Reborn: Apocalypse Ready. War Goddess by My Side novel Chapter 72

Steven slid low, dodging two Bloodfang Rats mid–lunge, and drove his spear through the skull of the dead one to shatter it.

He rolled to his feet and whipped the spear in a wide flourish, opening bloody gashes across both rats.

They shrieked. The third one he’d knocked away earlier rejoined the fight, and all three came at him together, claws gleaming sharp enough to tear through battle armor.

Steven’s eyes narrowed, and a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. He’d been right. At his current strength, level 1 beasts were nothing.

He stopped holding back. One horizontal sweep sent all three Bloodfang Rats flying. He barked a short breath and thrust forward.

“Wrath of the Sundering Dragon.”

The spear punched through all three in a single line, skewering them like a kebab. He flicked the spear upward and slammed it into the ground hard enough to crack the stone.

The three Bloodfang Rats shrieked in agony. Steven didn’t hesitate. One clean sweep across their necks and three heads hit the ground.

Done. The rush of that kind of power felt incredible, and a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.

He cracked the skulls of all four rats, pocketed the beast crystals, and headed toward Peter’s position. He arrived just in time to see Peter crush the last Ghost–Faced Spider.

Peter glanced back at him.

“Not bad,” Steven said, grinning.

Peter rolled his eyes. “Oh, you’re grading me now?”

He dug a beast crystal out of the spider’s body. “You done over there?”

Steven held up his crystals. “Done. Easy.”

Peter genuinely didn’t know what to say. The kid had just awakened and was already cutting through level 1 beasts like it was nothing.

“Olivia, all eight level 1 beasts are down,” Peter reported.

Through the earpiece, the rest of the squad sounded relieved. Peter’s mouth twitched, a wince he was trying to hide.

Steven frowned. “What’s wrong?”

Peter raised a finger to his lips and cut his eyes toward Steven’s earpiece. Mute it.

Steven looked down at Peter’s chest. Blood was soaking through.

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17:54 Thu, Jun 11 MA

Chapter 72 The Last Line of Defense

“Are you out of your mind?” Steven hissed.

Now, standing here, Peter’s silhouette started to blur and overlap with that memory.

Something stirred deep in Steven’s chest. “Moron,” he muttered.

The Rearguard was a position usually filled by older squad members or those carrying old injuries. They volunteered, or the captain quietly assigned them to hold the Barrier stakes.

Under normal circumstances, the post wasn’t too dangerous, and that was the point. It was a kindness.

But that kindness came with an enormous cost. When the squad faced something it couldn’t handle, the Rearguard was expected to step forward and sacrifice their life to ensure their teammates‘ survival.

That was why the role went to the old, the injured, the ones who’d already made peace with it.

Every Rearguard had already written itself off as the squad’s last line of defense. When one died, someone new stepped up to fill the spot.

“You’re the moron,” Peter snapped. “You literally just awakened, and you’re out here playing hero. I’m not dead yet, kid. Nobody asked you to take my place.”

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17:54 Thu, Jun 11 MM

Reborn: Apocalypse Ready, War Goddess by My Side