Episode 3: Northern Front (2)
Aura Technique.
A power humanity developed to fend off the waves of monsters that surged in after the appearance of the first demonic beast 400 years ago.
The premise is simple: accumulate Aura in your body, and you gain superhuman strength.
But doesn’t that sound a bit too convenient?
Just store up some energy, and you get extraordinary power without any cost?
And at the perfect moment, when humanity was on the brink of extinction?
That’s suspiciously good luck.
In truth, there’s a darker side to Aura Technique, tied to the very essence of Aura itself.
A revelation from the game’s mid-to-late stages: Aura is the same energy as the Demonic Energy within monsters and great beasts.
The only difference is that it’s been heavily diluted to be compatible with human bodies.
But wielding the same energy as monsters doesn’t come without a price.
Those who master Aura Technique are doomed to become monsters themselves.
Aura—no, Demonic Energy—gradually transforms the body into that of a monster the moment it flows within.
Dilution only slows the process, but the end is inevitable: death or transformation. The collapse of the northern front is rooted in this very truth.
So, here’s the question: what happens to those who push Aura Technique to its limits and awaken true Aura?
The answer lies in the collapse of the northern front in the game’s mid-to-late stages. I oiled my sword, quietly glaring at Irena Krauze.
The Spear of the Empire, Irena Krauze, clashes with the first great demonic beast. In the end, she becomes another great demonic beast herself, single-handedly annihilating the northern front. That’s the first step toward humanity’s downfall.
‘I have to kill her before that happens.’
Even if I kill her and delay the northern front’s collapse, the outcome might not change.
Aura Technique is widespread across the continent, and most of its practitioners are the world’s strongest fighters.
If they all turn into monsters, the continent will fall, northern beasts or not. That’s why this game was so damn brutal.
‘But to stop the monster outbreak in the south and the Red Star in the center, I need to buy time.’
As I oiled my sword with these thoughts, Crim spoke up. The task force’s members kept changing, but Crim and I were still alive.
“What, moved on from your jilted fiancée to eyeing the commander now?”
“Stop talking nonsense. What’s this about a fiancée I don’t even remember?”
Crim smirked.
“You deny it, but your eyes were burning when you looked at her.”
“That’s called a competitive gaze. It’s the look of someone determined to surpass the commander one day.”
“Really? Is that so~?”
“It’s the truth.”
Crim chuckled and looked up, counting the stars in the dark night sky before speaking again.
“The Bephart subjugation is tomorrow.”
Bephart was the name of a great demonic beast that had been wreaking havoc on the front for decades. Crim tilted her head to look at me.
“You’re the only original member left. Let’s survive this.”
“Obviously.”
“Pfft, too obvious? You’re just a lunatic obsessed with becoming a war hero to get revenge on your fiancée.”
“Where the hell did that come from?”
“Dunno. Just heard the rumors.”
“Care to explain these baseless rumors?”
***
The great demonic beast, Bephart, wasn’t shaped like an animal or monster.
It took the form of a knight clad in full armor.
That was the difference between monsters and great demonic beasts.
While beasts mimicked animals, some took human form entirely. It was already confirmed that they could wield human swordsmanship.
The contradiction of a monster wielding human strength was proof of its power.
Subduing a single great demonic beast required Irena, her knight order, and countless cannon fodder.
Great demonic beasts would flee the moment they sensed death was near. To defeat one, you had to pin it down while the knights moved in for the kill.
As I watched Bephart approach from afar, Crim shouted,
“Are you bastards ready?!”
The special task force’s mission was to hold Bephart until the knights arrived.
Regular soldiers couldn’t even buy time against a great demonic beast.
Using them as cannon fodder would deplete the front’s forces, leaving it unsustainable.
That’s why the special task force—stronger than regular soldiers but weaker than knights—was chosen. It was the tragedy of being a middling force.
It was practically a suicide mission, but I knew I couldn’t surpass Irena without overcoming this.
The only thing I could do was cross the line of death. Keep crossing it, and If I could survive this world—
“Ready!!”
Crim grinned.
“Let’s go.”
Led by Crim, the task force charged toward Bephart.
Bephart, a great demonic beast that had slaughtered countless soldiers and knights over the years, was formidable.
Within three minutes of engagement, the special task force was on the verge of annihilation.
Only Crim, me, and a junior recruit named Yulen survived. Despite the odds being stacked against us, we fought to hold Bephart in place.
I frantically parried Bephart’s blood-soaked blade alongside Yulen, while Crim slipped through narrow openings, thrusting her rapier.
Just the three of us managed to hold our own against Bephart. But it didn’t last long.
It was the moment Yulen exhausted all his Aura.
Bephart, sensing the weakened defense, lunged at him instantly.
Yulen was killed in a single blow, and in the same momentum, Bephart’s blade pierced Crim’s abdomen.
“—!”
Even as she was impaled, Crim thrust her rapier into the gap of Bephart’s visor.
As Bephart let out a roar, I caught Crim’s collapsing body.
Black veins bulged around the wound in her abdomen—Demonic Energy was eating away at her like poison.
“Are you okay?!”
“I’m fine, I’m fine… Just do something about that bastard. So many died because of it…”
Bephart was already regenerating the wound.
If this kept up, we’d fail the mission and both die. Gritting my teeth, I swung my sword at Bephart with desperate ferocity.
“Damn it!”
My overtaxed body creaked. I scraped together the last dregs of my Aura, circulating it through my entire body.
Yet, the gap in strength and speed was too great—my arms, clashing against Bephart’s blade, began to break.
Fingers snapped, wrist ligaments tore. Still, I swung my sword in a trance, refusing to stop.
In contrast to my body’s collapse, my mind felt increasingly exhilarated.
My eyes flashed open, and in an instant, every sense in my body flipped. The flow of Aura stopped, replaced by a strange resonance.
My heart, spine, lungs, joints, muscles, nerves—everything was vibrating.
—Wave.
Not a circulating force, but one that spread outward.
The moment I recognized it, I saw the wave.
Entranced, I swung my sword along its path.
The blade hummed as if vibrating, emitting a clear, resonant chime.
Ping!
For the first time, Bephart’s heavy strike was deflected. Clutching the sword with my broken thumb and middle finger, I followed the wave, swinging again. I held out alone for another thirteen minutes.
My left arm broke, my right wrist shattered, and my grip weakened.
The broken sword scattered into fragments on the ground.
My ruptured leg muscles gave out. As I collapsed, Bephart’s enraged strike raced toward my neck.
“You held out well, Ian.”
“Sorry for being late.”
Two knights landed in front of me, blocking Bephart’s attack.
Behind them, a blinding light erupted. An icy spear, radiating frost, pierced Bephart through its frost-covered armor.
The Spear of the Empire, Irena Krauze, unleashed a storm of ice.
The knight division had arrived.
***
The Bephart subjugation was a success. I was admitted to a field hospital at the northern outpost.
Both arms and legs wrapped in bandages, I lay in my bed when Irena came to visit.
“Thank you, Ian. Without you, we couldn’t have defeated Bephart.”
Her sincere praise didn’t bring me joy. The entire special task force had died just to hold Bephart in place.
Even knowing this world was doomed to collapse, with them turning into monsters or dying as humans, I couldn’t easily accept the loss of those I’d grown attached to.
This world was no longer just a game—it was my reality.
“…Don’t mention it.”
“And I’m sorry. Because I was late, your comrades died.”
“No, thanks to you, we avenged Crim and the others.”
Irena’s face was stained with deep guilt. She could have brushed off their deaths, but she carried their weight in her heart.
Her kindness was evident in that moment.
To think someone like her would become a great demonic beast and help bring about the world’s end—it left a bitter taste in my mouth.
“…Thank you for saying that.”
Irena spoke a bit more before leaving. Some knights I’d grown close to from the division visited afterward.
Then, out of nowhere, the nobel lady of Nordelheim showed up.
“Are you okay, my savior? I brought herbs to aid your recovery and restore your strength!”
“It’s been a while. Have you been well?”
“Your way of speaking has changed, my savior! But I like this deeper tone too!”
Wrapped up like a mummy in bandages, I received the nobel lady’s devoted care.
Chewing on medicinal herbs, I waited for my body to heal. I had to get stronger. Stronger than I was now.
I stared at the wave I’d awakened to during the Bephart battle.
I didn’t fully understand it, but if I could master it, I might be able to avoid the apocalyptic ending brought by Aura Technique.
“Now, open your mouth, my savior.”
I opened my mouth, and the nobel lady fed me a spoonful of porridge.
Hmm, it’s pretty good.
Nobel-> Noble I think
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