Everyone… will die someday, no matter what. So isn’t it better to die doing something useful?”

  The voice was trembling—filled with fear, doubt, and anxiety—yet the words spoken were bold.

  The reason those words sounded courageous, despite the fear laced in them, was because they were spoken directly to soldiers of higher rank.

  “That’s right. No matter what dreams or hopes you have, no matter how comfortable your life has been up until now, if you die on the battlefield ahead, that’s it. Your life ends here.”

  “But does that mean your lives are meaningless? That the lives of the comrades who have already fallen were meaningless?”

  “That’s utter nonsense! Why do you think you’re here?! Why are you standing on this battlefield?! For your parents! Your siblings! The children waiting back home! For the comrades who have died! To give meaning to everything!”

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  “We will die here! We will charge forward to our deaths! In agony! In disgrace! In bravery!”

  “This is the only way we can fight back against this cruel world! Pick up your swords and march to your deaths! For our families! For the generations to come!”

  A voice filled with unwavering resolve, burning passion, and sheer defiance against fate ignited the spirits of the entire battalion.

  A thunderous roar erupted from the remaining soldiers as they charged forward, fearless and determined, even as fire consumed their flesh.

  Yet, at the same time, their commander—the very man who had just delivered that speech—was sprinting in the opposite direction, as far away from the battlefield as possible.

  “…How the hell did I end up here? I just wanna run away… I wanna run so bad… Hic…”

  Crouching behind a massive boulder, a young knight clad in a pristine white armor—one that should have been a symbol of valor—was curled up, trembling, quietly sobbing to himself.