"No!"

Just as Corin's killer disappeared in front of him, a fresh surge of demons launched themselves towards their makeshift wall. Samba grabbed the first one to reach him in his fist and squeezed his torso until his head popped off like a grape.

He grabbed the next demon as well, but their Vitality was higher, meaning they were likely a Classer like he was.

That didn't mean they were any less dead though.

Samba accepted the demon's blade across his abdomen, letting his Domain tank the damage, and then spun him around into a double arm lock. In the next moment, Alice appeared at his side and slammed her axe into the Classer's torso.

Her ability had grown at an insane pace since her husband's death, but it still took her three blows to end the Classer's life. Meanwhile, Samba kicked and bit any other demon that came their way while keeping his eyes out for the Ninth Heir.

"I can sense him!" Alice shouted. In his anger, it took him a second to remember that her Soul had actually progressed more than his. Her Soul senses were better.

"Where?" Samba growled.

"Far right flank!" Samba's head snapped behind him and he dropped the mutilated body of the Classer and kicked off the ground rocketing down their lines.

"WAIT-!" Alice shouted, but he was already gone.

Just as she said, he saw the Ninth Heir shimmer into existence just behind Tala, dual swords raised to end her life.

And Samba was too far. Memories of Mark being drained by a soulless doll while he was powerless to help him flashed into his mind.

"NO MORE!," he screamed and he flared his Domain [Radiant Guard] with almost half of his Aether. Both blades bit into the back of her neck, but his Domain blunted them enough that Tala was able to roll with the attack.

She smacked headfirst into their wall. Demons poured into the opening as she fell, but she was alive.

Samba arrived a second later and lashed out with both claws, trying to grab the Ninth Heir, but the demon simply smirked as the dust aided his movements enough to dodge and he disappeared once more.

"Samba!" Tala was two feet away fighting desperately from her back, her wild swings doing more to protect her than any damage.

Samba activated [Darting Fortress] and bulled into the mob of demons that had sought to end his wife's life. All of them were blown away from her by his charge and their blood sprayed backwards toward the oncoming demons.

In the space he'd made, he held his paw out to let her up.

"Thanks for the save, sweetheart," she said, giving a cheeky grin. A grin that fell when she saw his face.

"He got- Corin's dead."

Tala's face went through a whirlwind of emotions, but her jaw eventually tightened. "Find him and end him."

It took him a moment that felt like an eternity on the battlefield, but eventually, his face mirrored his wife's resolve. "Yes, ma'am."

Alice ran up the next moment, completely out of breath. "He's moving into our back lines!"

Samba nodded, refocusing on the battle around him. He scooped Alice up and deposited her on his shoulders before sprinting back towards the priests, humans, and Deft Golems.

"There!" He followed her finger. Their enemy was still invisible, but Samba could see the target. Another Classer. This one a priest.

The Ninth Heir appeared the next instant and Samba knew that he'd be too slow again. Thankfully, he wasn't alone this time.

Alice activated [Splitting Light] and a shining glow lit the edge of her axe before shooting across the space between them and their foe far faster than he could have reached him.

Her Skills were different, but it almost felt like fighting beside Mark again.

The Ninth Heir dodged and again the earth seemed to dance around his feet, speeding his movements. Before the battle on the blockade, he'd been informed of the demon's subdomain of Earth, but seeing it in action made it seem like it was worth several levels of Agility.

Samba wasn't slow, however. Shrieks of surprise rang out from the priests nearby as Samba stomped through their midst. The Ninth Heir was already starting to turn invisible again.

Alice's finger appeared right beside Samba's face, pointing the way. He charged into an alleyway away from the rest of the fight. The demon was using their Subdomain to keep ahead of him as Samba could now see the swirls of dust making a clear path to follow.

He activated [Darting Fortress].

Alice snatched at his fur in a desperate attempt to hold on as the two of them blazed forward flanked by two walls of Aether in the small alleyway. Samba bodily smacked into the back of the demon who suddenly appeared before him, sprawling against the sidewalk.

Samba didn't slow, continuing to charge forward, but the Ninth recovered quickly. Using the dust to help him catapult to his feet, he brandished his two scimitars.

"I prefer the easy method, but this works too. Badera the Ninth at your service."

"You killed Corin," Samba spat. Corin had been with them almost since the beginning. It was Corin who'd witnessed Gi massacring Children and it was Corin who he'd always been able to rely on after they'd left Igna. Corin trusted him more than anyone else.

Now, he was gone. Just like Mark. Just like Wax.

"I'm going to rip your fucking head off."

All of his anger and frustration and helplessness fueled him on as he lunged forward. Badera hopped backwards, but Samba clawed into the ground with his front paws and continued his lunge.

From his back, Alice fired off [Splitting Light] after [Splitting Light], but Badera continued to dodge. Unexpectedly, he whirled forward, a mini-hurricane of steel that cut into his left shoulder and arm as he practically danced past him.

The demon was faster than him and potentially more skilled, but his type of fighting style wasn't unfamiliar to Samba. A little less violent perhaps, but otherwise, it was Kumo's. The fighting style that Tiria had mimicked to keep him from saving Mark.

He relived that moment almost every night. His limbs always just a touch too slow to catch Tiria. Mark's screams seeming to beg him for help and Alice's helplessness as Tiria continued to pummel him away with this exact fighting style.

In all of his regretful daydreams, he knew exactly what he'd do that night to actually save him. His nightmares never let him, but in this moment, he could at least avenge Corin.

Samba leapt forward again. [Regeneration] was already closing the wounds on his arm, allowing him to perform a quick barrage of grab attempts that Badera simply danced away from. Samba lunged a little too far and the demon spun like a whirlwind along his other flank, cutting him up again.

He was too fast for Samba to turn and catch him, but not enough for him to get away from [Defiant Riptide]. His evolved [Fighting Style] had grown from its simple origins to a truly robust Skill.

A wave of ethereal water burst out from him, slowing Badera just as he cut past him. His eyes widened in surprise as Samba lunged now much more quickly by comparison.

Only a swift kick against the building to their left saved him from Samba's grasp. He tried to skip backwards again, but the waters grabbed at his feet. A [Splitting Light] from Alice seared into his chest, but it didn't quite have the strength of Mark's abilities.

The demon let out a loud groan as he escaped Samba's follow up attack. His Subdomain was working overtime to keep him just ahead of him and only well-timed kicks against the walls kept him from getting completely pinned down.

The fight slowly started to equalize and Badera's smirk returned. "You had me worried there for a second."

Samba didn't respond. He continued to lunge forward like a monster possessed, constantly searching for the grab that would end the demon's life. Badera never stopped dodging, but [Defiant Riptide] meant that it was much closer than before.

Feeling comfortable, Badera took the bait.

Samba lunged forward and Badera used whatever whirlwind skill it was that let him slice him open as he moved past him. This time, Samba was ready.

He dodged into the blades. Even with his Domain running, the scimitars cut deep into his side and chest, slicing through meat until they were finally stopped by bone.

And caught.

Samba whirled, faster than he'd been feigning a moment before and with his other arm, he swam it between the neck and shoulder of Badera and palmed the back of his head.

Using the momentum of his spin, he jumped and activated [Darting Fortress] at the same time to deliver a flying knee directly into Badera's chest. A sickening crunch sounded as a shockwave of breaking bones resounded within the demon's chest and blood vomited out of his mouth.

He weakly struggled against Samba's grip, but it wouldn't have worked even if he was completely healthy. The Coastal Clinch might have been created by the Coastal Goblins, but it was Samba's now and no monster could best him in it.

Before the lower half of Badera's body could even come back down after the impact of his knee, Samba quickly switched his feet and brought his left leg up and lodged his claws in the demon's stomach.

It felt dirty and feral like he was nothing more than a beast, but for once, Samba didn't care. He hugged Badera's head into his chest and pulled backwards. The demon's innards spilled out as his claws raked down and caught on his hip bone which gave him just enough leverage for one final pull that ripped the demon's head free.

Samba dropped the lifeless body and its dismembered head to the ground.

"Fuck you, Tiria...," he muttered around deep gasping breaths. Now that his opponent lay dead, he was very aware of the damage he'd accepted to his own body.

His enemies could cut him up all the wanted, but he'd make sure it always costed them. That had been the answer he'd found in the graveyard of his regrets.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He hadn't noticed Alice hop off his back, but her voice was small and delicate. He knew that he looked like a monster to her. Probably scared her too considering what had happened to Mark.

But a monster was what he was. Maybe at his heart he was no better than Gi.

"No. We need to get back to the others. That was the least of the remaining heirs." [Regeneration] was steadily making sure he didn't die from the deep cut in his chest while he used his paw to help keep a chunk of his shoulder in place.

[Regeneration] wouldn't heal it in time, but it also passively allowed him to heal more before any issues arose. If he could get to a priest, he'd be fine.

It didn't actually help considering their size difference, but Alice wrapped an arm around him to help steady him.

"It's okay to be angry and it's okay to feel hate." He'd just said he didn't want to talk, but Alice wasn't one to care about that. She always took the uncomfortable head on. It was sad in a way that she dealt with her husband's death better than he did.

"I know."

"...It's also okay to forgive."

"Never." He said the word instantly - without thought, but... his friends and family were being chipped away one by one. Pretty soon all he'd have left is himself and his hatred.

Still, he couldn't betray Mark like that. Mark was twice the person that Gi would ever be. Mark was the kind of man who when approached by a monster his first thought was to try and befriend it. That kind of man was too pure for this world and the stain on Gi and Tiria's soul would always be too much for forgiveness.

That stubborn hatred settled like a lump in his throat.

"We need to hurry. Tala could need our help."