Our Family Has Fallen

On the battlefield, courage is paramount; when courage swells, fear is suppressed.

The pikemen formed ranks and surrounded the area, directly controlling the essential path leading from the camp into the wilderness, with a few instructors holding key positions.

It was only a moment before the heretics burst out of the camp and rapidly approached. Their goal was clear: they wanted to cross the lines and escape into the wilderness.

But the soldiers clearly wouldn't let them leave, so a head-on collision with the army unfolded…

Initially, One-eyed wanted to scatter and flee before the encirclement was complete. However, upon emerging, he realized they were already surrounded. At that moment, scattering would only lead to them being defeated in detail. Only by fighting with all their might could they hope for a sliver of a chance at survival.

"Brothers, return to the side of God."

At these words, it seemed the followers understood something, astoundingly converging toward him.

Then, a bizarre scene occurred as they exhibited a fearless spirit of sacrifice.

"Flesh Sacrifice to the Gods!"

"Grant me Ascension!"

"Return to my Lord's side..."

The wounded heretics, likely knowing they couldn't escape, roared as they charged the pike formation with a recklessness that defied death, seeking to clear a path for their comrades with their flesh and blood.

But this didn't stir much feeling in the soldiers, for they were the enemy.

"Kill!" Balistan commanded, lifting his Warhammer.

"Kill!" The countless hours of training had made it an instinct for the pikemen. At this command, shouts erupted, and simultaneously, pikes thrust forward, dense as a forest.

The glistening metal points of the pikes conveyed a sense of sharpness. They demonstrated tremendous killing power against the unarmored enemies, leaving wounds on the heretics daring enough to assault the military formation. Some were even struck directly in the head, with pike points precisely penetrating eye sockets and killing them outright.

Attempting an assault on the formation with so few men wasn't courage, it was suicide!

Yet, these were no ordinary humans. Fueled by their frenzied belief in the Evil God, they unleashed strange powers. Their bodies could be pierced, muscles sliced and torn, and even their viscera strewn about. Such injuries would kill an ordinary person, but for these heretics, they merely caused a slight delay.

They succeeded! Using their bodies to block the pike points, they allowed their comrades to advance further into the military formation, using their own bodies as shields.

Not to mention, a Deacon was hidden among them. Within the evil cult, there were no connections; rank was earned purely through power.

One-eyed, too, made good use of this opportunity. His hand plunged into the corpse of a comrade killed by a pike to the head. A strange scene unfurled: the Flesh seemed to writhe and converge toward his hand.

Great strength emerged from within his body, even suppressing the Curse. The arm, piled with Flesh, underwent a monstrous transformation. With a painful cry, the whole arm morphed into a large, twisted tentacle of Flesh, covered in chaotic, sharp Bone Spurs.

Without hesitation, One-eyed swung the tentacle toward the soldiers blocking his way. Only he knew how short-lived this state was. He had to escape quickly, or things would get troublesome once he lost control.

The colossal tentacle unleashed terrifying strength, colliding head-on with the pikes. The previously proven sharpness of the pikes failed to penetrate the tentacle's tough skin—no damage was done before they were shattered by the formidable force.

The unstoppable tentacle then pierced a soldier's chest, coiled around him, and flung him wildly, smashing through the military formation like a hammer.

The soldiers were caught up in this unique form of attack; some were knocked down, others were dragged and thrown. The seemingly impregnable pike formation was so fragile before Supernatural Power.

Many soldiers, having never witnessed such a thing, were startled by the monster's transformation and awed by its terrifying strength.

The human mind—fragile as a robin's egg…

"Damn it! Fall back!"

Seeing this, Balistan immediately commanded his troops to withdraw, while he himself advanced instead of retreating.

Fortunately, military orders were imprinted on their souls. Despite being scared stiff, their bodies instinctively followed the command to retreat. Now they truly understood the meaning of "sweat more in training, bleed less in battle."

But before they could fully withdraw, One-eyed's attack came again. The massive tentacle lashed out like a whip. If it swept across them, not a single soldier might stand again.

"Your opponent is me!" Balistan roared at the monster, taking firm steps forward, Shield raised in front of the soldiers.

The tentacle clashed with the Shield, transmitting savage force. Even Balistan, a master of Shield defense, had to step back several paces to deflect the impact, leaving footprints of varying depths behind him.

Yet he did not fall. Instead, he challenged the enemy.

"Monster! You cannot defeat me!" Balistan lifted his Warhammer and cried out. "Brothers, listen! I am your shield. Do not be afraid. Stand up and re-form the line with me."

The brilliance of humanity's resolve shone upon those soldiers. Courage welled up within them, making even their fear recede.

"Hamlet will never surrender!"

"Monster, I'm not afraid of you!"

"..."

One-eyed had been planning to flee, but to his surprise, someone still dared to block his path. His already unstable emotions instantly flared into rage.