Chapter 33: The Fall Begins
The world outside the Carter bunker was unraveling.
The city that had once thrived with life was now drowning in chaos.
—
The streets were a war zone.
The initial moments after the dungeon break had been a nightmare of confusion and horror. People had barely processed the warnings before the creatures poured out.
They moved like shadows given form—humanoid but grotesquely wrong. Some crawled on all fours, their elongated limbs bending at unnatural angles. Others had bone-like protrusions along their backs, their sharp fingers slicing through anything in their path.
The police had mobilized quickly, but standard firearms barely slowed the creatures down. The first wave of officers had held their ground, setting up barricades, trying to direct civilians to safety. But against monsters that shrugged off bullets, their resistance crumbled fast.
"Fall back! FALL BACK!"
A sergeant screamed into his radio, watching his men get torn apart. An officer emptied an entire clip into a monster's chest—only for it to lunge forward, jaws snapping around his throat.
Some officers awakened their abilities in the chaos. One found himself suddenly stronger, his punches sending creatures flying. Another realized he could move faster, dodging attacks with inhuman reflexes.
But raw power wasn't enough.
Their stamina drained too fast. Their bodies weren't used to their newfound strength. Their swings slowed, their vision blurred—until the creatures overwhelmed them.
By the time the barricades fell, the survivors had no choice but to flee.
—
The military had been deployed, but even they were struggling.
In the heart of the city, an armored convoy had set up a defense line near a government building. Soldiers crouched behind barricades, rifles aimed at the portals that dotted the area.
"Hold your fire until they get close!"
The first wave of creatures rushed in. The soldiers opened fire, the air erupting with the roar of automatic weapons. The weaker creatures fell instantly, torn apart by gunfire.
But then, something changed.
A hulking creature, taller than a man, stepped forward. Its skin was dark and jagged, like living stone. Bullets struck its body but barely left a scratch.
"RPG, now!"
A rocket shot forward, slamming into the creature's torso. The explosion rocked the street, debris flying in all directions.
When the dust cleared, the creature was still standing.
What followed was a massacre.
Some soldiers awakened abilities—superhuman reflexes, enhanced strength—but they hadn't trained, hadn't adapted. They fought, but exhaustion hit too fast.
One soldier had managed to crush a monster's skull with his bare hands—only to collapse moments later, too drained to react when another creature ripped into his side.
The military defense line broke.
The survivors ran.
—
Civilians had no chance.
The streets were littered with bodies of humen and monsters alike. Monsters swarm the streets. Some people had locked themselves inside their homes, only for the creatures to tear through windows and doors, dragging them into the night.
A group of survivors had barricaded themselves inside a shopping mall, using overturned shelves and metal gates to block the entrances.
For a while, it worked.
Then one of the creatures started learning.
It climbed.
It crawled through the vents.
And once it got inside, the barricades meant nothing.
The survivors' screams echoed through the empty halls.
—
Across the city, small groups fought back.
Some had been lucky enough to awaken physical abilities. A man with enhanced speed weaved between monsters, striking their weak points. A woman with increased strength shattered bones with a single kick.
They were strong.
But not strong enough.
Their stamina drained quickly. Their bodies weren't used to their newfound power.
And when they slowed down—
The monsters didn't.
—
The world was crumbling.
Hospitals were overrun. Emergency services had collapsed. Governments scrambled to maintain control, but the chain of command was shattering.
In a matter of hours, the city had transformed into a graveyard.
—
And this was just one city.
—
In Velma, one of the strongest nations in the Western Continent, their elite military had mobilized swiftly. Tanks rolled through the streets, fighter jets soared overhead, artillery blasted the hordes of monsters.
But it wasn't enough.
Portals had appeared everywhere—inside military bases, government buildings, schools. There was no organized front line. The chaos spread too fast.
In Shenhua, a major power in the Eastern Continent, the government immediately enacted martial law. Citizens were ordered to stay indoors. Soldiers patrolled the streets in tight formations.
But entire squads were slaughtered in minutes, discipline shattered. Some soldiers abandoned their posts. Others fought until their last breath.
In Norvos, the largest country in the Northern Continent, survival was even harder. The snow-covered streets offered no refuge. The monsters moved easily through the cold, tearing apart entire villages.
Refugees fled in all directions, but most never made it. There were monsters everywhere.
—
Everywhere, humanity was losing.
—
In a city near the coast, a man stood alone.
He had awakened fire manipulation ability. Flames coiled around his hands, burning bright.
He had already killed dozens of monsters.
But his stamina was running out.
He stumbled, his breath ragged. His vision blurred.
A monster lunged.
The flames flickered—
And then, darkness.
Even the strong were dying.
—
This was only the beginning.