from its horse.

Without stopping, Lane twisted her body midair.

Mana gathered around both legs.

”Phantom Crescent Kick.”

Boom!

Her second kick exploded against another Dullahan’s chest.

Armor crumpled inward.

The undead warrior was launched through three others before crashing into the dirt.

Lane landed gracefully.

The moment her feet touched the ground she pulled out two daggers.

Silver flashes cut through the darkness.

Slash!

Slash!

Two skeletal horses collapsed.

A third Dullahan swung a sword toward her head.

Lane leaned backward.

The blade missed by mere inches.

She stepped forward.

Her right dagger pierced the creature’s eye socket.

Her left dagger stabbed through its throat.

The undead collapsed instantly.

All around her the battle erupted into chaos.

Iselv with his giangantic axe was able to smash the horses of the Dullahans and pounded the riders to the ground.

”Hahaha!”

Eon roared.

”Come then, ugly bastards!”

His gigantic axe descended.

Boom!

A skeletal horse exploded into fragments.

Another swing followed.

A Dullahan’s body split into two pieces.

A third attempted to attack from behind.

Eon spun.

His axe carved through rider and horse together.

The sheer force created a shockwave that knocked nearby undead away.

Blood covered his armor.

Yet his grin only widened.

Meanwhile, Brinda moved across the battlefield with surprising grace, weaving between charging undead like a dancer moving through a deadly performance.

Mana gathered around her fingertips.

”Mana Arrow!”

Several blue streaks shot forward, piercing through a Dullahan and tearing away one of its armored arms.

Without pausing, she stepped sideways and raised her hand again.

”Mana Burst!”

A concentrated explosion erupted beneath a skeletal horse, shattering its legs and sending both mount and rider crashing into the dirt.

Brinda never stayed in one place for long. Every spell was followed by another movement, every attack by a retreat. She understood her own limits. Against monsters like these, getting trapped in close combat was a death sentence.

Sweat soaked her forehead.

Her breathing grew heavier.

The mana inside her body was steadily draining away.

Still, she clenched her teeth and continued fighting.

Around her, the battlefield descended into chaos.

A man was pulled from his saddle by grasping skeletal hands before vanishing beneath a sea of undead.

Another warrior barely raised his shield before a rusted spear pierced through his chest.

Cries of pain echoed from every direction.

Blood stained the earth.

The clash itself lasted only a few short minutes.

Yet for those trapped within it, every second felt endless.

When the first wave finally passed, an eerie silence settled over the battlefield.

The survivors stood frozen.

Out of more than a hundred people who had marched into battle, only ten remained.

Lane.

Eon.

Brinda.

And seven exhausted subordinates.

The sight alone was enough to crush a person’s spirit.

One man stared blankly at the empty space where his closest friend had been standing moments ago.

Another sank to his knees, his weapon slipping from numb fingers.

A third covered his face as his shoulders shook violently.

”No...”

His voice cracked.

”No... this can’t be...”

The cruel truth finally settled into everyone’s hearts.

This was never a battle they could win.

It was simply a massacre.

Far beyond the field, countless undead continued their relentless advance.

Their numbers looked unchanged.

As though the deaths of ninety people had meant absolutely nothing.

Despair spread through the remaining survivors.

Several men exchanged frightened looks.

Their courage had finally shattered.

One of them suddenly turned away.

”I’m leaving.”

Another quickly followed.

”Stay if you want. I’m not dying here.”

A third nodded frantically.

”We can’t stop this army!”

Fear consumed them completely.

The seven remaining subordinates abandoned their positions and began running as fast as they could.

Nobody tried to stop them.

Brinda watched their retreating backs disappear into the distance.

Her hands tightened slightly.

”Eon...”

The giant warrior remained silent.

For once, there was no laughter.

No reckless grin.

Only a grim expression as he watched the fleeing men.

He understood.

Anyone would have made the same choice.

Lane noticed their departure but showed no reaction.

No anger.

No disappointment.

No attempt to stop them.

She had already given everyone permission to leave.

Her gaze simply returned to the horizon.

There, another force was approaching.

Hundreds of Dullahans.

Their ghostly cavalry formed a dark wave racing toward them.

Lane quietly adjusted her grip on her daggers.

Every muscle in her body ached.

A slash across her shoulder continued to bleed.

The wound on her thigh burned whenever she shifted her weight.

Countless bruises covered her arms and legs.

Exhaustion weighed heavily upon her.

Yet she remained standing.

Because if Victor were here, he would still be standing.

And so would she.

Brinda looked toward her.

”Lane...”

For the first time since the battle began, her voice carried none of its usual playfulness.

”If things become impossible...”

Lane turned slightly.

Brinda forced a faint smile despite the fear in her eyes.

”Don’t worry about me.”

Eon snorted.

”What nonsense.”

He rested the gigantic axe on his shoulder.

”If anyone’s dying first, it’ll probably be me.”

Brinda immediately kicked him.

”Idiot.”

Eon laughed loudly.

The laugh sounded forced.

But nobody exposed it.

Fear existed in all of them.

They simply dealt with it differently.

Lane looked toward the approaching undead army.

Then she spoke softly.

”Thank you.”

Everyone froze.

Brinda blinked.

Eon scratched his head.

”What?”

Lane remained facing forward.

”You stayed.”

That was all she said.

Yet it was enough.

Brinda smiled.

Eon grinned again.

The atmosphere somehow became lighter.

Only for a moment.

Because the next wave was already arriving.

Thousands of undead.

Hundreds of Dullahans.

And only three of them remained.

The earth shook once more.

The enemy charge had begun again.

Lane slowly raised both daggers.

Dark mana swirled around her body.

A dangerous aura spread outward.

Her eyes sharpened.

Her breathing stabilized.

The exhaustion remained.

The pain remained.

The fear remained.

Yet none of it mattered.

Not anymore.

”Victor.”

She whispered one final time.

Then she rushed forward.

Like a black arrow tearing through death itself.

Some of the Dullahans followed the escaping men, their fates after this was unknown.