They all turned to him, silence ruling the room. Their tears rested on their cheeks, but none moved or made a sound.

Then, one of the elders, Weiss, sighed. “So, this is the last day of our pack? I expected this to happen, but I hoped it wouldn’t.” He turned to a few of the beastwomen. “Come to me.” They were his wives.

Gathering together, the beastwomen and youngsters hugged their parents, spouses, or friends. They all bore saddened expressions, and some even cried out. But they did not move and merely huddled together.

What? Not even going to try? Karl stared at the beastmen he had been with for years. Although he didn’t speak much to them, their constant presence had been something reassuring. And in the days he pretended to be one of them, there were moments when he actually felt like he was. So how could they just die? Especially when my own life is in the balance?

What are they thinking?

“Sorry, lad. You don’t have any parents alive, and none can accompany you to the river of souls. I hope you journey safely and don’t encounter any of the evil gods,” Weiss said before kissing the forehead of one of his daughters. She was crying. How could she not? Death was upon them all.

Karl, still dumbfounded, felt a warm hand grip his. He turned to see Astrid with a smile, her tears falling, but her face still curved upward. Looking at her like this, he couldn’t help but ask, “Why are you doing that?... Smiling.”

“I have to. It’s the only thing I have power over. Just like you, I have no parents, and hardly any friends. Humanity and their Sovereign have taken everything from everyone... just because we aren’t human,” she said with a smile. “But this?” Her lips curled higher. “This is my power, my hope, and my strength. I use it to show that the Emperor isn’t truly supreme. His power is only true on the Southern Continent. In the North, in the Demon-Lord territories, or the West among the giants, the Sovereign is not supreme.”

Karl listened to the girl, his gaze lowering to the stone floors. That makes no sense, he thought. Why would any of that matter? Why would you still smile when you’re about to die? Even if the Emperor isn’t supreme, the fact remains that you are about to die. Shouldn’t you be aware of that?

Though he thought that, he was also aware of his own situation. He wasn’t as terrified as he should be. His emotions weren’t as intense as they should be. He was afraid, of course, but not as much as he expected.

Removing his hand from Astrid’s, Karl turned to the dismayed beastmen. “Get up!” he commanded.

The pack glanced at the youngster without kin, the one who would have to journey to the sea of souls alone. What was he doing?

Karl stared into the eyes of the beastmen who looked back in confusion. His mind raced. How can we survive this? How can I survive this? Should I just accept it? Did I really plug my ass with fur for two years only to die? I have a promise to keep. Even if these ones have to die so the other beastmen can reach utopia, it will happen, he thought. “No!” he finally said. “I don’t accept this outcome.”

He immediately walked toward the elder, Weiss, and crouched. “Shouldn’t some be alive?” he asked, his expression as indifferent as it had grown to be.

“What?” Weiss asked, stunned.

I don’t have time for this, Karl thought, turning to the huddled beastmen. He looked at Astrid, who still wore a smile. “Survival is all that matters. Don’t force your family to accompany you to the sea of souls. Instead, you should brace and protect them, and allow them a chance to keep living.”

This was what his friend had once told him. He couldn’t remember his friend’s name—or, to be exact, he never got the chance to learn it. That friend had stood by him, died for him, and even after death, prepared a way for his survival. As a courtesy, Karl was doing the same. But he was no saint. He had no intention of truly sacrificing himself. If anything, he was sacrificing these beastmen in order to get a chance to build a utopia for others.

“What?” Elder Weiss flared up. “What’s the point? You said they’re going to blow us up. That means there are cannons outside. So what can we even do?” It was no longer a rage-filled scream but a plea for hope—hope for the survival of his family.

Karl looked around and said, “Rush wildly toward the cannons. Disorient them, and then, in the chaos, let the children and the females escape. Since they haven’t fired yet, there must be a reason for that. We can’t wait to find out.” An insignificant group can achieve something great in chaos, Karl added inwardly.

Weiss stared wide-eyed for a moment. A few of the elders looked around in confusion. “But it’s night,” a slightly older beastman said in low tones.

Yes. It remains that beastmen are afraid of the night, Karl thought. I have to cure them of that. He looked at the pack and said, “Then, because of fear, would you let your children and wives die? I once heard stories of before the formation of the World Void, before the Solitude Epoch. A time when beastmen were great warriors and great hunters. Did those traits just vanish? Did the blood and strength left by your ancestors within you become cleansed after years of slavery? It’s a question, one you should answer.” Indeed, there were stories of such times, but Karl couldn’t be sure if they were true. After all, he had heard most of them from his friend.

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There was silence in the room. The sound of the wind battered against the shed, and the heat of the room grew higher under the combined stress.

Eventually, Weiss stood up and turned to the pack. “Time to die. Today, we lost one of our own, Volker, to the humans, to the Sovereign. But today, if we must die, let it be by our own actions. Let us run toward death rather than wait for it to come to us.”

The room erupted in various ways. Certain beastmen gritted their teeth and stood up with a resolved expression. They were ready to run toward death. It had been so long; some of them hadn’t even hunted or had a chance to run in the wind. So before they died, they would grasp this final straw of freedom. This was their way. This was their truth. This was the proof that the Sovereign was not supreme. They would choose how they died!

In no time, the beastmen, those aged 20 and above, stood before the door, the females behind them with the children. Karl stood at the far back, watching and waiting for a chance to escape in the approaching chaos. Beside him, Astrid wore a smile, but her gaze was resolute. There was a possibility of death. No, death was likely going to be the result. But that is for the present not to know and the future to ponder.

If there was such a thing as Strong-Will Gu, it would likely be flooding in here, Karl thought, his gaze on Elder Weiss as he approached the door. The battle would soon begin. Nonetheless, a few Fear Gu were creeping out and steadily approaching.

A hand from behind grasped his shoulder!

What? Karl was startled. Wasn’t the wall directly behind him?

The hand suddenly pulled, yanking him backward. His body crashed against the wall. He turned to see Astrid looking at him with wide eyes and a long smile.

She watched as the young beastman who had given a speech about standing for themselves sank into the walls, the surface like the clear waters the nobility were said to bathe in. Was he running away? How was he even doing that? Is he abandoning us? Was he a Sanguine? Astrid’s thoughts swirled into disarray.

What is happening? Karl stared as the world before him melded into darkness, as he was continuously pushed backward. But before it completely vanished, he saw Weiss open the door, the mist pouring in, and then his expression changed to one of despair. A yellowish-red light shone.

Boom!

A wave of violent wind surged, blasting the shed into pieces of wood and stone shards, spiraling through the air. It was as if he had collided with a bull, or something similar to a truck. He was sent hurtling backward toward the massive field of corn, the world dizzying as if a myriad of colors were blended together.

He eventually crashed onto a bed of corn. Strangely, he remained conscious, fueled by the accumulated strength brought by the visions. Groaning, Karl managed a peek. The shed—or what was left of it—burned brightly in the distance, a pillar of black smoke curling up and quietly melding with the mist of the night. Around him, the remnants of the shed were scattered about. Some corn had been caught in the explosion, uprooted from the ground.

His thoughts were muddled. A violent ringing in his ears and the pain in his ribs and elbows induced a semi-conscious state. The world began to fade, the sounds growing duller, and within that, his senses heightened. He heard faint whimpering and crying in the distance. Everything disappeared, and a scene followed.

In a vast, desolate field surrounded by high stone walls, numerous men stood at attention, numbering in the hundreds, thousands, or even millions. Some were completely encased in silver-white armor; others were clad in black, reeking of rust and blood. Others still were simple soldiers dressed in unique clothes. However, each of them carried a chain sword on their back, their eyes resolute as they chanted in unison, “Bring the Sovereign, the ruler of humanity, he who conquered the forge cities and rules supreme.”

They were an army!

They stood before a colossal building, its shape akin to a monolith stretching high into the sky. It had a reflective glint, like a stone that had been smoothed over generations. Then, on what appeared to be a balcony, a figure guarded by golden, strange-armored men stared at the crowd below. His face was a blur of lines, but his clothes were elegant, and his golden cape fluttered in the wind.

Raising his hand, the chanting stopped, and silence soon ruled below. There was a moment before he said, “I am Sovereign of the Empire with no name, for it spans into infinity, to the reaches even the white leviathan does not encompass. Now, I, ruler of mankind, give to you the First Order.”

A scepter and sword appeared in his hands as he pointed to the sky, shouting, “All remaining races shall bow before the First Order. Humans shall subjugate, own, and conquer. This world was ours, and from now to infinity, so shall it be!”

The scene faded.

_____

“What a mess,” Frederick muttered, surrounded by men in black cloaks with eyes that were deep, round, and black, like coins. Ahead, some were preparing the cannon for another fire.

The beastmen’s shed burned brightly, cutting through the surrounding mist and leaving the ground wet and damp. Frederick had arrived much later than Anette, who had the obvious advantage due to her abilities. He was surprised to see the shed blown to pieces. But he couldn’t sense any life, indicating that the beastmen were all dead. Fortunately, the one important son of the fallen had remained safe, taken by Anette, who had suffered some repercussions from the explosions. Frederick’s task now was to stall the Unseen Guards, at least until Anette could escape with young Karl.

“The Unseen Guards, the Sovereign’s hounds, killers to protect the dark secrets of the Sovereign. Why do such individuals come to meet me today?” he said with a courteous smile.

The leader of the Unseen Guards, at least of this squad—Adler—approached with a bizarre gaze. Dressed in a black cloak and trousers, he was hairless and bore an even paler visage. But unlike the rest, half his face was covered by a bronze mask adorned with intricate black symbols.

“Where is he?” Adler demanded.

“Who might you be talking about?” Frederick replied with a smile. “As you can see, everyone is dead. Even the lord, I presume.”

Adler stared at him with his lone black eye for a moment before saying, “We have no business with the lord, nor with you—member of the fallen Abraham family.”