Overwhelming Firepower

The Gravebacks, who had surrounded Alexander and Mina, suddenly lunged at the two. A blur of dark bodies surged forward from multiple directions, claws tearing through the air as their cackling rose sharply.

Alexander and Mina, who had enveloped themselves with their respective aura mantles, waited for the Gravebacks to get close.

When the moment came, Alexander and Mina swung their respective weapons in a wide arc, hitting a few of the Gravebacks.

Unfortunately, they weren’t able to kill a single one. ’I was planning to at least take one with that strike.’

Alexander understood that their current situation was far from good. Still, he did not want to retreat; he did not want the idea of other people getting hurt, but he did not want his childhood friend to get hurt as well.

As his thoughts were spiraling, Alexander shook his head and focused more than ever before.

’What’s done is done, I just need to do the best I can.’ Alexander steadied his breathing as his gaze sharpened.

The Gravebacks did not rush again immediately. Instead, they pulled back, circling once more, their movements cautious now after the initial exchange.

”They’re testing us,” Mina said, her voice low as she adjusted her stance.

Alexander nodded slightly. ”Yeah, it’s as the books say, these monsters are quite intelligent.”

Almost as if responding to his words, one of the Gravebacks darted forward again.

It was nothing but a feint. Mina thrust her spear, but it had already retreated. This made Mina move further away from Alexander. At the same time, another lunged from behind.

”Behind!” Alexander shouted as he quickly moved, and this time he was a little bit faster than before; he was able to cut down one of the Gravebacks.

”Sorry,” Mina apologized as she returned to her position.

”Don’t worry about it, just focus,” Alexander said as he once again got back to back with Mina.

The moment their backs touched, the Gravebacks moved again. Two lunged from the front, one low and one high, their movements overlapping just enough to confuse the eye.

Alexander and Mina pushed each other’s backs, and then Alexander ducked and did a horizontal slash aimed at the Graveback below, while Mina turned around and pierced through the Graveback that jumped upward.

The two had finally killed two Gravebacks, but this turned into a signal for a full onslaught of the Gravebacks, who started cackling even louder.

The cackling grew sharper, louder, almost frenzied. The remaining Gravebacks no longer circled, and they rushed all at once.

Alexander, who was in a state of absolute focus, was thinking of what to do. What should I do to protect Mina and defeat the Gravebacks?

The second that question popped up in Alexander’s mind, he looked at Mina, who was standing back to back with him.

Mina was there, only focused on the enemies ahead of her; she did not even look his way. That was when Alexander realized something.

’Did I not trust Mina this much? The person who has been training beside me since the beginning... Friends need to trust each other, since Mina trusts her back to me, then I should trust my back to Mina.’

Alexander’s grip on his sword tightened. The hesitation in his thoughts disappeared.

”... Alright,” he muttered under his breath.

He shifted his stance slightly, no longer trying to watch everything at once. Instead, he focused only on what was in front of him.

When the Gravebacks got into range, Alexander’s sword moved in a tight arc, no longer the wide swings from before.

The blade struck one of the Gravebacks across the jaw, forcing it away, but another slipped past his guard. A sharp pain ran across his side.

The claws had grazed through his armor and aura mantle, cutting into his flesh. As expected of monsters of this caliber.

On Mina’s side, her spear shot forward, piercing into a Graveback that had tried to take advantage of Alexander’s opening. She pulled it out quickly, but another came from the side.

It was too fast. Its claws raked across her shoulder. Mina gritted her teeth from the pain as she stumbled slightly, her stance breaking for just a moment.

”Are you alright?” Alexander asked.

”It’s just a scratch.” Mina once again got into a fighting stance as she replied.

Another cackle rang out. The Gravebacks did not relent. They pressed forward, more aggressive now, their attacks coming faster, less coordinated but far more relentless.

Mina, who was only at the first mantle, could not hold on for too long, and despite being able to kill three of the Gravebacks, her wounds had piled up, and she could no longer sustain her aura mantle.

As her consciousness was about to fade, she squeezed out one last thing to say to Alexander. ”Run, leave me behind.”

Seeing Mina fall to the ground, something within Alexander was starting to burn. He wanted to save those who would get harmed by the Gravebacks, but he could not even save the friend who was right in front of him.

He could not accept it; he was not delusional to think he could protect everyone in danger, but he wanted to at least protect those within his reach.

Alexander’s breathing stopped for a brief moment. The world narrowed. Mina was on the ground. The circling Gravebacks. The sound of their cackling.

All of it blurred, except for one thing that was clear in his mind.

”I won’t... Accept this!”

His grip on his sword tightened as something deep within him began to stir. The pain in his body did not fade; instead, it grew sharper, more intense, spreading through his limbs like a burning pressure.

Yet, rather than weighing him down, that pain pushed him forward.

His heart pounded heavily in his chest, each beat louder than the last, as if it were echoing through his entire body.

At that moment, something within Alexander shifted.

The aura mantle around him, which had begun to waver from the prolonged battle, suddenly stabilized. It did not expand outward, nor did it surge uncontrollably. Instead, it was as if something had anchored it in place.

It was at that moment that a faint glow began to bleed through his aura mantle. The light was not bright, nor was it overwhelming, but it was steady, pressing outward against his aura mantle, overlapping with it rather than replacing it.

For a brief moment, it looked as if two layers existed at once. One was his aura, while the other was his will.

If Lucen saw this scene, he would have geeked out, as this was the very manifestation that made Alexander the Hero who survived multiple routes. This was Alexander’s Burst Mode, a physical manifestation of his will to protect.

The air around him trembled slightly as that presence took shape, not violent, not oppressive, but firm in a way that could not be shaken.

His eyes cleared. The fatigue that once clouded them disappeared, replaced by a calm, unwavering resolve.

This was not some technique he learned, nor was this a power granted to him. This was something found deep within him because of his pure desire for one single thing to protect. This was one of the reasons Lucen considers Alexander a true hero.

Alexander exhaled slowly. The cackling that once filled the forest no longer sounded chaotic to him. It sounded slow and clear.

Every movement of the Gravebacks, every shift in their weight, every tightening of their muscles before they lunged, all of it was laid bare before him.

The second one moved, and Alexander moved at the exact same time. The Graveback’s claws passed through the space he had occupied a moment ago, missing him completely as his sword traced a clean line across its neck. Blood started spraying out of Graveback’s body.

Another lunged from the side, its jaws snapping toward him. Alexander tilted his body slightly, just enough to avoid the attack, and drove his blade forward. The tip pierced through its skull.

He pulled it out in one smooth motion. There was no wasted movement, no trace of any hesitation.

The Gravebacks froze for a brief moment. Their instincts screamed at them, something has changed, the prey had become the predator.

Alexander did not stop as he advanced forward. Each step he took forced the remaining Gravebacks back, their earlier aggression replaced by uncertainty.

One tried to circle behind him. Alexander moved before it could complete the motion; his blade flashed, and without surprise, it collapsed.

Another one did a desperate rush, and Alexander met the other party head-on. The two passed by each other, and with a single motion with his sword, the Graveback died.

Then only one remained. The Graveback and Alexander looked at each other for a brief second. The Graveback was having conflicting thoughts because of his hunger and his will to survive.

Despite the one who killed his pack having wounds all over his body and seeming like he was about to fall any second now, the Graveback was unsure what to do.

The moment it hesitated, Alexander was already there in front of the Graveback, and with a swift motion of his sword, he sliced the Graveback in half.

Once he had confirmed that all the Gravebacks had died, only then did Alexander loosen his grip on his sword.

The glow overlapping his aura mantle began to fade. The pressure within him receded, leaving behind the pain he had ignored until now. His body swayed as he slowly moved towards his unconscious childhood friend.

”... Mina...” Those were the last words Alexander said as he fell to the ground unconscious.