Chapter 86: Sacrifice

The battle raged, and both sides took heavy casualties. The Half-Drows, though powerful, were not invincible.

Several of them fell to the soldiers' relentless assault, their robes engulfed in their own flames as they were overwhelmed by sheer force.

But the biomechanical soldiers didn't escape unscathed either—some of them were hit by fire magic so intense that their metal frames began to warp, melting under the heat.

Ram, watching the feed, spoke quietly. "They're evenly matched. But how long can they keep this up?"

Mai nodded, her expression serious. "If they continue, this is going to be a long fight. Both sides are powerful, but the biomechanical soldiers have the advantage of their mechanical bodies. The Half-Drows are relying on raw magic, but they'll tire eventually. "

Sid, watching the chaotic battle unfold, tightened his fist so hard that his knuckles turned white. He was conflicted, the weight of responsibility heavy on his shoulders.

"I'm sorry, guys. If it wasn't for me..." His voice trailed off, guilt gnawing at him.

It was his idea that had gotten them involved in this mission, and the situation inside the monster den had spiraled out of control.

Normally, a C-rank monster den wouldn't have more than fifty elite-grade monsters, but this... this was something else.

According to the reports from the other robot kittens scattered across the second floor, similar situations were unfolding elsewhere.

Mechanical soldiers were attacking cavemen tribes in different locations, but in each instance, they were met with fierce resistance.

Elite Half-Drow fire mages—hundreds of them—had emerged from the shadows to defend the cavemen.

Combined, more than three hundred elite Tier 3 fire mages had appeared across the various locations.

Sid couldn't shake the sense of responsibility. The sheer scale of what they were facing was far beyond what any of them had anticipated.

He had hoped for a straightforward mission, a chance to grab the Source Seed and clear the den. Instead, they were caught in something far more dangerous than they thought.

Before Sid could wallow further in his thoughts, a voice interrupted him. "Ha ha, stupid bear, why are you feeling sorry?" It was Liam, of all people, who broke the tension.

He leaned casually against a nearby rock, grinning despite the chaos around them.

"Everyone came here by their own choice. This was never gonna be a walk in the park. Besides, we're not dead yet, are we?"

Sid glanced at Liam, who had a playful but reassuring smile on his face.

It was clear they were planning something bigger.

"The Half-Drows are in bad shape," Su Mu remarked, her sharp eyes scanning the map.

"They've lost more than twice the number of soldiers compared to the biomechanical soldiers. But they're still holding on."

"Barely," Liam muttered. "They got hit hard, but they're not out of the fight yet."

Mai's expression remained focused as she analyzed the battle. "This isn't over. The biomechanical soldiers are regrouping, probably planning their next move. We need to stay alert. If they launch a coordinated attack at one single place, the Half-Drows won't last much longer."

"Haa? What are those Half-Drows doing?" Su Mu asked, her sharp gaze still locked onto the live feed from the Robo Cat. Her voice had a note of alarm, enough to grab everyone's attention.

Ram, Sid, Liam, and Mai all turned their eyes to the projection, the eerie sight displayed clearly in front of them. The aftermath of the battle had taken a disturbing turn.

Instead of retreating or vanishing like the other monsters, the surviving Half-Drow mages gathered all the trembling cavemen who had somehow survived the carnage.

"What the hell?" Liam muttered, squinting at the screen. "Are they rounding them up?"

The sight was bizarre. The surviving cavemen, shaking in fear, were herded into a large circular formation.

Their eyes darted wildly, filled with terror and confusion, as they were corralled into the center of the intricate spiritual formation etched into the ground.

Before the cavemen could even comprehend what was happening, intense flames erupted from the formation.

Without warning, the fire engulfed the entire circle of cavemen, their screams echoing briefly before being snuffed out in a horrifying instant.

The flames burned so fiercely that it reduced them to ash in seconds. Their bodies disintegrated, leaving nothing but a thick, ominous smoke that rose slowly into the air.

"Holy shit..." Sid whispered, unable to tear his eyes away from the screen.

His fist clenched harder, the guilt and anger bubbling up inside him again. "That's what they were afraid of. The Half-Drows were using them as sacrifices."

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