Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 358 Brave

The monster was originally only slightly taller than a human, and from a distance, it still resembled somewhat what it looked like when it was once a human.

But now, standing in front of the barricades is a towering mountain of flesh, almost two stories high.

Hands struggled to grab, legs supported them forward, eyes bled, mouth howled, and countless limbs pieced together this twisted flesh.

The moment they saw it, everyone on the defensive line froze.

An indescribable fear, like a cold, large hand, slowly gripped everyone's heart.

The fear, an indescribable sense of dread, prevented the members of the Secret Order from even fleeing.

When people are in extreme fear, they do not run away, but freeze in place. This is the instinctive reaction of living beings when facing predators—or rather, suppression.

It is said that when a goat in the southern continent is targeted by a lion, it will not run away. It will stand still and watch helplessly as it is eaten bit by bit.

At this moment, everyone seemed to be facing extreme fear, humanity's natural enemy.

The monster reached out and grabbed the two members of the Secret Order from the rooftop, stuffed them into its mouth, chewed a few times, and then spat out a clump of iron filings—the muskets that had just been swallowed along with the two men.

Then, the monster turned to look at Josh standing on the roof and reached out its hand without hesitation.

Its hands had even more limbs, including arms, ears, and hair, and the giant hands quickly reached out in front of him.

You'll die! Run! Run! Run!!
The mind screamed, trying to rouse the body, but the body remained stiff like a stone sculpture, motionless.

Josh desperately tried to close his eyes, but he couldn't even do that simple thing. He just watched helplessly as the giant hand got closer and closer, and a hideous face on the hand wailed as it gradually enlarged in his vision, as if foreshadowing his end.

But just as he was about to make contact, his gaze suddenly shifted upwards, landing on the giant hand, where he saw the narrow sky above the alleyway.

boom!
The monster missed its target and crashed onto the roof of the building next to it, with bricks and rotten planks falling from above.

Josh's body suddenly regained its movement, and his sluggish will once again took control of his flesh and blood. He coughed, turned over, and looked to the side.

Someone just pulled him away and snatched him from the monster's grasp.

"Zoe!?"

It was Zoe, who was also covered in dirt and grime, with a large tear in her clothes on her arm from which blood was flowing.

Everyone froze, but she didn't. When the monster crashed onto the roof, she rushed over desperately and barely managed to save Josh.

How could she possibly move?
The question crossed Josh's mind, but the situation at hand left him no time to think about it. Taking advantage of the chaos caused by the monster, he and Zoe quickly woke up the people around them.

"Fa, what happened?"

"Monster! Monster!! That's a monster!!!"

"Waaaaah, we can't possibly beat those monsters."

The believers were awakened, but many of them went mad on the spot. Some howled, some threw down their weapons, and some even cried and banged their heads against the wall.

"Hold on, grab your weapons, quickly fill the gap!" Josh shouted frantically, trying not to show it on his face, but his heart was sinking to the bottom.

Morale had almost completely collapsed. The defenses here couldn't hold, but inside were the followers of the Secret Order, and they had nowhere to retreat.

If this place falls, the evacuation will turn into a rout. There's no need for the enemy to pursue them; the collapsed order will cause the believers to trample each other, and who knows how many people will die.

Josh gritted his teeth and took the spear from the fallen cultist. He had never fought with a weapon before, and his legs were shaking violently. He managed to move forward a few steps with all his might and stand on the defensive line.

As the smoke and dust gradually dissipated, Josh peered through the cracks in the bricks at the opposite side, where a dark, gaping hole appeared—the gaping, ferocious maw of a monster. A stench mixed with wailing echoed from its mouth as it bit down on the fortifications. The makeshift barricades could not withstand its attack.

The hastily pieced-together stones and pieces of wood were scattered all over the ground. Josh was hit on the head and fell to the ground, seeing stars. When he staggered to his feet, he suddenly felt a darkness before his eyes.

The sunlight streaming into the alleyway was blocked.

Josh subconsciously raised his head, his gaze gradually rising, but he tilted his head back too high and lost his balance, falling down onto the ruins.

The mountain of flesh monster stood in front of him, chewing incessantly, the wood and stones crunching and rattling with a teeth-grinding sound.

The sound suddenly stopped. Josh heard a swallowing sound, and then the monster's moving body brought with it a foul stench. It lowered its head and looked at the little thing sitting down in front of it.

This time, Josh didn't freeze. He immediately tried to turn around and run away, but after kicking and struggling a few times, he realized that one of his legs was completely buried in the collapsed ruins and he had no feeling in it.

Looking down, I saw dark red blood slowly flowing out.

Ruined.

He was going to die in the end anyway. He shouldn't have rushed forward; he should have just run away, like that prince.

The monster's gaping maw slowly opened, time seemed to slow down, thoughts began to drift, and past life events appeared before my eyes.

Perhaps he shouldn't have established that secret society. Back then, he had money and goods; he could have easily found a place to escape and survived.

Castells is gone, so what is he still insisting on?

Perhaps he should have left with his mother during the last rebellion. With her protection, he would have returned to Castel long ago, and the Secret Order would have taken over the matter. The current troubles might have been resolved long ago.

Perhaps he should have run away as soon as Zoe saved him. Many people would have died in the Secret Order, but he had done his best. He shouldn't have picked up the spear and stood on a battlefield that wasn't his, facing monsters he couldn't kill.

He should have acted like a prince, abandoning all responsibilities and walking away.

Josh closed his eyes.

Can he do it?
He left, abandoning everything he carried, and turned to flee for his life.

If he had to choose again, would he still pick up the spear with trembling hands and stand in front of the monster?

Josh closed his eyes—at least this time he could close them and not have to face the cruel reality.

He thrust the spear forward; it was the last thing he could do, even though the weapon looked like a tiny toothpick to the monster.

Time seemed to stand still.

Josh couldn't help but open his eyes, and then he just stood there, stunned.

The monster's massive body swayed slightly before collapsing to the side, the spear he had just thrust into it still embedded in its body.

How is that possible? How?
Josh's gaze passed over the fallen monster.

Behind them stood a densely packed group of soldiers holding guns, while in front rode a horse carrying a curved sword. Sunlight shone on the blade, casting glints of cold light in the alleyway.

Josh recognized him.

That was the Lord of Bloodharbor, Grand Duke Tiss—Prince.

He is back.

(End of this chapter)