The First Prince, Regild, and his generals entered the city of Biero…

The streets were littered with countless corpses.

Every corpse had been bisected. The ground was stained black with blood.

…A horrifying sight.

No one dared speak to Ryu, imagining him as the sole perpetrator of this carnage.

Even Ryu’s face was grim. He had been involved in the battle for about 20 days, during which he had slain thousands. This was a new experience for him.

In the heavy atmosphere, Ryu declared that he would leave the rest to them, and no one objected. Some even looked relieved.

Back in the royal palace, Ryu used teleportation to return.

He immediately reported to the King and the Prime Minister that he had eradicated the enemy and reclaimed the city.

The King offered words of commendation, but Ryu felt an unexpected somberness in their response. He had expected more joy…

Sophie and Reynard’s expressions were also bleak.

As if reading Ryu’s thoughts, they started to speak.

Sophie: “Ryu, there’s bad news…”

Ryu: “?”

Reynard: “Mimul City seems to have been destroyed.” (TN: Is this karma? Things are getting interesting again.)

Ryu: “?!?!?!”

It turned out that the Akumataigoku, a mysterious nation to the west of the kingdom, had launched an invasion.

They had taken advantage of the kingdom’s depleted forces, which were focused on the north against the Chagamuga Republic.

It was possible they had collaborated with the Chagamuga Republic in the north, or they might have simply seized the opportunity presented by the weakened defenses in the west.

The Akumataigoku was a powerful nation, and they had quickly conquered the western border town of Valed, the adjacent city of Trome (the territory of Viscount Gitt), and finally, Mimul City.

“I apologize for this, but…”

The King once again requested Ryu’s assistance in dealing with this new crisis.

Of course, Ryu intended to go, even without being asked. Sister Ann and the children of the orphanage were in Mimul. He couldn’t bear the thought of their annihilation.

Honestly, he found it hard to believe that such a large city could be destroyed in such a short time. Could it be a mistake?

Ryu couldn’t shake the feeling that this was all a prank, a remnant of his past life. He even entertained the notion that some grand surprise awaited him once he arrived at the scene. But then he realized that it was entirely illogical for the royal family to orchestrate such a elaborate prank for him.

There was no point in dwelling on it. After receiving a brief overview of the situation from the Prime Minister, Ryu immediately set off for the affected area.

However, his hopes for a prank were dashed. Instead of a grand surprise, Ryu found an empty Mimul City…

But something felt off.

If the neighboring nation’s invasion was true, then their occupying forces would be stationed in the city. However, there was no sign of soldiers. Instead, the city was overrun by hordes of monsters.

According to Ryu’s understanding, the Akumataigoku, though a neighboring nation, was shrouded in mystery.

There were rumors, mostly whispers, that they were descendants of mixed blood, born from a union of humans and demons, who had established their nation long ago.

Additionally, there had long been rumors, though dismissed as mere gossip, that they practiced cannibalism.

Ryu ventured alone into the city.

He encountered monsters, which he swiftly dispatched using dimensional rifts.

As he entered buildings, he found countless bones with shreds of flesh attached. The bones of Mimul’s inhabitants, devoured by monsters…

In some parts of the city, he discovered weapon and armor scattered amidst human bones. Upon closer inspection, he noticed many animal bones mixed in. Perhaps, adventurers and knights had fought and fallen against the monsters.

However, in areas like the guard headquarters and the Adventurer’s Guild, most humans seemed to have been killed without resistance. Their armor and weapons were also cut in two, lying scattered around. It seemed that the enemy, with the power to instantly kill experienced warriors and adventurers, had prioritized areas with stronger defenses.

Ryu moved to the “border town”, an area situated between the slums and the outer areas, where his apartment and the church were located.

The situation remained the same.

No matter where he went, he only found skeletal remains. There was no sign of any living humans.

He extinguished the monsters nearby, then went to the site of the church. It was only an empty building.

Could it be a massive stampede? Ryu questioned.

But the nearby dungeon was under his control, and its monsters couldn't escape.

Moreover, the monsters roaming the city were different from those in the dragon lair dungeon. They weren’t from the dungeon. Could they really have come from the neighboring country?

Thankfully, he didn’t find any bones belonging to Sister Ann or the children in the church grounds. Perhaps they had managed to escape.

Ryu decided to search the city.

He discovered a humanoid figure moving in the noble district. He even sensed a weak magical presence in the lord’s mansion, belonging to Sister Ann and the children.

Ryu immediately flew towards that location, but what he saw was astonishing.

To be continued

Next time:

Who is the true attacker of the city?!

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