n

n

n

n

nAt dusk, the war came to a halt.

nThe Line flickered with an invisible wall of force, and the two sides were instantly separated.

nA moment later, the once flat, now ravaged ground between them opened up, swallowing all the corpses on its surface.

nAbomination and humans alike.

nIt wasn’t a physical opening though.

nA thin, glass-like barrier held up the living that stood on top of it, while allowing the dead to plunge into an umbral abyss.

nThat was that.

nNo one had managed to touch the star in the sky.

nNeither side was able to!

nAnd there were massive casualties.

n21,300 from the Couragist’s side, and 19,000 from the Fearist’s side.

nYet, the battle of fifty Rank 5 Zeniths resulted in 3 deaths.

n2 from the Fearists, and 1 from the Couragists.

nThat was no small loss. It was even worse than losing 10,000 Mortal cultivators!

nNew batches of cultivators came once every 2 weeks.

nThis meant that, for the next two weeks, the Fearists would have to fight with 48 instead of 50!

nWhile the Couragists would fight with just 49!

nWhen considering this fact generally, this wasn’t a big deal.

nBut the reality of it was different.

nThe lives of the Fearists got way harder.

nThey needed to use strategy and tactics to close the gap between them.

nAlthough the gap was small now… it could be made much, much worse over the next two weeks.

nIn fact, this rule was made for that exact reason.

nWhat use would a war be if both sides kept replenishing their numbers?

nThis battle wasn’t just battle prowess.

nOne side had to completely dominate the other!

nDuring the nighttime, there was unrest.

nWithin the corners of the Line, on the Fearist’s side, pretentious rumors of a legendary Abomination were spreading to other Battle Stations.

nThey called it…

nThe Reaper.

nThe Cloaked One.

nThe White Assassin.

n…So pretentious!

nAnd stupid!

nWho would believe such a thing?

nDropping behind enemy lines and killing hundreds?

nStupid!

nA mere soldier killing several Zeniths?

nStupid!

nA children’s story was more believable.

nMost of the Fearists were unamused by the gossip.

nEspecially the Rank 5 cultivators.

nThey weren’t even aware of such a thing.

nThey had their own problems to worry about.

nMainly about winning the war!

nNot engage in silly talks about something that probably didn’t even happen!

nThus, the rumors remained as mere rumors.

nThen came dusk.

nMore death.

nMore corpses.

nMore blood spilt.

nBooms.

nBangs.

nShockwaves.

nChaos.

nThen…

nThere it was.

nThe vulture…

nAnd the Cloaked One above it!

nThe Fearists barely caught a glimpse of it before it flew behind the enemy’s line.

nA moment later, his shrouded form had completely disappeared.

nHours passed as the battle raged on.

n…But just like last time, the Couragists realized they weren’t going to receive support.

nTheir battalion was quickly cut down.

nAnd the Fearists claimed yet another major Battle Station!

nBut when they investigated the place in question… they saw the same thing.

nMutilated bodies.

nSeparated limbs.

nFlesh ripped apart.

nSome were twisted like cloth.

nA few had their lower jaws cleanly severed off, as though they never had one in the first place.

nSome deaths were more graceful than others.

nNeedless to say, the rumors started to surge with newfound believability.

nIt spread from one Battle Station to the next, like a virus infecting a cell.

nThen, it was dawn again.

nA pause was granted to both sides.

nUnfortunately, it was another loss for the Fearists.

nThey lost two Rank 5’s, while only killing one in return.

nBut the rumors continued.

n“The Reaper… could he actually exist?” a Zenith Fearist said to another. “I haven’t seen many Abominations with cloaks.”

n“Everything has a basis,” the second said with a sage-like expression.

n“If so many people are saying they’ve seen it with their own eyes, then they probably have.”

n“But in war, things get blown out of proportion.” .

n“People see what their minds want them to see.”

n“But there’s proof of it, so… there is a high chance this… so-called Reaper exists.”

nThe first one nodded seriously, as though this was a very serious topic.

nJust as important as the war itself.

n“We’ll have to see.”

nBefore long, it was dawn again.

nThen, dusk.

nIt happened again!

nExcept this time, three major Battle Stations were claimed, along with more than a dozen smaller stations!

nThey were all killed in the same manner as before. Gruesomely mutilated and dispatched.

nAt that point, the rumors could no longer be called rumors.

nThey were real.

nThe Reaper, the Cloaked One, the Assassin in White… was real.

nDawn.

nDusk.

nDawn.

nDusk.

nThere was no question about it anymore.

nThis Reaper was a serious problem.

nAfter a while, no one saw where he was anymore!

nIn a week and a half, more than 15 major Battle Stations were picked apart!

nIn fact, because of it, the Rank 5 Fearists were able to close the gap after a couple of days!

nThey’d received so much land over the other side, that they could set up defensive strategies with relative ease.

nEven with their inferior numbers.

nThe Fearists gained a major boost in morale.

nWhoever this Reaper was, it didn’t matter.

nMost important of all, the Reaper was on their side.

nThough, the Reaper was just as famous on the other side.

n“I heard if you look at it for more than ten seconds, you’re bound for death!”

n“They say it can change shape! It can take any form! It could even be you or me!”

n“I’ve seen it blink from one place to another! Seen it melt into the shadows!”

nThe Couragists now numbered 30!

nAgainst 38 Fearists!

nThey were under mountainous pressure.

nSo much so, they seriously considered the issue of this mysterious figure.

nIn truth, there was a way to end the war in the case of an emergency.

nIn case of foul play or otherwise.

nBoth sides had a device to do so.

nBut the side that used it would end up automatically losing until the case was resolved.

nAnd contacting their emperor, or empress, also had a similar penalty.

nThere was no way this Reaper was legitimate.

nBut if they caught the Reaper itself?

nThey could win the war… and they wouldn’t even have to fight!

n𝑖𝘦𝑎.𝗇t

n