Free Web NovelChapter 26: A horror like no other...
[Earlier today: ]
Before the dawn broke and the first light greeted the city walls, the dark forest of the dreadful demons had gone utterly silent.
Aside from the rustling leaves of the trees, or the sound of the corrupted river flowing through the forest, there was an eerie silence covering the landscape.
With the loud noises brought by the Proof of Worth happening at the edge of the city, the silence was masked.
However, those who watched over the demonic forest, the rangers of reconnaissance that went inside that deadly maze, had already noticed something.
Strange phenomena like these weren’t uncommon in this dreadful forest.
Covered by a dark canopy of humongous trees, the forest was a mystery from the Olden Days.
It was an absolute nightmare. Thus, one needed to keep watch over it at all times.
-Shrrrrrrrrrr...
The rangers that went on their missions early in the morning asked the ones who had been patrolling throughout the night.
However, the night had been normal for them— dreadful as usual, but normal.
The morning was different. They had a bad feeling about this.
The spirits that were highly sensitive to the demons indicated strange movements within the forest.
Still, nothing conclusive was felt even by those magical creatures.
-Zaaaaaaaaa...
In times like these, it became an absolute necessity for the recon units to be on high alert.
Still, the ones who went inside the forest and patrolled their regular routes noticed nothing.
This was stranger for them since they did not meet any beasts, much less the stronger ones.
Some of the scouts came back with confusion, however... Some who strayed from their paths were not as lucky as the others.
"ARGHHH—!"
The things they saw in that forest not much deeper than their usual periphery shocked them.
"Shuuu!"
Those who were in the wrong place lost their lives to them before they could react.
While those who were lucky enough to maintain a sacred distance heard a distinct voice.
{ "All units are to remain still." }
All the scouts received a voice transmission in their heads that ordered them to stay calm.
This voice and the ability to speak to the people telepathically belonged only to one within Sungrade.
{ "From now on, we will begin the Top Priority Information Relay." }
There were five scouts who remained in the vicinity.
Flora, who had already found this place some time ago, was taken aback by what they had found.
{ "This is beyond anything we have ever faced..." }
The demonic forest was a breeding ground of the demons and demonic beasts.
It was said that it was connected to the Nine Hells of Underworld.
The Black river that passed through the forest was said to be the source of the demons and the gateway to hell.
The creatures that one found in this forest weren’t merely beasts or creatures or even monsters.
These beings, carrying the distinct Black Blood, were inhumane entities that only sought blood and death.
Deformed beyond recognition, they were mutated ’things’ that drank fire and spewed bones.
Most of them were of a beastly form: several eyes, more limbs than what their bodies could bear, and mouths full of teeth that would repulse anything that saw them.
These things weren’t something those weak of heart could even look at. The powerful demonic energy that they contained had the power to corrupt any mind, body, or creature.
Coming into contact with this energy can slowly degrade a being and turn them into something closer to them... making them one of the worst things in existence.
Just dealing with one of these things was a dire task. Trained groups failed to produce meaningful results when going against several of them.
But, throughout their life working as a ranger, the most number of these demonic beings they may have encountered would be in double digits.
Large scale wars would occur if several dozen of them appeared anywhere near the city.
If a (True demon), something that had transcended the limits of the demonic beasts and overcome their natural instincts, appeared in this world, those in power would put everything they have into stopping it.
A single true demon was equivalent to an army of the demonic beasts.
But their current situation went beyond even that.
’Prism... that rascal.’
When Flora entered the demonic forest at her brother’s request, she didn’t think much of it.
As a Naturalist, she had the power to assimilate with the natural elements around her and see more than what one can perceive through their senses.
Her Bloombug helped her restore the nature around her, and her natural talent as the healer of nature made her extremely repulsive of the demonic forest that had only death and corruption.
Simply using her powers in this environment made her stomach churn inside.
Still, she endured it.
It did not take her long to find the reason behind the strange silence... But the discovery did make her throw up her breakfast.
"Ghaaaaaaaaa!"
"SKAAAAAAA!"
"VHAAAAAAAA!"
There were hundreds if not thousands of the damned demonic beasts gathered in a single place.
Encircled around what seemed like a cocoon, the army of more than a thousand demonic creatures was growing at an unusual rate.
Demonic creatures, wild and uncontrollable by nature, were gathering around this cocoon structure, and a strange sense of protectiveness was felt from the bunch.
’They’re protecting it.’
As a learned tamer with great knowledge, she could tell this cocoon-like structure could only be one thing... something that was never seen before in the demonic beasts.
{ "Formation?" }
Faraway from the hoard of the beasts, she was watching everything through the special senses connected through the natural elements around her.
She was keeping an eye on the creatures so that they did not detect the people that were present out there. She trusted the rangers. While some passed away before she could warn them about these things, she did not want to lose any more of her men.
{ "Alright." }
With the rangers spread out in a triangular formation around the hoard, the entire area where they were concentrated was covered up by the formation.
{ "Go." }
-Fleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...!
When Flora gave the signal, three soundless warning flares of red used only in times of absolute emergencies were fired above.
-SWEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Along with them, a one white flare indicating death was released by one of the scouts, while the last scout shot out a magical firework into the air that went much higher than the flares... it was high enough to be visible even for the people in the colosseum at the edge of the city.
’Brush.’
Lastly, Flora used a high frequency communication power of her SSR-rank beast to deliver a message to all the tamers around the city strong enough to feel it.
[ "A Demon Lord is coming." ]
The cocoon would hatch a beast different but worse than a true demon.
Under that beast, the thousands that had gathered here right now would march forward and attack the frontier.
The city was holding an important event right now and many powerful people had gathered here... but even that would not be enough to cover a surprise attack of this scale.
’The presence of a lord changes everything.’
The mindless demonic beasts become organised.
They attack not just for blood, but also to take away something much more important from the world– the purity.
The lord corrupts the normal beasts and people, grows its hoard, marches away to other places, and continues on until the world itself is corrupted.
’They must be a national terror.’
When a lord appears among the beasts, they are creatures of immense powers and abilities. A lord of the demons?
’I don’t even know how dangerous this is going to be...’
