852 The Return of the Lord

A soldier named Ash was not having a great day. Early into the battle, his powerful exoskeleton armor suit sustained damage to one of its knee joints. Although he could still fight and shoot his rifle, not to mention more than willing to face the abominations despite having his mobility severely reduced, the command judged that the risk was not worth it.

As a result, he had to abandon his fellow infantrymen and retreat to the supply train of the division, where a team of techs tried to repair his suit as fast as possible.

…Sadly, they weren't fast enough.

Who knew that a bunch of new Gates would open, with one of them appearing almost on top of the scarcely defended supply train?

While the techs and other non-combatants desperately tried to retreat closer to the main formation, Ash and a small number of soldiers that happened to be nearby had no choice but to face the advancing Nightmare Creatures alone.

They unleashed a torrent of bullets at the monsters, but there were just too many of them. Even when he emptied his shoulder-mounted launcher to send a hail of miniature rockets into the mass of rabid abominations, the surprisingly potent explosive load his missiles carried failed to make any difference.

He had managed to slaughter a number of Dormant bastards with that salvo, but those of them that were Awakened…

You needed an Awakened to kill another Awakened. All mundane soldiers knew that, more or less.

Slowly, Ash's blood turned cold in his veins.

'Bad, bad, bad…'

An officer's shout reached his ears through the communication system of the armor suit, barely legible because of all the distortion produced by the mass of Gates:

"...tach… bayonets!"

Attach bayonets…

That was the order that every soldier dreaded.

Ash resolutely pressed a button on the side of his rifle. A moment later, a powerful alloy blade slid from underneath its barrel, turning the weapon into an improvised spear.

'Come then, wretches!'

Despite his bravado, Ash felt more and more like he was not going to live to see the next day… or whatever it was that counted as a day in the damned Southern Quadrant. The odds just seemed too slim. The Awakened abominations were bad enough, but he at least had a theoretical chance to take down one or two with the help of his powered armor.

But there were also Fallen ones. Most terrifyingly of all, a creature that resembled a giant, ancient, rotting carcass of a monstrous deer had just emerged from the Gate, sending the other ghastly beasts into a frenzy. It had to be a Devil, at least… or maybe even a Tyrant.

Ash shuddered and readied himself.

'Well… so be it. We need to give the supply guys time to run. These bastards are going to learn what humans are capable of! Hell, who knows! Maybe reinforcements will arrive in time!'

In the next moment, the Nightmare Creatures closed in on the thin line of soldiers, making ranged fire useless. Ash caught a lunging Dormant beast on the tip of his bayonet and grunted, feeling his powered armor suit being pushed back.

'Strong…'

The mini-busters on the back of the heavy exoskeleton ignited, pushing him forward. Ash sliced through the flesh of the revolting creature, then tried to land a blow on another snarling abomination.

Sadly, at that moment, the damaged joint of his armor finally gave out, throwing him off balance. The bayonet slid off the hide of the Awakened monster without leaving even a scratch on it.

Ash helplessly toppled to the ground. Before he could move, sharp fangs closed on his shoulder, easily crushing the tempered alloy of his armor and the complicated internals of the powered suit. A terrible pain tore through his side.

'D—die… I am going to die!'

He looked up and stared at the ugly snout of the monster that was going to kill him, his eyes wide.

…And then, the monster's head exploded into bloody chunks.

Ash blinked as a visage out of a nightmare flashed past him. It was a black horse carrying a human rider that wore an intricate onyx armor… at least, the rider looked like a human.

Or a demon, perhaps.

It was the black steed's hoof that had crushed the Nightmare Creature's head. Without ever slowing down, the demonic knight continued forward, killing numerous abominations in passing. Suddenly, the pressure on the mundane soldiers reduced.

The dark rider and his… hers?... nightmarish steed flew through the mass of rabid creatures, slaughtering one after another.

'The sword…'

The knight wielded a strange weapon. The sword he… she?... held was made out of black stone, and broken. Its edge, however, was still sharp.

As Ash struggled to stand up, the demonic knight tore through the onslaught of Nightmare Creatures, getting closer and closer to the monstrous deer. At some point, the rider gracefully jumped off the black steed's back, soaring high into the air and landing right in front of the charging Guardian.

Ash didn't see what happened next, because the figure of the infernal knight became hidden behind the mass of Nightmare Creatures. All he perceived was a chilling, absolutely inhuman shriek that suddenly rolled across the battlefield, so loud that the auditory systems of his exosuit failed to filter the deafening wail out.

'Gods…'

Finally, he managed to raise himself from the ground. The battle was still not over… in fact, it was only starting. Even though Ash would have to struggle to do anything with only one functioning leg and a torn shoulder that reduced the range of motion of his right arm, he was determined to do his part.

Rising his rifle once again, he glanced forward and saw the dreadful black horse rampaging among the Nightmare Creatures. There was no sign of its demonic rider, but judging by the erratic movements of the giant deer-like monstrosity, the onyx knight was fighting it.

'Who is crazy enough to attack that horror alone?!'

But the mysterious warrior did not just attack the terrifying Gate Guardian ...

Ash froze for a moment.

'Wait… did he… no, she… did that demon actually?'

The rotting body of the ghastly deer suddenly swayed… and then toppled. Another shriek pierced Ash's ears, and then, the mass of Nightmare Creatures seemed to lose most of its coordination.

The Gate Guardian was dead.

Ash couldn't believe his luck.

And, as if fortune truly smiled on him today, not too long after the fearsome abomination fell, reinforcements arrived from behind, forging an impregnable defense line to stop the enemy's advance.

Ash fired the last of his bullets, then stumbled away and retreated. This time, he was sent to the field hospital instead of a repair vehicle, to have his body tended to instead of his powered suit.

There, wincing as his torn shoulder was hastily mended together, Ash frowned.

'Wait… that armor… that demonic aura… the cold indifference and dark charisma…'

His eyes suddenly widened.

The battle still raged on, but Ash was utterly preoccupied by something else.

'Was I saved… by Mongrel?!'