CHAPTER 122: PREPARATIONS WITHIN THE CITIES

[3rd Floor, Tower of Cessation: ]

[Time left until monster waves begin: 7 Days, 09:43:23.]

With the approaching Red night, the cities throughout the floor were preparing for the upcoming war against the creatures of the floor.

The cities were more active than usual now. People were preparing for the monster waves, helping the soldiers fortify the walls and tune the weapons. They were preparing necessities like potions and certain items that they were going to need in the battle, and so on.

The preparations for the Red Moon were not festive. There was a distinct heaviness in the air around them, and one could not ignore the obvious signs of danger around them.

The creatures of the forest had started feeling strange as well. As if to have foreseen the arrival of the red night, to protect themselves and their families from the madness of the Curse, the creatures were secluding themselves in safe places where they would be locked down until the end of the night.

Various creatures were helping one another in the process, while many creatures that did not understand these smarter ones simply went on with their daily lives.

It was inevitable that those affected by the effects of the red moonlight would fall into an eternal madness that would only end with their certain deaths.

No creature had survived the effects of the red moonlight after being affected by it. The curse was lethal to all of them equally, yet some did possess the power to resist it, like the guardian monkey that the people of this floor believed in.

Still, the red moon was a curse with unknown and unpredictable effects. They did not have any way to deal with the Red Moon itself, so surviving against the monsters was the only way for them to live on this floor.

So, people were doing everything they could to defend themselves against those monsters...

"Make way! Make way! Coming up!"

"Then left, slightly to the left, yes. Let’s continue with the other side of the barricade now."

"Have you checked the supplies? Send someone to check on them again."

The soldiers on the floor were preparing for the war.

The weapons of war situated on the tall, great walls of the cities looked as good as new; many new additions were made to them as well.

The soldiers also used armors and weapons crafted by the best craftsmen of their cities, with the best materials they could find on this floor.

The houses were fortified along with the walls to prevent any dangers to the citizens, and with the addition of the new forces of the players, now trained soldiers, the cities had more security.

There were people who prayed for the best, there were people who wanted to get past this night as well, there were people who did not want to lose to those monsters, and there were those who had faith in the abilities of their protectors.

At least, that was the case in most of the cities.

"Hey, did you hear the news?"

"I did... the 16th City’s guardian captain, Captain Lando, is dead."

"Who would have thought, at a time like this, at that."

"But once you think about it, he was already an alcoholic and losing his standing in the city. I guess the vice captain and the rising star of the 16th city would find it easy to take over the matters."

"I’ve had the chance to meet him a while ago... he’s such a kind man, truly. The city should be fine even without the guardian captain."

"Besides, he has a force of mages with him. It should be fine..."

A lot of things were happening throughout the various cities on this floor.

In the city where KiRA and Izzy had taken charge, the weapons of war on the walls and outside of the walls were being fortified even further, with new innovations being added to them.

In the city where Ziggy was training with his teacher, the birth of a Swordsman with an [Aura Core] was witnessed by a select few present at the site.

In the city where the dark swordswoman with a dragon’s legacy had made a base, the players were more motivated to defeat the monsters so that they could take out their frustration that originated thanks to a certain damned witch.

The city that had one of the strongest mages as well as a twin duo was doing well. No significant changes were seen in that city, but the people seemed more assured of their safety.

And just like that, all the thirty cities had something about them that was different, something that made them prepared for the red moon, something that gave a certain reassurance.

The A2P2 in a few cities, the Eastern alliance in the others.

The northern forces and the Holy Swordsman of the north had taken control of three cities as well, making the guardian captains submit to her supreme strength.

Some clandestine forces were also operating in a few cities behind the scenes, with the underground areas of the cities having fallen under their reign.

The floor was vast, and the cities were big. The forces that could manage more than one city were few, so individuals with the power to look after certain cities by themselves did not worry about the other cities.

A2P2 had their information agents across all thirty cities, and with the data they had gathered, it was seen that all the cities currently had ample chances of defending against the predicted number of monster waves.

The cities that seemed to be falling behind the set standards were supported by the association’s members as they travelled between the cities through the fastest routes they had.

The analysis had been going on for a long time now, with the association’s commitment to prevent a massacre like the last one, the safety of the players was prioritised over everything else.

But then again, neglecting the natives was the same as neglecting the humans, their own kind, so the players were instructed to help the natives as best they could.

Only through better relations could they solidify the relationship between the civilizations of the two worlds.

"It’s approaching..." Standing on the wall of the 12th city, KiRA looked before him at the vast forest in sight.

All the creatures he was seeing right now, the small ones, the big ones, the cute ones, the hungry ones, the furious ones, and the docile ones, were all going to become monsters that they must kill.

"Saving them is not an option..." KiRA muttered to himself and looked around him at the people who were more important to clear the quest.

At the end of the day, the red moon was not only about the ’creatures’ or the ’people’. Of the three hidden pieces, aside from Captain Rose and the special creature that they had killed or restricted, the last hidden piece of this floor lay in the very essence of the Red Moon, the curse cast on this floor.

Two were already taken care of.

But to deal with the last true hidden piece, KiRA could only wait till the Red Moon covered the sky, and the trumpets of a bloodbath sounded across the entire floor...