Chapter 131: The Siege of Duskridge
"Oh, come on… it evolved AGAIN?!"
Ethan's stomach twisted as he stared at the monstrous figure looming within the swirling black clouds. There was no mistaking it, this was the same Ancient Riftwalker he had faced earlier.
Except now, it had transformed once more.
Its massive wings were fully spread, its entire body engulfed in violet-black flames.
And then—
BOOM!
It smashed straight through the canyon wall, bursting into the open sky.
Ethan didn't hesitate. He shifted into Stag Form and sprinted for his life. A Pseudo-Divine entity was already terrifying, but now, it had evolved twice.
Was there even a limit to how many times it could evolve?
For all Ethan knew, if this thing kept going, it might eventually summon its true body into the world.
The sealed canyon wasn't far from Duskridge, only about ten kilometers east of town.
The area was mostly open plains, with the canyon's rocky cliffs being the only major landmark in sight.
But now, the earth trembled violently, sending shockwaves across the region.
Over in Duskridge, thousands of players felt the tremors beneath their feet. A ripple of unease spread through the crowd.
"What the hell is happening?"
"Look! East! The mountain!"
Above the distant cliffs, a storm of black fire churned restlessly. Within it, an enormous creature hovered in mid-air, its vast wings beating against the sky.
Its body burned with twisted purple flames, radiating an aura of pure destruction.
Then, a deep, guttural voice boomed across the land, carrying for kilometers.
"Foolish human… Caw, caw…"
Even from ten kilometers away, every player in Duskridge heard it clearly.
---
At that moment, inside Duskridge, Skyblade was leading over 3,000 Renegade Alliance members in an all-out battle against Blade Syndicate.
Just as he prepared to strike down an enemy, a private message popped up on his screen.
Frowning, he opened it. Then, he froze.
"Retreat. Head north. Get to Harmony City. Now."
Skyblade's brow furrowed.
"Boss, we're about to take over Duskridge, why are we pulling out?"
A second later, Ethan's voice boomed through the team chat.
"Shut up and RUN. If you don't, you're all dead."
Without another word, Skyblade turned and sprinted toward the northern city gates.
The rest of his guild hesitated. But when they saw their leader retreating, they gritted their teeth and followed.
Abandoning the fight, 3,000 players surged out of Duskridge, retreating like a tidal wave.
---
On the other side, the Blade Syndicate forces stood in stunned silence.
They had been fighting tooth and nail, and now, their enemies were running away? Some players instinctively chased after them.
"Idiots! Get back here!"
A furious voice snapped them back to reality.
Their leader—Marcus Skeiner, stood tall, watching Skyblade's retreat with a smug grin.
"Cowards. One monster shows up, and you all scatter? Pathetic."
To him, this was laughable.
The highest-level monsters near Duskridge were only Level 50 Elites. Even if some freak boss had appeared, it couldn't be stronger than Level 60.
Besides, Duskridge's city guards were all Level 79 Elites, and its Town Chief was a Level 89 Commander-tier NPC. As long as they stayed inside the town, what was there to fear?
He had no idea. The creature wasn't Level 50. It wasn't Level 60.
Before its second evolution, it was already Level 99 Commander-tier. And now, It was something even worse.
---
Back on the plains, Ethan was sprinting at full speed toward Duskridge.
As much as he wanted to run straight to Harmony City, he knew he had no chance of outrunning the Riftwalker.
His only hope was to reach Duskridge's city guards, maybe they could hold the monster off for a while. Just long enough for him to escape.
But before he could make it—
BOOM.
A deafening explosion erupted behind him. Ethan's heart pounded as he whipped around.
Above the distant canyon, the black flames thickened, swirling into a monstrous storm.
Then, a colossal figure emerged from the chaos. Its presence was overwhelming, its aura dripping with pure annihilation.
It was like staring at a demon god, risen straight from the abyss. And now, It was coming for him.
The guards in Harmony City weren't just strong, each one was Level 200.
But Ethan wasn't there yet.
And the mutated Ancient Riftwalker was gaining on him fast. The creature muttered an unknown spell, its deep voice resonating with an eerie power.
Above, the black clouds swirled violently, condensing into a storm of blazing fireballs.
A second later—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The ground shook violently as fiery projectiles rained from the sky, detonating on impact. Flames erupted everywhere, spreading rapidly across the plains.
Ethan had teleported roughly two kilometers from Duskridge. That put him ten kilometers from the canyon, meaning he had only covered one kilometer since escaping.
Meanwhile, the Riftwalker had already crossed five kilometers.
At this rate, they would reach Duskridge at the same time.
There was no time for strategy, he had to run.
Ducking and weaving, Ethan dodged the relentless rain of black fireballs, sprinting full speed toward the town. But the attack's range was too wide, even Duskridge itself was now being bombarded.
One particularly massive fireball, wreathed in black flames, tore through the sky and slammed directly into Duskridge's eastern district.
---
[Duskridge Alert: A powerful (Demigod-Tier) entity has appeared east of town. All players are advised to evacuate immediately to avoid unnecessary casualties.]
---
Ethan's eyes twitched. Demigod-tier?
He had expected Commander-tier, maybe even Pseudo-Divine. But Demigod?!
Even Crowling God Anzu was only Pseudo-Divine, one rank below Demigod.
Yet somehow, it had forced the Ancient Riftwalker to evolve straight to Demigod-tier? That was insane.
In Duskridge, Marcus Skeiner stared in disbelief.
A Demigod-tier monster wasn't something a single guild, or even an army of NPC guards could handle.
At that moment, he finally understood why Skyblade had ordered a retreat.
"Damn it…" Marcus gritted his teeth. But was it too late to escape now?
He wasn't sure. Because the Riftwalker was less than a kilometer away.
---
Ethan finally reached Duskridge's outskirts, but he didn't stop, he immediately veered toward the north gate's teleportation array.
However, before he could get there, a brilliant white light flashed ahead. From the teleportation array, a battalion of fully armored NPC soldiers materialized. They wore polished silver plate armor, their weapons gleaming under the dim sky.
Emblazoned on their chest plates was a bold Silverhawk emblem. Over hundreds of them swiftly formed ranks in Duskridge's central plaza.
Ethan came to an abrupt halt.
Because standing at the front of the formation, Was a man he recognized. Roland Carter, Captain of Harmony City's First Guard Squadron.
It seemed Harmony City had dispatched reinforcements after detecting the attack on Duskridge.
---
Harmony City had two elite military forces:
1. The Northern Frontier Army – A two-million-strong force, commanded by the Supreme General of the Northern Frontier.
2. The City Guard – A smaller but elite force of 100,000, directly under Harmony City's ruler.
Though fewer in number, each City Guard soldier was a Level 200 Elite, not to be underestimated.
And right now, Roland Carter had personally led a squad of them to defend Duskridge.
---
Seeing the reinforcements, the players in Duskridge breathed a sigh of relief. All eyes turned to the colossal creature approaching the town's gates.
It had the body of a panther, the wings of a crow, and a fierce, storm-wreathed head, with eyes crackling like rolling thunder.
Some players smirked. A Demigod-tier boss had spawned. A massive NPC army had arrived. A huge battle was about to erupt.
Maybe, just maybe… they could profit from this.