Empire-Union Border.
The sun gradually dipped below the horizon, dyeing the sky in shades of black and red. With the arrival of night, the skirmishes on the battlefield ca to a halt.
Soldiers from either side wore haggard expressions, dark circles around their eyes from the lack of sleep. They retrieved the usable weapons from the battlefield and dragged the corpses of their comrades.
Dead bodies had beco a growing problem. If they weren't disposed of in ti, disease would begin to spread among the living.
So the armies were forced to act. Piles of corpses were gathered and burned, day and night, thick smoke rising over the battlefield. Others were buried hastily, covered with earth to keep the stench and rot at bay.
Even then, the sll lingered. It served as an ever-present reminder of the cost of war.
Balthazar and Bai Tianji stood outside the central camp's command tent, gazing at the enemy all the way across the battlefield.
"They'll co again tonight," said Blackfire, "the assassins, I an."
Blossom Blade nodded. A mont later, he replied, "It is less likely they will attack us."
Balthazar frowned as he turned toward the Baihua Sect's master. But soon he understood the man's reasoning. "I suppose so…"
The shadowkins were expert assassins. They knew when to advance and when to withdraw. They chose targets that guaranteed success. The Mana Core Magi on the Union's side were already aware of them and would be on guard against them. So the chances of a clean strike were low.
But the sa couldn't be said about weaker Magi. Even if they were on guard against the shadowkins, what were they going to do? The devils could easily overpower and kill them.
"Let us go," Blackfire turned and headed deeper into the camp to begin the night patrol. Blossom Blade silently followed.
The shadowkins had assassinated the vast majority of the Union's Mana Core Magi. As retribution, the Dark King had also done the sa to the Empire's forces.
Though the Empire still had more Mana Core Magi than the Union. And they also had the devils.
As the battle continued, things beca increasingly unfavourable for the Union Magi.
***
"Look at this," said a young man sitting by the campfire.
"This is my daughter," he added as he dotingly gazed at the small portrait in his hands. "She was born right before I was conscripted."
He shared the photo with his fellow comrades.
"She's so adorable!"
"Hey, you sure this is yours? I an… aren't you a little too, you know, ugly to father this girl?"
"She must've taken after her mother."
"Thank goodness for that!"
"Hey, I'm not that bad-looking!"
Amidst suffering and carnage, the Union soldiers found a mont of solace. They chatted and laughed as they ate their rations. Each of them told stories about their hos and the people waiting for them.
"I wonder when this war will end," the young man sighed as he clutched the portrait gently in his hand. "I can't wait to et her. She must have already started walking by now."
"Don't worry," the man beside him said, clasping his shoulders. "It shouldn't take long. Did you forget? We have the Dark King on our side!"
"That's right!" Another soldier excitedly chid in. "Did you see how he plowed through the enemies the other day!"
"It was glorious!"
The second the subject shifted to the topic of the Dark King, the atmosphere around the campfire instantly lightened.
His na alone brought a sense of calm. Where there had been tension, there was now a wave of confidence. The fear in their mind seed to ease, if only for a little while.
He gave them hope.
The way he stood against overwhelming odds, the way he faced enemies without hesitation, it made them believe that victory was possible. More than that, it pushed them forward. His strength beca sothing to asure themselves against, sothing to strive toward each day.
If he could stand at the front and face it all, then they could keep going too.
Amid their heated conversation about the Dark King's legendary exploits, no one noticed how the shadows cast by the fire seed to move unnaturally.
No one noticed…
Shadows ca alive, cold light flashed, and hot blood sprayed across the damp earth.
A few monts later, the atmosphere by the campfire turned eerily quiet.
The young soldier from earlier never realized when death had co for him. His eyes turned lifeless as he lay motionless on the ground, still holding onto the portrait of his little girl.
Assassinations were carried out in quick succession around several campfires where exhausted soldiers were huddled together. A few minutes later, alarm bells thundered across all three camps.
The shadowkins had made their move. They had struck viciously. Yet no one had noticed them.
***
The eastern camp was where the Tsuitsui Clan had settled down.
Hearing the loud commotion outside, a group of old clan mbers hurried out of their tents, panic and fear marking their faces.
"What are these outlanders doing!" An old man roared.
"Shouldn't they be on guard, knowing that assassins would move at night!"
"Damned these westerners!"
The pale glow of the twin moons cast long, stretching shadows behind them. One of the shadows stirred, and an ashen head slowly erged from it.
The shadowkin revealed a crooked smile as he rose from the shadow and silently stepped toward the unsuspecting old n. His twin daggers glinted with a cold light.
But the mont he was about to strike them, his smile froze, and he quickly evaded.
Boom!
A powerful axe-kick landed on the exact spot the shadowkin had been standing. As the dust settled, a small crater beca visible on the ground. The old n of the Tsuitsui Clan turned around in fright and saw a towering hulk of a man standing with a nacing look on his face.
Goro scanned his surroundings, his face turning darker. "It disappeared," he murmured.
Then he turned around and glared at his clan's elders. "It would be nice to follow your own advice, don't you think, ya geezers!"
Killing the army's healers had always been a classic military tactic, so Goro had concealed himself and hid near his clan's Herbalists' tent.
When the shadowkin appeared, he quickly made his move.
But in the end, he wasn't fast enough to kill one.
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