The Last Legendary Weapons Master: Rise of the strongest player

Chapter 142: Shattered Morale (2)

They fled toward the outskirts in miserable condition, running for their lives.

Luna’s spell had opened the way and relieved some of the pressure, but the pursuit continued for a very long time before they finally managed to lose the monsters and put enough distance between themselves and the city.

The raid had left many of them wounded.

And even those who had avoided the worst injuries were utterly exhausted...

Both physically and mentally.

Even the victors did not look like victors.

They looked like survivors who had barely escaped a massacre.

...

...

...

Inside one of the distant bonfires...

Silence descended once more.

The flames reflected across their exhausted faces while some sat directly on the ground, too drained to even remove their weapons.

The priest was attempting to treat Jackson, yet he stopped several times, shock written all over his face.

"This... is impossible."

He muttered while staring at the giant’s body.

"Too many of his internal organs are damaged... his ribs are shattered, internal bleeding everywhere, tears throughout his body..."

At last, he lifted his gaze.

"I don’t even know what I’m supposed to heal first. Honestly... I can barely find a single organ in his body that isn’t damaged."

The silence became even heavier after those words.

"The fact he’s still alive is a miracle by itself."

Jackson chuckled faintly despite the blood dripping from his mouth.

"Hah... get away from me, you useless damn priest. I’ll be fine after some rest."

He waved the priest away before lying back against the cold ground and closing his eyes.

All the Hunters stared at him silently.

But now...

They were looking at him completely differently.

Because everyone understood the truth now.

If Jackson had not been with them...

Every single one of them would have died.

That was not emotional exaggeration.

Nor was it an attempt to glorify him after the battle.

It was simply reality.

They had entered that land believing their forces, despite their weakness, might still be enough if they worked together. They thought numbers, planning, and experience could compensate for the gap in power.

But the Iron Demon had shattered that illusion.

Even Jackson had nearly died.

If merely one subordinate of the Cathedral had pushed them this far...

Then how were they ever supposed to dream of killing the Golden Knight?

The morale of the survivors had sunk to the bottom despite their victory.

Even the leaders were no exception.

Gustav sat alone in the distance, holding his head in silence.

Some of the others looked at him in surprise.

Because it was the first time they had ever seen grief so openly displayed on the First Squad Captain’s face.

He had lost two members of his squad.

Two comrades who had followed him for a very long time.

They had not merely been subordinates to him.

They had been far more than that.

Even the cruelest members of the Heart family were still affected when they lost one of their own.

Many shared his grief.

But unlike them...

Ethan showed no real concern for the dead.

He sat quietly near the fire, staring at his system interface.

4000 Souls.

It was little. Far too little.

’If I had used my abilities more efficiently...’

He did not think about the dead.

Nor about the tragedy.

The only thing Ethan saw when he looked back at the battle...

Was his own weakness.

’The spiral attack only succeeded because Moon created an opening for me... even with the aura of the Lord of Night.’

’Overcharge was useful, but I used it poorly.’

’I could’ve charged it further if I’d fought smarter...’

Ethan’s mind never stopped analyzing.

He was not sad.

He was only thinking about how he could have performed better.

And how he could survive the next time.

Even Jackson...

Despite being the only person toward whom Ethan showed any genuine interest, that interest was not emotional in the slightest.

It was practical.

’If he dies... we lose the only force capable of standing against the Cathedral’s monsters.’

That was all Ethan thought about.

Amidst the heavy silence, the plan they had come here with had effectively collapsed. Many of them had already begun fearing a return to the deeper zones, terrified another monster like the Iron Demon might appear.

Gustav was broken, incapable of leading them or restoring morale.

And with Jackson unable to fight...

Everything had stalled.

"This doesn’t look good..." Raiden said while gathered with the members of the Third Squad.

"Our numbers dropped way too much. Do we really have enough strength left to clear the deeper areas?"

Around them, only three members of the First Squad remained alive.

The rest were merely scattered survivors from different squads.

They looked more like hopeless ghosts than Hunters.

All except the strange witch, Schierke.

She remained cheerful.

Smiling despite everything.

Whenever Ethan looked at her, she simply returned his gaze with a wide grin that made her look utterly insane.

She only smiled.

Calmly.

Quietly.

As if nothing happening around them was truly real to her.

Ethan noticed it once again.

That witch...

She was not normal.

Every time he looked at her, he felt as though she were completely detached from reality itself, like someone observing the entire scene from afar without being touched by any of it.

Even after the Hunters died...

Her expression had not changed.

If anything...

She looked faintly amused.

Ethan narrowed his eyes while staring at her, but his thoughts were interrupted by a cold voice.

"They may refuse to continue fighting after everything that happened," Moon concluded after observing the morale of the survivors.

The Third Squad was the only squad that had preserved all of its members until now.

Which made their condition the best among everyone present.

"What do we do from this point onward?" Moon asked while looking at everyone around her, wanting to hear their opinions. "Our decision here will determine whether this plan continues... or gets abandoned."

Whether they truly wished to continue risking their lives.

And Ethan was the only one who answered immediately, maintaining the exact same stance despite everything they had just endured.

"I’m moving again and heading back into the depths the moment that damn giant recovers."

He pointed backward toward Jackson’s unconscious body with his thumb.

"Even if we have to go alone, we’re not stopping."

"Because staying here won’t change anything."

Moon nodded in response.

"You won’t be going alone."

"I’m coming too."

"And I understand very well that this is our only chance."

Moon said firmly as she took his side.