Evening gradually fell, and darkness slowly spread across the entire base. But this time, no one intended to go to sleep. Everyone had prepared themselves for the coming battle, an event whose very name was enough to make anyone feel its brutality.
The Blood Moon.
Those responsible for each combat position checked their equipment, ammunition, and weapons one after another. The machine guns had been set in place, and the defensive lines were undergoing their final inspection. No one said much, but the tension weighing on everyone was clear from their eyes.
Chen Luo stood at the center, looking toward the dark sky ahead. Chris had appeared beside him at some point. The two exchanged a glance, then stepped forward together.
-"When the three moons converge and the moonlight turns blood red, monsters pour out from the cruel lands at the edge of the world, the very places illuminated by the Blood Moon. The red night symbolizes tears, and the monsters symbolize resentment. Now, the appointed time has come once more. The light of the horizon shall be sealed for seven days. The trial of the entire planet—the Blood Moon Battle—officially begins once again. By my words, let the gateway open. LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!"
Chen Luo and Chris spoke almost simultaneously. The moment the final words rang out, the once-dark sky was immediately dyed blood red. Red light spread across the entire expanse, covering the land like a gigantic curtain. The Blood Moon Battle had officially begun.
What the two had just done was, in essence, seize the prophecy and take the role of the messenger away from its rightful bearer.
Under the usual rules, the messenger would be the one who learned these words and used them to initiate the battle. At that point, the Blood Moon Battle would enter its strongest state. But this time, Chen Luo and Chris had spoken first, causing the battle to begin in a different way.
This meant the first wave of monsters would not reach its most terrifying strength. It would not make the battle easy, but at least they had avoided facing hundreds of overwhelmingly powerful enemies all at once from the very beginning.
-"Congratulations, player, on participating in the Blood Moon Battle for the first time. Song 「Echoes from an Empty Room」 has been unlocked."
The system notification rang in Chen Luo's mind. He paused for only a moment before quickly refocusing on the situation in front of him.
For now, nothing had happened.
But that silence did not last long.
A few minutes later, a series of rumbling sounds began to rise from the distance. At first, they were only dull echoes coming from the horizon, but they soon grew clearer and clearer. The ground beneath their feet began to tremble as well. Blurry shadows appeared in the red darkness, growing in number like a surging tide rushing toward the base.
The monsters had arrived.
Chen Luo watched the distance between them and the defensive line. Once he judged the timing to be right, he immediately shouted:
-"DEPLOY FORMATION! OPEN FIRE!"
-"UNDERSTOOD!"
The moment the order was given, every weapon opened fire.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Machine-gun fire, explosions, and the sounds of countless impacts blended into a chaotic symphony. Bullets tore through the red night and poured down upon the advancing horde. Wave after wave of enemies fell, but the gaps they left were quickly filled by those behind them.
Chen Luo's crystal count rose at an astonishing rate.
Watching the monsters fall only for more to surge forward, he had no intention of standing by and observing. Once the defensive line began operating steadily, Chen Luo charged straight into the sea of fire. On one hand, he used the system to collect resources from the monsters that had been killed; on the other, he joined the fighting directly, continuously cutting down those that slipped through the barrage.
Yet when he heard the song 「Echoes from an Empty Room」, the image of Galahad involuntarily surfaced in his mind.
He knew that his comrade had truly made up his mind to do it.
Chen Luo's thoughts returned to the conversation two days earlier, when Galahad had approached him with a special request.
-"Make it according to this blueprint."
When Chen Luo took the blueprint, he was stunned for a moment. The lines and structures drawn on it were not something he could casually ignore. But what truly shocked him was that Galahad also took out a pitch-black gemstone.
The gem gave off an extremely unusual feeling. Just one look was enough for Chen Luo to realize that it was no ordinary material.
-"I need you to make this for me, and this is the material I'm leaving with you. I'll stay here and work with you on it. I'll go to sleep in a little while, so have it finished by the day after tomorrow. I want to hold it in my own hands at least once."
-"Are you trying to die? Do you even know what you're holding?"
Chen Luo almost immediately lost his temper. He looked at Galahad, unable to hide his displeasure. He could not accept a comrade calmly offering up his own life as the price of some plan.
-"I know. But it was precisely because I saved that child... that I lost them..."
Galahad did not answer immediately. He merely looked at the gemstone in his hand, then slowly began recounting a story that had been buried for many years.
-"A good soldier is one who never turns against his comrades for personal gain. A trustworthy soldier is someone willing to share every meal and every piece of clothing with his brothers-in-arms. And a true comrade is someone willing to face hardship and storms alongside the others."
He paused for a moment, as though searching for memories that had long since faded.
-"I always told myself that. Those were the very principles I was proud of when I wore the uniform. But in the end, I was the one who betrayed that promise."
-"Many years ago, during an operation, I fought side by side with my squad. We had faced life and death together and regarded one another as brothers. But then I received an order from my superiors: I was to kill those very comrades with my own hands."
Chen Luo listened in silence.
Galahad looked toward the distant sky, his gaze growing remote. Perhaps, in that moment, he was no longer standing before Chen Luo, but had returned to that time many years ago.
-"You know, when I told them about it, the squad leader thought I was joking. He even laughed and told me not to think about such things, or he'd cut my meal allowance."
Galahad laughed, but the sound soon turned dry and hollow.
-"And yet... I still attacked them."
He did not continue immediately. His fingers tightened, as though he could still feel the weight of the gun he had held back then.
-"But do you know what hurt the most? Even though I betrayed them, they never betrayed me. Later, I heard that they were still alive. But when the opposing faction finally found them, every one of them had been reduced to their last breath."
Galahad's voice grew hoarse.
-"Hahaha... Even then, they still refused to reveal where I was. I successfully infiltrated that organization and destroyed it, but in the end, they shot me dead on the spot."
Chen Luo had begun to understand part of the reason, but Galahad did not give him time to speculate. He continued, this time in a calmer tone, as though he had accepted the truth long ago.
-"But they didn't let me die completely. They injected me with their latest virus sample. I'm not joking. I'm a zombie, but I don't drink blood or eat human flesh like you might imagine."
-"I've tried to kill myself many times, but none of the usual methods worked. After that, I kept relying on my ability to suppress the toxin and stop the virus from spreading. But now... I can't hold it back anymore."
-"So you want me to..."
-"That's right. Make a blade. After the Blood Moon ends, on the final day, the virus inside me will fully awaken."
Galahad looked directly at Chen Luo.
-"I'll keep fighting alongside you all, but I don't want to hurt anyone. You are still young, and you still have a future ahead of you. I've already reached the end of my road. I don't want to keep owing anyone anything, either."
He placed the black gemstone in Chen Luo's hand.
-"So, Chen Luo, make that blade for me. Let me settle the last debt."
The memory ended there.
Chen Luo was still fighting on the battlefield. The knife in his hand never slowed. Even without taking deliberate aim, he could cleanly cut through the monsters rushing toward him. On the other side, Galahad continued fighting with his gun. With the adrenaline injected into his body, he kept firing in a heightened state, showing no sign of stopping.
Looking at that figure, Chen Luo could not help feeling a pang of sorrow.
A soldier like Galahad should never have met such an end.
-"Keep going, Galahad. Don't you dare die too early."
He murmured the words, then tightened his grip on the Ten Thousand Extremes Divine Sword.
Chen Luo immediately activated 「Slow Breathing」, 「Madness」, 「Sonic Power Enhancement」, and a series of other class-based enhancement skills. He also made full use of the Black-and-White Society equipment set. This time, the song he used was 「The War of God」 by Tori-Sama. It began with heavenly-sounding hymns over a pounding rhythm. The Truth Eaters were released to assist in the battle, repeatedly charging into the monster horde like holy knights, while Chen Luo took advantage of the openings they created to continue attacking.
He had almost become a tireless combat machine. The moment one monster fell, he moved on to the next target. As soon as one wave was wiped out, he was already rushing toward another position, giving the enemy no chance to reach the defensive line.
Yet a faint trace of moisture still lingered at the corners of his eyes.
Chen Luo did not want to think about Galahad any further. At least for now, he had to fight. He could not let his personal emotions affect the people who were relying on him.
Hina's wolf pack was still running wild across the battlefield. They repeatedly charged into the monster horde, using their speed and coordination to disrupt the enemy formation. However, when Hina sensed Chen Luo's state, she immediately realized that something was wrong.
That emotion was rising inside him, much like when he had awakened 「Berserk Body」 before, but this time there was something different about it. It was not simply anger or fighting spirit; it was mixed with a heavy, indescribable emotion.
Hina did not approach immediately. She merely watched in silence while continuing to direct the wolves around her.
Elsewhere, Barick's group was also monitoring the situation.
-"Should we make a move, Strategist?"
-"No. Just wait. We'll come and clean them up in seven days. For now, keep harassing them a little longer."
-"Understood, Strategist. As long as they're still alive, I won't be able to rest easy."
They still had no intention of joining the battle directly. Instead, Barick's harassment squad continued looking for ways to apply pressure, making the battlefield even more chaotic.
The following six days were an extremely brutal stretch for everyone at the base.
They barely had any chance to sleep or rest properly. Whenever one wave of monsters was pushed back, the next would quickly surge forward. Gunfire, explosions, and the roars of monsters rang out without pause, making the blood-red night seem endless.
Chen Luo had to keep moving between positions. He collected resources from the monsters that had been killed while coordinating with Chris to suppress the most dangerous attacks. Whenever Zhang Zewei's group was about to run out of ammunition, he quickly replenished their supplies, ensuring that the defensive firepower never stopped.
At times, a monster wave was so large that the defensive line had to fall back repeatedly. Chen Luo and Chris would immediately move in to support them, using their skills and equipment to stop the enemies that slipped through the barrage. Whenever a gap appeared, they did everything they could to close it at once.
By the second day, Zhang Zewei's group had almost adapted to the rhythm of battle. The heavy firearms operated continuously, sending volleys of bullets toward the approaching targets. At first, some of them struggled with the controls, but after repeated combat, their coordination improved considerably.
By the third day, the number of monsters left everyone with no time to talk. Minor wounds began appearing on the team members, but no one intended to abandon their position over a few scratches. Alice kept moving between the lines, using magic to heal the wounded, while Chen Luo supplied additional medicine so they could quickly return to battle.
On the fourth and fifth days, Barick's harassment squad also kept appearing, blending into the monster hordes. They not only made the enemy formations more chaotic, but also created unexpected dangerous situations. Some members of the group were injured from time to time, but thanks to Alice's rapid healing and the medicine provided by Chen Luo, those injuries never became a major problem.
By the sixth day, exhaustion was clearly visible on everyone's faces. Even so, nobody intended to give up. They knew that if they could just endure this period, the battle would be approaching its end.
Chen Luo still did not stop fighting. He continued moving between positions, gathering resources, helping Chris suppress the monsters, and ensuring that Zhang Zewei's group always had enough ammunition. He barely allowed himself even a minute of rest, because every passing minute could affect the overall situation.
Throughout those six days, only Chen Luo and Galahad knew that there was truly not much time left.
Neither of them could afford to make a mistake.
One was trying to buy enough time for everyone to survive the Blood Moon. The other was preparing to complete the final act of his life.
Galahad continued fighting alongside his comrades. He watched everyone cooperate, watched the familiar faces of those with whom he had shared so much life and battle. He felt nervous, but not because he was about to face a major battle.
He had already prepared himself to say goodbye.
And this time, he hoped to choose the ending of his own story with his own hands—an ending as glorious as possible.