As I thought about what I should do, a memory I had almost forgotten came to mind.
'Teacher, what do you think makes a king?'
'One who never doubts... never yields... never relies... never surrenders... and only takes pride in protecting his people. That is what makes a king.'
'Is that so... ?'
'Do not worry, you will undestand it. Eventually.'
"HAHAHA!" I broke out in booming laughter.
"I finally understand, Teacher! I get everything now!" I shouted from the bottom of my lungs.
I started walking to the back of the Sleeper army, standing still as the horde of Nightmare creatures surged forward. I dismissed my blindfold, and as I looked around, agonizing pain and sadness hit me like a truck.
The Sleepers looked at me for a second, and someone muttered, "Eyes like shining stars."
"One who never doubts, never yields, never relies, never surrenders and only takes pride in protecting his people. That is what makes a king!" I shouted, stunning everyone.
I took the stance for my Heavenly Hand of Defense and shouted again while summoning [Death Trap].
"I am King of Men! And today, nothing will get past me!"
With the memory summoned, the Nightmare creatures stopped for a moment and then, ignoring everything else, started rushing toward me with everything they had.
The Sleepers stood stunned. Even Nephis looked in disbelief. Cassie just muttered, "Eyes like shining stars."
"What is that madman doing again?" Sunny said in disbelief.
The first to recover was Gunlaug. If I could pay attention, I would be impressed for sure.
"What are you standing around for?!" he shouted. "Run toward the Spire! Even he can't hold them forever!"
He lifted two injured Sleepers onto his shoulders and started running toward the Spire. This woke everyone up, and they, too, started running while helping the injured.
Nephis quickly gathered the strongest members, killed the few monsters emerging from the Spire, and said, "He said there's something inside that we must defeat. I will go kill it. The rest of you, make sure everyone escapes. Injured and non-combatants first, the rest after them."
She looked back and saw only carnage—a lone Sleeper like a flickering light amidst hundreds of Nightmare creatures.
"I'm sorry," she muttered.
While the Sleeper army escaped, I felt a surge of power from within.
[You have awakened Aspect Legacy]
[Would you like to claim it?]
'Yes.'
[You have received a Memory.]
Memory Name: Almighty Spaulders
Rank: Transcendent
Type: Armor
Description: The legendary Divine Weapon of Qin Shi Huang in the form of shoulder plates and armor on the arms and hands. It grants incredible defensive strength while also maximizing the full potential of the Chi-You martial arts.
I summoned it immediately. Making full use of my martial arts and the energy-flowing weakness detection ability of my eyes, I crushed the weaker Nightmare creatures as if they were mere ants. When the stronger monsters came, I focused on redirecting their attacks, so they will harm eachother.
It worked suprisingly well as my [Death Trap] memory dulled their perception on their surroundings.