System vs Rebirth

Chapter 1491: Old Soldiers

A moment ago.

"We need to run!"

"I’m going to bring everything I have."

"Move!"

The city of Tensel, the heart of Count Renatti’s territory, was engulfed in panic. They had heard of the incoming demon army, with the ancient demon at the helm.

If it were a demon army with only a superior demon leading them, they probably would not make a lot of fuss. However, it all changed when the ancient demon was mentioned.

It was a demon that no spirit grandmaster could afford to fight. Standing in their path was the same as courting death.

That was why it would have been a disaster if they had chosen to fight. The logical decision would be to run as far as possible.

Count Renatti gritted his teeth, sitting in his carriage. He, too, was going to flee.

While clutching his head, Count Renatti gritted his teeth while muttering, "This is not my fault. This is not my fault. Even though I can fend off superior demons, an ancient demon is too much.

"It’s fine even if the family is destroyed. After the demon is dealt with, I can always return and rebuild it. I’m still a spirit grandmaster, so I can do it..."

Everyone was packing their belongings and trying to leave the city, turning the city into chaos.

The captain of the garrison saw the count’s carriage from afar. He could only clench his hands into fists.

’The lord has fled? This...’ The captain saw the devastated city. People robbed the stores, some bodies were stomped to death. If one took another look, they would notice that not just the elderly, but also some adults and kids had died.

There were some people who even tried to sexually assault people, thinking this was the end, so they might as well do whatever they wanted before dying.

The captain never thought he would see this kind of sight.

"To think this happens when I’m protecting this city... I have failed to protect the city..." The captain gritted his teeth. He fell into despair, not because of the enemy, but because of the madness before his eyes.

As a warrior, he preferred to fight the ancient demon and die in the process, but not many had the same resolve.

"Captain..." A small group of soldiers came to him, their eyes filled with worry.

Most of them were young, which caused the pain in his heart to increase.

"You guys should evacuate as well. This city will soon be destroyed. As long as the young ones survive, you can always return and rebuild this city."

"There’s no way we can do that. We have to guard the city and buy enough time for the people to evacuate." One of them stepped forth.

The captain wanted to say something, but the young soldier’s head got smacked by a scabbard from behind.

"That’s not your job."

"!!!" The young soldier turned around, wanting to say something. But he recognized the person’s face. "Sir Canaan."

"..." The captain widened his eyes. It was one of the oldest soldiers they had.

"You youngsters should just evacuate. Protect the people during the evacuation. Holding the rear is the job for the old ones."

As he said those words, one by one, old soldiers joined their group.

The captain clenched his hands into fists. From each soldier’s face, he could see their resolve. They looked like they had prepared to die.

"But..."

"No buts! I’m going to smack your head if you dare to talk back again. We have lived long enough. Even if we evacuate from here, we won’t have much time to live anyway. So, we might as well die while fighting for the future."

The young soldiers were shaking. There was no way they could accept it, but the old soldiers simply said, "This is about the future. This is the torch we will pass down to you.

"Once you grow even further, you will be able to pass our torches to the next generation. This is a job that not everyone can do. Burn this well in your mind. Humans are not going to back down against the demons." The old soldier bumped his fist to the young soldier’s chest, followed by other soldiers.

The young soldiers wanted to say a lot of things, but no words came out of their mouths.

Hearing their speech was enough for the captain. The captain shouted, "This is my last order for you guys. Protect the people and evacuate to the south. Make sure you save as many people as possible."

"Captain..."

The captain smiled and walked to the old soldiers. "You have done a lot for this kingdom, for the nobles, for the people. I know that I don’t have the right to ask you for more, but are you willing to follow me one more time?"

"Hahaha. What are you talking about, Captain? Of course, we will follow you."

Other soldiers nodded solemnly. The captain nodded as he started walking to the north gate with the elderly soldiers. There were at least one hundred of them. It wouldn’t be enough, but this would be their last fight.

The young soldiers couldn’t move, looking at their gallant backs. Each of them swore that they would become soldiers that people could be proud of.

...

Once the soldiers reached the top of the wall, the captain shouted, "We will lock the gate and stop them as long as possible. There won’t be any order from now on. Fight in a way you won’t be ashamed when dying."

The old soldiers smiled. Once they accepted their deaths, the only thing that remained was excitement.

It was then that a huge army of demons began to appear in their vision. There were at least twenty thousand demons led by an ancient demon wolf. They could instantly figure out which one was the ancient demon by the sheer pressure of that wolf.

They all looked toward the enemies, clenching their weapons as tight as possible because they might drop their weapons out of fear.

"Captain!" Suddenly, one soldier shouted from the side. He was rushing to the captain while pointing at his back. "There is reinforcement."

"What? A reinforcement? From where?"

"That reinforcement... carries the flag of the Stargaze family!"

"!!!"