Chapter 4: Chaos (5)
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“Tap tap tap…”
The footsteps of the Fallen Species outside the cellar were becoming increasingly clear.
Xiao Ai huddled next to the cellar entrance, praying that if the Fallen Species forced open the wooden door, the first thing they’d see wouldn’t be the poor guy who just wanted to live another day—namely, him.
Ever since Sky Sword City went into lockdown, he’d been living in constant terror, barely scraping by. Now, with all those Fallen Species outside going completely bonkers, the few regular humans left might have dodged the slaughter for now, but once the dust settled, they’d just be a gourmet snack for the crazy creatures.
“Mommy and Daddy, bless me, please!” Xiao Ai muttered under his breath over and over.
The others in the dark held their breath, sweating bullets while staring at that wooden door. They had lost all courage to fight—after all, the sheer power of the Fallen Species was way beyond anything they’d imagined.
But then, out of nowhere, a loud crash erupted from outside the door.
Everyone jumped in shock.
Right after that, a strangled roar from a Fallen Species suddenly cut off as if someone had just beheaded it.
“Thud…”
Xiao Ai’s heart nearly leapt out of his chest. If he guessed correctly, that was definitely the sound of a head rolling on the ground.
What on earth was happening outside?
Could it be that someone had come to save them?
Nah, it might just be some Fallen Species going after each other in a frenzy.
The stronger Fallen Species would surely not leave these poor souls alone, or they would just treat them like livestock to be slaughtered at their leisure. One day, they’d all end up on the chopping block.
Silence fell outside for a moment.
Whatever was going on, as long as they could cling to life for a bit longer, they wouldn’t be asking for more.
But then the next second, the wooden door was kicked to smithereens, and dust cascaded down like an insufficient shower of fireworks. Xiao Ai instinctively let out a terrified scream, which set off a chain reaction among the survivors.
That desperate scream echoed through the corridors, reaching every nook and cranny of the castle, even attracting more Fallen Species hunting for food.
“Hey hey hey! What are you guys doing? Yelling like that, are you having a collective baby or something?”
A rather disdainful voice came from the entrance.
The people squinted and realized the figure that appeared wasn’t a Fallen Species at all.
But he did look pretty odd—tall and lanky, dressed in a short black suit, topped off with a fancy hat, and a pale face that looked like he’d smeared on half a jar of makeup, while his lips were bright red, like he just slurped up a fresh batch of bl**d.
The two little horns poking out from his forehead, about an inch long, announced his identity as a member of the Demon Race.
“Sorry, but your screams are downright awful. Could you please, for the love of all that’s good, shut up?”
Everyone promptly choked on their own voices.
Once all went quiet, the newcomer said, “There aren’t many Fallen Species left in the castle. But you’d better wait a bit longer until everything’s sorted out before you venture out, don’t want you caught in crossfire.”
Before he left, he elegantly doffed his hat and took a bow, revealing a head of black hair.
He walked away, but it took a good long while for the survivors’ racing hearts to calm down.
Xiao Ai stood frozen at the door, struggling to wrap his mind around the fact that in this desperate place, a guy who found joy in hunting Fallen Species had just shown up.
Could it be that they really had a chance at survival?
This guy, who usually believed in the principle of just living and avoiding danger, suddenly felt possessed, and he jumped out of the cellar.
The others yelled, “Hey hey, are you crazy? It’s not safe to go out now!”
“No, I’m not crazy! I just realized that if I keep hiding in the corner, I’ll never be the one in charge of my own fate!”
Xiao Ai took a deep breath, as if this proclamation had been bottled up inside him forever, and he finally had a chance to let it out.
The next second, he bolted outside.
The corridors were littered with the dismembered bodies of Fallen Species. If they had been taken out by their own kind, there’d be nothing left but skins, so the only explanation was that the demon gentleman had done his work.
He cautiously moved forward, aware of the impending danger within the castle walls, where even a slight misstep could drag him into brutal conflict. With his tiny frame, he stood no chance against one hit from a Fallen Species.
While outside, the various guild leaders were embroiled in an all-out battle, especially with giants’ roars echoing in waves.
Yet, most of the Fallen Species that initially burst in had stormed the castle itself. They were busy fighting each other, hunting for survivors, and doing whatever it took to get stronger.
So it was entirely possible that a couple of rogue Fallen Species could pop up right in front of him.
Not too far ahead lay a small garden, already buried under a thick layer of snow that masked its beauty, but Xiao Ai distinctly heard a loli voice coming from there.
Could it be? Are there adorable girls prancing about in this place?
He quickly pressed himself against the wall as he made his way toward the garden, finally peeking cautiously inside.
What he saw made his jaw drop.
A girl in a poofy dress, even on a snow day, was energetically directing a Fallen Species and another smaller version of its kind to go at each other.
“Hurry up! Are you that slow?”
The girl shouted repeatedly.
The Fallen Species didn’t argue back; it just acted like a puppet, attacking the enemy with increasing ferocity, even opting for some mutually assured destruction tactics.
Before long, its opponent let out a series of horrified screams before the first one stomped its head clean off.
The girl watched as her puppet, now bleeding and missing one arm, gasping for breath, and shook her head, saying, “You’re no good anymore.”
Just as her words fell, the Fallen Species trembled and stretched out its remaining left arm, using its sharp claws to stab itself in the throat.
“Thud…”
Behind the girl, there were only two cold Fallen Species corpses left.
Xiao Ai nearly screamed again at the scene before him. Though he clamped a hand over his mouth, a little noise managed to escape.
The next second, the girl was suddenly at his back, gently tapping him.
“Ahh…”
Xiao Ai jumped and yelled, “I’m not a Fallen Species! I’m not a Fallen Species!”
The girl tilted her head in confusion, her vacant eyes indicating that he was the only one in her view, “I know, or else how would you still be alive?”
Relieved, Xiao Ai let out a breath; his heart was about to burst out of his chest, pounding so loud that even she could hear it.
“Don’t be scared, Little Brother. Just follow Ji, and you’ll be fine.”
The girl seemed to want to show a smile, but all she managed was a slight twitch of her lips, and Xiao Ai felt that in the next second, she might open her mouth wide and devour him whole.
Nervously, he nodded, not daring to say another word.
This girl had a one-character name; it felt strange.
At that moment, the screams echoing through the castle from both humans and Fallen Species began anew.
Ji rubbed her chin and said, “Looks like I have to speed things up.”
