Defeat hit the Y-ians before they could register their victory.

While Kyuhyun was receiving cheers on that citadel balcony, the Y-ians found themselves surrounded by a flock of creepy undead.

Trapped and spirit-faltered, the burden of looking for a way out fell onto the two captains’ shoulders.

That moonless night, thick layers of clouds flooded the night sky, hovering over the tents of the two troops. In one of those tents, Leeteuk and Hangeng sat wordlessly opposite each other. A map was laid out on a table between them. It’s a silent battle in the tent.

In a chess game, sometimes you need to let go a piece to save the rest. Sometimes you even need to do this proactively, in order to engineer a victory.

The same goes for war battles.

They had gone through the situation hundred times; and attempted hundreds of strategies. Hundred times they came to the same conclusion. They had to let go one chess piece to turn the situation around.

The silent battle in the tent, was about who among the two of them should be that chess piece.

Time was against them. Their grain reserve could at most last for… three more days? Three days later… who knew what would happen three days later…

A coin was flipped. When it landed on the table between Leeteuk and Hangeng, the silent battle ended.

The chess piece moved right away, to Sunken Deep.

……

They all had different ways to remain calm. Henry concentrated on playing his lute. Siwon devoted all his attention into dictating Bible verses. Heechul was drawing another portrait.

It’s important that they kept themselves occupied. Otherwise their thoughts just wandered into all sorts of undead related rumors. Their hands were as steady, and as certain as their hearts.

Henry mis-played a note. Siwon mis-wrote a word. Heechul mis-drew a line, the moment the battle horn blasted. Immediately, they rushed out to line up at the meeting point, joining their other comrades. War orders were given and without wasting another second all soldiers readied themselves and started marching out onto the battlefield.

Sunken Deep. It used to be a beautiful ancient city, which now only existed as a myth. After centuries of prosperous, worriless life, people in the city gradually sank into wickedness and plotted nothing else but lustful deeds. They angered God so much that one day the ground underneath opened wide and engulfed the whole city.

When the three of them arrived at Sunken Deep, battle cries and shrieks were ripping the valley. An inferno was roaring inside. The vastness of the scene, the hysterical screams of agony, the heart stopping pleads for mercy, overwhelmed all their senses.

“Go block them!” Someone urged.

Their minds remained blank, unable to register anything. Nevertheless their bodies dashed forward with their fellow brothers. They brandished their swords. Using their shields, they shoved the undead back into the inferno.

The whole time they blocked their senses.

No. Henry didn’t see the undead’s eyes soaked with despair, when affliction and death awaited. No. Siwon didn’t hear the undead’s screams of fear, when merciless fire cooked their flesh. No. Heechul didn’t feel an undead’s hand writhe; the moment sizzling sound transformed human tissues to ashes.

“DO NOT LET THEM OUT!”

“KILL THEM ALL!”

“KEEP FIRING! BURN THEM ALL!”

Somehow the Y-ians had trapped the undead in Sunken Deep, where there’s only one narrow route out to the outside world. The soldiers were blocking this route, chopping all creatures attempting to get out. Archers continuously shot fire arrows into the valley. There had to be something inflammable inside. Fire violently burnt. Fire tongues every inch of the valley. Firelight scotched the night into day. Like sin offerings, the fire kept dancing, roaring, carrying the smell of charring flesh to heaven.

The Y-ians took turn. When one unit grew weary, another unit took over. They took no chance in quenching the undeads’ desperate attempts to escape. They continued even after the inferno extinguished all screams. They continued even after the Sun came out to witness the night set ablaze.

They continued until Sunken Deep became a huge, smoldering pile of ashes, the undead dead, beyond reach of any revival power.

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A/N: You know me... The undead dead. Someone's also...

A/N2: I really need to work on my discipline and time management.

A/N3: Would you be so kind to like my page Joni0717? More likes I collect the better chance I can get my novels published. Please please please~~