Chapter 84: Trouble In The City Lord’s Bunker

Chapter 81

Meanwhile, back at the City Lord’s bunker...

Several civilians hugged themselves in fear and despair as they watched the swarm of monsters rushing toward them. The Webfiends advanced like an endless tide of abominations, their grotesque bodies surging through the streets as though nothing in the world could stop them.

Of course, the warriors had tried to stop them. They had stood at the front, fighting desperately to prevent the monsters from reaching the bunker, their weapons flashing and their skills erupting as their attacks tore through the advancing horde.

For a while, they managed to hold the line.

But the monsters were simply too many.

Even though the warriors were individually stronger, the sheer number of Webfiends gradually overwhelmed their defenses. Every time a warrior managed to kill one of the monsters, several more rushed forward to take its place, leaving the defenders with barely any time to catch their breath.

One warrior fell.

Three Webfiends died.

Under ordinary circumstances, that might have seemed like a good trade-off. After all, one warrior had managed to take three monsters down with him, and if the numbers had remained manageable, such an exchange might even have been enough to secure victory.

Unfortunately, that was only true if someone ignored the most terrifying part of the situation.

The horde showed no sign of ending.

No matter how many Webfiends the warriors killed, more continued to pour forward. The streets remained filled with their grotesque figures, and the sounds of their growls and pounding footsteps seemed to grow louder with every passing second.

The warriors were fighting against an endless tide, and the tide was winning.

As time went by, more and more heroes fell one after another. Some were overwhelmed by several Webfiends at once, while others fought until their strength was exhausted, only to be dragged down by the very monsters they had desperately tried to keep away from the civilians.

Their resistance gradually weakened, and their numbers dwindled until the inevitable finally happened.

The last of them fell dead.

Silence briefly settled over the bunker.

Then the people inside began to tremble with profound fear as they realized what had just happened. Their defenders were gone, and the warriors who had stood between them and the monsters were dead, leaving the civilians with nothing but a fortified structure and the desperate hope that it would be enough to protect them.

Many wanted to turn around and flee, but where could they go?

They were already inside the most fortified structure in the entire city. The bunker had been built precisely for situations like this, designed to shelter the population when a disaster threatened to overwhelm Daylight City.

There was nowhere else to run.

One after another, the people slowly forced themselves to calm down, desperately searching for something that might give them hope.

Perhaps they still had a chance.

The door, along with the rest of the bunker’s structure, was made from Ignirum, one of the toughest magical metals in the world. It was renowned for its incredible durability, a material capable of withstanding tremendous force.

Surely, the monsters wouldn’t be able to destroy something like that.

At least, that was what they desperately hoped.

It was the only comfort they had left.

However, their hopes were thrown into disarray when the camera they had been using to monitor the situation outside was suddenly destroyed by a Webfiend.

The screen went dark, leaving the civilians unable to see what was happening beyond the fortified entrance.

A wave of unease spread through the bunker.

Then they heard it.

Bang!

A loud impact reverberated through the fortified door, making several people flinch.

Bang!

Another impact followed.

At first, the sounds were relatively subdued because Ignirum absorbed most of the force. The door held firm, allowing the people inside to cling to the belief that the barrier would continue protecting them.

But as time passed, the situation began to change.

The impacts grew heavier, the noise became louder, and the door started releasing a series of deep, metallic groans that sent a fresh wave of fear through the bunker.

With every blow, the massive barrier bent a little farther inward.

Bang!

The door shook violently.

Bang!

Its surface warped beneath the relentless assault.

Bang!

Another heavy impact struck, forcing the already-bent metal farther inward.

If there had been only one Webfiend, or even a handful of them, there would have been little reason to worry. Without the slightest doubt, it might have taken those monsters days, perhaps even weeks, to break through such a formidable barrier.

But this wasn’t a battle against one or a few Webfiends.

There were more than fifty of them, perhaps even close to a hundred, and every single one was attacking the door with the mindless frenzy of a starving beast desperate to reach the prey on the other side.

Under such a relentless assault, the result could only be described as a catastrophe.

The door groaned and creaked with every impact, its enormous frame shuddering as the metal bent farther inward, little by little. The Webfiends continued hammering against it without rest, showing no signs of exhaustion or any intention of giving up.

The civilians watched in growing horror.

Some covered their ears, while others clutched their loved ones and prayed desperately that the barrier would hold for just a little longer. Every new impact made their hearts tighten, and the metallic groans coming from the door only strengthened their fear that it was nearing its breaking point.

But their prayers were in vain.

Within roughly two minutes, the worst-case scenario unfolded.

BANG!

The fortified door was finally thrown backward.

The enormous slab of metal crashed into the bunker, crushing the unfortunate people who had been standing too close to it into a bloody paste.

Screams erupted from every direction.

The civilians’ eyes widened in panic as they scrambled backward, desperate to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the monsters pouring through the entrance.

But there was a problem.

The bunker was already packed to the brim with people.

There was barely enough room for everyone to stand, let alone retreat in an orderly manner. As the crowd surged backward, people collided with one another, stumbled over fallen bodies, and desperately pushed their way through the mass of terrified civilians.

Yet no matter how desperately they tried to escape, there was nowhere to go.

The Webfiends had entered the bunker, and the slaughter was about to begin.

---

At the very front of the terrified crowd stood a mother and her daughter.

They were holding each other’s hands tightly, their faces filled with the same panic and dread that had spread across the faces of everyone around them.

The girl had white hair, while her mother possessed long, dark hair. The contrast between their appearances was rather striking, but if Orion had been there to see them, he would undoubtedly have recognized the two of them without the slightest doubt.

They were his mother and younger sister.

Eleanor...

And Iris.

Iris stared at the Webfiends as the monsters strolled forward, their grotesque features twisted into ugly smiles that revealed expressions almost human in their cruelty. They advanced slowly, one step after another, like predators savoring the final moments of their prey.

They weren’t in a hurry.

After all, the humans before them had nowhere to run.

Iris could feel her heart thundering violently inside her chest as she watched the monsters approach.

What should I do?

The thought flashed through her mind. If she did nothing, everyone here would die, but if she tried to do something, would her power even be enough to face these creatures?

Just looking at them made her body freeze in fear. Their grotesque appearances, terrifying limbs, and the bloodlust radiating from their bodies were enough to send shivers down her spine.

She had never faced monsters like these before.

And now, they were standing right in front of her.

Soon, one of the Webfiends stopped directly before the mother-and-daughter duo, its towering figure casting a shadow over them.

The people standing nearby had already taken several steps backward, trembling uncontrollably as they tried to distance themselves from the creature. However, there was only so much space available in the crowded bunker, and the monsters were steadily closing in.

Iris’s breathing grew unsteady.

I have to do something...

She knew that much. She couldn’t simply stand there and watch everyone die, but the question remained: what could she possibly do against monsters like these?

Her gaze lingered on the creature before her, and despite her desperate attempts to remain composed, her body refused to stop trembling. She was frightened, and she knew that if she couldn’t find a way to protect herself and her mother, they would share the same fate as everyone else.

Her hand slowly moved toward the dark, shimmering band wrapped around her wrist.

She didn’t know whether it would work. She didn’t even know whether she could activate whatever power it possessed under these circumstances, but she had to try something.

Anything.

Otherwise, they would all die here.

Iris tightened her fingers around the band and pulled, trying to tear it off.

Yet it didn’t budge.

Her heart pounded violently against her chest, the sound almost deafening in her ears. She pulled again, putting more strength into the attempt, but the band remained firmly in place, refusing to come off no matter how desperately she tried.

And then, before she could attempt anything else, she felt a body wrap around her.

Iris’s unfocused gaze slowly shifted toward the familiar face beside her.

Her mother had pulled her into an embrace.

Eleanor held her daughter tightly, wrapping her arms around her as though she could shield her from the monsters simply by refusing to let go. Tears filled Eleanor’s eyes as she clung to Iris, her hands trembling as she tried to hold herself together.

"I’m sorry, Iris... I couldn’t protect you," Eleanor said softly.

Her voice trembled, and there was so much pain in those few words, so much helplessness and regret, that Iris felt her heart tighten.

They had only just managed to bring Iris’s sickness under control.

After everything they had endured, after all the effort and hope they had poured into finding a way to help her, they had finally begun to believe that things might get better. For a little while, they had been able to look toward the future with the hope that their suffering was finally coming to an end.

And now, they were both seemingly going to lose their lives.

All because Eleanor was too weak to do anything.

She couldn’t fight the monsters, protect her daughter, or even promise Iris that everything would be alright.

"I’m sorry..."

The words escaped Eleanor’s lips again, her tearful gaze fixed on her daughter as she held her even tighter. She had wanted to protect Iris, to keep her safe after everything she had already suffered, but now she couldn’t even protect her from the monsters standing right in front of them.

Iris’s body froze as she watched her mother struggle to hold back her tears.

The Webfiend standing before them raised its blade-like, deformed arm.

Its grotesque limb came crashing down upon the mother and daughter with enough force to shred them apart.

There was no time to escape or resist, and seemingly, no hope of surviving the attack.

Iris’s lips parted.

In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through her mind, but none of them could change the situation before her. She couldn’t stop the monster, protect her mother, or save the people around them.

All she could do was watch as death descended upon them.

And yet, amidst that overwhelming fear, one person’s face suddenly surfaced in her mind.

A figure she had always looked up to.

Someone she trusted.

Someone she had desperately wished would return.

Her lips trembled as she struggled to hold back the emotions threatening to overwhelm her. There was nothing she could do now, and she knew it, but even in this desperate moment, she couldn’t help thinking about the person she wanted to see more than anyone else.

A single name, one that had thundered through her heart countless times, finally slipped out of her mouth.

"Big brother..."

---

Silence.

For the briefest instant, the world seemed to hold its breath.

Then, in the very next second, a scream of pain filled the bunker.

But contrary to what everyone had expected, the scream didn’t come from the mother and daughter.

No.

It came from the Webfiend that had attacked them.

The monster recoiled violently, its grotesque body stumbling backward as its gaze trembled with fear and terror. It clutched at the stump of its arm, unable to comprehend what had just happened to it.

The blade-like limb that had been descending upon Eleanor and Iris had been severed cleanly.

Blood splattered across the ground.

The Webfiend stared at its missing limb, seemingly incapable of understanding how an attack that had been moments away from killing its prey had ended with it being injured instead.

Then its gaze shifted toward the figure standing before the mother and daughter.

And for the first time, the monster felt fear.

Iris needed a few seconds to regain her senses and understand what was happening. Her mind had been consumed by terror only moments ago, and she had already accepted that there was no escaping their fate, that the next instant would bring an end to everything.

Yet she was still alive.

Her mother was still holding her.

And the monster that had been about to kill them was now staggering backward, its arm severed.

What... happened?

Her gaze slowly lifted.

And then she saw him.

A figure stood protectively in front of Eleanor, his body positioned between the mother and daughter and the terrifying monsters that had invaded the bunker.

He had arrived just in time.

His entire outfit was white, from top to bottom, his clothes carrying a pure, immaculate whiteness that stood in stark contrast to the bloodied surroundings. His hair was white as well, matching his clothes perfectly, giving him an appearance completely different from the one Iris remembered.

In his right hand, he held a red dagger.

His back was turned toward Iris and Eleanor, and yet, even without seeing his face, there was something unmistakably majestic about his presence.

The bunker was filled with terrified civilians, and grotesque monsters stood before him, their horrifying bodies and bloodthirsty expressions enough to make ordinary people tremble uncontrollably.

And yet, his majestic aura never faded.

He stood there calmly, as though the terrifying scene before him was nothing more than an insignificant inconvenience. There was no hesitation in his posture or fear in his presence, only an extraordinary sense of composure and authority that seemed utterly out of place amid the carnage.

Iris stared at the figure, her eyes slowly widening as she tried to process what she was seeing.

Then they began to well up with tears.

But these weren’t tears of sadness or despair.

They were tears of pure joy and excitement.

The person standing before her was completely different from the brother she remembered. His hair had changed, his clothes had changed, and even the aura surrounding him was so different that, at first glance, he almost seemed like an entirely different person.

And yet...

There was no doubt in her mind.

Not even the slightest shred of uncertainty.

This was him.

The figure standing before her, the person who had appeared at the very moment she had lost all hope, was still her big brother.

The realization struck Iris so deeply that her lips began to tremble. For a moment, she could barely bring herself to speak, overwhelmed by the sight of the person she had desperately wished would return.

Then she parted her lips once more, her tear-filled eyes fixed on the white-haired figure standing protectively before her.

"Big brother..."

Her voice was soft, trembling with emotion.

She stared at his back as though she were afraid that if she looked away for even a moment, he might disappear.

But he was there.

He had really come.

A smile slowly spread across Iris’s face, breaking through the fear and despair that had consumed her only moments ago. The tears gathering in her eyes spilled over, but this time, she no longer cared about hiding them.

With her gaze still fixed on the figure before her, she whispered once more.

"Big brother... you’re here."