Chapter 125 The Dance Of Despair [Pt 1]

[Hours Earlier]

With the Hero's sudden disappearance, the Adventurers of Dulum were faced with a very overwhelming choice.

At first glance, it appeared they had two options, but in reality... only one existed.

One was to wait for the Hero's return, hoping he took care of the problem for them.

However, as the Demon Army progressed with their march—nearly reaching the City's gates, Zabdel realized that the second option was all they had.

"We fight! There's no other option."

Even though his sigh contained disappointment, there was hardly any sense of bitterness or hatred.

He had simply resigned himself to fate.

"Not only is it impossible to escape, but the enemy forces also far outweigh us all. In the end, all wr can do is offer our final means if resistance."

His words sounded suicidal, but he was correct. As the Vice Guildmaster, it pained him the most that he had to face such bleak reality, but...

"T-the Hero... Sam will definitely come back!" Sarah blurted out, unable to control her seething emotions any longer.

Zabdel turned to look at the young priestess and smiled. Even now, he admired her total trust in the Hero.

'Can I really be like that...?' The Vice Guildmaster wondered, watching the adversity that was upon them.

"Then, when he arrives... it's best he sees us doing our best, don't you think?"

Zabdel's words seem to strike a chord in Sarah's heart, as she seemed dazed for a moment. Once it was over, she finally decided to join the Adventurers in repelling the Demon Forces.

It was impossible to win, but they had to do their best—or die trying.

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The Adventurer and Hero Forces were spread to the four corners of the City.

Twenty five Golems each were respectively placed in the cardinal areas, and the Demons were allocated in like manner as to ensure fairness and a fair distribution of power.

Sarah and Zabdel stayed at the North Gate. Lilith stayed at the South. Byron, alongside top-tier Adventurers stayed in the West, while Lucy and other top Adventurers took to the East.

The balancing of members based on power and number was to ensure that each had an equal chance when facing the enemy.

"Why can't we just focus on one point in the city. If we win, we can choose to escape. Wouldn't it make more sense that way?" The one who asked this was Asa.

Her concerns about the sheer impossibility of winning kept troubling her, so she had to speak up.

"It's impossible to escape. Even if we do concentrate our forces on one area, we'd still be hard pressed to win. The time spent fighting just one wave will allow the other three to infiltrate our town and dominate our flanks as well as our rear."

Worst cade scenario would be if they got sandwiched by the enemy. Yes, that would be extremely terrible.

"Plus, we're not fast enough to outrun the enemy's forces as a group. Many Adventurers may be able to escape, but even then...'

The gap in the physical abilities of a Human and a Demon was astronomical. Not only did the latter have more speed, in the first place, but they also had better stamina.

There really was no feasible way to run.

"So, we have to stay... and fight?!"

That was all they could do, really. Upon reaching that consensus, the people went fast to work.

Unfortunately for them, they had only signed up for their deaths.

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[The West]

Byron and the small army he led were nervous.

Beads of sweat appeared on their faces as they stared at the large gates that stood before them.

Somehow, the gates didn't seem as large as Byron remembered it to be.

What had usually given a strong impression on those who viewed it now seemed too feeble to protect those who gazed upon it.

The humans stayed within the walls' protection, sending the Golems as their first line of defense.

Against the primal forces of the Lower-Class Demons, it was best to systematically attack and chip off their power in a strategic way. Given their numbers, it applied even more strongly in this case.

No one could afford to waste their energy!

'Huu... everyone is relying on me! I have to do my best... at least, until HE returns.'

Since Byron was the leader of a frontier settlement, he had seen his fair share of hardship and Demon Invasions—though this one trumped everything he had seen by far.

"Prepare yourselves, everyone!" The man roared, strengthening his muscles and preparing his hearts for the calamity to came.

And then it happened—

>BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!<

A bombardment of flaming meteors cascaded on the Western portion of Dulum, leveling everything to the ground.

Byron and his soldiers did not even get a chance to prove their worth as Adventurers or even humans.

In the end, both the Golem and the human forces were wiped out by the chaotic flurry of fiery meteorites.

It was quite literally the end for them.

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"Ah, shucks... I wanted to keep some of them." A grinning Demon spoke with slight agitation.

Even then, her smile did not fade.

"Don't be like that, Kiko. If you're fortunate, the others could have spared a few humans. Maybe they have some you can use as pets." Another Demon appeared—a striking gentleman with blazing red hair and one ominous horn sticking from the center of his forehead.

"That didn't mean you had to kill them all, Pierrus!" The Demon called Kiko responded.

Her smile continued, but she sounded angry... right?

"It's just more efficient to do it like this. Since the Leader gave us the go-ahead to interfere, I chose the route that produced the best result in the shortest amount of time. In essence, you're welcome..."

"Tch. You and your damn utilitarianism..."

Kiko didn't bother arguing with Pierrus. He was a stubborn idiot who stuck to his belief on utility and efficiency.

"Welp, it looks like we're done here. I better hurry to look for survivors."

"Yeah... you do that. I'll just wait here. Or should I just return to the camp? Nah, I'll wait here. Have fun."

And thus, standing atop the ashes of the once loving and determined Humans, the Demons conversed casually.

Nothing about the sight of despair, death, or destruction seemed consequential to these agents of chaos.