Ratatata!
The soldiers opened fire.
Bullets rained.
Blood splashed.
Demons collapsed before they could even approach.
The people within the cube tightly clenched the sharp military knives.
Screeeeeech!
The flying demons descended.
"Be careful of the flying demons!"
The commander shouted.
Bang!
He fired his handgun.
Bang! Bang!
Bullets pierced the body.
Thud!
The demon collapsed amid the crowd.
Its life flashed.
It flapped its wing desperately.
"KILL IT!"
The people swarmed excitedly.
Once it fell among them, it was the end.
The people stabbed mercilessly, tearing it apart.
Blood splashed on them.
But they showed no reaction.
Adrenaline rushed.
Hearths thumped.
A smile crept up their faces.
They killed their first prey.
Bang! Bang!
Lucian fired.
Another demon fell.
Torn apart in seconds.
"Be careful!"
The other flying demons targeted the people within the cube.
Screech!
Their beaks opened.
But the people swung their knives in the air.
Even they couldn't dodge them all.
The flying demons had to retreat into the air.
Wait for an opportunity.
"Lucian, be alert of the flying demons!"
The commander ordered.
He focused his entire attention on the ground battle.
His eyes wandered around, searching for opportunities.
'The north side is crucial,'
His eyes locked on the hill from which the demons descended.
His mind raced.
'Then the east,'
He glanced grimly to the right.
'The west and south sides are not critical.'
"WEST SIDE, RELOAD!"
He ordered.
The soldiers on the west side reloaded.
The situation was not dangerous.
They took care of most of the demons on their end.
The few remaining were too far.
They had time to reload.
"Ready!"
The soldiers shouted in unison.
"ROTATE CLOCKWISE!"
"YES, SIR!"
The soldiers obeyed.
Their feet moved in rhythm.
Slowly, the west-side soldiers came to the north side.
And they didn't leave a single gap during movement.
"FIRE!"
The soldiers opened fire.
The commander looked around. Observing.
Sweat drenched his forehead.
"WEST SIDE, RELOAD!"
The soldiers on the west side obeyed.
'There are only enough bullets for one full rotation,'
Crisis shrouded his heart.
The number of demons significantly reduced.
More than two hundred demons.
Now, the military outnumbered them.
'It's not good,'
The commander gnashed his teeth.
The number fell, but firing without restraint cost bullets.
They wasted several thousand bullets.
"Cease fire!"
The commander frowned.
The demons slowly backed away.
"YESSSSSSS!"
"WE WON!"
The ordinary people jumped in joy.
Joy of having won without fighting.
But the commander's heart grew uneasy.
Something was wrong.
The air grew heavy.
SCHHHHRKKK!
A demonic roar tore the air.
The joy vanished.
The hearts trembled.
The demons parted, opening a path.
From the top of the rubble hill, a monster emerged.
"No..."
"A monster..."
Despair fell upon the people.
Even the commander's heart tightened.
'This is the leader,'
He felt it.
A powerful demon.
Red eyes pierce the darkness.
They stared straight at him.
A commander observing a commander.
It slowly descended. Congient.
It walked on all four.
The body size similar to the low-grade demon hound, but the pressure it carried was incomparable.
The head hung high.
The back crouched.
Bone spikes pierced through the skin.
Tentacles hung from its mouth.
Twitching, swirling like worms. Alive.
With every breath, the mouth opened.
Layers and layers of sharp teeth.
A rotting stench radiated from the mouth.
The skin smooth, black.
It glowed like jade.
Swoosh!
It dashed.
Terrifying speed.
The commander's eyes widened.
"FIRE!"
He roared.
The soldiers recovered.
They fired.
All aimed at the rapidly approaching demon.
"Lucian, prepare."
The commander tightly clenched the axe.
He glanced at the unconscious buff man.
And at the man with the multiplying ability, not far.
'I hope you can survive,'
But at the moment, he could only pray.
He couldn't even protect himself.
Ding! Ding!
The bullets rained.
Hundreds of bullets.
But the tips flattened.
They bounced off the body of the demon.
Barely left a scratch.
"ABANDON THE GUNS!"
The command thundered.
Confusion and uncertainty filled the soldiers.
Abandon the guns?
Their most powerful weapon?
They hesitated.
But too late.
The demon arrived.
BOOM!
"AGHHHH!"
A soldier groaned.
The demon slammed its head into him.
Crack!
The ribs shattered.
Blood sprouted from the mouth.
He flew back, collapsing into the crowd.
Panic!
The determination washed off.
Panic and terror ensued.
Chaos!
"DISPERSE!"
The commander roared.
Fear shrouded his heart.
Fear of the new monster.
Fear they'll get wiped out.
He dashed at the demon.
"ENGAGE THE DEMONS!"
The surrounding demons sensed the weakness.
Their leader opened a path.
They lunged.
Groowl!
Teeth sank in.
Flesh tore.
Screams filled the night.
"Slishhh!"
The tentacles of the demon squirmed.
It stopped attacking and glanced at the commander.
Lucian followed closely behind.
"Lucian, I'm counting on you."
The commander's eyes turned red.
The lips turned back.
He used his ability.
He became the berserker.
"AGHHHHHHHHHHH!"
A furious roar tore the air.
'Kill! Kill! Kill!'
A voice screamed in the commander's mind.
Battle intent surged.
Violence assaulted his mind.
Madness.
Swoosh!
The demon attacked.
The red eyes of the demon glowed.
They were on for a head-on confrontation.
"NOW!"
A voice rang from behind the commander.
The commander still had some control over his mind.
He dashed to the side, revealing Lucian.
The air trembled.
Lucian extended his arm before him.
Crash!
Something shattered.
The invisible barrier shattered.
It couldn't hold the demon back.
Terror, panic, and fear flashed across Lucian's face.
For the first time, his emotionless face showed emotion.
He gritted his teeth.
Thud!
Crack!
They collided.
Lucian's body flew backward.
Pain surge.
His face twitched.
Something cracked.
But not his bones.
"Aghhhh!"
The commander roared.
He used the opportunity.
The axe descended on the head of the demon.
CLANG!
Spark flew.
The demon lowered his body.
The axe collided with the bone spears on his back.
'Such monstrous strength,'
The metal axe vibrated.
The skin on his palms tore.
Blood dripped.
But the grip tightened.
The commander did not react.
As if he didn't feel pain.
Slash!
A tentacle extended from the mouth.
It slashed.
"AGHHHH!"
Blood sprouted.
The commander's eyes closed.
A wound opened horizontally slightly above the brows.
His entire face painted crimson in blood.
But closing his eyes now meant death.
He forcibly opened them.
Blood entered.
His vision turned red. Blurry.
Swoosh!
The monster advanced at him.
The commander dodged.
THUD!
But the monster was too fast.
It slammed into his side.
Crack!
The ribs shattered.
"Cough!"
Blood sprouted from his mouth.
His body flew, slamming into the ground.
The demon's mouth opened.
Its razor-sharp teeth revealed.
Layers of teeth.
Enough to mince him.
The demon attacked.
The commander moved.
The ribs pierced his organs.
Blood filled his lungs.
He couldn't breathe.
Through blurry vision, he could see Lucian rushing to him.
The situation around didn't look optimistic.
Soldiers fought desperately, people fell, dying.
Torn to pieces.
Cries filled the air.
The numbers rapidly decreased on both sides.
Casulties piled.
Rivers of blood flowed.
The metallic scent contaminated the air.
"AGHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The commander roared in fury.
His arm extended back, gathering strength.
The veins bulged.
Madness filled his eyes.
The last bit of clarity left him.
He gave in to his violent emotions.
Berserker.
SWOOOSH!
He swung at the incoming demon.
Not caring for the consequences of failing, the injury of collision.
He didn't care for anything.
A tentacle extended.
CLANG!
The clash tore the air.
As if metal struck metal.
Splash!
The tentacle tore.
Blood splashed.
The axe's blade severely dented.
Yet it won the battle.
But it cut just a single tentacle.
It didn't stop the demon.
The demon hound was upon him.
Lucian couldn't reach in time.
But at this time, the madness of the Berserker showed.
The axe went back.
The commander swung again.
This time, at the head.
CRASH!
Collision.
The skin tore.
But the axe shattered.
THUD!
The head slammed into the Commander's stomach.
BOOOM!
His body tore the air like a cannon.
He slammed into the rubble hill.
A dust cloud rose.
The demon chased.
Its speed terrifying.
Nothing could save the commander now.
'I must save him!'
Lucian's mind raced.
'Not yet! Not yet! NOT YET!'
His eyes darted around in panic.
'He can't die yet! No one can contain him if he does!'
Badum!
His heart throbbed.
The commander was several dozen meters away.
The barriers can't reach him.
'My plans must not fail! I need him!'
Urgency filled his heart.
Badum!
But suddenly, he froze.
The mind blanked.
Arms extended towards the commander.
The eyes glowed blue.
As if energy gathered within them.
He could feel it.
A warm feeling in his stomach.
It rose to his arms.
"Hexagonal Barrier,"
BOOOM!
The air before the commander sook.
The demon slammed into the air.
Dust settled, revealing the shape.
An invisible barrier.
No, four invisible barriers overlap in the air.
A breakthrough.
His barriers could now stop the demon.
Bom! Bom!
The demon slammed into the barrier.
The barrier shook, but didn't break.
"Kekekeke..."
The commander laughed.
His body lay in the rubble. Half-conscious.
Arms hung, broken.
His body was unusable.
He only hung thanks to his ability.
Berserker.
Lucian glanced at his palm.
His legs shook.
'I-I got stronger?'
He glanced at his palms, but barely held on from collapsing.
Exhaustion washed over him.
Exhaustion from using up his mana.
But now, he could face the demon.
Hope reignited within him.
"UAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
A roar tore the air.
A roar from the distance.
Powerful roar. Ancient. Inhuman.
A roar carrying primal fear.
The battlefield froze.
Silence fell.