GREED: ALL FOR WHAT?



He has heard of their strength, but there is nothing like seeing it for himself. He still can't believe what he just saw. His disbelief is warranted. After all, what kind of power can make a mana entity become capable of matching a transcendent? 

This power is probably the reason why a mana entity can contain such a colossal amount of energy. He knows what makes paragons different from normal Vipers. It is because of their divine ability. But he doesn't understand how a divine ability can be so powerful.

He needs his divine ability, powerful mana weapons, and armor to match a normal Viper. He is clearly no match to a Viper of his same level that also has their divine ability. If he is this outclassed with a Viper that is a mana entity, what about paragons that are transcendents? A transcendent ocular monkey is needed to hold back a paragon that is a mana entity. Who will hold back a paragon that is a transcendent?

"What will we do? We only have transcendents."

That question sapped him of something he didn't think he would ever lose. He felt his hope dwindling. He felt himself lose his fighting spirit. Ocular monkeys only have transcendents and nothing more. So what hope do they have to take on paragons that are transcendents? Is a better future for Ocular Monkeys a hopeless quest? Did everyone that died tonight die for a foolish dream? Are they to be hunted forever?

The battle continued even as he lay there and spiraled into a deep well of hopelessness. The hissing of the paragon rang out throughout the forest. It hissed and cursed with pure fury. It couldn't get to him because of the transcendent, but that didn't stop it from promising retribution.

"I won't kill you for what you have done. I will crush the will to live out of you. I will take everything that you care about and destroy it right in front of you. Then I will subject you to eternal pain. You inferior creature will have the rest of your life to rue the day that you harmed your superior. Your entire inferior race will suffer for this impudence."

The transcendent also spoke to him. She said to him through her divine sense, "Keep going. I'll hold it back."

He asked incredulously, "Keep going? With what?"

The transcendent replied, "You're a soldier. You remain a soldier until the battle is over or until you're dead. Remember what you're fighting for. Remember what your comrades died for."

The transcendent and the paragon left his position and disappeared from his range of observation. He stayed lying there on the ground helplessly while he thought about that answer. The transcendent didn't answer the question he asked, but she gave him something to think about. 

He is not half a person right now. He still has his mana weapon, but what good is it when he can't use it? It was useless before, but now he can't even swing it around anymore. He has given his all, and he can't give anymore. What else is there to give? What can he do?

The world is not a fairytale. He will not suddenly gain strength because he is determined or because he deserves it. He envies the power to match a transcendent as a mana entity, but right now, he will gladly take the power to move without blacking out. He wished to scream to the world that he has nothing left to give, but he couldn't, or the only lung functioning in his chest will give out, and he will die. 

"But I am a soldier." He said.

Unfortunately, he can't rest yet. The battle is not over yet, and he is a soldier. He is a soldier fighting for freedom. That's what his comrades died fighting for. He owes it to them to fulfill the mission. And he owes it to his last companion to make his death worth it.

'A soldier doesn't give up. They will not give up until death. I still have my life.' he thought to himself.

He looked at his companion, and the answer dawned on him. That grim look of determination made him realize what he still had. His companion had saved him. He may be weak and broken, but he still has his life. And where there is life, there is still hope.

He adopted the same grim look on his face after making his decision. He doesn't have strength, but what makes him different from all the dead bodies around him is the life force within him. The life force within the bodies of the dead is being converted to death force rapidly. Their body is breaking down, and mana is leaving them. The process is unstoppable and involuntarily done for them, but he can do so himself. 

He has an intimate connection with his life force. It is because he had very little of it as a weak boy. He was weak and frail. He couldn't fight for good trees because of his weakness. Then he met Hadrick, and he had all the vitality he needed. His sick, frail body was suddenly infused with life force. But he remembers that state of deprivation, and he can force himself to return to it.

He can push himself to death on his own terms. He was going to die anyway, but he wasn't dead yet. His life must be worth something. A soldier must always continue fighting until the battle is won and the mission is accomplished. 

So he began combusting the mana in his blood. He didn't use it to reinforce his body or strengthen himself. His body is too broken for it to be of any use. Instead, he used it as the spark to burn his life force. His life force began burning, and it turned into death force. Death force is bad for the living, but the process of transformation from life force releases a lot of power.