Karius and the man shared a state for about ten seconds with Karius being as condescending as before.
"And another point to the cadets" The officiator's voice roared.
The crowd roared, the unexpected competency from the fledglings was a feast to their eyes.
" 'The underdog winning' has been one of the many storybook tropes people have come to enjoy.
But in this case I'm afraid the crowd seems to have mistaken the predators for the underdogs." Heimer shook his head a little.
With a faint smirk that gradually fainted as the next match began.
On the platform stood Clarence and her opponent was a man with scars on his face.
They looked like claw marks, even on his neck and mouth.
His hair was blonde, and wore a patch on one eye.
"Fight!"
Clarence dashed in, throwing kicks at the man.
He brushed them aside, wasting no movement hardly even moving a step from where he stood.
"something is not right…who is this man" She was worried.
{Heimer told us not to use aether.
Though that would weaken us by more than half, we are already higher than the standards of normal humans.
Though those that have trained to the point of abnormality would be able to come close, they shouldn't be in the ranks of lieutenant commanders.}
Clarence seemed to have hit a boundary, he was half blind yet could track her motion even if not perfectly, it was unsettling.
He wasn't necessary not taking damage, but was mitigating most of it.
"Who are you?" She stepped back from the man.
"Me?
I'm just someone that will soon be forgotten from the world.
As has been the case with many, my name bears no importance.
I have even disregarded it..." His voice rippled through the platform.
"If you don't want to say it just say so." She launched at him attempting to blitz him faster than he could react.
He found it harder to to dodge all of them, this time he had to block with his forearm.
He took the brunt of the attack, it nearly caved inwards from the force Clarence exerted.
"It has become clear that you can't win, it wouldn't be too bad to forfeit here old man." Clarence leaped back.
She was preparing for another attack.
"You're fierce, almost as fierce as those little things on that day.
The only thing you lack is the bloodlust" The mysterious man told her.
"bloodlust-
You've began to speak gibberish." Clarence was riled up.
"When you see thousands slaughtered in the most nightmarish way possible you start to think it too.
'If I don't kill I die', no two ways about it.
And then you slaughter as much as possible, though it may have being to survive-
But the adverse effects are here still." The man put his hands up pointing towards Clarence.
She felt chills go through her spine, her body refused to comply with the rationale of her mind.
It was as if her vision was flushed in blood — red —that was the filter cast over her eyes.
"What did you do to me!" She screamed.
[The crowd murmured]
He walked gently towards her.
"Don't come closer!" She closed her eyes with her trembling palm.
And put the other hand forward trying to stop him.
"You see, THIS is bloodlust." He took silent steps towards her.
He now stood beside Clarence.
"Boo!" He said lightly.
[She let out a high pitched scream]
Almost now about to cry, she wasn't in her right state of being any longer.
"You see, you're still not ready.
In the end all of you are still children" [Tap] He placed his hands on her shoulder.
Her mind was starting to stabilise, she looked at the man.
He had a comforting smile on his face.
"You, you were in the frontline-
If so why are you still a lieutenant, aren't you supposed to have been promoted?!." She asked all sweaty faced.
"Hehehe...I thought the scars gave it away...
The other four except for commander Ricia who survived that day were also lieutenants.
Like myself they had the choice to take the place of the fallen, but unlike myself, they did; I did not.
[He gently removed his hand from her soldier.]
They took their place, rightfully so…even if morally questionable it was what duty demanded.
…
In a sense I avoided my duty.
Even now I've yet to be reprimanded, but I've already made my mind to resign.
Before resigned, I had one thing to do.
That is to come here, and for that I only had one reason;
I don't want to see kids going against those things, I-" The man was no longer addressing just Clarence.
He took a step away from her, the audience was there to watch fights yet their attention was stolen without their consent, even at that they were compelled to listen.
"Supreme, isn't this problematic, shouldn't we stop him?" Milsted had a look of desperation.
"Stop him?
Let him be." Heimer refuted his idea.
Milsted had an unsatisfactory look from Heimer's response.
Even the other commanders who stood there were no exemption, it would be stupid to let whatever was going on continue.
The officiator too had a glance at Heimer.
Heimer shook his head, stopping him from hindering what was going on on the platform.
"Look, what I saw that day has been engraved onto my mind.
[His eyes trembled]
These scars on my body have healed, but alas other scars have been torn etched somewhere deeper.
The scar of seeing a your comrade whom you've known for years become nothing but nutrients for the barren land.
[His voice began to crack]
Another scar was passing the news to the bereaved, having their look of expectation of good news turn sour, tainted by the demise of someone they held dear.
One of my worse experiences was going there with name tags because their corpses were unidentifiable, or with what little remains we could attribute to them.
–
Alas, in the end the bereaved prayed for their lost ones to rest eternally, left to the waning doubts of faith that often plague those in grief.
Because of that battle, the living were dead inside hoping the dead would live again-
The worst scar of all was the realisation that the vast majority of the fallen would be forgotten, their sacrifices would be one of the many things 'healed' over by time.
I was one of them! I survived, thousands died some didn't even last ten minutes before being mauled by those unholy creatures.
If that could happen to adults who had been trained for years, what more kids…
If adults can die for nothing, that shouldn't be the same fate for you fledglings!
…
[Tears rolled down his cheeks, his eyes shrank.
Alas he looked down and cleared up his throat, then faced the direction of the podium which the supreme stood.]
The moment the supreme came up with this idea of 'special squad' which would be at the frontlines; I considered it.
But the moment he said it would be comprised of nothing more than teens, I had to wash my hands.
And that is also why I'll be resigning today, I want to bear no part in the sins that will ensue." His voice had become hoarse from his previous screaming.
[The crowd mumurs intensified]
His speech had bore its way through their lingering fears, fears held by even Leo and his squad members.
The man turned towards the officiator, and with his only usable hand, he made a one armed bow.;
"I forfeit"
Then he faced the podium, looking right at Heimer, a decision none would ever subject themselves to.
"He has lost the fear of death, the events have taken hope from your eyes.
Another sin which I must bear." Heimer thought.
He did not look at the man with his usually imposing eyes nor did he try to show superiority, rather his eyes seemed to be understanding.
The man grit his teeth, then closed his eyes, the weight of the words he was about to utter had already weighed on him before declaration.
"Thanks for everything…but I resign, I bear no partaking in the events that will take place.
My respect for you still remains, though I question it." He gave a deep bow.
Then turned around and walked away, slowly merging into the crowd.
–
On the podium, Lana stepped to Heimer.
"(Are you going to reveal our hand now?
If you don't you will be the focus of the people's anger when the time comes.)" She whispered to him.
"(It's not yet time.
I if I do become the focus then rightfully so.)" Heimer whispered to her.
It was vivid from the mumurs in the crowd, they had already started to question his decision, it wouldn't be surprising if an uprising occurred at that very moment.
Heimer stepped forward.
"I shall take all the sins upon myself, I swear on my life.
Even now I bear the sin of leading those fearless soldiers into that battle, my only regret was not falling with them.
But their sacrifices were anything but meaningless, Juria, Glen, Vard, Marcel...
All who fought at my command to protect this world we know little of, and even now I hold the names of nearly three thousand at heart.
…
[He began walking left and right while addressing them]
Six months ago, I had made it clear that the losses would be many, and to my surprise thousands of brave recruits stood.
And of those that stood, about seven hundred remain after going through the army's training scheme.
You all standed here are like seeds, and seeds are better left to germinate.
With that in mind, I formulated a new strategy;
Only I, the commanders and whoever wins this 'competition' shall be participating in the upcoming expedition...
Your job lies elsewhere, that is all I have to say.
Carry on." Heimer stepped back
The relief his words brought could not be understated, even if pessimism lingered the relief was there — from the privates to the corporals standing in front of the podium.
But this was the first time the commanders would be hearing of this, they refrained from showing it on their faces, but their surprise was slightly visible.
Heimer nodded at the officiator and he reciprocated in kind.
"And with that, the scores have become four to one!" He raised Clarence's hand.
She was still out of it, she stepped down from the platform disoriented, and was welcomed by the hug of Herra.
"Are you okay, what happe…" As they conversed Leo walked passed them.
He was the next to fight.
His opponent was a muscular man; he looked mature and had a cut mark passing through his left eye.
His hair was shaved and his eyes were black.
"Fight!"