The Author's Viewpoint-Chapter 125 - To Stand Is to Die

"Fang, get back! Now!"

Tave barked the command just as the massive gate began to groan open. Whatever was about to emerge from behind it, he couldn’t afford to act recklessly. Not without knowing exactly who, or what, they were up against.

This had to be the main stronghold of the demons. Like they’d been nesting inside the rift for a long time. No doubt they were preparing for something big, something devastating. Once the rift collapsed, they’d pour out into Yunatea, into Deadbay City, and chaos would follow wherever they went.

Like hell, there had to be a Named Demon in there!

He sensed Fang had obeyed and was now retreating, slipping into the shadows at the edge of the field. From there, they could still see several creatures roaming the open land. Until something shifted.

The monsters began to panic.

First came snarls and roars, then frantic movement as they shoved into one another, running in all directions. It wasn’t Fang’s presence that startled them, he was already far enough.

The plain stretched wide, and Fang still needed time to reach the trees again. At that moment, he glanced back. Tave followed his gaze, and then he saw it.

Above the fortress, emerging into the sky, were flying beasts. Nine of them, shaped like massive winged lizards. But that wasn’t the alarming part.

Riding on their backs were demons.

And from the gate itself, even more terrifying forms emerged, giant monsters whose footfalls made the earth tremble, even from a distance. These, too, carried riders. Demons.

There were more than thirty of them, at least. All told, over forty demons had poured out of the fortress in a single moment.

Without hesitation, they began to spread out, some soaring into the sky, others charging across the vast field below on the backs of their monstrous mounts.

What were these demons planning?

Fang had already slipped into the treeline, swallowed by the thick darkness, and was now dashing through the shadows, trying to loop back toward where Tave was, or at least get as far away as possible from the swarm that had just emerged.

Fang should have enough stealth skill to stay hidden, at least from ordinary demons. But that only worked on the average ones. Any demon with enhanced detection abilities could easily sniff out a creature like Fang, who was still a tier-3 monster, after all.

Fang glanced upward, and Tave could hear it too: the steady, rhythmic beating of wings. Those flying lizards...

They were headed toward the mountains. Toward the area where Tave and the others were hiding.

Of course. It made sense. When the ten demons hadn’t returned, slaughtered by Tave and his team, it would’ve raised suspicion. Especially since none of them had shown up again since that day.

But they had been careful. Tave had made sure every trace of the fallen demons was erased, bodies buried deep, all evidence destroyed. There shouldn’t have been anything left to discover, no sign of where or how the demons had died.

He had even scanned the entire mountain area afterward, thoroughly, to detect any signs of pursuit or approaching threats. Nothing. There had been no hint of demons.

Until tonight. Until all of this exploded into something critical and immediate.

Could the demons be up to something else? Maybe hunting monsters or... anything other than tracking them down?

Because if their goal truly was to pursue Tave and the others, then why wait until now? Why move only tonight? Why not act sooner?

But no. Tave wasn’t trying to comfort himself with hollow theories. He knew better than to cling to wishful thinking.

These demons were intelligent. Far more than most assumed. Especially if they had a leader, one high-ranked enough to hold authority in Hell itself. And if that were the case, then there was no way this leader was just some run-of-the-mill demon.

Not for a tier-4 Rift. No, the leader of this rift had to be something far more dangerous.

Especially considering this wasn’t just any Rift.

This was an Emergency Rift tier 4. The kind that could match the devastation of a tier-5.

If the demons truly intended to sweep through the mountains, they were clearly hunting for the Rift Challenger. That had to be it. And it explained why they’d mobilized such a massive force.

Yes, Tave and the others had to hide. Immediately.

But would hiding even be enough? Run? Was there even time to escape, when their enemies could fly through the sky and hunt them down with monsters like those?

Tave’s eyes snapped open. And in that instant, the entire team was already assembled in front of him. Every single one of them was there. They must have been put on high alert by Tave’s sudden shout from earlier, when he’d called out his command. freeweɓnovel.cøm

"Demons!" Tave said. "I’ve found where they live, a fortress. I don’t even know how many are inside."

He spoke quickly, his tone sharp with warning.

"But... There are about nine airborne units, and dozens more demons riding monsters. They’re heading this way, toward the mountains."

He chose his words carefully, each one meant to convey the scale of the danger barreling toward them.

That was all it took. The team’s expressions shifted in an instant, hardening with resolve, sharpening with readiness.

Velion was the first to respond.

"If they’re really sweeping the mountain and they’ve got airborne units, then yes, they can cover a wide area fast. An hour or two, tops. Still..." he paused, eyeing the darkness around them, "...in pitch black like this, it’s not going to be easy for them to spot us. Especially if we can find a solid place to hide."

His logic was sound, and everyone seemed to agree. But no one said a word. The silence that followed was not hesitation, it was heavy with calculation. They all understood just how thin the margin for survival had become.

Velion continued. "Not unless they have units with strong detection skills. But... I doubt they do. If they did, they would’ve known exactly when we arrived here. Yet instead, they sent only ten demons to search for us."

His analysis made sense. It was logical, and the others seemed to accept it. But still... Velion might have overlooked one crucial possibility.

"Unless..." His voice trailed off. "Unless the one with the detection ability is... their leader."

And just like that, his words cast a shadow over every face in the group. Dread sank into their expressions like a storm cloud sweeping in.

Tave hadn’t gotten a clear look at who was riding those flying lizards, or the ground demons, either. He hadn’t had the time. Everything had moved too fast, and his focus had been split. His priority was Fang’s safety, not identifying the enemy.

But one thing was now absolutely certain.

Whatever the case, with that many demons mobilizing at once, there was only one sensible choice.

Run.

Because standing their ground against that kind of force was not bravery. It was suicide.

Velion turned to Tave, clearly waiting for the decision he knew was about to be made.

Damn it.

Tave knew full well that Velion was the official leader of this expedition. But at this point, it was obvious that the team had placed far too much trust in him. Whether that was a blessing or a curse, he couldn’t tell anymore.

What he did know was this: their survival now hinged on him. On his judgment. On the call he was about to make.

The weight of every life around him pressed against his chest.

And Tave’s decision was—