Krishna approached and offered his hand. I shook hands with him in return for his gesture. His eyes were still firm with fiery determination despite the anguish. I was in awe of this man's resilience.
When I asked Aira about the original 125 Reapers present, only 40 survived. The total fatalities were 80 Wraiths and one Phantom. Those who remained all bowed or hugged as I passed. The despair we all felt was enough to break our wills.
This was not the work of the undead. It was purely human malice. The thirst for revenge and the fear of death shrouded everyone present. We all wanted to kill the Slayer, but right now none of us were strong enough.
"This is the curse of the weak," I muttered.
After a brief mass funeral for the deceased, Krishna called to one side.
"Smith, John. My people and I won't forget your kindness. Thank you for grieving with us. I have signed your deploynt order and have given you a bonus."
"There is no need, Krishna, just give what was originally discussed. Use the rest for the Forsaken. Where are you all? Do you live in Arica?" I asked.
"Thank you for your understanding, my friend. No, we are not in Arica, we are in Hyderabad. My people and I are, simply put, the equivalent of refugees on the North Arican battlefront."
Refugees? In Hellsgate? Unable to understand, I pressed the matter further.
"I'm sorry, Krishna, tonight is my first night in Hellsgate, so I may not understand common sense yet. What do you an by refugees?"
Krishna took a mont before answering. "We left the Asian battlefront. Li Wudi treats the lives of Reapers worse than dirt. With the massive populations of India and China, he uses Wraiths like cannon fodder."
The man in front of practically spat out every word in anger. His face and body language said everything about how he felt about the situation.
"I couldn't stand his tyranny, so I took my people and forcibly emigrated in Hellsgate."
"You what?" I asked stupidly.
"I took my people in Hellsgate and we traveled between the zones. The path is fraught with danger, but such a journey is possible."
Of course, I could tell from the girls' situation that traveling between the battlefronts was no easy task. But who knew that one could travel between the continents through Hellsgate.
Nodding in understanding, I remained silent. I was familiar with the problems of war refugees and immigration.
From what I knew of Krishna and his forces, they did not desert for lack of courage. No one would want to use his life for sothing worthless.
It was easy to say that desertion was wrong and that Krishna should be executed, but in reality the world was all shades of gray.
"I will not judge you or the Yuddha Rakshas. I am not worthy to do so, so I won't pry. I may not know what happened, but I know of the bravery of your {vassals}. I offer my assistance should you need again."
Krishna then pulled my hand and gave a big bear-hug.
"Thank you brother. Know that after today, no matter what happens, the Yuddha Rakshas and I stand with you.
In both the East and the West, the term sworn brother or blood brother ant the sa thing. Regardless of race, gender, or age, people who endure hardship together naturally form bonds of loyalty and brotherhood.
I may not know much about Krishna, but I knew he wouldn't utter such words lightly. Like Isolde, the caliber of their characters would put even the most noble knights to sha.
After helping as much as I could, I made my way to a deserted area in zone 1081-1, which I called the Coliseum.
As I walked in silence, Aira began to show her concern for my ntality.
[My Lord, would you like to take a break? You have already responded to six dirge sirens. Before tonight, the highest on record was 4 sirens.
[No one would bla you my lord if you wanted to rest. In another hour, the night will end and you will return to Earth.]
Listening to her words, it has indeed been an exhausting night.
I fought my first battle at the lone house.
t Jack Moses and Scott Davis at the fort.
Fought on horseback with Joshua and Angela on the plains.
Duels with the Draugrs followed with Isolde.
Then I rescued Mike and Santiago in the ruins zone while dealing with Savior.
And the series of battles with Krishna and Robert was the one I just finished.
Truly, the amount of work I did tonight was leagues above everyone else. Despite not being able to save everyone, I managed to finish off the undead in all six zones.
That was enough. I have already accomplished more than most. My body might not be broken, but my mind was already spent. The amount of suffering and heartache I had suffered tonight clawed at my soul.
However, when I thought of resting, my mind drifted to the reapers I had t. Without , tonight would have been the last night for most of them.
Their words echoed one after the other.
'My na is Jack Moses. I have protected this zone for 15 years, and thanks to you, I can die with my pride intact.'
'John, thank you for saving us. Because you ca, my father's legacy has been preserved. I am grateful.'
'Hahahaha, I like your courage, Death Seeker. All right! Let's go! Tell your na!'
'White Boy, you have big balls! Smaller than Oppa's, but still big!'
'{Dragon's Vow}. As paynt for today, I will give you one battle. I will fight any enemy you choose, even if it ans my death. Thank you for saving Ami. And thank you for listening to my story.'
'Frankly, I thought I was about to suck lighthouses. Thank you for not abandoning us my friend.'
'Sounds like we're in the presence of a mighty fine badass Santi. Mike Walker. Thanks for coming John. No matter what happens, we will repay the favor.'
'Thank you brother. Know that after today, no matter what happens, the Yuddha Rakshas and I stand with you.'
Then I heard Bella's description of the Reaper curse once more.
'Look honey, becoming a reaper isn't all sunshine and rainbows. You get to live temporarily at a cost. While we get to return to Earth every day, we are also forced to return here every night to fight. As long as Hell's Gate remains open, the reapers will never be truly free.'
How many Reapers died each night? Since I could only help one zone at a ti, how many dirge sirens went unanswered throughout the evening? Did they beco desperate when no one ca?
When I died alone as a human, I knew exactly how it felt to die abandoned by the world. Could I really do that to others?
I was Formless, no one believed I could make a difference. Even my girls thought so.
'There is no record of a Formless even becoming a Phantom! That's how weak we are! Just give up! Don't you think I want the opposite?! How can we survive in this place?! This is all pointless!
I should never have agreed to join the Reapers! It is all hopeless!'
'You are too arrogant, you fool! A few tricks might help you. But claiming to close the Hellsgate as a Formless is a delusion! The Formless are trash! And you want to close Hellsgate? With what?
Bullets? No true demon would be this stupid. Josephine, co, we are leaving!'
Despite the reality. I made such grand claims like a child.
'I will beco a Revenant and close Hellsgate.'
'I am, but only for now. Mark my words, Revenant, I will be the one to surpass you and close Hellsgate'
'Wait for . I will kick so much zombie ass by the ti I am done, being Formless will be like a badge of honor.'
Against all reason, the girls were the first to believe in .
'Both, I am his right hand and his woman. My king will beco the 8th Revenant, the leader of the Formless and in the future the strongest Revenant. You saw the conviction of my sisters, right?'
'Yes. I do. I have, even before my father acknowledged you. So please allow to follow you, John Smith. Please let stay by your side. I won't be a burden, I promise.
And when the ti cos, show the way.'
I talked a big ga, but inside I was still the sa insecure man living a aningless life. Was what I was sacrificing blood and sweat for making even a small difference?
If the girls heard of my achievent, would they be proud? For a Formless, this was already good, right? I should have proven that Formless were not trash!
Everyone called crazy and praised my results, but few knew the ntal toll it took to keep going.
But anything worth achieving required sacrifice.
As my ambitions reached their peak, I had to do far more than what the common reaper would do.
"So what if it barely makes a difference? If I wish to be a Revenant, I would have to fight until I could fight no longer. What was I even afraid of?" I reasoned.
Steeling my will, I roared in the loudest voice I could muster. As if to drive the fear and uncertainty out of my system, I continued to roar into the sky.
"HEAR , HELLSGATE! I AM JOHN SMITH! I WILL BE THE ONE TO CLOSE YOUR SORRY ASS! DO YOUR WORSE! YOU HAVE YET TO FIGHT A BASTARD LIKE !"
My blood burned with fighting spirit. I had just rembered. I am , not soone else. Only I could determine what I would eventually beco. Haven't many people been shocked by my abilities?
"I have not reached my limit yet! Aira is sending to another P4 zone! Until the mont I am thrown out of Hellsgate, I will fight till the last second!"
[Yes, my lord!]
I closed my eyes and cald my mind. This would be my last battle of the night. I must make it count.
[My Lord, a new zone has been chosen, please announce your intent]
{Reaper NA20230799-FRM, John Smith reporting for battle}
{Welco John Smith, initiating summoning. Entering zone 1101-1 in 3...2...1...}
***
When I landed in the seventh zone, Aira gave the sit rep.
[My Lord, welco to Zone 1101-1. There were three Wraiths and one Phantom deployed in this zone. All were killed in battle. The enemy force consists of one D level undead brute].
"That's it? Just one undead brute?"
[My Lords, the records show that three D-class undead have arrived, while two have already been killed.]
"Hmm..."
Then I saw a familiar-looking beast from the enlistnt. Looking at its ugly face made feel nostalgic.
"How many tis do we have to do this old man?" I joked.
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