4. The Knight & The Prince

"What's happening?" Rex asks.

"One of the earthquakes hit, and the demons are approaching. Rex, there are a lot of them, I'm scared..." Hope replies.

"Calm down and let me see." Rex says.

Rex looks at the legions of demons approaching and thinks: "There are at least 10 legions there, tens of thousands of demons are approaching us, how is this even possible?"

Awakened by the earthquake, the others exit their cabins and go to the gap in the wall.

"These guys don't waste any time, I see." Nick says.

"Uhh, what do we do now, Rexi?" Rozalia asks.

"We fight." Rex says with a determined look.

"Well, I'm going to get my weapon." Rozalia says.

"Guardiol, I know it's not your specialty, but until the hordes get closer, could you get your hands on a sniper rifle and help us?" Rex asks.

"Sure, but I'd prefer to use my launcher, and I never get to use all my demonic power anyway. Ha! Ha! Ha!" Guardiol says, laughing.

The specialized marksmen each pick up a long-range weapon. Rozalia, Hope, Sofia, and Rex, even though their specialties are medium-range weapons for the last 3, climb the walls to reduce the demonic forces. Nick gets on his motorcycle, unsheathes his sword, and leaves the walls on his own. Guardiol takes out his massive-caliber launcher and puts it into action.

"Alright, I'm off!" Guardiol says, pressing the launcher's trigger. The hole left in the center of the demons is enormous, leaving everyone in awe.

On the other hand, Max has been tasked with the radar again, with the pretext that the demons can appear from multiple directions, even though there's only one possible entrance for them. Disappointed by the memory of Rex's words: "You want to fight with us? Stop the nonsense. You haven't even used a weapon before, you'll just get in our way. Take the radar and stop commenting.", the kid disappears from beside them without being noticed.

Meanwhile, Rex tries to optimize the team's efficiency:

"Don't stop shooting! Rozalia, you're the most experienced at this range, please provide support to Nick. Guardiol, try to take out the demons on the opposite side; we don't want to catch Nick in your line of fire. The three of us will keep eliminating the demons closest to the wall. This is our home, and we won't let them take it from us. If they make it to Sector 13 with such a massive army, they'll likely cause a lot of damage in the other sectors."

"Understood!" - the others all reply in unison.

"I'll destroy them all, we have to, nothing must reach the wall. Faster! Faster!" Nick repeated to himself, continually accelerating, slicing through all the demons in his path. However, in a moment of carelessness, a demon managed to get dangerously close.

"PEW" - the demon's head pierced by a bullet.

"Ha?... I get it now... I need to be more careful, thanks!" Nick said.

"Uhh, as powerful as he is and as much good as he can do at times, he's equally reckless and agitated." Rozalia said softly, implying that she was the one who shot that demon.

"Remember, there's no possibility for us to retreat, even if there are only seven of us. We need to stay and fight; we have 24 hours to defeat them before those people arrive."

"When our ammunition runs out, we'll have to use even more demon power to keep fighting. If I think about it, at that point, only Nick will remain useful in the fight." Hope thought.

After 5 hours of continuous fighting, the seven defenders of the wall found themselves at a significant disadvantage, with demons getting closer and closer.

"It's not working; they're getting closer and we haven't stopped firing." Sofia said with a very serious expression.

"I know, Sofi, but what can we do? We won't stop." Hope said with a worried look.

"You're right; we're going down. Sofia, stay with Rozalia, cover us! Guardiol, Hope, let's give it our all." Rex said.

"Yes!" Hope nodded in agreement.

"AAA-Alright, can't wait!" Guardiol said with a big smile.

Using an automatic weapon, the number of demons eliminated by Rex increased considerably, as did Hope's, who used two pistols simultaneously. Even though Guardiol's launcher caused significant damage to the enemy, his spirit compensated enormously.

"Let's go! Meteor Impact!" Guardiol shouted, taking a leap into the midst of a horde of demons, his sword illuminating and causing a powerful impact similar to the launcher. He continued: "I'm glad I don't have to use as much demonic power for such a small number of demons."

"He seems pretty powerful too." Rozalia said softly.

"What did you say?" Sofia asked.

"Nothing, don't lose your focus. Keep watching the battle and providing support as efficiently as possible." Rozalia replied.

"Keep firing from behind me; they won't reach you as long as I'm here." Guardiol told Rex and Hope, waving his massive sword while causing an impact on the demons with his shield.

"Got it, thanks!" Hope said.

"Good job, soldier!" Rex praised Guardiol.

"Hehehe! You finally get to meet my precious tank." Nick said as he passed by them on his motorcycle.

"This isn't the first time I've fought alongside Guardiol." Rex replied.

"You're right, but he wasn't this powerful." Nick said.

"Something like that; he surprised me." Rex agreed.

After another 3 hours of battle...

"I think we're making progress; it seems like we're pushing the demons away from the wall." Hope observed.

"There are still tens of thousands of demons approaching. Stay focused!" Rex warned.

"It would've been boring if it ended this easily; we were getting a little rusty," Nick grinned.

"When you first looked at them, how many did it seem like there were in total?" Guardiol asked Hope and Rex.

Hope remained silent, but Rex answered, "We couldn't see where they ended. Nevertheless, that's not a reason to stop."

"It's not like we had anything better to do, and the drink afterward will definitely be more enjoyable. Am I right, my brother?" Nick asks.

"That's right, bro!" Guardiol responds.

"These two are really amusing." Hope chuckles, while receiving a response from her communicator: "Are you starting to laugh at everything, Hope? Stay focused; we need to shift our targeting zone to the extremities to prevent the demons from bypassing the combat area." from Rozalia.

"In that case, we'll try to advance in the center. If we manage to push the fight as far from the wall as possible, we'll have a better chance. Nick, can you make some room for us?" Rex asks.

"Of course, who do you think I am? I'll even go all the way to the end of the hordes." Nick says, accelerating into the midst of the demons.

"Let's go! Guardiol, clear the way!" Rex commands.

"Yes!" Guardiol replies, beginning to swing his sword even more fiercely, using his shield exclusively to scatter the demons.

Advancing further into the demon army, Guardiol notices something as he tears through the heart cores:

"Rex, look! Nick's motorcycle." Guardiol says.

"Probably the nutcase chose to get off and continue the fight from the ground." Hope replies.

"Maybe, but where is he?" Rex asks.

From a distance, a piercing voice enters the heads of the three fighters in the center of the demons: "Worms, do you think you have something to say in front of us?"

"Who said that?" Hope asks.

"Look into the distance!" Guardiol says.

After raising their heads, they see a demonic presence riding a horse ablaze with the flames of hell, with long hair and beard down to the feet, larger than the horse, holding a trident in its left hand and, in its right hand, helpless, held by his hair, hangs unconscious, Nick.

"NICK!" Hope cries out, bursting into tears.

"Brother!" Guardiol, agitated, begins running through the demons toward the horseman.

"Why is Nick powerless?" Rex inquires with a hushed voice.

"Believe you can stand before the almighty Furcas?" the horseman says, emanating a powerful presence before them.

At that moment, Rex remembers something. "Furcas? Where do I know that name from?"

"Guardiol, stop! Don't go to him! He's not just any demon!" Rex shouts at the top of his lungs.

"The time has come for you to feel my power, brat!" Guardiol leaps toward the horseman.

With a simple raise of the trident, Guardiol remains suspended in the air, and lightning bolts shoot from the horseman's trident, striking him heavily. Guardiol is left unconscious, dropping like a lifeless body.

"Who is he?" Hope inquires.

"I've heard stories from the old man about this Furcas. He's no ordinary demon; he's a fallen angel, the only Knight of Hell, a magic enthusiast. We don't stand a chance against him, Hope." Rex explains.

"What's happening over there? I can't shift the focus to you. Are you okay?" Rozalia tries to contact them via their communicator.

"Nothing is fine, Rozi..." Hope responds with a trembling voice.

"What are you talking about?" Rozalia asks.

"RUN!" Hope screams.

Rozalia and Sofia redirect their fire toward the group to see what's happening and are paralyzed when they see Nick and Guardiol helpless.

"No, no, big guy, you can't be defeated. Not you, idiot!" Rozalia shouts, firing nervously and consistently in Furcas' direction, but the bullets can't touch him.

"Why? W-Why? Why is Nick powerless?" Sofia asks, petrified and trembling.

Rozalia then stops shooting and asks a trembling Sofia: "Sofi, are you okay?"

"Why?" Sofia yells, at which point Rozalia approaches her, takes her in her arms with tears in her eyes, and Sofia sheds tears as well.

Crying, Rozalia takes her gun back and tells Sofia: "We have to keep doing our job. We're soldiers; everything will be fine!"

After a few moments of Rozalia shooting alone at the approaching demons, Sofia lifts her gun as well.

"What do we do, Rex?" Hope asks.

"We've lost, Hope." Rex responds.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Of course, you've lost. You're human, and your destiny is to lose. You've been born to lose since the day you were born!" Furcas taunts.

"But... we won't stop fighting!" Rex continues to fire.

"Right!" Hope joins the fight.

"Why are you still trying to fight against my magic?! MAGIC! MAGIC! That's the real power!" Furcas, slightly annoyed, uses his magic abilities to raise roots from the ground that bind Rex and Hope, suspending them in the air. He then takes a swing with the hand holding the trident, aiming it at Rex. After another bout of laughter from Furcas, he hurls the trident toward Rex.

"Stop!" Hope yells with tears in her eyes.

"SHOOSH" someone rushes in and grabs the trident.

"How?" Rex asks.

"I tried to listen to you, Rex, but I had to intervene." Max says.

"Max!" Hope exclaims, tears in her eyes.

"Max?" Rozalia asks, confused.

Sofia remains frozen, her eyes filled with tears, looking through her scope at Max as he takes down demons around him and wipes his eyes at the same time.

"Get out of here, kid, while you still can!" Rex warns.

"We're fighting the same battles, Rex. I told you; I'm part of this team!" Max replies.

"Hmm, I sense something interesting coming from the kid." Furcas says, his voice growing quieter. Then, he raises his voice to address the defenders of the wall: "I'm glad for your tearful reunion, but it's time to end the show." He reaches out for the trident, trying to pull it to himself, but the trident remains in Max's hands.

"What's happening?! Why isn't it working?! What are you?!" Furcas asks, astonished and panicked.

"The doctor told me stories about you too, Furcas." Max states.

"So, you should know that you shouldn't mess with me, kid!" Furcas threatens.

"No... he told me that you wouldn't stand a chance against me." Max says, gazing focusedly at Furcas. He uses the trident to cut the roots that were holding Rex and Hope in the air.

"MAGIC! MAGIC! That's the real power!" - Furcas

Max raised his hand towards Furcas, his eyes glowing with a fiery golden hue, his hair rising slightly. With incredible speed, the trident pierced Furcas, returning to Max's hand. With a powerful strike to the ground using the trident, the demons began to scatter and move away from the wall. A few seconds later, Max fainted.

"Rex, we're okay..." Hope said.

"Not thanks to me. The kid saved us. We need to get the boys inside the wall and keep watch until morning." Rex replied.

The communicator opened, and Rozalia's voice came through: "Hurry and bring the boys here. As for the watch duty, Sofia and I will cover the first two shifts, the boys forgave us last night."

Upon their return inside the wall, Sofia went and kissed Max and Nick on the forehead. When she reached Guardiol, she glanced at Rozalia and then back at Nick, tending to their wounds. Meanwhile, Rex and Hope had fallen asleep.

"Hey, Sofia, can you leave the giant to me? I'll wait for you to finish with the other two." Rozalia said with a serious expression.

"Y-yes, of course..." Sofia replied.

At dawn, they were all asleep except for Rozalia, who was still deep in thought. She sipped from a bottle that appeared to belong to Nick, then quickly put it back in its place to avoid being noticed. Turning her gaze towards the inside of the wall, she saw several vehicles approaching, with the old man visible in one of them. She woke the others.

Dr. Romanov stepped out of the car and was greeted by Rex:

"Old man, we need to talk." Rex said.

After hearing what had happened over the past day, the doctor received from Rex the same question Furcas had asked: "What is he?"

"The Prince." Dr. Romanov replied.