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{Chapter: 249: The Battle Begins}
"Bzzzzzzzzzt~..."
The sound came low at first, almost like the distant hum of disturbed air—but soon it grew louder, sharper, building into a harsh, metallic drone that vibrated through the bones of those nearby.
Outside the towering structure of the Grand Library, the siege had reached its climax.
What had once been an invisible magical barrier—calm, protective, and silent—was now fully exposed under the relentless assault of the four demons. The shield shimmered like glass under a storm, pulses of electric-blue light rippling across its curved surface as the demonic energy surged against it.
Flares of violet and black magic crackled with every impact, like lightning bolts caught in a bottle. With each successive attack, a deep, grinding sound echoed through the plaza—like an ancient machine being forced to move against its will. The magic of the barrier groaned, a wounded beast clinging to life.
The tower, shaped like a spiraling needle reaching into the skies, stood firm for now—but its protective field was flickering, veins of chaotic energy skittering across its surface.
Anyone within a kilometer radius could feel the pressure. The sheer weight of power being thrown around would crush lesser beings, and many had already fled—those who hadn't perished in the first waves of hellfire and wind.
Dex stood at the heart of the storm, surrounded by ruin, flame, and corpses. His expression was one of boredom, not urgency. His molten wings dripped with fire, and his vast form still radiated unbearable heat.
As he unleashed yet another blast of searing demonic energy, he yawned audibly.
Occasionally, scattered professionals—battle-mages, swordmasters, rogue adventurers—arrived, either too brave or too foolish to stay away. Most died before they ever saw the demons up close. Their bodies incinerated, torn apart by residual heat, or disintegrated mid-charge as Dex's aura shredded their magical defenses like paper.
But not all were weak. A few managed to reach the edge of the battlefield, slinging spells, firing enchanted arrows, or hurling artifacts in desperation. One got close enough to hurl a thunder rune that exploded near Dex's head, singing part of his wing.
Dex didn't flinch.
He turned toward the man—just a shadow among the smoke.
And then Dex's tail whipped outward with the speed of a thunderbolt. A sonic crack followed, and the man was split in half, vertically. The halves flew in opposite directions, trailing entrails and blood like grotesque streamers.
Dex sighed and looked up at the barrier again.
It had been over twenty minutes since they began this siege.
Despite the relentless destruction unleashed by all four demons, the barrier had held impressively well. The shimmering dome of protective magic was actively repairing itself after each attack, like a living creature healing its wounds. Occasionally, it would flash green or violet, releasing defensive pulses that knocked back the attackers or extinguished waves of fire.
Dex narrowed his eyes.
'It's sturdy,' he thought. 'Stronger than the one at the City Lord's Mansion. Much stronger.'
And he was right.
---
Inside the Grand Library, deep beneath the surface, massive arcane engines powered the defensive system. The barrier wasn't just drawing from the tower's internal reserves—it was directly connected to a sealed alien dimension, one rich with mana storms and chaotic energy. From this pocket plane, endless power flowed into the Grand Library's core like a river of lightning.
That was why the shield hadn't fallen yet.
If the barrier had depended solely on the tower's original reserves, it would have collapsed in the first five minutes under the combined might of the demons.
But even the most intricate systems had weak points.
Nothing in the world was flawless.
---
Dex stepped forward, narrowing his gaze.
After nearly half an hour of patient battering and observation—amid smoke, flame, and the screaming of burning civilians—he finally saw it.
Subtle. Minute. But real.
A slight oscillation at one of the anchor points near the fourth-circle glyph of repulsion.
A flicker in the rune.
A blink.
A flaw.
His eyes gleamed. Knowledge, born from centuries of absorbing forbidden grimoires and dissecting magic systems, surged to the front of his mind.
Dex's long, segmented tail, covered in blazing black metal and dripping with sparks, darted forward like a serpent.
With the precision of a surgeon, he jabbed the tip of his tail into the rune matrix of the barrier.
The effect was instantaneous.
The barrier howled.
A shrieking pulse of magic surged through the dome as the carefully balanced structure was disrupted. Spellcrafters stationed inside the tower—powerful mages dressed in armored robes, hands bloodied from maintaining the system—screamed as the matrix destabilized.
Alarms rang throughout the library's corridors.
The glyphs flickered. Glowed. Twisted.
Dex dug in deeper.
The remaining demons, though less skilled in arcane arts, saw the ripple and acted immediately. They pummeled the outer shell with everything they had. Blades of abyssal shadow, firestorms, thunder surges—all hurled in rapid succession, forcing the spellcasters inside to divert attention from Dex's infiltration to damage control.
It was too much.
Too fast.
Dozens of seconds later, the barrier's stability began to plummet. The once-consistent energy waves turned erratic, like a heartbeat skipping out of rhythm. Sparks erupted from the glyphs, and arcs of uncontrolled magic lanced outward, killing some of the mages inside through backlash.
And then…
POP.
The barrier imploded in utter silence, like a bubble bursting in slow motion.
For a heartbeat, the air felt empty.
Then the screams resumed.
The four demons moved without hesitation.
Dex took the lead.
The massive gate of the Grand Library—crafted from an enchanted alloy forged in dragonfire, designed to resist even siege spells—was nothing more than a wall of paper to them now.
Dex charged it like a meteor.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The door was obliterated, vaporized in a single strike. The force of the impact launched molten fragments across the plaza. A shockwave tore through the interior halls, flipping over bookshelves and detonating warding runes embedded in the walls.
The splinters of the door acted like shrapnel, cutting through civilians who had taken shelter behind the shelves. One shard impaled a librarian through the chest, pinning her to the wall as her blood sprayed over shelves of ancient books.
Another exploded mid-air, shredding three clerics in seconds.
Dozens died instantly.
And those who lived…
…wished they hadn't.
The demons poured into the library like an inferno.
Books ignited from ambient heat.
Walls crumbled under claws and magic.
Children and elders, students and scribes—burned, screamed, or disappeared beneath collapsing floors and infernal spells.
---
Outside, the city of Augustus was already descending into nightmare.
But now, with the Library breached, a new message was burned into the city:
> "Your knowledge will not save you. Your power is irrelevant. Your gods are absent."
Dex smiled, standing amid the rubble and ashes.
"One down," he said, flames licking the air around him.
"And so much more to get."
---
Within the Smoldering Remains of the Grand Library's First Floor…
Charred books. Shattered pillars. Scattered limbs. The smell of burning paper mingled with scorched flesh. And above all, the lingering hum of collapsing enchantments echoed like a death knell for knowledge.
The civilians who had once sought shelter in the massive stone halls of the Grand Library now huddled in the corners, their eyes wide with primal fear. Some were curled up near collapsed shelves, clutching the remains of burned books, as if sacred knowledge might still protect them. Others sat frozen in place, too paralyzed to run, their minds shattered by the horrors they'd witnessed.
One of the [Higher Demons], his face twisted in contempt, sneered at their pitiful trembling.
"These worms…" he muttered, disgusted. "Not even worth the air they breathe."
With a slow breath, he exhaled.
But the air that left his lungs was death incarnate—hundreds of invisible wind blades riding the current like assassins.
There was no time to scream. The wind blades tore through the room with a soundless fury.
Flesh parted. Blood sprayed.
Civilians were sliced to ribbons, their bodies falling apart like paper dolls in a hurricane. Severed heads bounced off crumbling marble. Arms dropped to the floor still twitching. The walls became canvases of gore.
The books—centuries of knowledge—were shredded just as mercilessly. Pages fluttered like butterflies before being diced mid-air. The floor was soon buried in a mix of ink, ashes, and crimson.
To the demon, it was no more meaningful than crushing ants.
Even the other two demons present showed no remorse. They too were seekers of knowledge, but not for its beauty or preservation. They hunted secrets, powerful truths, not petty lessons meant for children and peasants. If it wasn't a soul-binding spell or a forbidden summoning ritual, it wasn't worth their time.
And unlike Dex, who could glance at a tome and mentally absorb it within seconds, they lacked such talents. So they ignored the ruins of knowledge and let the fire eat the rest.
Dex, looming behind them like a demonic god of flame, spared the slaughtered mortals only a brief glance. His burning eyes showed neither approval nor disdain. It was simply beneath his concern.