Chapter 89: Can I come with you?

“I am Barry. What’s your name?” I asked, offering a hand to the girl in the ground.

She stared up at me, her eyes wide with total surprise. “My—my name is—”

Before she could finish, a roar cut her off. The surrounding monsters, temporarily stunned by my arrival, began to snap out of their shock.

“He killed our leader!” a towering demon said from the pack, stepping forward. He brandished a big weapon. “He must be exhausted now. Weak. Kill him!”

The demon charged, But as he ran, he noticed the silence behind him. Expecting a war cry from his pack, he felt nothing but a stillness. He glanced over his shoulder. The rest of his companions were standing in place, their weapons trembling in their hands. They were shaking with pure, unadulterated fear, completely paralyzed by the dangerous aura radiating off Barry.

“You cowards!” the leading demon roared at them.

Turning his fury back to me, he swung his massive weapon in a deadly arc. He thought he had me. But before the weapon could even come close, I vanished from his sight. Moving with incredible speed, I slipped right past his guard and into his blind spot. I planted my feet, tightened my fist, and adjusted my stance.

The demon blinked, looking down in confusion as he realized his weapon had struck nothing but air. Before he could even react, I drove a powerful punch straight into his stomach.

The air exploded from his back. The sheer force of the impact launched him backward like a cannonball. He flew through the air and crashed directly into the crowd of watching demons. The collision sounded like a crack of thunder, knocking the entire remaining group on their backs. Not a single one of them moved again; they were all out .

I exhaled slowly, dusting off my hand. “What a weak group of demons,” I muttered.

Leaving the monsters unconscious in there, I walked over to the prisoners on the ground. I knelt down, shattering their chains one by one with my bare hands.

Relief washed over the crowd. Tears slid down dirt-streaked faces as the prisoners stand to their feet. They crowded around, bowing deeply in respect. “Thank you, savior,” an old man whispered, his voice cracking. “Thank you for saving our lives.”

The girl I had spoken to earlier just stared at me, her gaze sweeping over my stance. “You… you are incredibly powerful,” she breathed, her voice a mix of awe and fear. “Where did you even come from?”

“I’ll answer that later,” I said, looking around at the desolate landscape. “First, tell me what this place is. Why are these demons treating you like animals?”

“What? You don’t know?” The old man I had saved earlier spoke up. His voice trembled with bitter exhaustion. “Demons rule everything now. This entire world belongs to them. To them, humanity is nothing but a slave race. Objects to be used and broken.”

Before he could explain further, a sound come from the treeline.

‘Wuuuu… oooohhh…’

A strange haunting voice drifted out from the dense foliage in front of us. It didn’t sound human, nor did it sound like a demon. It sounded like a weeping ghost, completely hollow.

The freed prisoners gasped. The fragile hope that had just filled them vanished, replaced by terror. They began to tremble, backing away from the treeline.

“This… this is the Necis Forest,” the girl whispered, her teeth literally chattering. “I’ve heard stories from travelers. At night, nobody crosses this forest. No one who enters ever comes back out.”

The old man cast a frantic look up at the sky. “We are lucky it is still daytime. The sun is setting fast. We should return quickly, while we still have light.”

I looked at him, raising an eyebrow. “Return where? Back to the demons?”

“No! No, there is a sanctuary,” the old man said quickly, looking around at the other survivors.

“There is a hidden place for humans, still safe from the demon lords. I have heard rumors that the Lord of that sanctuary is a powerful expert. He is currently gathering warriors, building a secret alliance to fight back and break us free from this tyranny. I am going there. Is there anyone who wants to come with me? I swear, it is our only chance at survival.”

The prisoners muttered among themselves, nodding eagerly. It didn’t take long for all of them to agree.

“Oh? Is there really a place like that left?” I asked, looking back toward the dark . “If it’s real, then you all should start moving. Go there before any other monsters catch your scent.”

The girl noticed that I hadn’t stepped toward the path with them. She stopped, turning around. “What? Are you not coming with us? With your strength, you could help us get there safely. Please, come with us.”

“No,” I replied smoothly, my eyes locking onto the shadowy depths of the trees. “I have something important to check out first.”

Her eyes went wide as she followed my gaze. “You… you aren’t thinking of going in there, are you?”

The entire crowd went silent, staring at me in absolute shock. To them, walking into there was a suicide.

I just smiled faintly, stepping toward the dark treeline. “Well, I want to see for myself what is inside this deep forest that has you all so terrified.”

“If you really had made up your mind then please be careful, this is very dangerous” the girl said.

“Will you be okay? ” I asked them .

” Don’t worry i know a way to reach there safely ” the old man replied to me.

” Okay, then you should go before night, ” i told them.

The these people turned away to walk, i also turned away and start heading to the forest but then–.

“Excuse me ?” That girl Stoped there and turned to me .

“Can– can i come with you?” The girl asked me .

All the people who were heading staight look at her and stare at her in shock, even i got shocked for a second.