Pick Me Up Infinite Gacha! Novel - Chapter 343
## Chapter 343 – The Sword Waiting to be Drawn (8)
<Aaron’s Parallel Story Episode 14>
***
Although it was early morning, dawn was approaching. A light mist shrouded the landscape.
‘It’s the beginning.’
Bian’s gaze fell upon the hourglass on the table. There were no clocks in the gladiators’ rooms, so the time of the grand operation was decided using the hourglass that the old man had smuggled in. The top of the hourglass was completely empty. It was time.
Bian got out of bed and looked at the nearby beds. As a low-ranking gladiator, he didn’t have a private room.
‘As expected.’
His roommates were elsewhere. This was also the result of several tedious preparations. Therefore, the only possible time for the plan was now.
Bian steeled himself and went out into the hallway.
‘First, I must confirm the location of the guards…’
In the accommodation where he was staying, there were several guards on duty. Their first task in the plan was to confirm the patrol locations of these. If all the comrades gathered at once, it would be suspicious, so they had to join gradually.
Bian left the room. According to the leader’s information, not far away there should be a guard…
“…?”
There was no one. Bian looked around. From one end of the hallway to the other, there wasn’t a single guard in sight. It was strange.
Bian asked a gladiator who was standing around doing nothing.
“Where are the guards? Do you know anything?”
The gladiator shook his head with a puzzled expression. He seemed to have no idea either.
‘This is weird.’
It wasn’t the expected situation. Bian started running. He left the hallway and entered the hall. There, the gladiators were gathered and murmuring.
“Where did everyone go?”
“I don’t know. Maybe they gathered them somewhere?”
“Now that you mention it, I heard strange noises while I was sleeping.”
Bian approached that gladiator.
“Strange noises? What did you hear?”
“What’s wrong with you?”
“Tell me!”
“Well, well. Just noises of people running, I guess. Would it be the guards? I think I also heard sounds of fighting…”
Bian hadn’t heard those sounds. Maybe it was because his room was at the end of the hallway.
“Was it that?”
“I think I heard something like that too…”
Bian ran again. He left the common accommodation of the low-ranking gladiators. Passing through an intermediate passage, Bian saw it.
‘This is… blood!’
There were bloodstains scattered everywhere.
It was a trail of combat.
And when he reached the training ground, he could see it.
“…!”
This was the exclusive training ground east of the arena.
The place where he first met Kainil.
It was also the second meeting point of the plan.
There lay the bodies of the White Demons.
“You’ve arrived, Bian.”
Kainil spoke in a firm voice.
He looked at the bodies with sharp eyes.
“They didn’t die long ago. An hour at most.”
“Leader? Who did this?”
“I don’t know.”
Kainil shook his head.
“Anyway, we can only continue with the plan. Let’s go.”
Something felt unsettling. Bian suppressed the feeling as he followed Kainil. Under normal circumstances, there should have been a fierce battle here.
“…”
As they walked down the hallway, the comrades joined them one by one. During the journey, there were no confrontations with the guards, who should have been present. Thus, Kainil’s band reached the final meeting point: the place that led to the arena’s exit.
“Almost everyone is here,” Kainil said, looking at the comrades. The number of comrades was twenty-three. Two people were missing: the old man who was the contact with the liberation army and the key gladiator, Nameless. Curiously, only those two weren’t there.
‘The plan has completely changed.’
It didn’t make sense. Why did they act this way? But they couldn’t stop. Kainil roused his confused comrades from their daze.
“Let’s go.”
In the hallway they had passed through, there were traces of a fierce struggle. There were also bodies of several White Demons. By their appearance, they were all arena guards. Kainil was sure that it wasn’t a group, but a single person who eliminated them. The comrades who joined from the opposite hallway said the same thing. There were no traces of fighting there.
‘Why?’
Had they discovered it? Kainil clenched his lips.
“Where are the guards?”
“It seems someone killed them.”
“Just one person did this? How?”
The murmurs increased behind him. Kainil kept walking without paying attention. The arsenal, which should be heavily guarded, wasn’t locked. There were only two decapitated bodies. The gladiators, who were prepared to fight, were bewildered.
And here, in the hallway in front of the exit, the most guarded place.
“Uh!”
Someone gasped. It wasn’t without reason.
“That man did it.”
“Who are you talking about? Who could have done this…?”
“Nameless.”
Kainil murmured in disbelief. Clearly, this hallway was designed for one-on-many combat. In a closed place, they couldn’t be surrounded. That meant they could advance facing each other one-on-one.
But isn’t it strange?
Was he that strong? Was that man… that strong?
Kainil could face one on his own. Maybe even two. Three would be difficult, but he could try. Four would require accepting death.
But…
“How many did he kill alone?”
Near the exit, there were almost ten dismembered White Demons. Counting the bodies in the hallway and the training ground, it was at least twenty or thirty.
‘Did he attract all the arena guards?’
Then, he killed each one and dismembered them as he advanced towards the exit. And then he killed the guard captain and all the forces there and left. If that were possible, was there really a need for a plan? Was there a need to spend days planning an escape? They would only have to kill them all and escape.
They weren’t human. Even the most trained gladiators had to risk their lives to face a single White Demon. But he killed them all that easily?
“Monster…” someone murmured. No one contradicted him.
‘For that man, our plan meant nothing.’
Kainil sighed. How much would he have laughed at us? If he wanted to, he could escape anytime.
‘Anyway.’
Kainil looked around. The guards blocking the arena’s exit were dead or had fled. The comrades were confused.
“We move. Reinforcements might arrive.”
Action was the first priority. With Kainil at the head, the gladiators broke through the exit. The dismembered bodies and the strong smell of blood reminded them that this was real.
The land of mist, Niflheim. In the city, which was now morning, there was a light mist. However, they could enjoy the scenery of the city. It was a world they hadn’t seen since they were captured as slaves in the arena.
“Freedom…?”
Probably, the arena would be in chaos at that moment. They would soon realize that the guards had disappeared, and all the gladiators would try to escape.
‘This is the city.’
Although it was morning, there was no warm sunlight. The city was shrouded in a dark mist and sticky humidity. The group began to walk towards the south gate.
“…”
Beyond a dark alley, there was a girl, wrapped in a ragged blanket, huddled and looking towards them. With dead eyes, like a fish. There wasn’t a glimmer of hope in her life.
It wasn’t just one. As Kainil and his comrades walked down the avenue, they watched them from the alleys. They were all humans. In dirty, secluded alleys, they looked at the armed group of gladiators. It might have been a strange sight, but there was no awe in their gazes. Their hearts were too broken to feel jealousy or awe. They grew up as slaves since they were born, they lost everything and resigned themselves, killing their emotions.
They were little more than human-shaped animals.
“…Damn it,” someone murmured.
“Where are all the White Demons?”
The avenue was empty. The humans were hiding in the alleys, but there were no demons in sight. The avenue, which would normally be lively, was shrouded in an eerie mist.
“Most of them will have escaped,” Kainil explained briefly. “According to information from outside, there’s a civil war going on. They’re probably fighting somewhere. The other White Demons have probably fled the city.”
“Didn’t they say the only way out was the south gate?”
“That’s the only known exit, but they must have others.”
“Then, shouldn’t we use that exit too?”
“We’re heading to the south gate as planned,” Kainil shook his head.
Certainly, there are other exits from the city besides the south gate. But the city’s humans can’t use those exits. Those hidden routes are only for the powerful. To evacuate all the refugees from the city, they must secure the south gate.
‘By now, the rumors of destruction must be true.’
Kainil reached a conclusion. The city had stopped functioning a long time ago. It was close to being a ruin. It couldn’t have changed that much just because of a rumor of destruction. It wasn’t just a rumor.
The group quickened their pace. They began to see more people. Dressed in dirty and torn clothes, barely different from rags, they were going in some direction. Like moths drawn to a fire. The humans turned into cattle walked towards the south gate. The group of gladiators advanced among them.
“…”
Soon, the group arrived. There, in the distance, stood the imposing gate built in the era of humans. To the north of the gate, there was a large circular plaza. The refugees were gathered in that plaza.
‘As expected.’
The official exit from the city is the south gate. So, those who wish to survive would gather in the large plaza adjacent to the south gate.
The refugees dressed in rags were gathered in the center of the plaza. There were hundreds.
“Hic!”
The refugees looked at the armed gladiators with fear. They backed away in terror.
“Don’t be afraid. We have no intention of harming you.”
Kainil’s words were useless. When the group advanced, the refugees moved away like the receding tide.
Someone in the group sighed. They had lived their whole lives being oppressed. That reaction was understandable.
‘All… women and children.’
He had heard that the men in the city didn’t stay alive for long to prevent rebellions. It seemed to be true. Most of the refugees were women and children. There were rarely any elderly among them.
The group advanced among the refugees trying to escape towards the center of the plaza. Soon they also saw it. At the entrance of the south gate, there was a group of armed White Demons. The reason the refugees couldn’t leave was because of them.
They had the same attire as the arena guards: metal helmets and armor, and spears in their hands. But they had vertical pupils like snakes, and horns protruded from their helmets.
One of them made eye contact with Kainil.
“Hehe…” The White Demon let out a sinister laugh, but didn’t approach. They must have received orders to protect the gate.
“Those are the guards.”
“Aren’t they fewer than expected?”
The group murmured. It was true. According to the reports of the old man who had been exploring the outside, there were normally about twenty guards at the south gate. But now only ten were visible. Something must have happened. Something serious enough that they had to bring reinforcements from the south gate.
The image of that man crossed Kainil’s mind.
‘…’
There was no trace of him at the south gate. So, where was he? ‘Did he lure us on purpose? So that we would take care of it?’ But, his relationship with Kainil wasn’t close enough to expect that level of sacrifice.
Kainil decided not to think about it anymore. The plan was the priority.
“Kiik, kiik.”
“Kiihi…”
Although the White Demons had detected the group of gladiators, they remained in their positions.
“If it’s only ten, we can do it.”
“We haven’t been idle either.”
The group had 24 people. They had preserved much more of their strength than they expected. The gladiators began to form a battle formation.
“Wait, there’s something we need to do before we fight.”
“What is it?”
“It’s the signal of our agreement.”
Kainil pulled out a horn trumpet. This object was given by the liberation army’s contact as a signal to start the operation.
Buuu.
Kainil blew the trumpet forcefully, and the grave sound echoed throughout the plaza.
“…?”
Most didn’t understand, but some gladiators who knew the existence of the liberation army shone with their eyes.
‘When we blow the trumpet, the liberation army will attack from outside the south gate.’
Kainil’s group would attack from inside the south gate. An attack from both sides.
“…”
However… nothing happened.
“Leader, what are you doing?”
“It’s strange. Why aren’t they coming?”
“And that trumpet, where did it come from?”
The group was getting restless. Kainil blew the trumpet again.
Buuu.
“…”
Silence.
Kainil’s face turned pale.
“Leader, where is the liberation army?”
“Didn’t you say reinforcements would come? The old man said it clearly…”
“Liberation army? Reinforcements? Did you hide it only among yourselves?”
“Silence!”
Kainil’s shout brought silence.
“Nothing has happened. We just need to continue with the plan.”
“Leader, but the liberation army…”
“It doesn’t exist.”
“What?”
“The liberation army doesn’t exist.”
Kainil murmured bitterly. Bian intervened hastily.
“How can it be a lie? There was evidence! The flag and the horn trumpet, and.…!”
“Enough.”
Kainil closed his eyes tightly. Bian looked at the ground with empty eyes.
‘So… was it a lie?’
Kainil had gone to the old man’s room 20 minutes before the operation began. For a final confirmation. Since their rooms were close, it wasn’t difficult to sneak in. That’s how Kainil saw it. The old man’s body hanging from a rope. Naturally, he was horrified, and when he saw the suicide note next to the body, he was even more horrified.
The note was a confession by the old man. It explained the mistake he had made. Kainil understood the truth when he read the note. There was no liberation army. Kainil’s plan based on reinforcements was a disaster. But he couldn’t cancel the plan.
In recent months, the arena’s security had become extremely strict. If more than three people gathered, they were immediately suspicious. The visit of three people to the room of the gladiator Nameless was a huge gamble. Normal communication was point-to-point.
How were they going to convey the cancellation of the plan to all the comrades scattered throughout the arena in an hour? And at night, when there was a curfew. Even if they had known yesterday, it would have been difficult. So the plan couldn’t be reversed. If even one comrade didn’t know and acted according to the plan, all the others would be captured too. Kainil had to start a plan destined to fail.
‘Even so, the situation improved thanks to the whims of that man.’
Although the reinforcements were fake, the unnamed gladiator had assumed a similar role.
“Now, we’re going to open the south gate.”
“…Yes.”
Sshing.
Kainil drew his sword. Just as he was about to advance.
“…?!”
The entire group stopped. They could only watch the situation in awe.
The two paths connected to the circular plaza. From the rooftops of the buildings on the left and right, suspicious shadows fell.
“Kiihi…”
The White Demons fell without problems from a height of over five meters. They were armed.
“Wait…”
“This is a trap!”
The number of enemies was increasing rapidly. Those who appeared from the rooftops formed a cordon.
‘Was it an ambush?’
They were hidden on the high rooftops, that’s why they didn’t see them. It was a trap.
Kainil stepped back as he counted the number of enemies. Twelve at the south gate. Twelve on the west avenue. Eleven on the north avenue. In total, there were 35 White Demons surrounding the refugees.
“The liberation army… where is it?”
“There are many more than expected! We didn’t know anything about this!”
The White Demons were advancing. The gladiators and the refugees retreated to the east of the plaza. But there was no exit there. Only a large wall blocked them. Escape was closed.
“¡Aaargh!”
“Please, save us…”
The chaos among the refugees increased. They crowded against the east wall of the plaza, trembling. They tried to climb the wall, but it was useless. There was nowhere to climb.
“Leader.”
Someone spoke to Kainil. It was his old comrade, a trusted man.
“The liberation army, where is it? Did you lie to us?”
“…”
“Yes, it’s an ambush. But if there was a liberation army, we could fight. Where are they?”
Kainil gritted his teeth. Until they bled. Anything he said would be an excuse.
“…I’m sorry.”
“We trusted you. We risked our lives. And this is the result? Will we all die because of your self-satisfaction?”
Suspicious gazes pierced him.
“We said we would risk our lives, but not that we would die uselessly.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“The liberation army didn’t exist, right?”
Kainil bowed his head. That was the answer.
“I understand. So it is then.”
“…”
“Alright. It was the work of that old man. You didn’t know. I’ll grant you that.”
Kainil couldn’t even thank him.
He was the one who pushed them into this crisis.
“We must change our plans.”
“Change?”
“It’s obvious, isn’t it? If we fight head-on, it will be a useless death. We must break the cordon and escape,” the man said.
“They weren’t aiming for us. If they knew we were trying to escape, they would have stopped us earlier. Their target isn’t us.”
The man looked back. There were the refugees, trembling in fear.
‘Is that so?’
Kainil could understand that too. Probably, the White Demons were ordered to wait for the refugees to gather in the plaza and then ‘clean up’. Kainil’s group was caught by chance. That was the opportunity.
“You’re saying we use them as bait and escape?”
The man was struggling. After a moment, he responded.
“Yes.”
“…”
“If we could protect them, we would. But there’s no chance. We must save our lives first.”
“Are you serious?”
“What other option is there? To die with them? Is that your decision?”
The essence of the gladiator is coldness. They aren’t allowed to have emotions like compassion or sympathy. Those emotions are a deadly weakness in battle.
Kainil was a high-ranking gladiator. Being a high-ranking gladiator meant fighting with coldness. He didn’t abandon his comrades, but if he had to face them, he wouldn’t hesitate. If he couldn’t do that, he wouldn’t have survived until now. The same went for the gladiators gathered here. They had to be clear in their decisions.
“Leader, isn’t there another option? We must live first. We can save others another time.”
“Leader, decide, please.”
“Leader, without the liberation army, this is the only option.”
It was true. Their words were correct. Without reinforcements, the rescue plan made no sense. The next stage was retreat. The leader had a duty to lead the comrades to safety. The rescue plan could be redone later. Surviving was the first priority. They could fight to save others in the future. So, let’s compromise. Retreating is also a virtue of a leader. Let’s survive to see the next opportunity. We can repay this debt someday.
That is…
‘…’
The image of a man appeared in Kainil’s mind. A sword held at his neck. The man told him he would help with the plan if Kainil gave him his life. Kainil nodded. He steeled himself and entrusted his life to that man.
‘Was it a lie?’
He was willing to die. If sacrificing his life could make the plan successful. But… was it a farce from the beginning? Did he have other intentions? Was he sure that man wouldn’t kill him?
What if he knew that man would kill him?
‘Ha.’
He would have made excuses. He would have rationalized. That the leader was necessary for the plan. So he couldn’t die.
Kainil thought about the unnamed gladiator. He envied him. He had to fight with all his might against his comrades. He wasn’t strong enough to fight and save them at the same time. He couldn’t save his comrades. Before the king gave the order, he had to kill them with his own hands. If he were that man, it would be different. He could have satisfied the audience and saved his comrades.
Where was that man now? He knew one thing. That he was fighting somewhere.
“Leader, just give the order.”
“The cordon is weakest in the north. We can escape.”
“I’ll lead the advance. Leave it to me…”
“Enough!”
Kainil shouted. The group fell into immediate silence. Among that silence, the sobbing could be heard. The refugees, who had foreseen their death, were crying.
“Are we going to flee again?” Kainil murmured.
“What are you saying…?”
“You’re saying there’s no other choice… That it can be next time… Are we going to retreat again?”
“…”
“When will it be? When will that next moment be?”
“Leader, are you crazy?”
The man stepped forward.
“We must live first. As long as we’re alive, we can do good anytime.”
“Then, what good have you done in these almost thirty years of life?”
“…”
“Is that a rationalization? Saying it will be next time. That as long as we live, there will be opportunities. Is it just an excuse to abandon these people?”
The man’s face flushed. Was it because of anger, shame? No one knew.
“It must be now. Not later. If someone wants to save others, how can they abandon those in front of them? That’s a contradiction!”
“What are you saying…?”
“That it’s a lie! It’s a lie!”
Kainil shouted.
“They have no intention of saving anyone, they’re just deceiving themselves. The situation doesn’t favor us. There’s no way. So next time. The next opportunity. Next time. But that next time will never come!”
That, is called hypocrisy.
“We say we’re different from that trash. That we want to help others, and someday we will. All this time, we’ve been deceiving ourselves with nice words.”
Kainil laughed bitterly. It was a mockery of his own life.
“Leader, what should we do then?”
“I won’t force them.”
Kainil took a deep breath. The man in front of him retorted.
“We could do it if the liberation army helped. But you said it was fake. It was all a lie. There is no liberation army…”
Flap.
A white flag fluttered brightly. White symbolized freedom. It was the emblem of the liberation army.
“…”
Behind Kainil, someone was holding the flag. With a wide smile, he said:
“If we abandon them and escape alone, do you think they’ll be able to sleep? They’ll come out every now and then, saying: ‘Why did they abandon us? Why did they abandon us?’”
He smiled sarcastically.
“Isn’t that so, leader?”
“…Thank you.”
“We live like dirty rags. But dying cleanly doesn’t sound so bad.”
“That’s right!”
The young man who stepped forward was Bian.
“If there’s no liberation army, we’ll liberate ourselves.”
“Wow, have you grown up so much? Can you say something like that?”
“That…”
“Hahaha! Alright. You said something good.”
The burly, middle-aged man roughly patted Bian’s head. Then, he advanced with his halberd.
“As the leader said, cowards retreat. Then cry and complain in your mother’s arms, saying it wasn’t your fault.”
The group’s eyes changed. Those who had retreated little by little, now advanced.
“Let’s do it. Let’s do it.”
“We’ll die if we die.”
“The leader is right. If we only live, how will we be different from those bastards?”
Some still hesitated. Those who criticized Kainil for lying to them. Kainil spoke softly.
“It’s not their fault. If we fight, a gap will open. Then, escape.”
“Ah! You’re really driving me crazy.”
The man scratched his head.
“If you put it that way, it sounds good. But in the end, it will just be a useless death, right?”
Even if they managed to protect them, if they failed, they would all be massacred. For a man of cold character, this made no sense. Kainil smiled and said:
“You can choose.”
“Choose? What choice is there?”
“What are you talking about? I haven’t forced you.”
“Don’t you think this situation itself is an imposition?”
“I don’t know.”
“Ah, damn it! Damn it! This is crazy! Alright, okay!”
The man shouted and pulled out his two swords, joining the group. With this, none of the 24 abandoned the formation.
“Kiiik…”
“Step back, humans. We have no intention of fighting you.”
One of the White Demons surrounding them stepped forward.
“Our order is to eliminate that trash. We have nothing to do with you.”
“Shut up, you damn animal.”
“…?”
“Why are you talking so much? I’ll kill you all. Come here.”
Kyaaa!
The White Demons lost their minds and sharpened their claws. Some even threw the spears they were holding. Wearing helmets and using spears were customs of human guards. The true weapon of the White Demons was their own bodies.
“These bastards…”
“Let’s kill them! Let’s eat! Meat!”
35 against 24. They were outnumbered. They couldn’t say they had an advantage in individual strength either. The situation was desperate. But Kainil wouldn’t give up. He decided not to give up.
He remembered all his experience in combat and training as a gladiator. The battles in the arena weren’t just duels. Sometimes, there were team battles. In those battles, Kainil and his comrades were the best in the arena.
“Everyone! Line formation!”
“Yes!”
At Kainil’s order, the formation changed. 24 people lined up as if they were one, each with their weapon raised.
“Thank you.”
“Thank you… Thank you…”
Behind the line formation were the refugees. Kainil ignored their whispers. It wasn’t time to listen to those thanks yet. That would come later, when everything was over. When they protected them.
“Kyaaa!”
“Kraaa!”
Kainil looked ahead. The White Demons were screaming as they lunged at them. Their long claws gleamed menacingly.
“Everyone, prepare for combat!”
Kainil gripped his sword tightly. There was no fear. Only a calm fire. That fire that he thought had disappeared a long time ago was burning again in his heart. Kainil smiled. Yes, this was the feeling. Not fighting for the pleasure of the White Demons, but for himself and for others.
“Come.”
“Kyaaa!”
The leading White Demon lunged like a beast. Kainil stepped forward and swung his sword.
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