Chapter 31: The Night the Sky Shattered
Peace didn't stand a chance.
It lasted three seconds.
Maybe less.
Then—
everything exploded.
A thunderclap tore through the Midnight Exchange.
The city convulsed.
Buildings shook.
Windows shattered into storms of glittering shards.
Lanterns burst apart, raining sparks and fire.
The ground heaved beneath Fenrir's feet like a dying beast.
Yuna shot upright, all nine tails flaring.
"What in hell—?!"
She never got an answer.
Another explosion.
Then another.
Then another.
The sky turned blood-red.
Fenrir rushed to the window.
And froze.
The sky was breaking.
Not like clouds.
Not like a storm.
Like glass.
Massive black fractures spread across the sky, devouring moonlight and swallowing the stars.
The air screamed.
A metallic, soul-deep shriek that made his teeth ache.
Then—
CRACK!!
A piece of the sky shattered.
A mountain-sized black crystal emerged.
Then another.
And another.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Falling like cursed meteors.
The first struck.
BOOOOOOM!!
An entire street disappeared.
The second flattened a district.
The third obliterated the central market.
Thousands died in seconds.
"This..."
Fenrir's face went pale.
"This can't be real."
Another impact.
Then another.
Then another.
Then—
silence.
Because the crystals weren't just falling.
They were opening.
Cracks spread across their surfaces.
Something moved inside.
Yuna's ears flattened.
"...No."
The nearest crystal exploded.
A black hand emerged.
Then another.
A creature crawled free.
Three meters tall.
Skin darker than night.
Crimson veins pulsed beneath its flesh.
Its limbs were unnaturally long.
Its face had no eyes.
No nose.
No ears.
Only a gigantic mouth filled with jagged teeth.
The creature opened its mouth.
And screamed.
The sound vibrated through Fenrir's bones.
Then—
every crystal exploded.
Thousands of monsters descended upon the city.
And the massacre began.
A werewolf was torn in half.
A vampire's head disappeared inside a monster's jaws.
A merchant was crushed into a meat paste.
A beastkin woman had her entire arm ripped off.
Screams filled the blood painted the streets.
Bodies piled upon one another.
The creatures moved like a plague.
They bit.
Tore.
Crushed.
Devoured.
One monster sank its teeth into a man's shoulder and continued eating him while he screamed.
Another creature lost its arm.
The severed limb twitched.
Then grew claws.
And attacked on its own.
The Exchange descended into hell.
Then—
the defenders fought back.
A giant minotaur roared.
His axe split a creature in half.
A dragonborne unleashed a torrent of flames, incinerating dozens.
A group of mages bombarded the streets with lightning.
An elder vampire moved like a shadow, decapitating monster after monster.
For a moment—
they held.
Then a larger monster emerged from the smoke.
Four meters tall.
Covered in black armor-like scales.
It swung its arm.
The dragonborne turned to blood mist.
Blood rained across the street.
The minotaur killed another monster.
Then another.
Then another.
But he was getting surrounded then--
A claw pierced his chest.
One bit through his throat.
He disappeared beneath a sea of monsters.
The mages unleashed another spell.
The corpses on the ground suddenly moved.
The monsters they had killed...
got back up.
The defenders froze.
Fear spread.
An elder vampire slaughtered twenty creatures.
Twenty more climbed from the crystals.
A beastkin warrior screamed as both his legs were ripped off.
A dwarf was disemboweled.
And hope began to die.
A little girl stood frozen in the street.
One of the creatures noticed her, and lunged.
A silver blur appeared between the little girl and the monster.
Then_
SLASH!!
Its head was severed.
Yuna landed before the child.
Golden flames erupted around her.
"Run!"
The child stumbled away.
The fox spirit slowly turned.
Gone was her playful expression.
In its place—
a predator.
Fenrir finally moved.
Bodies.
Blood.
Fire.
Screams.
Death.
And suddenly—
he was back in that alley.
Broken.
Bleeding.
Powerless.
No.
Never again.
His fists clenched.
Never again.
"Yuna."
She turned.
"No."
"I'm helping!"
"No!"
"People are dying!"
"And you'll die too!"
Silence.
He looked around.
At the dead.
At the burning city.
At the crying children.
Then he remembered.
The helplessness.
The weakness.
The rage.
He met her gaze, his expression hardening.
"I'm done being powerless."
Silence.
She stared at him.
Then sighed.
"...You're an idiot."
"I know."
"A stubborn idiot."
"I know."
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Then nodded.
"Stay beside me."
Fenrir blinked.
"What?"
"If you're going to do something stupid..."
Golden flames danced around her tails.
"...then I'll be watching you."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"Deal."
DING!
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Emergency Quest Generated.
Quest: Defend the Midnight Exchange.
Description:
An unknown invasion has begun.
Protect civilians.
Eliminate enemies.
Survive.
Rewards: ???
Failure:
Death.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
"...Of course."
[Quest Accepted.]
'You didn't even ask me.'
[Refusal not recommended.]
'...Fair enough.'
A monstrous roar echoed nearby.
Three creatures charged.
Yuna's flames erupted.
"Get behind me!"
Fenrir stepped forward.
"No."
She froze.
His crimson eyes glowed.
The hunger inside him awakened.
His bloodline stirred.
And for the first time since becoming a God Devourer—
he smiled.
Not a smile of joy.
Not a smile of excitement,but a predatory one.
Because one truth had become undeniable.
Tonight...
there would be feasting.
High above the burning city...
Beyond the shattered skies...
Something ancient watched.
Silent.
Patient.
Amused.
Then—
it smiled.
"Ah..."
A voice older than stars echoed through the void.
"I found you."
Silence.
Then another smile.
"Run."
"Fight."
"Grow stronger."
A low chuckle reverberated through reality itself.
"Little Sovereign..."
"I am coming for you soon enough."
And below—
the Midnight Exchange burned.