Mister Zero, Her Story: Chapter 73 – Those Who Embrace Death
A massive sandstorm raged through Yan City’s core district, its towering skyscrapers offering little resistance as it headed towards the Ember Furnace at the city’s heart.
Everything in its path was relentlessly destroyed.
Fortunately, Yan City had its wartime command center. The moment the sandstorm appeared, civilian evacuations began.
Although some, too close to the storm, couldn’t escape, most were safely evacuated.
Dawn tried to avoid civilian casualties when possible, but not at the cost of their mission.
And now…
Yan City’s remaining strongest combatants were gathered here, prepared for a desperate last stand.
The twenty or so “Ruin” level ability users were divided into small teams, protecting the deployment of the pulse cannon battalions.
And Li Ping and Lin Cheng, burning their life force to ignite their spiritual energy, had taken that monumental step.
Although their power would greatly diminish afterward, their aged bodies at risk…
They stood firm, without hesitation.
Because… they were the fathers.
Yan City had no gods, only those they revered.
They revered the forefathers who had bravely pioneered this land, who had never retreated, even when the path ahead was uncertain.
Li Ping held his sword in one hand, his wrinkled face seemingly rejuvenated by the burning spiritual energy, his gray hair darkening, a hint of his younger self returning.
Lin Cheng stood beside him, wielding a massive two-handed sword, his heavy armor clanking with each step, the ground trembling beneath his feet.
Although both had been taught by the Sword Saint Sect Master, their fighting styles were different.
However, having fought together for many years, their coordination was impeccable.
“Yan City might fall, but not… today,” Li Ping whispered, his figure blurring as he charged towards a Dawn team that had split off to attack their flank.
Lin Cheng, clad in heavy armor, charged into Dawn’s formation like a fortress, trying to break their ranks.
At the same time, another surge of energy, though less intense than before, emanated from the Ember Furnace, the Eldest Mister’s aura.
“Damn it…”
Rhine’s expression darkened.
He had anticipated Yan City’s ambush, but they had practically staked everything here, and now, another surge of the Eldest Mister’s aura…
Yan City’s intentions were clear.
They were stalling them, planning to use the Eldest Mister’s remains!
After calming down earlier, Rhine had realized that Yan City wasn’t likely to sacrifice tens of thousands of lives in the core district just to stop Dawn.
It would be an act of madness, something only a Primordial Demon would do.
However, the Eldest Mister’s aura was undeniable. It could only appear if the “Ice Coffin” was opened.
All signs pointed to Yan City still planning to use the “Ice Coffin Weapon.”
Perhaps… they had found a way to control the Eldest Mister’s power, to contain the “End” ability within a limited area.
Although his anger and hatred intensified, Rhine made a decision.
“Don’t engage, advance quickly!”
If they could reach the Ember Furnace before it happened… whatever Yan City was planning would be futile.
More and more of Yan City’s forces were converging here; both sides knew this was the decisive battleground.
Lin Cheng and Li Ping, with their impeccable teamwork, held off several Dawn teams.
Lin Cheng, in his heavy armor, wasn’t agile, but the powerful defensive runes inscribed on his armor, combined with his massive two-handed sword, made him an unstoppable force. No one in Dawn’s ranks dared to face him directly.
Of course, if that was all he had, he would be just a slow-moving target.
But… there was also Li Ping.
Li Ping’s swordsmanship was similar to Qin Wen’s, an assassination style known for its swift, deadly strikes.
The difference was that Qin Wen could use her ability to attack from multiple directions and locations simultaneously, while Li Ping only had a single sword.
However… a single sword was enough.
In terms of single-target assassination, Li Ping was now even stronger than Qin Wen. He couldn’t attack multiple targets at once, but each flash of his blade would take down a “Ruin” level Dawn member.
As Lin Cheng broke through their formations, Li Ping weaved through the battlefield like a venomous snake.
Any Dawn member caught out of position… would be instantly killed by his blade.
To defend against Li Ping’s assassination technique, they had to stay close together.
But then, it was Lin Cheng’s turn to shine.
With the two veterans’ teamwork, two Dawn teams were forced to retreat, and two more were deployed to stop them.
However… this meant Dawn couldn’t defend their left flank, and the Pulse Cannon Battalion quickly finished their deployment.
Dozens of pulse cannons, imported from “Noah,” were set up on rooftops about a kilometer away, aimed at the Dawn teams advancing behind the sandstorm.
“Fire!”
Blazing blue flames erupted from the muzzles of the pulse cannons, powered by the “Ember,” their “Ruin” level spiritual pressure spreading.
Each cannon’s destructive power was equivalent to a full-powered attack from a “Ruin” level ability user.
At the same time, the Yan City ability user teams, having received the order to fire, immediately retreated, and the blood-soaked Lin Cheng and Li Ping also withdrew from the battlefield.
A barrage of pulse fire rained down on the Dawn teams.
Alyxsia immediately activated her force field shield, one of the few pieces of equipment she had left after her failed attack on the southwestern front line.
Her ability was to control electricity with incredible precision, even manipulating electromagnetic fields at a microscopic level.
This ability wasn’t particularly strong in direct combat, but it gave her an unparalleled advantage in creating machinery.
And within Dawn, with Mister’s guidance, she had access to valuable information from the Old Era, even more complete than “Noah’s” archives.
That’s why Alyxsia, at such a young age, had become one of Dawn’s top ten Cadres. The mechanical weapons she created were unmatched, even by “Noah.”
And this force field shield, created by Alyxsia, could easily withstand the “Ruin” level pulse fire.
But… maintaining the shield required spiritual energy.
Dawn didn’t have Yan City’s “Ember” to draw upon; the shield could only temporarily delay their advance.
The pulse fire, powered by the “Ember,” seemed endless, barrage after barrage crashing against the force field.
Alyxsia’s spiritual energy rapidly depleted, her face pale.
Just then, several anxious voices echoed.
“Alyxsia! Deactivate the shield, we have to counterattack!”
“Are we just going to sit here and take it? Abandon our fallen comrades?!”
“Cheng Xi, Seville, Wells… they all died at the hands of these Free Federation bastards…”
“But, but…”
Alyxsia hesitated, looking at the Dawn members around her, their eyes red and filled with rage.
Yan City’s ambush had been effective, especially with Li Ping and Lin Cheng’s teamwork, and Dawn had suffered heavy losses.
They wanted revenge, but Alyxsia had trapped them behind the shield.
“I…”
Alyxsia’s hand trembled as she held the shield’s control switch.
Her earlier defeat against Luo Yan had shaken her confidence, and now, facing her comrades’ accusations, she couldn’t think clearly.
Just then, Rhine patted her shoulder and said,
“Everyone, calm down.”
Grifres immediately unleashed a calming wave of spiritual energy. Although he specialized in offensive mind-related abilities, such subtle control was still within his capabilities.
“What’s our current situation?” Rhine asked after everyone calmed down. “How many injured, how many dead?”
“…Twelve comrades died in the interception battle, and over thirty are seriously injured,” Grifres reported.
These were the casualties since the start of the operation. Combined with the losses at the first and second lines of defense, Dawn’s total casualties were now over twenty-five percent.
And these losses were almost equal to their total losses during the Colonna war, yet they hadn’t even reached Yan City’s “Ember Furnace.”
Yan City’s weapons and defenses were stronger than Colonna’s, and their army, having only recently finished pioneering the city, was still a formidable force.
And the initial defeat at the first line of defense had been a major setback.
“My older brothers… they always said I was too soft, too sentimental,” Rhine whispered. “They said it was a good quality, but sometimes… not so good…
“Like… in war.
“That’s why I’m not as good as them, I’ll never catch up.”
Rhine sighed, his gaze sweeping over the Dawn members.
Their faces were etched with exhaustion and grief.
The rumbling of the pulse cannons continued, but within the force field shield, an eerie silence fell.
“To bring the Eldest Mister home, we’ve paid a heavy price, and so has Yan City,” Rhine whispered. “Was it… worth it? I often ask myself this…”
The Dawn members hesitated, but remained silent.
Dawn was united by the Misters, a family formed by them.
The Misters were the parents, and they were the children, even though these children had grown up.
“I think… perhaps it wasn’t worth it… so many lives… just for…”
Rhine chuckled self-deprecatingly, then looked towards the Ember Furnace.
“But that’s not how it works… We are Dawn, and Dawn cannot exist without the Misters. Without them, we wouldn’t survive in the New Era.”
Rhine pointed towards the Ember Furnace, or rather, towards the Eldest Mister’s aura.
“Dawn cannot tolerate… cannot accept… that our patriarch’s remains are being used as a ‘weapon’ by outsiders. It’s an unimaginable disgrace.
“We… will not allow it.”
Rhine’s gaze hardened. He wondered what his two older brothers would do in this situation.
What should he do?
The answer was…
“Those who embrace death, step forward,” Rhine whispered.
Indeed, the fastest way to break through Yan City’s defenses was…
A suicidal charge.
Yan City was using suicidal tactics to delay them.
Dawn could only break free by doing the same.
After a brief silence, several figures stepped forward.
“I’m old, not much potential left, I never expected to return anyway…”
“Nonsense, you’re twenty years younger than me! I’m the old one!”
“Heh, stop arguing, we’re all old bones, just giving the youngsters a chance.”
Indeed, all the Dawn members who stepped forward were the older “brothers” in the team.
Or rather, those who appeared older.
Spiritual energy could slow down the aging process, the stronger the energy, the more significant the effect.
A one hundred and twenty-year-old “Peril” level ability user, compared to an eighty-year-old “Ruin” level ability user, would appear much younger, both physically and in terms of vitality.
And most of those who stepped forward were Dawn members nearing the end of their lifespans.
“The rest of you, continue the advance,” Rhine whispered, then turned to those who had volunteered to die. “I… will mourn for you.”
Time was of the essence; there was no time for sentimentality.
The other Dawn members watched silently as those who embraced death formed an assault formation, facing Yan City.
Rhine took a deep breath, then looked at the still-dazed Alyxsia.
“Deactivate the force field.”
“Huh?” Alyxsia looked up. “I can still hold on for a while…”
“Save your strength for the next fight,” Rhine ruffled her hair, accidentally undoing her twintails. “Oops, sorry…”
He smiled wryly, then his expression turned serious.
He channeled his spiritual energy, guiding the raging sandstorm, slowly advancing.
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