By Zephyria 
After that, the scenes became fragmented. Like a flickering light, his vision repeatedly dimmed and brightened.
“Don’t scatter! Stick to the main force!”
The sounds in his ears also wavered, fading into the distance before returning with a volume that made his eardrums throb. It felt as if he were being swept away by a giant wave. Dozens of times, his senses sank underwater and then resurfaced. He worried that he might lose consciousness at this rate, but fortunately, that didn’t happen.
Beyond his occasionally clearing vision, he could see the hand gripping the spear shaft trembling like an aspen leaf. His body, breath ragged, swung the spearhead haphazardly. He wondered if he had survived this far purely by luck, for he was knocked back helplessly by even the slightest brush from the creatures lunging at him. It seemed he was simply in a state of shock.
“You brainless bastards, what are you doing? Kill them all!”
A man who had mounted his horse in the meantime shouted toward the soldiers, holding an axe. The elites moving with him were the same. Gripping their reins tightly with one hand, they spurred their horses forward in unison toward the creatures crawling out from the thickets.
They slammed down rusted blades that couldn’t even reflect light, then slashed diagonally to sever necks.
Slash—
Whenever a galloping horse crossed paths with a demon beast, a fountain of blood invariably erupted from one side.
Kieeeeek—!
Bloodstains mixed with bodily fluids splattered against tree trunks like red daggers. Hideous, severed necks rolled across the ground, still snapping their jaws. As they gnashed their teeth and flashed an eerie glint in their eyes, the decapitated corpses stumbled over them before collapsing with a heavy thud.
Standing before them with a pale face, Leonardo—or rather, this body—could do nothing but gasp for air.
“Haa, haa….”
He managed to cast his eyes down to observe the corpse at his feet.
‘Could this be the Peninsula?’
He wasn’t entirely sure because the form didn’t match perfectly, but the corpse before him bore a striking resemblance to a Dermokas.
The habit of hiding underground, the quadrupedal gait, and the physical structure with a hump on its back. If he assumed this was the appearance of a Dermokas before repeated genetic modifications, it made sense. Thinking so, he began to understand the language of this group, which resembled that of Paren.
Since Paren had been geographically attached to the Peninsula since ancient times, there was a high possibility that these people were indigenous inhabitants of the Peninsula or citizens of Paren who shared the same living sphere.
Then does it mean that even in this life, I am not from Laina Rogia?
Kiaaaak—!
Before he had time to grasp the situation, a piercing shriek slammed into his eardrums. Instinctively frowning and covering his ears, he looked up to find a demon beast, having climbed atop a corpse by gripping its hide, looking down at him.
The moment their eyes met, the creature opened its maw wide, revealing jagged teeth. Between its jaws, which opened beyond reasonable limits, chunks of flesh from some unknown source writhed. It lunged forward as if intending to chew and swallow him starting from the head, treating him as emergency rations.
“…!”
Leonardo instinctively leaned his upper body back to secure distance. Then, he thrust the tip of the spear deep into the creature’s throat.
Thuck. Unlike the hide, the thin mucous membrane inside the mouth was sliced quite sharply even by a crude spearhead. A scream, sounding like grinding metal, leaked from the creature’s torn, ragged throat.
—!
Simultaneously, an unidentified liquid slid down the spear shaft. Leonardo pushed the creature aside with all his might and bolted.
“Haa, haa—.”
Frantically weaving through the field of corpses, he searched for a new weapon. He knew he would only survive if he had something in his hand.
Just then, he saw the man he had spoken with earlier standing alone, blocking the path of a demon beast as large as a house. A blade driven vertically into the creature’s head was barely holding on, but the man’s head was already halfway inside the beast’s maw. Looking closer, he saw a wounded soldier collapsed behind him.
That man must also be the type who cannot simply pass by someone in misery. Feeling a strong sense of kinship, his body moved first. Without hesitation, he picked up a rolling wooden shield and a palm-sized stone.
He rotated his shoulder wide and hurled the heavy stone toward the monster.
Thud—
He happened to hit it in the head, but the horror of an eyeball rolling out was vivid. Perhaps displeased, the creature let go of the blade it had been gnawing on and pivoted its direction instantly.
“Hey, over here!”
“Brother!”
He heard voices calling from behind, but there was no time to look back. Though he didn’t know about now, Dermokas were originally highly intelligent. They were vicious enough to intentionally let go of prey they had already caught to pursue a more interesting target.
Thanks to that, he succeeded in luring the creature, which was charging at a maddening speed as if folding the earth, but the problem came next. This body was not faster than its original speed, nor did it know how to use magic, nor did it possess outstanding martial skills.
To survive in this situation, he needed to secure one of the elites’ warhorses to gain a height advantage, but in the chaos, he had drifted too far from the formation, and the soldiers were nowhere to be seen.
Just as he was about to leap over the brush while checking behind him,
“Ugh!”
His foot caught on a sturdy plant, and he tumbled onto the dirt ground. He barely managed to stand up using the falling techniques he had learned through countless hardships, but the heads of five monsters soon loomed over his vision.
Grrrr—
Saliva dripped from the jaws of the creatures surrounding him within a ten-meter radius. He was besieged without any gap to escape.
‘I’m screwed.’
Meanwhile, dark clouds had gathered in the sky, plunging the surroundings into darkness. If a powerless conscript were to die in a place like this, no one would ever find him…. In the meantime, the maws of the approaching demon beasts, their bodies swelling, ripped open wide.
Their expressions were malicious, as if mocking a mouse cornered in a dead end. Despite this, Leonardo resisted desperately.
‘Hey, you gonna give up here? Even if I die, I have to take at least one of them with me!’
In reality, he was only screaming fervently inside. This body, perhaps having gone blank, was simply clutching the crude wooden shield tightly. He was anxious that the body might give up and lose consciousness. He hadn’t realized that lacking Magic Power could make one feel this helpless.
‘No, you said the body is the same. Then there must be innate Magic Power. Can’t you use even a little bit?’
Frustrated, Leonardo argued with his previous life. Just as he was clinging to the end of a life that was meeting a hollow conclusion compared to his grit and spirit of sacrifice, refusing to let go until the very end—
Rumble—
Suddenly, a heavy sound of thunder shook the atmosphere. Simultaneously, the direction of the wind began to flow in reverse.
At that moment, the five creatures around him all raised their heads at once, as if sensing an unusual current.
Clinging to a sliver of courage, this body forced its closing eyelids open and felt a strange sensation in the scorching hot wind blowing in.
‘…?’
Above the dead-grey clouds, a brilliant golden tidal wave surged. Thanks to this, bright light suddenly poured into the dim forest.
Kyaaaaaak—
Instantly, the sharp death cries of the creatures pierced his ears.
He thought it was because they had no resistance to bright light, but looking closer, that wasn’t it. The forms of the creatures were seized by blazing flames, burning fiercely before crumbling into a handful of ash. The sight of the remnants of violent and cruel malice screaming as they vanished was, to the eyes of a human facing death, breathtakingly beautiful.
The extreme glare completely washed out the luminosity, blinding the world in white for a moment.
Supporting his upper body with his right arm while watching the scene, Leonardo could not dare to look away, feeling a shiver and a chill that sliced through to his fingertips. A hot current flowed through his spine and scalp.
‘This is….’
A sensation that felt both strange and familiar. Like when he put on the watch he always wore, or when the leather sole of his usual shoes touched the bottom of his feet. Or when he read a thought in an old, forgotten diary that was exactly like his own. That subtle sensation, which he was certain belonged to him, seeped deep into his bones.
However, that power was far more intense than what he knew, making it feel frightening and alien instead.
Just then, the sound of horse hooves galloping powerfully was heard from behind. As Leonardo immediately turned his head to look up, a tall figure with a red cloak fluttering leaped lightly from atop a sturdy warhorse that raised its forelegs, using the brilliantly shining sun as a halo.
The golden flames that had been blazing in his right hand disappeared, leaving a trail in the air. Calming the horse’s excited neighing with two gestures, he approached Leonardo. Then, without hesitation, he reached out his hand to lift the lowly being who had fallen pathetically.
“Are you alright?”
Drawn by his strength, Leonardo found himself standing on his two legs without realizing it. However, his entire body trembled from the aftermath of the Magic Power. Moreover, he was so dazed, as if he had seen a being he shouldn’t have, that he couldn’t even utter a word.
“Which unit do you belong to?”
The other party spoke to him while checking his condition. But this time, the language he heard was exceptionally welcome. It was the Ancient Language he knew. Leonardo reflexively stared at the chest of the armored man. Soon, his pupils shook uncontrollably. A golden sun on a red background.
‘Laina.’
The national flag of the old Laina, which he could never forget even if he wanted to.
Following that, his gaze intensely stared into the two eyes containing a brilliant golden light inside the metal helmet that covered the entire face. The slightly lowered Gold Eyes narrowed subtly upon meeting that gaze. With just a small glance, the dignity he possessed, the heavy pressure, and the authority of an absolute ruler were conveyed entirely.
This body had lost its voice and could only barely move its jaw. Then, a voice as stern as a winter frost descended upon his face.
“My, you seem quite startled. Do not worry.”
Suddenly, the sound of countless horse hooves shaking the earth echoed. They were approaching at full speed from afar, kicking up clouds of dust and vibrations.
Before long, the familiar sound of a horn blasted majestically, and dozens of cavalrymen passed by Leonardo and his side. It happened so quickly that it felt distant, as if he had lost his sense of reality.
Yet, despite the commotion, the man remained unperturbed. Instead, he declared with a gentle curve of his eyes.
“For we have arrived.”
Leonardo knew instinctively. The savior of the Peninsula who named this land 1,000 years ago.
The last King of Laina, Theodore. He was now before his eyes.