At this moment, Hank paid no attention to the commotion around him.

He cast a glance at his house and then at his two children. The struggle in his eyes was plainly evident.

Finally, he was compelled to make a decision. Although losing the farm would be a significant loss for him, in comparison to his other properties, it was not of utmost consequence.

The primary reason was that this place was where he had started his journey and built his fortune, making it extremely difficult for him to part with it. However, the current situation allowed him no time for further hesitation.

"Mary! Take Ali and Amira and leave! Make your way to Bathesi City!" Hank suddenly shouted at the nanny.

"But what about you, sir?" the nanny asked worriedly, holding the two children in her arms.

"This place still requires my command. I need to gather all the essential items and take them with me!" Hank headed in the direction of his farm.

The several police officers exchanged glances for a moment. They immediately understood that they could do no more in this situation, and thus, they quickly took their leave.

...

Baiyek.

When Glen returned from Kaeladria, he was surprised to find Ravel at home, engaged in conversation with Thea. Ravel wore an expression of palpable fear.

Upon seeing Glen's arrival, Thea, filled with delight, dashed up to him and spoke in a rapid tone, "Mr. Glen, Master Ravel said that the demon race is on the verge of invading this place!"

"Ah?!" Glen was taken aback. "From whom did he hear this?"

Just as Thea was about to respond, Ravel swiftly walked over and pulled her aside. He then explained anew, "It was a notification from the police station in Dude Town. The sheriff also instructed me to come and inform you to make preparations as well!"

Glen felt a bit confused upon hearing this. "So, is it this place or Dude Town that will be invaded? Make it clear!"

Ravel scratched his head vigorously and said uncertainly, "I suppose both places will be invaded..."

Glen knew that this lad could not be relied upon. Just as he was about to push past him and go to Dude Town to get to the bottom of the matter, a pigeon flew in through the window.

Glen saw it and instinctively halted his actions.

The pigeon flew directly towards Glen with a definite aim. The latter, on an impulse, extended his palm.

With a puff, the pigeon transformed into a cloud of white smoke in Glen's palm, leaving a letter behind.

The people in the room all stared in amazement.

Glen brought the letter to his nose and took a sniff. It had a peculiar odor, but he could not identify it.

He asked Thea and Ravel to move a bit further away before he carefully opened the envelope.

When he saw the handwriting on the letter, he immediately knew that it was from the old man. Glen remembered it clearly from the previous lecture.

The letter read:

"I have received information that there is a possibility of a rift to the demon realm appearing near Filna. A large number of demons may sweep through the surrounding areas. However, Baiyek should be safe. Don't ask me how I know this; just say it's my intuition.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Dude Town is relatively close to Baiyek. I'm not sure whether it will be affected or not. If it's convenient for you, please lend a hand to some of the suffering people. If you don't feel like helping, that's fine too. It's up to your own choice.

— Bor Burns."

This is all happening too abruptly... Glen put down the letter and furrowed his brows.

He placed the letter on the table.

Thea was the first to pick up the letter and read it. After finishing, she was first startled and then asked Glen, "Sir, who is Bor Burns?"

"The tall old man next door," Glen replied casually, still deep in thought.

"Oh, it's him..." Thea nodded, and the letter was snatched away by Ravel.

This is truly a disaster. The rumors about the Fire Source Worm might well be true. However, this disaster seems rather overwhelming. Ah! Right! That knight named Rez who appeared in Kaeladria, could he be coming here?!...

Just as Glen was deep in thought, another object flew in through the window.

It was a letter with wings.

Glen had a hunch about who the sender was. He caught the letter, opened it, and began to read.

Sure enough, it was from Daof, and the content was also about the invasion of the demon race, advising him to be extra cautious.

"I need to go to Dude Town. You two must stay here and not go anywhere!" Glen quickly walked to the door and turned back to give a solemn admonition.

"My parents..." Ravel said hastily, his eyes filled with fear and anxiety.

"Yes, the master and the mistress! Mr. Glen..."

"I will ensure their safety," Glen interrupted Thea and reassured her. Just as he was about to leave, he paused and then added, "Remember to go and fetch that elven lady back!"

As soon as the words were spoken, his figure vanished.

...

The Wilderness.

The crack that was initially only a hundred meters in length had expanded several times over.

The searing-hot magma, much like boiling oil in a frenzy, would occasionally leap out of the crack and then fall back down.

The surrounding vegetation had long since been reduced to ashes.

That laughter, which sent shivers down one's spine and chilled the very soul, resounded continuously, echoing across the vast and desolate wilderness.

Suddenly, an arm-like limb, covered in magma, extended out and grasped the edge of the crack.

Immediately afterward, a demon, standing four meters tall, emerged from the crack.

Its face had no mouth, only five pairs of eyes arranged symmetrically.

Behind it, tattered flesh wings unfurled, shaking off the adhering magma.

The lower part of its body closely resembled that of an insect, with four jointed limbs supporting its form.

This was merely the first. Two seconds later, more demons of diverse shapes and forms scrambled out of the crack.

They let out roars and spread out in all directions, yet they did not move too far away.

The demons at the outermost perimeter seemed to have rehearsed this scenario. They lined up their bodies around the crack, demarcating a roughly circular area with a diameter of approximately ten kilometers.

The demons behind swarmed forward, covering the outermost circle of demons, and continued to stack up, growing higher and higher.

Before long, the bodies of these demons formed a towering wall.

At this time, thick magma oozed out from their bodies. As it gradually cooled, the wall became even more solid and impenetrable.

But this was not the end, for a new round of construction had already commenced.

In addition to these, demons, towering twenty to thirty meters in height and with bloated and cumbersome bodies, also crawled out of the crack.

They were equally grotesque and varied in appearance. In accordance with pre-arranged commands, they stopped at specific locations, underwent transformations, and took on final forms.

These served as dwellings for the high-ranking demons.

A deafening dragon's roar erupted from the crack. Then, a dragon's claw, ablaze with fierce flames, emerged from the crack, rising high above the plane of the crack and landing heavily on the edge.

This was a colossal dragon composed solely of bones, with the flames of demon souls burning brightly throughout its body.

Dark chains coiled around its arms and head. After its dragon's head emerged, it looked down upon the demons working below.

When this dragon of demons had fully emerged onto the ground, there was also a demon standing on its back.

This demon was clad in infernal armor from head to toe. Even its head was encased in a thick helmet, with only a pair of eyes that flickered with the flames of the soul, inspiring a sense of dread.

It held a chain, which resembled reins, in one hand and a black iron sword with a reddish hue in the other.

"O beautiful upper realm! Prepare to receive the baptism of our Flame Tribe!" The demon standing on the back of the bone dragon raised the sword in its hand and let out a thunderous roar that shook the heavens.

The low-ranking and high-ranking demons below also roared continuously, their voices filling the air.

The bone dragon spat out a column of flames towards the sky, a column that seemed almost to pierce through the very firmament.