"Sivis, are you crazy? What the hell are you trying to do?"
"What is the meaning of this?"
The two warrior-class adventurers shouted in panic.
"Everyone, stay alert! There's a monster with mind control abilities hiding in the shadows!"
Johnny, much calmer than the others, quickly analyzed the situation and warned the group.
After all, how could anyone betray their teammates in this situation?
Unless they were on the monsters' side…
But that seemed ridiculous!
Monsters were born with a bloodlust and could never coexist with any intelligent life form!
The civilians shared the same thoughts.
"Is this an internal conflict among the adventurers?"
"Good! Kill them all! Let them die here!"
They burned with vengeful fury. These civilians had never interacted with the adventurers before, but their past experiences of being oppressed by nobles with extraordinary power filled them with a sense of satisfaction at the sight of these adventurers suffering.
Then, Sivis slowly took a few steps back, and the Stone Demon rushed forward to protect him, creating an instant tension in the air.
Sivis had cast some spells during the battle earlier, but they had all been used up, purely for show. Now, he was unleashing deadly attacks made of magic directly aimed at his own teammates.
"What is going on here? The mind control effect is so perfect? Sivis is even showing more power than when he was fighting alongside us!"
The adventurers who saw this couldn't suppress the despair rising in their eyes.
The priestess was badly injured and couldn't cast any more healing magic. On top of that, there were still Stone Demons surrounding them. And now, a terrifying force capable of mind control was in play. How were they supposed to break out now?
The group still hadn't realized that Sivis had truly betrayed them.
What could he possibly gain by betraying his teammates and fighting for the monsters?
After the initial shock and terror wore off, the relentless rain of attacks from the Stone Demons and Goblins continued.
With screams, the two warrior-class adventurers were wounded even more. Some injuries came from wood arrows and flying rocks, causing scratches and bruises, while others were the result of being struck by the Stone Demons, breaking bones.
For a moment, the adventurers' expressions became one of utter despair.
Mansur, already wounded, collapsed to the ground, laughing maniacally as he said, "Ha ha! You abandoned me! You're all going to die! None of you will make it out alive!"
He laughed, blood dripping from his forehead.
Mansur had broken a leg and could no longer escape. He was forced to struggle with the Stone Demons surrounding him.
But he had already been hit multiple times by the Stone Demons. His leather armor was cracked, and several of his bones were caved in. He was on the brink of death, yet his will to survive forced him to continue trembling and resisting.
Hearing Mansur's maddened words, the remaining adventurers' faces grew darker, their expressions increasingly panicked.
At this moment, only three people were still capable of movement. The two warrior-class adventurers, lost and panicked, begged Johnny, their leader, with trembling voices, "Captain, what do we do?" Though they were asking, their actions were driven by fear; they didn't dare face the Stone Demons again, and their only intention was to buy a few more seconds of life.
Johnny's face was ashen. He had imagined the worst-case scenario before—being unable to escape with his noble-born companions, damaging his reputation as a guide for newcomers, and seeing his future income and connections with other nobles shattered.
But he never imagined that he would lose his own life here!
Who could have predicted that attacking the weakest monster lair would result in such a terrifying counterattack?
A mind-control unit hiding in the shadows, inexplicable poisoning, and a group of strong, fearless, and highly cooperative Stone Demons and Goblins.
"This is insane!" Johnny's eyes flashed with disbelief, and then he nearly went mad. "No, I can't die here, I will never die!"
Clearly…
They had completely broken down!
A pathetic sight indeed!
As the Stone Demons closed in, tears and snot mixed with their sobs.
The civilians watching from the woods in the distance were shocked.
These adventurers, who were usually so high and mighty, were now so terrified in the face of death.
"They've got their comeuppance!"
"When my fiancée was taken by the adventurers, she had the same look of despair on her face as these people do now."
A middle-aged man clenched his fists, his voice low.
"The adventurers and those nobles, when faced with death, they're just like this… "
"What gives them the right to call themselves noble?"
A young villager, for some reason, muttered these words.
The villagers whispered among themselves. In their eyes, beyond the satisfaction of vengeance, a new emotion quietly began to take root.
Seeing the once-invincible adventurers trapped in a hopeless situation seemed to unlock something deep within their hearts, as if a long-held restraint had been broken...
These nobles, with their extraordinary powers, are no different from us in the face of death. In fact, they seem even worse!
…
However, just as the civilians thought the battle was about to end.
A new turn of events occurred!
Johnny looked at his two companions, both filled with panic, and suddenly had an idea. He opened his mouth sharply, "You two, come here, there's no point in trying to break out normally anymore..."
He barely finished speaking when the two adventurers, as if injected with a burst of adrenaline, screamed and charged toward the surrounding Stone Demons.
The monsters didn't show mercy. In an instant, they formed massive stone hammers to strike at them.
The two adventurers took the hit with their bodies, managing to run to Johnny's side.
Though they coughed up blood once again, there was a faint spark of hope in their eyes.
With their experience and abilities, the three adventurers knew they had no chance of escaping. They could only hope that Johnny, their captain, had a way to survive.
As they reached him, Johnny couldn't help but let a slight smile form on his lips. "The last resort is simple. Since we can't all make it, we'll sacrifice a few to save the others."
The two adventurers were momentarily stunned but nodded in agreement, believing that Mansur had lost his ability to move, Zemur had been killed by Sivis, and Sivis was now under control.
The three of them were definitely doomed!
If the three of them could survive, that would be enough.
But before the two adventurers could voice their agreement with Johnny's plan, they suddenly felt a sharp pain in their lower backs.
Then, their bodies felt weightless, and they were sent flying toward the Stone Demons, especially toward the impressive-looking crystal Stone Demon.
"If you agree, then let your deaths buy me a chance to live!" Johnny screamed, his eyes wild with madness as he charged forward.
His expression, filled with despair, was tinged with a trace of satisfaction.
"I've forced another chance for myself!"
"Haha!!"
Johnny was certain in his mind—
Given the monsters' violent nature, they would certainly kill the two adventurers he had sent flying first, and this brief moment would be enough for him to escape.
So he rushed forward at full speed.
However...
He soon realized that the encirclement in front of him showed no sign of loosening!
"Wait!" Johnny froze in place.
He saw the two adventurers, like dead dogs, lying in front of the Stone Demons. Yet, the Stone Demons didn't make any move to attack.
They allowed the two adventurers to collapse on the ground, writhing in pain, only surrounding them tightly. The crystal Stone Demon even ignored the "prey" right in front of it, remaining firmly positioned in front of Johnny.
The monsters quietly observed, as though mocking him!
"This... How is this possible?" Johnny's eyes flashed with disbelief.
He watched as the Stone Demons, in perfect unison, coordinated their movements to block his path entirely.
The monsters had abandoned their attack on the incapacitated adventurers and were now fully focused on trapping and hunting down Johnny alone!
The massive body of the crystal Stone Demon, lit by the dappled sunlight filtering through the trees, cast shadows that should have brought warmth to Johnny's face. Yet, instead, he felt as if his heart had been plunged into an ice-cold abyss.
"It's over. It's all over." He realized something crucial—the monsters' lair was likely being controlled by a highly intelligent entity lurking in the shadows.
From the very beginning, they had been set up!
The goal was to wipe out their entire team.
Johnny let out a scream of unwillingness and charged forward. With a loud clang, his sword collided with the crystal blade of the crystal Stone Demon.
Johnny, using his strength, held his ground and kept up the attack, despite his serious injuries.
But then, with two heavy thuds, two Stone Demons ruthlessly swung their fists.
One punch struck Johnny in the lower back, the sickening sound of bone cracking echoing in the air. The other punch hit him squarely in the chest, and Johnny's vision blurred as a mouthful of blood spilled from his mouth. He lost consciousness instantly and collapsed to the ground.
Thus, the once-powerful adventuring party met their tragic end.