As the towering walls of the demon fortress took shape, the remaining fiends surged toward the arched passage left open at its base. The tide of demons poured forth like a swarm of marching ants, flooding outward in all directions. Each creature radiated blistering heat, and together they became a living inferno, incinerating everything in their path.

  At that very moment, the people in the nearby towns and villages had yet to complete their evacuation. The calamity had struck too suddenly—by the time they saw the demonic horde surging toward them, it was already far too late.

  Glenn, hurrying on foot toward Dud Town, almost collided with Laila and Bonnie running from the opposite direction. The two girls, breathless and pale, seized his hands in panic.

  “There’s no time! Mr. Glenn, please come with us! We have to leave—right now!”

  But Glenn simply swept them both under his arms and broke into an even faster sprint.

  “I know what’s happening,” he said between strides. “My place is safe. I need to check on some friends first.”

  “What? Those are demons, Glenn! Hundreds of them! How could anywhere possibly be safe?” Laila gasped, staring up at him.

  “I don’t gamble with my life,” Glenn replied curtly.

  “Whoa!” Bonnie suddenly exclaimed, apparently just realizing the situation. “Mr. Glenn, you’re so strong! You’re running this fast while carrying us both—awesome!”

  Glenn had no words for that.

  The moment they neared Dud Town, the sound of chaos reached them—shouts, clashing metal, desperate cries. Listening carefully, Glenn quickly pieced together the situation.

  Once inside, he set the girls down. “How are you two getting out? Do you have a carriage?”

  Both shook their heads. Laila answered, “Most people are leaving on foot. Pelnas had a carriage and offered to take us, but Bonnie and I wanted to warn you, so we stayed.”

  “So she left on her own?” Glenn frowned.

  “Pelnas wanted to come too, but her mother refused. She had to leave with Polk and the others,” Laila explained.

  Glenn turned to glance at the townsfolk still arguing with the constables, his frown deepening.

  “So you’re just planning to walk out with your mothers?” he asked again.

  Both girls nodded.

  Seeing his expression, Laila tried to comfort him, “Don’t worry, Mr. Glenn. Look, so many people haven’t left yet. It should be fine.”

  Staying doesn’t mean safety… Glenn thought, but said nothing. Instead, he ordered firmly, “Go fetch your mothers. Wait for me outside the town—understood?”

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  “Which side?” Bonnie asked.

  Glenn pointed in the direction he’d come from. “That way.”

  As the girls ran off, he followed the familiar scents and quickly found Douglas. After confirming that the man had a means to escape, Glenn checked on Luther, Old Cat, and the Carter brothers—all had already left.

  Then he visited the Charnis estate, where Laville’s parents were still packing. He assured them their son would be protected before they reluctantly departed.

  As for the others—he could do no more. Everyone must bear the weight of their own choices.

  When he reached the outskirts, he found Laila and Bonnie with their mothers, arms full of luggage, waiting anxiously. He opened his mouth to speak, but a faint, scorched stench—thick with demonic essence—drifted through the air.

  His expression hardened. “Go to my place,” he said quickly. “Now. I have something to take care of.” And before they could respond, he vanished in a gust of wind, leaving the four of them staring after him in stunned silence.

  “Mr. Glenn… is definitely not ordinary,” Laila murmured in awe.

  Pushing himself to full speed, Glenn reached the forest beyond Bayek in a handful of breaths. From afar, he saw columns of black smoke coiling skyward. He readied himself for battle.

  Old man… your instincts had better be right, he thought grimly.

  Then he saw them—the demonic horde. The sheer mass of it made his temples twitch.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me… there’s so many of them.”

  His lycanthropic form was powerful, but best suited for single combat and quick strikes—not prolonged warfare. Even at full strength, he couldn’t sustain the transformation for long.

  All he could do was hope the towns behind him would hold. If not, he would unleash his strongest form and escape with whoever he could save—run as far as his strength allowed.

  The demons drew closer, and tension coiled through every muscle in his body.

  Just as the foremost of the horde caught sight of him—

  A cataclysmic presence descended, suffocating and vast. From the forest ahead, an enormous, spectral shape rose—its form half-real, half-shadow, stretching skyward like a colossal tree that bridged earth and heaven.

  Countless black tendrils, as thick as pillars, writhed slowly like the vines of an ancient god. Then, from within that titanic form, an enormous vertical eye opened.

  An overwhelming aura of annihilation surged forth—pure, incomprehensible dread that even the mindless demons could feel.

  The horde broke instantly. In perfect, primal terror, the demons turned and fled, scattering in every direction.

  Glenn exhaled, shoulders loosening. When he turned back, the sky was veiled in misty gray—nothing visible, no trace of the horror that had just been there.

  But he was certain of one thing: those demons had seen something beyond terror itself.

  This town really is full of mysteries… Glenn mused with a weary smile as he strode away. Not only would Bayek be safe—Dud Town would too.

  To reach Dud, the demons would have to pass through Bayek, and after what they’d just witnessed, not one of them would dare.

  Meanwhile, the demons’ temporary nest had already taken shape. Within mere hours, the once-barren wilderness had transformed into a grotesque city of flesh and stone. Winged demons patrolled the skies, shrieking orders below.

  Suddenly, a division of low-tier demons came rushing back in panic, their movements wild and disordered. No command had been given to retreat.

  The airborne demons swooped down, ready to punish their cowardice— but the moment they neared, they were struck by the same wave of dread transmitted through the hive’s collective consciousness.

  Even the higher-ranking demons trembled.

  The message spread quickly through the demonic ranks, soon reaching the armored commander himself. The soul-flames in his eyes flared violently before he issued a single, sharp order: none were to approach that region again.

  None of the upper demons dared object. Thus, the invasion turned elsewhere.

  By then, the kingdom’s army had arrived—led by griffin riders soaring beside colossal flying beasts.

  They were not late—but neither were they in time. The demons had already wrought irreparable devastation.

  Still, the knights said nothing. With weary mounts and burning resolve, they plunged headlong into the infernal tide.