As we moved swiftly down the main road, pushing through the growing chaos, the city's inner defenses finally came into view. Citizens were lined up in a chaotic mass, desperately trying to pass through the gates in a disordered queue. The shouts of commanding officers boomed over the crowd, attempting to restore some semblance of order.
"Enter one by one! Hey! No pushing!"
Despite their shouts, it was a lost cause. Driven by raw fear, the crowd ignored the officers' commands, pressing and shoving in a frenzy to reach the gates. The entrance had become a chaotic crush of bodies, each one fighting for survival.
In this storm of desperation, control was nearly impossible.
As we forced our way through the frantic crowd, strange cries sounded from those who had fallen, only to be trampled by the swarm. We pushed forward without a glance, focused solely on reaching our destination.
Once we penetrated the inner defenses, we were met with a dismal sight. Everywhere, people stood in silent despair, and the soldiers stationed on every corner trembled with fear.
It wasn't surprising, considering the circumstances. The city's defenders were vastly outnumbered, and the residents were gripped by terror. Morale among the defenders had plummeted to an all-time low, and the situation seemed utterly hopeless, with no apparent silver linings. It appeared as though they had already resigned themselves to their fate.
What could they really do in such a situation?
Angelica's face darkened. "This... this is terrible."
"Don't worry," I said, trying to reassure her. "Similar scenes will occur on earth. You'll get the hang of it. At least, that's if we manage to survive."
"Hey, don't say something depressing like that. We'll survive for sure."
Despite her confident tone, Angell's voice carried a hint of desperation, as if she were trying to convince herself that survival was still a possibility. Her silent despair was understandable. I, too, wasn't entirely sure we would survive to see the end of this story.
Lee Suhye broke in. "Jakga-ssi, why are you so sure reinforcements will come?"
"Because I know they will arrive," I replied with a shrug.
"How do you know that? Can we even trust this man? He's completely insane. How can he bet our lives on such an unsure possibility?"
Insane, huh?
I can't blame her. Anyone in their right mind would question me, especially given the incomplete information I had provided. From Lee Suhye's point of view, my plan must have seemed like a reckless, suicidal tactic. However, it was the only path that offered any hope of survival.
Angelica intervened, "Don't worry, Jakga is someone we can trust with our lives."
"How can you say that?" Lee Suhye retorted. "Did you hear him? Are you really willing to risk everything on his wild guess?"
"It's because of the god behind him. If he says reinforcements will arrive, then reinforcements will arrive. That's how we survived for this long."
"Oh, I see. I think I get it now."
Thank you, Angelica, I thought. That should keep Lee Suhye's questions in check, at least for now.
Turning to our objective, I considered what lay ahead. Originally, the library dungeon should have been discovered by Sung Jaewon, not Soo Jinyoung. In fact, Jinyoung was never meant to know about it.
Wait... I just realised something.
Which turn was this Sung Jaewon?
Wait... which turn was this for Song Jaewon? Third?
No, it should've been the ninth turn for Song Jaewon since this was also Soo Jinyoung's ninth life. My memories felt fragmented, blurred, possibly because of the accident. Recalling certain events was difficult, as though pieces of the past had scattered like dust.
Even so, I was sure that the story was changing, flowing in different directions. This shift...
Perhaps my actions had triggered these changes. But there was no need to panic; not everything would change. Some constants would remain, like this small narrative we were currently caught in.
According to the plot of this narrative, the city's destruction was as a result of the lack of reinforcements, caused by the monsters destroying the eastern bridge. Song Jaewon resolved the story by preventing the bridge's destruction, enabling the arrival of reinforcements to fight the monsters. If we follow his footsteps, we should be able to complete the story without any casualties on our end.
Step! Step!
Before long, the eastern gate came into view. Adjacent to the gate was a massive winch, responsible for the gate's opening and closing.
I said, "I'll operate the winch. Block anyone that tries to approach."
"Okay."
I approached the winch and used my strength to pull the rope. With a creak, the gate began to swing open, its movements slow and laborious.
I retrieved several mini explosives from dimensional storage ring and hurled them.
Kwang, crack, boom!
Explosions erupted outside the gate, sweeping away the contaminated monsters. Bodies of those directly hit were hurled dozens of meters into the air above the wall and landed somewhere.
Lee Suhye surveyed the scene and remarked, "It's incredible how something so small can cause such destruction."
In the aftermath of the destruction, flames continued to smolder, flickering ominously.
"Did it get all of them?" Angelica asked.
"No, the explosives will only slow them down at best. It won't be enough to kill all of them."
Ogres were known for their tremendous physical strength and endurance in Song of Nightmares. Sure, most of them infront would be wiped. But It wouldn't be enough to stop them completely.
Beyond the flickering flames, countless crimson eyes observed us from a distance.
Kya! Kya!
Eyes that once sparkled with intelligence and life were now hollow and wild with madness. Indeed, that was the fate of the 'Corrupted ones.'
Creak, creak!
The gate behind us began closing. One of the guards had regained consciousness and was closing the gate. With this, our only escape route was now sealed. The rest of the party members noticed this and frowned.
It worked as planned.
It would have been good if we could have used the strength of the soliders, but that would be pushing my luck.
Jung Yunhee opened her mouth and asked, "Hyung, are you sure this plan will work?"
"Honestly, I don't know. In fact, the plan might fail and every one of us will die horribly."
Upon hearing my words, the expressions of the party members darkened further. Lee Suhye was the first to react.
"I knew it! This guy's insane!"
"If you're looking for someone to blame, blame the bastard that got all of us trapped here in the first place."
"That..."
Lee Suhye tried to say something, but nothing came out of her mouth.
Speaking of which, I wondered which floor that bastard must have reached. He must really be enjoying himself.
In any case, I'll make sure to deal with him later.
I drew my sword with one hand and my handgun with the other, gripping the sword firmly in my right hand and the gun in my left.
It would be a huge party.
"Get ready to fight."
"Yes."
We quickly arranged ourselves in a battle formation. I stood at the forefront, with Jung Yunhee to my right, Angell to my left, and Lee Suhye at the rear.
The flickering flames created a barrier in front of us, the only line of defense separating us from the horde of corrupted monsters.
Once the enemy crossed that line, the dance of death would commence.
Survival was uncertain, with only a 20 percent chance of making it out alive. We had no powers like regression or reincarnation, so death would mark the end of our stories.
Despite the odds, we had no choice but to press on. This was not a decision we made, but one imposed upon us by the Fate.
I looked at my companions one by one and spoke one final time.
"Everyone, let's make a good story together."
The battle began as the enemy penetrated the wall of flames and roared out.