Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 825 - 766: Falling

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"They’re coming! Pick up the pace! Phantom, please assist the elderly and children!" Jeremiah’s roar turned into the loudest alarm, shattering the previously peaceful atmosphere. He rushed towards the end of the heavily-laden wagon, pushing it forward with the Phantoms.

On the undulating horizon in the distance, a burning black wave rose, pouring down from the hilltop in a chaotic cadence that echoed over the barren land. The Demon People had arrived, bringing flames and the stench of blood; the surging dark aura twisted and blurred the air around them, transforming the crowd into a curtain of fear that approached. The Exiles grasped the straps of their bags with trembling arms, turning their backs to death, clenching their teeth as they fled.

"Stay alert! We’ve faced these bastards before! Control your pace! You’ll wear yourself out if you push too hard!" One had to admire the stamina of the Guides who managed to shout while caring for the convoy; only the Guides’ voices were heard among the Exiles. Even the initially flustered Phantoms found urgency in Rosa’s loud voice, regaining their composure.

"We’re close now, it’s right before our eyes."

The irregular cliff tops, gnawed at like by dogs, with sparse yellow leaves thrusting out into the Exiles’ view. The daunting barrier, which should have led to despair, now became everyone’s hope. Their eyes were filled with the desire to live, placing their expectations on the Phantoms.

Without pausing, groups of Phantoms began to transform thirty meters from the cliff, relying on three large Phantoms for support. Birds, flowers, and shoals of fish stretched into colorful tentacles, wrapping around the bodies of the large Phantoms. The large Phantoms crouched in place, their limbs reaching out towards the top of the cliff, elongating into a ladder of earth and stone. The Exiles were lifted onto their bodies, with smaller Phantoms forming a moving outer skin that acted as a conveyor belt.

Regrettably, the Phantoms, long inhabitants of paradise, had not learned much about mechanics or understood the use of gear transmissions and other transportation tools. They lived as if in a fairy tale, able only to accomplish their imagined tasks with crude ropes. This was inefficient, but with the united effort of the entire Phantom race, they could barely get everyone over the cliff before the Fallen Demon People could bite at their heels.

However, few realized this. The Exiles only saw the slow progress and the Demon People catching up behind them like evil spirits. Fear, dread, and dark thoughts slowly sprouted in their hearts.

Why do they block my way?

Why aren’t they moving forward?

Surely they’re safe by now, but I’m not!

Every time we encounter these monsters, there are casualties. It won’t be different this time, will it?

Why am I at the back of the line? Could I be the sacrifice this time?

No! I don’t want to die! Why should I die for your survival? We’re all the same!

I need to get to the front! I have to get ahead! I need to be in front of everyone! I have to survive!!

The Exiles would normally not think like this. The hardships of their exile had them running for their lives so much that their souls had become numb, and they had long since left their fate to the true Guides. But now, they wanted to seize control of their destiny, though reality proved that some were not up to the task. The flowers of their spirit, nourished by the gentleness of the Phantoms, began to wither with the rotting roots.

Crowded, noisy. In the face of death, humans lost order, reverting to chaos. They abandoned the group, and those around them had become utterly unfamiliar. Newcomers continuously rammed into the convoy, and the Guides’ rebukes did nothing to help.

"Be careful!!" That was a Guide with a heavy pack on her back, who spontaneously stood at the edge of the group to keep order, but unexpectedly, she was squeezed out by her chaotic kin. Her body fell ten meters through the air, her vacant eyes looking back at the chaotic crowd.

A vine shot out and caught her, wrapping around her waist.

"I’ve got her!" The elated Phantom let out a sigh of relief, and sighs of relief filled the Phantom network. However, her original spot was already filled by the crowd; thus, in a relay, the Phantoms placed the woman at the front of the queue. The Phantoms’ thinking was pure: She had an accident, we should ensure her safety, and ultimately, we all aim for the cliff, so let’s send her over first.

The Exiles didn’t see it that way—they only saw someone cutting in line.

Why does she get to go ahead?! I can too!

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A sense of crisis unleashed the madness within, and the second person, he jumped off the bridge on his own accord. As he fell, he too prayed, and upon witnessing the successfully extended tendrils grasp him, he looked towards his peers with a mocking smile.

The order meticulously constructed by the Guide with their lives, utterly collapsed.

"More people have fallen! Protect them!!"

"There are too many!! We need more hands!!"

"No! That will threaten the stability of the cloud ladder!!"

"We can’t abandon them!! Please!! Stonemason! Hold on just a bit longer!!" The structure’s base began redeploying to the top, and to protect more people, Phantom let go of her own companions.

The Phantom network, their minds connected, their bond even more intimate, their will, their trust, their kindness, led them to choose to help more people, passing the burden to their struggling brethren.

Stream Princess was the first major Phantom to start wobbling, her mimicry of flowing water left her with deficiencies in solid form transformation. The trembling became the death knell for the Exiles; faced with the true delicacies of cheese, these timid mice fleeing pursuit bared their fangs.

"Get lost! I must survive!!" Shoving aside the obstructive baggage in front, utterly indifferent to the fellow kind brought down with it, he rushed forward, reaching out for the light and stability.

"Cough! Ha...cack cack...ahhh ahhh ahhh..." He clutched at his throat, standing in place, howling in agony.

Evil begets evil, and Posuwa, was particularly sensitive to wicked acts.

The ominous black miasma crept up his head, a nameless rage, a bloodthirsty desire, turned him into a Fallen instantaneously. The curse of the earth seized their ankles. Fallen Demons bit into them, even though the main body of Demon People was still tens of meters away.

"Roar!!" The beast began its hunt, the lambs fled, hands smeared with kin’s blood, the devil stood on the bridge built from goodwill.

"Run!!! Someone has fallen!!"

"Save me!! I don’t want to die yet!!"

"Rosa!!!" Jeremiah roared, watching the chaotic tide of people engulf the girl, and the panicked crowd carried him away.

"You must not harm your own kind, sir!"

"Please remain calm!!"

Phantom pleaded with the Fallen, even though it was futile; they bore no ill will, incapable of fostering harmful thoughts, they could only use their bodies as barriers to separate the Demons from the Exiles.

But the collapse had begun, the nightmare had descended, and this place, less than twenty meters from the cliffs symbolizing hope, became an abyss of concentrated malice. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Giving their all to defend the Exiles, the exhausted Phantoms began to fall. Like dominoes triggering a chain reaction, under the impact of negative emotions, the bridge fractured, and a small portion of Exiles and Phantoms plunged into the abyss.

And the red-eyed horde of Demon People saw their long-desired prey.