The heroes finished killing the demons, and everyone rejoiced. However, what they did not know was that the Lord of Ice was fighting one of the Covenant Beasts. They only realized this when the island began to move, and earthquakes started to shake the ground, caused by the beast's movement. Amidst their shock, they received another blow: more demons appeared, but with an aura different from the slain demons.
The heroes took their fighting stances. Each of them was in a different area, and in each area, there were a hundred demons.
Julian's Area
At Julian's location, the demons were surprisingly motionless. "If you're not going to move, then you've made this easier for me," he thought.
Blood Power: Absorption – a pool of blood appeared beneath the demons' feet, attempting to absorb them.
Suddenly, one of the demons dashed forward at great speed, appearing in front of Julian and attempting to cut off his head. Julian blocked the strike with his sword, but the force threw him back into the houses, destroying two buildings.
The demon smiled. "You managed to block that. Amazing."
The demon attacked again. As Julian tried to stand, the demon grabbed him by the head and began slamming him into houses one after another. He even struck him to the ground until Julian bled profusely. Then, he grabbed him, threw him, and kicked him, leaving Julian on the ground, covered in blood.
Volak's Area
We move to Volak. After dealing with the demons, he suddenly found a dagger plunged next to one of the corpses. When he looked at the thrower, he saw a demon moving towards him.
Volak prepared himself. Light Power: Light Speed. Without a word, Volak darted forward, stopping the demon's time. He stood before the motionless demon, and the sword was at the demon's neck, severing it.
After cutting off the head, he thought he had killed it, but he instinctively sensed an attack from the 'slain' demon. He parried and retreated.
"What is happening here? Didn't I cut off his head?"
The demon spoke, "Can't you increase your speed? You move like a turtle! Besides, I won't die from weak powers like yours. But you have a good reaction time."
While the demon was speaking, more demons appeared. Volak was alarmed, not for himself, but for the people. The demons shared the same aura as the one in front of him. What should he do? He had to eliminate this demon quickly to fight the rest.
"Alright, I'll end this quickly!"
"Did you say quickly? That's hilarious! Try Light Power: A Thousand Spears."
A thousand spears made of light appeared and flew towards the demons. Each demon was pierced by ten spears. Despite this, they moved as if they had only suffered a slight blow.
Volak lost focus for a moment, and the demon seized his chance, grabbing his chest and firing a shot that exploded his heart. Amidst everyone's shock, Volak fell to the ground, his eyes closed.
Iris's Area
Iris was preparing to return, but when she sensed the presence of more demons, she grabbed her Wind Bow and shot an arrow into the sky. The arrow split into hundreds of arrows that flew towards the demons.
The demons backed away, then formed a circle, surrounding and attacking her from all directions. Iris defended with all her might. She formed a barrier of wind on the outside and fired arrows from the inside. The arrows only slowed them down.
It wasn't long before the shield broke. Iris then grabbed two daggers and began to parry and strike the demons. Exhaustion was evident on her face, but she persisted until she cut off the head of one of them. She continued to defend, but the demon she thought she had killed regenerated and cut off her arm, laughing.
"Do you think a power like that would kill a fool?"
She did not scream, but retreated, holding a dagger and her severed arm. "What are you doing?" she cried, urging the villagers to flee, but it was too late. Her neck was pierced by one of the demons' claws, and her other arm was severed.
"Now, be quiet and let us enjoy the hunt," the demon said coldly, a smile on his face. "The hunt loves silence."
Harold's Area
As for Harold, the fight was already raging. He knew he couldn't kill them easily, so he relied on his strength. He was grabbing them and throwing them against walls or houses, hitting them with anything to weaken them.
But that didn't last long, as he found his strength weakening while they rose without effect. He ignited fire throughout his body; the flames were intense, rising into the sky.
In the calm before the storm, the fire took the form of a large dragon and swooped down upon them until the place was filled with smoke. Amidst the smoke, some demons moved.
Harold noticed this. When he clenched his fist and tried to punch a demon, another demon changed the sword's direction towards the ground and fixed it there. A second demon grabbed Harold's head and slammed it to the ground. A third demon held the sword.
"It was a fun fight, but this is the end."
The demon placed the sword near Harold's heart and also used Fire Power, burning the rest of his internal organs completely.
Total Devastation and Rose
Total devastation. Panic everywhere. Fear. The demons rushed into houses, destroying them and killing those inside. Soldiers tried to defend, but to no avail.
Amidst all this, a little girl, Rose, no older than ten, was in a panic, hiding and afraid.
She heard her father's voice: "If you can hear me, stay hidden, do you hear? We will handle this regardless. Do not come out."
Her father's words made her recall the words of the Lord of Ice: that heroes face situations that might come at a heavy price. In her heart, the desire to protect the people and the instinct to protect herself were in conflict.
"What am I doing? Am I really such a coward? Do I say I want to be a hero? Nonsense! Here I am, hiding like a coward. I won't accept this! My father and brother are fighting now, and people need me. There are injuries, and perhaps the heroes have suffered serious injuries. I need to help everyone, and I know what I must do."
The girl began to sneak through the screaming people and the attacking demons until she reached a warehouse storing large quantities of Power Stones.
She locked the door and placed her hand on a stone to draw additional energy. When she did, the stone responded and increased her power, but her heart couldn't withstand the energy, so she pulled her hand away.
She remembered when the Lord of Ice had tricked her into thinking he had broken his hand, and she screamed. He then told her it was just a slight pain they go through.
She was determined, trying once, twice, three, four times until she could endure it. Her power began to increase, the amulet's glow intensified, and the power surged high into the sky.
The house storing the stones had a barrier to prevent the energy from showing, to keep away energy-thirsty beasts. This was a helpful factor.
The power continued to increase, and the strain on her heart grew, until she was able to form a power that could heal all the tribes from their injuries. She began to move the power, but this healing power was slow, and the number of dead and injured was rising.
She increased her absorption of power, and as a result of the sheer amount of energy, all her limbs began to hurt, her heart most of all. She endured. The speed increased, but to no avail.
She increased it further, placing more strain on her body. Her bones began to slowly crush, her breathing became slightly slow, and her skin began to tear.
Amidst all this, and at the Lord of the Dead's location, a strange soul emerged from the Mountain of Spirits.
The Deputy Commander of the Lord of the Dead stopped it. "This is none of our business. We are the dead. Our hearts do not move after we die, do you hear?"
The soul replied, "Perhaps that is for you, but I move by my instinct all my life, and my instinct never dies. So, either get out of my way, or I will move you."
"Let him go," the Lord of the Dead said, his eyes closed. He allowed the soul to depart.
And at that moment, the effect of the healing power appeared.