COI C99
During that night, the Eldesunes heard news about what happened to the defense of Isekai City. It already foreseen the unpreparedness of most founded predecessors happened throughout the years. The Gobin tribes are the common examples, couldn’t leave their ancient lands on the mountain tops, shared the parts of the land with Rusics with their runes protecting from the threats during the Fall era. Neither the Eldesunes grew tired nor fatigue from the relentless loops, the sight to be worried about as they annihilated the monsters through the tunnels.
Elyrion stands in front among his brothers through the tunnels of dying monsters bound on the walls and echoing the remaining noise of its defeat. The fight should’ve end if the citizens able to stop the demons’ magic, but they look around as the demons’ puppets recovered once more, covered in dusts with its auras gazing them. A pointless plan as they offered them the time for their defense to be built without delay. One of the brothers approach to him with the letters from the City Guild.
“Mylnoie, they are requesting for reinforcement scouts found closely to the west . . .”
He lowers his hands as the brother ceased to speak. “They ask more than we had planned on our own. Tch, those people gathered were in sealed orders through our Ehan’Se and lead by our Ehan’Ra. They dared to ask the finest of warriors from Enders Bridge”
The brother continues “The message said they lost the outskirts of their barrier, the dust fog made among our brothers and sisters were not enough to face new monsters they never knew about”
Elyrion states the obvious “Truly, they are facing demons who had dared to go to their realm. As soon the sun rises, they will see Lady Hivites’ rivals joining them”
Hidden through the very core of east mountain, the undergrown, wrapped itself from the dense bedrock and the stolen tombs sealed of many creatures that belongs of the elves’ preservation of eco life. All gathered through in avatars linking throughout the world. Their gazes are blind but their voices heard like any other. The one who brought new strange creatures, the tree planted on the toll road, and the hybrids of beetles attached with runic writings, or was it from a different demon, it doesn’t matter. They spoke as the others trapped within this undergrown domain.
“Stinger Ray, the named of my creation from them. A flightless bird made out of wood on its body with only its beakhead is unbreakable. My gems hid inside its skull and nothing else it would destroy it, if they knew. Able to teleport its body, ignoring the obstacles and letting the head moving straight. Even then my other creations replicated among itself of the use of rat man skulls, I dare say, if only those rat men were made by you”
The demon hid and the words spoke out among them, others remain silent while the rests ignore it and proceed what they are here for.
The other demon spoke “My hybrid tree had already raised its roots on their roads, having the power of modern technology is nostalgic before the fall. It doesn’t matter how they are able to restore this civilization without having the rest of their lands share the same darkness, however, what they said about them is true. They are summoned by the enemy we search for during the fall. They didn’t leave as much the lady warned them, living on this world as it grudged us to act. From the city of Norvait that sank in half, they will not be granted their independence until it settles our last enemy gone”
A fatherly voice sprung out as it whispered among them “The siege against their city is forcing them to unite, let them divide again after this battle. You demons had acted on this attack on a whim, leaving this place of the undergrown weaken further to its core”
“There, there now, we have reached this far and taken much they could reach, but their puppets need to stop their annoyance and brought them to their city. The Eldesunes are starting to notice that we are the one who is controlling them”
“Where those traitors of ours regain their strength as the new day rises, they will unleash what we had sealed them from their own powers and more”
As morning will come by, the eldesunes see the veins of mana flowing through the caves. It is time they don’t interfere, and the people at Isekai City will have their breach become dire as they see it through the sky. The bodies of the monsters turned to dust and the remains are solid and start rolling through the surface. Elyrion sends a magic scroll to one of the brothers and said,
“Send it to Enders Bridge, bring what they needed as soon as possible. Also send words to the Lady, they have protected them long enough from the west outskirt”
At the center of Mihayara district, many people who are unconscious wake up in sequence. Woke up from a bad nightmare as some screams and others shook up as they breathe deeply. The medical staff heard their scream only in an one time moment, calling immediately to the others to check all the bedrooms for any problems. Many walk out from the bed as others used their magic to get out from it in quick succession, others bump to each other in mid magic while others check on each other’s well-being.
“What’s going on? Everyone starts waking up in the early in the morning”
“We don’t know sir. They suddenly wake up from a nightmare and everyone is still confused what happened”
“Alright, check every one of them to see if they are able to fight and . . .”
A call from the from border sending signals to everyone who are participating for the defense, while the people from Stranding Island see the sky changed color where dawn is lighting through the horizon. Their eyes witness the tales they have heard and witness its coming.
From the top buildings of many people stationed as their post look beyond the horizon, strange cloud dyed in brown and red are coming from the north. Fuku City where the rest of the people who didn’t join the evacuation took pictures from the forms of clouds emitting through the dawn’s sunlight. Many woke up and see the sky turning as the time is come for the district leaders and the leaders from Stranding Island are expecting for the worse. The day where the elves stop and the day they were warned about.
The leaders first enter the command post as the strange new phenomenon gave their men witnessed of a legend. “They seem not wary of this incident, yet we fear it”
“Don’t say a word, this is a threat that elves warned us about. Demons are slowing building up to raise that cloud up. The dusts can’t able to weaken it. The monsters at the front will be protected from that cloud”
They look to the distance where the cloud starts to settle down to the ground as the sun rises, it is the threat they have waiting for and stored since its own imprisonment. The elf leader secretly loose her true identity with a devilish smile
“Blind Judgement is coming”
One of the district leaders saw the elf turning into a demon from her face. The person quietly moves away and waited for the others to come. Through disbelief and many other thoughts surging along the surroundings, this will raise a suspicion by many and for that letting this person to keep it a secret. A leader with a focus on the siege, this is not the time to question the actions and the elf who is not to be the person they thought, including the other leaders as the person soon expect.
The cult leader enters the post as he sees the leaders from the island already here, put aside from the patience for the others to come, he calls out to them as they turn towards him.
“Bokushi Hidari, where are the others?”
“Already happening to where you are looking at. Everyone gathered to their positions as fast as they could. Have you heard the news from the recall area?”
The elf leader responds “I have, everyone here is readying themselves for the upcoming battle. They hope their reinforcements are coming soon”
“Reinforcements!? Have you bringing your people to help us?”
They shake their heads “No, we are expecting yours”
The barrier is enduring the mass cloud invading to the city, artilleries are sending barrage against the new forms of monsters. The giant insects with runes on their head are gone and also the main monster possessing its runes to its carapace left to drain from the mysterious cloud. The cloud descends down from the sky as it is piercing through the barrier, the remains of the corpses of countless insects of root bites and other creatures are forming together into a new body. The monsters are transformed and turned into humanoid like creatures. Mingled together as they combined into an abomination.
Everyone witnesses the new horde in front of them, as the Fuku adventurers return from their espionage and retrieve the data. Some were not too happy of the efforts they bring back to the border.
“What are we going to do with these samples? We brought here to see how it can work against them, this is some fucking geese turn hydras”
“??? Ok? You need to rest again after that quote you said”
They retreat and place the specimens and other samples to the research group. One of them is glad they are able to get the plant in their hands and said,
“This is what we need, if the defense continues to fail, then we will go botany with this ampstalk”
The 3rd and 4th line are facing the monsters, all beginners and volunteers at the front. They are willing to protect this city with their lives and the utilities they have given from the city. They fire as the monsters charged, firing through with their rune guns and arsenal at hand. Multitude of traps set, the monsters are getting blown up as they were shredded from the furry of the gunshots and the traps beneath its feet. Through the massive firing line, the 3rd line sees the brown red cloud blocking their view. The cloud spread into the city as the others lost sight of their target.
Magic items corrupt and their conditions slightly weaken. Comparing from the demonic runes, this is different than they have thought. Their mini map in their UI shows their group start to disappear after the other. The info starts to identify the unknown monster quickly destroying them in a straight line. Their failsafe is doing much of its worth as the one who is looking at the UI turn and see slightly from a beak nearly hitting his face. The monster turns as its body teleported back towards him, eliminating him so suddenly.
“The stinger ray is attacking at the north, possessing new kind of power as it pushed forward”
They look at the monster stepping the traps like it enjoyed it, hopping to every trap it touches. Its body explode and return as it is teleported back and restored. Where it finds a new target, it moves toward them in a straight line. A barrage of gunshots hit the bird as it flinches as its head was hit from the force of the bullets, its recoverable body fell as the head starts turning in a wrong way and fell to the ground. The monster is down, then something glows inside of its head as its body appeared and roll its head back up. The persistent bird opens its beak wide without any sound.
The 3rd line is losing their ranks where the 4th line is slowly backing away. Closing in through the steps of their city as they are now at the public parks and roads, clouded by the brown red as smoke and only hearing the sounds of gunshots. Their heavy weapons and other equipment are being pulled with their magic turned it mobile as they go. The last line stubbornly made the weapons into robotics and mobile assault supports, now setting in gears to move as they shoot. The workers and the volunteers are working hand in hand with the secret weapons they have designed.
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The stinger ray approach to the mobile assault mini vehicles as it easily taken out from their maneuverability. Many more monsters breaking through the 3rd line causing their ranks to lose in numbers and teleported back to the recall area. The supporting troops from Stranding Island hid among the building as they threw projectiles from the windows. The guns fire rain down from the building to continue to suppress the monsters. The border already losing its barriers while they start to move somewhere else. The building with special magic transporting the barriers and relocating it one at the time. The city is turning into a tower defense.
Monsters trying crawl inside the building as it sealed off from the outside, preventing any powerful sources to break through. The vehicles used it as their ramming collision spots to mow down the monsters against the unbreakable barriers. Plated carefully in concrete runes, and the ground floors are safe. It won’t last long as they fight in the midst of the brown red cloud, as their mana slowly drained away. They brought out their mana batteries or potions form their inventory, and continue to fight against the horde, while they are coming in drove as swarms.
Slowly as the fight goes on, many were swarmed then return to the recall area, the brown red cloud grew thicker to the view of the drivers blinding them to hit among each other.
“Pulled back! We can’t see anything . . . What is that!?”
Their groups are hearing screams from them as they crash through. Many looked at their UI as they are right now are starting to dwindle in numbers. Monsters through the clouds are leaping on them in massive droves not knowing what kind of monsters are they.
The remaining men hide inside among of the buildings and through the barricade areas where their vehicles need to refuel. The goblins place their totems at the entrance as the monsters barely scratching its way from the shamanistic walls. Small secured places are used and the people from Stranding Island is standing at the rooftop that is only a few stories high. Watching the monsters start to transform once again and see the progress they breached. Among the stranding island men, the demon disguised as a human, a mage who looks across the new monsters. Sensing through the powers it had, he told the people around them what he analyzed.
“The monsters, they have new owner it seems”
The volunteers watch with him as the new monsters they barely understand how it looks like “What do you mean?”
“The last threat we are facing are nothing but runes and plantation. Clearly you see none of them are using runes and attack us like any rooted tendril creatures”
“Uh huh, about the clouds descending in brown red, is there anything you know about?”
The mage sees the dense cloud covered only 5 meters in height as it settles. He let himself gaze upon it with a simple answer in return
“Demon magic is still a mystery”
The cloud stops where it parts north, Mihayara district, and the stadium is under the monsters’ influence. Now the monsters are attacking the Taiyou Industries as its protective barriers are already being climb over it. No chance of resisting as the workers fall back to the train station as it must be protected. All of them gathered and magic portal in place link to the South Shore Bay as their last resort of retreat with their rune equipment. The monsters are infesting the north and northeast part of the city.
“Lightly dense brown red cloud is approaching to our area. It finally identified as the demons’ mana releasing to the monsters to keep them from dying. Originated from the overgrown as previous attempts had to surpass its fumes. No information where it appeared through the night but it clearly mentioned as it is under the control of the demons. Please wait for orders as the defense of the recall area is prioritize as many others are trapped among the buildings”
The call sends out as the people start appearing from the failsafe. They are glad to see of them stay awake after their defeat. They are relief to see themselves not falling same effects as the 1st and 2nd line experienced. The people from Stranding Island start to question of the demons’ new leadership.
“A different demon is controlling the hordes, by the look of these creatures blindly mobbing through the streets, they must be from the undergrown itself”
“Aye lad, the previous ones were likely from the different place. Old allies join together as much as I remembered”
“The ampstalk they mention from one of our leaders. The tree is actually trying to take down their source of productions”
Seconds later, the sounds of destruction heard to where they stand as others tried to see where it comes from. The clouds start to rise and covered densely among the buildings. They cannot see what happened but the sounds of the collapse are certain. Goblins and dwarves appeared from the recall area as they used their rune talisman to retreat, the misery of their eyes as both races lie down on the ground as they spoke
“Puff* The clouds are rising up to the buildings, they throw their dead bodies there to be revived”
They turn and look at the cloud is still slowly flowing to this place as something lie inside where the horde are going to Taiyou Industries.
Inside that cloud had taking shift for the monsters to form, a group of monsters, fully formed, as the humanoid like forms face the people who are looking at the cloud. Face covered with only limbs carrying the weapons it needed, beastlike body but less so as it looks ghoulish. The Horsin man gaze it as he said to his allies
“Hybrid! Monsters from the deep parts of the undergrown, ready yourselves”
He signals them as they raised their weapons, the adventurers come to their aid already firing the monsters with spells. The monsters were eviscerated through its body.
It fell down as easily as they normally expected, but they see something could not think of. The adventurers see the figment of frail remains of its mana coming from the brown red cloud. The mana it has had feed them, almost restoring its variation of its mysteries. The body fell but the spirit release from the body, trapped and in cursed runes by demon’s writing. The silhouette through the brown red glow and its face revealed as ghost or apparition, the entire group that was destroyed instantly are standing before them as it waited for the cloud to move towards them.
The cloud being blown towards them as they got caught as they got distracted. The men and the adventurers quickly used their failsafe out of shock or fear, not knowing was going to happen as they escape. Others remain and face the wraiths. A dwarf stands before them with the weapon that he inspired of making. Carrying a big mana battery on his back, take aim as they swirling around him like whirlwind. It blinks towards him and slashes their weapon like limbs to his armor, his armor torn and his runes is being erased.
He takes aim to the monsters and unleash a line of lightning to one of them, it chained through the others as he swings it around moving forward as his photon gun is massive and slowly moving it to the ground. Slamming the chain of wraiths to the ground and disappears, the dwarf looks at his equipment with smiles and say the word
“Ghost Buster! Courtesies of this city’s finest”
When he is about to finish, the wraiths return immediately and attack him one at the time with no end. One kick at him as he pushes back deeper to the clouds as his rune talisman was taken from him during the attack.
The dwarf’s armor able to endure much of the damage without any runes left. Those wraiths as he looks at them slowly transforming to the people they were once were. He raised his weapon again and take another blast, murmuring through the thoughts and the sight of those wraiths slowly become lifelike.
“Hypocrites as they die, acting good as death lead you here”
They heard him and only respond in screeches. The loud noise blown to him as he resists the strong wind. The wraiths slowly come to him as the dwarf aimed at them. The other wraith appeared behind him as his mana battery on his back burst open and captured one of them.
The dwarf starts running as he caught one of the wraiths with his mana battery, pack with runes hidden without others could read it. Neither the wraiths or the strange cloud of the demon’s power could see the tricks made from the dwarf. Charging through as the wraiths attack him, the secret runes shield him as he is escaping. The dwarf’s back start to burn from the mana battery overheating, his head drips sweat, and his eyes continued to flash from the shield overextending the limits. The dwarf made it out from the dense cloud and pulled by angels coming for him, the tunes of instrument come to his ears as he barely made out alive.
The wraith was caught and the cloud is being pushed back from the mages as they raised a barrier and bocking the dense brown red cloud. The adventurer saves the dwarf in a nick of time as his back is burning and releasing vapor. Others tried to remove the massive mana battery from his back, their arms burned by the sheer raw power between runes and mana together. They made it to pull it out and now focus on the wraith he caught.
“Ode, deliver that wraith to the base. I’ll send the coordinates where you need to go”
“Yes, Ma’am”
Ode leave his magic channeling music near them while they gain his buffs. The cloud slowly pushing back until the density is too strong and resisted them, the wraiths are feigning their existence and returned back to the monsters’ bodies. Reawaken again as the abomination as it revived within the cloud. Others grew anxious if they got caught from it and worried about the others still remain inside the cloud. The sounds of the attack continue to persist in the northern district of Mihayara, as the others like Fuku City or Taiyou Industries made them imagine for the worst near on.
The adventurers gathered to defend what are left as the cloud is spreading further. Their magic is able to repel it as it is pure of neutral mana. It won’t last long as it persists and won’t be that easy to get rid of it. They found out it won’t take their mana for some reasons. Since the beginning, the siege had taken away their mana. Taking advantage to recycle through the citizens’ mana as endless fighting. The thought of getting inside the cloud that belongs to the demons made them be careful from now on.
As they defend this part of the district, the troubles arise heavily on Taiyou Industries. The stubborn people who remained inside the factories are much as lost if they don’t have their failsafe. Barricade separately with portals link to where they want to go, if not, they fled back to the evacuation area. The lights and the power outside had shut off, the monsters are cutting off the electricity to the factories. The clouds made it denser and they stared blindly as the monsters are approaching. The workers hid away from one room to another making their own saferooms.
Comparing less favored than the one made from the Enders, it is enough to block from the monsters’ reach. Scattered around the industries as the sound of fighting kept going.
“This is impossible. Puff* Magic and this bullshit changes as the fight goes on”
“Cough* What in the world that evil cloud attacked us causing so much destruction?”
“This another world logic made it even more nonsense for us to take care off. What are we going to do against a magic like that?”
“If I heard correctly, then that new moon approaching to this region help to repel the magic at the same time harming us”
The walls start banging where they hid, the disbelief put their heads high and to the extreme. If they don’t have those failsafe in hand for all of them, they would flee the city or force themselves to go to the foundation. Still, they are here inside the factory, trust their own people and themselves to off the menace they heard about. No experience against the new phenomenon, and no witness about the monsters ever grown hording inside their city. They stand before the monsters breaking through the door, the ceiling, the floor, and the will of their co-workers.
As one room after the other is being breached, more of them fire back with magic they don’t know and the powers they couldn’t trust since the beginning. The destruction hits through the room and the monsters and the wraiths come after it. They are continuing to stall, for how long they were ordered too from their leaders within this conglomerate industry. Held strong to the last time and sacrificing every facility they can to not reach near the train station. The place is needed for the workers to collect the resource, the promised supplies and materials needed for the future of their city.
The brown red cloud is moving north east after it fog through the stadium, the northern district is covered with cloud and the sounds of their buildings bursting in flames or crumbling piece by piece of its high tall building. Scattered all around as it continues to spread lightly to the west, Fuku City and Chojima district is starting to cover by mist, soon it will be dense as a cloud and thick colored brown red blocking their view. The sounds and the haunting imagery of those monsters come forth in drove.
The Fuku adventurers and the volunteers work hand in hand as they are trapped inside the buildings. The volunteers fell after in every breached with their numbers dwindling as the others retreat with their failsafe. Soon all the volunteers disappeared after the massive horde piling them up inside their defensive structure. They call everyone who is from the fort to use their rune talisman to retreat as they stall as much as they can. They ignore their request as the fight goes on.
“Magnet, cover the rear! We have to regroup with the others as we going from building to building” They hid one of the tall buildings as they sink the artillery down to the ground floor destroying the flooring where it stands. The monsters are climbing up as they are trying to slow them down. Magnet casts his spell at the monsters as they climb. Polarizes at the air as the debris pulled them in, in mid-air, then fall to the massive hole. The wraiths fly up as the other casts their spell to blow the cloud down. A powerful wind redirects it downward, leaving the exposed wraith fading and fall with it.
Magnet and the others proceed to climb as they reach at the floor where it reached the rooftop from another building. The Fuku adventurers are there from the other side, now casting their magic to make a bridge. They rush forward as the horde continue to pile up. Magnet places his last spell on the air, concentrating and gathering, as the others cast their spell on his levitating ball. The polarity of Magnet’s spell had starting to fill with tremendous force. As they leave, the magic ball burst open and everybody pushes out form the building.
Extending further downward where the monsters are climbing, they were getting pushed from the windows. The monsters fall down as countless more followed through. The Fuku adventurers made it out as they guide each other deeper inside the cloud as they need to meet at the stadium. More and more of them reunite as little as they thought. The people who are left with them are the gangsters. Gathered in one roof and so with the others from the other buildings. The falling debris kept going as others tried to escape.
They look at the stadium as the dome clearly being covered with the cloud. The doubt in their eyes as the orders said from the cult leader. “The voice in my head said we need to regroup there. This is some fuck up shit we are getting into”
“The clouds are coming up as we speak, those wraiths are no jokes once you fight them”
“Those monsters can’t be killed, we are surrounded by the demons’ magic, how can you kill something that they are all summoned? Banishing them won’t work as the cloud is their entrance to go inside of this world”
Tired as they need to rest, the used of their magic and abilities based on their mana control had shown their hindrance they never possibly imagined. The sight all around them are nothing but destruction and full of chaos, thankfully the entire interior is empty as it delivered to a safer route. The losing of many appliances and other luxurious goods will problematic once the siege is over. One of them laughs sarcastically as all around them is filled with monsters climbing up.
“I could see this a zombie apocalypse, but I never seen overpowered people can’t stop an overpowered cloud. Heh”
The monsters had reach to the roof, all clawing its way up. The mages handle them easily as they blown them away. The humanoid monsters reach the roof as they brought a brown red gem in hand. Solidify with magic and its appearing compact with dead creatures from the undergrown. Negating the adventurers’ spells, but not strong enough because of their control. The monsters stood there waiting, then they hear one of the monsters said
“You think you could get away what you had done inside the forest”
They recognized that voice, a person they knew died is now here on the demons’ side.