Chapter 7

Walkers had a steady theory, holding their energy and elements or weapons thanks to their Emblems. They were army. Hope.

Those he glimpsed at were like shadows wearing military uniforms of green color, which was often part of the camp-uniformed Walkers put here by the Federation. Purple uniforms were for outside forces, either coming from further lands or safety of some secured location far away from these camps. But that didn't mean those green-robbed Walkers weren't part of it. They were here for a job and every single camp was part of a collective effort since they wouldn't survive otherwise.

Walkers were required everywhere. Especially because the rich soil was priceless and farming land was essential for humanity. Thus, camps had to keep going no matter how many setbacks arrived.

Many Walker organizations, which were running the current human world had to know what to protect and how. Seizing opportunities by sending Walkers where it was worth it was sensitive, while people and resources weren't a matter of acts, but survival and necessity.

Walkers fought like no human ever could, each looking unique and special the more Ranks were under their System, flesh, and control. They were no longer human in a bigger sense even if they looked like ones.

Most exerted weird and stylish weapons as their priority, handling, or controlling energy known as Arcana. Many notable elements glowed and moved under their grasp, coming from their Emblems, but many could be weird and hardly comprehensive for regular people to understand. Inhuman strength, stamina, and regeneration? Those were just perks of this energy residing inside of every Emblem and body.

It came as no surprise that not every Walker was equal. Depending on the Emblem or their progressive Ranks, they could turn into fierce figures, while others would be barely average.

William couldn't see the truth, for his eyes squinted in pain, dropping blood. He stood like a shocked kid who saw the luminous sun. He tried to watch anyway, noticing a sea of red where some figures stood, facing even more insane figures.

From a normal perspective, these Walkers were shining in the colors of their protection. Either through Emblem's manifestations, Skill, or a simple extension of its power, it was what allowed them to move and walk through the Dark Fog, hence their name. Usually, it was making their eyes distinct, and skin strong and vital, while their acts would be faster than any human eye could see.

Darks were no different, if not even more suitable to changes and sudden power shifts. Through their sheer number and weight of conquest, the hunger for power ensured their bodies were versatile and capable of not holding back. Then, their minds, instincts, and Corruption could shift their entire talent and possibilities into vivid nightmares.

Depending on their Rank, their strength was in numbers known as Hordes, and as Ranks went up, many special and unique Darks emerged through time, years, and battles, devouring, and evolving. It was about Families. Darks were various, capable of obliterating not just Walkers, but themselves, for their world was no longer enough and rats called humans weren't everything.

William didn't know who the Walkers were, but he observed such a picture before. Not in this... weight, however. As he tried to adjust his vision and ignore the nauseous voice, he noticed outlines of weapons. He couldn't see their bodies. He blinked and saw the same heavy image as if it bore into his mind and eyes like needless.

Darks were intense and savage, digging much deeper because they were at a much higher Rank. Weaker ones from outside of this perimeter immediately sniffed a weakened prey the moment William stopped his steps. They slowly loomed behind him, growling and wondering if it was fine to have this prey.

He was almost on his knees, close to running away, but he couldn't move.

Until a Hellgar, a mixture of a wolf and a bizarre tiger, smacked him from behind, stumbling him to the ground right before his body fell in two sizzling halves to the ground. This time, it felt as if William was split too as he screamed in terrible pain that reverberated throughout his right arm. He fell to piles of red and more red. The world still hadn't returned to normal, nor his strength.

[...Coming rest]

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[Wait]

He couldn't get up.

“Oy, isn't that Gale's brat?” A male voice shouted from not that far away, coming from a purple-uniformed man who was clearly a captain of the Walker squad that wasn't part of the group William managed to see. “Eh? Wait... Why is he here? A child in this place... What the fuck? What happened?”

There was a big upsetting confusion about him. The man was quite big and more fit than any human body could be. That allowed him to fight with a giant sword in each hand. Each flex of his muscles shook these glistering weapons of silvery sheen, crashing the large or small yet insane Darks away, leaving only sharp noises and cracking fissures of his Arcana behind. They survived his clashes thanks to their glinting scales or skin like diamonds.

He was like a large fortress, swiping his opposition without killing them right now. His uniform was in tatters, exposing his arms the thickness of a child. Against him were odd-looking Dark Creatures, obvious by sharp-edged human imagery, thick glossy skin, and a variety of dark aspects that were closing on ideal combat perfectionism.

Those ranged from a much more stoic nature, less weight, more control, and utter masterful instincts that touched upon their Corruption. Few of them had eyes, others had just wide slits for mouths or little closed gaps. All of them looked more human than anything else. Glossy foreheads ended in many sharp tendrils for hair or spikes, or they had completely smooth skin akin to a mask.

One of them moved when it felt an opportunity, unleashing a torrent of attacks against those large swords.

The man smacked it aside with a wide swing of both blades, making a wave of Arcana that cut and pushed it far away.

“I have no idea what that is about, but that damned Viktor better forget his issues. Let's secure him and ask questions later. Adam, you do it! We don't have much time. Secure that brat and go to the outskirts. Leave with the others too before... huack!”

Immediately following it, the largest of those Creatures moved, striking him and hitting him to the wall with a large eclipsed hand that shined in purple shadows. The impact shattered the buildings to pieces, pushing the man into the rubble.

A man holding a bow with spear-like arrows yelped and cut the chase. “A kid? Are you sure about it, Dreznar?” Adam was on top of some pillar, overlooking this place from a distance.

“Whose kid, eh?” Dreznar kicked the rubble away and immediately swung his swords aside, where that quick and big Creature appeared and this time used its palms for spears. He smacked before it came at him, pushing it through numerous rows of buildings in two big cleaves that cut into the earth and shook the air. It screeched in challenge. “What is even with this Incursion, eh?! Just do it and ask later if you can talk.”

Adam felt like fleeing this place himself, so he unleashed his ready arrows and supported his colleagues. Then, he quickly jumped towards William, aware that Dreznar's orders were stronger than the laws. He jumped, leaving afterimages behind and dodging numerous large-scale spikes coming from the sky full of Dark Fog. They dig into the ground below, creating holes.

There was nothing above beside the Fog, yet he still dodged it well. Most Fogs were thick, hiding things. Fights and such battles were in places with less of it for a good reason, because it was an advantage for humans, and most Darks went with the flow because it was fair and fun.

Adam soon came to William, who was about to be surrounded by dozens of Hellgars, and a bunch of young Creatures who began to channel sharp cracking energy spheres in their hands.

Adam flickered his hand, which held a sizable green gem etched in his flesh. Numerous sharp blades emerged under a simple gesture, flying with unnatural speed and cutting every Hellgar to pieces. But those Creatures were further away, so he opted to strike their approaching attacks before he would use his bow. He succeeded by backing away and quickly put his distance closer to William, while those Creatures readied their next attacks.

“Easy... but...” Adam pulled no string but unleashed thick spear-like arrows in a blink, flying them at high speed at half a dozen Creatures that either took it well or by surprise. They backed away, and this allowed Adam to see William better and notice something very peculiar about him.

Then, he fell speechless.

He was aflame. Not in a literal one, but... he felt like it. Adam's eyes were green, flickering in great stress and corners showed dreadful fatigue. William's dark brown hair was tinged with red hues of flaming mist, and his eyes were even weirder. Red but wavering, it seemed as if he had two sets of them upon each other, while that right arm was another thing. That glossy and convulsing Emblem seemed alive, and that line was like a ghost, half there, and half wavering like empty space. His right arm’s skin was cracked, some veins exposed, and the damage he endured seemed lethal, but William was still breathing, kneeling, and was obviously alive.

“Eh?” Adam hesitated; he was reluctant to touch him, let alone hold onto him because he was not some normal kid. “Boss!” He shouted aside, but Dreznar was far too busy fighting against multiple Rank 6 Darks and a single Rank 7 Creature. Many other Rank 7 monsters were around the camp, busy fighting other squads or looking for their great targets, or tough prey.

William heard Adam’s steps and voice. He winced, almost unsure if this was a nightmare or not.

So he stumbled back and fell into the corpses of Hellgars. He met their dead eyes in his red insanity, decaying bodies, before watching Adam.

“Hey, boy...” Adam said, crouching down while creating a bunch of arrows out of nothing to his bow that William had never seen before. This time, William was able to see because of less clutter ahead. It was pulsing, looking like a surreal ghostly painting. It wasn't seen through, but it was an incorporeal and weird weapon.