Black fog filled the wilderness.
The entire cavalry had formed a formation to charge forward.
Gu Qing Shan followed behind the cavalry unit, slowly running after them.
—–this couldn’t be helped, he was a temporary addition to the troops, forced to enter combat without being granted proper equipment or even a horse.
Suddenly, the Earth sword spoke up:
「 Gu Qing Shan, maybe you should take this chance to leave the troops 」
Luo Bing Li also followed up: “We’ve clearly seen that this world’s rules solely focus on the identity of each individual”
Shannu followed up: “Earlier, you couldn’t go against military orders, but now that the General isn’t in the vicinity, and you’re currently at the back of the formation, you only need to run away. Your identity will become ‘deserter’, and you won’t have to die”
Gu Qing Shan shook his head: “Just as you’ve said, this world’s rules focus solely on individual identity. If I become a ‘deserter’, that would only make me fall lower in the world’s ranking, bringing me closer to danger”
“——-that’s why I can’t become a ‘deserter’”
Luo Bing Li paused: “But then what do we do now? You can’t just go rushing to your death”
Gu Qing Shan replied: “Even now, we still don’t know for sure what’s going on with the Apocalypse, so it’s a good idea to take a look first”
The cavalry troops moved extremely quickly, so during the time that Gu Qing Shan spoke with the three swords, the entire squad had already passed the point he investigated earlier.
After a few more dozen seconds of running, the area up ahead had become open, leaving the area of the black fog.
Gu Qing Shan was glad, jumped out from the back of the formation and landed ahead of them, observing their surroundings.
Only to find that it was a vast desolate field.
Tombstones lined up one after another, filling every inch of space upon this vast field.
The tombstones weren’t all of the same shapes and sizes, some extremely tall, some very short, a particularly huge tombstone could be even higher compared to the capital city’s bell tower, while some of the smaller ones were around the size of a human grave.
Past this vast field of tombstones, at the very end of their visions stood a gigantic ship.
Strange, the ship clearly landed near the main road just a bit away from the gate of the city, how did it turn its surroundings into a vast field of tombstones so quickly?
While Gu Qing Shan was feeling curious, he noticed that some of the dirt at the border of the graveyard began to loosen.
Skeletons began to crawl out from below.
They wielded tattered wooden shields and weapons as they slowly marched towards the cavalry forces one by one.
Gu Qing Shan’s gaze became focused.
Skeletons…
Such low-ranking monsters are being pitted against a squad of well-armed cavalrymen?
At this point, the cavalry captain at the forefront of the formation turned around and looked at him.
He had no horse, nor weapon suitable for a cavalry unit, only a pair of gauntlets.
The cavalry captain said: “Then—— Li Qiu Shan, you don’t need to charge forward, you don’t even know how to ride a horse yet!”
“Ah, yes! Yes sir!” Gu Qing Shan hurriedly answered.
The other cavalrymen laughed amicably.
“Newcomer, go back to training first before you return to the battlefield!” someone called out.
“Silence!”
The cavalry captain silenced them all, then raised his voice: “Brace yourselves, alter formation, face the enemy!”
The cavalry squad changed from a defensive formation to an offensive one.
All their horses slowly accelerated, preparing to attack.
Gu Qing Shan looked ahead.
The cavalry all raised their long-handled weapons.
Closer, closer——
In just a few moments, the foremost cavalrymen had already sped up to their limits.
“Kill!”
The cavalrymen all uttered a battle cry.
Rumble rumble rumble rumble!
Within the dusty landscape, the cavalry clashed against the skeletons.
Like taking candy from a baby.
The skeletons were dismantled at once.
The few that managed to slip through their weapons were then knocked down by the horses, then crushed under them.
The cavalry captain laughed: “Ahahaha, feeble undead monsters. You dared take our charge head on, such foolish ignorance!”
The cavalrymen all cheered.
Suddenly, a voice resounded from the depths of the tomb.
「 Early celebration is usually the sign of defeat 」
Gu Qing Shan’s expression changed.
This voice was the same as the monster he faced before!
“Everyone be careful, that’s an especially powerful monster!” he loudly told everyone.
But it was already too late, as the voice resounded again:
「 Mortals, the sins you committed shall be returned to yourselves, while those you slay shall heed a new beginning 」
This sounded like an incantation of some sort, and before the cavalrymen even managed to react, the situation had changed——
From the void of space, a wide waterfall of light manifested.
The cavalrymen that attacked the skeletons were enveloped within this waterfall of light.
From inside the light, a voice called out:
“Brace yourselves, alter formation, face the enemy!”
Dozens of voices responded at once: “Kill!”
This was the cavalry troop’s command and battle cry earlier!
Instantly, several blurry figures appeared from the light, charging straight towards the cavalry.
Attack!
With the resounding sound of horse gallops, the figures approached them increasingly closer.
“That’s my shadow!” a soldier called out in shock.
“I can see myself, why is this happening!?” another soldier shouted.
“Don’t panic, prepare your defenses!” the cavalry captain loudly declared.
The cavalry hurriedly took their defensive formation.
But it was useless——-
The blurred shadows created from the light charged forward without being obstructed, piercing through all of their bodies.
Death!!!
Blood spilled into the air, severed arms and legs flew all over.
The entire cavalry troops were completely destroyed by this attack.
—–just as the skeletons had been earlier.
Rumble rumble rumble rumble!
Strong wind began to pick up, howling with the surrounding snow!
All living creatures were completely dismantled by the light, turning into blood and bones, scattering in all directions.
While the crushed skeletons once again reformed their bodies and became animated.
Gu Qing Shan opened his eyes wide, observing this unbelievable scene.
Suddenly, a flash of red flew towards Gu Qing Shan, leaving a blood mark on his face.
Gu Qing Shan didn’t avoid this.
——it was the blood from one of the cavalrymen earlier.
Just a few moments ago, he was still a living, breathing person.
Regretfully, facing this eerie power, all of his efforts had shown themselves to be utterly futile.
Gu Qing Shan sighed, then wiped the blood from his face and looked at it.
What kind of ability is this monster’s attack supposed to be?
Could it be that anyone’s attack would be reflected onto their own bodies?
How am I supposed to fight that!?
Suddenly, a pair of hands filled with spikes reached out from the void of space, clutching Gu Qing Shan’s neck out of nowhere.
The monster spoke full of killing intent: 「 You again, mortal, this time I will—— 」
Its voice was suddenly cut off.
Gu Qing Shan was still being clutched, unable to move.
“Come on, kill me!”
He provoked the monster, then reached his gauntlet-protected hand out to snap a piece of spike from the monster’s hand.
At the same time, another provocative sound resounded from the void of space.
Xiu! Wu wu!
The monster abruptly looked up, but the ‘wu wu’ sound had already disappeared, no matter what kind of clairvoyance it tried to use, it couldn’t discover the other party.
A moment of silence.
From the void of space, a furious roar resounded:
「 Damn ability-stealing thing, you think you can deal with me like this!? 」
It threw Gu Qing Shan away.
Gu Qing Shan flew several dozen meters before landing without issues.
He was about to say something else, when the pair of spiky hands turned in mid-air, waved them towards the tombstones.
「 Slumbering seeds under the ground, it is time for you to awaken 」the monster recited with a highly raised voice.
Instantly, the entire vast graveyard began to move.
Even the largest tomb the size of a bell tower began to break in half.
Having seen this, Gu Qing Shan didn’t say anything else and ran away.
The monster laughed in a low voice: 「 You won’t escape, this entire world shall face the fate of destruction, let alone a mere mortal like yourself 」
Gu Qing Shan ignored that.
He was running as fast as he could back where he came.
Hurry!
I need to be quicker!
Even quicker!!!
The monsters are all about to be resurrected!
The Heaven sword appeared from behind him as Luo Bing Li asked him in complete disbelief: “Gu Qing Shan, you’re already running away before any reasonable amount of fighting?”
“That’s not it, just that before I act, I feel like——”
Gu Qing Shan’s voice turned cold: “Someone should pay the price for the deaths of these cavalrymen”
He activated [Ground Shrink] again and again while also flying forward at full speed to reach the border of the black fog.
“Shannu!” Gu Qing Shan called out.
“I’m here, gongzi” an autumn water-clear blue steel sword appeared from the void of space, turning into an aloof girl.
Gu Qing Shan threw the spike to her and said: “Provoke that guy!”
“Understood!” Shannu held the monster’s spike and solemnly answered.
She then used [Mystery of All Beings Equal] and transformed into a vicious terrible monster.
Gu Qing Shan used the remaining blood on his face to also use [Mystery of All Beings Equal] and turned into a cavalryman.
He rushed forward again, traversing the distance of a thousand meters in a few seconds.
He left the black fog.
Three rolls.
Two rolls.
Stop!
Gu Qing Shan sat crouched on the ground, spat up some blood, then shouted in utter panic: “General! General sir!!”
Everyone was still waiting in place, but heard the resounding voices from earlier.
While they were still unsure of what happened, this wounded cavalryman had already returned.
The General scowled and shouted: “What happened? What happened there?”
Gu Qing Shan cried out: “Everyone was killed, that monster was too powerful! It was too powerful! It said that if we’re so weak; if even our leader doesn’t have the courage to enter the black fog to fight it, then we should just surrender and become its slaves, this way we can at least survive!”
Complete silence.
The General took a deep breath, trying to retain his calm.
I’m currently the General, I’m currently the General, I can’t do anything that violates my identity——–
Two of my subordinates who violated their identities have already vanished.
The General recited this a few times, then suddenly laughed: “Such weak provocations, how could I be deceived——”
Suddenly, the monster’s voice resounded from the black fog, overpowering the General’s voice.
「 AAARRrgggh! Human leader! 」
「 I shall be waiting for you in the black fog. If you’re nothing but an utter coward, then silently wait for the black fog to spread. At that time, the entire world shall fall by my hands! 」
Everyone was stunned.
That really was the monster’s voice!
It had issued an official challenge to the human leader!
Everyone turned to General at once
At this point, the surviving cavalryman wiped his face, speaking in a grudgeful voice: “General sir, the brothers have all fallen, this subordinate begs you to take revenge for them!”
Revenge…
The General was caught in everyone’s gaze, standing still with his mouth half-opened, completely speechless.
If I still refuse to go in now…
Apparently… it would violate… the identity of the General…
He silently thought, then confirmed this answer.
