Zeth, who strongly insisted that Malerva should definitely stay at the council building, started running towards the source of the noise by jumping off the roof without waiting for Malerva's speech. Ron was currently at the council building, so he had told Malerva to stay there. People were running around in panic. On the way, Zeth thought about turning left, but his house was located on the exact opposite side of the explosion. He might not have even heard the explosion if he had turned left. Therefore, he felt relieved.
When he arrived at the place of the explosion, dome sorcerers were lying on the ground. Some imps had entered and more were slowly coming in. Zeth thought that low-level demons couldn't be behind the explosion, but he had other things to deal with at the moment. Zeth reached behind his back to grab his sword, but it was not there. "Damn it," he muttered and assumed a fighting stance. Zeth was filled with great anger.
Low-level demons were usually around 1.65m to 1.70m tall and had a maximum strength of four humans. Despite their unbalanced body structures, they were strong. Additionally, their facial features were shapeless and variable. The only thing they could do in terms of power was to breathe fire from their mouths and attempt to bite the opponent.
Mid-level demons were around 1.70m to 1.80m tall and physically resembled humans. Although their faces were similar to human faces, they were much more terrifying. They had various powers, but only a few had the ability to heal.
High-level demons varied in height from 2m to 40m, and the majority of them were in the form of monsters. Only a small portion of them were in human form. They had incredible and diverse powers, each with different forms that challenged human logic.
Zeth had managed to dodge the demon jumping towards him and even landed a punch. As the demon fell to the ground, Zeth immediately jumped on top of it without thinking about the other demons. He firmly held both of the demon's arms with his hands and repeatedly headbutted it with all his strength. Just as another demon was about to attack Zeth, a sharp piece of earth rose from the ground and stopped the demon in its tracks.
"This time, I'm by your side, brother," said Zaun, speaking.
Zeth and Zaun fought together, immobilizing the demons while Zaun used his magic to kill them. They had a great synergy as a team, despite it being their first time working together. The demons seemed endless, and Zaun's magical energy had run out. "GO, CALL THE WIZARDS FROM THE VILLAGE!" Zeth shouted at Zaun. Zaun began to say, "If I leave, what will you do al-" but before he could finish speaking, a stone the size of a fist pierced Zaun's chest. Zaun fell to the ground.
Though Zeth didn't understand what had happened, he rushed to Zaun's side and tried to stop his bleeding. "Damn it! The demons are entering, and Zaun is losing blood. The leaders and powerful wizards are not around," Zeth thought. Just then, Ron arrived. He froze all the demons on the ground and yelled, "Take him to Bartian, now!" Bartian was a doctor.
"What are you doing here, idiot? Is Malerva safe?" said Zeth.
"She is safe in the council building."
"Can handle it alone?"
"Who do you think you're talking to, you brat? I am one of the founders!"
"Alright, damn it. Hold on, I'll be back soon!" Zeth said and carried Zaun in his arms, running towards Bartian's house. Bartian's house was close to his own. On the way, he saw people running frantically and screaming. As Zeth ran towards Bartian, he realized that the demons had already entered inside. He should have noticed it earlier because the protective barrier, the Dome of the Sky spell, had been broken. Something came to his mind; he had to go left. He should immediately go to Sola, but Zaun had lost a lot of blood. His initial plan was to stop by Bartian's and leave Zaun there before going to Sola. This way, he could also take Sola with them and drop them both at Bartian's house. He had to fight because it was up to Zeth.
When Zeth turned the last corner towards Bartian's house, he saw that it had been destroyed. Other houses were being destroyed by demons as well. He saw Bartian leaning against the remnants of his collapsed house, holding his severed arm and trying to reduce blood loss. But he was dying. Zeth rushed to his side, about to call out to Bartian, but then he saw that Bartian was already dead. He checked his pulse; it was gone. "Damn it!" Zeth muttered to himself. Just then, Zaun on his arms said, "Z...et-" but he couldn't finish his words before he also died.
Zeth was consumed by anger. He had lost his ability to scream. "Again?" he said to himself. "Will everyone I love die because of my weakness?" He left Zaun's lifeless body behind and immediately ran to his own house. He needed to see Sola urgently. He had to take her to the council building. At least it was safer than their homes.
When Zeth arrived in front of his house, he was horrified by what he saw.
His house was destroyed.
And there was blood everywhere.
Zeth entered his destroyed house with incredible fear, horror, and anger. "God, Sola is my only family. You took my mother. Please don't take Sola from me too," Zeth silently pleaded. All he wanted was to see Sola, to be able to touch her head again, to hug her, and tell her that everything would be alright. "SOLA!" Zeth shouted. "SOLA!"
"WHERE ARE YOU, SOL-"
And Zeth saw Sola.
The upper half of her body was no longer there.
A low-level demon was currently feasting on Sola's internal organs. The scene was unimaginably horrific. A broken house, a dark and sinister atmosphere, a floor covered in blood, and a demon devouring the organs of his sweet, innocent little sister.
Zeth fell to his knees. Right beside the demon, he saw Sola's upper body, detached from the blood lake below. Sola's eyes were open. They had turned into pools of blood, and her face bore an incredibly terrifying expression. The demon had first started devouring Sola's organs, then tore off the upper part of the little girl's body, creating a disturbing noise.
Zeth lost his mind. He couldn't utter a single sound. With empty eyes and a blank expression, he watched his sister being consumed. From outside, screams, the sound of the building collapsing, and the tearing of flesh could be heard. N1 was being destroyed, and there was no one left to fight.
Zeth chuckled and gradually started laughing. This laughter turned into hysterical laughter. Zeth had completely lost his sanity. And someone spoke to him.
"What did you say, Zeth? Taking back your world? You can't even protect what you have.
But don't worry, my child.
This is just the beginning."
...
Was Zeth's inner voice speaking to him? Or was it something else? It didn't matter. Zeth didn't think about what he heard. He just laughed while looking at his sister's lifeless body. The demon in front of him ran towards Zeth and bit his neck with sharp, bloody teeth.
....
"You are weak. You are still capable of dying, Zeth."
...
And Zeth died.