"What?! How can it be?!" Thelgrun shouted.
The demons outside might be numerous, but the gate was very durable and its HP recovery was fast. Unless all the demons outside dealt damage to the gate at the same time, their damage shouldn't be able to offset the gate's HP recovery. There was limited space for them to crowd in front of the gate, so they shouldn't have been able to do that. They would need a siege weapon that dealt extra damage to structures to take down the gate.
What the people behind the gate were not aware of was that it was in fact siege weapons that were now firing at the gate. Or more correctly said, siege monsters. The ones dealing the most damage to the gate were three gigantic worm-like monsters. Their skin was reddish black and they had an extremely large oval mouth at the front of their bodies. From these oversized mouths, they shot acid-like giant balls that traveled a great distance.
These worm monsters were Demon Worm Cannons. These three worm monsters were level 86 special elites. Their acid balls dealt high earth damage to structures. These balls also dealt continuous damage after impact and had the effect of reducing the structure's defensive stat and HP recovery effect.
There were only three of these monsters but they were more effective than when the gate was bombarded by Boron's siege weapons.
The defenders behind the gate looked at the gate's reduced HP with helplessness. The mechanics tried repairing the gate and aided its HP recovery, but their effort was not enough. The gate's HP simply fell too fast. It wouldn't be long before the gate was destroyed.
Thelgrun was unable to say anything seeing this reality. Would their trouble ever end?
"Everyone! Form a defensive line! Prepare to fight!" Jeanny's thundering words were heard echoing in this palace cave hall.
The players immediately acted upon the command. They took formation facing the gate, ready to make use of the gate as a choke point.
The native soldiers turned to Thelgrun, who decided he couldn't falter again. "Damnit to hell! Prepare for battle! Let's send these demons back to hell…!!!"
All the native soldiers also acted after the order. They organized themselves with the players. The native melees formed the first line of defense due to their high HP. The melee players provided the second layer of support.
"Everyone, be ready for a tough battle…," Jeanny informed her guild members and the allied guild players via chat. "There will be a level 86 mythical-grade boss coming this way."
Jeanny had received the news from Jack. The placement of the disaster item was slightly off their planned coordinates, which caused the boss to be more likely heading to them than the armies outside. At first, they thought the gate should be able to shelter them while they waited for this disaster item to run its course, which should be in a couple more hours, but it seemed that they didn't have that luxury of having a break.
"Uh-oh…, I think that boss you mentioned is already nearby," Paytowin said. He noticed a large dark red dot at the edge of his radar.
'So fast…?' Jeanny thought. This boss must have a faster movement speed than the other demons. She lamented the situation. This disaster item was supposed to aid them. Well, it did at first, but it seemed like it was now their turn to suffer the consequences.
She didn't dwell long on the thought. All they could do now was try to resist this horde as best as they could.
While they waited anxiously for the gate to fall, the remnant of Boron's army came to them. Jobreak, who was their representative, approached Thelgrun.
"Mister President, let us help," Jobreak said.
"Didn't you help enough already?" Broban said sarcastically.
Jobreak wasn't offended. He stared at Thelgrun, waiting for his answer.
"Mister President… We need all the help we can get," Helga advised.
"Give them their weapons!" Thelgrun ordered. "You lots will be on the front line! But even if you survive, don't expect to be excused from your punishment."
"We understand," Jobreak said.
Their weapons were redistributed and they came forward, joining the soldiers on the front line.
The gate was already below 1%. The support mages started casting spells to buff the front-line melees. The mechanic ran away from the gate. They had tried their best to slow down the HP decline. It was up to the combatants now.
Then, the inevitable happened. The diamond gate opened with a bang! The massive gate flew off its hinges. The demon horde rushed in.
The first to enter was the giant hellhound. It came running straight for the defenders. The demon commander riding atop the hellhound swung its flaming halberd. Crescent energy shot along the ground and struck the front-line soldiers. It had been so fast that they were late in using their defensive skills.
Giant Steve who stood behind quickly came forward to cover the gap. He used Curtain Wall just as the hellhound came pouncing. The hellhound's fast charge was forcefully stopped as it slammed into the illusory wall. The others took the chance and sent their attacks on the hellhound.
The demon commander jumped from the hellhound. It leaped over the front line and stabbed downward with its halberd. A giant dark spear materialized following his stab. It was Hell Spear. The equivalent of Dragoon's Heaven Spear except this skill dealt chaos damage.
A huge flaming shield appeared and blocked this hell spear. The shield was cast by Helga.
More and more demons rushed through the opened gate. The abyss daemon also followed. Its crimson eyes scanned the crowd. Its two hands then burst into multiple black whips. Each hand had five black whips. These black whips lashed out, striking and catching the defenders. They were then pulled and thrown outside the gate where the rest of the demon horde was waiting.
In the air, the imps poured in, followed by the three-headed bats and several high demons. The defenders who could fly went to the air to stop their advance.
The defenders tried to maintain their formation but more gaps were forced into their formation as more demons entered. The battle became more and more chaotic as time passed.
"The boss is here…!" Paytowin shouted.
Everyone felt the pressure then. Flying through the gate was a demon three times the size of a normal high demon. It was covered in armor that was adorned with runic glyphs. On its head was a crown made of black flame. Behind its large bat wings was a large revolving circle of black flame.
This boss was a Demon Lord.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m