World's Last Hope-Chapter 102: The Price of Victory

Eric took a deep, ragged breath as he was looking at the crimson sky.

Now that he had managed to survive and stop the spider attack, his desires were fulfilled, so naturally they were going to manifest into something else.

But before he lost control, he dissolved the cursed sword, as he shifted his gaze to his legs.

His feet had long melted, so had the skin, and the acidic blood had begun to eat even his bones.

But there wasn’t much to do, as around him, the ground was covered in the acidic blood.

Thankfully, his body was still full of adrenaline, so he didn’t feel much pain, just numbness.

With a sigh, he turned around.

The first thing his gaze fell upon was Master Varek. It was clear that the old man had pushed himself to his limit protecting Eric’s back, as the man looked like he was about to pass out.

"Hanging in there?" Eric asked with concern.

The old man took a second to respond, "Yeah, I’ll be fine," his voice was weak, but Eric wasn’t about to argue with the man.

Extending his hand, he put it on Varek’s shoulder, then his crimson eyes shined as he activated his miracle, ’God’s Merciful Hand.’

The old man’s eyes widened as he felt his injuries heal.

Eric tried to ignore the mental fatigue as he spoke with a smile. "Now get out of here, you don’t want your feet to melt again, right?"

Varek nodded slightly as he quickly headed to the gates.

Eric shifted his gaze on them. Some awakened were looking at him, it was hard to understand what they were thinking, as he was in no position to think clearly.

With a sigh, he stepped forward as he glanced at the men and women who were lying on the ground.

He grimaced in regret.

He and Master Varek, alongside the other Masters, could have stopped a large part of the spiders’ procession towards the soldiers, but that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be casualties.

Just from a quick glance, he was able to count at least a few dozen fallen.

Some had a large hole where their hearts were located, some had bled to death as the healers hadn’t been fast enough to heal them, and some were missing their heads, bitten off by the countless spiders.

"Can we call this a victory? Should we?" he asked himself.

They had been attacked unexpectedly by a much larger force than anybody had expected. Yet, they managed to push the monsters back, with no casualties among the Masters and only a few dozen of the awakened.

"Only..." he muttered under his breath.

It was true, this battle had been an overwhelming success. There could have been so many dead if it wasn’t for him, Aria, and Olivia. Maybe even the gates would have been breached if they weren’t here.

This would have been a disaster, so it was safe to say that they had managed to prevent a massive disaster from occurring.

And yet, there was a bad taste in Eric’s mouth. Originally, he thought that people dying wouldn’t affect him, but...

"Hey, get a grip, man! Your wife is waiting for you at home!"

"Sister, I’m sorry. If you didn’t cover my back, this wouldn’t have happened..."

"I know I shouldn’t have let you join the army. I’m sorry, son, for failing you."

Each one of these lost souls had a life once, with people that loved them, and they loved back.

Calling it a victory despite the losses was like insulting the dead who had given their lives for the living.

Aria and Olivia appeared in front of the gates in a flash, the other Masters joined shortly after. Only Eric took his time as he gazed at the bodies and the people that mourned them.

Once he did, Aria, without hesitation, grasped his hand and healed him.

A second later, his wounds had been healed. But the mental exhaustion remained.

He muttered a quiet thank you at her.

A quick look was all it took to see that Eric was the most exhausted.

She simply nodded in response, none of them were in the mood for a chat

Taking a deep breath, Varek spoke, "We suffered unexpected attacks, so we’re tired. What do we—"

"We proceed with the plan," Eric cut him off, speaking firmly.

"But is it wise to go when we’re so exhausted?" a Master asked.

Eric spoke as he pointed with his finger at the dead spiders.

"Look how many they were. There would be much more. Can you imagine what would happen if the cocoons they most likely laid close to the city hatched? We will be attacked again, most likely by a force much larger than this one. It is in our best interest to destroy them as soon as possible."

Some wanted to argue back, so they decided to hold a vote.

"If you think we should proceed with the original plan, raise your hand."

Eric, Varek, Aria, and Olivia immediately raised their hands. Seeing that the two Grandmasters wanted to proceed, there wasn’t much that could be done as the others raised their hands one by one.

*****

"No rest for the wicked, I guess," Eric muttered as he glanced to the side. Olivia was with him, and so were the other four Masters. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

After the battle, there was no time for rest. Once the Masters were healed from their injuries, they pressed forward.

Their job was to attack from the east, while Aria, Varek, and the others would attack from the west. That way, they were going to eliminate the spiders and their nests and cocoons before they could regroup and attack again.

Thankfully, they weren’t in a forest like last time, but in an open terrain. So it was going to be easier to spot the spiders and their cocoons.

Eric was observing the surroundings a bit further away, but that was until someone interrupted him.

"Eric, can I talk with you for a moment?" It was Olivia