Chapter 262: Breaking Formation

While Moon was breaking through the first formation, he lamented Basil’s absence. No one was there to admire his deeds; at most, they would call him crazy.

Whoever was still sane among them was not overtaken by the rising fighting spirit rapidly spreading.

In the Control Centre, there were new admirers watching wide-eyed.

Yutian found himself standing, coming closer to the screen where Moon glided down the castle walls.

"What perfect execution, with minimal waste!" he could barely exclaim. "That... this isn’t White Stride."

He recognized this wasn’t his art, but a simple execution of a principle. It lacked the whiteness of the art as well as the tidal feel.

Moon was simply using his Spark Echo as a medium between his shoes and the wall to move smoothly without losing contact with the wall.

On the other hand, the glitters of the Spark Echo reflected in Lucen’s blue eyes. He glanced at Ed once, before his gaze returned to the screen without saying a word.

By then, Moon jumped.

"He’s crazy..." Hugh retorted with a smile as Moon jumped off the wall and marched toward Hugh’s troops. "He’s committing suicide."

It was the most logical outcome anyone would conclude.

Yutian looked intently and listened to the noise and the trumpet. Moon jumped without giving the troops a speech, unlike the Fable side, where Mando did his job perfectly.

Hugh was looking displeased with the progress after seeing that over half of the troops and the strongest of ascenders were left behind.

Yet, he couldn’t voice it thanks to the presence of some relatives of a certain blue horned ascender.

If Moon did what he thought he was doing and died, it would be the best possible outcome.

His troops wouldn’t be sacrificed for whatever game they were attempting to play on this battlefield.

Moon also broke one of the battlefield laws.

It was always soldiers against soldiers, ascenders against ascenders and generals against generals.

Yet, Moon sent his strongest against the weakest, including himself at the lead.

The next moment, he could no longer stay seated. He stood as well, staring at the same thing Yutian was looking at.

Troops thrown into disarray, getting killed one-sidedly by a single person.

Before the clash took place.

"How... how is he doing this?" Hugh asked in disbelief.

Everly also stood, inspecting something for a moment.

"He isn’t using any Echo," she said gravely, looking around at everyone in the room for answers.

"Where did he come from?" she asked. It was impossible for the Youth Council not to hear of someone like him.

Or the people he came from.

"Oh, he’s from the first floor," Ed said casually.

"How?" Everly asked. "The first floor only has Ashspawns."

The common debate took place again, yet this time—

"Ashspawns only migrated to the first floor a little over a thousand years ago, claiming it was the land of their ancestors with a stupid fairy tale."

Lucen gave everyone a history lesson they never asked for.

Even Ed looked surprised. "What are you talking about?" he asked. "Ashspawns abandoned the Tower and everything to settle on the first?"

Ashspawns were known to be like demons unleashed from hell, suppressed under the rules of the first floor, only to find Echo and life they never imagined.

Far beyond what the fairy tale of theirs stated.

"Don’t ask me; it just happened that way," Lucen dismissed his question, yet he also seemed to be unaware of the true reason behind the mass migration they had done in the past.

Regardless, Moon was already halfway through the first formation, and his first line of ascenders was thrown into a combat frenzy.

Yutian didn’t say anything, but his face and his eyes spoke volumes of how much admiration he held in his heart for this momentum.

Daniel scratched his head. "Talia must be having a hard time."

Meanwhile, on the battlefield.

Everyone was fighting to break through the first formation of Fable. Talia and Gustav stayed overseeing the field on the wall.

It was unavoidable for people to get wounded or even lose their lives.

But a certain blue wolf would flash by, snatching the wounded from death’s way, tearing the attacker in the process with blades of wind swirling at his paws.

A few days ago...

In Raiju’s room. Moon sat down.

"Raiju, what do you think the leader’s duty is..." Moon asked, "Is it to keep his, let’s say, wolves of his tribe alive, or just kill the enemy?"

Raiju didn’t answer immediately; he seemed to be thinking for a while before shaking his head.

"The lives of my tribe are more important than anything," he said with certainty.

Moon nodded. "I also think the same; that’s why I came to you." Moon stood and bent closer to Raiju, placing his hand on the wolf’s shoulder.

"Raiju, you’re the fastest of everyone here; would it be okay for you to become the one who rescues the wounded and brings them to safety?"

Thus, Raiju received a new role of his own. A special role to save as many and bring them back to safety while still alive.

The wolf flashed across the battlefield like a gust, a blue gust of lightning. Bringing one after another back to where they could get treated.

Raiju was taking his role very seriously, and by the time Moon was already breaking through the second formation, not a single ascender of the Defence Faction had died.

But it couldn’t be attributed to Raiju alone.

That same day Moon had met Raiju, he also visited Markala.

A similar conversation took place between them. Those who navigated the world with but a few close ones and their own bodies knew it best.

The lives of our people were more important than the lives of the enemy.

"Markala, do you think the lives of us, defending this place, are equal to the lives of those who are invading us?" Moon asked. It was the same question he had asked Raiju.

Yet, he asked it differently.

In a way that was more suitable for someone like Markala to relate to.

"No." Markala instantly shook his head. "The life of someone defending his home is worth more," he said curtly.

"I heard you never miss a throw," Moon said, "I want you to only save the lives of those at death’s door."

Thus, as the battlefield got chaotic... When one found himself surrounded, or was unaware of an enemy about to strike him.

Whoooosh~

A pike would pierce through his enemy.

Markala navigated the battlefield with unparalleled nimbleness, with a large basket of long pikes prepared especially for him.

The battle raged, and Moon was getting lost in his own stride. He pushed back his worries, trying to trust everyone with the role he had given them.

Or forced on them, thanks to their belief.

Still, Moon felt that Markala and Raiju were the best for the task. They came from unforgiving places, not as bad as the first floor.

Yet he trusted they would understand what his heart desired.

The weight of the lives a man could be responsible for wasn’t light, not for those who carried the burden once.

And especially for those who had experienced failing.