During my first leap, I hadn't managed to take in the details. So, upon landing, I swiftly fended off the attacking undead, accidentally decapitating one, and immediately vaulted skyward.
Now, with my focus on reality, I began to notice other details. The first of these was that Crixus's unconscious body was not the only one strewn across the square: several more victims lay motionless on the shattered pavement. First, I spotted a couple of police officers who had apparently cordoned off traffic due to the city-wide alarm and hadn't had the chance to evacuate when the Breakthrough commenced. My gaze took in more details, and I realized that not all cars in the square were vacant. Some people had evidently locked themselves inside, naively assuming that an enclosed vehicle would provide sufficient protection against an otherworldly assault. Regrettably, the zombies contradicted this assumption. Unlike the aliens from the previous Breakthrough, they seemed capable of interacting with reality from within the Break. Additionally, many cars had fallen into the deep cracks in the asphalt, their windows shattered.
The somewhat "good" news was that, judging by Crixus's aura, he was still alive, albeit unconscious. From my current layer of reality, his condition appeared akin to the state people fell into after being struck by an alien staff during the cruise ship Breakthrough. Initially, this realization brought a sigh of relief, but when I leapt upward again, I observed the zombies emerging from nearby ground fissures and starting to crawl towards the unconscious bodies. I watched as one creature latched onto Crixus's body and attempted to bite off his leg from within the Break. It was unsuccessful, but Crixus's aura dimmed slightly. Observing this, it became glaringly apparent that if we allowed the situation to persist, the walking dead would rather quickly drain all vitality from those who had lost consciousness in the square. Naturally, this would lead to the death of these individuals.
One might assume that repelling an attack by mere zombies, especially with the abilities of a Break Knight, would be a cakewalk. If someone had asked me yesterday whether I'd be up for countering a Breakthrough involving the undead, I would have unquestionably said "yes". Up until recently, I perceived this as one of the easiest scenarios. Unfortunately, reality proved to be quite different from my simple assumptions. Not only are these creatures resilient enough to endure a basic strike from a raig's spiritual weapon, but you need to either slash or stab them in the head, and on top of that, new ones continually emerge. For some reason, I have the impression that this surge of corpses will not dwindle, but rather escalate even further. We were simply being swamped. If we could scatter, allowing the zombies to spill out of the square, we would easily eliminate their dispersed groups later... But alas, that wasn't an option. Particularly in light of my observations. If we allowed the undead to breach our ranks, hundreds, if not thousands, of the capital's residents would perish. I didn't even want to contemplate what would occur if the Breakthrough fully manifested - given that law enforcement and the military wouldn't be able to take down these creatures with conventional weaponry. Bullets, even silver ones, make no difference to the dead. And facing a horde of zombies in close combat, even seasoned shapeshifters would stand a much slimmer chance against them than raigs.
Beside me, Rex swiftly decapitates two undead with a single sweeping stroke of his bastard sword. The lad is improving: plotting such an arc, accounting for the resistance of the first body and the inertia - it's a feat that even I find challenging. This successful strike created a breach in the horde of zombies, and he immediately entered a brief Sliding, rushing to the aid of a group of Masks who were significantly outnumbered.
This instance vividly illustrated that during a Breakthrough, raigs put aside their organizational differences. This is undeniably a substantial advantage.
Unlike the rest of the Break Knights, I wasn't holding the line or fending off the zombie mob. Instead, I navigated the battlefield, offering aid where the struggle was the most dire. But it wasn't enough that we were maintaining a barrier to keep the mindless monsters from invading the city. There was also the looming threat that they might suddenly change tactics, stop assaulting our formation, and disperse through other unguarded streets. Above all, it was crucial to extract Crixus before he was completely drained, even though the threat was more energy-based than physical. I also didn't want to leave the civilians stranded in the square.
"I wouldn't want to..." No, the thought itself is valid. We must save the people. We must... when given the chance. But what if that chance isn't present? If there are more than three hundred creatures for twenty-four defenders, and when you dissipate these monsters, they are instantly replaced by more rising from the ground, an unending onslaught, what then? It's almost miraculous that our sparse living chain is still intact.
Actually, it's not a "miracle" - during my next leap, I notice some crucial details. Where experienced, second-level raigs stand, the situation is notably better. Beside Rex, Maya, Halley, and Mersk, a temporary zombie-free zone even forms.
It doesn't last long...
But this demonstrates that third-level Knights can eliminate the undead slightly faster than they manage to emerge from beneath the asphalt. However, the majority of the raigs in Wilflaes are far from reaching the third or even the second level. And for this majority, the situation is extremely challenging.
Moreover, not all low-level raigs are equally "efficient" in combat. This battle with an infinite mass of creatures starkly highlights the merits of our training. Those young Knights who attended more often and put in their best efforts are handling the zombies much better than those who only trained sporadically or half-heartedly. Among the low-level raigs, Baenre stands out the most. The Padawan not only keeps an eye on Sigurd, mindful of my order, but also covers Shiko's back. Perhaps, in this Breakthrough, my pupil's skill allows him to match the efficiency of raigs a level above him.
Darn! If all the capital's raigs could participate in repelling this invasion, we could assemble a strike team to extract Crixus and the others trapped in the square. It's unfortunate that Ungor is absent - his ax would be handy right now. Such a weapon, especially wielded by an experienced third-level raig, could wreak havoc among the zombie horde. But he, like over a dozen Knights, probably couldn't respond to the Call due to bad timing.
My feet make contact with the asphalt again. I lunge briefly, and the nearest zombie disintegrates into a cloud of ash. My sword swings back, severing the neck of another undead creature. Employing a technique from Zanh Kiem's repertoire, I almost acrobatically evade an assault from three attackers at once. At the end of the movement, I execute a wide sweep, decapitating two undead simultaneously - just like Rex did recently.
My assistance gave Thora and Kael, who were nearly overwhelmed, a moment of respite. After a short Sliding, I am already severing the zombie arms reaching from behind for one of the first-level Knights. I finish my maneuver by slicing off the creature's head.
I'm moving so slowly today! The pain in my chest has dulled but persists, and each of my bursts and accelerations seem to reopen the wound. On top of that, my abilities are operating at roughly half their usual capacity. I don't even dare to use the Sword Throw.
We're holding our ground. For now... But what about those left in the square? Am I to accept their impending doom? Do I just grit my teeth and hold back the onslaught of creatures? Or attempt a rescue, run the risk of failure, and potentially unleash a horde of zombies into a city of over a million? Thus, increasing the potential victims of a breakthrough not by two or even ten, but a thousandfold.
And that's an optimistic prediction...
I spin like a dervish, acutely aware of the precious, irreversible passage of time. Precious - because each new zombie, having crawled out of the ground, pauses for a moment near the unconscious bodies in the square to "nibble" on some of their life energy before joining our battle line. It's a small nibble, but this situation can't last long.
But...
It's a dead end.
We can't afford to loosen the chain of Knights holding back the creatures. We simply lack the manpower to organize a rescue mission into the heart of the square. Such a task would require two raigs to carry the bodies and at least three to provide cover. Moreover, the cover group should be composed of the most seasoned fighters.
Regrettably, it's time to focus on how to defend the city with our limited forces, rather than assembling a rescue team. It's a good thing that Maya is preoccupied with the battle. If she noticed Crixus's condition, she'd rush to his aid immediately, thereby jeopardizing the Knights' chain and potentially collapsing our already unstable formation.
Although our formation, the way stretched from one side of the street to the other between buildings, wasn't really preventing the zombies from infiltrating the city. Not at all. Because other streets and alleys leading from the square were unguarded. However, the creatures seemed to ignore these paths, aiming to break through our line instead. Yet, this formation did allow us to avoid being attacked from behind. It prevented us from being surrounded, forcing the undead to only approach us from the front. And while I myself am not too concerned about where the monsters attack from, rear security is crucial for novice and even second-level Knights. They simply can't handle a horde of monsters attacking from all sides.
While observing how the other raigs were faring, I automatically fended off the assaulting creatures. I didn't need to involve my mind; reflexes honed from hundreds of hours of training were sufficient... But as soon as I let my guard down slightly, the asphalt beneath my feet cracked, and a pair of hands reaching from underground nearly grabbed my ankle. I barely managed to move my feet in time to avoid becoming a victim of the undead pressing on our left flank.
But even that wasn't all. As if sensing my slip-up, the creatures intensified their onslaught. "Word" flashed like lightning, but couldn't be everywhere at once. My left hand reached for "Purity" again. I felt the coldness in my palm, but it wasn't a coldness of rejection: true, my connection to the fragment of Izao's soul was weakened, but the wakizashi didn't reject me as its master, as I had initially thought. This coldness wasn't painful or repelling. I just needed to adapt to it. I had to accept that my bond with the snow-white blade had weakened and would never be as strong as it once was.
The undead creature, eagerly reaching out with filthy, grasping hands and grotesquely elongated nails, his face contorted in anticipation of sinking his rotten teeth into my side, disintegrated into ash as the white steel of my wakizashi blade pierced its temple.
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Although the chill in my left palm remained, it was merely cold, not icy, and the short sword's grip felt secure; it didn't slip. Despite the persistent, nagging pain in my chest, I breathed more easily with two blades in my hands. I swiftly made the nearby zombies feel my increased combat capabilities, if they were capable of feeling anything, that is.
With three rapid strikes from "Purity," while "Word" maintained my defense, I managed to clear space on my left, enabling me to break free from the encircling undead. From then on, things became somewhat easier. A Force Push cleared the way for the blue steel, and "Word" quickly decapitated the nearest zombie. "Purity" severed the reaching hands of one undead creature, while my sword penetrated the eye socket of another, finishing it off on the return stroke, along with the one who had just lost its hands.
"Regaining" "Purity," I felt like a well-oiled machine, efficiently mowing down the walking dead. Push, lunge with wakizashi, Sliding, wide swing of "Word," block, strike. Then again, Push, lunge, swing. Despite the seemingly endless tide of decaying bodies, I was able not only to hold them off but to advance. Slowly, but inexorably, I moved forward, leaving in my wake nothing but dark clouds and swirls of black dust. This respite, however, was short-lived: I had only taken five or six steps forward when new zombies began to emerge from the asphalt in the areas I had already cleared.
The monotonous task of dispatching the undead allowed me to assess the situation. For now, we were holding our own, but that was all. Yes, in Projection Break Knights seldom tire physically. But mentally... Facing down such a relentless onslaught of rotting corpses is incredibly draining. You vanquish one monster only for another, identical one to take its place immediately. Over and over again, like a never-ending assembly line. To be precise, it felt like an assembly line for me, but for everyone else, it was a desperate struggle for their own lives and the life of the city. A battle that offered no room for error.
Wilflaes certainly seemed to have luck on its side when it came to the behavior of the Breakthrough creatures. Had they not been drawn to raigs like moths to a flame, the capital would have undoubtedly suffered far worse. The prospect of hundreds, if not thousands, of invisible monsters scattering from the square through the city streets, draining people of their life force from within the Break, was far from a pleasant one.
Another possibility, of course, was that we just guessed right when taking our position, and for some reason, unbeknownst to us, the creatures could only leave the square via the street that we had blockaded with our slender line of defense. Perhaps the creatures were simply "blind" to the other exits. No matter how unlikely this theory may seem, it couldn't be ruled out as Breakthroughs often obeyed their own unique logic, which was often difficult to comprehend from an outside perspective.
To test this theory, I quickly dispatched the nearby zombies and, in three giant leaps, distanced myself from our formation towards the center of the square. The undead in this area, who were previously shambling towards the line of raigs, immediately redirected their movements towards me.
Damn! There were so many of them! Here, away from the formation of the Knights, I was the only raig in a relatively large area and the number of zombies that had set their sights on me was far greater. The blades in my hands moved at maximum speed, but even then, I was nearly overwhelmed by this tsunami of undead. In fact, had I stayed where I was, no amount of swordsmanship could have saved me. The sheer number of creatures was too great and killing them was no easy task, for striking any part of their body other than the head did nothing to halt their advance. I was forced to leap high into the air and distance myself from the horde that had formed as a result of my presence in this area.
After making a few more similar attacks, I was forced to conclude that the first theory was indeed correct. The creatures were specifically targeting us, the Break Knights, as though we were drawing them in like a magnet, far more so than the ordinary city dwellers who were in the real world.
I had to cut short any further experimentation and return to the line to aid the struggling raigs.
Meanwhile, the city officials weren't just sitting idly by. Two lines of men had blocked all streets leading to the square. The military had arrived, replacing the police forces at the "periphery," barricading the road with two armored personnel carriers and four heavily-armed SUVs of a distinctive color. If we failed to halt the Breakthrough, this defense would merely slow the zombie horde as they devoured the military and clambered over the vehicles. Sure, the servicemen would take down a number of creatures... But given that zombies were seemingly emerging from the ground in an endless stream, such measures would do little to prevent a full-scale invasion of the walking dead in the capital. What was needed here wasn't machine guns or cannons, but flamethrowers and napalm, and even then, I wasn't certain that fire would be effective. After all, these weren't your typical movie zombies, but Breakthrough creatures. Perhaps fire had no effect on them whatsoever? Regardless, conventional firearms would definitely prove to be ineffective.
For what seemed like the umpteenth time during this Breakthrough, I found myself having to rescue Thora and Kael. The sisters were covering each other’s backs, but it clearly wasn’t enough. For some strange reason, there always seemed to be more zombies near these two than anywhere else along our defensive line. Perhaps it was because the girls were less adept at slaying the undead than the rest of us raigs. I studied the situation more closely. No, that wasn’t it; the twins were certainly no less efficient than Baenre, for instance. Yet, for some reason, the undead seemed to be pressing particularly hard on their position.
Swiftly, I swept through like a whirlwind of steel, clearing a space for the sisters to catch their breath.
An idea suddenly occurred to me. What if the twins, standing so close together, were attracting double the number of creatures? And by standing back to back, they were depriving themselves of the raigs’ main advantage – not the spectral armor or spiritual blades, but speed and mobility.
Take Baenre, for example. When five zombies attacked him at once, he first stepped away, then performed a swift maneuver, cutting down two before finishing off the remaining three. Had he stayed put, he would have been overwhelmed. The twins, however, seemed too afraid to leave each other unsupported, thereby sacrificing their mobility. Telling them to do otherwise would be futile. Training is one thing, but battle instincts are another. Even if I were to separate them, they would instinctively return to each other’s side. I needed a different approach.
I quickly assessed the status of our formation. There were areas where we were holding our ground quite well, and spots where we were barely managing to contain the onslaught. These weaker sections were held together only because Maya, Halley, or Rex occasionally came to their aid. Like me, this trio had started to operate more freely, moving along the line, providing assistance, and patching up weak spots.
“Maya!” I called out, catching her attention.
“Yes?!”
“Take over for the sisters for a bit!”
She didn’t question why, instead following my order without hesitation.
I swiftly cleared the area around the twins of zombies and pulled them out of our makeshift line.
“Thora! Go help Elga,” I directed, pointing towards the left edge of our line. “She only reached the first level on the ship and is barely holding on.” I then turned to the other sister. “Kael! Assist Roland!” My hand gestured towards the right flank.
“But…” they both started, glancing around uncertainly.
I cut them off, raising my voice: “Do it now!”
As headstrong and seemingly reckless as the twins were, they were dependable in a crisis. They understood that an order is an order, and it must be followed, whether they liked it or not.
After we separated the sisters, it took a few minutes to rearrange the raigs in the chain according to the new positions. As soon as the gap created by my orders was filled, I took to the air once more.
Damn! The mob of zombies I'd gathered while leaping through the square in a close-knit group had just reached our formation and attacked its right flank. This assault was twice as powerful as the usual onslaught, causing our line to tremble, bow, and nearly break. However, I managed to strike the dense mass of the dead from behind, taking Maya along with me.
This scenario demonstrated that zombies, when massed together, pose a significant threat if they manage to crash into our defensive line. However, if we manage to surround them and launch an attack, their numbers become a hindrance; they collide with each other, shove, and trip, which is undoubtedly to our advantage.
Moreover, even though the monsters spawned by the Breakthrough seem infinite, the rate at which new creatures crawl out of the cracks in the pavement has a limit. In theory, we could wipe out the zombies faster than they could spawn. But this is only in theory. To make this a reality, we would need at least a hundred Knights in this square, which is more of a fantasy than a feasible scenario. Nonetheless, the events that transpired made me consider the possibility of gathering zombies into mobs away from the line with my actions, thereby gaining some control over the battle's dynamics. I could then direct these dense groups of the dead to the part of our formation I deemed necessary, while simultaneously bolstering that section with one of the four high-level raigs.
I decided to test this idea. In three leaps, I found myself almost at the center of the square, where I spun a whirlwind of blue-white steel. I held out as long as I could against the ever-increasing pressure of the undead, before using my Projection's mobility to escape the encirclement. Over four dozen zombies, clustered together in a dense mass of dead flesh, began to follow me. Having control over the movement of the mob I'd created, I led them to Rex's section. There, I bolstered the formation for a while. The young knights in the chain held out long enough for Rex and me to easily cut through the mob of walkers, attacking them from behind.
Unfortunately, this entire operation didn't lead to a decrease in the zombies, though it did provide a brief respite for the rest of the line. I led the next crowd, which I had formed, towards Halley's section. Simultaneously, I tried to steer my movement to divert the dead, created by the Breakthrough, away from those parts of the square where people were trapped in their cars.
My actions gave the raigs in the line some precious moments of rest from this relentless battle. This was certainly beneficial, but it didn't solve the main issue: we could only defend ourselves and had no clue how to close the Breakthrough, or what needed to be done in general to achieve this. Additionally, the unconscious Crixus and other people in the square remained a pressing concern.
Despite my best efforts and the strategies I devised in those rare moments when the battle allowed me to think, I was still unable to solve the evacuation problem. By the most conservative estimates, to carry out such a mission and extract a body, I would need to enlist at least four raigs: two third-level guards and two more raigs of any level to carry Crixus to the military cordon. Like it or not, we simply couldn't afford to weaken our defense to such an extent. Furthermore, no matter how swiftly the rescue team acted, handling such an evacuation in under a couple of minutes was unfeasible, and during that time, the dead could breach the weakened line.
Grinding my teeth, I could only hope that the vitality of Crixus and the other victims would be enough for them to endure until the Breakthrough was over. Therefore, as much as I wanted to help them all, I could not risk disrupting the formation and consequently unleashing an endless stream of the dead into the capital. To my considerable surprise, even "Purity" agreed with this, showing signs of "life" for the first time since one of our spiritual bonds had been severed. If you can call a faint wave of warmth emanating from the handle of the wakizashi "life." Apparently, for the original Izao, protecting the city from the otherworldly took precedence over saving any one individual.
While it might have seemed acceptable for him, it certainly didn't for Maya. Fending off another wave of zombies, she spotted Crixus lying unconscious. She froze for a split second, then, shouting something unintelligible, she dashed towards the unconscious Knight.
What the hell! What does she hope to accomplish? Although if she's truly smitten with the Corsican, explaining to her the repercussions of her actions and the fact that she abandoned formation is a doomed endeavor from the start. Moreover, her actions have grabbed the attention of other raigs.
Just when things were starting to stabilize! I just had thought that, despite the daytime Breakthrough and our limited numbers, we stood a fighting chance... But now, all those hopes have been shattered due to the impulsive and "noble" act of one, albeit beautiful, girl!