章 20: The Blind Devil

"Did he died standing?" They scrutinised the body which had stopped moving after taking the spears. With caution, they moved back creating some distance between them. They watched in disbelief, as not a single drop of blood came out as when they took out the spears, but what happened next stunned them.

Black smoke started to ooze off the wounds and revolved around his body. It corroded any foreign elements like armours or cloths that was on his body. He was naked, leaving only the talwar on his back. A little blue fire ignited at the right eye hole but the left eye was closed. In a moment the body vanished and…

A pair of shield bearers were thrown away in the air with big dents on their shields. Everything plunged into chaos again. The formation that was holding him in for so long was broken by a single punch. What was more frightening they couldn't follow the attack with naked eyes.

They looked in horror when it stopped again, it was a monster. The boy had turned into something frightening.

"It's a demon." Somebody screamed and at the next moment, it vanished again. Headless bodies of the soldiers sprawled on the ground while spraying the blood in the air. It was ripping off the heads with his bare hand that had turned into claws.

Those who were lucky enough to escape its claws looked in fear. The boy they had just killed turned into a black shadow, it had the shape of a single-horned beast with long limbs. Its full dental set was giving it a look of a little smiling devil and its work couldn't be more synonymous to its look.

"This is a devil." Somebody shouted again. The stunned soldiers tried their best to escape, triggering frenzy.

'Devil' was one of the beings, who were hated by every race on the whole continent. Even the strongest of the continent, the demons, will think twice before going against one. People don't know how they are born but everyone knew one thing when they born all they will do is kill, regardless whether the one in front him is human, beast, demi-human or the demon. They will kill until they themselves will die. That is what made them so dangerous, they will kill without any purpose.

The one that shouted 'devil', died next. Soon there was a pile of bodies in front of the supply station. No one could touch him much less harm him. With no one to stop, it continued to run amuck.

Those who can stop him were totally confused. The surprise attack at the same time of their attack totally caught them off-guard. Cavalry and archer attack didn't leave any position to retaliate. On top of that, the infantries of the enemy was closing in.

"We have to abandon the camp and regroup."

Liyato almost jumped towards Official Nus hearing the suggestion, but General Kirmac spoke, "It is not his fault. We forgot that, what we can do, they can do it too. We copied their strategy they did same. It was our fault that we didn't protect ourselves well. Retreat, abandon the camp."

The atmosphere of the tent became dry. None wanted to talk, none want to take the first step.

"General please leave first, you need to survive for the country. General Liyato please led the general to safety." Nobody expected to official Nus to say it. In the case of mishaps, it was always the officials who ran away first.

Liyato gave the official a confused look. "Where will you go?" Liyato couldn't help but ask. The tone was different. The difference was very little but it didn't escape the ear official Nus. A light curve appeared on the edge of his lips, "I will burn down the supply station. The empire is fighting in three fonts, they are bound to have a food shortage, sooner or later. So…"

"I will go with you." Liyato stood up. It was not a work of an official, to begin with. He couldn't just leave the camp while an official would do his work.

"No need general, if you go they will mark you and it will be harder for you to escape. We can train a soldier over a year but can't produce a general. You will get your time, it won't end here and I won't let it end. Please, general leave."

"Nus take this with you." Kirmac threw a badge at him. It was his personal badge.

"Thank you general. I will take my leave here. We will meet at Yeomcheon." With the words, Official Nus left the tent while the generals took the back route.

But what greeted Official Nus made him really scared. Headless bodies piled up at the one side. Blood was making the path under his feet slippery. The stench of blood was so heavy that he had almost vomited.

On his way here he didn't saw any fight. So he couldn't comprehend what was happening right in front of the supply station.

'Can the empire really sent someone to protect the place?' The question appeared in his mind but he quickly removed it as soon as he saw it.

'There is no way anybody can control a devil. Is heaven really against us? No, I have to try.' He flashed the badge and shouted, "By the order of general Kirmac burn the supply station."

The soldiers looked at the badge and their face darkened. They were reluctant, nobody wanted to dive right into the grave but they were soldiers after all. They run towards the supply station with their weapons. Nus wasn't a military person and the next scene wasn't something a sane person could take, he vomited.

'If that being is a devil then there is nothing we could do anything until it dies of exhaustion.' It was the time he was lacking most right now. With each moment the empire's infantries was closing in and he was running out of options.

'There is still a way.' He shouted his order again. "Archers shoot the supply station with fire arrows." Those who had tried to fire the arrow before were already dead, but neither Nus nor the new batch of archers beside him was aware of the fact.

The moment the fire arrows were about to reach the supply station the black smoke enveloped them and the arrows vanished in mid-air before reaching its destination. The archers fate wasn't different from their predecessors. Before Nus could move he was laying on his back, on the ground with the thing sitting on his chest.

Nus opened his eyes and the smile greeted him. "Devil." The words escaped his mouth.

"You should control your urges better. You have wetted yourself, you know." The words were clean, it was Kinoya's voice. "You seems to be someone from the upper echelon. You have the authority and the badge but you are not a military man. Could you be the strategist?"

Nus couldn't respond to the words, he couldn't even believe that the devil was talking to him. There was no record that a devil could talk but it was happening right in front of his eyes.

"I don't know who you are but deliver a message to one who made the strategy of yesterday's battle. 'Everything is fair in War'. I will be waiting for him in the field, hope he can surprise me again. Now run like a little lamb, don't think about the supply station otherwise or you will die."

With the weight on his chest gone he stood back up. His lower garment was wet but the sweat that formed at his back felt colder against the light wind. Nus stumbled but ran, never to look back again.

Soon it became peaceful. The order of retreat came and they abandoned the camp without hesitation. It was already dawn but was still dark in front supply station from the dark smoke. It stood there like a statue. The guard captain was here a long time ago but never dare to approach him, neither did the other 28.

"All of you should come out. You know you will die even before you could turn back." It was a clear threat. But none of them dared to disobey. Soon all 29 of them came out. Seeing that every single one of them was empire's soldiers he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Protect this place now." With the words, Kinoya fell on the ground. The blood from the wounds was flowing like water. In the puddle of blood he lost consciousness.