Chapter 133: They Once Knew the Taste of Fear
Soldiers defend against the enemy, military personnel resist the soldiers, civilians stay in the city, and the military personnel and soldiers are the last line of defense.
If this line of defense is torn apart, then the civilians who stay in the city will face something that has been written about countless times in history textbooks.
Unfortunately, the spread of the demons is like a swarm of locusts. It doesn't have a specific target to attack, but rather, it flows like overflowing water, constantly converging towards low-lying areas, drawn by the sweet taste of life.
The flesh-eating monsters were not soldiers of the empire at all. They were monsters, beasts. Everyone knew there was no point in begging a wild beast for mercy. The only thing you could do was to fight, struggle, or die.
On planet Earth, there is a creature called a bear. Bears like to eat their prey while it's still alive, starting from the edges. Once, there was a Russian girl who encountered a starving bear in the winter. She made a phone call to her mother for help, as her arms and legs were broken and she couldn't resist. All she could do was cry and scream in pain. Her parents listened helplessly as their daughter was devoured by the bear, until her final words were that she couldn't feel the pain anymore because she had lost consciousness.
These evil demons and bears were the same.
Perhaps it is fortunate that these creatures haven't developed a culture of eating, otherwise there would be even more brutal scenes in the future.
The survivors of the shrine retreated to a village. The strong and able-bodied laborers had left for Osaka and Kyoto to make a living, leaving mostly the older generation who continued farming, along with the children who were still studying.
When the flesh-eating monsters discovered this place, it was only a matter of time before it was completely destroyed.
The fragile houses were pushed and burned down, and people ran away screaming and begging for mercy. Some were scared to the point of madness and were then killed. An elderly person witnessed their descendants being strangled and became crazed with a desire for revenge, but was also killed. Some people hid in corners, feeling unsafe and wanting to find another place, but as soon as they stepped outside, they saw the flesh-eating monsters, forcing them to return to their original position, only to be discovered and killed.
The terrible cries of many families repeated over and over again, going from intense to weak, from madness to despair, from screaming to silence, until they finally vanished completely.
When the number of flesh-eating monsters reached the village, there were already more than a hundred of them.
The surviving priests could only watch as the entire village burned. Some people became so angry and upset that they threw themselves into the fiery sea and fought until their deaths. Others walked silently, feeling empty and lost, as if they were lifeless beings.
Throughout history, Yingzhou has always been familiar with such scenes. Natural disasters, like earthquakes and tsunamis, occur frequently, and there are also groups of supernatural creatures. Man-made calamities are just as common. Outsiders always bring disasters with them, and the neighboring peninsula occasionally exports a wave of cults devoted to evil gods. Even the East and the West see this place as a battleground and have never stopped trying to exert their influence over it for hundreds of years.
Death, however, was merely the ultimate consequence brought about by all of this.
The shrine cautiously guarded a delicate balance, as if walking on thin ice. However, it was impossible to prevent all potential dangers.
Unlike last time, the only difference was that they failed, and failed again. As a result, they witnessed the horrors of hell on Earth up close.
People are like grains of grass, not more noble than cows and sheep, but not more insignificant than ants. Each era has its own challenges, and to each individual, these challenges may seem as daunting as a mountain.
Fuma Tsuru sat on the steps, refusing to leave. She stayed there, looking down at the town below, which was engulfed in flames. The sight of the burning town filled her eyes.
"Lord Chamberlain, please, you must..."
"Do you know how many people there are in this village?"
This question puzzled the others.
Fuma Tsuru pursed her lips and said, "I remember there were five hundred and seven... This village has a thriving livestock industry and produces various types of animal feed. Every household here lives comfortably. The village chief is a very clever person who knows how to make money for everyone, young and old. The inconspicuous house over there is his. The beef stew here tastes delicious, and there's an old lady at the entrance of the village who often makes crispy toffee treats."
"I've been to this village twice when I was young, and I don't know how many times I've come here since then."
"I have three friends who were born in the same year as me and they are from this village. One of them passed away when she was seventeen, another when she was nineteen, and another when she was twenty-three... That's why I often come to visit them and I also dream of coming here to retire when I am older."
The Chamberlain, whose hair was partly gray, looked at the burning village. She covered her face and let out a hoarse, self-mocking laugh between her fingers. "Five hundred people, in the blink of an eye... all gone. Where else can we go if we keep on escaping?"
She felt that the principles she had upheld for so many years suddenly went up in flames. She sat down and suddenly didn't want to move at all, as if she had aged decades in an instant.
"Lord Chamberlain," the others also stopped walking, as if they wanted to stay.
"You should go," Fuma Tsuru shook her head and whispered, "I am already old and don't have the ability to change the situation. I burned into ashes 20 years ago, just waiting to be buried in the ground."
"People choose to run away from danger, not because it is shameful, but because they want to stay alive and there are things they still want to do... You are all very young, and it is not worth dying here. Learning from shame and then being brave can help prevent such situations from happening again."
Chamberlain Fuma looked at the girls whose eyes shimmered with tears. She spoke softly, "Let's go, let's go quickly... Don't let despair catch up with you. The days ahead will still be tough, but I can only accompany you until here."
The young people held back their emotions and bowed deeply to the Chamberlain's departing figure. Then they turned around and ran away.
As the sound of footsteps faded away, the smell of gunpowder and blood started to fill the air.
Fuma Tsuru shook her sleeves vigorously and pulled out her trusty sword. She threw away the scabbard, aiming at the forehead of the cannibalistic creature trying to climb the stone steps. It hit its target and exploded violently, sending a powerful gust of wind and shards of debris, knocking down a large group of cannibalistic creatures.
The old woman raised her hand and tied up her hair, her weary expression gradually fading away. She was awakening long-forgotten memories from the past.
Even though her hands and feet weren't as nimble as before, even though her body was aging, even though her spirit was almost defeated by the shame of failure...
She could still ignite one last time, even if it meant sacrificing her life.
"Is it not enough for one of the leaders of the shrine like me to become your opponent?"
"Don't you guys go snooping around everywhere... you bunch of nosy busybodies!"
She laughed heartily, letting go of her harsh demands on herself, and regained the tone she had when she was younger.
With her long hair tied in a ponytail, she swung her sword and cut down the autumn leaves. The flames and blood were equally bright and red, still revealing glimpses of her youthful and heroic figure.
She swung her sword and cut towards the evil demons.
Just as she had been doing in the past thirty years.
...
Ten minutes, twenty minutes, or thirty minutes?
She couldn't remember how much time had passed, but the exhaustion in her body had already told her that it had been a long time.
She had already reached her limit.
Whenever things could fall apart.
With each swing of her blade, she would harm her own muscles and bones. Throughout her battles against the evil god, her body had become unable to endure any more fights. With each strike, she not only killed her enemies, but also herself.
"I've grown old in the end."
Fuma Tsuru whispered with a bitter and melancholy tone.
Her inner determination didn't waver in the slightest. Though her sword remained sharp, her body could no longer bear the burden, and she coughed up blood.
Meanwhile, the enemy still appeared as a large, dark mass. The cannibalistic demons seemed to have no sense of fear, their expressions hauntingly terrifying.
She couldn't see hatred and murderous intent in the eyes of these cannibals. Instead, she noticed a strong hunger, which oddly made her somewhat proud. Despite her aging and withering body, she surprisingly still had some allure?
As a woman, she felt a moment of joy, and then she thrust her sword into the open mouth of the demon, who was eager to taste her flesh and blood. The sword pierced through its brainstem.
Her arm also broke, leaving only one remaining limb, and she dropped her weapon.
The effects of a few adrenaline rushes seemed to have vanished, and she felt very tired and sleepy.
Fuma Tsuru, who had been strong all her life, felt a thought of "it's time to stop" arise in her heart.
She watched as the cannibals drooled and lunged towards her, and suddenly she felt a twinge of regret...
Her eyes, which were almost closing, opened again. She suddenly lifted her right leg and kicked the cannibal right on the head. As she kicked, her weapon fell off, but she managed to grab it with her teeth, biting onto the handle. The blade of the weapon was stained with blood.
No, absolutely not! Even if it means death, I cannot die like this!
She bit onto the sword and rushed towards the evil demons.
The dance of destiny in this lifetime burned until its final moment.
Even if her arms and legs were broken, she still tried to get up, but eventually her strength ran out. She fell to the ground, like a butterfly with broken wings.
She fell to the ground, her cheek touching the burnt earth. The soil smelled like something burnt. She looked and saw her reflection in the broken mirror.
Bleeding and in such a messy state.
She couldn't move anymore, her injuries were severe. Her face was covered in blood stains, and yet she held onto the handle of the sword tightly.
Hatred and a desire to kill kept her from closing her eyes for good.
She thought she would be devoured alive, but to her surprise, as she refused to close her eyes, she saw a scene of incredible wonder.
She saw a scary demon and took a slow step back.
The fierce features of the terrifying cannibals became stiff, and the beast-like creatures, who were not afraid of pain, involuntarily started to step back, as if avoiding, filled with fear.
Fuma Tsuru released her teeth, and her sword fell to the ground. She didn't know what these cannibals had seen, but a deep, satisfying laughter escaped her throat.
"Ha…."
She wanted to laugh, not because of trembling or fear, but because of joy, mocking laughter.
It turned out, they also knew the taste of fear...!
