In the trenches
Within the territory of Loen, on the western front.
The deafening bombardment from the Feysac people had ceased for half a minute when Stuart Burns opened his eyes in the trench.
He brushed the wet mud off his body and sat up, looking bewildered.
My ears were buzzing, like they were stuffed with countless annoying mosquitoes. I searched myself up and down; all four limbs and my torso were still there. I looked around, but I didn't see a single living person.
Shredded flesh, severed limbs, fragments of clothing, rifle parts, rotten wood... everything was mixed together and evenly scattered into the mud of the trench and into the newly formed shell craters. The comrades who had shared canned food with him before the shelling were now long gone.
Stuart had no time to grieve for his comrades; he was simply relieved that he wasn't the one who had died.
"Who's still alive? Is anyone still alive?"
He shouted at the top of his lungs. The shelling had severely impaired his hearing; if he didn't shout this loud, he wouldn't even be able to hear himself. "Prepare for a counterattack! The Feysac people are coming!"
No one responded.
A wave of fear washed over Stuart. He didn't know if it was because the blast had made it hard to hear, or if... everyone else in the trench was dead?
No, no, no!
He struggled to his feet, grabbed a rifle that looked reasonably intact from the ground, and, hunched over, searched along the trench. Mud and gunpowder had long since stained his bright red uniform. He crawled on his hands and feet in the tunnel, looking disheveled and ugly.
Why is this happening...?
Stuart thought resentfully.
Months earlier, news of the Feysac invasion and the bombing of Backlund by Airship had spread throughout Loen, and King George III called on the entire nation to fight against the invaders. With a simple passion for defending the country, he eagerly volunteered and, after a short training, boarded a train heading north to Sivellas County.
Initially, this was a relatively safe rear area, and these new recruits were just reserves. However, the war at the front was going poorly, and within a few months, the Feysac army advanced all the way, while the resistance forces retreated one after another. Eventually, they were also reorganized and pulled into the front line.
It wasn't until he witnessed a real battlefield that Stuart realized how naive his previous ideas had been.
Far from the front lines, people sing praises of noble virtues such as Courage and sacrifice; but here, facing mutilated corpses, the pitiful screams of the wounded, and the ever-present threat of death, he truly felt fear.
The peaceful life of the previous twenty years seemed like a distant Dream, quickly replaced by a bloody and insane reality. If it weren't for the unwavering determination to defend the country, if it weren't for the stress-relieving cigarettes and alcohol, if it weren't for the priests accompanying the army spreading the gospel, I probably wouldn't have been able to hold on for long.
Suddenly, Stuart's crawling body stopped.
Not far in front of him, he saw the body of the war priest...
The serene gentleman, as always, wore a black priest's robe and held the Goddess's Sacred Emblem tightly in his hand, but his body had been split in two—as if an incredibly sharp, Greatsword had cleaved him in two, spilling his internal organs and intestines all over the ground.
"Even the priest with magical powers didn't survive..." Stuart's heart sank, as if it had sunk into the Mire of the trench.
Upon arriving on the battlefield, he discovered that this world possessed many inexplicable and peculiar powers. These powers were controlled by high-ranking officers in the army and clergy members of the Orthodox Churches.
The officers issued their orders with an air of authority, leaving no room for disobedience in ordinary soldiers like themselves; the accompanying priests frequently offered prayers, Soothing their emotions, giving them peaceful sleep, and instilling terrifying Nightmare in the enemy opposite...
Meanwhile, the Feysac people could also perform some strange sorcery.
Many tall soldiers, clad in armor and wielding swords, looked as if they came from the last century. Wave after wave, they charged the position to the chanting of Priest. Ordinary rifle bullets rarely inflicted fatal damage, often driving them deep into the enemy lines and creating pools of blood.
During a battle a few days ago, he witnessed a terrifying, dazzling Silver Light flash across the distant mountaintop. Since then, the artillery on Loen's side has fallen completely silent;
There were even rumors that General Mongrel, who was in charge of the western front, was attacked in his frontline command post, aged rapidly, and died from decomposition...
A minute and a half after the shelling, Stuart's senses were gradually returning. His ears were becoming quiet, and the stench of earth, burnt meat, and excrement slowly filled his nostrils.
He suppressed the urge to vomit, abandoned the priest whose intestines were spilling out of the ground, and continued crawling in the trench.
"Is anyone else here? Is anyone else here?! For the sake of the Goddess..."
He called out, but only silence answered him.
"Click, click..." Just then, heavy, dense footsteps gradually echoed outside the trench.
Upon hearing this voice, Stuart's expression changed drastically.
Peeking through the gaps in the fortifications, he saw the Feysac people army charging towards their positions from the foot of the hill ahead. Dressed in khaki uniforms, they looked like a yellow tide. Among these tall soldiers, some figures stood out even more, their swords gleaming in the sunlight.
"It's over..."
The trenches behind Stuart were deathly silent, and despair filled his heart.
He gripped the rifle tremblingly, but dared not aim at it, for if he peeked out and fired, a chilling death would follow.
At times like this, I wish I could have a cigarette...
He thought to himself.
After his supplies were cut off, he craved this food day and night.
So, this is my end, to die unknown in these filthy trenches... Stuart's lips twitched slightly, revealing a fearful and desperate smile.
"Da da..."
Just then, he suddenly heard a voice. The voice was clear and loud, as if it were echoing directly in his mind.
... the sound of horses' hooves?
This is no longer the era of cavalry. The last time I saw horses was with those arrogant noble officers... Or have the Feysac people come up with some new tricks?
"Da da da..."
The sound of hooves grew louder and louder, and Stuart's eyes suddenly widened, because he realized that the sound wasn't coming from the Feysac people below, but from behind him!
He Consciousness turned his head, and then saw--
Red.
A breathtaking red.
Red, Destruction everything.
It was an unbelievably beautiful young girl, riding a white horse, holding a flag high, and galloping across the battlefield with a broad smile.
Her long, flowing hair was red, her exquisite eyes were red, the flag in her hand was red... It was as if all the colors in the world had been taken away, leaving only this touch of red, imprinted clearly in everyone's eyes!
Stuart stared at her blankly. Please remember the only website address for this novel: www. deqixs. org. This is the only website; other websites may be discontinued at any time.
The Feysac army below, his own desperate situation, his fallen comrades... none of it seemed to matter anymore. He had been given an invisible command, and could only look at that figure, nothing else mattered.
Soon, he heard the girl's voice, full of joy and enthusiasm, ringing clearly in his mind.
"Soldiers, take up your weapons!"
Fight on, cheer on, praise on!
"Let iron and blood burn, let strife and war last forever, and let the crown of victory reside for you!"
Her voice was like a hammer, striking Stuart's heart again and again, dispelling negative emotions such as despair and fear, and filling it with a continuous stream of Courage.
"Glory belongs to Loen!"
He cheered almost ecstatically and leaped up from the trench.
The Feysac people were now close enough that their faces were clearly visible, appearing ugly and comical. He suddenly realized how foolish he had been to be afraid of such things.
"Bang!"
He fired, the bullet striking a Feysac people precisely in the forehead, ripping off his skull. The other Feysac people's faces contorted with rage, their mouths agape as if they were trying to say something. But he paid them no heed, continuing to fire until his rifle was completely empty.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, Stuart's vision was filled with a gigantic figure. It was a towering Feysac Extraordinary clad in full armor, whose Greatsword slashed across, cleaving Stuart's body in two...?
Stuart's body was already healing before it was completely cut open... as if an invisible force was sharing the damage!
I'll kill you!
He shouted with ecstatic joy, not caring at all about how he had survived, but instead thrusting the bayonet of his rifle through the gap in the armor and into the man's neck. The powerful force traveled through the rifle, and the huge Feysac people instantly, falling backward after pulling out the bayonet.
"Glory belongs to Loen!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
A frenzied roar came from behind, and from the first, second, and third trenches, many Loen soldiers leaped out. Their faces were filled with a vague joy, and like Stuart, they charged fearlessly toward the Feysac army.
So many people are still alive!
But at this moment, Stuart didn't care about any of that. He only had one thought in his mind: to wipe out all the enemies!
He and all the Loen soldiers charged into the dense ranks of the Feysac army. With guns, bayonets, swords, and even their teeth... they slaughtered every enemy within sight. An invisible force seemed to flow through their bodies, making them brave, powerful, and virtually indestructible. "Ah!"
"The people of Loen have gone mad!"
Kill them!
A series of piercing screams and angry shouts in Feysac language rang out simultaneously as corpses fell one after another, their blood soaking the battlefield that had been ravaged by artillery fire countless times.
"Ha ha ha ha..."
Joyful laughter echoed across the battlefield as the red-haired girl galloped freely, enjoying the intense combat before her.
War, more war!
Not enough, far from enough!
Let the tide of war sweep across the world, let the continents burn in blood and iron!
After an unknown amount of time, Stuart suddenly woke up.
He opened his eyes and found himself lying in a pile of corpses, his body covered in numerous wounds. The bodies of the Loen and the Feysac people were intertwined, blood flowing down in small streams. The Loen soldiers died with joy on their faces, while the Feysac soldiers were filled with fear, anger, and confusion.
Yes, confusing.
What exactly happened...?
Stuart felt his vision blurring and his body growing colder. He knew he was about to die.
It seems like just now, I saw someone riding a white horse...
"Da, da."
"Hmm, there's actually one still alive here. You're quite lucky."
A cheerful voice sounded from above him. He struggled to move his head and saw the beautiful red-haired girl.
"You..."
"Have one, as a reward for you."
The other person said with a smile, disregarding the fact that he was about to die, and threw a cigarette into his mouth, then snapped his fingers to light it.
Who is she... Am I going to die...? Stuart instinctively took a drag of his cigarette, thinking blankly.
The substances in the cigarette had a calming effect, and his mind settled down.
"Could she be one of our powerful extraordinary beings from Loen, sent specifically to stabilize the battle lines and resist the Feysac people?" Stuart wondered. Thinking this, even though he knew he was going to die, he still felt a sense of relief.
At least, my death wasn't without value...
Unfortunately, this comfort was quickly shattered.
He saw the girl wandering across the bloody battlefield, muttering to herself:
"Is this over? Next time, should I support Loen or stand with Feysac? But no matter what I do, it just feels a little off..."
What is this guy saying...? Does she treat war like a game?!
Stuart stared in astonishment, his eyes wide, and he strained to turn his head toward the other man.
Then he saw something light up on the western horizon in the distance.
A golden sphere floated above the clouds, radiating an incomparably pure and clear light.
That was... the second Sun? Pure golden light illuminated the earth and the massive army marching below... They wore white, gold-trimmed uniforms, unlike those of Loen and Feysac. Interspersed among the ranks were strange, colossal creatures, spewing Steam and their shells gleaming with a cruel metallic sheen.
Intis.
"Ha ha ha ha..."
On his deathbed, Stuart heard the girl's laughter once again, a laughter filled with joy and excitement.
In November 1350, the Intis Republic launched a surprise attack, invading Loen from the west.