Chimaera's Conquest: The Legend Of The Devourer-Chapter 285: Corruption (2)

"Come on, let’s see what you’ve got," Adrian muttered, gripping his dagger tightly.

Unfortunately for Adrian, that couldn’t be realised in time.

Just as he was about to charge, something unexpected happened. Ropes shot out from nowhere, wrapping around the demon. The demon roared in anger and confusion, struggling against the ropes that held him in place.

"What the...?" Adrian mumbled when he saw George, Vesper, Amelia and a bunch of strangers jumping out of their vehicles.

They moved with expert efficiency, their actions coordinated and precise as they dealt with the demonic human. Vesper jumped on his back, tightening the rope around his neck while George, now sporting a thick beard, began chanting softly.

Adrian watched in amazement as a glowing magic circle formed beneath the demon, further immobilising it. At the same time, Amelia and the rest prepared their strongest attacks to let loose on the demon. Within moments, the demonic human was turned to dust.

Adrian smiled when their eyes met as the old group, looking worse for wares, walked towards them. However, they seem to be in a hurry.

"Come on, in the cars now!" George yelled.

They didn’t argue and did as they were told. Once everyone was inside, they made a mad dash through the place. It was then Adrian and the rest got their first look at the new world they had returned to.

The world around them had turned unrecognisable, vastly different from the one they were used to. Everywhere they looked, they saw devastation and destruction.

Buildings were reduced to rubble, and roads were cracked and broken with vehicles scattered about. It was as if they had walked into some zombie apocalypse movie set.

Sitting beside Adrian, Sophia couldn’t believe her eyes as she glanced out the window. "What the hell happened here?"

"It’s a long story," George replied, not taking his eyes off the road. "This place is like heaven, considering the rest of the planet."

"We can talk once we’re in the base," Amelia cut them off, waving her bionic arm.

Adrian wanted to know more about what happened, especially with her arm. But he guessed he could wait to be ’safe’.

***

After half an hour, they finally reached their base. The place was a bleak sight, with makeshift homes made of scraps of metal and wood lining the roads, each looking more precarious than the last.

People moved through the streets with a weariness that spoke of hard lives and constant struggle. Children, their faces smudged with dirt, still played, only now their playtime had been converted into training.

Adults worked tirelessly, some fixing broken structures, others trading goods in a small, crowded market. Weapons, food, medicines, there was everything one would need, even in a place like that.

They passed a group of guards armed with crude weapons, their eyes scanning them. But what surprised Adrian even more was the presence of Ghost Soldiers there.

Adrian was about to say something about it, but Vesper placed her hand on his shoulder, shaking her head.

"Not here," she said. "You’ll know everything soon, but till then, just be quiet."

A few moments later, their vehicles rolled to a stop near the centre of the settlement, where a larger building—once a town hall, now a makeshift command post—stood. A banner hung limply from the roof, bearing the symbol of the local faction that controlled the area.

"This is the DRA’s Hawaii branch?" John mumbled, remembering seeing the place a few days before entering the dungeon. "What happened here?" freewebnσvel.cѳm

"You’ll learn soon enough," Amelia replied, heading inside.

Inside, they met people whom Adrian and anyone from the dungeon exploration group had not recognised. However, they all seemed to know them.

"Welcome back," a man wearing an eye patch and sitting in a wheelchair welcomed them. "It seems you didn’t recognise me, Adrian."

It then hit Adrian, "Rick...?"

"The one and only," the former executive director from the DRA smiled wanly.

"What happened to you?"

"The world went to shit while you were gone," Rick replied. "and I was left like this to tell you the tale."

***

"IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE!" John yelled, unable to believe they had been missing for over three years and not three days.

Even for Adrian, it wasn’t easy to believe. He was aware that time in dungeons and time on Earth flowed differently. But he couldn’t grasp how three days could turn into three years.

Adrian’s immediate thoughts went towards his family, or what used to be his family. Vesper knew Adrian was worried about them even after all they had done.

Unfortunately, there was no good news. So far, none of them had been found in any of the government-controlled settlements. Which meant they were most certainly dead.

Adrian seemed to need a moment after hearing that. But he pushed through. There were more important things to deal with rather than mourning his ex-family.

As for Sophia, her family was safe in a camp in London. They were the few lucky ones who made it out of France before it got wiped out.

"Most of the world is overrun with monsters or corrupted humans, as you saw before," Rick continued. "Thankfully, we only have to deal with the corrupt humans. As for the monsters, they are known to be concentrated around the towers constructed by the entities."

"Towers?" Sophia asked.

"The new pathway into other dimensions," Amelia replied. "Be it Nexaria, Alfvania or Nether. Once you climb high enough, you can reach either of the realms."

"...I see," Adrian mumbled.

It wasn’t a good situation for Earthlings. Not only would they have to defend themselves against the Nether, but they would also have to go against advanced civilisations.

’No wonder the planet has been turned upside down. I’m surprised Earth is even habitable now.’

"It is thanks to the towers we can establish bases in far-off regions and not worry about resources," Vesper commented. "As long as you climb the towers, one will find plenty of rewards waiting for them. The only problem is-"

"We’re not the only ones climbing the tower," Amelia concluded as a bunch of elves entered the room. "Everyone is, including the entities."