City of Desire [Kingdom Building]

Chapter 340: Courage and Sacrifice II

“My god! The undead are everywhere!” said Norla as she looked around and saw undead everywhere.
 
The panic started to fill my mind, but I bit it down and looked around. Yes, there are undead, but most of them are alone or in a small group of two or three; there is not a single big group.
 
Soon, I saw the best place that could give us the best chance of survival.
 
“We will move toward the tents in the east,” I said, finally. 
 
“But there are undead there.” Said Gensa, looking toward the tents in the distance. “Yes, but there are also guards,” I replied.
 
On one side, a group of guards are fighting the undead, but the other side is open. It is the best place, as the undead are being kept busy by guards.
 
“Everyone, run with everything you have,” I said with Encouraging Words. It is not the best skill, for this, but it is the only one, which could help us in some way.
 
At my words, we ran, taking the children with us. 
 
I could move much faster, but I need to move at a children’s pace. There are a lot of children; we are carrying those we can in our arms, but most of them are running with us.
 
They seemed to understand we were holding back our speed due to them and were running as fast as they could.
 
We passed a couple of buildings when we turned and nearly skidded to a halt with horror appearing on our faces.
 
“Fuck!” 
 
Gensa cursed and did something shocking. She put down the child she was holding and ran away.
 
She would not survive alone, with the number of undead, but her panicked heart didn’t seem to understand that.
 
“Bastard!” cursed Norla.
 
I didn’t say anything, my eyes were on the group of fifty-something undead, not far away from us. We could not see them earlier, because of the buildings blocking our view.
 
They are not the only undead. Not much behind them, three more groups, smaller them but combined, their numbers are close to a hundred.
 
Seeing them, we ran even faster, when a thing happened, I desperately wished it wouldn’t.
 
The undead turned toward us, not one or two, but half, and soon, the whole group before moving toward us.
 
“We are dead. Nobody could save us now,” said Norla and I wish, I could ask her to shut up, but she is right. 
 
The group is big, and it is fast; much faster than us. They will reach us before we reach the tents.
 
I could see the eyes of the guards looking at us, but there would be no help from them. They are busy with undead; they couldn’t come to our rescue.
 
I looked back the way we came, and, to my horror, I saw another big group coming. It's not as big as this one, but it still has over thirty undead.
 
“We are going to die,” said Alva, and the girl seemed pretty calm about it. “It is such a regret. That I won't be able to learn magic; I wanted to cast at least one spell before dying,” added the young girl with a mirthless laugh.
 
Hearing that, I stopped, and with me, the others.
 
“You will not die; no one will die,” I said and gave the child in my arms to her, while she looked at me in realization.
 
“Sister Mena, you can't!” she said with tears appearing in her eyes.
 
“Don’t worry. I will not die, without you all; I will be able to move much faster.” I replied with a smile.
 
The girl is smart. The best assistant I could get. She could have easily stayed with the girls, but she followed me when I volunteered.
 
I would not be able to forgive myself. If something happens to her.
 
“Now, go and run toward the tens!” I said, and she looked at me a moment longer, before following others who had already resumed their run toward the tens.
 
“Don’t die, sister Mena!” she said, looking back.
 
I smiled at her, before turning to the undead, with my heart becoming firm with resolve.
 
I don’t want to do this, but I need to. I have lived my life; it was full of struggle and sorrow, but there was also joy. Especially in the past one and a half years. It was the happiest time of my life.
 
The young girl is only sixteen; there is so much for her to live. So are the children. Now that Master Silver became governor, he would keep them safe.
 
At least, he will not let them suffer the horror, that I did. I am writing it all in the Madam’s Message, as my last wish.
 
‘I hope, this works,’ I thought and activated, All Eyes On Me, before running away.
 
It is the skill, that attracts attention and makes the people focus on me. It is a very good skill for the madam. Whenever I activate the skill; all eyes in the hall would turn toward me.
 
Let’s hope it works on the undead because if it doesn’t, I will die as well as the Alva and children.
 
A few seconds later, I looked back and saw the undead, who were after Alva and the group, coming toward me. Even the groups of undead behind them are coming toward me.
 
They are fast. Seeing that, I activated the Shimmering Steps, and my speed increased.
 
I wanted to activate the skill earlier, but I didn’t want to go too far away from the undead, lest they focus back on Alva and others.
 
I glanced at them and saw them running toward the tents. It will take them a while before they reach it and till then, I will have to keep them busy, until then.
 
I started to push my skill hard, attracting even lone and small groups of undead that were moving toward them. 
 
It surprised me a little; I didn’t think the skill would work so well.
 
Maybe it is because of this extended range of the establishment. In the establishment, my skills are more powerful.
 
Hun!
 
I begin attracting the undead from every direction. Even those that were attacking the building. It gave a chance to people in those buildings and they, too, started to make a run toward the tents.
 
The tens might not have the protection of walls as buildings have, but there are guards there, that could protect them.
 
Now there are over two hundred undead and coming toward me. Even some of the undead attacking the guards are coming toward me.
 
Though not all came toward me. Two undead caught up to Gensa, and it didn’t take them long to kill her. I hated her for running away, but not for a second, I wished her dead. 
 
Seeing them killing her; I started to hate the undead more.
 
‘I think it is time to use them,’ I said, and a crystal bomb appeared in my hand.
 
There were five boxes in the vault; three had already disappeared. Earlier, Barb had joked that each box was for one Madam. It seemed to be held true; seeing only one box had remained.
 
It bombs appeared in my hand. It was red crystal with brown dots, with a single rune in the middle.
 
It is also small, half the size of my thumb.
 
I looked at it for a moment before throwing it toward the group of six undead. 
 
Boom!
 
It went streaking through the air, before hitting the third zombie on the left and exploded.
 
It was quite powerful, it instantly destroyed three undead and damaged the two on both sides.
 
Boom Boom Boom!
 
Seeing that, I threw the crystal bombs again and again. Killing zombies at every throw, but not fast enough. 
 
The zombies were coming toward me, and one group reached less than fifty meters. So, I changed the direction, while kept throwing the rune bombs now and then.
 
There are too many of them, even with bombs. I couldn’t kill them.
 
They blocked every way, and I kept changing the direction, moving where there were fewer undead. 
 
Now that they are chasing me; I can take them anywhere. I want to take them, where there are enough guards to kill them.
 
It would be great. If I am able to find a large enough group of guards. The number of undead behind me growing fast; making me feel, that I would truly die, and the death would be horrific.
 
I don’t want to die. I dared to dream after decades of despair. I would like to fulfill those dreams before dying.
 
I will do it and the only thing I have to do, is to survive these undead.
 
Finally, the group had reached the tents. Seeing that, I felt relieved. They are safe and now, I want to be safe. 
 
The undead are coming at me from every direction. There is not a single direction, where there are no undead, but I can’t stop. I need to keep moving.
 
I looked at my left. At the group of twenty-something undead. If I want to escape this siege, I will need to destroy them.
 
The bombs appeared on both of my fists, and I threw them toward the group of twenty-something with all my strength while activating their runes with Switches Active.
 
It is an amazing skill, especially to create an effect. I love to walk in the dark hallways, with lights lighting up with every step I take.
 
I could activate any rune switch through it. The only condition is that I needed to be at a certain distance from the things, I am activating.
 
Boom Boom Boom!
 
The bombs exploded at once, creating a far more powerful explosion than I had hoped. It destroyed all undead.
 
I didn’t waste the opportunity and moved as fast as I could with Shimmering Steps. 
 
A minute passed, and over two hundred zombies were chasing me. They are fast, that I need to use everything, I have to maintain the distance between us.
 
Hun! 
 
I made a turn and once again skidded to a halt as I saw a group of hundred-some zombies attacking another cordoned tent, with guards defending against them.
 
More than half of those undead turned toward me.
 
“Fuck!”
 
I cursed and changed the direction with two groups of zombies attacking me. 
 
I am really terrified and channeled all that fear to run away, while more and more zombies joined the groups. 
 
The number of zombies has already reached three hundred and increasing further, while I can run. 
 
Every second, I want to deactivate All Eyes On Me, which is attracting the undead, but the cost would be too high. 
 
These big groups will attack the buildings and tents. Kill thousands of people. They won’t discriminate between adults and children; they will kill them all.
 
A few minutes passed, and the number of undead had reached nearly five hundred. It is not just the skill attracting them anymore. I just think, it their own numbers are attracting them.
 
Their numbers are getting higher. I am getting tired.
 
Shimmering Steps aren’t a long-range skill. It is not even a speed skill; it only contains a few elements of speed skill. I am using it as such despite the resistance. It is the only thing giving me the speed. 
 
If I didn’t use it; the undead would catch me within a minute.
 
I ran to another square as I reached it. Horror appeared on my face. There were hundreds of zombies attacking the building and tents on opposite sides. 
 
Seeing many of these undead turned toward me.
 
It is not the number of undead that horrified me, but the direction of these two groups.
 
With them coming from the two different directions; all roads for me had shut down. There are a few gaps, but zombies are coming from them too.
 
If I had been close to the gaps; I might have been able to blast my way through, but they are far enough that by the time, I reach there; the big groups will fill that gap.
 
“This is it then,” I said in realization, while tears started to stream down my eyes.
 
I knew I might die when I decided to attract the undead toward me to save them, but I still held the hope to live. A few minutes ago; I was almost sure, that I would survive.
 
I controlled my emotions and turned toward the undead. There are no tears in my eyes anymore, but defiance.
 
‘They will not kill me without paying a price,’ 
 
This time, my purpose is not to get away from them but to get them as close to me as possible. I want all the groups to come close to me; this way effect of my last gift to the undead will be bigger.
 
Raaaa Raaa Raaaaa
 
I moved, changing direction every few seconds, whenever any group of undead got too close.
 
It didn’t take me long to achieve my objective, in less than a minute. Over seven hundred undead surrounded me, from all directions.
 
“I have been violated my whole life, but I will not be violated in my death!” I said in defiance as loudly as I could, using Madam’s Voice Reaches All Corners, and sent my message to Master Silver.
 
Most of my life; I lived with others will, but I will die on my own.
 
The wooden box appeared in my hand, filled with crystal bombs as the undead had reached the five meters radius of me.
 
Equal Spreading.
 
I activated my gardening skills and spun, throwing the bombs in all directions around me.
 
“Farewell!” I whispered with a smile and activated all the bombs at once with the Switches Active.
 
BOOOOOM!
 
I heard the boom a moment later and saw the bright explosion that consumed me, along with all the undead.

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