The Psychopathic Beast Emperor-Chapter 97: Destroyed Town

The road to Farronhold was long. Very long.

What looked like a few manageable kilometers stretched into miles upon miles of uneven ground. The valley wound on endlessly, rising and falling in ways that played tricks on the eye. By midday, it was clear this wasn’t a short march... It was a test of patience and vigilance.

They didn’t rush... Which they could considering the kind of people they were. Apollonia set the pace, steady and deliberate.

"We could reach it in a day if we move at full strength," she said, glancing toward the distant hill. "But rushing into ruins is how people disappear. The enemy could be anywhere as we speak. It could even be false information. Anything is possible on Violet Missions, so take everything into account."

No one argued because they knew she was right.

They stopped twice on the first day, once to rest, and the other because they met the usual beasts of the forest.

A pack of horned ridge-beasts burst from behind scattered rocks, their lean bodies low to the ground with eyes sharp with hunger. The fight was brief, though. Sel and Exildra took care of them before they even realized that they were dead.

They were all Tier 1, Circle of Body beasts, nothing much for a Circle of Spirit and a Circle of Mind.

Rakia and Bahamut quickly harvested what they could from the fallen beasts before they looked for a place to camp for the night.

They camped beneath the open sky since everywhere was just too dangerous. At least in the open, they would be alerted faster.

A small fire crackled as meat roasted slowly, the smell grounding them in something simple. They ate in silence... most of them. Bahamut and Exildra were in their own world, doing stuff like feeding each other, making Sel unconsciously grind his teeth in annoyance. Especially when Bahamut looked at him with that stupid smirk.

Ren, on the other hand, just stared at the sky, deep in his thoughts.

Farronhold loomed closer now, but it was still far.

The second day was worse...

The land grew emptier, showing fewer birds and insects. There was almost no sign of life. They encountered another beast... a massive, scaled grazer.

Circle of Initiation... Ren blasted it out of the way.

By evening, the hill was unmistakable.

Farronhold was getting more visible now... at least whatever remained of it.

They stopped once more before night fully fell, making a final camp.

Two days after entering the valley, they stood ready. Tomorrow, they would reach Farronhold.

...

Morning arrived without ceremony. There was no birdsong to announce it, no breeze carried fresh scents... The world simply shifted from dark to grey, as if even the sun approached Farronhold with caution.

They packed up quickly and moved.

The hill rose ahead of them, steeper than it had looked from afar. As they climbed, the ground changed. The grass was thinning here, the soil darkening, and the stone cracked as if stressed by heat or pressure long ago. The silence pressed in, heavy enough that even their footsteps felt intrusive.

Then they saw it clearly.

Farronhold. Mostly what remained of it.

Broken walls jutted from the earth like shattered teeth. Watchtowers had collapsed inward. The outer road was littered with debris... splintered carts, rusted weapons, and dark stains that time hadn’t fully erased. There were no banners, no guards, and no smoke.

Nothing was alive here anymore. Everything had been destroyed beyond...

They slowed instinctively, moving with caution.

"This place was wiped clean," Rakia said quietly.

Sel closed his eyes, sensing outward. His calmness fractured just a little.

"Whatever destroyed this town is probably not done with it," he said.

Apollonia raised a hand, halting them just outside the ruined outskirts. "We proceed carefully. Prepare for anything... even death."

Bahamut’s carefree exterior dropped, replaced with a much more serious and vigilant one. He stepped forward with Sel while Ren transformed into the five-foot-tall bunny, his red eyes glowing with battle readiness.

Then they crossed into Farronhold.

Stone crunched underfoot, wind moved through broken streets, carrying nothing but dust and memory. Homes stood open and empty, with claw marks scored on the walls. Blood had soaked into the land too deeply that parts of Farronhold’s land were red.

This wasn’t a battlefield... It was an execution ground. From the way the place had been destroyed, it was clear that the people of the town didn’t even have the power to fight back.

They had been slaughtered mercilessly.

The group advanced deeper, their senses sharp, weapons ready, knowing that even if the destroyer was gone, places like this never stayed empty for long. Something was definitely bound to happen.

They could feel it.

The group headed deeper into Farronhold, step by step. The further they went, the stranger it became.

There were signs of slaughter everywhere... splintered doors, clawed stone, weapons snapped in half... but not bodies. Not even scraps were left behind.

Streets that should have been choked with the dead were empty, swept clean in a way that felt very deliberate.

Rakia frowned, her clothes fluttering slightly. "This isn’t looting."

Sel nodded slowly from the front, his eyes sharp as he cocked an arrow into his bow. "And definitely not scavengers. They leave traces."

"Then where did everyone go? They couldn’t have survived and escaped, right?" Bahamut said, but received no answer. Because the answer everyone was thinking of at this point was the darkest answer they could ever think of.

Cannibals!

This was no beast attack, as there would have been beasts lingering around.

They pressed on, unease tightening around them like a closing fist. The tension was at an all-time high when Exildra stopped suddenly.

Her body locked in place as if she’d hit an invisible wall. Her breathing hitched while her hands trembled at her sides.

"Exildra?" Bahamut turned immediately, sensing the change in her aura.

She didn’t answer.

She stared ahead, her eyes unfocused with fear and confusion twisting together on her face.

"...I... know this... place," she muttered. "I know it."

Apollonia’s gaze sharpened. "How?"

"I don’t know," Exildra whispered, her eyes wide like she’d seen a ghost. "I shouldn’t... but I do."

Then...

A sound entered their ears. It was soft, broken, and almost quiet, but their sharp senses picked it up. It came from their left.

They all turned, while Exildra took two steps back, her mouth opening in shock and fear.

"That house... I’ve seen it before... Something is in there!" she exclaimed, almost falling on her butt, but Rakia caught her.

Up the slope of the hill stood a house. It was tilted and cracked, but mostly intact. Its roof still held, but not for long. One wall was scarred, but standing.

Compared to the rest of Farronhold, it looked almost... spared.

The weeping drifted down from there, thin and trembling, carrying grief so raw it raised goosebumps.

Sel’s calm was completely fractured now. "There’s someone alive... Possibly the only survivor or the cause of all this."

Bahamut stepped forward, leaving Exildra with Apollonia, who had offered to look after her.

’To think that she’s a budding seer... But, this is too powerful.’

Their gazes were turned towards the house now.

Whatever waited up there knew they had arrived.