Young Man

Some things you won't understand the reasons for unless you experience them firsthand.

For example, Kang De finally understood why armies were unwilling to fight at night.

Torches, braziers, and the Illumination Spell of the sorcerers alone could not create the brightness of daytime.

Darkness is darkness, concealing everything beyond our sight. The fear of darkness is imprinted in the genes of every intelligent being, creating an immense sense of oppression and dread. Darkness hides the unknown, darkness signifies danger, which is why people yearn for light and use Flame.

War is terrible, but war fought at night is even more terrible.

Because you can't see clearly, because besides the enemy, there is a deep and oppressive darkness. Against the dark backdrop, the fear, oppression, and madness brought by the war are multiplied. You can only hear the roars of your comrades, watch the enemy emerge from the darkness, blood splattering, death approaching, and elves attacking from the darkness. You don't know how many there are, or how long this war will last.

They fought desperately, yet lived in fear, for precise, cold arrows continued to rain down from the darkness.

Fighting in such a repressive and terrifying atmosphere, with no idea when death will come or when the war will end, it's easy for people to become beasts and go mad.

Trampling, accidental injuries, chaos—the air was filled with screams and roars. The only reason it didn't escalate into a devastating storm was that the soldiers finally realized the enemy was coming from below the city.

Kang De breathed heavily, reached out and found nothing; a bundle of spears had already been thrown.

Not long after he participated in the city battle, he was dragged away by Hong San. Everything was just as the Cathayan had expected. Since the elves knew his identity and had formed a deadly enmity with him, they would definitely keep a close watch on him. When Kang De's signature attack resounded on the city wall, a precision strike team of more than fifty people quickly launched an offensive, raining down arrows and spells.

If Kang De had stayed put and continued to use firearms, he would not only have been in danger of being killed, but he would have also endangered the soldiers around him. He had no choice but to follow Hong San's advice and become a spearman, using his strong physical strength and enchanted skills to launch ranged attacks... but the pressure he faced was the same.

This is a battlefield even more brutal than yesterday's.

It's not just the night, but also people's hearts. During the day, the city was defended with one heart and one mind, and people were willing to do anything for their families. But now, more and more soldiers are being driven by fear and pressure, and are becoming increasingly frantic.

Human life is as fragile as grass, vanishing every moment.

Hong San stayed close to Kang De, his eyes wary, on guard against anything.

Iron Son roamed along the base of the city wall, and Kang De reported the location of a large number of enemy troops gathering or the approach of battering rams. He would then leap high and launch a surprise attack. However, the elves were a battle-hardened army, and after suffering several losses, they assigned special personnel to strengthen defenses.

Once the Autobots show themselves, they unleash a furious barrage of ranged attacks. Although Iron Son has Man of Steel, he cannot be underestimated when facing the Elf's magic and special armor-piercing arrows.

Later, Kang De also refused to let the Autobots take too many risks, ordering them to reduce their involvement in battles. Furthermore, the remaining Greenskin shells were quite limited and had to be used sparingly.

In this brutal night battle, Kang De's role became increasingly limited.

This is, after all, war.

Moreover, in such a brutal and chaotic night battle, the contest was no longer about tactics, equipment, and courage, but about the will of the two commanders and the unpredictable fate.

"Catch--Kant--"

Another siege ladder was mounted on the city wall, arrows rained down, and the valiant elven soldiers charged forward desperately. Spears were raised on the city wall and thrust down with all their might. In the chaos on the city wall, death raged. The so-called command system and tactics all failed. The soldiers fought with their bravery, but the malice and treachery of the elves followed them like a shadow.

While the warriors on both sides fought to the death, and the Valentan soldiers grew increasingly frenzied, the propaganda war waged by the distant elven mages continued, their resounding voices carried by the howling winds of magic.

"Valentan, it's all Kang De's fault!"

"You fought fiercely, dying like dust, your families weeping, enduring endless suffering!"

"It's all because of that Cathayan!"

"Don't you know who the real enemy is?!"

"As long as he is killed, no matter who kills him, the war can end!"

Kant

"If you are a member of the Taidariel Family, as long as you have a shred of responsibility and courage, then use yourself to end this suffering and save the people of this city!"

"Otherwise, all these people will die for you!"

The elven reserves outside the city roared, and the elves who stormed the city also roared. Their hysterical howls echoed across the walls of Valentan, penetrating the ears of the soldiers and reaching the increasingly frenzied and extreme crowd.

A despicable and shameless psychological tactic, yet effective.

The Dusk Warband has torn away its noble and elegant facade, revealing the ferocious face of a Civilization predator that has emerged from the great forest, ravaging and oppressing the city.

There is one more person.

All the elves were fighting desperately, for the Queen's command and for their own honor.

All of humanity is also fighting desperately to protect their families and homes.

They became enemies, their bloodshed brutal. Elves were no longer noble, and humans were no longer lowly; both lives were equal, vanishing with the breeze. Every life had its own enemy and its own convictions. They took up arms and met their warrior's end.

But there was one exception.

He stands here, bearing the weight of both sides in the war.

Hong San became increasingly wary of his surroundings, but his voice trembled involuntarily. "Master..."

He tried hard not to cry.

In this situation, in this desperate predicament, the elves launched a fierce offensive in the front, followed by a strategy to destroy their spirit. Once the strings of reason in the minds of the Valentan soldiers snapped, they would be brainwashed by the elves and given suggestive messages. When people are in a frenzy, their judgment and self-control will drop significantly.

What will happen then?

The man behind him, who stayed in Valentan and saved the city at least twice, could have easily left, but chose to remain. He rightfully deserves the title of hero...

--Perhaps we will face malice from the elves and hostility from irrational humans.

No one should have to go through this.

Especially the completely innocent heroes.

At this thought, Hong San felt as if his heart was being torn apart. He said in a trembling voice, "Let's go, we can't hold out any longer."

Even worse, if Valentan couldn't hold out first, and the pressure on the defenders reached its limit and suddenly exploded, it would mean more than just the fall of the city walls.

Kang De would also face enormous danger.

He can't let that happen.

Because the reason why Kang De was trapped in this city, and many other things, all stemmed from him Hong San.

Hong San gritted his teeth. "Master, I beg you, let's go. It's not that I'm afraid of death, I won't go, I won't go..."

Before Kang De could answer, several more elves stormed the city walls and began a bloody rampage.

The soldiers all around were yelling and engaging in battle, and no one noticed that a breach had been quietly opened on this side. The disastrous consequences were the result of the disorganization and poor command caused by the night battle.

Kang De raised his hand and threw two axes, killing the two elves in front of him, and then charged forward.

Hong San's eyes were bloodshot. He raised his spear and followed, getting ahead of Kang De. The tip of his spear was like a venomous snake biting, becoming increasingly ruthless. He stabbed several elves who rushed up to him, but elves below leaped up again. The surrounding soldiers noticed the strange situation and also rushed over on their own, each of them exuding a morbid excitement and madness.

They were all in a bloodthirsty frenzy.

Around this small point of entry, a bloody battle raged on. Blood, severed limbs, screams, and mad cries filled the air. Humans and elves alike died in gruesome ways, their intestines spilling out, limbs broken, and their bodies split open with gaping wounds. The victors roared with maniacal laughter.

As they charged forward, Kang De smashed the head of an elf, drew his gun, and fired a magazine of bullets downwards, killing the climbing elves before securing the ladder.

The ability activated, and the siege ladder truck collapsed with a deafening roar. But the observers below, who had been watching the battle closely, finally heard the gunfire and saw the strange sight of objects disintegrating in mid-air. They shouted, "Kang De is here!"

At the same time, a soldier opposite Kang De also killed his opponent. The bloodthirsty soldier kicked down the dead elf, and another figure appeared before him. Without thinking, he slashed at him with his sword.

With a long, resounding hum, the axe blocked the slash, and an Illumination Spell descended from the sky, its brilliance dazzling. The intense light temporarily brought back some of the soldiers' sanity, allowing the madmen to see clearly who was in front of them. Time seemed to stand still as the surrounding soldiers watched this scene, watching the Cathayan Kang De, who had blocked the slash.

Hong San had just killed another elf. When he turned around and saw this, he didn't think twice and raised his spear to stab. But before the spear tip could pierce the other's body, it was grabbed by Kang De's left hand and pushed back.

Then Kang De sheathed his axe and said to the person opposite him, "This was an accident."

With everyone watching, at least the surrounding soldiers, the consequences of killing this man or letting him be stabbed to death by Hong San were obvious.

Moreover, Kang De clearly saw that it was indeed a mistake.

Just as he was about to leave, he saw the soldier's blank and dazed expression gradually fade, replaced not by calmness, but by another emotion.

The intense warfare had nearly shattered the opponent's rationality; even now, the flame of their spirit had failed to ignite. Extremism and madness ruled this body. The opponent said bitterly, "It's all your fault..."

Kang De froze.

He gazed at the other's face, pursed his lips, and a strange light flashed in his eyes. Complex emotions surged within him. Tonight's chaotic, savage, and painful battle was not only ravaging the spirits of both warriors, but also an extremely difficult battle for Kang De.

Because what he endured was not just these things, but also the even more painful foreseeing of the future, knowing the future but being unable to change it, which is sometimes very painful. Although Kang De did not have the ability to predict the future, he could deduce what would happen in the near future... After all, the genie did such a thing.

At this moment, he looked at the soldier before him, who was insane and uttering vile words, pitiful and pathetic. In that instant, Kang De's mind wandered into imagining and foreseeing the future. This man had said such things; perhaps he would attack again and be killed by him. But killing this soldier might provoke the warriors around him, who were already at their limit, causing their emotions to suddenly erupt, leading to chaos and giving the elves an opportunity to rush onto the city walls.

A series of crises and collapses eventually led to the fall of the city. Nick's grand ambitions came to an end tonight. He would take Hong San, ride Iron Son, and pick up Leona and her group in the chaotic Valentan Mercedes, along with the green-skinned men who had built the motorcycles, and rush out of the city.

Then leave everyone in the city to the elves.

As for the revenge operations that would unfold after he left, and the preparations for returning to Earth, all of which had already been laid out with increasingly vicious and insane plans, those were matters for later. Even if he wiped out the Dusk Warband and poured endless curses of pain onto the land of Twilight Moon, he could not change the fact that the Dusk Warband had conquered the city, nor could he save the fate of countless Valentan People afterward.

"No."

Kang De said softly, "It wasn't me, you're mistaken."

But people cannot understand each other.

Upon hearing this, the soldier showed no confusion or hesitation, but instead revealed a look of resentment and madness, gripping his knife tightly, ready to make a move.

Kang De sighed silently, lamenting his final efforts.

But the next moment, a cold arrow swept in from outside the city like the wind, piercing the soldier's neck, causing him to open his eyes wide, make a groaning sound, and fall to the ground in pain.

Kang De stared blankly at the dying man struggling on the ground.

The next moment, the elves intensified their offensive again. They must not know what they had done or what they had missed. The pressure from the enemy brought the soldiers together again, making them temporarily shift their attention away from Kang De. Shouts came from the rear, and another batch of reinforcements arrived.

Preston led his personal guards over, found Kang De, and said in a low voice, "My brother sent me to persuade you to come down. It's too dangerous for you to stay on the walls... for everyone!"

Kang De lowered his eyes and said softly, "Okay."

Quietly escorted down the city, Kang De stayed with Iron Son. Preston's personal guards acted as battlefield scouts, requesting firepower to strike wherever the defenses were strained, with the Autobots in charge. Kang De, however, remained in the vehicle, silent and lost in thought.

Hong San was already roaming the battlefield, carrying the DV camera given to him by Kang De, filming everything he thought should be recorded. The Cathayan secretly prayed, hoping that this would become evidence to clear Kang De's name.

Although he didn't say it, he was extremely pessimistic inside.

Can this city hold out until the Gladiolus Legion arrives?

He glanced worriedly at the dark area within the city.

What he was more worried about was Kang De.

When Glittering Sand met him, he wasn't sure who this Kang De was, but after spending time with Valentan these past few days, how could Hong San, with his keen eyesight and experience, not see through Kang De's true nature?

This extraordinary individual, who possesses extraordinary abilities, has defended Valentan multiple times, is even regarded as a formidable enemy by the Dusk Warband, and is destined to shake the entire continent in the future, is actually just a young man who is inexperienced in the ways of the world.

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PS1: This chapter was really difficult to write, or rather, the entire following section was difficult to write. You all probably understand, right? This part of the story isn't just about Kang De crushing hordes of elves with unstoppable force; more importantly, it's about change, growth, and ambition. If Glittering Sand was just the first step on the hero's path, the purpose of this volume is to establish something for him... I won't spoil it, you'll never guess anyway. I can only guarantee that the final scene will be incredibly exciting.