The Dark World [2]

Inside the curtain, a few hours after the rampage had begun,.

When the soldiers entered the curtain of darkness that had formed over the city, the sky darkened, and a dead silence spread across the surroundings, as if it were a lifeless place. Fires could be seen in various places, and in many other areas where there seemed to be movement, there were traces of screams amidst the dust.

"Zz... Special forces team against dark entities in position; we need to be quick and precise. If we make a single mistake, we will die."

A group of soldiers with very advanced equipment entered the darkness, securing a safe perimeter. Their forces were among the best in the world, considering they were only humans without any kind of supernatural abilities, but they all understood that energy wasn't always needed to eliminate a cursed spirit.

"Advance calmly; we are the first line of attack, and we will be responsible for evacuating as many survivors as possible before the exorcist-class hunters engage in combat. Avoid making loud noises and ensure your weapons are well-adjusted." The special forces captain advanced with fifteen more soldiers. They were all equipped with visors that could detect non-corporeal demons, and their weapons were powerful enough to take down even powerful demons.

"No signs of life!"

"No signs of demons!"

The captain broke out in a cold sweat as he felt the prickling sensation that demons normally cause humans without cursed energy. Although they were used to being put under such conditions, each step they took toward the red zone tightened their hearts.

"Deploy drones; we must find survivors without exposing ourselves too much!"

The special forces group deployed mini-drones around the area. First, they needed to assess the situation and determine if they were on the right track.

A series of drones entered the green zone, the safe zone, and finally headed toward places where people might be. A soldier piloting the drone kept walking to avoid signal loss, which could result in losing the drone.

"How tragic..."

The area where the darkness barrier had risen, covering more than half of the city, was far worse than imagined, even with the evacuations.

This part of the city was completely destroyed after the demons appeared. If those demons hadn't stopped, the city might have fallen within hours or even minutes.

From the first images obtained, buildings no longer had their previous appearance. Cars were crushed and folded like paper. Traffic poles were bent at waist height, smoke was rising, gas stations were on fire, human remains were scattered across the streets, and unidentified structures were completely destroyed.

Surely the word "tragic" was invented to describe scenes like these.

"Zz... Captain, we need to expand the evacuation to a twenty-kilometer radius. All agents must establish a two-kilometer perimeter from the Curtain and immediately notify the exorcist-class hunters that if they don't act now, the city will be completely lost."

"For God's sake, this isn't the time to look for survivors; it's time to attack and prevent more losses." The soldier piloting the drones frowned, and tears of helplessness streamed down his cheeks. If anyone had asked him if he had seen anything like this before, his answer would be only in fantasy books.

Unfortunately, they did not have the capabilities to eliminate those enemies who, to mortal eyes, were considered gods. They were here to see if there were any survivors and gather information.

"Despite the city's destruction, there should be survivors, right?" After analyzing the initial images, the soldier knew there had to be survivors hiding somewhere, but none could be found at first glance.

The number of corpses was numerous and could be found on any street, but it was hardly more than a thousand people. Therefore, considering that there were around ten thousand people inside this curtain, there should be survivors somewhere.

"It can't be..." The soldier clenched his teeth and growled, witnessing something that would never leave his memory: "Humans are being eaten by the demons; the rest are immobile near the seashore!"

"The target remains in the position the informant revealed. It seems that the human bodies standing around it have been controlled by it! Judging by their expressions, they have been corrupted by the enemy, and zero survivors are expected in the red zone!"

The captain frowned and ordered, "Show me the images. I need to see what you're seeing!"

The captain, seeing these scenes, understood what was happening. While the demons devoured humans in the areas far from the shore, the demonic commander seemed to be forming an army. According to reports from exorcists, this demon absorbed people's souls, so considering that, perhaps another of its abilities was to control soulless humans.

"Help, please!!!"

The soldiers around them immediately raised their weapons and awaited orders. The captain immediately said, "Identify the civilian!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Over here, help us!"

...

There were no heroes; in this world, there were only people seeking their own path without considering those beside them.

"Quick, Elen, move and keep running!" shouted a young man with half his face covered in blood.

"That damn monster ate my friends! There's no escape; no one will come to help us!"

"Don't be silly; the army will come and fix all this!" said the boy with a confident expression.

Elen didn't want to be pessimistic, but she had seen how normal bullets did nothing to those monsters she alone could see. Many didn't understand what she was referring to because they didn't know what was happening. But she was different; she had seen those monsters since she was a child, and no matter what she did, no one else could see them.

"We're dead, and you know it... Even the soldiers won't be able to see them; no one can." Elen fell to her knees and decided to stop running. It was useless, after all.

Her eyes saw that enormous figure about to crush her, and she only smiled. At least it would be a painless death, unlike the others who were eaten slowly.

"Elen, run!" The young man could no longer do anything; he tried to run but twisted his ankle and fell to the ground.

Just when they thought they would be killed, a loud explosion that left them stunned made them close their eyes. When they opened them, through the smoke and dust, they saw the demon retreating.

"Get the civilians out of here; keep firing!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The caliber of the weapons they were using was the maximum they could handle. Some carried anti-tank sniper rifles, and at least that caliber could tear demons in two, but they could only handle the demons in the area because they were not the attack army.

"Don't stop and advance!"

Elen's eyes widened as she saw armed men covered head-to-toe in special combat uniforms shooting at the monster. Although the damage was minimal, they were causing it pain.

Right now, the soldiers had saved her, and she, who thought she was dead, smiled as she saw the monster suffering.

"Kill them all!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!