"Greyon! How much longer are you going to hold out on us, huh? Can't treat your old friends to a little drink?"

"Shove it, Verick." The burly adventurer named Greyon shoved his friend with a laugh. "We both know I paid for drinks two nights back. Tyrone on the other hand…" He eyed a tall mage walking just in front of them.

The mage pushed his glasses up his nose and said coldly, "I don't participate in your frivolity, so I don't see why I should have to bear its cost."

"Aww, come on Tyrone, just this once?" Verick came up to the man to plead.

Tyrone only looked down on him coldly before advancing in their place in line.

"Goods?" A guard glanced up at them from his parchment.

"Two Rye-beaks and a Fire Hen," Verick said proudly, puffing out his chest.

The guard merely scanned their dimensional storage items to double-check their words then wrote something down on the parchment.

"Very well that'll be…" He trailed off, his eyes widening at something behind them.

"Well?" Verick frowned, waiting for the man to finish, but he turned around at the sound of a familiar voice.

"Hey! What's with the barrier!?" Greyon's muted voice came from behind a massive golden barrier that had sprouted up just between him and his party members that reached up towards the sky in a massive dome.

"Hey, what's going on?" Verick turned sharply on the guard, only to find he had gotten up from his post.

"To the gates! Everyone in the gates! This is an emergency barrier activation!"

"What?" Verick frowned as Tyrone and the few other people who had managed to find themselves on the inner part of the barrier began rushing towards the gate. "Tyrone! We can't just leave Greyon!" He shouted after the mage, but he quickly lost sight of him in the crowd.

"Tsk. That scoundrel's always just looking after himself." He turned back to Greyon, hoping they could find some way to get him through the barrier, only for his jaw to drop in shock at what he saw.

A purple fog had risen and was rapidly surging towards the barrier like a massive wave, but even more terrifying were the people further back in the line who the fog had already reached. The moment the smoke touched them, their bodies seemed to blister and boil, rotting and dropping from their skin in real time, their gazes frozen in agony as first their flesh then their bones dropped to the ground.

"What the hell?" Verick froze. "Those are all…at least b-class…"

In front of him Greyon had seen the fate of the those behind him in the queue, and had turned back towards the barrier frantically banging on the rigid gold surface trying to get through. "Verick! Verick! Please! You have to do something!"

His friend pleaded, but Verick was just a swordsman, there was truly nothing he could do except attack the barrier, but even if he somehow broke the Lord's barrier, what would stop the purple fog from getting to him?

Greyon saw his hesitation and his shouts grew angrier and more frantic. "You coward! How long have we been in a party together and this is how you repay me!? Come on, open the barrier, please I—"

Then the purple fog hit his friend, and the last thing he saw as he backed away from the barrier was his friend's face frozen in agonizing pain as the flesh dripped off his skull, and out of the fog behind him purple eyes lighting up in ranks upon ranks of countless undying eyes. Then he turned and ran.

***

"My Lord, the gates have been closed and the outer barrier is holding, but the purple fog is gradually surrounding the city. It won't be long until we're completely surrounded."

"I see that." Ceren ground his teeth, clenching his fists until they were white. "Have the twelve been summoned?"

"Almost, sir. Eleven of the twelve have arrived at the palace to report for duty. Only Tyrone is absent, but according to reports he was supposed to be outside the city with his party.

Ceren exhaled through his teeth. "I suppose they're no match for this either, huh?" He muttered to himself. "Have them stand by in the flight chamber to respond to any internal threats. Until I return Vecinerar is in charge."

"Yes, My Lord." The servant bowed, and left the room.

Ceren pinched his nose. This is no mere lich or beast king if even high level adventurers stand no chance against it. Sigh. Why did that b**ch suddenly decide to wake up? What happened to being dormant, not responding to threats, uncaring towards their people, probably weakened after all these years? You call that damn fog weakened?

He stared out into the fog, searching for divine signatures, and then for the first time a flicker of a smile crossed his lips. Only one incarnation, huh? Are you underestimating me? Think there's only one Ceren here in the city, and that I'm as vagrant as the rest of my kin, leaving the vast majority of my selves in the Divine Kingdom? I may only be a demigod, but I'll show you why this mere demigod has lasted all these years on his own.

With a breath golden armour, made of barrier light stretched across his body, and with a step he launched into the air, flying rapidly to the edge of the city barrier he had constructed centuries ago to allow him to take this peninsula from the Beast Tribes. For centuries this barrier had remained untouched and indestructible in the face of everything the Beasts had thrown at it. This wasn't nearly the first time this city had been surrounded by enemies on all sides, and he doubted it would be the last.

Seeing it continue to hold strong against the wrath of a full divinity brought a smile to his face as he prepared himself to face this unknown god of death that had remained in the shadows of the world for so long.

"How does it feel to be stuck on the other side of that barrier?" He projected his voice towards the divine signature in the fog with a laugh. "Are you stupid or did you just under—" He froze.

The barrier in front of him had vanished.

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