Chapter 83: Eruption of Gold
Even those who boasted of having a lot of stamina were down for the count. It's already a miracle that some of them were even standing at this point.
The city walls had seen better days. It's battered and severely damaged in some places. There had been a few holes here and there but most of them had been closed up to prevent demons from using it to infiltrate the city.
So far, despite the army being battered, their defense was still holding up as best as it could. It was incredible but it's also a product of desperation. The city must hold on, after all...
The only reason why the city still stands is because of the reinforcements. The Black Sky ended early in other cities and those who were willing to help were sent to cities that were still being sieged by demons.
It's really difficult to endure the ceaseless discharge of demons coming from practically nowhere. The corruption that the Black Sky brought with wasn't helping either. There were some people who caved into the temptation and needed to be restrained because corruption took hold of their minds.
Still, the defense must go on. Humanity already lost a few cities and islands due to the Black Sky these past few days, everybody knows that they must work hard to make sure that this city won't fall into the hands of demons too.
Cedric observed the entire situation in the comfort of his home. He felt slightly guilty for not helping but he shamelessly endured it. He knows that they could still hold on and they don't need his help just yet. If they do, he would know and he will take action.
Besides, this works as a test for Humanity altogether. It also serves as a reminder that their fight against the Demon Race wasn't done just yet. This pressure will pave the way for geniuses to shine and discover more about themselves and their abilities. He already saw it happening during the past few days, which bolstered his decision to stay put until he's absolutely needed.
Having this line of thought made him sound arrogant, but at the same time, Cedric was aware of what he could do. There is a high chance that one move from him could turn the situation around. He doesn't want to expose himself just yet because if moved too early, the flow of the battle might develop into something disadvantageous for them.
Cedric was also on the lookout for any signs of the cult trying to infiltrate the city again. He wouldn't put it past them to send another team just to make sure that their plan succeeded.
So far, he hasn't sensed anything yet, but just in case, he will keep paying attention to his surroundings, being very careful not to miss a detail.
****
Two more days passed and the Black Sky was nearing its end according to the predictions...
Since they said that a Lv.3 intensity Black Sky will only last for a week, this should be the last day of the Black Thread City's suffering.
Those who were still holding on gritted their teeth and persevered. It's down to the last few hours. After this, the city will be safe and everybody can rest.
Some people looked at the swirling dark clouds above the city, cursing it and hoping for it to go away soon.
Compared to the first day, the Black Sky had visibly thinned out. Some rays of fake sunlight were passing through it, which was a great sign. Still, unless this thing completely goes away, nobody can relax just yet.
More reinforcements came to the city to help defend it. They were a welcomed addition because lord knows this city needs it. At this point, Tier 5 Demons were showing up from the dark fog, wanting to tear down the city walls.
With how exhausted the army was, they had to rely upon the reinforcements to kill them, if they couldn't, then at least send them back from where they came from.
Even as the Black Sky faded ever so slightly with each hour that passed, the horde was still restless and they continued appearing despite many people's prayers for them to stop.
It wouldn't be wrong to assume that the horde should be weakening now that the Black Sky was almost over, however that's just not how it works. In fact, the closer the Black Sky was to ending, the more feral the demons became.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
All of a sudden, the city shook to its foundations. A large explosion caught most people's attention and it was coming from the west side of the city.
"City Lord, it's bad! The west side wall has been breached!" One of the exhausted commanders of the city's army reported.
Actually, even if he didn't say anything, the City Lord already knew what happened. As soon as the soldier was done reporting, the City Lord was already leaving his post.
"I'll go. You all stay here and make sure the Lighthouse remains untouched." The City Lord commanded.
Before he could receive a reply, the City Lord already disappeared from their site. With astonishing speed, he dashed towards the wrecked side of the city to help them out.
When he arrived, he saw Demons pouring into the breach. The injured and panicked defenders were doing their best to hold them back, limiting their movements or outright immobilizing them to prevent them from going any further.
In a burst of surprising speed, the City Lord apprehended the demons, catching most who were trying to tear down the nearby buildings and reducing them to meat pastes.
Once he was sure that there were no stragglers, he showed up near the breach and stomped hard.
He caused rubble to rise to the skies. He then jumped, caught the rubble, and started throwing it to all demonkind he saw. He wasn't throwing them carelessly too, he was deliberately throwing them in a way that would build a funnel on the breach to limit the movement of demons.
When he was done, the funnel was made around the bridge. The City Lord stood proudly at the end of the funnel with arms crossed and a cigar in his mouth.
He then saw the feral demons charging towards him so he grinned. He clenched his fists and cocked them back. He then threw a punch which caused the space to collapse in front of him, causing a vacuum to explode.
Demons who weren't able to escape his attack exploded into bits and pieces after receiving his attack.
The army who saw the City Lord lending his aid felt relief. The old man's straightened back gives off an impression of invincibility, allowing the army to be thankful for his presence.
With the City Lord with them, the Demons shouldn't be able to do any harm to the city despite managing to destroy the city walls.
Sadly, this was just the beginning of the city's misfortune...
"City Lord, bad news! There are at least 20 Tier 5 Demons heading that way." The City Lord nearly choked upon hearing that.
"We've also sensed fluctuations of more Tier 5s appearing on other sides as well. We don't have a clear grasp on how many was still hiding just yet but we assume that there would be more."
The City Lord snarled and cursed upon hearing that report.
"Does the heavens really want to destroy my Black Thread City?" He whispered to himself as he felt hope draining out of him.
Just those 20 Tier 5 Demons heading his was already spelled disaster for this city. The last time he encountered this many, he had help. That's the only reason why he survived.
Facing that many who are in a berserk state thanks to the influence of the Black Sky? Even if he had the help from before, the City Lord wasn't confident of handling that by himself.
Moreover, the news spreads fast. The report was just made a minute ago yet many people already learned of it.
Despair gripped their hearts, their fear escalated to the maximum upon hearing the threat that was coming. Some were already bracing their end while others were making preparations to desert the city.
Normally, forsaking the city like that would've been punishable by law, however the City Lord couldn't blame them for leaving, given how dreadful the challenge was before them.
When he saw the group of Tier 5 Demons heading his way, the City Lord could've sworn that they were jeering at him — seemingly mocking his pathetic attempt of sacrificing himself to defend this hopeless city.
But as the City Lord was preparing to face his death and die like a true warrior, an unexpected development occurred all of a sudden.
Large golden orbs appeared on each side of the city, atop the city walls. These orbs provided warmth and security to humans and brought the opposite to the demons.
Before anybody could say anything, the golden orbs started shooting projectiles at the demons, piercing them and reducing them to dust in mere seconds.
It was then followed by a golden pillar of light that appeared at the center of the city, piercing the fading Black Sky itself.