Some Hours Earlier
The doors of the Mercenary office building slammed open with a deafening crash, startling everyone inside.
Bang!
Two mercenaries, drenched in sweat and panting heavily, stumbled in, their faces pale with fear and urgency.
“What’s the meaning of this?” one of the clerks demanded, rising from her desk, but the older of the two mercenaries cut her off with a desperate shout.
“Demons!” he bellowed. “The demons are upon us! Hundreds of them—coming from every direction!”
The room fell silent for a moment as the weight of his words sank in. Then, chaos erupted. Mercenaries scrambled to gather their gear and alert others in the town. Arielle, who had been sitting near the counter reviewing some documents, shot to her feet.
“Are you certain?” she asked, her tone sharp and commanding.
The younger mercenary nodded frantically. “We saw them ourselves! There are Grade Five and Six demons in the horde, and there’s something bigger leading them. We couldn’t see what it was, but… it felt… wrong.”
Arielle’s jaw tightened. Without wasting another second, she donned her battle armor, a sleek set of silver plates that shimmered faintly with magic. “We have no time to waste,” she declared. “Everyone, to your posts! Protect the town at all costs!”
“Roger that!” Someone replied, running off with a few other Mercenaries and even some of the towns local guards.
The other Mercenaries scattered, moving to their assigned positions. Arielle joined a group heading toward the town’s main entrance, where they would confront the first wave of demons.
As she reached the gate, she could see the dark mass of the horde approaching on the horizon. Her heart pounded in her chest, but she gripped her weapon tightly, standing tall among her comrades.
“We hold the line,” she chanted, more to herself than anyone else.
“We hold the line!” The other chanted as well.
The Present
The air was thick with smoke and the acrid stench of burning wood. Screams echoed through the town as demons rampaged through the streets, their grotesque forms illuminated by the flickering flames.
High above the chaos, Damien rode Aquila, his sharp eyes scanning the battlefield below. “Nooooo!” A sharp scream tore through the wind, drawing Damien’s attention amidst the chaos.
Damien’s eyes spotted a young girl, no older than seven, running frantically as a hulking Grade Five demon closed in on her.
Without hesitation, Damien leaped from Aquila’s back, descending like a meteor. “Go wild!” He commanded his summoned Griffin as he descended down.
Thud!
Damien landed squarely on the demon’s head, the force of his impact driving it into the ground. The girl stumbled and fell, staring up at him with wide, tear-filled eyes.
“You’re safe now.” Damien offered her a brief, reassuring nod before focusing on the demon beneath him.
With a quick, precise slash of his flaming sword, he ended the creature’s life. The demon let out a final, guttural growl before collapsing into ash.
“Run!” Damien shouted to the girl, pointing her toward a safer part of the town.
As she scrambled to her feet and fled, Damien summoned his other summons.
“Summon Fenrir and Cerbe this instant!” Damien ordered his system.
The massive wolf and three-headed hellhound emerged from their usual blue portals, their terrifying auras radiating power and drawing the attention of multiple figures, demons and mercenaries alike.
“Destroy them all,” Damien commanded, his voice cold and steady.
Fenrir let out a thunderous howl that shook the ground, while Cerbe’s three heads bared their fangs, their glowing eyes scanning the battlefield for prey.
The two beasts launched themselves into the fray, tearing through the demon horde with relentless ferocity.
Damien moved with practiced precision, weaving between the demons as he cut them down one by one. His flaming sword arced through the air, leaving trails of fire in its wake.
A Grade Six demon lunged at him, its claws dripping with corrosive black liquid, but Damien sidestepped effortlessly, driving his blade into its chest.
Nearby, Fenrir pounced on a cluster of demons, its jaws clamping down on one while its claws shredded another. Cerbe unleashed a torrent of crimson flames from its middle head, incinerating a group of weaker demons that had attempted to surround it.
The battle was a blur of violence and chaos. Damien fought like a man possessed, his movements fluid and deadly.
Damien deflected a barrage of demonic projectiles with a swift spin of his sword, countering with a burst of Advanced Flame Magic that engulfed his attackers.
Through it all, he kept one eye on the fleeing townsfolk, ensuring that they had a clear path to safety. His summons were doing an excellent job of holding the line, but the sheer number of demons threatened to overwhelm them.
As Damien cut down another demon, he caught sight of Arielle in the distance, fighting alongside a group of mercenaries. She was a whirlwind of silver and steel, her sword flashing as she struck down demon after demon.
For a moment, their eyes met across the battlefield, and she gave him a nod of acknowledgment before turning back to her own fight.
Damien smirked. “Looks like you’re holding your own,” he muttered, before focusing back on his own battle.
With Fenrir and Cerbe wreaking havoc on the demons and Damien leading the charge, the tide of the battle began to shift. The once-overwhelming horde was thinning, their numbers dwindling as the defenders of the town fought back with everything they had.
But Damien knew better than to let his guard down. There was still something larger out there—something the two mercenaries had mentioned but hadn’t been able to describe.
“Come on,” he muttered under his breath, scanning the battlefield for any sign of the greater threat. “Show yourself.”
As if in answer, a deafening roar tore through the air, shaking the ground beneath his feet.
Woooong~
All around him, the fighting paused as both demons and defenders turned toward the source of the sound.
A massive shadow loomed on the horizon, and Damien’s eyes narrowed. Whatever it was, it was coming straight for the town.