The ground trembled as a monstrous roar split the air. I placed my hand on the hilt of my blade and stared out across the battlefield. For the last day, the horde has pressed into my legion nonstop. Bodies were torn apart, and congealed blood pooled at the base of the soldiers on the front line. Shields and swords were slick with dried blood, and metal was chipping and falling apart.

This type of warfare would have been unimaginable if this was back in our glory days. But now, here we are, fighting day and night, with blades that were as broken as our bodies. But while our bodies may be broken, our spirit will never waiver. Especially not against this new foe. It was a giant undead that towered over the battlefield. Its body was crested with blood-stained bone, and each fist was as large as a carriage and sank into the ground as it used them to push itself forward. It was a monstrous amalgamation of humans and animals, but neither was truly prominent. I didn’t have to stare at it to know what it was. It was a juggernaut. A rare evolution of the zombie brute that would only keep growing larger until it was slain. Unfortunately, there weren’t any troops on the front line that could handle the beast, and I wasn’t about to expend my reserves or elites to face such a foe. Which left only me to fight it, and it was a fight that I was all too willing to take. It’s been so long since I’ve last fought, and my body yearned for me to spill blood once more.

For the first time in a long time, I felt a grin cross my face as I clenched the hilt of my sword and marched out to meet this new foe. All around, the troops gazed up at me as power coursed through my veins, and for the first time, the dreariness of this cursed existence was lifted. My march became a jog, and my jog became a gait as power cycled through my muscles. At first, it was a dull ache, as my muscles had to acclimate to everything once more, but the dull ache quickly gave way to a strength that only grew in intensity.

In only a few blinks of the eye, I crashed into the front line and let loose a war cry that split the air like thunder. I could feel my form stretching as I drew my blade, swung it in a deadly arc, and cleaved through three of the mindless undead as if they were nothing more than wet paper.

As the cursed life left them, it empowered me more, and I fell into muscle memory as my blade cleaved body after body apart and I cut my way through the undead as if they were nothing more than strands of grass. But these were nothing more than an appetizer for what was to come. Yet there was no end in sight.

Another monstrous roar split my lips as I raised my foot high, channeled all my strength, and slammed my foot into the ground. The stone ground trembled as rods of earth rose from the ground and impaled dozens of undead. The sheer act of murder further fueled my blood lust as I dashed through them and rushed toward the juggernaut, who roared a challenge at me.

The monster swung a fist at me that cut through the air faster than what should have been possible. But I steeled myself and caught the punch with the flat of my blade. The sheer strength of the hit pushed me across the ground until I caught myself and pushed the hand away. I channeled more strength in my legs, and flashes of lightning arced from me and into the surrounding area. I clenched my jaw as I rushed forward and swung my blade toward one of the massive hands it used to keep itself up.

My blade bit into the bone that shielded the soft flesh underneath but failed to penetrate it. The monster took a step back and tried to swat me away as if I were nothing more than an ant. But that’s where it made its first mistake. I wasn’t the Demon of Asteria for no reason.

More power seeped into me, and the blue arcs of lightning quickly became blood-red, and dug craters into the bone that comprised the juggernaut. I stretched my hand out and caught the fist mid-swing. The surrounding air exploded into a sonic boom as the energy from the swing had nowhere else to go. Red flames flickered into existence as my body shifted once more as I grew taller. “Pathetic.” The words left my lips like a thunderclap as I shrugged its hand away and drew my fist back.

The giant monster roared and tried to bat me away once more, but my fist moved faster. Bone shattered as my fist slammed into it, and the lumbering beast stumbled backward. I didn’t need my blade to win a fight like this. I roared once more, then I balled my fist together and slammed them into the ground. The earth shattered, and a shock wave shot outwards as the beast stumbled again.

I pressed myself off the ground and jumped upwards, quickly scaling the distance to its head. The monster quickly reclaimed its wits, but it was still far too late. The second I landed, I brought my fist down in a series of crushing blows. Bone splintered into hundreds of pieces as I hammered away.

Bone quickly gave way to flesh, and the monster struggled underneath me as my fist sank into its soft flesh. It roared as it tried to jerk around to throw me from its back, but my grip was too firm. Compared to the creatures I’ve fought in my life, this was nothing more than a toddler. But it was still more than what my troops could handle. So I would need to end this fight before it spilled over to them.

Another surge of power coursed through my veins as I reached down to grab the crests of bones near its head. I clenched it so tightly beneath my fingers that the bone splintered, and I concentrated all the power I had into my legs and stomped into its back. The beast let out a pained roar as it fell to its knees.

Ki and magic coursed through my hands as I jumped from the monster’s back. I reared back, launched another punch towards the fallen monster’s head, and watched as the bone fractured under. Again and again, I pummeled the creature until it ceased to move. The blood lust kicked up within me, and I fought against the desire to lose myself to it. I was far past those days of giving in to those urges. I am the Warmaster, and I will act the part.

Once I was sure that the monster was dead, I took a step back and saw that the front line had pushed the horde back with my intervention and was mopping up the survivors. Which was good. The second the last undead falls here, we can move into the city. But in the meantime, I will fight next to my warriors. It’s been far too long since I’ve experienced combat, and now my blood is boiling. I reached out and pushed aside the dead beast’s hand. Its once immense weight was now nothing more than a bother. But I knew that no matter how strong I felt now, I still paled compared to what I was in life. The day I died, it took an army to kill me, but I would reclaim that strength, no matter what it took.

I gripped the handle of my blade, yanked it from the body of the juggernaut, and brandished it again. Unfortunately, with my troops around, I can’t rely on the strength of my body, so for now, I will harness it with the power of my blade.

It only took a few moments to clear the last of the undead with my presence. The mercenaries flanked the rest of the horde, and my troops ground them down as they tried to surge forward. But without that juggernaut, they were nothing more than chaff.

The moment the last zombies hit the ground in a broken heap, I roared with all my strength. The air split, and the sky darkened, and everyone around me raised their voice to meet mine. “For Asteria!!!” Pride flowed through my veins, and a tiny portion of the shame that I felt had lifted. I may have proven myself now, but I will do it again and again until my honor is restored.

Swords bashed against shields as the troops celebrated their victory. For now, I would give them this moment, for they have earned it. But once they were done, I would instruct the quartermaster to collect the belongings of the dead and prepare for the funeral ceremonies. No matter how busy we were, we still needed to honor the dead, and prepare them for their final rest, for they above all else deserve it.