05:00 AM

At this time the city was fairly quiet. Many people were taking a well-deserved rest and replenishing their energy to face the new day with all possible strength. But others were already carrying out their respective daily tasks.

The soft, refreshing breeze made the hair of these people dance and filled them with a freshness that dried the sweat that soaked them.

A man looked up at the top of the Great Tree, not knowing that at that moment all the spirits that live at the top were looking towards the horizon, including Pixie, who spent the whole night playing with her new friends.

-Something very bad is going to happen-.

Even though the surroundings looked so beautiful, Dry did not look happy at all. The energy transmitted by this beautiful magical creature was one of pure pessimism. Dry felt the roots of the great tree, how they connected with others further away outside the city. And thanks to that, he felt how after having fought for hours, a presence of infinite pure evil disappeared forever.

-It's not possible for those things to appear up here- she sighed and brought her hand to her chest, her magical heart was beating too hard and a crushing feeling of fear took over her entire integrity. She sighed, her throat and lips trembling, and spoke again -How could they have gotten up here? In all these years not a single one has appeared, why are they appearing now?-.

Among all the inhabitants of Gignt, only two beings knew what happened during the course of the night and those were Serpio and Dry. But no one expected a real catastrophe to happen, so Nidya slept peacefully in the depths of her home next to her ever faithful pet, unaware of everything that had recently happened.

The same thing happened with everyone in the city, many sleeping, others resting and replenishing energy to start the day quite lively. Few businesses were open as most were still making the corresponding preparations to open and wait for their customers.

Those who are very attentive to the surroundings and pending that nothing happens in the city are the guards and sentries belonging to all divisions, especially those stationed on the walls, anxious and waiting for their shifts to end so they can go home to rest.

The information was transmitted among all the sentinels on the walls, on all shifts, that one of them, Sonetto, had gone to carry out an investigation and had not yet returned, even though 24 hours had almost passed.

Things were getting very tedious and yet no one was aware of worse news coming from the Damphirs.

…

Christopher and Selestia, each in their respective beds and sleeping peacefully. There was a reason why, despite their age, they had not separated. The reason is simply because Selestia does not want to.

In another room, Alexander was hugging the love of his life while placing his entire face between his wife's gentle breasts. The Lady's breasts were the perfect pillow for the Lord. At the same time, completely disheveled but still beautiful, Valentina was hugging her beloved husband with both hands, with whom she has a soul tie.

On the ground floor, in one of the guest rooms. Roger also hugged his sister and even though he was asleep, their brotherly grip did not relent in terms of strength. The other side of the coin, Macky, sleeping with her mouth half open, as fresh and comfortable as ever. For as long as she can remember, she was already a slave who only received bad treatment if she did not hurry up and bring the cigarettes and drugs to the one who was once her master.

She looked so peaceful now, her little body hadn't made the slightest movement all night. She really needed a good rest.

Finally, in another room, with Dina, the semi-human is probably having a very hard day. Unlike everyone else, she had only been asleep for an hour and a half, as she kept crying all night. Unloading and letting out all her sorrows, pain and suffering that she had endured for years. Even so, she decided that once she opened her eyes, she would begin her new life and move forward in the name of her deceased family.

Everyone in the Hope family had one more hour to continue sleeping peacefully, or at least that's how it was supposed to be.

-Hm? What was that?-.

Christopher opened his eyes when he heard some footsteps coming from upstairs. He was still dozing off until noises occurred again and this time it was much louder.

All his drowsiness died and he was on his feet instantly, someone had broken into his house and the only ones who could have been were the Damphirs.

-Serpio and Epinetre have returned-.

The desire to sleep disappeared completely, his face gave the impression of having been awake for a long time.

-I have to wake everyone up- the first thing he did was throw a pillow at his sister causing her to wake up suddenly somewhat angry because who likes to be woken up like this? -Selestia get up!- he exclaimed.

-Christopher, what's wrong with you? Why are you waking me up like this? - she complained, looking out the window and seeing that it was still dark outside -We still have time to sleep-.

-Serpio and Espínetre have returned, we must inform ourselves of their discoveries and know what we are facing- with just saying that the heavy eyes of the beautiful Elf became extremely light and she was already standing up.

They changed their clothes and left the room, meeting their parents who were hurrying up to the office.

...

The four of them were very surprised and almost in shock when they saw those responsible for causing all the scandal inside the office, some fallen papers and other things.

But they noticed Serpio more, who was resting in one of the chairs belonging to the Governors' desk.

It's not wrong to say that Serpio was a mess. Completely bloodied, almost massacred, he even lost his left arm.

The upper armor was shattered and, what's more, from the navel up only his naked torso could be seen, covered with countless and horrible wounds of different sizes and shapes.

The injuries varied from burns, cuts, scratches and other puncture wounds and even several blisters that would burst at any moment. As already mentioned, he lost his left arm from just below the shoulder. There you could see cold blood still dripping to the ground, some tissue hanging from the area. Even the remaining bone was sticking out a few centimeters.

The left half of her white face was seen with very serious burns and other wounds running diagonally and vertically connecting one end to the other. Her long hair suffered the same fate and was now cut short, only reaching her shoulders.

Blind in his left eye, which seemed to have exploded, even his ears were injured. His nose was broken and bleeding, he was breathing heavily through his mouth and thanks to this it was possible to see that his right fang had been removed, most likely due to a fairly strong blow.

His right arm was shaking in pain, having lost almost all of its outer layer of skin. Only his middle, index and thumb fingers remained, the missing ones were obviously torn off, and this arm was also adorned with horrible cuts that reached all the way to the bones.

Moving down to his legs, the armour underneath was also shattered, leaving the area from mid-thigh down almost bare. Only his boots were left standing. Both legs were also wounded and burned, especially the right one, which was broken. Because of all this, Epinetre sat him down on one of the chairs.

-Lord Alexander, Lady Valentina- between tears, Espínetre lowered her head as if she were truly sad. Although, emphasizing it, one could see the face of despair reflected in it -I am very sorry that we have arrived like this and that we have made a scandal, but I did not know where to go, please help him, I beg you-.

She looked very desperate, her life partner was on the verge of death and she did not want to lose him.

-Serpio, what happened to you?- Alexander asked almost in shock, he couldn't believe what he was seeing, after all, he knew Serpio's strength. He is someone extremely strong and resilient, no one in the city except for a few people could face him.

-Who did all this to you?- this time it was Valentina who asked the question.

Alexander was the one who always let his emotions out. So it was she who had to suppress hers to make better decisions. That wasn't being applied at the moment, because she was really so surprised by what she saw. Serpio, one of the ten strongest, completely massacred.

-Did the slavers attack you?!- he asked again -or maybe one of the strong magical beasts of the forest?-.

Behind them, Christopher and Selestia, analyzing the situation and trying with all their might to keep their calm demeanor and failing. What they saw was very shocking, both of them knew of Serpio's reputation as an excellent and ingenious hunter of Vampires and other magical beasts. Now in front of them was this person in bloody shit, as if he had been tortured in the most gruesome way possible.

-She can't speak- Espínetre regaining control over herself -due to her deplorable condition it is extremely difficult for her to speak and she can barely breathe!-.

Selestia was scared, she had seen horrible things and events on many occasions, but she had not yet had the opportunity to see someone who, despite being in such a deplorable state, was still alive - is there anything we can do? - and as expected, her heart of gold forced her to help others.

Valentina narrowed her eyes as Espínetre looked at her - Yes, could you give us a little of your blood? With that, she'll be able to recover, even if it's just a little. I think she'll at least be able to speak and breathe better.

-Then it's easier than I thought- Christopher lost his fear and walked towards both of them -I have no problem giving some of mine. What do you say, dad?- his son smiled at him, making Alexander return the gesture.

-Anything to help a good friend. What do you say, Dear and Selestia- Alexander.

-No problem for me- Selestia.

Espínetre prostrated himself in front of her, both knees and his forehead touching the ground as he cried and begged -I implore you, Lady Valentina, just this once give us a little of your precious blood, just a little- he wrinkled his face into a sad expression that denoted great desperation -...I beg you-.

-As long as you guys agree, why would I have a problem?- he said very seriously. -You are our friends who have helped us so many times, of course we will give you all the blood you need, so Selestia, pass me one of our small glasses-.

-Yes- Selestia answered.

-And make sure you clean it really well, we don't want Serpio to drink the blood with dirt in it-.

-Thank you very much everyone- Espínetre looked up again, showing much more enthusiasm -I really appreciate it all-.

...

Using a knife, both Christopher and his father injured themselves in an area of their wrist from which blood was constantly flowing.

The blood mixed in the small glass, and they were kind enough to fill it up to a little more than half full. In a sense they were considerate, as this would allow Serpio to regain his strength and heal some of his wounds.

Unfortunately he was not a Vampire, if he were he could be completely cured without leaving any after-effects on his body.

Being a Damphir, Serpio will be left with many scars, such as the loss of an arm. The wounds will only heal, but will not disappear. The same will happen with the burn marks, and he will not recover his eye either. Luckily, his hair will be able to grow back after a while.

So, the person in charge of giving him the small sip of juicy blood was, obviously, Espínetre.

She positioned herself in front of him, touching his face with such delicacy, as if she were touching some work of art that could break if she just added a little more force.

-Honey, I need you to take this- he brought the glass closer to his nostrils, the smell of blood was able to give him enough energy so that he could at least open his eye.

Serpio looked down and then looked up into his wife's eyes - they have gifted us with some of their precious blood. I know you don't want to drink blood, but please drink it, you must do so otherwise you won't heal, so open your mouth as wide as you can, I'll make sure you drink it-.

With great difficulty Serpio opened his mouth to obey her, and here Espínetre had to bite his lip in anguish.

-Don't look at his wounds, just concentrate on making him drink the blood- she told herself, and later she will have more time for her beloved to answer all her questions.

With great concentration and care, he tilted the glass he was holding, slowly pouring the vital crimson liquid into Serpio. He felt his tongue dance with the exquisite flavor. He closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of that liquid delicacy going down his throat.

A few seconds passed before he was finally able to open his eyes normally, although somewhat tired. He instinctively looked for the eyes of his life partner, whom he found just a few centimeters in front of him.

-Espínetre- he muttered almost to himself, only being heard by her due to the proximity to the Damphir, the others were not able to hear him speak.

Everyone had a lot of questions to ask, but they wouldn't get involved in meeting those two, the man almost died, surely he has some things to say to his beloved. -I love you...- at least he was able to find his voice again.

-What?- she murmured with her voice almost breaking, she couldn't believe what she had just heard, she didn't take it well and it wasn't that she didn't like it -What did you say?-.

-I love you, I love you so much- he added again with a pained smile -you have no idea how much good you have done for me all these years, I will always love you-.

-Serpio...- Espínetre called him, about to burst into tears -tell me that you're not saying goodbye to me, tell me that you won't leave me alone... Serpio... you can't abandon me-.

-Don't worry, it's just that... I really thought I would die in that fight- for a moment he remembered the horrible death fight he had against the terrifying being, he was grateful that he had a strong companion fighting by his side.

-I swore that if I managed to get out of that battle alive, I would change for the better- he looked at her again and now it was he who was shedding tears- I would be someone different, I would never show coldness towards you again. Espínetre, I know that this is not a good time to talk about this, but I don't want to waste any more time. I love you and I give you my heart, I thank you so much for staying by my side all this time, even though I gave you so few moments, I swear that now everything will change-.

Espínetre didn't know what to do, she just cried from so much happiness and not only because of her husband's words, but also because he finally opened his heart to her. She did know that he always had strong feelings for her, but he rarely let her see them, this would be for the sake of his life's goal, to kill someone.

Because of this, Serpio almost never let his feelings out, but for the better, that has changed.

Serpio watched Espínetre cry in front of him so it was impossible for him to stop his tears -Please, Espínetre, hug me, let me feel you, let me prove that I am truly alive and this is not a simple dream-.

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Espínetre silenced him in the best way that one can silence someone, with a deep and long-awaited kiss, full of affection and so many feelings of love. With just that, Serpio was able to perceive the immense love that Espínetre feels for him.

-Do you want me to give you another one?- she asked with a slight blush and her face full of so much love, Serpio just nodded.

"That was very nice," said Valentina, wiping away a tear as she hugged her husband's arm and intertwined her fingers with his.

-Who could have hurt him like this?- Christopher asked his sister, obviously she wouldn't have the answer -It's Serpio we're talking about, one of the ten strongest in Gignit!-.

-Do you think those slavers or mercenaries could have done that to him?- Selestia answered the question with another question, this way they wouldn't get the answer.

-I doubt it very much- and the one who gave the final answer was Alexander who unintentionally heard his children's conversation and responded to what Selestia had said automatically -it had to have been some very powerful magical beast-.

Serpio separated from his beloved trying to compose himself and stand up, it was totally impossible and he only managed to get a grimace of pain to appear on his face as he put force on his broken leg.

-Honey, just rest- demanded Espínetre with too much concern forcing him to sit down again -you are in no condition to exert yourself any more-.

Valentina felt very sorry for her friends, that's right, they are friends of both of them.

They have been in the city since the days of its founding.

Years of living in the place, she had the opportunity to help him and she would do it -Serpio, if you want I can give you more of my blood. My blood should give you more nutrients than a human's- she didn't say it in a derogatory way or anything like that, but it was a truth.

Firstly, because of the excellent nutrition she has, and also because of her magical abilities. Her blood would definitely be the best.

Valentina continued, "If you take it again, I think you might recover faster and some of your pain should subside."

-Don't worry, Valentina- Valentina even raised an eyebrow because, even though they were friends, he had always treated her very coldly -with all the blood they gave me I would be fine, I'll just dedicate myself to resting- this was the moment when he frowned -but first, I need you to do something-.

With just those words, the atmosphere in the place went from one of joy for recovery and reconciliation to one full of tension.

Valentina and Alexander looked at each other, it was the first time Serpio had asked them for something. They both nodded as Damphir continued -call a meeting of the Ten strongest, it's urgent-.

…

-Seal Magic: Invocation: Red Tarantula-.

One of Valentina's rings shone, the same one she used to perform certain invocations that she only used for certain occasions.

From there appeared what was a Tarantula of about thirty centimeters in circumference. Due to its striking color it seemed to shine in crimson tones -Herman, Tobias, Tadeo, Mansot, UNO and Ambe're- said Valentina while the tarantula seemed to listen to her.

As for Herman, he and his son Sebastian had arrived in the city during the last night. Which was perfect for the situation, since he would be present at the meeting.

-So that's the summoning they use when they call urgent meetings of the ten- Christopher watched the scene with great interest, his eyes focusing on the stone on his mother's summoning ring. The ring also glowed with a reddish hue.

"Dad," Selestia called, "is it enough to send Mom's summoned Tarantula Net? Wouldn't it waste too much time if she has to go from house to house?"

Selestia had a very good point, if the spider were to fulfill a mission of such importance it would take too long and it seems the information the Damphirs bring cannot wait.

Suddenly Selestia sees the Tarantula Web split into six smaller Tarantula Webs, one by one -your mother knows what she's doing. Besides, we've done this a couple of times already, you'll see that they'll be here before you know it-.

So, Valentina sent her summons in search of the six remaining members. Just by seeing them, they would know that they had to show up immediately because if they are called this way, it is probably because something bad is happening and they had to put together an attack and defense plan.

...

And it was just as Alexander had said, in the blink of an eye, all those summoned began to arrive at the house, in fact, they did so one after the other and as expected, Herman was the first, accompanied by his son, something that did not surprise any of the Governors or Christopher either.

They entered the house and the first thing Sebastian did was hug his friend with all his strength - thank you so much for helping my sister - he said, holding back the urge to cry and even more so for not having been there in that moment of so much suffering - I thank you so much, you really are the best -.

-It's what a friend would do- answered Christopher -besides, Diana is like our little sister, isn't she?- question asked to Selestia who nodded.

Sebastian looked at her, seeing her as beautiful as ever. Selestia extended both arms to him, inviting him to join her, and with that Sebastian went to receive her long-awaited hug.

-I'm glad you're back- Selestia kissed her cheek, not caring if anyone saw her -I missed you so much-.

-They told me you were stabbed. How is your wound?- Sebastian enjoyed the feeling of being hugged by his fiancée.

-Don't worry about it, nothing has happened to me, and I've already been treated. And as for Diana, she's very strong, you'll see that she'll recover when you least expect it- Sebastian nodded, although he still looked very depressed.

Selestia gave him another tender kiss, although it was much sweeter because they connected to his lips. "Do you want to go see Diana together later?" Smiling at her, Sebastian nodded and hugged her again.

-Have you been able to find information about the... you know what- Alexander asked in a very good way, he felt happy that his best friend, his right hand man was back in the city. With this he gave the feeling that security would not be breached again and it's not that the others were bad or anything like that, it was simply the feeling that Alexander felt due to the blind trust he had in him.

-Unfortunately no, although now that doesn't matter to me in the least. It's good to know that young Christopher has become a very strong and wonderful man- said statement caused both Alexander and Valentina to feel so proud of their son, they definitely did an excellent job raising and educating their children, both Christopher and Selestia because they both had that great desire to help others -thank you for raising him so well-.

-Yes...- answered Alexander watching as his children and Sebastian talked about some recent events. It was nice and at the same time made one think about the current situation of the city when watching Sebastian's expressions change upon hearing what happened.

And there's still the Damphirs thing that nobody knew about.

-Herman, have you been able to see Diana?- Valentina.

-That's right, the first thing I did when I arrived was go see her, I couldn't rest easy until I at least knew that my little girl wasn't in danger of dying- and that's what a father would do, he would leave everything aside to make sure his children were okay. -Rachel is still with her, I don't think she will leave her side until Diana gets up again-.

-That's what she always does- Valentina smiled softly remembering her past when she travels with Rachell. She never left the people she loved behind -that's what my girl always does-.

Continuing on, everyone arrived. Herman and Sebastian were the first, almost instantly Mansot, Tobias and Tadeo also arrived, very serious, because the Tarantula Network visited them all.

They knew that when Valentina sent them that invocation it was for something of vital importance.

They entered the place greeting everyone and welcoming Herman. Finally, UNO and Ambe're arrived, who is a Beast Woman belonging to the Reptile Clan, she would be a Lizard Woman, the strongest of all the Lizards, be they semi-humans or beast men/women who live in the city.

They were all dressed in battle gear, ready to go out and fight against something at any moment.

-We're all here, we can start- Alexander.

-Serpio and Espínetre are still missing- Tobias looked from one side to the other -or did they once again embark on a journey after their objective?-.

-In fact, they were the ones who requested this meeting of the Ten- Christopher looked like a Lord, the seriousness he conveyed made him a worthy successor.

Those present were left with their eyes wide open, the thing was very strange, but they were very sure that something extremely bad could happen.

-Did they request it?- ONE asked, very surprised.

"That's very strange," Tobias seconded, also somewhat surprised.

They went up the stairs and reached the office, where they confirmed what Christopher had said. Apparently, they were the ones who would guide the discussion or provide crucial information.

His surprise was due to Serpio's condition. He had literally been massacred.

The sight had a great impact on the newcomers, even more so because they were mentally asking themselves: -Who could have done that to him?- because Serpio was someone very strong and whatever did that to him should at least be a monster.

-I appreciate you all coming- luckily Serpio could now speak more easily, all thanks to the blood that all the members of the Hope family so kindly provided them. He could swear that with each passing minute he felt better.

-There is certain information of vital importance, not only for us, but also for the safety of Gignit and all its inhabitants-.

This is something new, both Alexander and Valentina looked with their eyes wide open in pure surprise. They were aware that the information Serpio handled was of vital importance, but not to the point of endangering the entire city.

No one said anything, all they thought about was Gignit's safety. Serpio looked at both governors and then looked at Spinetre, they instantly understood his intentions, so Alexander proceeded with his business.

-I think I'll have to bring you up to date first, Herman-Alexander. -We're going through a kidnapping crisis. The slavers and mercenaries are back.

Herman's face turned into one of uncertainty, he didn't know what to say. He didn't even know what to think. He gritted his teeth when he heard the second part of the statement - Diana and Mathias were involved in a confrontation where they fought for their lives against some mercenaries, I don't know if Rachel told you, but the enemies they both faced weren't just mercenaries, they worked for the criminal organization VARANUS-.

It was here that Sebastian turned his head abruptly towards Selestia and Christopher who nodded. He wanted to say something, anything, but he knew how to control himself because the meeting was very important and what he said would not contribute anything, rather, it would only be annoying.

-He told me that those bastards were mercenaries- gritted his teeth- but I didn't know they worked for a criminal organization-.

-That's the current situation- he narrowed his eyes, pure tension was felt inside the office as the discussion progressed -before getting involved in the fight with Diana and Mathias, Christopher had another confrontation with a slaver. He rescued two slaves and brought them here, when no one was looking I asked them some questions, unfortunately they didn't have much information because they didn't know if their master worked alone or had some contact with the organization, but they did confirm the presence of a network of slavers working hidden on the outskirts of the city, once again, VARANUS...-.

-Selestia rescued a child who was almost kidnapped by a slave, whose master belonged to the aforementioned organization- added Valentina.

-So they use slaves- commented Tadeo.

-Don't tell me they've already kidnapped some of the citizens- said Ambe're.

ONE looked extremely upset, not with the Governors or anything like that but because the day before, one of the Sentinels decided to go investigate.

Everything fit together and I didn't want to think that Sonetto had been captured -Sonetto, one of the sentries, went to investigate after seeing Lord Christopher carrying two badly injured slaves. He thought that the slavers had returned. So far there was no sign of him, so that could mean that...-.

Valentina looked away, as it hurt her that one of her fellow human beings could have fallen into the hands of the unfortunate ones - the possibilities are very high, none of the captured slaves have information about a captured Elf.

-Regarding those slaves you mentioned- Tobias, the werewolf sniffed the air- I can smell them in the house, aren't they dangerous to our people?-.

"I can assure you that's not the case," Christopher intervened. "None of the slaves were able to successfully complete their kidnapping missions, and they never had the will to do so."

-I see, if you say it it must be the truth- Tobias added again, Christopher nodded in gratitude because if Tobias had wanted to he could have created a scandal, since the integrity of the citizens is at stake.

-Let me continue- Alexander won the floor again -having already information in our favor, Valentina and I decided to ask for the help of Espínetre and Serpio who could find the trail of two of the slavers using their ability to follow the scent of blood they spilled, we thought that this way we could find their lair-.

-We had two fronts, on one hand, the slaver who may have information about the location of the hideout since none of the slaves know where it is. One of them even claims that every time they had to go to that place they would blindfold him, Espinetre would be in charge of looking for that person who apparently has direct contact with the base-.

With this, and in some way, it could be said that they divided the search range quite well, because in case of not finding one, the other could always have valuable information - from here it is up to our friends to inform us about their missions.

-Tell them everything, don't hold anything back- Serpio murmured, making Espinetre nod.

-I found the slavers' base- short and concise, it went straight to the point as it always should.

There was no need to tell them the whole journey or anything like that. He didn't mention how the base guards were fighting against zombies or some other event that was totally irrelevant and would serve no purpose.

-That half-human was right about one thing, the base did seem to be a tunnel in a cave surrounded by rocks and also that when they entered it they seemed to fall, that makes a lot of sense since- with his right index finger he pointed down -the slavers' base is underground-.

They all had some understanding of the facts of the situation, with exceptions like Herman, of course. But none of them even stopped to think for a moment, combining what the demi-human had said about how when they go to the base it seems like they fall and that the base is underground, now it made a lot of sense.

This is where the tunnel-like part comes in.

The demi-human had not lied even once during her interrogation and that greatly pleased the one who would now be her boss, Selestia.

-Were you able to sneak back to the base? Do you know how many enemies we'll be facing? - Now it was Valentina who had joined.

-Unfortunately, it was impossible for me- said Espinetre, making a slight gesture of apology- I could only get close to a certain point, because around the entrance I could notice a detection sound field, and if that wasn't enough, there were several detection seals on the ground. Don't worry, I'm sure that no one has detected me, but it was also impossible for me to know how many enemies we were facing-.

-That's the least of it- added Alexander -we fulfilled our primary objective which was to find the base of those damned bastards, we could investigate a little more and based on that create an attack plan-.

The others nodded in agreement with the course of action, obviously all of them wanted to go immediately in search of the slavers and massacre them. But they had to restrain themselves.

-So, continuing with some vitally important information, Serpio, what did you discover? And who did all that to you? - Alexander giving the floor to Serpio

-You are someone quite strong and seeing you in that state is something that none of us would expect- Mansot.

-Any Alpha-class magical beasts living up here?- Ambe're.

-My love- called Espínetre with his face denoting quite annoyed -what kind of magical beast did this to you? Tell me! And right now I will go gut it with my own hands-.

He was grateful for his beloved's wishes, in fact, he even felt very loved when she affirmed her wishes to subjugate the one who caused all this to her. He would never let her go fight against that thing that luckily he and the magical beast managed to destroy.

With his one eye he observed everyone who looked at him expectantly, quite interested in what he would say, perhaps it would date something from his mission.

-I dedicated myself to following the trail that the slaver who Christopher faced had found in the area of a clearing- Serpio looking at Christopher -but he was already dead, it seemed like a magical beast was in charge of killing him-.

-And since he didn't have a hand, he couldn't defend himself- Christopher added to himself.

-I found a place that seemed to have been a battle zone, there lay two bodies that apparently were those of defeated mercenaries and near them, a small trail of blood belonging to a Dark Elf. Can you confirm if the missing Elf was a Dark Elf?-.

-That's right- answered ONE -Sonetto is a Dark Elf-.

-So Sonetto must have met the slavers and after killing two of them he must have left the place- Valentina.

-We don't know what happened, but if you didn't find Sonetto's body it means that at least he's not dead- a very good deduction on Alexander's part.

-I also felt that in the distance the presence of a Daemon had appeared who apparently was fighting against some people- he gave Alexander a look.

-Yes- he replied -the guild master had sent us a report about the appearance of a Tzegua-.

-A Tzegua?!- exclaimed Hermán, truly surprised. -And what happened to her? We didn't encounter that Daemon when we arrived here-.

Valentina looked at Alexander very seriously before adding something to the group - we had created a special mission just for female adventurers, that battle you felt should have been them fighting against the Tzegua. If they didn't meet her when they arrived here, it means the girls have eliminated her-.

-Yes, that could be the case- Herman.

-Then, I'll continue with what happened- Serpio gave a rather heavy sigh and the surrounding air around him became cold -I encountered a GUARDIAN class magical beast and it was at that moment that I felt a truly macabre presence approaching me-.

Serpio remembered everything that happened - that was what caused me all these wounds.

He opened his mouth and uttered a simple, short phrase that was more than enough to completely transform the attitudes of those present.

Alexander, Valentina, Christopher EVERYONE! No one was spared from the immeasurable fear and terror that attacked their very souls, destroying them.

Slowly, everyone's eyes and mouths opened in shock, but in a horrible shock. They were breathing with difficulty, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

Tobias and Mansot's fur bristled like a porcupine.

Ambe're's shoulders and tail fell to the ground. The others were beaten by a terrible cold sweat, they felt as if their spines were frozen. They reached the point where dark circles appeared under their eyes.

In slow motion Valentina put a hand to her mouth, covering it, nobody, absolutely nobody could believe what Serpio had said.

Selestia even began to shed some tears and with her free hand she grabbed and intertwined it with Sebastian's who, due to his state of shock, didn't even notice.

Just one short prayer was enough to leave everyone in this state, even Espínetre who looked at her husband through tears.

He could have died in that fight! And in such a horrible and macabre way.

Serpio named the most hated beings in the world.

Those considered the enemy of everyone in Kosmos.

To those considered as disgusting blasphemies of creation, whose very existence is a sacrilege to the world.

To the profane insults to life.

To the most macabre and malignant beings in existence.

To those who are born in the depths of the stormy chaos that is the abyss of absolute evil.

To those beings that should no longer exist and should be extinguished as soon as possible, whose mere mention will leave even the bravest of all trembling.

-W-What did you say?- the only one able to speak was Christopher, although with great difficulty, he felt the bags under his eyes filling with potential tears that threatened to come out -a-against what they h-have f-fought-.

Serpio raised his serious, tired red-eyed gaze and met Christopher's incredulous green eyes.

The young Lord prayed to the heavens that he had simply misheard, that it had been some mistake or a joke in bad taste. That was why he dared to ask the question he had just asked.

Serpio was serious, despite his deplorable state he conveyed an air of pure sincerity mixed with deep fear. No one in all of KOSMOS would make this kind of statement as a joke, naming everyone's enemies so lightly.

Again he said the same sentence, destroying the little hope that remained in Christopher.

-We are fighting against a… DAIMONAS-.