Jaco was still trying to wrestle with the ramifications of this sudden message. Aside from their own local area, what about the rest of the world? He didn’t know how the Gates of Hell were spread out. But if there was one in every major population zone like their city, then there could be Demidemons entering from who knew how many points across the planet.
Would the people in those regions ready for that, or were they about to get steamrolled by an overwhelming force? He knew within this gut that this wasn’t just a crisis for them. So he couldn’t help but wonder just how many humans would even be left when the Apocalypse officially spat out its last stage.
At the same time, Noah was the next to stand up. The leader of the camp looked around at those who were currently gathered. The shared surprise was still clear in all of their expressions.
Everyone had received the same notification from the System. This would include those still a short distance away within the walls of the encampment itself. Who after getting agitated by the swarm of Spectres, were likely now about to get into a panic.
“We have little time to waste on staying around here. People will likely be looking for me, so I’ll shortly have to go back to help calm them down. So before I go, we’ll need to quickly settle things here and enact a plan of action of our own,” Noah said.
Jaco leaned forward and took a deep breath. He then looked over at Alex, whose question he’d yet to actually answer. After taking a moment to process his initial surprise, he tried to get his thoughts back on track.
With a heavy exhale, Jaco attempted to look at things rationally. “It specifically said that Demidemons will be able to cross over regularly. That doesn’t necessarily mean we’re about to be swarmed by an army of Minotaurs. Like I mentioned before, there were a few monsters called Taurlings that arrived right as I was going to be teleported out of the fort. The System also marked them as Demidemons.”
“So you think we’re probably going to see more of those? But even they were still in the low 40s for their Levels, right? Alex asked.
“Yeah, the strongest one I saw was Level 43,” Jaco affirmed with a nod. “Since there were three of them and only one Minotaur, at least as far as I know, I assume they're a more common variant of Demidemon. But considering the general Level ranges of different monsters, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were Taurlings as strong as Level 45 out there.”
Granted, that was just pure speculation on Jaco’s part. Entire groups of Taurlings would still be extremely dangerous for basically everyone here besides himself. And that was while assuming his belief was correct. There was a very dire but real possibility that a bunch of Minotaurs were about to come through the Gates of Hell.
Then if Jaco had to be honest with himself, he didn’t like his chances against fighting a whole group of Minotaurs at once. Especially if reality decided to throw one possible cruel curveball at him. Where it could turn out that like every other monster, Minotaurs also fell into a Level range. And it turned out the one he nearly died fighting was actually on the lower end of that range…
Yeah, a bunch of even higher Level Minotaurs entering the city could be considered as the worst possible scenario.
“There’s no way we can be prepared for that sort of thing. We just don’t have strength needed to defend an attack by Level 40s,” Sam said as she started to chew on her thumbnail.
“The Gate of Hell is at the very center of the city,” Noah began. “Even if more Demidemons have to pass through, they shouldn’t be an immediate threat. Like we’ve never even seen the Taurlings outside the fortress, and the Minotaur itself was only rarely spotted. So if they stick to the fort or innermost area like before, we might be okay for the time being.”
Alex shook his head. “But what if they don’t just sit around and nicely leave us alone? We used to believe that the higher Level undead wouldn’t ever leave the city. But then Jaco and I found that Revenant. Which I will remind you, was also a Level 40 monster. So we can’t assume that things will be the same as before for how far out they travel.”
“Should we consider moving the camp?” Sam asked. “Between the Chosen and now this, relocating it farther out from the city might be something we should seriously consider.”
Noah frowned as he stared down at the ground. The leader of the group of survivors seemed to be contemplating the idea. After a few seconds passed, he eventually sighed.
“If there ever was a time to move, it would be now. There are obviously the threats now looming over us. At the same time, there is also the fact that we’re not necessarily as rooted to this spot now. We still haven’t finished restoring everything after the horde’s attack, so this would likely be the smoothest time to make that kind of transition. However, I’ll need to discuss it with the rest of our top members first,” he said.
“Speaking of the Chosen,” one of the others present brought up. Jaco was pretty sure the dude’s name started with an M, but he couldn’t quite place it. “Any chance that they’re about to be screwed over by all the Demidemons coming over? They all tend to hang out around the inner city, right?”
“I wouldn’t bet on it,” Jaco said. “Maybe that’ll be the case if we get lucky. But the System stated that Demidemons are the thralls of Demons. So it’s safe to assume that the Minotaur probably has some Demon master we haven’t met yet. There’s a chance that the Chosen’s leader was just working with the Minotaur itself. But I think we should assume the worst, that there’s at least one Demon or more that are the ones really behind their alliance with Levi.”
Alex raised a hand. “But maybe since you killed the Minotaur, that might have thrown a wrench if things. Or even if it didn’t, their deal might not apply to the rest of the Chosen Few. Evelyn just said she only found out by chance, after all. So maybe the other members are also unaware of what’s going on and could fight the Demidemons, letting them take each other out.”
“Maybe,” Jaco replied with a shrug. “However, once again, I think it’ll be safer to assume the worst case scenario. One where maybe Levi’s deal included protection for the other Chosen, whether or not they’re actually aware of it.”
Noah nodded. “I say that we should act with an abundance of caution. I’d rather we assume that the rest of the Chosen Few and these new Demidemons are working directly together, and will attack us as a combined force. Even if our fears prove to be unfounded, it’ll still be the most beneficial thing for us to do. If we prepare for the very worst thing imaginable, then anything else will be all the easier to deal with.”
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
“Hmm. Before anything else, there’s actually something I want to check. Be right back,” Jaco said as he had an idea. At that moment, his form began to shift and shrink down. Until just a few seconds later, a hawk flew up and soared into the air.
Now high in the sky, Jaco could peer across the landscape. Earlier, the heavy downpour of rain would have obstructed his vision. But now that the rainfall had lessened by quite a bit, he was currently able to see the city.
The first stage of the Apocalypse had been marked by a large explosion that brought pure devastation. Then the second stage was an earthquake that further changed the city through the construction of the giant fortress and its outer structures. Both of these things were events that were seen and felt even from miles away. But what about the third stage?
Well that’s where things quickly seemed amiss. While they had received the notification warning them about it, they hadn’t felt any shaking or anything like that from the ground. And now starting at the city while flying in the air, Jaco was currently scanning it for any obvious differences. No matter where he looked, nothing new seemed to stand out to him.
Well, that’s somehow even more concerning, Jaco thought to himself. His hawk eyes were narrowed as he took another look at everything within sight.
He even flew up a bit higher just to try and adjust his angle. But even with that, the visual evidence remained the same. The city still looked exactly the same as it had before the warning about the third stage. In fact, the ruins of the city almost looked picturesque with the rain. In a bleak, post-apocalyptic sort of way, anyway.
With that now confirmed, the hawk then flew back down. He shifted into his regular body, and started to explain his findings to the others. And as they heard his description of how the city itself remained seemingly unchanged, their concerns also grew. Noah rubbed at his forehead, his eyes closed with obvious stress. But before he or anyone else said anything, Jaco was the first to speak up again with another idea.
“I should head over there and check things out. I think we can all tell from our conversation just now that we’re just going off assumptions and speculation. But what we really need most right now is concrete information. And now there’s no way to get that unless I personally go over to the inner city to see how things have changed for myself,” Jaco said.
He didn’t directly admit it out loud, but Jaco had his own method to find out more. Thanks to his Secondary Class, he had gained an awareness of the Devil’s Essence. The same kind of energy he sure enshrouded the city in its aura. Personally going over there would potentially allow him an unique insight into how the third stage impacted this Hellish energy.
Noah opened his eyes and gave the Druid a reserved look. He grimaced, but then seemed to settle whatever internal debate was going on in his mind.
“Alright,” he slowly said. “I don’t like it, since we’d be losing our strongest fighter. Then there’s the fact that it could be dangerous even for you. Even if we had others at your Level, I would say the risk would still be too great. But if anyone could still beat the odds in spite of the danger, it’d be you, Jaco. And you’re right in that we’re just stumbling in the dark, so it might be the best move for now. ”
“I’m going with Jaco,” Evelyn piped up. The Druid turned her way, and saw her expression. It was set, with her eyes focused and narrowed. She was clearly certain about this and would have a hard time taking no for an answer, from what he could judge.
As the only other person here with a Class Evolution beside him, her chances would be better than most. Especially since her build seemed to be focused around speed. So if things get dicey, she would be well equipped to simply retreat. Jaco glanced at the camp’s leader, who nodded after a moment.
“To be honest, it would make things easier on us if she went with you. It would admittedly be just kicking the problem down the road. But we likely need more time to settle on what to do with her in regards to her membership with the Chosen. Especially now that we have arguably more pressing matters with the coming Demidemons,” Noah said.
And so it was decided. Jaco and Evelyn would be the duo who entered into the city on their own. Their mission would be one of reconnaissance, to see exactly what other potential changes were brought by the third stage of the Apocalypse.
In the meantime, the other elites of the encampment would stay behind to defend it. They would potentially even begin the process of relocating it, if deemed necessary. Though with how many people and supplies would be involved, it would take some time even if they immediately started to move.
Jaco and Evelyn soon put the camp to their backs. With no time to waste, they had already set off on their mission. But as the two of them walked away, he heard something. From the camp’s direction, someone was currently running toward them. The Druid stopped to turn around and see who it might be.
“Hold up!” Sam called as she ran toward them.
“Sam?” Jaco asked aloud. He wasn’t sure who he had expected, but she wouldn’t have been his first choice. Which begged the question: what did she need? Was there something important that they needed to know before leaving or something?
The Mage soon caught up. Though after sprinting the whole way at full speed, she then needed a moment to catch her breath. After taking a breather while bent forward and resting hands against her knees, Sam straightened.
“Haah, okay. After thinking about it, I’ve decided to come with you. And I’ve already informed Noah right before I left. So my absence won’t be missed,” she said.
Jaco couldn’t help but raise a brow. “That’s all well and good, but are you sure about this? No offense Sam, but you don’t have a Class Evolution yet. Even Evelyn who does might have a hard time if there really are a bunch of Level 40 monsters running around. I won’t stop you. But I just want to make sure you really understand the dangers involved.”
“I’m aware. But I have my own reasons for why I need to come along. I’m ready to accept the risk that I’m biting off more than I can chew,” Sam affirmed. She crossed her arms as she maintained eye contact.
Jaco noted that she hadn’t said what those reasons of her own actually were. But he figured that if she was going to explain further, she would have already done so. And that prying further likely wouldn’t get anything out of her.
“As long as you’re sure,” he said. “I’ll still do my best to handle anything that’s too high Level for both of you. However, anything can happen. So as long as you’re still fine with that, then we might as well get going.”
With that, he resumed his walk. Still sure of her decision, Sam immediately followed suit. The duo had turned into a trio, and they set off for their mission.
—--
Far beyond any person’s sight, a winged girl stared down at the world below. Her heavenly wings gracefully flapped in the air as she steadily flew through the air. So high up was she, that even a hawk that looked up would be unable to see a hint of her presence.
For now, the Angel simply watched the currently ongoing events. Though out of everything taking place, her attention was focused on one man in particular. Of course, it was the Druid. Who she observed as he and his two companions made their way toward the ruined city.
“Creator, I cannot help but be curious about this man’s fate. Was it truly a mere coincidence that he was present to save me at that time, or was it part of a grander destiny of your design? Whatever the cast, I wish to observe how his fate will unfold from now on.”
She could only hope that he would remain ready for the challenges ahead.