The corpse held in my arms, still shimmering with flashes of lightning, somehow raised a hand towards my face, the man's eyes sparking with life for just a split second.
Despite the gaping holes blown through his torso and left part of his head, he still managed to speak a few words that made tears flow from my eyes.
It had been forever since I cried… and here I was, sobbing and crying.
"I… trusted you… and loved you… like a son… I'm sorry."
…
"*gasp*... Huff… huff… huff… huff… huff… What… why am I crying… and why am I sweating so hard?"
My head was pounding like never before, and my neck ached as if it had been strained the entirety of my peaceful sleep.
I was currently in a hospital bed, though you could hardly call it a hospital bed since it was more like a cot inside a medical tent where tons of other wounded were.
Confused as to why there were so many wounded, I brought myself up, rubbing my eyes to clear my foggy vision and using a nearby spear that had been thrown away as a crutch.
It was rusted with blood and covered with grime and sweat. Everything on this blade was something seen on a battlefield, yet for some reason, I couldn't sense one.
Normally, I would be able to smell or hear the cries of a war, yet here I was, unable to do what really made me special in dire times like these.
Slowly, I pushed the cloth curtain to the side, allowing me to step outside of the medical tent, where I witnessed hundreds of smoking houses, some still on fire while some completely burned down to the ground.
"Orion? Are you finally awake?" A voice called out to me from a distance.
I swiveled my head around, seeing a familiar pale face slowly approach me cautiously. She made sure I wasn't injured any more, yet I felt completely fine. So, she immediately stormed towards me and wrapped her slender arms around my torso.
"What happened?" I muttered, groaning as a flash of pain washed through my mind.
My mind felt as if it was being ravaged by the worst headache known to man… and what do you know, it was all happening during an event that possibly could have torn down this entire town.
"Bastards are coming after us… They gained the favor of Zeus."
"That doesn't tell me anything of what happened. What happened here? Right where I'm standing."
The ground beneath me was soaked in blood, burnt to a crisp, and seemingly eroded by an endless amount of rain tearing through the sky.
For a moment, Wu bit her lip ever so slightly before cracking open her lips. "There was no army, there were no soldiers… just lightning. A massive storm gathered above this forming city… yet evacuating was way too risky, so it was ordered that everybody stay within the lowest layer of their homes. Clearly, that didn't do much, though."
"And you're saying this is the work of Zeus?"
"No shit… for some reason, he turned his back on the old man. He would have never let such a thing happen if the old man was in the city, so clearly, he gave up on him."
"Where is the general?"
"He's currently in the office… but it was… well, it was completely destroyed. He's at the remains of what it used to be, so you should go check up on him."
Quickly, I ran as fast my legs could take me, bits and pieces of the dream I had just experienced flashing through my mind.
They were small shards of the bigger picture, but from what I witnessed, I was holding the flying general in my arms as his life slowly began to fade from his body.
"General!" I shouted upon seeing his towering back littered with so many lightning-shaped scars that there was practically no piece of skin untouched by the wrath of Zeus.
Slowly, his head turned towards me, a lethargic look of defeat showering over his dull expression.
"Fuck… it's finally happened," he muttered, and as I wrapped his arm around my back, he nearly collapsed to the ground.
My strength was absolutely nothing compared to the weight of this man as I was forced to let go of his arm, allowing him to drop straight down.
"A-Are you fine? Do you need any medical attention? You're not bleeding, but clearly you're-"
"Just shut the fuck up for a second and help make sure everybody is fine. I won't die that easily…"
I hesitated for just a moment, but upon seeing the man's dire expression of anger, I knew he would make it through this.
"Alright. You better not die on me."
…
A day had passed, and every single ounce of fire had been extinguished with the help of not only the remaining soldiers, but the remaining citizens who had grown to love this town.
It had been slowly expanding into a city, yet the work of Zeus set us back a few months, meaning we had to work even harder.
The general had locked himself away in his rebuilt office, which was mostly just a shed as of now, but it was clear he was planning something or for something.
I'm sure he had heaps of anger that he wanted to vent but knew the emperor wouldn't allow such a thing and would restrict him from ever even attempting to get his revenge.
"Do you think he's working on something to propose to the emperor? Like a plan to go all out and raid the entirety of the Mongolian Empire?"
As I listened to Wu slowly ramble on, fidgeting with a loose piece of grass she had yanked out of the ground beneath us, I couldn't help but zone out.
.
[You have received the God Quest: Slaughter]
[Description: You have received a God Quest from Athena. Prove yourself that attachments are worthless and slaughter the Apostle of Zeus. Once you have finished ridding his name from this world, you will be granted the same reward.]
[Reward: [Skill Book - Four Flying Spear Arts of Lu Bu] | [Demonic Trait Enchantment] | [God-Killing Enchantment]
[Penalty Upon Failure: Destruction of Soul]
[Time Left: 29 Days]
.
"You have no choice," A voice almost seemed to smile into my ears, its tantalizing tone slowly fading away.
