I, holding a long sword in my hand, only know one move

It was a super-powerful Iai slash from the hands of the sword god that could maximize speed and cause completely devastating damage to the target. Legend has it that it could even cut off the light. In the darkness of nothingness where the light was cut off, you could still see See the dazzling flash of light coming from the blade.

Therefore, name it...

"Flash!"

Chapter 3 Sad and Lamentable

I want to have hope, but this world is too cruel.

I want to immerse myself in despair, but this world is too harsh.

No matter the past or the future, it has nothing to do with the present human beings, because it is something that human beings cannot touch.

What humans are allowed to do is to reproduce as hard as they can right now, at this moment.

Even a second later, Ivan himself would be wiped out at the whim of some unknown species.

Human beings can only keep running like this desperately.

All we can do is keep moving forward. Make a cry to let the other person know they are here.

If he falls halfway, he must entrust the responsibility he carries to others, and Yiwang is already prepared.

"I died to protect my family!"

——In this broken and crazy world, I was born meaninglessly, lived in fear and trembling, found a small amount of happiness and then it was taken away, and then I was killed.

What’s the point of living in a world that is constantly cyclical?

Live to protect your companions and family - die to meet someone who will face the end of the war.

The person who answered this question was the young man, Rick.

But one day, will this cruel world usher in the dawn of an end?

Will there ever be an era when you want to indulge in that little happiness and live happily in the sunshine without having to worry about anything?

If you saw the light, would you want to take steps toward the light regardless of your own safety?

"A flash...

.! "

That - is it light?

The cry disappeared.

...

When Rick did not look back and fled into the safer forest with all his strength, suddenly, he felt as if his stomach was falling.

He gradually became unable to clearly outline the face of the man in his memory. An unbearable sense of loss coincides with an intense sense of disgust for an inexplicable reason.

Yvonne——

During his lifetime, he was a man a generation older than himself, brave, thoughtful, and enthusiastic about helping others. There is no one in Rick's generation who has not been helped by him. Even so, before he fell in love with his wife and married her, he was still a very introverted and shy person...

He has already explained everything about him in the past tense.

This was the era—the Great War.

Human beings are fragile and powerless, so we cannot take the individual as the main consideration, but must take the race as the benchmark. Don't take personal feelings into account. The individual is for the collective, and the collective must act for the collective.

Relying on thorough calculation and rationality, mankind has survived... no, has been able to escape to this day.

Regardless of sacrificing someone, we must save everyone who remains in the settlement, and always prioritize this result.

They had no room to choose other means, and the person who thoroughly implemented such rules was Rick himself.

So far, he neither regrets nor reflects.

but.....

"Rick, hey! Rick!"

Alei, who still had tears in his eyes, grabbed Rick's collar and pulled him up from the ground: "Don't take everything on yourself like that, you will be crushed!"

But Rick's eyes were still dim, unable to reflect any emotion, like a black hole that could absorb all light, as if dead.

"Someone will succeed me when the time comes."

Rick just replied calmly, and Alei remained silent.

After judging that there were no pursuers, the two began to walk in the direction of the settlement, their steps feeling as heavy as mud.

"I said, Rick...this era will end one day..."

"Yes, it will be over." Rick replied slowly as he stared at the small fragments of hazy blue light falling from the sky.

If he didn't think that, if he didn't believe that, he would be crushed by this weight now.

——————————————

A hand stretched out in front of Yiwang, startling him with a frightened expression. His whole body trembled violently and he came to his senses.

"Can you still move?"

In human language, the guy wearing a dark cloak of unknown material in front of him said sentences with such meaning.

But Ivan couldn't believe that the existence in front of him was a human being.

who is he?

Such questions occupied Ivan's entire mind.

Based on the body shape and everything that just happened, the most likely species is the beastman...or at least a dangerous existence with a [blood-bad] individual. That is a blow that breaks through the cognitive laws of physics.

But it doesn't make sense at all why he would save himself.

Everything was like an illusion, the speed exceeded thinking, only the dazzling light made Ivan blink.

And then it's over...

The roaring lower-level demon species behind him, capable of crushing fragile human bodies at will, just disappeared into the light out of thin air, without making a sound or leaving any trace of its existence, as if it had never appeared before. .

Bah...

The face where he took off his cloak was corroded by the falling black ash, and there was a stinging pain, which forcefully brought Ywan back to reality.

This is not an illusion at all!

"Are you scared? You clearly have the courage to risk your life to give your companions a chance to survive."

Cheng Rang stretched out his hand to pull the hood of the middle-aged man in front of him again, and pulled him up regardless of his stiff body.

"We have to get out of here, how about I take you home?"

"No!"

The man who was still in a daze just now refused immediately.

It is impossible for him to return to the settlement with such a dangerous existence. Even if he survives temporarily, he still carries the lives of more than 2,000 companions in the entire settlement.

Although he saved his own life, he did so without any reason or motive. It was possible that he simply wanted to gain his trust, then find the settlement and start a massacre.

Humanity will not be saved by other races so unreasonably... All of this will be the beginning of a more terrible price.

After all, in the eyes of other races, humans are as humble as bugs, and their status is even lower than bugs.

Just for fun, or just the "fun" aspect, is enough reason for them to kill.

"Is there anything unfinished?"

Ivan had no words other than the flat refusal he had just made.

We neither exist nor can we exist because our non-existence goes unnoticed.

If discovered, it means death.

The man in front of him suddenly reached his hand behind his waist, and the cold light of the sharp dagger flashed away.

clang!

The dagger that stabbed Yi Wang's own neck was knocked away by the long knife that was instantly unsheathed in Cheng Rang's hand. It was inserted into the ground with a whirling sound. The swift and precise tip of the knife made a semicircle, even the hair on Yi Wang's temples. Not even a trace was touched.

"what you up to?"

Damn it! Yiwang cursed inwardly.

At once

You can't even commit suicide in front of him!

Escape was even more impossible.

The purpose of the guy in front of him is unclear for the time being, but he doesn't seem to be in a hurry to kill himself. The only way to go now is through negotiation. Yiwang relies on this and plans to obtain information.

"You have saved many people, right?"

"You're the first one I see."

"Why save me?"

"..." Cheng Rang paused. At this moment, he noticed the hostility and full distrust in the eyes of the man in front of him.

Combined with what he did, Cheng Rang couldn't help but sigh secretly, the humans in this world...

It has even reached the point of despair and no longer believes in the existence of hope.

Even if they see real hope, they will not admit it. They will only retreat into despair and continue to deceive themselves with the lie that "there will be hope." In this unreasonable and cruel tragedy Continue to survive in the world.

Never believing in miracles, nor trusting anyone except his companions, he used his last strength to struggle in despair and escape from everything.

How sad.

But after understanding the situation of human beings in this world, why is it such a shame that they can still survive and not become extinct?

Chapter 4 Cruel lies

It was a four-day round trip.

The settlement that Rick and others are headed for has to keep moving forward in the wilderness where black ash falls, and enter deeper into the forest closed by snow.

It is located in a hidden cave at the foot of a sharp protruding rock mountain.

Rick took down an old oil lamp hanging on the pillar, took out the tinder box from his arms and lit it.

Relying on this dim orange light, the two of them moved forward towards the tunnel dug deep in the cave.

Carefully passing through the traps to prevent wild animals, you will immediately see the outer walls built with many solid logs arranged in rows. This is a gate built to block wild wolves or bears from straying past the trap.

Of course, if the invaders are "other races", it makes no difference whether there is such a thing or not.

Rick approached the door, knocked on the door in rhythm, and waited.

Finally, with a creaking sound, the door slowly opened from the inside, and a young man wearing a fur cloak stuck his head out: "Welcome back, you have worked hard."

Rick and Alei just nodded in response and passed through the door.

"....Where is Mr. Ivan?"

Rick shook his head silently.

The gatekeeper took a breath, and then said to Rick again, as if enduring some emotion: "Thank you for your hard work..."

After passing through the door, there is an open space in the cave, which is a secret base that accommodates nearly two thousand people.

They relied on the spring water gushing from the depths of the cave to ensure drinking water, and also raised livestock where the sky could be seen.

Of the two entrances, the other leads to a bay on the coast where salt and fish can be obtained.

For humans who would die if they encountered "enemies" outside, this place was considered a safe place to live.

This thick rock wall can also withstand, at a minimum, stray bullets flying from the battles between other races.

Although that is just human wishful thinking.

When Rick appeared in the settlement, the residents who were working in the square noticed him and focused their attention on him.

A girl rushed from the crowd. Although she was petite, her bright hair and blue eyes shone with the brilliance of life even in this cave.

"It's been too long~~! How long do you, my brother, have to worry about me before I'm willing to do it!"

"I came back as soon as possible."