"What did you say?"
Cangming's eyes grew fierce as a surge of violent aura erupted from his body.
"Left here to wait for death?"
"Who gave that order?!"
"Who dares?!"
Te Sea Race had always been united, never once abandoning their comrades.
"Is it Cang Che?"
"If that brat dared to give such an order, I'll skin him alive when I get back!"
Cangming was beyond furious; he could not accept his soldiers being treated as disposable pawns.
"No, it wasn't the second prince."
Chiwei was startled, and as the black spots flared up, the intense pain made his entire body twitch.
Gritting his teeth, he suddenly swung his blade with a reverse grip and slashed it ruthlessly across his own tail.
Squelch!
Blood splattered everywhere.
He had actually severed a section of his own rotten tail!
The agonizing pain forced a scream from his throat, but it also forcibly suppressed the bloodthirsty madness rising in his mind.
Covered in cold sweat and gasping for breath, Chiwei spoke.
"It was... our own petition."
"What?"
Cangming was stunned.
"Prince, look at us."
"We have already been severely contaminated by the black spots. Our sanity could collapse at any moment."
"We are just a group of... ticking time bombs."
Chiwei looked at his mutating palm, a flicker of sorrow in his eyes.
"If we return to the Dragon Palace and go mad inside the array, turning into mindless sea beasts that only know slaughter, it would be a catastrophe for the kin inside."
"Instead of going back and becoming monsters that harm our loved ones, or dying at the hands of our own people..."
Chiwei looked up, suddenly grinning to reveal a serene smile.
"It is better to die here at Shanhe Pass, falling on the battlefield. It is more satisfying."
"Prince, you do not need to grieve for us."
"At least we can maintain a final shred of clarity. When we die, we will still be generals of the Eastern Region, not monsters."
Several other sea generals nodded in agreement, silently tightening their grips on their weapons.
They had all stayed behind voluntarily. They were here to buy time for the main force to retreat and to ensure they wouldn't cause chaos among their own kind.
Cangming looked at those familiar yet twisted faces. His throat felt as if it were blocked by something, and he couldn't say a single word.
He clenched his fists so hard that his nails dug deep into his palms.
Blood dripped between his fingers, but he didn't notice.
What could he say? Could he blame these comrades? Could he call them fools?
No. He couldn't.
Because he knew that if he were in their position, he would have made the same choice.
The Sea Race could die in battle and could be sacrificed, but they could not become monsters that harmed the very things they swore to protect.
He also knew that Chiwei was right. The space within the Dragon Palace's array was limited. If so many high-stage infected on the verge of mutation were mixed in, the consequences would be unthinkable once they broke.
"Prince, leave quickly!"
Chiwei urged him again, his eyes filled with anxiety.
"This place cannot be held much longer, and the black spots in the sea eye are also severe."
"The Lord Sea Emperor will not be able to hold out for long. You must go back and take charge!"
"You are the hope of the Eastern Region. You must not perish here!"
Cangming took a deep breath. He looked deeply at Chiwei and the brothers who were destined to be buried here.
Finally, he gritted his teeth and made his decision.
"Fine."
"I am leaving."
"Chiwei, hold on."
"If you cannot win, do not force yourselves to hold the line."
Cangming suddenly raised his voice, shouting loudly:
"Lord Dragon Ancestor... will return to the Eastern Region very soon!"
"He is in the provincial capital right now, slaying the false god and seizing the Golden Buddha."
"As long as the Lord wins, the Eastern Region will flourish immediately!"
"A mere black spot contamination is something the Lord can also cure."
"You must... stay alive."
"Once I have suppressed the black spots at the Dragon Palace, I will come back to get you!"
"I promise!"
With that, Cangming turned abruptly and transformed into a streak of light, racing toward the Dragon Palace.
He did not dare to look back, fearing that if he did, he would never be able to leave.
Watching Cangming's receding figure, Chiwei and his few comrades looked at each other and smiled, their tensed bodies finally relaxing a little.
"It is good that he left..."
Once Cangming was far away, a sea general next to Chiwei, who was missing half his body, asked in a low voice:
"General... is Lord Dragon Ancestor... really back?"
They were generals who had been stationed in the sea trench for many years, making them the most severely contaminated and the most isolated from news. When the Dragon Ancestor returned a few days ago, they were fighting on the front lines and had not seen him, only hearing some rumors.
"Of course!"
Chiwei panted heavily, his halberd swinging out to cleave a black-spot monster that had just crawled onto the wall in half.
He spoke with absolute certainty, his eyes shining with light.
"I saw the Lord Dragon Ancestor's majesty with my own eyes!"
"How could it be fake?!"
"At that time, the Lord Dragon Ancestor was right there in the trench. That presence, that aura... tsk tsk."
"The black spots on my body were personally cured by the Lord Dragon Ancestor back then!"
As Chiwei fought mechanically, he drifted into memory, a look of obsession appearing on his face.
"The Lord even bestowed divine medicine upon me and praised me, saying I wasn't bad..."
"That was... the proudest moment of my life."
The others listened with envy.
"How wonderful..."
"To see the Dragon Ancestor even once, it would be worth dying."
Suddenly, someone cursed him: "If you were cured, why did you come back, you fool?"
"You finally got rid of the black spots and got your life back, yet you ran back to the front lines to die."
"Turning yourself into this half-human, half-ghost mess. Do you know I dream of getting rid of these damned black spots?"
Ignoring the intense pain from his wounds, Chiwei laughed loudly.
"I just couldn't bear to leave you old guys!"
"We've been side-by-side for so many years. If I ran and left you here to wait for death, how would I ever hold my head up again?"
The sea general chuckled low, acting as if he didn't believe it. "Braggart."
Chiwei said nothing more and continued to fight.
More and more black-spot monsters surged onto the wall, surrounding them. Some of the dead monsters turned into black water, their essence seeping into Chiwei's body through his severed tail.
His vision began to blur, and the slaughter intent in his mind grew heavier.
Why did he stay?
What else could it be for.
Because he had made a promise to the Dragon Ancestor.
He promised that the place he guarded would be the dragon's maritime territory.
He promised to cleanse the filth and recover the mountains and rivers for the Dragon Ancestor.
"Why must one's bones be buried in the soil of home..." Chiwei muttered to himself, a sensation of madness entering his brain, nearly overwhelming his final shred of reason.
He wanted to say something more to encourage his brothers.
But he realized there was no more sound around him.
He turned back to look.
He saw that the sea general who had just been joking with him had completely lost consciousness. His body had fully mutated, turning into a hideous sea beast covered in tentacles.
Yet, the beast did not attack Chiwei. Instead, with heavy steps, it charged toward the area where the black spots were most dense, even in its mindless state.
If such a creature were released into a gathering of the Sea Race, it would be a disaster. But here, there were only black-spot monsters. No matter how mad it became, it would only kill the enemy.
"Roar—!"
The sea beast let out a mournful cry and self-detonated amidst the crowd of monsters.
Seeing this, a tear of blood fell from the corner of Chiwei's eye.
He couldn't hold on much longer either.
He picked up his chipped halberd and stumbled forward.
"Brothers, wait for me."
"The Dragon Ancestor has returned. The Eastern Region is destined... to flourish."
"Even if I lose my life here today, there is nothing left to regret."
Looking at the vast horde of monsters ahead, Chiwei seemed to see that black-robed figure standing amidst the clouds, looking down upon this great sea.
"When the Lord Dragon Ancestor sets foot in the Eastern Region again and enters Shanhe Pass..."
"Seeing these waters clear again and the Sea Race thriving once more, he will surely praise me a few times."
"Why must one's bones be buried in the soil of home? Any verdant hill in the world can be one's resting place."
Smiling, Chiwei used his final strength to charge forward alongside the remains of his former comrades.
Rate on N.U.
