The Author's Viewpoint-Chapter 127 - Mouse Before the Fire

Silence.

Total silence followed within the bond between Tave and Fang. It was as if the link had been cleanly severed. Tave couldn’t reach the beast anymore. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

But no, Fang was still alive. He knew it. The connection was broken, not gone. If the one who had captured Fang wanted him dead, it would’ve been over in an instant. But they didn’t. For whatever reason, they chose not to.

Damn it.

Fuck!

Tave clenched his fists. He hated this. Hated it with everything in him.

Now Fang was in the enemy’s hands. And that was a nightmare. Fang was their eyes, their tracker, their edge in navigating this cursed forest. Without him, this place would become a living hell.

Snapping back to his senses, Tave surged forward, now overtaking Panpan at the front. Fury burned in his chest, barely contained, clawing at his ribs.

"Tave?" Panpan’s voice reached him.

He gritted his teeth and shook his head. "They’ve captured Fang," he forced the words out, barely above a growl.

Panpan didn’t say anything back, and she didn’t need to. Everyone had heard. Everyone understood.

Their priority was clear now: run, hide, survive, then plan.

The cave. It wasn’t far. Just a little longer.

Tave tuned his senses, reaching out with everything he had, listening, searching. The demons shouldn’t be close yet. They still had time.

The cave was close now, finally. Thankfully, they hadn’t run into any monsters during the last stretch of their escape. Just a little more, and they’d be there.

They should be safe. For now.

Tave could already see the cave’s mouth at the edge of his vision. Familiar, almost comforting. A place they knew. A place they could use. Everyone pushed themselves harder, forcing their tired legs to run faster.

Faster. Just a little more.

The cave mouth was within reach now.

They charged toward it. Until suddenly.

Tave’s instincts screamed.

Danger! Danger!

He came to a dead stop, and so did everyone behind him. Weapons were drawn in a heartbeat, the sound of blades and steel filling the night air.

And then. From the shadows just ahead, something stepped forward. Slowly. Deliberately.

The nightmare had arrived.

It was a demon, towering, nearly twice their size. Armored in heavy black plates, its massive arms ending in claws longer than knives. A pair of curling horns twisted from its skull, framing a humanoid face, half-covered in dark, scaled patches.

"So," it said, voice deep and coarse, "guests, is it? And not even a proper greeting for your host."

Run!

Tave knew it, everyone knew it. They had to run. That was the only thought racing through all their minds.

But they couldn’t.

Because in the next instant, the sound of wings tore through the air above them. Strong, swift, inevitable.

The other demons had arrived.

Figures dropped from the sky, slamming into the ground with thunderous force. One after another, they landed, surrounding the team from every angle.

Nine of them. Encircling the group completely.

This was it.

Was this... the end?

They were trapped.

Ten demons, at least, all carrying the presence and power of Gaia Grand Masters. And standing directly in front of them, the largest by far. This one... this one was something else.

Was it a Named Demon?

Tave didn’t know. He couldn’t memorize every Named Demon in existence. Some had distinct forms, those tied to the original story. Those, he remembered. But lower-ranking ones? Unless they declared themselves, he had no way of knowing.

But it didn’t matter.

What stood before them now wasn’t just a threat, it was a wall of death. And they were cornered. Surrounded.

What could they even do now? Was this truly the end of their fight?

And then. The demons began to speak.

Cold. Mocking. Cruel.

"So these are the pests that caused all that trouble?" one sneered. "I expected more. You look like runts fresh out of training."

"A handful of insects thinking they’ve conquered a Rift," another said.

Then the towering demon stepped forward, its voice a low thunder.

"You killed ten of mine. That should mean something. But all I see... are corpses that haven’t fallen yet."

Silence followed.

Thick, suffocating silence.

No one moved. No one spoke. Whether it was despair holding them back or the weight of waiting for Velion’s command, they all stood frozen. Even Tave found himself clawing through every corner of his mind, searching for a way. Any way, out of this.

He could run. Alone. Leave them behind.

But what would be the point of surviving if everyone else died?

That wasn’t survival. That was just delaying the inevitable.

Then, someone stepped forward.

All heads turned, tension snapping like a live wire. Because it was Darian. He walked past Velion, slow and steady, until he stood between the team and the largest demon. His gaze rose, locked with the towering figure.

"Darian..." Velion’s voice broke the silence.

"I’ll hold them off," Darian said, calm and resolute. "You run. All of you."

"We can only survive if we are together," Velion replied quickly.

"We survive if you survive. If Tave survives," Darian said without turning back. "Let me spend everything I’ve got. You run, regroup, strike back. Give them to me."

"Hah!" a sharp voice cut in.

It was from Finn.

He stepped forward too, planting himself beside Darian.

"Don’t act cool with this noble sacrifice crap," Finn snapped. "You think you’re strong enough for this?"

"Finn, not you too..." Velion said.

"This dumb elf won’t last two minutes on his own," Finn replied. "I’ll make sure he lives a little longer. Then you run."

"We stay together. We escape together," Velion repeated, trying to hold it all together.

"You’re not seriously that deluded, are you?" Finn shot back. "We don’t all make it out. Stop lying to yourself."

Because seriously, in a situation like this. What else was left but despair?

Everyone felt it. No one denied it.

Yet not a single one of them entertained the thought of sacrificing a teammate just to buy a few more meaningless minutes. They all understood. And still, they raised their weapons.

Again.

This time, not in fear.

But in defiance.

If they were going to fall, they’d do it fighting. Not crawling. Not begging.

Was there a plan? A flaw in the enemy’s formation? Some hidden escape route they hadn’t seen?

No.

This was the end.

Even Tave felt it. His mind strangely light, his thoughts empty, as if the weight of it all had finally lifted from his shoulders.

Was this what surrender looked like?

And then. The demon laughed. Low, cold, merciless.

"Aah... so this is your grand stand?" the towering one mocked. "Blades raised. Eyes full of hollow resolve."

Another demon chuckled darkly. "They’re dressing up their fear as courage. It’s almost admirable. Like a mouse baring its teeth before the fire."

"Go on then," said a third. "Make it dramatic. Give us a story worth forgetting."

The largest one stepped forward again, claws gleaming.

"Fight. Resist. Break. It won’t matter. You’ll still die like insects."

Darian raised his shield in his left hand, sword tight in his right. His stance was solid, unshaken, prepared.

But this... this was suicide.

Everyone knew it.

No matter how brave, no matter how skilled. Facing that demon head-on was throwing yourself into the jaws of death.

And then it happened.

So fast, most couldn’t even see it.

The demon vanished from his position, and in the blink of an eye, he was already in front of Darian and Finn.

Even at that speed, Tave caught it.

Just barely.

The demon’s left arm lashed out, a blur of motion. A heavy, clawed strike aimed straight at Darian’s head.

Darian!

Tave surged forward, but he wasn’t fast enough.

Finn lunged, shield raised, trying to intercept the blow. But the force was overwhelming. The impact exploded like thunder, the clash of claw and shield sending a shockwave that knocked everyone stumbling backward.

Even Finn was thrown aside by the sheer power.

They all struggled to their feet, hearts hammering.

And then they saw it.

True terror.

Darian stood there, barely.

His armor torn wide open, a deep gash ripping through his chest. Blood poured freely, dark and heavy. The wound was fatal.

He staggered.

And then, he fell.

Crashing to the earth with a final, hollow thud.

"Darian!" Velion’s voice tore through the night, raw and broken.