257 The End Of A Battle
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(Blake POV)
Things ended rather well at the end. When I was finally healed through the constant leveling, I stood up and walked back with everyone. Although some were very happy and celebrated our victory, there were many others mourning the dead. This wasn’t the place nor the moment to celebrate yet. Despite having won, the loses of many lives were impactful for the people. I cannot really say if I feel impacted or not. I never knew any of those that died, and I only protected those I knew. But that doesn’t mean I cannot respect the dead, especially those honorable souls that gave their lives for this battle protecting their families.
Humans… I always thought they were a race of pathetic weaklings, and perhaps they still are. But nevertheless, I have grown to appreciate their reckless courage and bravery, and the strong bonds that they make with others. Despite having such fleeting lives, they seem to harbor strong emotions and because of such short lives, they value each second. Perhaps now that I am a human, I can know and understand this better. Especially because I’ve never felt this alive before. As I stood in silence in front of the battlefield, covered in blood and scars, I couldn’t help but find the cold wind of the afternoon quite soothing.
We have won a war after many sacrifices. The least I could do was to stay in silence and observe the battlefield, and think about the dead, even if I had never met them, even if I didn’t had any relationship with them. Honoring the fallen is not something to be ashamed of, it is something that must be done. Even in my previous life, as I lost many of those that served me, I always mourned their deaths and remained in silence for several days, thinking about them. Because I know that as long as they remain within my mind and my heart, they will never truly die.
Do i sound weak by thinking in such things? Perhaps. But to me, it is not bad. It has helped me to see things through different perspectives. In the positions where my previous life always found himself, I never truly realized how things were for the rest, how other people truly experienced life. It is… quite impactful. I’ve sometimes forgotten that I am also now a frail human boy.
Despite my victory and how strong I am, I still feel weak and small, so small compared to the greatness I’ve seen in my previous life. A near-endless universe. I also had humble beginnings in my previous life, but they were harsh and without many emotions, fights after fights, with no aftertaste other than blood in my mouth. This really made me think about many things, but before anything else, I wanted to check on Eleanora. After our fusion ended, she went immediately back to my Spirit Orb.
“Eleanora, are you alright?”
“Ah! Yes, I am alright. After the fusion I was weakened so I came back to the Spirit Orb to recover, my lord.”
“I’ve told you to call me by my new name.”
“Oh right… I am alright, Blake. You don’t have to worry.”
“Hmm. Did you leveled up?”
“I did. I am Level 10 right now. My Status as a Spirit has also risen I believe. But now I’ve hit a wall… Is there a way to break over Level 10?”
“Yes, I have unlocked something new. We shall look upon it later.”
“Very well…”
As I remained in silence for a few moments, I saw the survivors quickly carrying the corpses of the fallen soldiers. Without doubting for a second, I decided to join them. I called upon my Fenrir and Orcus and began to carry the bodies wrapped in cloth. The priests were all praying to the Holy Spirits, while I saw a few priests that had also ended dying in this battle, which were being mourned heavily. Most of the priests that participated here knew one another for years, the loss of their friends must be impactful and painful.
Despite this being a victory, it came with a lot of bitterness. Although many feel like celebrating, they also feel like its not right to celebrate in front of all these bodies, it would be disrespectful, perhaps. Looking at the Priests, Jake had barely made it. He was the most wounded of those that survived, and if it wasn’t because I helped him with Healing Techniques that used Ki while also cleansing the demonic energy inside of his wounds, he would be dead by now.
After the war and the death of the Demon General, the remaining demons, which were a few dozen ran away immediately. I caught a few with my Beast Spirits, but they were faster and the entire army was tired, we didn’t chased them down. I wasn’t able to chase them down as I had to attend everything here. While I helped everyone carry the corpses of the fallen, I used [First Aid] and a wide arrange of Tier 1 Healing Spells combined with Ki to heal the wounded, there were many that were still hanging on life with lethal wounds as well.
Aside from the proficiency I can gain by healing in masse, there is also something else behind my actions. I simply respected these soldiers, they came to fight a near impossible war and somehow won, I couldn’t help but respect them. Out of respect and because I could, I began to heal them with the aid of the other priests. Of course, I am also going to be paid for my services later by Ellergest, so it is a win-win for me.
“Blake, you’re amazing, after fighting so much you’re still pumping with energy…!” Said Elizabeth. “A-And that fight was incredible! Did you fuse with your spirit?!”
“He is surely unique. I had never seen a Rank 1 Spirit Master fuse with their spirit before. Isn’t that a technique that can only be developed after Rank 3 because Spirits lack enough spiritual essence to merge before that Rank?” Wondered Seth while readjusting his glasses.
These two were pestering me a lot while I was working…
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