Chapter 120 – Demon Army
Chapter 120
Demon Army
Date : Day 22 of Grimleaf 1024 Aethellgard Concord Year.
Ina approached Hyoren and Elise, her face lined with concern. Her footsteps echoed softly in the vast chamber. She reached out, lightly touching his arm. Her fingers were warm against his skin.
"What's wrong, Hyoren? You look a bit pale."
Her large amber eyes searched his face.
"Did the dungeon teleport disorient you? It can happen to first-timers."
Hyoren gave a small smile. It was forced. His body was still processing the voice. The intrusion.
"It's not that, Ina... It's the voice. The one I heard. It was... so sinister. So wrong…"
Ina smiled gently, her voice calm and reassuring. Her tail swayed slowly behind her.
"That voice belongs to Demon God Gidol... well, not truly Him..."
She folded her arms lightly.
"Every dungeon uses it as an interface. It's more like a psychic echo... a recording."
Her ears twitched.
"It always says something like that. The contempt is the same. But yes... it tends to unsettle first-timers."
Elise nodded beside him. She wasn't as pale, but a faint unease still lingered in her expression. Her pointed ears were slightly flattened. Her posture rigid.
"Yeah... I read about it before."
She crossed her arms.
"But reading and hearing it are two completely different things."
Hyoren let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. The air left his lungs in a rush. The lingering echo of that voice slowly faded from his mind. The oily presence retreated to the edges of his consciousness.
He looked around. His senses sharpened—taking in their new surroundings.
He stood within a vast and majestic hall. If he had to guess, nearly a hundred meters across. A perfect square.
The air was still. Too still. The silence pressed against his ears. No breeze. No distant sound. Just the faint hum of magic. It felt wrong. It made Hyoren shiver.
He looked up. The ceiling was made of polished stone. The surface gleamed faintly in the magical light. At regular intervals, glowing orbs—magic lamps, perhaps—were embedded into its surface. Their pale light mirrored the archway's glow, casting an eerie, unnatural illumination across the chamber. The glow was cold, it cast no warmth.
The walls were lined with tall pillars, reminiscent of ancient architecture—like something from an old and forgotten empire. Between each pillar, intricate reliefs were carved into the stone. He couldn't make out the details from this distance. Shapes. Figures. Stories he didn't recognize.
At the very center of the hall stood a raised platform—the one they now occupied. Beneath their feet, a pale runic array pulsed softly—the teleportation circle that had brought them here. The symbols shifted and turned. In the middle of the platform rose a single pillar of polished black stone, about a meter high. At its top hovered a fist-sized orb of swirling red light.
Hyoren's gaze locked onto it. The red light inside churned like trapped fire.
Ina noticed and smiled. She followed his line of sight.
"That's the Teleport Orb. If you touch it, you'll be given the option to exit the dungeon."
She gestured toward it.
"And once you've cleared a floor, you can use it to return directly to that level."
Hyoren nodded slowly. His mind was already cataloging the information. Filing it away.
Just like a video game. Any RPG with dungeon system have this convenience.
Elise studied the orb as well, her emerald eyes sharp and observant. She tilted her head slightly.
"That's... convenient."
Ina gave a small shrug, still smiling. Her expression was casual.
"It is. We don't really know why Gidol designed dungeons this way, making them so... accessible."
She glanced at the orb again. Her tail flicked once.
"But at this point, people just accept it as a convenience."
Fiona finished assessing the room and deemed it safe. Her gaze had swept across every corner. Every shadow. Every pillar. Then she started barking orders. Her voice echoed through the chamber.
"Starting room. It should be safe. No monsters spawn here, and none should be able to enter."
She swept her gaze across the chamber. Her eyes were hard and unyielding.
"But we never fucking assume. Stay sharp."
Her eyes landed on the two specialists.
"Robert. Fris. Do your job. Starting room Runic Tablet."
She crossed her arms. Her posture was rigid. Authoritative.
"Everyone else… do whatever you want until they're done."
Her gaze shifted toward the shimmering portal that led deeper into the dungeon, then to the newcomers—the Freedom Party. A doorway into darkness.
"But don't you ever fucking step into the dungeon proper before I say so."
Ina scowled. Her ears flattened slightly.
"Language, Guildmas."
But her sounds was weak. It was more like habit now, as she know Fiona wouldn’t change her language. She turned to Hyoren and Elise.
"But she's right. We can't enter the dungeon proper until the specialists finish reading the starting room Runic Tablet."
Fiona scoffed but said nothing. Her jaw tightened. Her arms remained crossed.
Ina continued, her tone calm but firm. She adjusted her stance. Settled into a lecturing posture.
"It's rare... but there are dungeons where the very first chamber after this one contains something like a dragon."
She gave a small, knowing smile. Her tail swished behind her.
"Careless parties walk in blind—and get wiped out before they even understand what happened."
Her gaze softened slightly as she reassured them. Her voice dropped. More serious.
"That's why we wait. The Runic Tablet here will tell us what kind of dungeon we're dealing with."
Hyoren and Elise nodded. Neither of them could quite imagine it—stepping through that portal–only to be roasted alive the moment they arrived. The image was too absurd. Too horrifying.
Fiona, Rick, and Helga moved to one corner of the hall, deciding to rest. Their footsteps echoed as they walked. The sound was swallowed by the vastness of the chamber.
Meanwhile, Robert and Fris got to work.
Hyoren's gaze followed them. He watched as they gathered their equipment.
They were heading toward the far side of the hall—across from the shimmering portal. The back end, he assumed. The walk took them across the polished stone floor. Their footsteps echoed on the vast hall.
There, on a raised dais, stood an altar.
And upon it—a statue. It was pitch black. Not the same black as Noctynara, the Goddess of Darkness—this was something else. A pitch black. A color that felt wrong. As if it wasn't merely absorbing light—but devouring it. The darkness around it seemed deeper. Full with malice. The air grew colder near it.
The statue depicted a being of pure nightmare. Twisting horns that curled upward like shattered crowns. Leathery wings folded against its back. A face shaped by cruel and calculating malice. Its features were sharp. Angular. Inhuman. Its eyes glowed a deep, sinister red—pulsing faintly as if alive. As if watching them. The glow was slow.
Hyoren and Elise both gasped.
Elise's pointed ears dipped slightly, her body stiffening. Her hand moved instinctively toward her bow.
Hyoren stood frozen, his mouth slightly parted—words caught in his throat.
Just looking at it made his chest tighten. A suffocating sense of wrongness pressed against him. His skin crawled. The longer he stared—the more it felt like something was seeping into him. Tainting him. A low hum seemed to emanate from it. Not sound. Something deeper. Something that resonated in his bones.
Ina stepped beside them, a knowing smile on her face. Her cat ears deflated slightly, and her tail swished slowly. Her usual brightness dimmed.
"That statue is believed to be Demon God Gidol."
She folded her arms lightly, her gaze lingering on it. Her jaw tightened.
"No one can confirm it for certain. But it appears in every dungeon's starting room."
Her voice lowered slightly. The playfulness was gone.
"And it always feels like this."
Her eyes narrowed just a fraction.
"If that isn't Gidol... then nothing else fits."
Hyoren finally found his voice. The words came out hoarse. Strained.
"Gidol... No wonder that statue feels... wrong."
Elise silently nodded in agreement. Her ears remained flat. Her eyes didn't leave the statue.
Hyoren's gaze shifted downward—to the base of the statue above the dais, where Robert and Fris had already begun their work. Desks, tools, and strange apparatus had been laid out, all produced from their storage bag. The equipment glowed faintly.
He focused on the foundation beneath the statue. It was a massive cube of black stone—about three meters wide, three meters long, and two meters tall. Its entire surface was covered in glowing runic inscriptions. The symbols shifted and pulsed. An Universal Language he couldn’t read.
Ina spoke again, following his line of sight. Her voice returned to its normal tone.
"Those inscriptions are the starting room's Runic Tablet."
She gestured lightly toward it.
"It tells us everything we need to know about the dungeon. What kinds of monsters inhabit it, their level ranges for each floor, the types of traps..."
She paused briefly before continuing. Her tail stilled.
"Even the total number of floors. The terrain as well. Labyrinth-type dungeons can vary, tomb-like, cave-like, ruins... or something else entirely."
Hyoren and Elise listened closely, absorbing her explanation. As Vice Guild Master who already worked at Adventurer's Guild for more than twenty years, Ina's knowledge of dungeons was vast—and it showed.
Hyoren looked back at the two runic specialists as they worked—their movements precise, focused. They consulted their instruments. Scratched notes. Examined the runes with magnifying lenses. And for a moment, his eyes flicked upward again—toward the statue looming above them. Watching.
***
Ina looked at Hyoren. Her ears perked forward.
"So, what now? It'll take a few hours before Robert and Fris finish their work. Want to rest?"
Hyoren scanned the room. His gaze moved across the vast chamber, taking in details he had missed before. His gaze lingered briefly on the shimmering portal—they still couldn't enter it—before shifting to the reliefs carved along the walls.
"Ina... can we check those reliefs?"
She smiled, her cat tails springing back to life, swishing with renewed energy. The earlier tension from the statue seemed to fade from her posture.
"Of course. Every first-timer gets curious about them."
She giggled softly. The sound echoed slightly in the chamber.
"Though after your second or third dungeon, they just become something to lean on while you rest."
Hyoren smiled at that.
He could already imagine it—after countless dives, even something like this would lose its novelty. The wonder would fade. Replaced by familiarity.
Elise nodded beside him, her pointed ears twitching slightly. Her gaze drifted toward the reliefs.
"That sounds good. It's still morning... going back to rest now would feel wrong."
A small smile formed on her lips.
"And I'm curious too."
Hyoren, Ina, and Elise walked toward the nearest relief. Their footsteps echoed across the polished stone floor. As they approached, the details became clearer.
It depicted metallic humanoids—almost like robots, but with an ancient and archaic design. They marched across tainted ground, their forms rigid and imposing. The figures were faceless. Marching in endless rows. Their limbs were jointed with visible mechanisms. Their bodies were angular.
The relief itself was colorless, carved from the same polished black stone as the wall. And yet, it felt alive.
Hyoren reached out and lightly touched the surface, his fingers brushing against the cold stone.
"What is this, Ina?"
Ina cleared her throat, slipping easily into the role of a teacher. Though her playful nature still showed—in her voice, in her perked ears, and in the quick swish of her tails.
"All of these reliefs depict the Demon Army, Hyoren. Elise."
She gestured toward the one in front of them.
"These are Mechanoid Demons. Their bodies are made of metal and complex mechanisms."
Her tone grew slightly more serious. The playfulness dimmed.
"They're extremely difficult to defeat. Their bodies are almost indestructible—unless you have Mithril weapons infused with Aethell."
Hyoren studied the relief again.
A metal golem...
The thought came naturally to him.
“From how you describe them… they sound incredibly strong.”
Ina smiled, but there was weight behind it.
"That's because they are. Every Demon is dangerous."
Her tails slowed slightly. The swishing became more subdued.
"Humanity has to give everything just to stand against them. Even then... it usually takes five of us to bring one down."
She paused. Her gaze drifted toward the statue of Gidol in the distance.
"And because of that, the war has always ended in stalemate. We win in numbers, but demons win in superiority."
Elise's expression turned grim.
"I knew the war with the demons has been a stalemate for the past thousand years... but I never imagined they were this strong."
They moved to another relief. It depicted a Mechanoid Demon again—but this one stood alone. Larger. More imposing. The core embedded in its chest was massive, glowing even in the carved stone. Judging by the scattered trees around it, the creature towered over the landscape.
Hyoren reached out, brushing his fingers against the relief.
"What about this one, Ina?"
Ina gestured toward it. Her hand moved across the figure's outline.
"That's a Demon Apostle."
Her tone grew more serious. The last traces of playfulness vanished.
"Each demon race has individuals like this… beings who answer directly to Gidol. They're granted a portion of the Demon God's power... something called 'Demon God Encroachment'."
She folded her arms lightly.
"They're the apex of their kind. Think of them as the demon equivalent of heroes… blessed, empowered... and far beyond anything normal."
She tapped her chin, thinking. Her tails swished slowly behind her. Searching through memory.
"For the Mechanoid Demons... the last Apostle was called Ratudote, I think."
Her voice lowered.
"When it appeared during the last Demon War... it took an enormous sacrifice just to bring it down."
She paused.
"Many Gold-ranked adventurers died."
Silence settled between them.
Hyoren and Elise both nodded, their expressions heavy. The more they learned, the more terrifying the enemy became.
Hyoren glanced at Elise. Her silver hair caught the pale light. Her emerald eyes were fixed on the relief.
"Before... I thought getting stronger was just an abstract goal."
His voice was steady—but firm. Quiet in the vast chamber.
"But now... it's not optional."
He clenched his hand slightly. His fingers curled into his palm.
"In a world like this—facing enemies like that... if we don't keep getting stronger..."
He exhaled quietly. The breath left his lungs in a rush.
"We'll die, Elise."
Elise nodded without hesitation.
"Yeah."
Her voice was calm—but resolute.
"I used to think I could live quietly here in the frontier... stay out of the war. Ignore the Demon Army."
Her fingers brushed lightly against her torso—instinctively. Where the scars lay hidden beneath her clothes. Where the blade had carved flesh.
"But Hifoppe proved otherwise. Even here... they're already encroaching."
She looked back at him. Her emerald eyes found his dark eyes.
"We never know when we'll have to face them again."
A determined smile formed.
"So yeah... I need to get stronger too, Hyoren."
Ina watched the two of them in silence. Her ears twitched slightly. Her tails stilled. There was something in her eyes—a mix of admiration and something more complicated. A longing. A weight. As if she wanted to step into that shared resolve—to stand beside them in it. To be part of that bond. But she held herself back.
For now.
***
They continued their tour. The next relief depicted something familiar. A humanoid figure with beast-like features.
But unlike Beastkin like Ina, the figure carved into the wall was far more menacing—and far removed from anything that could be called human. The proportions were wrong. The limbs were too thick, too powerful. The stance was too aggressive—too primal.
It was not a person with animal traits. It was an animal wearing the vague shape of a person.
Beastkin only carried their traits in their ears and tails. This, however, was something else entirely. A bipedal beast. A wolf-like creature standing upright, its limbs thick and powerful.
Its face wasn't human at all—but a true wolf's, with a long muzzle, sharp jaws, and predatory intent frozen in stone. The eyes were empty sockets—but even in carved form, they seemed to radiate hunger. A hunger that would never be satisfied. A hunger that was the very essence of what this creature represented.
Hyoren frowned, confused.
“These are… demons, Ina? Not a variation of Beastkin?”
Ina moved instantly—placing a finger against his lips. The gesture was almost playful, but her amber eyes were serious.
“Careful.”
She lowered her hand slowly.
“If you said that to any other Beastkin, you’d get punched, or even killed.”
She gestured toward the relief.
“These are Beast Demons. They’re closer to beasts than we are. Beastkin are still fundamentally human.”
Her tone sharpened slightly.
“But these Beast Demons, they’re more ruthless. They hunt. They kill. And they enjoy eating humans alive...”
The words hung in the air—heavy and cold.
“They can also transform fully into beasts. There are many sub-races—werewolves, weretigers, werecats… and more.”
Hyoren stiffened slightly, realizing his mistake. He had compared Beastkin to these creatures. These monsters that wore the shape of beasts but had none of their humanity.
"Sorry, Ina. I didn't mean..."
The rest of the sentence caught in his throat. He knew better than to finish it.
Ina smiled again, her amber eyes softening as her usual playfulness returned. The tension in her face eased—the sharp edges smoothing back into the familiar curves of her mischievous expression.
She leaned in close, her voice dropping to a whisper near his ear. The motion was intimate—deliberately so.
"Hyoren... don't worry. I know someone Spirited Away like you might mix things up."
Her tails swished lightly. The motion was relaxed—the playful gesture returning now that the moment of tension had passed.
“Just remember… don’t do it again, okay?”
She stepped past him toward the next relief, which depicted a massive Beast Demon mid-transformation to a large beast.
“Their Apostle is Ulululong.”
Her tone grew more serious again.
“ He survived the last war. Wounded… but still alive.”
Elise studied the relief for a moment before shaking her head, her silver hair swaying softly.
“Good grief, Hyoren…”
A small, teasing smile curved her lips.
“From the looks of it, they’re clearly different from Beastkin. Fufu.”
Hyoren scratched his cheek, embarrassed. The gesture was self-conscious. The heat in his face was visible—a flush that crept up from his neck to his ears.
Ina and Elise matchingly giggled. The sound was light—musical. Their laughter intertwined—the cat-clan clerk and the silver-haired ranger finding common ground in their amusement at his expense.
They continued their tour. The next relief was unsettling.
It depicted a mass of shifting, gaseous blobs—formless, unstable. Some of them were partially shaped into something resembling humans, but never fully.
Limbs stretched wrong. Faces incomplete. As if they were still learning what it meant to be human. The faces were the worst part—half-formed features that seemed to melt and reform. Eyes that were too large or too small. Mouths that opened into nothing. Expressions that flickered between emotions without ever settling on one.
Ina spoke, her tone more serious now.
“These are Mimic Demons. They can take almost any shape at a glance.”
She crossed her arms lightly.
“They can also mimic a target’s power… only a fraction of it, but even that is dangerous.”
Her gaze lingered on the relief.
“They’re not the Demon Army’s frontline combat units. They operate as intelligence agents.”
She exhaled quietly.
“And once a Mimic fully takes on a human identity… it becomes extremely difficult to root them out.”
She paused.
“Their Apostle… is unknown…”
The silence stretched—filled with unspoken implications. With fears that could not be voiced.
Hyoren’s and Elise’s expressions darkened. An unknown Apostle— for a race that could become anyone. If one infiltrated the nobility, or worse—the king—it would be a disaster.
For a brief moment, Hyoren wondered.
How many of them had already replaced someone?
Ina noticed their reaction and smiled, trying to ease the tension. The expression was gentle—reassuring. A reminder that not all was darkness and despair.
“Don’t worry too much. After centuries of studying them, we’ve developed ways to identify Mimics.”
She tapped her chin lightly.
“Ordinary people might still have trouble… so yes, they can still spy on us.”
Her smile returned, a bit more confident now.
“But for important figures, we use specialized magic tools. They’re already deployed in most big cities.”
She gave a small nod.
“If someone powerful is being impersonated… those tools will detect it.”
Hyoren nodded in understanding. Processing the information and filing it away for future reference. Of course, after all these years of fighting demons, humanity would have developed countermeasures.
***
Ina continued as their guide. The next relief depicted a humanoid figure—almost human at first glance. The proportions seemed right at a distance. The stance was upright. The limbs were in the correct places.
But the proportions were wrong. Judging by the trees and rocks carved around them, they were the size of small castles. Giants.
The scale was staggering—the carved trees barely reached their knees. The rocks that would have been boulders to a human were mere pebbles in comparison.
"These are Titan Demons. Like the Mechanoids, they serve as the Demon Army's strike force."
She tilted her head slightly. The motion was thoughtful—considering how to convey the information most effectively.
"They're easier to deal with than Mechanoids... but don't underestimate them. Their sheer size alone makes them devastating."
She added calmly. The tone was casual—almost conversational. As if discussing creatures that could crush buildings beneath their feet was perfectly ordinary.
"Their Apostle is Errogin. Still alive."
The name hung in the air—heavy with implication. Another Apostle that had survived the war. Another threat that had not been eliminated.
They moved on. The next relief depicted figures that looked completely human. Hyoren frowned, unable to spot any difference.
He leaned closer—his dark eyes scanning the carved faces for something, anything, that would distinguish them from ordinary humans. The features were normal. The proportions were correct. The expressions were varied—some smiling, some stern, some neutral.
"Ina... aren't these just humans?"
Ina giggled, her cat ears perking up. The sound was light—amused by his confusion. Her tails swished behind her—the motion betraying her delight at the teachable moment.
"Look carefully, Hyoren. Especially the ones with their mouths open."
He leaned in. The stone was cool beneath his fingertips as he braced himself against the wall—bringing his face inches from the carved surface. And then he saw it. Two sharp fangs. The teeth were subtle—easily missed if you weren't looking for them. But once noticed, they were unmistakable. His eyes widened slightly.
"Vampires?"
Ina blinked, surprised—then smiled, amused. Her amber eyes sparkled with genuine curiosity—the expression of someone who hadn't expected that answer.
"Hyoren... how did you know?"
She nodded.
“Yes. These are Vampire Demons. They’re almost indistinguishable from humans. The only clear differences are their fangs… and their weakness to sunlight.”
She raised a finger slightly.
“Though even that can be mitigated. With proper cloaks or equipment, they can move during the day.”
Her expression grew a bit more serious.
“That’s what makes them dangerous. They infiltrate society.”
Then she added.
“At least they can’t impersonate others like Mimics. So we don’t have to worry about nobles being secretly replaced. Though their current Apostle was unknown.”
Hyoren hesitated for a moment. A question had been forming in his mind—born from memories of stories he had read on Earth. Stories about creatures of the night who could spread their curse to others.
"Can they turn humans into vampires too?"
Ina blinked again—this time genuinely surprised. Her ears twitched—the motion more pronounced than before.
"That's right... how did you know that?"
She shook her head slightly, impressed.
"Yes, they can. Though it's a rare occurrence, at least based on what humanity knows."
Elise smiled beside him, clearly amused. Her emerald eyes sparkled with the familiar mix of affection and exasperation that his unusual knowledge often provoked.
"This guy has 'weird' knowledge, Ina."
She let out a soft giggle. Her pointed ears twitched—the motion betraying her amusement even as she tried to maintain a straight face.
"He says he learned it from novels or games. I don't really understand what are those myself."
She glanced at Hyoren teasingly. The look was warm—playful rather than mocking.
"Sometimes it's accurate... but most of the time, it's not. Fufu."
Hyoren scratched his cheek, a little embarrassed.
The knowledge he brought from Earth—fantasy novels, games—sometimes aligned with this world. The vampires, the fangs, the turning—these were elements that seemed to transcend worlds.
But most of the time, based on his experience, it didn't. This world followed its own rules—rules he was still learning.
They finally arrived at the last relief. Like the previous one, the figures were mostly human in shape—but there was no mistaking what they were.
They floated in the air, wings spread wide. Bat-like wings, eerily similar to those of Gidol. The resemblance was unmistakable—the same leathery membrane, the same clawed tips.
Curved horns rose from their heads, and behind them swayed sleek tails—each ending in different shapes, heart-like tips, circular loops, and other strange forms. The variety was unsettling—suggesting a race that was diverse in its abilities.
Ina gestured toward the carving. Her hand swept across the relief—encompassing all the figures in a single motion.
"These are the last type—Magic Demons. Apostle... unknown."
She looked at Hyoren. Her cat ears twitched—the motion deliberate. Drawing his attention to what she was about to say.
"They're divided into two main sub-races."
She pointed at the smaller figures. The ones that seemed to dart between the larger forms—quick and elusive. Their wings were smaller. Their bodies were slight. Built for speed rather than strength.
"Pixie Demons. Small, fast, and specialized in magic support."
Then to the larger ones. The figures that dominated the relief—beautiful and terrible in equal measure.
Their features were alluring—the carvings capturing a beauty that was almost hypnotic. There was something wrong with the shape of their bodies. Something that suggested temptation rather than innocence.
"And Lust Demons—Incubi and Succubi. Incubi are male. Succubi are female."
Her finger traced lightly along the relief.
“Magic Demons serve as the Demon Army’s spellcasters. They support the frontlines with magic—offense, control, and reinforcement.”
Her tone shifted slightly. The playfulness was gone entirely—replaced by something more serious. Something that spoke of dangers that went beyond the battlefield.
"But Incubi and Succubi... some of them take on a different role."
She glanced at Hyoren and Elise. Her amber eyes were serious.
"Infiltration. Not like Mimics or Vampires. They don't replace or hide. They tempt. They use their magic to form pacts with humans... usually nobles or people in power."
Ina’s expression grew more serious.
“The dangerous part is… the human stays human. No transformation. No obvious sign. But their loyalty shifts.”
She crossed her arms.
“They end up working for the Demon Army… willingly or not. That’s why they’re so hard to root out.”
Hyoren slowly nodded, the pieces falling into place. His mind working through the implications of everything Ina had shared. The Demon Army wasn't just a horde of monsters. It wasn't a disorganized mass of creatures driven by instinct and hunger.
"The Demon Army... is highly structured."
His voice was low, thoughtful. The realization was settling over him like a weight—pressing down on his shoulders with the gravity of understanding.
"Elite individuals. Strike forces. Bulk units. Magic support. Infiltrators and spies..."
He exhaled softly. The breath was heavy—carrying the weight of his realization. He shifted his glance to the statue of Demon God Gidol.
"No wonder the war has lasted for over a thousand years."
Silence followed. The weight of that realization settled over both Hyoren and Elise. The chamber seemed quieter now—the distant sounds of the guild fading into nothing. The reliefs around them seemed to press in closer—the carved faces watching with their empty eyes.
Each one represented a threat. Each one represented a type of enemy that humanity had been fighting for centuries.
This world—was far more dangerous than they had ever imagined.