"Run! I'll hold him off!" Porco yells at them.
As the youngsters flee the area, the demon tries to pursue them, but a strong gust of wind stops it.
"Oh no, you have to go through me first," Porco adopts a fighting stance, prepared for what is coming.
The massive beast directs its gaze toward the dwarf, walking with heavy steps, demonstrating calmness and confidence.
"Are you so sure you can kill me? Don't make me laugh."
Porco closes his eyes for a moment; a green aura covers his entire body. Roots appear beneath the ground, binding the monster's body and incapacitating it. The demon struggles fiercely to escape the roots.
"I'll finish you quickly, you'll pay for nearly killing a youngster!"
The aura covering Porco's entire body grows larger and more imposing, releasing a great surge of Aetherian power. The area shakes violently. A giant sword made of wind appears in the air; its edge is perfect. The wind speed is fast and very heavy, creating an atmosphere of pure tension and absolute fear. Even the demon feels fear upon seeing the dwarf's tremendous power. Porco's hand directs the attack towards the horned creature still trapped in the roots.
Meanwhile, Aaron, Safira, and Freya are hiding and resting in another room. Freya, sitting on the floor with Aaron, pours him a potion while his sister keeps watch.
"Thanks, Freya, I feel a little better with the potion," Aaron smiles weakly. His gaze is not the same; sadness is noticeable in his expression.
"You seem different, Aaron, what's wrong?" Freya asks.
"It's just that, well, I feel a little guilty."
"Guilt? It wasn't your fault you fell into the depths with the monster."
"It's not that, it's just that..." memories quickly flash back: of the quadruped, of the other murdered group, and of his mentor, Porco.
"Then what?" Freya stares at Aaron, confused.
"A group died in the most horrible way because of me, and now Porco. It's my fault they died."
Freya remains silent, processing what Aaron said.
"The death of the other team isn't your fault, it was just a coincidence that they ran into that demon, and Porco did it willingly, he wanted to protect us."
Aaron stays silent, his gaze still lost as he looks at the ground, touching his bandaged arm.
"Besides, a little monster saved my life. I was sure I would die at the hands of that giant monster, and that little one felt compassion for me. Is that possible for monsters?" Aaron yells weakly.
"Saved your life? I don't buy it, maybe that little monster felt threatened by that demon, that's all," replies Safira, who is still watching the room's entrance.
"No! The monster even went to where I was hiding and looked at me, I didn't sense it wanted to kill me, it just observed me confused and curious," Aaron replies to his sister.
"Don't talk nonsense, Aaron, stop feeling guilty over something stupid, with that mentality you'll die here."
"You don't know anything, Safira, I was there! Don't talk about what you don't know!" With sadness in his eyes, Aaron reproaches his sister, his voice sobbing but resolute.
"You're an idiot for feeling compassion for those creatures. It's not about knowing, it's about surviving. Don't blame yourself for Porco! He chose to defend you. But you... if you keep thinking about that, about that little animal—" Safira now yells a little loudly at her brother.
"Calm down, guys, there's no need to fight, we must be calm so we don't make mistakes," Freya timidly replies, scared by the siblings' argument.
"Freya's right, there's no point in fighting," Aaron's gaze returns to the floor.
At that moment, the ground trembled and collapses were heard, putting the youngsters on alert.
"It sounded like it came from Porco's direction," Safira fixes her gaze on the infinite corridor of the dark dungeon.
"I hope the master is okay," Freya says, now also with her head bowed.
Meanwhile, in the fight between Porco and the horned creature, Porco's attack stirred up so much dust that it obscured everything in the area.
"Did I finish him?" Porco looks around; the dust prevents him from seeing.
When the dust disperses into the air, Porco sees what happened. The massive monster is not dead; he only managed to cut off its arm and a small part of its shoulder and ribs; weak, but still standing.
"What?! He managed to get rid of the roots in time?!" Porco steps back, startled.
The weakened monster, dripping blood from the attacked area, activates its Aetherian. Its horn begins to cover itself with a gold-colored aura. The burst of power from its horns is intimidating. Porco's eyes fix on the horns, which slowly grow larger, taking on a sharper and more pointed appearance. The animal lunges at a weakened Porco, who is debilitated by his technique, like a bull ready to charge.
"Come on, move your legs!" Porco's weakened legs move slightly, but not enough to dodge the attack.
The hunter, as if he were paper, plunged one of his horns into the dwarf mage's abdomen. Blood drips from the horn while Porco writhes in pain. Finally, the creature lifts the dwarf's body and throws it. Streams of blood pour abundantly from his mouth.
"Ugh! Damn it..." With the little strength he has left, he manages to stand up with great difficulty.
The ground is covered with the blood of the two combatants, who are completely stunned and weakened by each other's attacks. The demon charges its ramming attack at the veteran again.
"I-I have no Aetherian left!" With great difficulty, he manages to use his technique and traps the horned creature with the roots—. "I've got you"
For the creature, with the tremendous wound it has, it becomes harder to break free from the roots.
"Aaggh...!" The monster growls in desperation, trying to break free with the one arm it has left.
Porco, with the last drop of energy remaining, manages to concentrate and activates his air sword. This is barely a trembling dagger, not the wind colossus from before. Porco throws it, his hand shaking, directing it toward the creature's legs and abdomen. The Horned One screams in pain, but the wound only infuriates the demon. The monster manages to break free from the roots using the savage force of its horns, shattering Porco's last effort.
The monster, covered in its own blood, looks at Porco, who is staggering, and with the immense remaining strength, charges again.
"I'm sure those wounds will kill him..." Porco says with a sad smile. He knows he will die, but is satisfied with achieving his goal.
The powerful horns pierce the dwarf's abdomen again. Porco, now with a dead gaze, uses his last energy to remember, melancholy memories, where he is happy with his family. Every scene he lived with his beautiful family makes Porco die, but with a smile of happiness.
"I won't be coming home, my beloved and my son, I know you will manage without me..." Porco expels the last gush of blood as his eyes finally close. His lifeless body falls to the ground.
The horned animal looks at the dying body of the dwarf, stays for a few seconds, but finally leaves the bloody area, barely walking and dripping large amounts of blood.
Meanwhile, with the siblings' group and the elf, they stop hearing the rumbling and noises coming from Porco's direction.
"It seems their fight is over, it's dangerous to go since the creature might still be around," says Safira, who is still observing the dark and foul-smelling corridors of the dungeon.
"I think we should keep moving and get some food," Freya comments.
Aaron, on the other hand, remains silent with his eyes staring into space.
"You're right, Freya, let's continue," Safira replies.
The group continues their path, delving deeper and deeper into the stinking dungeon. Aaron is still completely silent, head bowed, entirely lost in his own thoughts. Safira notices this and frowns with worry for her brother.
"Guys, there are backpacks here, they might have food," Safira points to the backpacks lying on the ground and approaches them.
While rummaging, they find pieces of bread and meat.
"That's great, I was hungry!" A smile appears on Freya's face as she looks at the piece of meat in her hands. She begins to chew with satisfaction.
Aaron continues to say absolutely nothing. Safira sees this and approaches her brother, offering him a piece of meat.
"You must be very hungry, I'm sure, given how gluttonous you are," Safira gives her brother a kind and comforting smile. He only looks at the piece for a few brief seconds, grabs the meat, and begins to eat it.
The team continues their search for an exit. Aaron walks behind the girls when he notices a small child in one of the rooms. This one seems to have a more human physique. The monster child looks at him scared and curious.
"Huh?" Aaron stops to look at the little one, takes out a piece of meat he had, and gives it to the child.
The child, with a nervous but grateful smile, quickly takes the meat and runs off, going further into the dark room. Aaron smiles at the kind act he has done and continues walking with the girls. "Wait, I'm an idiot! I gave my last piece of meat to that animal!" He scratches his head with his weak hands, realizing he gave away his last food resource.
The siblings and the elf immediately smell a strange odor, like iron. The environment feels damp and disgusting. The smell grows stronger as they walk.
"This smell is so weird! Gross!" Aaron says, covering his nose.
The group's concern is more than logical, because what they saw froze them: another group had killed others. Bodies were lying around while the group grabbed belongings with their blood-stained knives in their hands.
---
In the darkness of a room, where the large hole created by the horned demon is, the two creatures are still there, still scared. Suddenly, the massive animal stumbles in, limping. Finally, it collapses to the ground, no longer able to withstand the tremendously severe wounds inflicted by Porco. The two monsters quickly go towards it, crouch down, and observe it. Tears begin to fall from their black eyes. The child strongly embraces the body of who might be his dead father, who died defending what he loved most, his family.