Once the moment arrived, both groups made their way carefully and in complete silence toward their respective destinations. As they neared the wall, they felt the air grow thicker, making it harder to breathe, while a chill ran down their spines.

  When they were just a few meters away, they noticed the eerie number of skulls scattered all around the area near the wall.

  "Damn... These could be us soon," Tharion whispered to Reik, fear reflected in his voice.

  "Silence, let's keep going," Reik said.

  When they reached the wall, both groups exchanged a look that clearly indicated it was time to climb. With utmost care and without making a sound, they began the ascent, feeling the weight of the dense atmosphere surrounding them with every movement.

  They had to scale the wall with their bare hands since they had no tools to climb to such height. Luckily, the structure had enough ledges and cracks to grab onto, making the climb easier.

  The first to reach the top was Fain, who spotted a demon seemingly guarding that side. However, the creature didn’t appear very alert, so Fain decided to wait for the right moment to take it down. Fortunately, it wasn't like the demon from the forest; this was a lesser demon.

  Everyone remained completely silent, waiting for the perfect moment to eliminate the demon swiftly. Seconds later, the demon turned around, and Fain seized that small opportunity. With incredible speed and stealth, he attacked the demon, driving the dagger into its head and killing it without making a sound to alert the others.

  "Alright, now I'll destroy the magical artifact. Keep an eye out for any demons." Fain said to his group.

  While Fain's group kept watch for any approaching demons, Fain moved toward the magical artifact. It was of a considerably large size, its surface glowing with a soft lilac hue, almost like a reflection of a spring sunset. The color seemed to ebb and flow with the light, as if it contained a hidden power within its shades.

  He couldn't waste any more time, so he gripped the dagger with both hands and plunged it into the artifact. As soon as the dagger penetrated it, the artifact shattered into hundreds of pieces that fell to the ground with a thunderous noise. Fain hadn't expected it to disintegrate so easily, nor to break into so many fragments, as if it were made of paper.

  "Shit, stay alert, guys, in case they come," said Fain.

  The noise was heard by two demons patrolling the wall. They glanced at each other and quickly headed towards the spot where the artifact was.

  "They're heading this way... We can't let them find out the artifact has been destroyed. If they do, they'll raise the alarm. We have to take them out before they can warn the others," said Fain.

  When the two demons arrived, they saw the artifact shattered on the ground. However, before they could scream to raise the alarm, Fain approached one of them from behind, covering its mouth with one hand while slashing its throat with the dagger in the other. At the same time, the other three companions knocked down the second demon, and despite the tension and nerves, they beheaded it before it could utter a single word.

  Unfortunately for them, another demon suddenly appeared. Upon seeing the scene, it opened its mouth and screamed in fury:

  "Humans! Humans! They're attacking us!"

  Without losing a second, Fain lunged at him with speed. He landed a blow to his face that knocked him onto his back, and before he could react, Fain swiftly slid the dagger across his neck, silencing him instantly.

  "Let's get out of here right now! Retreat!" ordered Fain.

  But the shout had alerted their comrades, who quickly moved into action.

  Meanwhile, on the other side of the wall, Reik and his group also heard the screams and realized that something had gone wrong.

  "We’ve failed... Get out of here!" said Reik as he destroyed the magical artifact with the dagger.

  "And you? Do you plan to stay here? Are you crazy?" asked Laira.

  "They've only discovered Fain and his group, they don't know we're here. I want you to flee right now. I'm going to try something... It's our last chance to get out of here unscathed!" said Reik.

  "Stop with the nonsense, let's go already," said Laira.

  "Trust me, I made you a promise, and I'm not going to break it. Please, do it and get out of here right now," replied Reik firmly.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  "Laira, let's go. Let's trust Reik, I'm sure he has a good plan," said Tharion.

  Laira, with a sad look, joined Tharion and Sarep to descend from the wall and get out of there, while Reik moved forward carefully, trying not to be discovered. As he advanced, he spotted a basement hatch.

  Could the slaves be here? Reik wondered.

  Reik, with difficulty, managed to open the hatch and descended into the basement. Meanwhile, on the other side of the wall, Fain's group had already managed to escape—except for him. He couldn't do it, as they appeared before he could climb down the wall, forcing him to buy time for the others.

  "Fain? Are you okay?" Kiran asked worriedly, looking up at the wall.

  Kiran began climbing back up the wall when he saw that Fain neither came down nor responded.

  "Go, don't worry about me!" Fain shouted while struggling to defend himself against several demons.

  Even so, Kiran kept climbing; he had no intention of leaving Fain behind when he was willing to risk his life for everyone.

  "Get down, don't climb! Let's take this chance to escape!" said Lior.

  "Go without me! I'm not going to let Fain die. If you want to escape, then leave now," Kiran replied.

  Lior and Zarek didn't hesitate for a second to leave their companions behind and depart. Meanwhile, Kiran reached the top of the wall again, and what his eyes saw left him astonished.

  He watched as Fain fought against four demons at the same time. Though they were lesser demons, it was an inhuman feat. But what surprised him the most was that Fain had already taken down five others, their bodies lying on the ground, surrounded by a pool of blood.

  "Kiran, I told you to leave!"

  "I’m not leaving you behind!" Kiran replied, as he lunged at one of the demons and cut off its arm.

  Between the two of them, they easily dealt with the four demons, but there was no time to celebrate, as more demons were quickly approaching.

  "Follow me," said Fain, as he kicked open the door to their right.

  Kiran didn’t hesitate for a second and followed Fain inside. Everything around them was metallic, and a long hallway stretched out before them. They ran down it quickly, and when they reached the end, they found three paths: one to the left, one straight ahead, and one to the right. Without thinking, Fain moved ahead and turned left, before the demons could catch sight of them.

  "Humans, where are you? When we catch you, you're going to wish you never came," said a demon, laughing.

  Fain and Kiran kept running, while Reik was in the basement. The place was dark, filthy, and smelled of decay. It was barely visible, thanks to the torches lighting up the hallway. He grabbed one of them and began his search for the slaves.

  As he moved forward, he saw a slightly open door. When he opened it, terror reflected in his gaze at the macabre scene in front of him.

  "What... what is this...?" Reik murmured to himself.

  Inside, blood covered every corner. Arms, legs, and heads of dozens of people lay scattered across the floor. The sight was so horrifying that he couldn’t help but vomit.

  When he tried to take a step back, he slipped and fell to the ground. His body trembled, and his mind couldn’t stop imagining what would happen to them if they were captured alive...

  Suddenly, footsteps echoed near the basement door. Reik didn’t have time to react, and just seconds after hearing the footsteps, a demon appeared before him. But it wasn’t just any demon.

  "Hello, boy. I see you've found my testing room..." the demon said with a malicious smile.

  As soon as Reik saw the demon, he immediately knew it was unlike the others. It emitted an overwhelming presence, an unknown power that inspired paralyzing fear. He understood that he wasn't prepared to face such a creature, but the terror that overwhelmed him was so absolute that he couldn't even move.

  "You’re smart, I see you’ve noticed the difference in strength between us. I’ll have fun with you... I have great ideas for experiments with you," the demon said, laughing.

  Reik remained motionless, paralyzed by fear. The demon's presence weighed down on him with an indescribable force, as if the very air around him had become heavy. But he wasn’t about to be caught, especially not alive, after what he had seen.

  "You're going back to hell, you bastard!" Reik exclaimed, drawing his sword.

  "Well, no need to get like that, kid. You don’t stand a chance against me. What manners, I even forgot to introduce myself. I’m Sergoth, though they also call me the Torturer. Soon you'll find out why," said the demon, introducing himself.

  "You're the one in charge here, right?" asked Reik.

  "Bingo!" replied Sergoth with a smile.

  Suddenly, Reik lunged to attack Sergoth, but in the blink of an eye, he vanished before his eyes.

  "Too slow. If you want to hit me, you'll have to do it much faster and better," Sergoth whispered in Reik's ear from behind him.

  With a quick movement, Reik swung his sword backward, but it was useless. Sergoth's speed was astonishing, and he reappeared right behind Reik. With a kick, he sent him flying several meters, and Reik crashed into the metal wall, leaving the imprint of his body on the metal.

  Reik stood up, furious with himself for how weak he felt. He no longer felt fear; instead, a rage consumed him, angry at his own weakness before the demon. He gripped the sword's hilt tightly and looked at Sergoth with a determined gaze.

  "Alright, alright, shall we continue? I’ll love to see you completely defeated when I’m done with you. There’s no greater pleasure for a demon than to witness the terrified face of a human..."

  Sergoth was a demon who, at first glance, seemed no different from the others, but that appearance was just a facade. Inside, he harbored a power far superior to that of lower demons, which allowed him to rule the valley with authority. His passion for torture and experiments on humans made him an even more feared creature.

  "How can I defeat him? I can't even land a blow with my sword..." Reik thought.

  No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't find a way to defeat him, at least in his current state. He was between a rock and a hard place.

  "If you won't attack, I will..." Sergoth said, charging at him with incredible speed.

  He struck Reik's abdomen brutally, over and over, leaving him breathless. Before he could react, the demon delivered a devastating blow to his ribs, breaking several of them.

  "Am I going to die...? Is this where it all ends? Am I really this weak?" Reik thought, feeling rage.