Chimaera's Conquest: The Legend Of The Devourer-Chapter 232: Wrapping Up (2)

Chaos erupted as the guards and staff members hurriedly ushered tourists out of the dungeon, which was about to be sealed as someone had defeated the dungeon boss.

They didn’t know why it was happening or who had killed the boss, but since none of the higher-ups within the facility were answering their calls, the guards and staff members decided to start the evacuation process.

At first, it went smoothly as people were already rushing out of the building because of the abrupt explosions. But something changed, and many devotees suddenly refused to evacuate the temples.

The guards who earlier wanted them to stay now wanted everyone to leave. But like the guards, it seemed even the devotees had a change of heart and decided to stay back for their goddess.

"You must leave now! The dungeon is closing!" a guard shouted, trying to reason with the crowd. "There’s no telling what might happen if you stay back!"

"Be as it may, we will not abandon our goddess!" one of the devotees yelled back as they formed a human shield around the temple. "Hera calls to us! It is the goddess’s doing! She wants us to join her and serve her for the rest of our lives, and we won’t let anyone take that away from us!"

The guard couldn’t believe it. It was their guild’s goal had been to turn people into fanatic followers of Hera. But now that they saw the people behave like they had planned all along, they weren’t sure if it was the right thing to do.

But their trouble had just begun. Those who had left the dungeon were now causing a ruckus outside, wanting to be let back inside.

It seemed someone might have ’leaked’ the devotees’ words, and now even those who had left wanted to disappear with the dungeon to get Hera’s blessing.

"She wants us to stay with her!" one person shouted, fighting with one of the guards. "We must heed her call! WE MUST SERVE THE GODDESS!"

The staff and guards exchanged bewildered glances, unsure how to subdue the growing unrest. They wanted to use force but didn’t want to stir the pot too much. Who knew how the crazies would react if they used force on them?

Still, none of them could guess where the notion of Hera wanting them to stay and die in the dungeon had originated, but it had spread like wildfire among the devotees, inciting them to defy all logic and reason in the name of devotion.

The guard didn’t know this, but it was Maria’s doing. Hera’s followers shared an application with which Maria used to inform the devotees about Hera’s wishes and her stories of devotion.

Since Adrian wanted to squash the belief by destroying the dungeon, Maria played a game to strengthen their resolve and faith in Hera, even if it cost countless lives to do so.

She informed the devotees that the dungeon’s closing was the goddess’s way of signalling ascension for those who remained behind and proved their loyalty to her.

Maria promised the devotees that the goddess would welcome everyone with open arms into her abode, where they would have the opportunity to serve her for the rest of their lives.

Obviously, it was all bullshit. Hera didn’t care about them, and neither did Maria. All they wanted was to undo or at least recover some of the damage Adrian had done to Maria’s guild and Hera’s reputation.

So far, it seemed to be working, as it had incited the people to forget about everything and die for the sake of ascension.

Besides, since Maria had sent the message to those inside the dungeon, no one would know what she had done as long as they didn’t leave. But just to be sure, she would delete the messages in due time to avoid any implications.

However, it seemed her plan was destined to fail as the DRA appeared on the scene out of nowhere. No one knew who had called the DRA, but they were tensed.

Even though only twenty-two minutes remained before the dungeon closure, it was enough time for the DRA to stumble upon the guild’s illegal activities in the guise of operating a welfare temple.

"So this is why Adrian called me here," James mumbled as he took charge of the scene.

Roughly half an hour ago, James received a message from Adrian asking him to get to the location mentioned along with the DRA, as it was very important.

At first, James didn’t know what Adrian was talking about and tried to text and call him, but he didn’t receive a response.

But since Adrian hadn’t done anything like that before, James decided to trust him and was glad he did.

The situation around the dungeon had already gotten out of hand, and even though DRA usually didn’t intervene with other guild businesses, this time, they had the right to do so as it involved civilian lives and because the guild hadn’t taken any essential action to safeguard them.

"We need to clear the area," James began shouting instructions for everyone. "Use force if necessary. We can’t afford to let this situation escalate any further and get some of our men inside to do the same."

"Roger that!"

However, as they were about to get busy with work, the guard intervened, stopping the DRA officers from getting close. Despite the situation, they knew if the DRA entered the dungeon, it could lead to devastating results for their guild.

"You have no jurisdiction here," one of the guards declared, his voice stern and unwavering. "This is private property, and we’ll handle the situation ourselves."

However, James was in no mood to entertain their objections.

"Do you call this handling the situation?" James yelled at the guard, pointing towards the chaos around them. "Your incompetence to deal with the situation is putting hundreds of innocent lives at risk!"

The guard stared daggers at James but couldn’t rebuke his claim. After all, everything was right before their eyes. However, as the DRA officers attempted to proceed further, the guards from Maria’s guild drew their weapons, blocking their path, determined not to let the DRA walk inside.

"Step back," one of the guards ordered, tightly gripping his sword. "This is our territory, and we won’t let outsiders interfere in our business, no matter who they are. Consider this your final warning."

James’s anger flared at the audacity of the guards, his jaw clenching with rage. Back when the DRA was formed, none of these so-called guilds had the guts to stand in their way.

But now that some corrupt heads were sitting at the top, they thought they could buy everyone in the DRA and threaten an officer without facing any consequences.

Usually, James wouldn’t escalate the situation and step back as he didn’t want to lose his job. But not this time.

He had had enough and didn’t care about his higher-ups or those who paid them. He was going to do things like they were supposed to be done.

"You leave me no choice," he growled, his voice low and menacing. "If you don’t cooperate, we’ll have to remove you by force. On the charges of obstructing a DRA officer on duty, you all have been instructed to surrender or face the consequences."

The guards looked at each other before laughing. They believed James was merely a dog with all the bark but no bite. Unfortunately, it was a mistake for them to underestimate the frustrations of the DRA officers gathered there.

James signalled to the DRA officers, who moved in to forcefully remove the guards who stood in their way. A scuffle ensued as the two groups clashed.

Everyone who had been causing chaos around the dungeon gates got scared and scattered, not wanting to get involved in the mess. So much for being devoted to their goddess and willing to give their lives for her.

While the guards had better gear, the DRA officers had better training. At first, it seemed the two groups were stuck in a stalemate. But soon, the officers began overpowering the guards one by one and placing them in restraints.

Despite their protests and resistance, the guards were no match for the combined strength of DRA, and soon, they willingly surrendered because they didn’t want to be arrested and forced to reveal the secrets of the dungeon.

Only a handful of guards remained standing between DRA and the dungeon. Although they still had the weapons in their hand, their resolve to fight was shaken.

"We’re taking charge of the situation," James stated firmly. "Anyone who interferes will face the consequences. So make up your minds."

To his surprise, the remaining guards offered no resistance. Although they weren’t pleased with the result, they didn’t react to James’s warning. A moment later, they stepped aside to allow James and the DRA officers to proceed.

However, James wasn’t a moron to take their actions at face value and instructed the officers to restain the rest of them as well before turning to enter the dungeon, only for a swarm of people to walk out of there along with the guards and the staff.

"What is going on here?"