Chapter 1333 - The Battlefield At The Rear (1/2)

Translator: Henyee Translations  Editor: Henyee Translations

Fighting for all of humankind…

Even though the chief had indeed said that this battle would determine the fate of humankind, the main reason that Jodel had joined the First Army was for his own clan; he had never given a single thought about gaining anything in return from others.

It didn’t matter whether or not they appreciated his efforts, he had to complete the job anyway.

Although Jodel still thought the same way, when he recalled the nurse’s smiling face and the taste of the fresh and hot food, he felt a strange surge of warmth inside his heart.

Perhaps the things he was doing were more important than he imagined.

After he finished a bountiful meal, Jodel returned to his squad.

There were some new faces in the nine Sand National groups that he served in—this was nothing new; the rear was continuously sending soldiers to the front line and, among them, there were veterans who departed later as well as new recruits. As the front line always incurred a certain loss after a battle, it was necessary to transfer and adjust numbers frequently.

To his delight, he saw two of his companions who had been guarding with him at the belfry.

“I thought you had died over there and that only Ka… Farry and I escaped.” Jodel pulled them into a tight hug and patted their shoulders hard.

“We were lucky. When the belfry collapsed, we happened to be on the lookout on the bottom level and was able to avoid all the falling rocks,” his comrade replied. “It was you who shocked everyone, to think you would be unharmed even though you were up on the stairs. If we had known earlier, we wouldn’t have left first.”

“No, leaving as soon as possible was the right choice.” Jodel shook his head. In situations like that, even if they could survive, they would have most likely encountered the demons that were heading for the belfry. If Kabala hadn’t saved him, he wouldn’t have escaped demons’ encirclement. “Unfortunately, the others weren’t so lucky.”

In the end, only half of the ten-person squad survived—even though Sand Nationals had been through far too many occasions of bidding farewell to their teammates and were accustomed to seeing death, he still couldn’t help feeling sad inside.

After all, after over half a year of grinding training and teamwork they had formed a new type of relationship—this type of relationship was no less close knit than his relationship with his friends and relatives among his clan.

Even though he was overjoyed to see his surviving comrades, Jodel still felt somewhat puzzled.

The importance of Gust Castle was obvious, even he understood this. It was the capture of Metalstone Ridge that had caused the two flanks of their line of defense to fall apart after all. Likewise, abandoning Gust Castle would transfer this pressure to the Sand City and Sedimentation Bay, causing them to be face the same predicament.

He had originally believed that the First Army would guard this city to the death, until it was completely swallowed by the demons.

Of course, being able come out alive deserved celebration, but he did not feel as elated as he had thought he would. If the entire First Army line was defeated, not only would all the deaths of his people become meaningless, his clan’s hard-won hopes would be for naught.

But as he had to abide by the responsibility of following orders and his trust in the chief, he didn’t voice his questions in front of his two comrades.

“May the Three Gods accept their souls.”

“May the Three Gods protect them in their afterlife.”

After silently praying according to the traditions of the Sand Nation, one of Jodel’s comrades changed the topic. “Let’s not think about this anymore and talk about something light-hearted. You might not know but tonight Lord Iron Axe will come and inspect the encampment, and there’ll be a play performance!”

“A play… performance?”

Other than boosting the troops’ morale, the commander-in-chief must have come here to deliver a new command, which was not unexpected. But something like a play seemed completely irrelevant to war… People from the Sand Nation didn’t have such refined hobbies so he didn’t understand why his comrades were so excited.

His comrades clearly saw his befuddlement. “Yes, the famous Star Flower Troupe will be coming!”

“So?”

“Have you actually never heard of them? Drow Silvermoon from the Osha Clan is one of the members of the troupe!”

…

After circling the area in hovering mode, ‘Seagull’ landed stably in the airport at the western pass of Cage Mountain.

Nana stepped down the gangway ladder and immediately followed the medical staff to the medical camp.