CHAPTER 30: UNCERTAINTY

The sound of galloping echoed around the area, being drowned into the noises of the screams of the knights and the clashes of metal soon after.

Luna raised her sword up before bringing it down with such force that it completely dismembered the half-dead knight running along the side of her horse.

She tightened the horse’s reins, forcing it to run faster.

I don’t have much time, I have to report this as soon as possible, she thought.

She was on her way to report to Eunice about the situation that had been created with the half-dead knights and their shenanigans.

It was truly a concerning matter, and a variable that if not taken care of could be the cause of their entire strategy crumbling down into dust.

Her eyes were filled with focus and at this point were the epitome of determination. Anyone who came in front or even near her horse got slashed into pieces, regardless of whether it was a half-dead knight or an actual knight.

"Hurry up..." she mumbled to herself, gritting her teeth.

About five minutes later she finally saw her destination. The wooden walls built around their outpost were finally visible. Eunice was also right in front of the walls, mounted on her horse and giving out commands.

Luna practically jumped out of her horse, landing on the ground six feet away before running to Eunice.

"What happened? Why are you so hasty?" Eunice asked after looking at Luna’s panicking nature.

"There has been a problem," Luna said, catching her breath. "They have used some kind of spell and the enemy knights... well, they are not dying. Even after being on the brink of death they are moving forward with their sword in hand."

"I see," Eunice replied, her calm demeanor remaining. "Well, to be honest, I did suspect something strange was going on since there were irregularities on the battlefield but this..."

"Do you have any specifics?" she asked.

"Let me see," Luna said, thinking back to the time when she was surrounded by those half-dead knights. Then about a few seconds later she remembered some useful details.

"They behave completely like normal people first, and I believe that they are so as well. However, the moment they are in a situation where they are about to die, say for example getting stabbed by a sword or hit by a deadly spell."

"Then the insignia on their armor lets out a red light and suddenly afterward their behavior completely changes," Luna explained.

"They turn into bloodthirsty killers rather than knights, you could feel an intense bloodlust just by being around them. It was as if killing their opponent was the only thing on their minds, to the point that they didn’t even care if their own bodies got destroyed in the process."

There was a look of concern on Luna’s face as she spelled out the details. It was something truly strange, inhumane even. Yes, she was aware that this was a war and anything could happen, but this was taking it way too far.

"How are our troops holding up against them?" Eunice asked, staring at the active battlefield in front of her.

"It’s... not good. First of all, they are being taken out by surprise since what’s happening is completely unexpected. And even if they are fighting, they are not really faring well."

"The only thing those half-dead knights want is to kill their opponent. So even if you cut their arms or smash their heads, they’ll still manage to hit you in a last desperate attempt if their hands could still move."

"And I’ve noticed that they don’t die unless you strike their critical organs like their brains or heart, but most of our knights are unaware of this and are trying to fight them like normal knights," Luna mentioned.

"Hmm, this isn’t really good," Eunice said out loud. "Is this why they attacked so confidently even after your assassination failed?"

"I’m not sure, but yeah that can be possible," Luna replied.

Eunice didn’t say anything for a while after that. The silence between them stretched on for minutes, a silence that was settled in the chaotic noises of a war being fought.

Then she let out a sigh, closing her eyes for a split second before opening them again and looking toward Luna.

"This has gotten out of hand now, we’re changing our approach. I’ll command all the forces to retreat except one battalion that’ll stay at the frontlines to prevent the enemy knights from advancing forward."

"It’ll be a weak defense so we’ll have to carry on the next part quickly. You will take your personal elite guards and advance toward the enemy forces as soon as you can."

"Your goal here is to cause damage in mass to break their morale. Try to reduce their numbers by a quarter," Eunice instructed.

"Hmm. Understood," Luna replied, her eyes looking far off in the horizon.

"Then I’ll head off, I have to meet with my guards first as well—"

"Wait!"

Luna was suddenly cut off mid-sentence. Upon looking to her side she saw that it was Lishia who had interjected while she was speaking.

Lishia stood there with a slightly concerning look on her face.

"What happened? You scared me a little, coming out of nowhere like that," Luna responded casually.

"Can you repeat what you saw about those half-dead soldiers?" Lishia demanded.

"I’d come here to look at what’s going on myself but ended up hearing your conversation. But now that I’ve heard it there’s something I’d like to confirm," she added.

"Well, fine," Luna replied. "As I said, they are completely normal unless they are hurt. Even after being hurt, they seem to behave normally. It’s only after they receive a life-threatening wound that they turn into whatever state that is."

"Oh, and also the insignia on their chest releases a red glow before they start behaving differently," with that Luna finished her recounting of what had happened.

As she heard her words, the concern on Lishia’s face deepened.

She took a step toward Luna, her yellow eyes wide and intense.

"Luna, tell me exactly what happened after the glow," she said with her voice now low and serious. "Their movements... did they get faster?