The city was burning.
Not a single district.
Not a single street.
The entire city.
---
Smoke rose into the sky.
Buildings collapsed.
Magic towers crumbled.
People screamed.
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And everywhere—
There were demons.
---
Not summoned creatures.
Not monsters.
Not beasts.
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Demons.
---
Creatures covered in black flesh.
Creatures with too many limbs.
Creatures with mouths where mouths shouldn't exist.
Creatures whose very presence made people uncomfortable.
---
Alice felt sick just looking at them.
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"What the hell are those things..."
Raj whispered.
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One of the creatures lunged toward a fleeing civilian.
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Before it could reach them—
A mage blasted it apart.
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The creature exploded into black mist.
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Only for another to crawl out from a nearby alley.
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There were too many.
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Far too many.
---
The city guards were fighting.
The military was fighting.
The adventurers were fighting.
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And they were losing.
---
Everywhere Alice looked—
People were dying.