Guss didn't stop, or more like he wouldn't stop.
Think of it like this, if you were to out of nowhere gain immense strength and placed inside a battlefield the first thing wouldn't be fear most of the time. For one reason increased strength to this degree in such a short amount of time is like a drug.
Being able to mow down whatever comes at you is what overwhelming power should feel like, and that is what is going on with Guss right now.
Because the moment his feet planted forward, anything in front of him ceased to live.
____
The wretched came in waves, bodies broken, weapons rusted, animalistic screams continued as they charged forward with no fear for their lives.
And through it all Guss met them head on. No need for slowing down to assess the situation, hesitation is pointless for Guss since everything he can see at this moment is moving as if in slow motion.
A club came down, he stepped inside the swing, the swing went wide, an arm comes forward fast, too fast. The attacker's neck is grabbed before the arm flexed and crushing its windpipe. Then using the body as a baseball bat into the next group of people.
Another moment his shoulder dropped low slamming into another wretched chest, caving it inward before the follow-up strike crushed its skull into something unrecognizable.
Another lunged low.
He caught it mid-motion, fingers digging into its spine before lifting it clean off the ground and slamming it into another rushing body. Both dropped neither bothered to get back up.
Scenes like this continued to happen, the Wretched stood no chance to begin with. The radiant glow flowing off him might be the biggest reason they are weakened by such a large margin.
____
The glow around him continued to pulse off him. It was soft, hard to spot if you didn't look for it, but even though it looked weak it was a constant deadly flow that made everything around him suffer.
With every step he took, the wretched skin cracked, movements slowing, their already ruined bodies continued to deteriorate at an alarming speed. But even with that they didn't stop, nothing did since for them this was a chance at freedom.
____
Guss exhaled slowly, clenching his fist feeling the power course through his veins.
"This strength is nothing compared to before. It feels... Good" Guss took a second before a smile crept on his face.
The world didn't stop even while he evaluated his strength, because the next moment a rusted sword slashed toward his face.
Yet before it could connect he ripped the weapon free and drove it through its owner's throat before kicking the body aside like it weighed nothing.
Even with a moment of breathing room more filled the gap that was opened from his last kill.
"Hahaha... Good, keep coming I can feel my blood boiling".
A massive grin plastered on his face almost as if he had the blood of a barbarian in him.
____
Back on the Antioch line, they watched in stunned silence. For a moment no one moved, they didn't know if what they were witnessing was an Angel or not but the fact they aren't dead already says something. After all the last time an Angel descended everyone died instantly.
But one thing was for certain. Whatever was out there was tearing through them, alone.
And that led the Lieutenant's eyes to narrow. He had been watching this entire time noticing things others haven't.
"…Look at them." he said towards his men.
One of his men swallowed before answering in a questioning tone.
"Sir?"
"Look at where they're going."
The realization hit slow, confusion at first before realization after really looking at the battlefield around them.
"They're not pushing us." he said with a newfound clarity.
Because the fact was they weren't, The vast majority of the enemy was focused on that monster.
And that led to something important.
An opportunity, one highly needed opportunity.
Because in war either you took it, or you die with regret for missing the chance.
"Form up!" The Lieutenant shouted for his men to hear him. All looked towards him after that shout shook them out of whatever stupor they were in.
"Form up! On me!" He shouted once again after he grabbed the attention of everyone.
Men moved fast now, boots digging into trench floors, rifles coming up already loaded for what is about to happen.
Fear was still a factor for the men yet under the constant training, under the instinct for survival, and under the thought that if they failed many would die following them, people they could not let meet death's door without their say first.
The Lieutenant stepped up onto the firing line first, eyes straight ahead locked onto the chaos unfolding.
"Most of the pressure is on that... thing." The Lieutenant said making sure his men knew what was about to come next, as well as making sure not to say Angel to potentially lower morale.
"We hit them now, we break their lines while they aren't paying us any mind." He paused before continuing.
"We push forward not just for ourselves but to let these traitorous scum know that they chose wrong, that the so called Devil won't save them here. Here we stand for Humanity and to send these filth back to Hell where they belong."
He screamed this speech for everyone to hear him, He could see his men get riled up there was less fear, now what took over was purpose.
After a second to let his words sink he yelled one more thing that got everyone moving.
"CHARGE!"
Gunfire erupted, louder than ever before.
Rounds tore across no man's land, cutting into the flanks of the heretic forces that had overcommitted toward Guss.
Boots crunched through the ground as the infantry moved forward as one, bolt action rifles already equipped with their bayonets ready for close quarter combat.
Bodies dropped, heads snapping back while limbs tore free.
This sudden shift caught them off guard and for the first time in a long time they were the ones reacting.
"Push! Push!" Antioch troops screamed in an almost animalistic way as if something was giving them the courage they needed.
The Antioch troops surged forward, boots slamming into dirt as they advanced, reaching enemy lines and engaging in close combat. Bayonets ready, tearing through a group of wretched causing heads and limbs to fly in all directions. Causing an already bloody field to have another layer.
But one thing they didn't notice is the small wisps of light flowing through the air seeping into their bodies. If they were to look they would notice it originated from Guss.
____
And just like that the pressure split, But even with this lessening of pressure, Guss didn't notice or even if he did wouldn't care.
For he was too deep into the moment to notice.
A wretched came at him screaming, he silenced it with a punch to the head tearing it clean off.
Another came before it was grabbed and had a knee drove through its torso, splitting it open before throwing the remains aside.
Blood sprayed but it didn't matter it's not like that's something new.
There was one big problem though.
As Guss continued to mow down anything that appeared in front of him, his vision continued to narrow more and more.
He started to tunnel vision, target to target. Movement to movement, at that moment in time nothing else existed.
Which is why, he didn't see it coming.
From the side it came, heavy steps coursed through the battlefield. The ground shook with each step as the behemoth charged. It was fast, faster than what Guss has been fighting so far.
Armor clanked, chains dragging behind it, it was bigger than the rest and thicker too. You can say it was built for a strong impact.
Guss felt the tremors under his feet making him turn around to meet whatever showed itself, but it was far too late.
It hit him like a freight train.
The force lifted him off his feet, slamming into his side and sending him crashing across the dirt. The ground tore beneath him as he rolled, debris kicking up in a violent spray before he finally hit hard enough to stop.
Air left his lungs in a rough burst.
"Shit!" Guss was able to rasp out as pain coursed through him.
Yet the behemoth gave him no time. For it was already on him.
A massive axe came down, aimed straight for his chest.
Guss reacted on instinct, twisting his body just enough for it to not be fatal.
But it still hit, tearing a deep gash across his chest causing Guss to bleed for the first time since coming to this world.
Pain flared, it was sharp and real.
Guss was able to get his footing and allowing him to look down at his chest, he saw blood, his blood. This gave him a wake up call that this was real and he wasn't invincible.
The power was only that power. If he didn't use it correctly he wouldn't have time to mourn his own death one day.
But even with this wake up call it also awakened something else.
Excitement.
____
He looked up, really looked this time and saw something he was, oh all familiar with.
A Yoke Fiend, the same creature that killed him. (Not really they just look similar...)
It was bigger than the others. Wrapped in chains and broken armor, symbols carved deep into its flesh. That same twisted, fused skull staring back at him. That same weight in the air around it.
A weight that didn't cause dread to follow like before.
Behind the fiend. The battlefield had shifted.
The Antioch forces were pushing now, cutting through the remaining wretched and heretic troops. Gunfire tore through what was left, forcing the lesser ones to turn away from Guss to deal with the new threat.
The swarm around him thinned a large amount leaving just the two of them to duke it out.
____
Guss rolled his shoulder slightly, standing up fully now. Taller than before.
He wiped some blood from his chest, glancing at it for a second before letting his hand fall.
"Yeah, I remember you."
The fiend shifted. Chains rattling. Confusion slowly spreading across his face since this was the first time he has ever met Guss.
But it quickly got rid of the confusion since it knew Guss wouldn't clarify anyway.
A low, wet breath escaping from its broken skull. It stepped forward. Its heavy frame causing the ground to shake slightly.
Guss cracked his neck slightly.
The faint glow around him pulsing stronger.
"Good, you aren't a coward."
He took a step forward as well meeting it halfway.
"Round two."
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That it for this chapter, Sorry for the slow updates I'm a Chef so I spend like 10-12 hrs a day at work leaving me to not have much time and tired after each day. I'll try to add a few more chapters this week but with Mother's Day coming up it will be tough.
I really would like to know what you thought of this chapter. Could I do something better. I feel like this is one of my best chapters so far.
If you enjoy leave a comment and maybe some powerstones.