“W-what?” Lheel whimpered while wrapping his arms around his small, cold self.

“Losing my arm has angered me extremely. I may not even be able to serve after this. I’ll probably be replaced, but I can live with that. However, justice is a scale that demands that everyone, mud crawler or no, be dealt fair punishment. I am not too sure how much my arm weighed but if you can give me the same amount of your flesh, then I will spare you.” Nire said with a grin.

Lheel and Bette glanced at each with horrified expressions.

“Aww… do not worry too much. Actually- give me a moment. Oh and if you move, I’ll kill you extremely slowly.” Nire said before standing.

He then made his way back to the walkway where his men were in the process of brutally beating and raping the seventy sevenths.

Nire passed each of his men while looking for a particular Rendaro.

“Umm… where is that angry one from before?” Nire asked one of his men, who pulled his dick out from the ass of a Rendaro that was so badly beaten, his body was blackened by bruises.

“Mmm… maybe he’s over there.”

The soldier said while pointing at a group of about fifteen men.

“Mmm.” Nire sounded before walking towards the group, which was taking turns at having their way with a certain Rendaro.

His body was covered in blood, mud and cum but even in this state, the fire in his eyes hadn’t died.

“Haha! What in the world are you people doing? He still looks sane to me? Do you think what you’ve done is enough to make him pay for killing your sons and brothers?” Nira asked.

“Sorry, sir. He’s just that mentally sound.”

One soldier said but Nire shook his head.

“I disagree. Every man has a breaking point. I like to think of the soul as a vessel. One which contains a limited list of things. Things that the soul holds dear. Take these things away and what’s left is hollow… Anyway, bring him over here.” Nira instructed before leading his men over to then tree where Lheel and Bette sat.

“Nolat!” Bette cried, but the Rendaro was far too badly beaten to even move.

“Raise his head.” Nire instructed while returning to his spot against the tree.

The soldiers raised Nolat’s head and with bloodshot eyes he stared at Lheel, then Bette and finally Nire.

“See? He’s still got something inside that he’s desperately clinging to. We all do. For some it’s faith, for me it’s justice of which I am the very vessel and for him… it’s a woman.”

“Can we have a go at her, sir?” One of the soldiers asked but the air suddenly grew hotter as Nire glared at him.

“No, good sir. What we are about to witness is most sacred. We are about to gouge out that which the soul holds. Anyway, give me some space.” Nire said bit Lheel and Bette’s faces twisted in terror.

Nira rolled his eyes before summoning one of his Sickles.

“I try to be fair and this is what I get. Ah well, Ahem!”

Nire playfully twirled his sickle while pacing around Lheel and Bette who sat helplessly in the mud.

“Stand up, misses-“

“Wait!” Lheel cried as tears fell from his eyes.

“Hoh? You dare give orders to a silver knight?” Nire asked with a disgusted expression, but Lheel shook his head.

“Could I… could I take her place?”

“NO! I’ll do it-“

“But what about Nolat?”

“What about you?” Bette asked as tears fell from her eyes.

Lheel glanced at Nolat who simply watched everything unfold.

Bette stood up while covering her breasts and crotch with her hands.

“Wow… that was quite the sight. It would seem as though even worms understand the value of comradery. Now, spread your arms.”

Bette did as she instructed and the swamp fell eerily silent as everyone stared at her.

Her body lit only by the light of the moon.

Nire walked up to her before raised his sickle.

Lheel opened his mouth to speak but before any words could leave his mouth, Bette’s entire right arm disappeared. But instead of copious amounts of blood spraying out from the wound, a large amount of ice suddenly caked around it.

“AHHHHH!” She cried as she fell to the ground. Cracks and splinters filled the air as her wound was covered in ice.

Nire tossed aside the arm in his hand before walking up to a bleeding and screaming Bette.

“My arm was twice as heavy as one of yours. So I will be taking the other as well.” Nire said but just as he raised his sickle, Lheel lashed out at Nire, but the silver simply struck the small Rendaro with the back of his hand, breaking his jaw and dislodging countless teeth.

“Such ungratefulness. I really would’ve spared them if they’d only listened. Ah well, do as you will, gentlemen. And make sure he watches.” Nire said before returning to his spot.

The soldiers then swarmed Lheel and Bette before beating them all while spreading their legs.

One soldier walked up to Nire while Lheel and Bette were brutally raped. With dicks being shoved into every possible hole.

“Sir, may I ask why you haven’t partaken in any of the-“

“Wait… are you going to ask why I, a silver knight and hand of Justice, hasn’t fucked any mud crawlers?” Nire asked while glaring at the now terrified soldier.

“W- well-“

“The answer is simple. I do not wish to dirty that which the Moon King so benevolently gave. Is that answer satisfactory?” Nira asked with a raised brow and the soldier nodded.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

“Good, now let’s watch as that poor man dies both inside and out.” Nire said while looking at Nolat, who’s eyes were now half open.

“And there it is-“

A dark blade suddenly slid across Nire’s neck, separating his head from his body.

The soldier next to him screamed in terror as a Kommáti materialized in front of him.

He tried running away, but ran into a member of the scouts and they grabbed the soldier’s head before stabbing his neck.

The sounds of death then filled the marsh.

Countless scouts appeared from seemingly everywhere and they brutalized every human in sight.

Nolin, one of the scouts, walked up to the bruised bodies of Lheel, Bette and Nolat.

“Shit! We didn’t make it in time.” She cursed with the Kommáti standing by her side.

She then looked south.

“They should’ve pulled back.” She muttered before shaking her head.

“Take all the survivors to Coh-“ Nolin's eyes widened upon seeing someone rise from the mud to near the muddy walkway.

Several scouts moved in to assist him and after a moment of questioning, one of the scouts ran up to Nolin as the sun slowly rose, bathing the marsh in dim grey light.

“Ma’am, that man is Ndlo, of the sixths!” The scout reported.

Nolin nodded before walking up to the clearly shaken Rendaro.

She looked him over and saw that he was barely wounded.

“What exactly happened here? Why didn’t you retreat after seeing that your enemy was a silver night?” Nolin asked.

Ndlo winced before looking around as the handful of survivors were teleported away.

“Those damned brats wouldn’t listen to me. I tried reigning them in but they charged forward regardless. I was then incapacitated by the knight while trying my hardest to protect them.” Ndlo said with trembling lips and teary eyes.

“Fuck!” Nolin cursed before placing her hands in her waist.

She then looked up at the grey sky.

“Report to you captain. Although I’m afraid you’re going to have to walk back to Coh on your own.”

“What?” Ndlo exclaimed with terrified expression.

“Sorry, but we have countess other zones to check across the border.” Nolin said before walking back to her Kommáti companion. The two then disappeared along with the other scouts leaving Ndlo alone.

He stumbled towards the walkway and ran across it all while glancing back at the field of corpses.

He then ran back into the woods and made his way east all while routinely checking his back, as if something was hunting him.

Then sun then rose ever higher, signalling that I return to my body.

.

..

I awoke with a bubbling anger.

One that wasn’t quite strong enough to spill over, but it gnawed at my thoughts as I opened my eyes.

Yna awoke and saw that I was rather upset and so she raised her hand and flicked me on the forehead.

“That’s what you get for drifting away.” She said.

“I can’t help it. My mind groans anxiously when I don’t know where everyone is.” I said, but Yna simply held me tighter.

“Still, we need your mind to be clear when the time comes, so from here on, I forbid you from visiting that realm unless its absolutely necessary.”

I nodded before getting up alongside Yna.

We then got dressed and made our way towards the war room where Han stood.

“Ah… good morning.” I greeted.

“Mmm.” A tired Han sounded while looking at the large map on the table.

He was particularly focused on the Western Wilds.

“What’s on your mind?” I asked.

“I think we should send some emissaries to Disahn. If they have golden and silver knights, like we suspect, then they could prove useful in the coming times.” Han said rather seriously.

“I see. Then create a special group to-“

“I already have. I was just waiting for your approval.” Han said.

“I see. Then I wish our people luck. This war makes me forget that fostering peaceful relations is still possible. If only a certain someone thought the same.” I muttered.

A scout then entered the room and he handed us various documents which were reports from the front lines.

Since the war began, we had gone from about ten thousand men to six and a half thousand.

Caligo’s army, on the other hand, had gone from one hundred thousand men to seventy thousand men.

This… this worried me.

Caligo had lost all these men and had yet to send out the Hawks or Helma.

Ower suddenly appeared next to me and for some reason, he remained silent.

I looked up and saw that his eyes were wide and trembling.

He wasn’t even this scared when Caligo appeared.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“It’s… lady Shiru. Ndlo, of the sixths, tried forcing himself onto her.” Ower reported.

“Oh?”

“Han, take care of things here and Yna, continue monitoring the front lines.” I said and the two nodded.

I then fully turned to Ower.

“Where are Shiru and Erna?”

“In their home. The Kommáti assigned to them managed to grab Ndlo and he took him to Site A shortly after.” Ower reported.

“I see. Take me to Shiru.” I said and like that, we were in Shiru’s house.

I slowly walked towards her bedroom’s door which I gently knocked.

The door opened, revealing a wide eyed Shiru, but for some reason, she backed away upon seeing me.

“Mmm?” I sounded after noticing that my hands were darkened and black smoke was rising from my nose.

I willed my hands back to their normal state and dusted the smoke away before facing a noticeably calmer Shiru.

“Are you alright?” I asked while looking her over. She didn’t look visible hurt but still…

“I-I’m fine, for the most part.” Shiru said while weakly raising her arms which were covered from countless marks which she got from working alongside the other cooks to feed the people of Coh.

“Could you.. could you tell me exactly what happened?” I asked but Shiru’s face still hadn’t changed. She looked… afraid and so I looked at myself once more and found nothing wrong.

“What’s wrong?” I asked as my chest ached bitterly.

“Your eyes… they’re red.”

Red?

I rubbed my eyes while willing that my body returned to its normal state.

“Better?” I asked and Shiru nodded.

“Wanna talk about what happened now?” I asked.

Shiru nodded before leading me to her bed where we sat alongside each other.

She then explained that Ndlo used to routinely visit her to ask for her hand and it was commonly known that Shiru had no interest I him.

This time, however…

“This time was different. His uniform was dirty and he no longer had the red badge he often flaunted. He asked if we could speak in private and I agreed. He then told me about the horrors of war. About how he had made a mistake that haunted him even in the waking world. I told him that he should maybe retire from being a soldier and he agreed, but said that he would only do it if I accepted his proposal. I rejected him again and…” Shiru’s eyes fell.

“But before he could hurt me, my K-Kommáti appeared and took him away. So I’m fine, really.” Shiru said with a smile, but this hurt me more than she knew.

But not in the way that even I expected.

I offered her my hand and she accepted it warmly.

“If you say you’re fine, I’ll have no choice but to believe you. But don’t hesitate to call for me if you need anything or someone to talk to- matter fact, why don’t we have a big dinner with everyone tomorrow?” I asked with a smile, but Shiru tilted her head.

“Aren’t Farin and Serylea busy?” She asked but I dismissively waved my hand.

“The Kommáti will have them here in a jiffy.” I said.

“Alright, I’ll make us a big dinner after work tonight.”

“Tonight? Aren’t you going to take a break?” I asked with a slightly pained expression, but Shiru gently rubbed my head, messing up my hair.

“Yes. I know you’re worried, but I really am fine. I should’ve stopped entertaining that man a long time ago. And besides, everyone else is working so hard, I don’t think I would be able to sit still for even a second if you told me to stay here. I’d probably just sneak out.” Shiru said with a grin.

I nodded before hopping off the bed.

“Alright. But don’t forget that we’re all here if you need us.” I said before raising my right hand.

Shiru waved me goodbye but before I could wave back, Ower took me to Site A, beneath Coh.

We stood in front of a dark door on the second level and after taking a deep breath, I opened the door to find Ndlo strapped onto a chair at the centre of the room.

He and I looked eyes and his instantly widened.

“Katsíki- Lord Katsíki, I know this looks bad, but I wasn’t even being that rough with her! This is all just a big misunderstanding!” Ndlo said with an awkward chuckle as I closed the door.

“All that time ago… when I built these walls… when I cleansed the Expanse… she was there alongside the others. While you and you people all schemed against each other… while you spat out pathetic excuses for your lack of progress, she was there. She, Erna and the others are a part of my heart. They are Coh AND YOU DARED TOUCH HER WITH YOUR FILTHY HANDS!” I yelled while staring into the eyes of a man so pathetic is hurt just to look at him.

This man, this… THING HAD DARED…

No.

I didn’t have the time for this.

Coh still needed to be defended and I was its leader.

Kenos. I called while removing my gown.

[Yes?]

Feed him terror and pain for exactly one hour.

[Got it.]

Kenos said as the room was filled with black smoke that poured out of my every pore.

I then bore witness to the transformation process.

My kegs and chest were first.

They rapidly grew bigger along with my arms and head.

The process was all so painless.

Like slipping into a different pair of shoes.

My vision then rapidly blurred as Kenos and I switched places.

[Leave the rest to me.]