Chapter 1187: The Disappearance and the Counter Move

Fiona sat in her chamber at Blue Haven Shelter, her face pale as she tried to re‑establish her connection. The last thing she had seen through her rat’s eyes was the black hole tearing open above Turtle Shelter, the winged demon descending, and then... nothing.

She immediately dispatched more rats.

The first wave scurried across the ruins, digging into the scorched earth, clawing through collapsed stone and twisted metal.

"Find them! They must be hiding somewhere..."

They searched for tunnels, hidden chambers, or any trace of survivors who might have fled underground. But the soil was unnaturally hardened, as if compressed by some otherworldly force.

It was too difficult!

Thankfully, her rats weren’t simple either. She could use buff skills to reinforce their strength and have the power to pierce through even diamonds!

Still, even the deepest burrows revealed nothing but silence and ash.

"What in the world? No survivors? Not even corpses? What happened here?"

She couldn’t believe it. She recalled Elandor, the Archmage... That elf should be strong enough to save them, as she had seen how his magic worked.

It was to the point that Elandor could summon a meteor!

She couldn’t accept that this Legendary Elf would be gone without being able to fight back...

"They must be here... I just need to continue searching."

Not giving up, Fiona sent another swarm outward, spreading across the plains and marshes.

At the very least, if they fled, there must be traces of them that she could use as a lead to find them...

Just like that, these rats sniffed for footprints, broken scales, or blood trails... basically anything that might indicate the Dragon Army’s movements or the escape of allied forces.

Still, they only found fragments of shattered weapons, scorched armor, and faint traces of energy that burned into the ground.

But there were no steps leading away, no trails of retreat. It was as if the battlefield had been erased.

For nearly an hour, Fiona directed her rodents tirelessly, combing every corner of the ruins.

The wyvern feathers, naga scales, and dragonkin tracks all ended abruptly at the site of the black hole and some areas around it...

Even the manticores’ claw marks vanished into nothingness. The rats returned with empty jaws... Soon, their whiskers twitched in confusion as they stopped finding any other leads.

Finally, Fiona leaned back, her eyes heavy with dread.

She opened the Clan Chat, her fingers trembling as she typed out the report.

[ Fiona: guys... Turtle Shelter’s gone. I don’t even know how to explain it. I was watching through my rats, the Dragon Army was just coming into view, then this huge black hole ripped open in the sky... ]

[ Fiona: After that... A demon came out. I’m sure that’s a demon with wings, horns, the whole thing, Elandor even confirmed it was a demon before my connection cut. After that... silence. When I finally got another batch of rats there, the shelter wasn’t even there anymore. Not destroyed, not burning, just... gone. Like it was swallowed. ]

[ Fiona: I had them dig underground, but I found nothing. Sent others across the plains, checked the marshes, even followed where the dragonkin tracks should’ve gone, but every trail just stops at the same point. ]

[ Fiona: I’m sorry, guys. I think the reinforcement we sent was annihilated by that black hole. There are no bodies, no weapons, nothing. It’s like the whole battlefield got erased. I kept sending more rats for almost an hour, hoping to find even one survivor or some trace, but there’s nothing. Not even Sylas or Elandor. It’s like they never existed. I don’t know what to tell you... Turtle Shelter’s just gone. ] 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Fiona sighed deeply after typing everything...

The chat lit up instantly.

[ Raze: What the hell do you mean gone? I’m going there right now. ]

[ Jillian: No... no way. Sylas and Elandor were there. Two Legendary Elves. How could they all just vanish? ]

[ Max: Hold on. Don’t jump to conclusions. Maybe they’re not dead. There are no corpses, right? Maybe they were pulled somewhere else. ]

[ Lysandra: Fiona, you’re sure? Not even mana residue? No hidden tunnels? Nothing at all? ]

[ Fiona: I checked. My rats dug deep. They searched every path. It’s like the black hole erased the battlefield itself. As for my rats... Unfortunately, they can’t sense mana. So it can’t be certain about that part. ]

[ Reylin: A demon... That’s not part of the Dragon Army. This is something else entirely. ]

[ Asad: If Sylas and Elandor fell, then this enemy is beyond anything we’ve faced. ]

[ Diana: Stay calm. If they were erased, it means this demon is super strong. Be careful investigating this matter. For now, find some elves to help you find traces of mana around. ]

[ Bran: Don’t give up... There’s no way the Legendary Elves would be gone without a fight. Knight Gene is also there. Remember that he has Legendary Armor. ]

[ Elsa: Fiona, did you see the demon clearly? ]

[ Fiona: Yes. Horned humanoid with wings and dark aura... Elandor recognized it instantly before my connection cut. ]

[ Raze: Then we’re dealing with demons now. Not just zombies, vampires, or dragons. Demons. ]

[ Jillian: If that’s true, then we’re screwed. We’re not ready for this. Wait... We have priests around, right? Let’s send them to the search and rescue operation. ]

[ Shane: That’s a good plan, Jillian. Send an Elf to find traces of mana and a Priest to detect demonic energy and purify them. Fiona, keep monitoring. The rest of you, prepare... The demon might attack other shelters. ]

The chat went quiet for a moment. Everyone stared at the words on their screens as they slowly considered what to do next.

[ Raze: Got it. I’m going. If there’s even a chance someone survived, I’ll find them. ]

[ Jillian: Raze, don’t be stupid. If the demon erased an entire shelter, you’ll just vanish too. ]

[ Raze: I don’t think they’re still around that area. It should be fine. ]

[ Max: Listen. We’ve seen impossible things before. The fog saved many people before. Maybe it saved them too. Maybe they’re not gone, just... somewhere else. ]

After reading this chat from Max, Shane and the others couldn’t help but feel stunned.

That was wishful thinking after all.

However, Shane couldn’t help but think about the coincidence.

Well, they had just been saved a few moments ago by the Gray Fog!

He couldn’t help but also hope that they had indeed been saved, even if the chance was low. Still, the fact that even the shelter itself vanished was concerning...

The energy needed to use that power must be immense.

[ Lysandra: If the fog and the demon are connected, then this is bigger than any of us imagined. We need to treat this as a system event, not just a battle. ]

[ Shane: Then we need holy relics. If we’re going to be swarmed by demons, we’ll need more talismans. Ask Aya about it. If she couldn’t produce that many, get connected to Natalie’s Clan. ]

[ Fiona: Got it... I’ll keep you posted. ]

In the meantime, Raze’s red hair flared in the wind as she stood within Springriver Manor...

After changing her set of clothes to battle gear, she summoned Roan, the red‑scaled dragon, whose wings, which reached more than 10 meters, unfurled...

She then ordered the dragon to return to her arm as they needed to move quickly.

After that, Raze visited the greenhouse where a small world tree was being tended by a lone elf.

"Eudora... You need to come with me..." Raze called.

The elf looked up, startled, and after hearing about the situation, she nodded.

She had been assigned to care for the tree, but with the situation worsening, she might indeed be able to help... "I’ll do my best, Miss Raze."

Soon, they entered the portal through the gate stones installed in the manor...

Just like that, Raze and Eudora arrived at Blue Haven Shelter. At the same time, another portal triggered...

Apparently, a priest from the Eclipse Domain had arrived. He introduced himself simply as Jude, and with holy power lingering on his robe, they didn’t doubt his identity.

"Alright... Follow me." Raze said. Well, she already knew that someone would be sending a Priest to be part of the mission, so she wasn’t surprised.

For now, she didn’t bother meeting Fiona directly. She knew Fiona was busy monitoring through her rats, so instead, she picked up one of the rodents to serve as a relay.

"This will do. Faster comms," she muttered, tucking the rat into a pouch at her side.

With her team assembled, Raze, Jude the priest, Eudora the elf, and the rat, they mounted Roan.

The dragon’s scales gleamed under the moonlight as it crouched, then launched into the sky with a powerful beat of its wings.

The wind howled around them as Roan soared toward the ruins of Turtle Shelter.

Raze’s grip tightened on the reins. She didn’t know what they would find... survivors, traces of battle, or only silence, but she refused to accept Fiona’s words at face value.

"Hold on," she muttered... "We’re going to see this for ourselves."