The forest didn't warn them, neither did it shake or howl.
It simply shifted.
A pressure cut through the air above the ruined base, sharp and descending fast. Branches bent violently as something tore through the canopy, followed by a second, then a third—until the sky itself seemed to fracture under the force of incoming presences.
They had returned with speed and fury.
The first demon broke through the treeline like a falling blade, slamming into the ground at the edge of the destroyed base. The impact cratered the earth beneath it, sending splinters of root and soil outward.
Then another landed.
And another.
Within seconds, the entire strike group had arrived.
Twenty demons.
All high-grade.
All armed with deathly claws, fangs, and even razor sharp tails.
All radiating killing intent.
And at the center of them was their Captain.
It didn't land with force.
It descended slowly.
