My Students Regret It After I Retired

5 – Annihilation, Corpses Littering the Battlefield

The most vulnerable a fighter becomes is when they’re ambushed. Leos knew this, which was why he baited the enemy, coming out to talk deliberately.

He killed the man who was in the most efficient position. Now all that was left were Feredin and eight Imperial Shadow Unit members in dark uniforms. They had an overwhelming numerical advantage, but the fact their comrade had been killed so suddenly made them hesitate.

“Are you… crazy?”

“You’re the crazy ones. You’re so clearly hiding daggers in your robes to kill me, yet you still try to talk and cooperate with me, what a joke.”

“There’s no need for any more talking. Kill him.”

At Feredin’s command, the eight men in dark uniforms rushed at once. To fully utilize their numerical superiority, they shouldn’t attack in sequence, but rather surround their opponent and strike from all sides at the same time.

Having received brutal training in the Imperial Shadow Unit, they knew this clearly and quickly began to encircle Leos. But Leos didn’t panic, instead he charged forward.

“…!”

One of the Shadow Unit members cried out, seeing the man running to break through, when they had thought he would defend at the center.

“Don’t break formation, prepare for attack!”

Leos began to run forward, and the circular encirclement crumbled instantly. Ironically, the very thing that had encircled him now became their poison. Those on the opposite side were now distanced from Leos.

“You fools, instead of surrounding me in a circle, you should’ve attacked in pairs.”

Leos whispered those words, and then, without hesitation, plunged his dagger into the throat of the man in front of him. *Thud*, a sound like that, and without even a scream, the man fell to the ground.

Now left were 7 men in dark garb and Peredin, 8 in total.

The two men in front threw daggers from their chests. Instead of deflecting them, he twisted his body to evade the attack and flung the loose gravel on the ground into their faces.

For a moment, their vision was blinded, and he thrust his daggers into their hearts.

*Thud*, *thud*, and two more men fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

Now there were 6 left.

“What the hell is this…”

Peredin murmured in disbelief from behind. It wasn’t hard to understand his reaction. Fighting monsters and fighting humans were clearly different. No matter how much one fought monsters at the Red Gate, it was nothing more than fighting unintelligent, muscle-bound creatures. It was different from fighting humans, who intelligently used weapons and tools, and employed various tricks and tactics. Especially if those humans were thoroughly trained for slaughter?

Killing 5 humans might be overwhelmingly more difficult than killing 10 monsters. That’s why Peredin didn’t understand the current situation. How could they be losing to someone who had only been roaming the Gate, a bug that hadn’t even had any real combat experience for 3 years of prison?

“Get a grip! At least put a scratch on him!”

At Peredin’s command, the men in dark garb changed their attitude. Before, they had maintained a stance that considered both defense and attack, but now, they completely abandoned defense. They rushed at him, wielding swords in both hands. With a desperate intention to stab the opponent even if it cost them their own lives.

“Hah…”

As blood started to flow, memories of the past flooded in. The acrid stench of blood made his body move automatically.

– *Shkrt!*

He severed the arm of the man charging at him. And immediately, he jammed his sword into the man’s neck. As one was dealt with, the man next to him threw his two daggers at him.

– *Ching ching!*

With a single swing, he deflected both daggers and then, immediately threw the dagger in his hand, felling the man.

‘4 left.’

In this battlefield where I stood, no one considered death while fighting. Rather, they *had* to fight to survive. Battles where you couldn’t win by playing defense, by safeguarding your own life. It was always a series of situations where we had to fight outnumbered, overcome shortages of supplies and weapons.

The situation now is actually better than usual.

Unscathed. After killing a whopping 6 enemies.

Four left. One graze from their blades and I could die. If I get wounded and become sluggish, getting stabbed is a split-second thing. But, conversely, it meant that as long as I don’t allow a single attack, I’d be fine.

I had confidence. Confidence to dodge their sweeping swords.

“Uaaahhh!”

Peredin roared the order from behind, and three men in dark cloaks charged at me. I could feel a strange energy radiating from their bodies.

‘Artifacts.’

I immediately grabbed the corpse of the enemy I’d felled.

– *Thwack!*

Several poison darts shot from the artifact in the dark-cloaked man’s hand. I blocked them all with the corpse, then immediately flung my sword towards his throat.

– *Thud*

As the man fell, I drew a short sword from my belt and plunged it straight into the artifact.

– *Zzzzt… zzzzt…*

The artifact’s magic stone shattered with a bizarre noise. Now, only the two men in dark cloaks and Peredin remained. The enemies, realizing they were in a tight spot, each pulled out an artifact.

“Shit… I didn’t want to use these, they’re precious, but you’re forcing my hand.”

Ranged artifacts generally have a limited number of uses. After a few uses, they have to be discarded and are also extremely expensive. That’s why we rarely used ranged artifacts like that, even when wandering the Red Gate.

‘They really came prepared.’

Each artifact costs the equivalent of a high-end foreign car back on Earth. And since their firepower was insufficient for dealing with monsters, they were clearly devices designed solely for killing humans. The fact they came at me with weapons like that proved they intended to either kill me completely from the start, or drag me off half-dead.

‘No more need for guilt, then.’

If someone tries to kill me, I kill them, no matter who they are. That’s how I survived on the battlefield, the only rule that kept me from becoming a monster in that hellhole. Massacring without reason makes you a monster, but acting according to your beliefs, at least you don’t see yourself as one.

Still, being human, I wasn’t completely unwavering in killing my former student. Like a fool, I had a sliver of hope, maybe, just maybe, he had believed in me. Even knowing he was part of the Empire’s Dark Shadow Unit…

Looking back now, I wonder if, instead of making excuses and rationalizing, maybe I actually wanted to hear what he had to say? I could have just ambushed and killed them all from the start.

‘I guess I trusted my students that much. Not just Peredin… but the others too.’

But that thought quickly faded. The title ‘former student’ is wiped from my mind now. Peredin was a clear enemy. He tried to kill me, and I have to kill him.

‘I’ve gotten so soft.’

Back on Earth, I never had such weak thoughts, but after building relationships and spending time with people here, I’ve become soft like an idiot. I’m reminded again. This place isn’t filled with romance and hope.

I was imprisoned for three years because of Belin, my former student, enduring the scorn and contempt of so many.

Furthermore, none of my former students believed me, not a single one, abandoning me without a petition, without even a word.

Even someone like Peredin… who was infiltrating with impure motives from the start.

I acknowledge it, I’m aware of it. So I won’t get soft again.

As my mind clears, my body moves more freely.

“…”

As I drew my sword, taking my stance, they didn’t act, even with their ranged attack artifacts. The reason was simple. They knew that the instant they channeled mana into those artifacts, my dagger would be lodged in their necks.

I’ve thrown my daggers at long range countless times with 100% accuracy. To them, my daggers must feel like guns.

“Fire! All of you fire at once!”

Instantly, two men in dark clothes, along with Peredin, began channeling mana into their artifacts. A barrage of magic bullets flew simultaneously. I didn’t look at the incoming magic bullets, instead I focused on sensing their mana.

The process of mana flowing through their bodies, and then to the artifacts. The artifacts activate only once the mana has fully seeped into them.

‘Now!’

The moment I threw myself aside, a *CRASH!* resounded from where I’d been, a magic bullet streaking through.

– *Fisshh!*

Before my flung body even hit the ground, I hurled three daggers. The assassin in the dark clothes was done for, and the dagger I’d aimed at Peredin, he knocked away. Though, in the process of deflecting it, he dropped his ranged attack artifact.

I pushed myself up from the ground and started to walk slowly forward.

“You’re alone now, what are you going to do? All those fancy subordinates of yours just up and left you.”

“…Those pieces of trash weren’t necessary to begin with. I was being as careful as I could because I was told not to kill them, but it can’t be helped. I’ll kill you here, Leos.”

As I approached, not reacting, he screamed as if wailing.

“Leos. It’s useless to struggle like this now. Your life is over. You’re just a disgusting criminal. You have to live with a record that will never be erased. Your disciples? There aren’t any of those pathetic disciples that believe in you. In the media, in the articles, the world thinks of you as trash. Just pledge your loyalty to the Empire! If you devote yourself to the Empire, they’ll clear your name and help you return to how you were!”

“The Empire? That’s a joke. How is the Empire going to clean up what’s already happened?”

“The Empire is the one that started it all in the first place! Belin is part of the Empire too. If you just work like a dog under us, you can get back to normal! She’ll retract her statement, and your name will be cleared. What do you say? We don’t have to fight. I’ll turn a blind eye to you killing these guys. So just close your eyes and seal the Redgate, then…”

-*Drip…*

Leos threw a dagger, and it grazed past Peredin’s cheek. Peredin swallowed dryly and shut his mouth.

“Ah…so Belin was also part of the Empire’s Black Ops. And the Black Ops and the Empire were the ones pulling her strings.”

Leos looked at him with hollow eyes.

“I devoted myself to the Empire, yet they’ve abandoned me like this.”

“Do… do you think you can do something alone…? The reason I told you this is to show you that no matter how much you struggle, it’s meaningless. Fear the Empire and stay under the Empire’s wing, for the glory of the Empire…”

– *Thwack!*

Leos suddenly lunged forward and sliced off Peredin’s arm.

“Kkk… Kaaahhh!”

Peredin screamed, and Leos looked down at him on the ground, speaking coldly.

“Why should I fear the Empire? Those bugs, sitting on their asses giving orders. From now on, the Empire will fear *me*. Starting with you, I’m going to slaughter every single one of you b*stards involved.”