I looked at the two enemies who had appeared out of nowhere. They resembled neither the possessed townspeople nor the crazy cultists. Yes, they contrasted starkly with other humans. Their predatory glare reminded me of Laikos. It was as if they had been…

“Human Aberrations,” Demetrius said.

“Yes, they’re invincible specimens.” Christopher Fergus tapped the ground with the Stabilizing Staff. “They know neither fear nor hesitation.”

“Trent the Slick and Ormond the Giant,” Reinfried said. “They were bandits. I arrested them several months ago and sent them to the prison dungeons.”

“Well, Faust must’ve used them for a little experiment,” Demetrius said. “I’ll handle Fergus.”

“Leave the guy with the sickles to me,” I said. “Trent’s his name, right?”

“Yes,” Reinfried said. “And Ormond’s mine.”

I stood facing my new opponent. Trent the Slick… Faust made him into a monster. Those sickles were so fast that I could barely see them. If I had been seconds late, my head would’ve been chopped off. The two sides stared at each other in silence. No one blinked; no one moved. Everyone was waiting for a chance to strike.

“Lance, Reinfried,” Demetrius whispered, “prepare yourselves. I’ll cast a spell.”

As a gust blew across the street, Demetrius unleashed his power. Green magic circles dotted the dirt road, and metal stakes popped out from new crevices in the crumbly earth. They split the road in half and punched holes through anything they encountered.

“Is that your best?” Fergus laughed. It seemed that he had also been reciting an incantation under his breath. Immediately, there was an overwhelming burst of flames. The heat melted the stakes and nullified Demetrius’s attack.

“Dear me, I think I’ll have to go all out.” Demetrius placed his hands on the ground, and a red magic circle appeared. It glowed for only a second before a pair of long chains materialized.

Fergus attacked with more fire, but Demetrius whipped the chains, and the gust that their movement created sent the flames back at Fergus. Meanwhile, Ormond the Giant lumbered toward Reinfried, and Trent the Slick zoomed to confront me. A three-versus-three battle had started.

Trent pushed me back with repeated slashes. As light-footed as a Laikos, he lunged, twisted, turned, bent back, bent forward, slid, jumped, growled, bit. I couldn’t keep up with him, but I managed to protect myself against his most malignant attacks.

When a chance presented itself, my blade stopped his sickles. The friction between the weapons created sparks, but I stayed strong and refused to yield. Then, with a wide slash, I forced him to retreat a few steps.

I need to do something before my head gets added to this year’s harvest.

Trent’s attack resumed. I absorbed one hit after the other with my sword. Then I stopped with a solid footing in the dirt, avoided one of his sickles, and slashed his stomach. My sword left a horizontal slit, but it wasn’t enough.

He’s still moving.

Trent didn’t need to recover. He didn’t seem to feel pain or understand the meaning of danger. Lusting for blood, he aimed a new attack at my head. This time, he was so close that I didn’t have a chance to put up my usual defense. His crimson eyes stared into my soul, and his teeth clattered hungrily.

No, I won’t die like this. In my moment of despair, I remembered my practice duel with Reinfried. When I had the advantage in close range, what did Reinfried do? That’s right—he didn’t try to block or dodge but pushed himself forward!

I adjusted my stance and hurled my body forward, leaving my sword to drop to the ground. I caught Trent’s arms quickly and pushed them sideways before his sickles could land a hit. They barely grazed my shoulders. Then I bashed his face with my skull: I headbutted him with enough strength to break his nose. The sickles fell from his hands, and he staggered backward.

“Ugh, that hurt…” I picked up my sword.

Having recovered from the impact, I tried to deliver the final stab. Trent was still dizzy, but he roared and thrashed around like a frenzied monster.

“It’s time for you to rest. You’ve suffered long enough.”

I got past his frantic swings and thrust my sword through his chest. His crimson eyes lost color, and the black marks on his skin disappeared. He fell to the ground like a bird that had been sniped. Slowly, black fumes emerged from his body, and I absorbed them with my left hand.

“Lance, I could use some help here.”

I turned around.

Oh, right! I almost forgot this fight was three versus three.

Demetrius and Fergus had been engaged in a fierce battle all this time. They were now on the rooftops, and they lapsed into an exchange of quick-cast spells. On the other hand, Reinfried, who had called for my help, was backing away as Ormond the Giant waved his monolith of a sword.

Hang in there, Reinfried. Help is on its way.

I took careful steps and sneaked up on the giant. I remained undetected until I was standing behind his towering figure. From there, I aimed my blade at his nape, but before I could land a hit, he placed his two-handed sword in the way. My body vibrated as if it had struck an anvil. The shock stunned me for a second, and this was enough for the giant to get away. He stood with his back to a house so that no one would be able to sneak up on him again.

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Reinfried and I took a moment to catch our breath.

“Thanks, Lance, he almost got me.”

“Don’t mention it. What’s our plan now?”

“He’s like a bear.”

“Maybe I can distract him a little.”

“Yes. Buy me some time, and I’ll find an opening.”

I nodded and approached the giant. His moves would be slow and heavy, but his swings would be unstoppable. If I tried to block or parry, he would split my sword and me in half. I needed to use my speed.

“Let’s see what you’ve got, Ormond.”

He raised his arms and swung his sword, but I slipped away and counter-attacked with a horizontal slash. I thought I had cut off his arm, but when I turned around, I found that my attack had left only a shallow bruise.

It’s just as Reinfried said. He’s like a bear.

My futile attack only enraged Ormond. His crimson eyes shone with fury, and the black marks on his skin flared. He stamped toward me and roared like an injured beast. My head was his first target, but I avoided his sword with a sideways roll. He hammered the ground in frustration and aimed for my torso next, but I bent down and let his blade pass above me. Finally, he curled his fist and tried to punch me. It was the worst of his offensive attempts, and I only had to back a step away to be safe.

Having exhausted Ormond, I was about to assail him with consecutive blows, but Reinfried appeared next to me. “I’ve got it from here,” he said and slid between Ormond’s legs. On the other side of the giant’s body, he got up, turned around, and slashed through the back of the knees. Ormond fell forward helplessly because his legs could no longer support him.

“One more attack will do it,” I said.

Reinfried nodded. Silverthorne shone brightly in his hand. Then he thrust its sharp tip forward. It pierced Ormond’s neck. Black fumes rose into the air, and I reached with my hand and absorbed them.

“We’re done with Faust’s experiments,” I said. “There’s just Fergus now.”

At that moment, there was a resounding crash. I turned around and saw Fergus leaving the rubble of a destroyed house. He had landed on his back, protecting the Stabilizing Staff with his body.

“They’re still at it,” I said.

“Cultists don’t know when to give up,” Reinfried said.

Fergus recited incantations and ran along the houses, while Demetrius whipped two chains from the rooftops.

“Things look pretty intense,” I said.

“Magic is flashy by its very nature,” Reinfried said.

Fergus rode across the sky on a torrent of steamy water, while Demetrius followed on a tornado.

“They forgot we’re here,” I sighed.

“That’s for the best,” Reinfried smiled and staggered backward.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

“It’s just exhaustion, Lance.”

“You should rest.”

I gave Reinfried a shoulder to lean on and walked him to the side of the road. There, he sat down with his back against a wall. He had been through a lot, and anyone in his shoes would have collapsed from the constant combat and stress.

Not long after Reinfried sat down, there was another crash. This time, however, Christopher Fergus landed and didn’t get up. Surrounded by debris, he coughed blood and moaned in pain.

“Hand over the staff,” Demetrius said as he landed near the rubble.

“No. You don’t understand our struggle. The years of planning, the months of work, the obstacles we’ve overcome.” Fergus coughed weakly. “We will conquer this world first and the Seventh Labyrinth next. We’ve lived like cockroaches for long enough. Lord Faust has promised us. Lord Faust is… is… Lord…”

“You’re delusional.” Demetrius looked down coldly. “But you seem to know a lot about what was happening.”

Demetrius began to cast a healing spell.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“I’ll keep him hanging between life and death.” Demetrius took the Stabilizing Staff, then created barriers around Fergus. “He’ll stay trapped until we return, and his confessions will incriminate Faust.”

“Oh, right.” I scratched my cheek with my forefinger. “I forgot we needed to present evidence to the imperial authorities.”

Demetrius turned around, saw us on the side of the road, and said, “Reinfried, are you hurt?”

“No, it’s just exhaustion.”

“Let me help you.” Demetrius raised his hands and cast another healing spell. “My spells treat injuries, but they’re not a substitute to actual rest.”

“I think I’ll stay behind,” Reinfried said. “I can’t fight Belphegor, not when I’m like this. You need someone to guard Fergus, and I’ll settle for this job.”

“That’s a wise choice,” Demetrius said.

“Are you sure you’ll be fine on your own?” I asked.

“Yes. Now, break the staff, and get moving. Beat Faust twice—once for what he did to you, Lance, and another time for what he did to the town guards and me.”

Demetrius handed me the Stabilizing Staff and smiled, “You said you were good at breaking things, so you may have the honor.”

I held the staff with both hands and bashed it against my knee. It broke in half with an ear-splitting noise. I looked up. For a moment, it seemed as if nothing had changed: the portal remained in the sky, and the demonic ghosts flew unaffected. But then a strange wind began to build up.

“What’s happening?” Reinfried said.

“There’s no need for alarm,” Demetrius replied. “Something is catalyzing the disintegration and redirecting the mana into spatial pockets.”

“Speak our language, please,” I said.

“The portal is collapsing. And faster than I expected.”

The wind intensified without warning. Debris flew into the sky, and trees lost their leaves. Then I saw a familiar silhouette flying on the other side of the portal. Was that Archidox? After the silhouette disappeared, the demonic ghosts were sucked into the portal. They were pulled by an invisible force and expelled out of our world. The fog was also sucked away. I had known from the beginning that it was artificial, but it was a pleasant surprise to see it vanish with the demons.

“The sky is returning,” Reinfried said. “The colors that Serena loved so much…”

There was a beautiful spectrum—light blue above and sunset red near the horizon. The countryside scenery added a calming green, and the mountains appeared in the distance, their white peaks adjoining the flowing clouds. I could see the Hall of the Mountain King. At sunset, even that dreary castle looked picturesque. The portal shrank until it was barely visible. Then it vanished like a speck of dust in the eternal blue.

“It’s time, dear Lance,” Demetrius said. “We’ve got to go on a hunt.”

“Yeah, we need to hurry after Belphegor.”

“See if you can find horses in the town stables,” Reinfried said.

Demetrius liked the idea and ran off, but I stayed behind for a few moments, captivated by the look on Reinfried’s face. It was mysterious but full of emotion. He was looking at the sky like curious children or reminiscing elders. What thoughts might have been passing through his mind? What memories might have been awoken from their deep slumber?

“We’ll be back as soon as we can,” I said.

He nodded and continued to watch the beautiful sky.