The camp's silence was shattered in an instant.
A piercing shriek of magic tore through the air as five cloaked figures descended upon the infirmary under cover of twilight. Their presence radiated unnatural heat, their eyes glowing crimson with murderous intent. These were no ordinary demons. They moved like ghosts—silent, swift, and merciless.
The two knights guarding Rael's room immediately drew their blades, steel singing into the air as they charged forward.
"Protect the Hero at all costs!" one shouted.
The clash was fierce but uneven. The demons were ruthless, overwhelming the two knights who fought bravely but were quickly outmatched. Blood stained the ground as they bought precious seconds.
Inside the infirmary, the three maids trembled with fear, but their duty overcame it. Together, they gently lifted Rael's unconscious body from the cot, his skin pale, breath shallow. The maids fled through the back as the demons burst into the room.
One demon snarled, lunging forward, but a knight's blade found its mark in his final breath, halting the creature's pursuit for a moment longer.
Outside, chaos had consumed the battlefield. The air was thick with smoke and the metallic tang of blood. Roars of beasts and the cries of the wounded echoed through the valley. Seraphina stood atop a ridge, her eyes scanning for any sign of Rael or the enemy's commander.
Then the world darkened.
A chill fell over the camp. It wasn't the cold of weather—it was the weight of presence. A suffocating aura blanketed the ground like a storm cloud ready to burst.
And then, he appeared.
Floating above the battlefield, dressed in regal black and gold, with crimson eyes and long horns like a dark crown, the Demon King Lucifer descended slowly, smiling with twisted delight.
The battlefield fell into a hush. Even the clash of steel paused at his arrival.
He said nothing at first. His eyes locked onto something amidst the crowd of retreating humans.
The unconscious Rael.
Lucifer's eyes glinted with recognition.
"So... this is your so-called hope?" he sneered, his voice deep and echoing unnaturally across the field.
He descended with ease, like a god among mortals, landing before the fleeing maids.
They froze. One of them whimpered.
Lucifer extended a hand. "Give him to me."
The maids didn't answer. They ran.
In a flash of movement too fast to see, blood splattered the soil.
All three maids fell.
Lucifer stood over Rael's body, now lying still in the dirt.
"Why are you sleeping," he murmured darkly, "when I've come all this way to kill you?"
He kicked Rael's body—hard—sending it tumbling across the blood-soaked ground like a discarded toy.
From the battlefield, Eris Vaeloria screamed.
"RAEL!!"
Seraphina's breath hitched, her eyes wide with horror. Evelyn fell to her knees, hands trembling. Lyra, usually calm and lazy-eyed, clenched her fists so tightly that blood dripped from her palms.
Raiden cursed, his blade already drawn, and sprinted toward Lucifer.
But none of them could reach him.
The closer they got, the heavier the air became. Lucifer's aura crushed their bodies like invisible chains. The ground cracked beneath them, and even Raiden's legs began to buckle.
Lucifer smiled.
"You are all insects. And this... was your leader?"
Bjorn and Silas appeared behind the heroines, rallying soldiers, but even they faltered in Lucifer's presence.
Then the sky split.
A gate—a rift in the heavens—opened above them.
Another million demon underlings poured forth.
Their screeches deafened the air. Their numbers blotted out the sun.
Lucifer raised his arms, his laughter echoing.
"This... is just the beginning."
On the ground, Rael's unconscious body twitched.
And somewhere—deep inside his mind—Rael stood in darkness, hearing the voices of his friends calling to him.
"Wake up..."
"Rael, we need you..."
Seraphina's voice was the last. "Please... come back to us."
His eyes remained closed. But his fingers began to curl.