"I'm the prey?" The Ruda laughed loudly as it looked at Dilek. "How? I could kill you at this instant—let alone your companions within those walls. A flimsy wall is the only thing protecting you."
Dilek smirked as he looked at the Ruda. "If I was scared of you killing me, would I have come here with only one guy? I'm confident that I could beat you all—just me and my partner here."
"Confidence? No, no, no—I wouldn't say that. It's more like you don't fear death. You don't fear consequences. Humans do that, don't they? Negligence. Ignoring the consequences that should affect you."
"Very philosophical indeed. I'm impressed. Wonder where you learned it."
"I didn't learn it; it's something I understand. Even animals do. But you can't. Oh wait…" The Ruda grinned. "I see—you're stalling for time, am I correct? How long do you plan to stall your inevitable doom?"
"Not sure…" Dilek muttered, sweat running down his neck, Due to the creepy smile of the Ruda.
"Fine then," the Ruda said, smiling coldly. "I'll start by killing you. A head thrown into that wall will surely decrease morale, wouldn't it?"
"Why did you keep me alive?" Dilek asked, his spine cold, from the threat he just received. "You could have killed me back then, but you didn't… why?"
"Pity, I suppose," the Ruda replied. "The same way you pity a pig when it's alive—but you eat it all the same later, don't you? Enough stalling." The Ruda's grin widened as he turned his gaze toward the city.
Iris had some people prepared—she had calmed some of them out of panic.
"Haven't you thought, Ruda?" Dilek said, looking down. "My unusual way of speaking, my weird attire when I first met you…"
The Ruda's eyes narrowed as he looked down at Dilek.
"I'm not of this world. I'm someone who doesn't obey this world. Someone from a place where your existence is as meaningless as fiction. Haven't you thought—how come I have this ability… of light?"
The Ruda tensed up. Even he could feel that Dilek wasn't lying.
"You are the prey because I want you to be. These are my rules right now… You will die, Ruda. So will this circus of yours."
"Sixty-seven… sixty-eight… sixty-nine…" Diego mumbled from behind.
The Ruda saw Dilek as a threat now. Their eyes met, and in the split of a second, both shouted:
"ATTACK!"
"DIEGO, NOW!" Dilek shouted at the same time as the Ruda.
"Seventy!" Diego roared, straight toward the Ruda. But before his punch connected, the ground erupted—a boulder rose in size.
Diego's fist collided with it, shattering it into a hundred pieces. His hand bent at a strange angle, blood coating his knuckles.
"Shit! SAINT, RUN!" he yelled.
Dilek's eyes widened—the boulder that had risen from the ground was actually the back of a larger goblin, half-buried. The creature screamed, shaking the earth, and the Ruda flew back from the shockwave.
"No…" Dilek's plan failed. Diego had been charging his skill for seventy seconds—seventy seconds—and it only destroyed a boulder. If only… if only it had connected. Dammit!
Dilek rushed to Diego, trying to lift him. "Diego, you're too heavy! Get up, I can't pick you up!"
"ATTACK THOSE ANIMALS!" the Ruda roared.
The large goblin raised its massive fist, swinging it down toward Dilek and Diego.
"Oh… shit." Dilek whispered under his breath.
CLANG!
The deafening sound of a mace clashing against the goblin's fist filled the air.
"You did well… Dilek."
The voice was deep, cold.
the Darkest Night had arrived.
—
"Jerome! Where is he?" Iris shouted, A Few minutes earlier before Diego attacked.
"Not sure!" Unoma replied. "I've sent others to look for him!"
"We need him for some illusions—come on!" Iris shouted, looking ahead. Dilek was still standing outside, speaking to the Ruda. She looked around, then pushed through the crowd herself.
She heard Clarence's Roar, as he shouted loud and firm, cutting through the panic:
"CALM DOWN EVERYONE! Right now we are being attacked! Stop panicking—we need to prepare, and fast!"
His words steadied the crowd. Iris reached him and gasped, "Clarence! Pick me up!"
He blinked, then nodded, lifting her onto his shoulders.
"Everyone! You need to listen to me right now!" Iris shouted, her voice echoing across the street. "We barely have time! Our priority has changed! Each and every one of you will defend the city walls and the gate!"
The crowd listened, the chaos dimming slightly as she continued:
"I need Jerome, Phenoma, and the Darkest Night right now—where are they?"
People looked around uncertainly. Clarence turned to her.
"Really? What's the plan?"
"The plan is done for," Iris said, her voice hard. "Right now, our only goal is to kill the Ruda. We need Jerome's illusion to at least cover the strongest people so we can attack the Ruda while the army holds the city."
"Solid plan," Clarence said quietly, then added, "But Jerome… Iris, I don't think he'll come."
—
"No, no, no—come on, move!" Nandita shouted, pushing her way through the panicking masses.
People shoved and slipped against one another; panic had a smell now. Children wailed, high-pitched and raw. Women clutched shawls and baskets.
A line of people pressed up against the heavy church doors, shoulders leaning so hard that the wood shivered. But the guards stood unmoving—arms folded, spears planted.
"Please—please, at least take my child!" a woman sobbed, tears streaking through grime as a small boy clung to her skirt. "We have nowhere else—please—"
"Not a step!" The captain of the guard slammed the butt of his spear against the cobblestones. "Orders. No one."
Another man, older and frantic, grabbed the captain's arm. "You must—my wife is bleeding—please, for God's sake, open the doors!"
"I have children! I have old folk inside my house—please, please, please!" a farmer cried, half-sobbing, half-shouting.
"I've paid to the church for twenty years—have mercy!" a merchant yelled, clutching a bundle of papers, face pale as flour.
The crowd's pleading turned into a desperate roar—and then, a push.
Bodies surged like a single panicked animal.
The first fingers to touch the iron-rimmed doors were met with the sharp thrust of a spear.
The shove became a scramble—screams, the clatter of feet, someone falling, scraping palms raw on stone.
"Back! Back, or we strike!" a guard shouted, voice flat as blade steel.
Someone reached for the captain's cloak—too close. The spear moved fast, efficient.
A man fell, Dead, His hear Pierced. Silence slammed into the crowd like a hammer.
For a heartbeat, the world held still. Then panic came again—but colder now. Sharper. Mothers dragged their children away. The pleas turned to whispers and prayers.
The church doors stayed shut. The guards tightened their grips. No one dared move forward again.
Nandita stared at the guards, her fists trembling.
She remembered her talk with the Darkest Night during their briefing
"Yes, the church is going to send healers to the battlefront," he had said. "But they've decided only on the day of the raid. I doubt they'll send priests for some drill."
"So they'll heal everyone? No payment, right?" Marcus had asked.
"Not at all. They have an oath to their god—to save the weak, to be near during despair."
"Kinda bullshit, don't you think?" Ami had muttered. "I doubt they'd actually help people."
Tusk had smiled. "True. They say that just for show—for donations. I don't believe in them either. So if it were me, I'd say don't count on the church, To heal the injuries. Don't get hurt."
Dilek had stood up then, raising a finger to the sky. "Don't worry, Fellas. No matter how corrupt—trust me, I'm the one and only Saint, and I will actually heal."
Diego had clapped. "YEAH!"
Now, standing before the church, Nandita could only watch as people backed away. She was shoved with the crowd until she stumbled into a narrow alley.
Catching her breath, she froze.
She heard muffled crying.
"Huh?" she muttered, walking toward the sound.
"Jerome?"
Jerome sat on the ground, trembling, tears streaking his face. His eyes met hers.
"What… are you doing?" she asked.
His voice shook. "P-Ph… Phenoma… sh-she's dead."
Nandita's eyes widened. She remembered the cheerful Phenoma, her bright laugh—
...
Jerome's shoulders shook. "Someone as strong as her… h-her head… she was bleeding… her body hit with rocks—s-so many times…"
He looked down, voice small. "Am… am I gonna die?"
"What? No—uh—" Nandita stammered. She didn't know what to say. She'd never seen someone so scared.
She looked around for help—but there was no one. The crowd was gone, and no one would come.
What if what he said is true? What if Jerome dies? Isn't he important for the raid? Tusk said so. He said Jerome's illusion will help… but he's in this state… what can I do?
Her thoughts spun in panic. Then she sighed.
There was one thing she could do.
Clap—clap—clap.
Jerome looked up, confused. "Wh-why are you clapping?"
"Because… you… you're brave. Really brave."
"Brave? I ran away. I'm scared…"
"No, no, you're not…" she said softly.
'Dammit, how many claps until he becomes normal? She kept clapping her hands, fast but quiet enough not to hurt. Thankfully, it still counted. But this isn't enough, she thought. What do I do? Should I get Dilek?'
She looked at Jerome again, shaking violently, and sighed. Her hands clapped faster, quieter. 'It's so embarrassing.'
A tear slipped down her cheek.
I need a new skill.
—
Tusk, who had blocked the goblin's massive fist, turned to Dilek and Diego.
"Run. I'll hold them off."
"What?! No—we can't lea—" Diego started, but Dilek was already sprinting away.
"SAINT! Don't leave me!" Diego yelled, running after him, clutching his bleeding arm.
"CHARGE, GODDAMMIT!" the Ruda shouted, pointing forward.
The goblins roared and rushed past Tusk. He could only stop a few—but he didn't care. His target was the giant boulder goblin.
"You'll die for staying behind!" the Ruda taunted. Several hobgoblins surrounded Tusk.
"Don't worry about me," Tusk said calmly, cracking his neck. "I'm good enough for each and every one of you."
"Even against me?" the Ruda sneered. "I've heard of you. A four-star adventurer, right? I'm a raid boss. You alone won't even make me move a finger."
"I see…" Tusk's eyes began to glow a deep crimson. "Let's test that, shall we?"