Chapter 115: A new battlefront [2/2]
"She didn't tell you? Look, boy, the reason there are no people on that continent is not because it is cold. It is because the undead roam the land. They already have a considerable number of corrupted crystals that summon monsters to the surface."
"What? Then how do they even live? What do they eat?"
"It seems you know literally nothing, despite your association with Liv Ivaldi. Well, ask her for the details. My point is that the world is safe only because Antarctica is a special case, if the same thing happened anywhere else it would be the end of the world."
"If things are so serious, why can't the Revenants just get along?" I shouted in frustration.
Despite the insurmountable odds against defeating the undead, the top bastards still decide to fight each other in dick measuring contests. Did Li Wudi really think he could invade the North American battlefront?
And if that was not enough, even the Revenant from South America was making a scene? Many people believed that humanity remained divided because it lacked a common enemy.
Yeah, that was bullshit. Probably in the beginning. The moment the assholes at the top get some leeway, they immediately start prioritizing how to stay in power.
Here we were in 2023, with the undead at our door. And we were still divided by race and ideology.
I mean, it's not that I don't understand, but why can't they focus on the bigger picture?
Zach smiled bitterly as he seemed to answer the thought in my head.
"Let me guess, you want them to put aside their differences and work together, right?"
"..."
"Look at this fucking hypocrite! If you think it was so easy, then why not listen to me and drop the Savior thing? You expect others to bend to your will, but you're not willing to bend for others? Haa! You are nothing but a childish idiot! A fucking tyrant, even!"
Zach's words were like an ugly mirror that showed me for the hypocrite I was. He was right, to the Revenants my circumstances were just that of a child.
Just as for commanders, deaths in the dozens were of no consequence. Not when they held the lives of tens of thousands in their hands.
Here I was, unwilling to compromise my beliefs, yet expecting them to compromise theirs. Suddenly I remembered the words of David Thomas.
"Rules apply only to the weak. Do not expect me to follow such nonsense. Choose John Smith. Do you want to die in their place or leave them to their fate?"
Right, even then he made his point. Reapers did not follow lineage or wealth. They only followed power. If the Reapers wanted to rule and lead the others, they would first have to destroy each other in a battle of strength.
But even in the animal kingdom, where such tendencies originated, survival came first. Much like me, each of the Revenants must have their own reasons for fighting the undead the way they did.
And as long as we had different reasons, there would come a time when we would naturally come into conflict. If I didn't want to listen, I needed strength to resist. That was the main problem right now. If I didn't give in, the Saviors would call for a Seeker war.
A Seeker war was similar to a Seeker duel. You had two sides that had irreconcilable differences, so the only thing left to do was to kill each other. Unlike a duel, which was between individuals, a Seeker war was between armies.
The 200-strong Reaper army of the Saviors would demand a fight to the death with me. And even though I have allies, I don't know if I could bear it in my mind if they all died for this dispute.
If I participated in a Seeker war and Isolde, Krishna or the girls died, could I handle it?
"..."
This. This was hard. It was easy when everything was black and white. But when it was no longer just me. How would I handle it? Should I try to face 200 reapers?
I might consider myself a cheat, but would I win?
Probably sensing my inner turmoil, Zach made an understanding face.
"You understand now, right? No one wanted this, but you have to be willing to lose flesh to cleave bone. Sacrifice is necessary for progress. You cannot make an omelet if you are not willing to break some eggs."
'Was he right? Was this the limit of what I could do? No matter how powerful I was, I was only one man. What could I prove if everyone else was put at stake?'
As my mind ran through the scenarios, I remembered the fight I had with Dominic and his thugs. Things weren't always what they appeared to be. When I changed my mindset, I was able to not only fight the Saviors, but dominate them.
'Why did I not want to fight against them? Because someone else would die? Why did I care if someone died? Then just don't bring anyone else. Why did I even need other people?'
My train of thought stopped at a memory of a man punching a nuke into existence.
'A Revenant. A Revenant didn't need anyone or anything. If I continue to depend on others, I will never become stronger. Didn't my own progress prove that?'
If I hadn't pushed myself to the limit, I wouldn't have been able to prove how far I could go.
There were two problems at the moment. First, I wanted to kill the Saviors, and second, I wanted the so-called traitors to survive.
Zach said the only one I couldn't touch was Xander Rutherford. So all I had to do was kill everyone else and get him to surrender. If I didn't touch Xander, I could have a Seeker war.
Besides, Zach didn't want the traitors here. And I had problems being under someone else. Taking all that into consideration, there was only one solution left.
"I just need to create a new Battlefront."
"You what? Have you finally lost your damn mind?" the Nightmare shouted in anger.