Arc 1: Coda Village Part 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Gate or Nihonkoku Shoukan as it belongs to its rightful owners.

Arc 1: Lands Of Rodenius:

Coda Village Part 5

(A Dark Past)

The Sun did not fully emerge that day, as if it were shrouded in shame.

Only a few of its rays penetrated through the depressing gray clouds, giving light to a certain event being held at a town plaza.

The crowd had finally grown into a huge size as the anticipation soared through an all-time high. The majority of the townsfolk roared in rage at a handful of silent men, who were being led into their fates.

"Murderers"

"Savages!"

"You all deserved to be punished!"

The spiteful screams of them echoed through their ears. As much as they wanted to ignore the countless curses and vulgarisms thrown at them, they still could feel the agony, sorrow, and betrayal inside them. Yes, everyone knew the atrocities secretly done to the women and children by these barbaric soldiers that took over their land and seeing no hope of salvation, justice had to be done in their own way.

Who would have guessed that these townspeople were the same individuals who considered and treated them as members of the family and community, The men can't even put into words how they felt as they approached their last destination.

They had not expected that their own situation would go down this, but would eventually come to accept it.

In the middle of the plaza stood three huge wooden stakes and a big stack of hay surrounding them.

It wasn't long before the troops guarding them brought the men to their respective locations, and they were instantly bound by a thick, strong rope from their chests to their bellies. The only pitiful thing that the three men had noticed was that the soldiers were actually their closest friends, who were forced to put on these armors and outfits. In hopes of hiding their guilt and shame.

As the noise from the crowd grew larger, signaled the beginning of their sentence.

Through the eyes of one of these men. A devoted husband and parent felt his heart race. He wasn't ready to meet the God of the Underworld just yet. As he yearned to see his family again, tears streamed down his cheeks. He wished to live.

He won't be able to see his children grow up, nor have the chance to protect them.

"Let this man be damned and suffer the worst fate than death!"

He heard the yells of the high priest as the crowd cheered with him.

The once sorrow and agony had now been replaced with rage and vengeance.

How could a priest like him be spared and able to spread his dirty doings!? He molested children and defiled countless poor young souls.

He was the one that joined the fray of these outsiders, and now he had deceived all of them. Turned them as corrupt as himself.

They should be the ones that be damned!

They will surely pay for what they have done!

Not a moment too soon, the torch was lit and the fire was finally raised. However, it wasn't any ordinary fire.

The dark firey essence had been cast and quickly spread throughout the haystack until reached his body and slowly engulfed him.

Besides the insults, He could hear the numerous laughter of the traitors, especially the corrupt ones, who were able to get away from their wrongdoings.

The rage finally had taken over his mind, and before the dark fire can fully bring him to the other world, He was able to move his lips and announced his final words.

"Cursed you all! I swear to the deep recesses of my soul, you will suffer the same fate as we suffered on this day!" He yelled out to the top of his lungs, igniting a demonic presence that arose from the area, oblivious to the townsfolk themselves.

It was the day they had sealed their fates.

As he felt his life draining away, he peered intently at the people observing him, especially those who had wrecked his entire life, family, and chance to live in peace, and with that stated, the guy had let out the last of his words.

"Damned you all to hell!"

"You people will never leave this land even until the day of your deaths!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

(Centuries Later)

"Crap! I didn't know this would be a pain in the ass"

It was the first comment that Al made once he had opened the hood of the LAV. The large complexity had greeted him with a very overwhelming presence. The different intricated wires, cables, and the big parts were the main reasons that led to his own stress rising within him.

Yes, he was a mechanic. He had previously worked at a certain shop and had experienced many of the normal difficulties associated with cars, trucks, and the like, but he had rarely had to repair these types of breakdowns involving military vehicles. It was not actually his forte to handle these things, but he had no options to choose from. The Californian wiped the sweat on his forehead as he grabbed another wrench and plier to properly disassemble some of the parts. He was fortunate enough that he was able to move himself and the vehicle to a different spot due to some simple but annoying circumstances.

Prior to this, He definitely had a rough time trying to examine the problem at hand, as the area where he was previously in, was nothing but gravel and soil. The weather became much windier and as a result, his very own eyes became the victim of the dust that went along with the wind.

It was very irritating and he let out a couple of swears and cusses right after that.

Fortunately, he was able to get out of that situation and move to a more secure and grassy area. If it hadn't been for the Farmer's assistance in giving a couple of his Chocobos, who were in charge of assisting him in moving the LAV to the current location.

"Man, these birds are damn strong."

So he had thought in his mind, first time seeing two giant yellow birds pull the much heavier military vehicle and it took only about 4-5 minutes to move it. As much as he had so many questions in his mind, he eventually placed those aside and started working on the LAV once more.

Almost an hour had already passed, and he was starting to feel the soreness on his back. He was under LAV, laying on the grass as he faced another set of intricate wires and parts to check. His lips were already dry, as he still hadn't drunk a small portion of water or even a sip of it to quench his growing thirst.

He was successful in fixating on the task at hand that he was already forgetting his own well-being.

Seconds passed, the sweat was all over his body, and a part of him was now expressing a desire to take a short break. His mind was already at conflict. stuck between choosing to rest or continue the repairs all the way.

However, due to his own struggles, fate had to intervene and decide the outcome.

"Young Man!"

At that moment, a voice called out to him.

Al felt startled as he almost jolted up, nearly hitting colliding his head with the metal.

He quickly took a glance and caught a glimpse of a pair of brown boots standing in front, and eventually decided to slide back outside to meet the latter.

The person turned out to be the old farmer himself, who along brought a couple of jugs made of brown leather containing water inside.

"You haven't had a single drink and you look dry as the desert young man." He said, speaking in some form of countryside accent back in the home as he offered a single jug towards him.

The surprised Californian Soldier flashed a smile in return.

"Oh, Thank you, sir." He said, accepting the jug and immediately went to drink as the clean liquid washed through his dry lips and finally quenched his thirst.

Furthermore, the water was very tasty, not the kind of water he had tasted before in the many plastic bottles back home.

"No worries." The farmer replied." It would be my shame if I did not return back the kindness that you and your people provided." He explained as a thought came to him.

"Tell me, why were all of your friends, seemed in a hurry?" The Old Farmer asked, raising an eyebrow.

Al finished his drink and wipe off the remaining sweat on his forehead. His mind was put back into work once more, thinking of a simple explanation regarding the situation.

The information might come us a sensitive topic, though he needed to let the farmer know of what has currently transpired.

"Uhmm, there was a bit of a commotion in the main plaza, a part of the village hall was on fire and the villagers were also panicking at the same time." He explained.

The old farmer nodded in understanding.

"I see, that's why they were so eager to borrow a few of the Chocobos." He said, turning his eyes towards the metallic fort." And one of your Horseless carriages, has it lost its magic entirely?"

His curiosity has begun to peak. Never he had seen this type of strange but unique transportation. Though, he had heard that there were similar inventions in the other lands across the great orient. The Chocobos would slowly lose their importance as a convenient mode of transportation if these kinds of unique moving forts would be introduced to the continent.

"Uhmm, It's not really powered by Magic sir," Al replied, giving the farmer a surprise of his time, though he had his own struggles of explaining it. He didn't pay that much attention to his science class.

As he was about to speak, the old farmer raised up his hand.

"You don't have to explain, young man; I now understand what you mean." He gave a tiny chuckle.

"Oh."

"But I must say, you and your friends are one of the bravest people I have ever met." The old Farmer added." Being able to venture those forest and also stepped foot in that village."

The wind grew stronger as he spoke these words. A sense of anxiety had emerged in the air.

This confused the American soldier.

"What do you mean sir?

The Farmer's eyes were suddenly filled with worry. "Haven't they told you about this region, where Coda village had settled not long ago?"

The younger man shook his head.

"No sir."

The Farmer exhaled a sigh. "Oh, I see." He reasoned that at the very least, this man should be aware of the dangers that awaited them if they entered a portion of a lost evil's domain.

There was a sense of dread that Al had felt. He was now curious and eager to learn more about this place.

"Sorry sir, but can I ask, what kind of place is this exactly?" He asked, the younger man did not even bother to learn more regarding the history of this land when he first arrived here.

He was still a skeptic.

There was an immediate hush in the air. The elderly Farmer walked over to a nearby cut-down tree trunk and took a seat.

"Well young man, there is a reason why I settled my farm here in this area." He explained." To my knowledge, once you settled inside that certain grounds covering the forest and the village, you might experience the horrors of the past and the pain that this land has endured." He explained.

Al's knowledge had gradually dawned on him. The Californian soldier's eyes widened in amazement. The man told the story in such a way that it seemed like an urban legend.

"You mean this place is cursed, sir?"

The man spoke flatly, expressing the only rational conclusion that came to him. He'd read enough bizarre and otherworldly stories to come up with an explanation for his comment.

The old farmer gave this pitiful expression. There was this relief within him that he had treasured. He considered himself lucky enough to not be able to stay there for a long time and he was pleased that the young man in green was able to figure it out quickly.

He chuckled quietly. "It's up to you to decide if this is true or merely hearsay." As he turned his gaze to the dark woodland, the farmer murmured. "Because of what my forefathers observed, they passed down this story from generation to generation as a warning." He elaborated.

"So meaning that this village is the only victim of this curse?" Al asked, he was now starting to guess.

"No young man, it's not just this village." The farmer replied while a small confusion filled the younger man's eyes.

"I'm afraid to tell you that this settlement is just one of its latest victims."

He then took a deep breath as he began to tell the story he was familiar with since his younger days.

"Do you truly believe Coda Village is the only village that has ever existed on this land?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Daisuke's eyes widened in puzzlement as he noted the change in the course that the LAV was now taking. He possessed all of the coordinates, as well as the keen memory to recollect every point and area he had traveled through.

He couldn't help himself but scratched his head in confusion as pondered on the current situation at hand.

The environment in front of him appeared to be slowly transforming, in the sense that their main aim seemed to be growing further and further away. Aside from that, a large percentage of this reddish dense fog had blanketed the entire landscape, clouding his once clear view.

Sensing that something was clearly wrong, the JSDF Recon member instantly took out his walkie-talkie and began notifying the others stationed at the safe zone. He hoped they were all okay and that they were aware of the current circumstances.

"This is Daisuke speaking, just encountered some kind of phenomenon here or whatever it is..."

He spoke through the walkie and waited for a response, only to receive the same static sound that had plagued him before.

"Nishina, this is Daisuke speaking, I might need assistance, I really hate to say this but I'm in a lost way right now."

"I'm currently in an open area, in the middle of the forest."

He repeatedly called again but only to received another blank static sound. His eyes slowly filled with concern, no matter how many times he had to voiced again, there was still no genuine response from his fellow recon members.

"You've got to be kidding me!" His inner thoughts screamed.

Another issue arose when the Japanese recon soldier was placed in a situation where he did his hardest not to show any of the certain setbacks to the two women in the LAV's backseat.

Time continue to pass, his impatience was growing as a part of him didn't want to delay the ride much further. He was going to trust his gut this time. It seemed that the LAV was still on the right path. There were no signs of any change of directions towards their destination, other than that it was all a straight line all the way.

But before he could press the pedal, he decided to turn behind in order to check up the village chief's wife and the servant girl.

He smiled." Mrs. Elena and Ms. Aurra, everything alright?" Calm words were released from his lips.

The two village women, however, were fixated with their surroundings. Mainly, the interior of the horseless carriage which had continued to mesmerize them. The highlight of it all was this unique invention's ability to produced cold air that kept a very relaxing and cool atmosphere inside.

Certainly, no one has ever done this before, at least not from their point of view. The only explanation they could come up with was that these Men In Green had discovered a method to harness cold-based magic and merge it with this horseless carriage, therefore the coldness that surrounded them inside this moving fort.

In truth, it was just the built-in mini air-conditioner.

"Oh, my apologies young man, we were just wondering the kind of magic does this horseless carriage had, it's amazing!." The old lady smiled, wanting to share her own thoughts with the Man In Green." But, to answer your question, we are fine as of the moment."

Daisuke sighed in relief.

Looking at the two women, brought some sense of peace to the man. It kind of reminded him of his mother and sister, they were always calmest no matter what situation they were in.

"Is there something the matter sir? " A question was then followed up by the young servant girl.

A small portion of sweat began to pour down from Daisuke's forehead, though he kept his own calm facade." Everything is going okay so far, I just want to check if things are fine with you all." He explained.

Both of the women simply nodded.

Daisuke smiled in return as he went back to focus on the road. Much to his disappointment, the surroundings were still covered by the thickness of the fog. He took a deep breath once more as he adjusted the breaks and continued on with the journey.

Unbeknownst to him, the last and remaining piece of a certain shockwave had arrived in the area.

And as he was about to step on the pedal once more, the Light Armored vehicle suddenly died down.

There was a small tremble from the ground that everyone had felt afterward. They were all startled to their hearts as they began to look around in worry.

"What the heck was that?" Daisuke asked himself. Trying to comprehend if a small earthquake did occur.

The two women were also brought back from their own thoughts as they were greeted by this sense of urgency. Both women held each other's hands in slight fear.

On the other hand, Daisuke felt urged to investigate what was happening outside. He could feel this unexplainable feeling of heat as if he was placed inside an oven.

As if he was about to turn to his left side, which was the driver's window, there was a small knocking on it, and by the time he turned towards it, an image of a pale village boy with huge fresh scratched wounds on his forehead had greeted him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Don't worry Eldar, you'll be safe."

He kept repeating the same statement as he walked along the barren cobblestone streets, past innumerable hamlet houses that had been abandoned and even damaged by the previous shockwave.

The heavy fog made it difficult for the elf man to find his way. He needed to get as far away as possible, even to the edge of the forest, to keep the old man safe. An evil like that could detect any presence from afar.

He'd heard the legend's stories before. It's tough to dismiss that as a mere coincidence. He saw the first indicators firsthand. The dense reddish fog that had blanketed the entire village, as well as the ominous roar that had followed the explosion and shockwave.

Despite the growing pain in his right leg, the man continued to carry the weakened village chief on his back. The rocky path to which he almost tripped at times, failed to subdue him. Eventually, he did stumble upon a suitable structure, a perfect place to hide insight.

It was the same structure that helped him hid his presence from the dragon that had attacked the former Koan Village.

A simple brown shed that provided comfort and protection.

The shed was located in a certain small yard of a deserted village house. A small garden was also located in the area, accompanied by a small fountain that acted as the center point of the place.

Sensing that the grasp of an evil presence is lurking, The man wasted no time as he opened the gates and headed towards the shed.

"Almost there," Hodor muttered along the way, his own exhaustion trying to catch with him.

By the time, he got to the main entrance of the structure, he quickly opened its doors and to be greeted by quite a messy scene. Small pieces of wood, old and unused tools, and empty wooden boxes were scattered along the wooden floor.

Fortunately enough, there was a lone small resting bed with its cushion still in one piece. It seemed that the shed was some kind of resting spot for a gardener or a guest.

He let out a sigh of relief, as he brought the old man towards the small bed and gently laid him there." You'll be safe here for the rest of the time." He then said, while flashing a small smile." Trust me." He added.

"M-My Wife... Where's Elena?"

Eldar continued to mention his beloved wife as he could only agree and nod slowly as a response. Not more than seconds, the old man had let his consciousness fell into a deep slumber.

Silence befell the area afterward.

In that small moment, Hodor's mind and thoughts immediately to his old friend. He needed to gather a lot of confidence and strength, as he knew that the latter won't survive that kind of onslaught.

He expressed his own disappointment towards himself for not believing the legend. It was in fact only a wive's tale back in his home, as a means to warn anybody who would venture towards the cursed land. Now, that it has been released to reality once more, there was only one possible way to combat it.

The thought had been hanging around in Hodor's head for a while now, ever since he had finally accepted a certain widespread assumption. The elf man stood up and left towards a specific location.

He closed the shed's door and quickly cast a spell of illusion and a small protection barrier that surrounded it. This will prolong the old man's safety until the situation has finally been dealt with.

With one goal in mind, He was determined to re-create an only known weakness. He hoped that he wasn't too late, though he still had complete trust that the old mage would give him more time.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In a blink of an eye, Evil quickly made its first move.

The huge shadow burst from its current position towards the spot where the old man was currently standing. Beneath the magical protection barrier, it could sense a trembling emotion.

"The Taste of Fear is Sweet!"

It gleefully spoke for the first time. Expressing a small hint of excitement and desperation.

Oh, how it missed that kind of scent and presence.

The demonic beast raised its claws in an attempt to strike at its victim, but its attack was rendered ineffectual when it came into contact with a strong energy that interrupted its path, throwing it a few meters away and collapsing to the ground.

The menacing demonic-like voice had given the old sage a feeling of dread inside. It was at the same time that he had finally cast the spell as he brought the lower tip of his wooden staff to the ground, thereby successfully creating the protection barrier that manifested as this dark red transparent force field.

A small shockwave was produced once the beast had made contact with the barrier.

Sergeant Kuwahara peered at the results, trying to conceal his awe. This was the first time he'd witnessed Magic in action as a defense mechanism in front of his eyes.

The 50-year-old Japanese man, choosing to stay in a nearby spot, in order to keep an eye on the old mage's own safety. Despite the fact that the old man had warned him to head to a farther place, where he can be safe.

Furthermore, There was this mysterious faint voice in his head that kept reminding him to protect the old mage whatever the cost is. He was in a position, aiming at the strange beast, ready to shoot if things turn for the worst.

His heart was beating fast as seconds passed by.

Cato had already warned him, not to make any single noise or whatsoever. As a result, he had to rely on eye contact and small gestures towards a certain window of a two-story building, where Kurata and Tomita, are stationed and are in the same position of getting ready to shoot.

Meanwhile, The old Mage stood strict and firm as he watched the beast recover once more.

"Dammit, these forsaken eyes!"It spoke for the first time, another unknown aspect of the legend, to which he had not heard of before and only learned at this moment.

The beast growled in frustration and gritted its teeth. Upon closer inspection, the blood-red eyes that it possessed had some kind of faint mist covering it, a white aura that prevented it from fully seeing the new world for the first time.

"Always the forgetful fool you are!"

A second voice then followed.

In the blink of an eye, another one of the beasts appeared behind the first and grabbed its head through the latter to a new spot on the ground once more. This much bigger demonic wolf-like beast that stood in a bipedal position, expressed its own annoyance.

The other and final beast that arrived at the scene merely dismissing and laughing about it.

"Don't be too harsh, we all have the same impatience."

The main beast slightly smirked.

"We suffer the same effects! How many years has it been since we last saw the destruction of another settlement?" It asked, recalling the old memories of their ventures before they were last sealed by the weak bastards.

It was obvious that certain grudge against these people had remained with them for all these years.

"Those weak mages! If I only have the opportunity to meet those fools again, I will gladly rip their throats out!" The main beast had said, the disgusted expression was visible in him, another hundred years, have been taken away from them.

A hundred years of a possible reign of terror and lives to take.

However this time around, they were released with a different condition.

Cato, on the other hand, had continued to remain silent. He has not said a word nor made a move. It quickly struck to his mind that these beasts were sentient or at least had the intelligence to act. Based on what he had heard from the elders' tales and written accounts, these beasts were supposed to be wild as a feral wolves.

The strangest thing was that he could sense a hint of humanity in them.

"Heh, How Ironic that there is some kind of magical barrier that is still imprisoning us here."

The old man's eyes slowly filled with worry. While the three beasts continued their own discussion, he proceeded to take a few steps back in hopes of getting farther away from them.

"We may not able to see it now, but I can sense that someone is just nearby and responsible for it." The beast arrogantly smirked. There was a reason why he referred to only one individual.

Even a single arch-mage cannot be sustained and keep the barrier this long. Let alone that it would take a toll on one's Mana energy.

"Now then, Don't pretend to be brave, We could smell your fear no matter what." The third beast chuckled as it instinctively tried to approach the old sage nearby." You think you could protect yourself that long?"

"Whoever you are..."

As much as Cato was tempted to speak up, He still remained silent. However, the beast spoke the truth as he could feel his Mana slowly fading away. This kind of protection magic had consequences. With one being able to cast this certain spell was already a feat. It would take more than one individual to fully stabilized the barrier.

At that point, the elderly mage raised his hand, signaling the Men in Green to remain where they were. He was well aware that they were already enticed to engage in combat with their unearthly black artifact-like weapons. Disappointment with himself rushed through him. He should have alerted them about these demons, their skills, and their supposed limitations earlier.

"So what are we going to do next?"

The same question ran through the minds of the younger Recon members.

Hitoshi felt the cold sweat dripped down towards his neck as he and his comrade faced a possible violent confrontation with these mysterious beings. Both of their minds were overwhelmed by facing the unknown. Sure, there was a briefing where they were informed of the known creatures that they would have encountered during their Reconnaissance, and in their first grasp of meeting a creature of this world, they were introduced to something different than they have seen before.

The young man took a quick glance at the bruiser, who pretty much have the same tense and concentrated face as him. The big man had been in that position as if he were a statue.

Believe it or not, Hitoshi even managed to let out a very faint smile in these times of danger. His thoughts then eventually went to a certain Otaku soldier and his knowledge of many fantastical creatures from the genre he was obsessed about.

"I wish I could've listened to his advice once."

He couldn't believe he was saying that to himself. He was a chef and then soldier, but not someone who would know all this information that often resided in the world of fiction. Turns out, the Otaku soldier was right all along.

Dragons...

Fairies...

And Possibly Demons...

He felt goosebumps all over his body. The kind of scenario of being killed by something not human is quite possible now. He was afraid, and he feared for his life for the first time.

It wasn't that long when his thoughts were surprisingly interrupted, as the young man suddenly heard a faint voice that whispered to his ears.

"To the left!" The mysterious voice had said, prompting Hitoshi to interpret this as some kind of warning.

It referred to a certain spot near the old mage, a ground suddenly bursting as if something was emerging from deep down.

He did look to the left and saw the small scene itself.

"Hitoshi!" Tomita called his name this time, through a whisper.

The look on the man's eyes show anticipation and a hint of nervousness, which the young JSDF soldier quickly understood.

What was going to happen next?"

A wide grin crept across the main beast's face.

To think that no one cooperated with his demands, that he had decided to finally take matters into his own hands.

He brought his claws to his wrist and gave a strong scratch enough for his own blood to drip towards the ground. Once the blood made contact on the ground, he immediately kneeled down and punch the small pool of blood.

As a result, the small portion of blood began to move like a stream as it passed through the magical barrier. It didn't take too long for it to boil and react, creating a small earthquake in its area, and moments passed, the once peaceful soil and gravel erupted, as something had finally emerged from under.

It started with blood, followed by a mass of flesh and bones, a hint of smoke as the anomaly began to grow and take shape in the form of a creature.

The disgust that Sergeant Kuwahara felt was extreme. He almost felt throwing up. The sight of seeing an abomination being form in front of him. It was even gorier and gruesome than what Junjo Ito or the body horror movies in his world could portray.

Cato remained strict and firm. He exactly knew what the beast was trying to do. The only thing that bothered him was that if he could still handle the surprises thrown into him. He didn't have the physical strength to wrestle the beast, his only ally was his own magic which was slowly dwindling.

Furthermore, His attention was everywhere as tried his best to search even the smallest suspicious movements. That became the starting point of his fall.

He only had one thought in mind, as a second solution if things didn't go down as plan.

It didn't take too long, for the anomaly had finally completed its form and as the last of the faint smoke had faded away, a huge black demonic wolf-like beast now stood in its position, with the same menacing blood-red eyes.

It saw the old man and began to form a familiar Glasglow grin.

Not too long, the beast took off at a blinding speed, eyeing the mage as its target and prey.

At the same time, one of the main beasts decided to join in as he charged at the barrier once more. Knowing that this would be an advantage for him to finally break the temporary imprisonment.

Cato quickly found himself in a dire situation. A possibility of a two-front attack and damage came into his mind, and he had to act swiftly or else face death.

As the world slowed down around him, the old man scrambled as he began to utter a phrase to cast another spell, but before he could do that, the claws of the newly summoned beast had suddenly reached near his face, but at the same time, there was a loud sharp noise that rocked the area.

Not long after, he caught glimpse of a strange small golden metallic arrow passed by and hit the charging beast directly on the head.

It wasn't alone as more of these small metallic arrows followed after. Hitting his attacker on the face, and the chest.

The summoned beast crashed to the ground, growling in anguish. Blood splattered on the ground as the wolf demon sought to comprehend what had just occurred. There was no reason that these humans could produce such a surprisingly strong range of magic.

Now more alert, they attempted to search for the source.

"What!? Impossible! Who could have...?"

The leader of the demons, began to wonder, not knowing that a certain JSDF sergeant was the one responsible for the interruption.

Furthermore, it gave Cato the time to focus on his other attacker, which was one of the main beasts, who had finally reached him. Fortunately, the old mage was able to brace himself as the huge beast collided with the barrier using his own freakish strength, thereby finally breaking the temporary prison.

Unknown to the mage certain damage has finally been inflicted on him.

Due to the force of the tackle, the old sage acted quickly, using his wind magic to land himself securely. However, the adversary was still on the prowl.

"You won't get away that easily, you are mine!"

The beast growled as it made another attempt to launch at him.

By that time, several loud and sharp shots rang out, and this time it came from one of the two-story buildings nearby.

The enemy found itself being hit by the same metallic objects and the strong force that it produced, resulted in it being sent into the ground once more.

"You are reckless!"

One scolded him and the other just laughed at his own brother.

Meanwhile, Cato had slowly recovered with the help of the JSDF sergeant, who was responsible for incapacitating the first enemy.

"Mr. Cato, we need to get out this place as fast as we can!" Sergeant Kuwahara exclaimed again, while the mage was about to speak, he suddenly felt pain in his stomach.

Much to Sergeant Kuwahara's confidence, he caught a glimpse of their attackers, who had suddenly recovered, in the blink of an eye and now wanted vengeance.

"This is not good." He gritted him as he immediately thought regarding their dire situation.

This was the point at which he had finally chosen to radio Tomita and Hitoshi to fire again at the enemy, but something unexpected had transpired before he could do so.

He heard the old man cry out an incantation that he didn't understand, and seconds later, he found himself encircled by this circular red symbol on the ground, and in one blink of an eye, he was consumed by a blinding flash of an eye.

And just like that, the old mage and the Japanese sergeant were nowhere to be found in the area.

"DAMMIT!

Frustration caused the beast to curse. The old man was very clever with his magic tricks, a scapegoat move that a lot of his kind would do whenever they are close to being killed.

The magical barrier that held them inside was now gone.

As a result, they could now sense all the different human presence lingering around the premises. A reward that they had not been expecting.

"So it seems, they are not the only ones present here."

The leader of the three had said. His smile widening in delight as he realized that there was more prey hiding in plain sight. Furthermore, the cursed mage and the strange man in green were not that far from here.

Despite the temporary blindness that had been placed on them, The leader gave a confident laugh and encouraged the rest of his brethren.

"Be Patient Brothers, You'll eventually find them all."

The Demon's words gave the rest the motivation that they needed, as one by one, each of them took off in different directions, following the trails left behind by their prey.

There was a certain confidence that stuck with them.

They cannot be vanquished that easily, and no one has ever had the opportunity to do so, and no one will ever be able to send them back to their prison or destroy the source that has been keeping them in power.

The remains of the village hall can be seen from behind the beast, and in the midst of the rubbles and debris, there is an open area where a certain scroll was still open and glowing as it continued to radiate the reddish energy that had shone through the sky.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Can someone please tell me where are we and what the shit is going on here?"

Even in the strangest times, Shino never failed to voice out the logical question that lingered in everyone's mind. She was the type of person who is pretty much self-aware of what is happening around her. She did freak out by the time she noticed the drastic changes in the place that the group was in.

The aftermath of the mysterious shockwave had turned the medical tent into ruins. The several stretchers and makeshift beds were overturned, boxes containing medicine and small medical equipment were scattered everywhere.

It seemed as if a mini-tornado had arisen out of nowhere and ransacked everything. This is the only positive outcome they can hope for. was that each and every one of them was still alive and well.

Standing in the middle of a small silent circle they formed, the young woman continued to blurt out as many logical theories as she can to solve the mystery. It was the only as of now for her to keep her sanity in check.

"Alright, this is almost starting to freak me out but why are we in the middle of an open space that is surrounded by a forest?" She followed another question while drinking her bottle alternately at the same time as if it was some beer or wine to calm herself down.

Her fellow Recon members were silent rather than actively participating in the discussion. Most were simply exhausted from attempting to find the correct path to the main village. Apparently, they had made countless attempts to investigate other pathways and dirt roads, only to wind up in loops. As a result, they ended up back where they started.

"Will you please calm down Shino?" It was Kurata that finally spoke, garnering everyone's attention, and to their little surprise that the Otaku could speak like that.

Shino raised an eyebrow at the man.

"Calm down? Tell me, Kurata, how are we going to calm down after nearly being killed by that strange shockwave thingy?" The young woman responded, expressing one of her concerns. "And the fact that we can't get in touch with base camp or the rest of the guys." She continued.

"Yeah, the walkies have been acting weird lately."

From the corner, Higashi shared his thoughts, particularly agreeing to certain malfunctions of their communication devices. Shino eyed the latter in suspicion.

"I mean, it's not that I assumed it was the shockwave that caused it, but it's the only theory I could think of, that really made sense." The JSDF soldier explained with a nervous grin, expecting another outburst from the Japanese woman.

"Nothing in this world makes sense."

Surprisingly, Shino handled it calmly. Her eyes were filled with a look of defeat. The more she witnessed strange occurrences, the more her sanity dwindled, not in the sense that she was really going insane, but the skeptical aspect of her character that she had developed over the course of the journey was practically gone.

"And please Kurata, just don't tell anymore of your anime and fantasy trope theories." She added, giving a sad and tired expression towards him."It's not going to help us."

The Otaku Soldier, who was taken aback by her statement." Hey! I wasn't going to say anything." He fired back, even though, he was actually forming his own theories in his mind and planning to share these creative thoughts with the rest of them." Well, I was just planning to say it but great job Shino! You've beaten me once again!" He forced a smile, an attempt to lighten up the situation, only to receive silence again.

Unfortunately. the young woman was not amused.

"Look, if you are trying to cheer everyone up, you might as well put more effort into it." She replied, with a hint of sassiness in her voice.

"I'm just trying to help ya know?"

Kurata wanted to demonstrate what he could bring to the table. He didn't mean what he said. As a member of a more practical circle, he wanted to show them things outside the box, things that might be able to get them out of this mess.

"Again, Fantasy world stories won't help us right now." The young woman rephrased her statement, raising her hand.

"Look around you! We were just near the village plaza before, and now we're in the middle of nowhere." She added, not referring to the hometown of a certain pink cowardly dog.

Kurata slightly frowned." That's what I was supposed to tell you guys, The shockwave somehow transported us in a different area." He explained, much to the surprise of the other recon members." I know it may sound ridiculous, but that's what I noticed."

"What did you noticed man?" Higashi asked this time.

The Otaku soldier sighed for the first time." The fog surrounding us right now, it has some kind of reddish tint to it." He explained as he tried to encourage the group to be more observant." The shockwave that hit the tent was red in color." He added, actually catching a glimpse of it.

Turns out, his theory was right along. The rest did the work and examined more of their surroundings.

"You're right man, they do have that reddish color." The amused Higashi commented.

"This is giving me headaches," Shino commented while rubbing her forehead at the same time. His claims might make sense but that doesn't make her a true believer of supernatural phenomenons.

Mari, who has been keeping quiet during the conversation, had her attention drifted towards an unlikely spot facing the forest. Apparently, behind the thick fog that blurred her vision, a figure of a person began to manifest.

As she tried to dig deeper into it, more figures began to emerge as seconds passed, and slowly the realization would come into her mind, and she felt this sense of fear afterward.

Not far from the little circle of young Adults, Lelei found herself in the middle of her thoughts as she sat on the same chair prior to the tent collapsing from the unanticipated shockwave that damaged the entire premises.

The young mage had been staring at the blank space for quite some time now. As she attempted to comprehend the tense magical energy that she had felt and seen during the blast.

A sense of familiarity struck her.

She felt this small worry that began to grow within her, and the more she placed the puzzle pieces back together, the more she realized the horrifying revelation.

Images of a certain memory began to flash before her eyes. Particularly, a certain man hailing from Sadera, who had brought his kind assistance to Coda Village. A man that strangely had the time in helping her with her own studies. A man of former nobility, that respected the honor of becoming an official and watcher for this village.

He often would tell tales involving the wonders and achievements of the Empire. More specifically, in preserving and saving the precious artifacts which were looted, stolen, and even taken as trophies of war. He would always pride about this certain artifact, mainly a certain scroll engraved with various symbols.

According to him, it was passed down from generation to generation by his ancestors and until the artifact landed into his possession.

He never showed it to everyone, even her teacher as well. She was the only exception truthfully.

"The evil that was born from the blood of the innocent men."

She remembered that phrase from him very well.

The tales that he had told regarding this land are home to a curse from a forgotten time and its strong connections with the scroll. It always made her wonder why many were not aware of its dark past. Even she failed to notice the remnants until the souls themselves revealed it for her. That's when it came to her own realization at the end and she stayed away from the man.

Has the scroll been finally opened?

"Lelei!"

At that very moment, a familiar voice called her name. She caught a glimpse of blonde hair, and the warm smile as she was suddenly brought back to reality.

"Oh, sorry about that Tuka." The young mage apologized, as she rub her exhausted eyes.

The elf girl continued to smile as she handed her friend a small water bottle.

"I guess you might need this, and It's actually impressive! You can literally see the water inside" She explained." If I remember correctly, The Men in Green call this material "Plastic". She informed the latter of this unique material while proceeding to survey her surroundings once more.

Silence slowly took over the area.

"Are you sure we're still in the village?" She inquired, only to be met with silence from the girl. When she returned her gaze to the girl, she immediately noted her anxious demeanor.

"Is there something bothering you Lelei?" She asked again, to her concern.

The mage sighed as she couldn't help herself anymore. They needed to know the truth of the matter at least.

"Tell me Tuka, are you familiar with the tale of the Lykos?"

Both of the Elf girl's brows were lifted. "Uhmm, yes, my mother has told me that story many times, ever since I was a little girl." She expressed her dissatisfaction, as the narrative was intended to scare children and deter them from remaining up late. "But don't be concerned; it's just a myth."

Her words had no effect on the blue-haired teen in general; in fact, it made her even more determined. She rose up from her seat and placed both of her hands on the blonde girl's shoulder, ignoring her water bottle.

"We need to tell them right now!" She warned her elf friend.

Tuka's head was clouded with bewilderment; the blue-haired teen's sudden burst of emotion had stunned her, and before she could answer, she was abruptly interrupted by a single yell from the Men in Green.

"Shit, what the heck is going on this time!?"

It's almost seemed as if she was really destined to blurt out these kinds of words whenever things were going down to an unexpected outcome. Truth to be told, they were all fortunate for that for a new presence had entered the scene.

The ambiance surrounding them had eerily remained silent even until at this time of the hour. However, due to some sudden and creepy circumstances, all of them were forced to gather around once more.

The tension in the air was quickly rising.

"Girls, please get over here right now!" One of the Men in Green exclaimed a combination of worry and desperation filled his eyes.

The Two girls immediately did what they were told and rushed towards the spot.

Tuka was now even more perplexed as to what was going on right now. Everyone appeared to be gearing up for some sort of conflict. Despite the fact that she had a lot of questions, she chose to be more watchful and would soon discover what was really happening.

From the depths of the forest and fog emerged multiple figures as they slowly walk out behind the trees. By the time they stepped towards the light, eventually revealing their true identities.

"Villagers?" I thought they were already at the safe zone?" Higashi had wondered, his hands already shaking from this unexplainable fright. He couldn't seem to differentiate or make a comparison between these people and the other.

"They really were." Mari replied this time, sticking to the information that Daisuke had provided her earlier." It's just that I have no clue, who these people are." She added, confirming their doubts.

All the hairs in their own skins stood simultaneously.

What concerned them the most was that all of these so-called villagers had pale skin. They all had the same emotionless looks, their eyes wide-eyed and without blinking. As they encircled the group, the remainder of their distinguishing characteristics became clear.

Some had large fresh wounds on their foreheads. Others were looked as if they were violently eaten or scratched to death, and some of them had their organs hanging out from their bellies, that Kurata nearly felt like throwing up right on the spot.

The highlight of it all was the eerie silence that persisted throughout. It was frightening and heart-racing at the same time.

The Recon members were already gripping their rifles tight as they hope that this won't go down into a violent path. Although, certain theories would then continue to pop up in their minds.

Where are these people zombies or some kind of undead beings?

A gust of wind, however, would dispel their suspicions as leaves from a neighboring tree flew towards these folks and actually passed through them.

Shino was the first one to realize it. The young lady shivered as she immediately grabbed Kurata by the shoulder and did not let go for the remainder of the time.

"Dammit! Why does it have to be a ghost!"

She exclaimed while her cheeks began to redden as she did not intend of cowering behind the Otaku soldier as if she was watching a horror movie. Something that Mari had secretly noticed.

Higashi, having the same feeling, tried to pass this through his own humor.

"I'm not a Paranormal Expert, Exorcist, or Shinto priest, but I ain't afraid of no ghost!" Higashi finally mentioned the line.

Encountering ghosts wasn't part of their plans, especially in a reconnaissance effort much like this. They don't really have a proper procedure in this situation other than using their own imaginations to get out of this mess.

In fact, Shino who was not a religious person started to silently pray to whatever God she could pray to. The young woman just really hated ghosts, and if she would everything in her power to get herself out of this nightmare.

They were completely powerless in this position as it began to press in on them. However, one factor was overlooked by the JSDF forces.

The gang was taken aback as the ghost-like villagers abruptly came to a halt. It didn't take long for a couple of them to stand aside, showing a specific pathway.

A certain village girl donning a tattered dress then stepped out from the ghostly crowd, her eyes focused on the blue-haired teen.

Seeing her eyes of despair, Lelei took several steps forward to meet these ghostly villagers and as well as the girl. She immediately had figured out that they were trying to relay a message of some sort. She could sense a certain fear in them.

"Lelei, what are you doing!? You could get hurt!" Mari exclaimed, expressing her concern for the young mage.

The blue-haired teen responded with silence as she headed towards a certain spot where a ghostly village girl is currently waiting for her.

"What the heck is she doing?" Shino spoke this time, and added." And who the heck are these people?" The situation was just too overwhelming for her.

"They are the spirits of the past villagers, who used to lived in this land."

All their attention shifted to the elf girl.

"Spirits? Villagers? I thought Coda Village is the only village here in this place?"

"And why do they looked like they've been murdered many times?"

The elf girl took a slight deep breath, The questions were immediately overwhelming her mind as she too was confused." I cannot say for myself, The only thing I know of, is that this land had a dark history of death and murders." She explained, what only she learned and knew.

"You've got to be kidding me sister, How come the villagers did not tell us about this?" Shino commented, slightly cringing at the girl's statement. She had that small suspicion that the village might hide some secrets, which were forbidden to be told.

"I'm not really sure Ma'am."

"And what's the entire history of this place?"

Tuka could only give a nervous grin as she beckoned the rest to look at the young mage, who was surprisingly conversing with the ghostly village girl.

It didn't take long enough for the outcome of their small discussion.

Lelei, on the other hand, had turned to face the others with a slight smile. At the same time, the ghostly villagers raised all of their hands and pointed to a direction, which showed to be a specific path leading to their intended destination.

"So that means...?" Kurata trailed off, fully realizing the message that these villagers were trying to convey.

Tuka smiled as a sense of relief washed over her.

"That's our path heading to the village."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Cato almost lost his footing as he clung to a nearby tree. He felt as if he were plunging into an endless emptiness, only to resurface on the soil. The picture of the beast's blood-red eyes had vanished, replaced with green grass and tree foliage.

His spell had successfully transferred him to a new location, and somewhere in a nearby forest, which is a fit for anyone, who is hiding for their lives. Reasons could be debt, atrocities, gambling mistakes, and many more. For the old man himself, a location like this would be fit for someone who is trying not to get killed by demonic creatures there were often thought to be only a legend.

The old man was gasping for his breath as if he ran across the Rodenius continent with no breaks, rest, or whatsoever. He felt the weakness spreading all over his body and as well as the pain.

Then at that moment, He began to cough out blood as his hands were suddenly covered with the thick red liquid.

His mind turned to the wound on his side stomach, and when he glanced at it, he widened his eyes in surprise, having finally located the source of this other pain.

A big part of his robes was stained with blood, and a single large scratch ran across the middle of his side tummy. As the blood continuously spilled outside, the old man watched in terror.

He was slowly losing his blood and possibly near the hands of death.

Despite his mana being depleting at a faster rate, he mustered everything he could muster, placing his hand on the primary wound and uttering a sentence. As the healing magic began to take effect, his hand began to glow. Temporarily relieves the pain and sealing the wound helps to avoid blood loss. However, it would require additional treatment to fully recover from any severe illnesses.

The old man's body began to tremble as his worry for a certain blue-haired student of his began to grow.

Not long after, Cato forced himself to stand again, his hand holding on to the tree trunk while his wooden staff acting as a support in the front. His mind focused on one goal as limped his way back to the main area.

He couldn't believe that one single scroll would cause this ordeal and the fact that Marcus himself acquired such artifact is only known to exist in the tales told by many travelers. How foolish of himself for not realizing it earlier.

He could only hope for the rest to figure out the precautions when facing this kind of evil.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The fiery flare of light that consumed their superior signaled that they were on their own. He vanished into thin air, like if they had just witnessed some sort of magical performance.

Hitoshi's mind was in conflict as he and his fellow JSDF friend traversed through different paths of the village. The cold and dank atmosphere had greeted them, as they could even see their own breaths come out from their mouths.

The extreme tiredness and panic mixed together was a real torture for them, it was the first time they were actually running away from their lives supposedly. If he were to ask Tomita, He would only say that distance and range was their advantage, but to what extent? Fortunately, in a twist of fate, The strange voice that continued to speak inside their heads turned out to be some sort of guidance.

In form of whispers, the voice had reminded them to keep their mouths shuts and not to say a word. In addition, trying to be stealthy as they can.

The young man immediately rested himself against the adobe wall of a certain village house, gasping for his breath as he could. His friend on the other hand tried to quickly regain his composure from the shock that he had just witnessed.

The small backyard of this colonial-looking house had temporarily become their small safe zone.

Apparently, by the time they received the order from the 50-year-old sergeant, and without any hesitation, they began to fire and riddle the huge beast with 5.56 caliber bullets. It was successful at first as somehow their gunfire managed to damage it, spilling blood everywhere, but however, they immediately recovered from the ground and had set their sights on them.

The two men couldn't believe they were witnessing something horrifying for the first time as the monster moved wildly and erratically. They couldn't just stop their tracks and engage in another gunfire. They heed to their guts and were able to survive a possible death, though temporarily.

"Dammit! How are we supposed to deal with that kind of thing?" Tomita slightly expressed his frustration, running away was not his forte.

"We can't just let them get away with it, they might be heading after the others now!" The big Japanese man added, his own concern catered to his friends and comrades. He was afraid for their life especially the chief and the Medical team.

Hitoshi could only sympathize with the man. Third Recon was a tight-knit group of young soldiers. In fact, they all treated themselves as brothers and sisters, almost like a family.

The young man really didn't get the culture of this group when he first joined in. He was the quietest of them all and rarely hung out with them except for the occasional duties and missions they were assigned to.

Even until now, He was trying to understand it.

Although, the worried look on Tomita's face had finally brought him to that point as he slowly realized what he was fearing all along.

"Hey, man listen." He called out towards his friend.

"We're gonna get out of here and find the chief, and the rest of the guys alright?"

Hitoshi tried his best to reassure him. In times like this, they all needed that certain motivation to keep ongoing. The reason to live and to survive.

Tomita took a few moments to process what the latter had told him, sensing the man's willingness and dedication, He responded with a small nod and a smile.

However, in that exact same moment, as they were about to venture out once more, the whispers made their presence to their minds as it said.

"Behind you...!"

The two men froze simultaneously as confusion ran to their minds. There was nothing behind with the exception of a certain reddish adobe wall, but in just a few moments, both of their own instincts quickly took over as they jumped out of their current position just in time to evade the beast who burst and emerged from behind.

"BOTH OF YOU MORTALS THINK YOU COULD ESCAPE THAT EASILY!?"

The enemy growled in rage as he finally located his two prey. The beast considered this hunt as personal to him, due to being "Disrespected" by the unlikely humans with strange green clothing. He may still have not regained his vision yet but he could still sense then.

"How dare you run away from me!?" The beast had said, as he immediately charged at the two men.

Both Hitoshi and Tomita were able to recover quickly to face their enemy, and soon enough, they pushed the trigger on their rifles and began firing once again at the demon, reigning him with multiple bullets from head to his feet.

The sheer kinetic combined force of the weapons greeted it this time, driving it back a few distances away, the bullets piercing and traveling through its body. Blood started to spill again, splattering a small piece of the men's vest and clothing.

Once they halted the fire, they began to doubt whether it was enough to bring it down.

The beast found itself on the ground once more, albeit with a grin. He then slowly went on to recover and released an arrogant laugh.

"You think could kill me with those weapons of yours?"

The demon taunted the men after, as he advanced his way towards them yet again, this time he would repel every damage done by the two men.

Tomita and Kurata were enveloped in the same rage as they were eager to fire at the beast once more, but in that very moment, there was a small ball of blue energy that floated right past them, and then a voice that followed.

"You're not harming them!" It exclaimed, displaying its own rage.

Afterward, there was a small barrier that manifested in front of the two Japanese soldiers, as it immediately blocked the demon's strike.

Hitoshi and Tomita stared in surprise before shifting their attention to the unexpected newcomer.

"This way hurry!"

It spoke again as it headed towards a certain path, beckoning the men to follow it.

Still shocked regarding the supernatural intervention, the two men did not hesitate as they burst out running and followed the mysterious entity. There was this small relief and peace that formed within them, and not long after an idea came into both of their minds as to where the entity was leading them to.

Meanwhile, the beast had recovered once more and began pursuing them yet again.

Hitoshi and Tomita ran as fast they could, going through yet another complicated path leading into their mysterious destination.

As for the small blue orb that saved them, it once again gave them their only clue to their solution.

"You can't defeat the demon with those items; you'll need a more powerful weapon."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

For the first time since arriving in this world, Sergeant Kuwahara found himself throwing up. He felt as if he had ridden a roller coaster a thousand times more than his son could ever do.

He was still trying to comprehend the light that engulfed him. It felt like he was falling into an endless void, something that could only be experienced in dreams.

The last image he saw was the old sage's staff glowing as bright as the sun.

He quickly held on to a portion of a destroyed wall as he began to survey his surroundings.

Instead of the wide pedestrian streets of the plaza, He found himself somewhere in the heart of the former market district of the village. The familiar empty wooden stalls greeted him and as well as some of the damaged shophouses.

"What just happened?" He kept repeating the same question inside his head.

Never he had expected that he was going to be the first human from earth to witness the magic of this world at first hand, the first human being from earth to be subjected to some kind of teleportation magic.

He was kinda biased with it since he was looking forward to telling his son about it if he ever survived this nightmare, even though he wasn't really the first one to have witnessed it.

Oh kami, the experience was pretty nauseating.

Retracing back his former path, the 50-year-old Japanese sergeant, went back to his own senses as he quietly and vigilantly traversed the market area once again. Gripping his rifle tight as he can for him to easily engage with his potential attacker.

He kept reminding himself that the enemy might be still lurking here somewhere, and as well as the advice that he had received from the mysterious voice.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted as he caught a glimpse of a huge shadow that passed by the empty stalls. His only guide was the open holes and spaces itself in locating the new presence.

The environment he was in right now resembled a maze.

The man quickly ducked near the ground to avoid any detection and silently crawled his way through.

He wasn't sure if he was the hunter or the one being hunted.

He zipped his lips shut to avoid creating any more noises or disturbances. He'd have to rely more on his athletic abilities to get out of this maze. He was extremely cautious of even the smallest footstep.

The huge shadow made its presence once more as it began to move into circles.

Sergeant Kuwahara kept searching everywhere, and the anomaly's motions got more erratic, making the situation even more unexpected for him. He couldn't just shoot immediately away because that would be a risky move.

Not a minute too soon, the Japanese man sensed something behind him and heard swift heavy footfall approaching him at breakneck speed. He knew he'd be too late to get engaged by the time he turned around, so he went with his backup plan.

"Shit!" He cursed inside his mind.

The man quickly trusted his instincts as he dashed towards a different direction and towards the small path leading to bigger food and market stalls.

At this age, he couldn't run as fast as he used to, but still, he was able to muster up everything in his power just to escape from the grasp of the enemy. He could hear the sounds of the food stalls being smashed and thrown away.

He could tell that his enemy was very pissed at him from riddling it bullets for the first time in its life.

As he continued to run, he noticed a certain open hole between two large sheds. As the beast approached, the man readied himself as he suddenly dived and slid into the open area, before its huge claws could catch him.

Kuwahara winced in pain, as he held his back afterward. The effort that he mustered just to performed that kind of move took a slight toll as he nearly injured his back.

The man found himself once again in silence as he arrived at another area of the empty market district.

The eerie quietness also did not help to make him calm.

He gasps for air as if he had raced a 20-kilometer marathon non-stop. His lungs were already pleading with him for compassion. His heart rate was not slowing down, and his thoughts were urging him to get back on his feet and be vigilant.

Kuwahara decided to push himself for one more time, and when he looked to his front, he discovered that he was only a few blocks away from the main plaza. Something that really surprised him.

A sense of relief filled his mind as he was near to his destination. Although, unbeknownst to him, the enemy's presence was now closer to him than he had ever thought.

The food stalls had these tough and strong wooden roofs that could hold tons of heavy objects, and on top of one of these stalls was the beast itself watching the Japanese man from above. Its confidence was still at an all-time high, believing that it had the upper hand.

It grinned evilly as it prepared to launch at him.

Kuwahara suddenly felt a small gush of wind that blew past by his neck. He widened his eyes as immediately turned around to face his attacker, which was already in mid-air.

The man tried to raise up his rifle but was already too late as the beast landed before him, knocked his weapon out from his hands, grabbed him by the neck.

The beast growled in triumph as he finally could eat human flesh for the first time since being summoned by his master. But he wasn't aware that the man had plans of his own.

Kuwahara drew out his knife from his gear and stabbed it through the beast's gigantic claws, causing it to roar in pain. The man did not stop there as he began to move his knife and sliced the heck out of its hand, finally letting him go.

He landed on the ground hard but forced himself to immediately recover. He drew out his pistol and started firing at the beast, hitting it on the eyes, nose, and chest. The firepower temporarily shocking it.

He then rushed his way towards his rifle to retrieve it.

Although, his enemy quickly recovered and also made another charged at him, to which it succeeded yet again as it managed to grab hold of the man.

Kuwahara found himself being thrown away to a few distances, he landed and slid on the rocky ground, nearly hurting his ribs in the process.

The man cringed in pain once more as he held his chest. His eyes continued to look at the beast as it slowly approached him with delight.

He gritted his teeth as he tried to get back up, but due to the ongoing pain and the numbness that spread throughout his body, he wasn't able to.

The beast then grabbed the man by the neck once more as it wasted no time in opening its wide mouth. Showing the large dark purple tongue and the terrifying fangs and teeth that could only be seen in horror movies.

The man could only pray and hope for the best outcome, it would be a miracle if he was able to overpower a creature like this, but to his own fortunate faith, the Gods immediately answered his prayer.

At that very moment, his world began to slow down. The Japanese Sergeant caught a glimpse of a silver arrow engulfed by a fire that suddenly hit and went inside the beast's mouth.

The beast widened its eyes in shock as the fire from the arrow began to spread and it found itself being suddenly engulfed in huge flames.

A certain blonde elf man stood on top of a shophouse's roof as he prepared another arrow and fired once more at the beast.

The demon screamed and roared in pain as the fire grew stronger and bent on taking its life away. Not a moment too soon, the powerful flames began to torture it and spread throughout its body.

Hodor smiled with relief as he made it on time. The man who had successfully gathered enough materials to create a special silver arrow back at the now-abandoned blacksmith's shop jumped down towards the ground to assist the injured man.

"Are you alright sir?" He asked.

Kuwahara could only nod in answer since the ache in his ribs had become excruciating.

Hodor was quick to realize this as he placed his hand on the man's chest.

He uttered a phrase as his hand began to glow signaling that the Healing magic had began to take effect.

Kuwahara quickly felt the strange sensation as the pain suddenly went away. This immediately shattered his skepticism and his belief in any of the logical things he had learned in life.

"Feeling better?" Hodor asked again.

"Yes, Thank you." The Sergeant replied back, as he slowly recovered from the ground.

"We need to get back towards the village hall as quickly as we can," Hodor informed as he wasted no time laying out the next plan.

The confusion then took over Kuwahara." I'm sorry, but can you at least please tell me what the heck is going right now?" He eyed the latter seriously, demanding to know answers

It had been a while since he had not heard a decent explanation. The violent shockwave, the appearance of these demons, and the village morphing into some kind of nightmarish dimension. Everything was just too much to handle, and considering he is in another world, everything is just too complex to deal with.

Hodor responded with silence, encouraging the man to shift his attention towards the beast, who still is engulfed in flames, suffering but surprisingly still alive, and showed no signs of dying.

"B-But How is it still moving?" He asked.

The elf man just nodded. "I can't really explain that myself but..." He elaborated. "You won't be able to truly defeat them unless you discover the source of their power." He went on to say, still with the same type of disbelief in himself.

He had once perceived it to be just a legend, despite the countless chroniclers writing their own accounts regarding these demons and their victims that span for hundreds of years.

Unless the apostle of death is here to automatically purify them.

"Do you mean these things have a weakness?" Kuwahara then asked." Or maybe like something that will definitely kill them permanently?"

The man nodded once more." Yes, and it's just right over that ruins." He replied back pointing to the red beam of energy located at the former site of the village hall.

"We have to get there as soon as possible and reverse its influence, or else we'll be just another one of their victims."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Oh God, please let this be over with."

At his anxiety's best, Yuji silently prayed in his mind for the safety of the others. It seemed that their own situation had grown for the worst.

The forest had become unrecognizable, at least to his eyes. Everything that surrounded them was very much alive, in the sense that most of the giant trees were given life in order to delay their time and in an attempt to destroy them.

The grounds that the Chocobos had taken foot, began erupting and violently destroyed as a result of the gigantic roots of the otherworldly trees that were trying to smash them.

He and the rest of the team had found themselves closer to death than expected, there was a point in time where all Chocobos had begun jumping onto the large tree branches to escape the danger from the ground.

At this point in time, every step they took was now considered a part of their good luck.

The loud sounds that these trees and roots produced can be compared to the sound of a World War 2 artillery shell demolishing a building.

He was able to catch a glimpse of the other recon members, who were really trying hard to survive. By this time, the giant yellow birds had taken up more of the responsibility of navigating and evading any trouble of getting smash into smithereens. They immediately understood that these Men in Green did not have the time to familiarize themselves regarding the basic norm of riding Chocobo.

It will take a huge time and effort in this neverending chaos.

As a result, it wasn't a smooth ride anymore.

"How long do you think this will end!?"

Carl yelled as he felt overwhelmed by what was going on around him, and Lieutenant Brian, who had amazingly maintained an untouched serious expression until this point.

"Ms. Rory! Are we freaking there yet!?"

This time, Itami yelled, as he, too, was being overwhelmed by the anxiety surrounding their survival. Even though he had seen innumerable anime sequences that could be compared to this, he was still in disbelief since experiencing it firsthand was different than just watching it.

All the attention had shifted to the apostle.

Strangely enough, the young lady was silent. Yuji felt something amiss with the girl. Prior to this, she was gracefully handling the situation well, perfectly avoiding attempted attacks on her by the massive trees.

Was she trying to anticipate something?

"Why was she suddenly brought into this emotion that he had never seen before?

The energetic young lady had drastically changed.

A while ago, the so-called Demi-Goddess had this grin on her face, that he interpreted as an emotion of excitement and joy.

As he was about to process his mind, the young writer was suddenly interrupted by yet another yell from the group.

"FUCK! Guys above you!"

He felt his heartbeat stop as his world slowed down. Yuji proceeded to look up along with the rest as they came to face a massive tree trunk that can be compared to the width and length of twenty school buses combined.

"Oh no..."

The hope began to fade at that point because there was no way for them to escape the big tree trunk that spanned the entire area they were currently inhabiting. Death would have already arrived if it hadn't been for a meddling young lady.

In the midst of this, and between their fates, they caught a glimpse of a dark human-shaped thing that formed in front of their eyes. It was shrouded in a strange ethereal black-like aura and a grace they'd never seen before.

As moments passed, the dark entity eventually took the shape of a familiar young lady and the crimson red eyes that had shocked them all.

"Is that...?"

She smiled at each of them, as though to reassure them that everything would be well. Following that, the young lady turned her attention to the tree trunk, her black ethereal-like hands summoning some sort of massive halberd-like weapon with a beautiful gothic design. Not long after, she slashed the huge trunk in half, causing it to disintegrate into small pieces as its remnants descend upon the soldiers.

After several moments, the tension in the atmosphere drastically reduced, the Men in Green's supposed fates being thwarted by the dark entity. They found themselves in a much-stabilized situation.

Yuji blinked a couple of times, as he quickly went to monitor the Chocobo, where the young lady was currently riding on. To his surprise, she was still there, albeit already smiling about something.

"Don't worry Men In Green! We'll be arriving soon enough!"

The Apostle spoke for the first time as she rallied the rest towards their destination. A great deal of confidence filled her eyes as she couldn't wait to finally purify the lost souls that had been terrorizing this land.

Her actions and words left the recon members in shock and disbelief. They just couldn't believe what they had just witnessed. Their own minds went back to the previous words of the Sage, as time passed by, they would slowly turn into believers.

Truly that Ms. Rory is definitely different.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Tell me this is not happening."

Daisuke couldn't believe what he was witnessing at the moment.

There was one thing that several members of the Third Recon had in common, and that was that they were all scared of ghosts. Sure, the man had surmounted the difficulty of watching horror movies about vengeful spirits with his girlfriend, but having a large number of pale and bloodied villagers surround him was not on his list of objectives.

He could hear the loud knocks on every part of the LAV. From Children to teenagers, to adults, and to even the ghostly elderly. All of them brought a sense of creepiness and urgency to living ones inside the vehicle. Furthermore, He could feel the LAV being shaken like a can of sardines.

These ghostly villagers are surely stronger than he had expected. They were silent, compose, and focus on one goal.

"Young man, I suggest you don't go outside of this iron carriage if you don't want your soul to be part of their world."

Furthermore, the statement which came from Elena had given the man extra goosebumps. If these people were ghosts, then why the heck could they touch and knock on the vehicle. It seemed to have no sense of it.

But it was when a certain pale country boy, with enormous fresh wounds on his cheeks, tried to jump on the hood of the LAV and abruptly went through it that he became persuaded and practically screamed regarding it.

Daisuke didn't dare to go out of the vehicle despite the pleas and cries of these ghostly villagers. He was just a normal guy with normal dreams. He didn't have the power to make these spirits rest in peace.

Although, when he looked back at the two living women in the backseat, they were surprisingly praying to their Gods to bless these spirits surrounding them. That's when the idea popped into his mind, and he willingly joined in their prayers.

Luckily, He was a Christian growing up, so he prayed to the only God he knew since he was a child, and that is the one and only...

"Jesus Christ! Please take these poor souls to Heaven, if Heaven exists in this world."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was definitely a sigh of relief once the group had finally passed their previous ordeal of finding the right path towards the village.

The scenery with the ghost of villagers past became the most creepiest and uncomfortable scene that they had ever experienced yet, and especially for Recon members such as Shino, who is secretly afraid regarding these types of supernatural creatures.

Kurata himself was actually unaware of that certain secret. He always perceived the young woman as this tough, brash, and confident soul that even most of the gangster-like people would fear. He only got to know her more, through a third-party acquaintance during his first days being in the self-defense force.

He was not like his fellow soldiers, who were more confident, firm, and strict. In his own language, they were considered as a part of the Elite people, with the exception of his Otaku captain, who came from a different division.

Powerful and also prodigies in their own ways. Believed it or not, there was an inside culture amongst his peers. The culture of discussion regarding these people, who many considered the best role models of the organization. The ones that made good examples and the ones that they should praise and follow.

Shino, or the Demon Girl of Third Recon, as she was unofficially referred to, became part of that certain group.

Through this certain acquaintance of his, he discovered the young lady's true colors.

He never informed anyone, but based on what he saw, the young woman he had come to know over the years was fragile, lonely, and reluctant. Despite her strong front, she had flaws, and she needed someone to help her get out of this kind of loneliness.

The interest grew in him, and he found a reason to get close to her more and be the one that will eventually help her. That's why he donned the playful mask and became some sort of jokester much like his captain, and that certainly annoyed the young woman to the point it almost tempted her to beat him for being an "Idiot".

Kurata would always laugh about it whenever the topic was brought up. Though. he had no choice because that's the only way he could introduce himself and befriend her.

Nowadays, it was a streak of bad luck for the Otaku soldier.

His eyes still focused on the young woman, who along with Mari was currently conversing with the local village girls.

A smile formed around his lips.

He was glad to see that the young woman was calm, despite the situation they were in.

The hope of surviving and getting out of this mess was still vague.

"Kurata"

His own thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the familiar voice of Higashi. By the time he turned to him, he was greeted by his confused face.

"Are you alright man?" He asked, expressing a little bit of concern for his friend." You've not been yourself lately, is there something bothering you?" The man added.

A small smile formed around his lips.

"Oh, it's nothing, just thinking about someone I know." He replied, losing his focus once more. He just couldn't get over these thoughts inside his head.

There was slight quietness that took over before Higashi raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? I hope this isn't about Shino." He said, coincidentally predicting his friend's thoughts." Trust me, man, She'll only go for the hunks if you know what I mean." He added, confident with his own warning.

At this time of the hour, he was still able to bring out some of his jokes, even the possibility of them not making it out alive was obvious.

Kurata secretly sighed. That kind of rumor amongst the circle was already outdated.

He forced a cringy smile towards the latter before continuing with his own thoughts once again

Higashi, on the other hand, was much more perplexed than before. The fact that his Otaku pal was attempting to appear cool at this time or whenever Shino was in the scene.

He never really understood that part of him.

"So let me guess this straight, this whole situation is somehow caused by a scroll, which contained three demonic werewolves in it?"

"Four exactly, one of them has the ability summon another one of their kind into this world."

Shino rolled her eyes." Okay okay, so four demonic beasts that had been terrorizing this place and the many villages that had settled here for God knows how long."

The Elf Girl and the young Mage nodded and agreed at the same time. The older woman was perfectly summarizing their story in a perfect and simplified way.

"And you said that this is all part of an Urban Legend in your community?" Mari spoke this time, trying to get the gist of this local folklore.

The two girls nodded again, again, and again.

They felt like professors in Rondel, attempting to educate these otherworlders.

"Yes, though I realized soon that this legend might have some truth in it." Lelei explained, and went on to say " There are several important key books which discuss the legend itself, but only a few, which belonged to travelers and Chroniclers accounts presented many pieces of evidence and even a written first-hand account of these beasts, literally existing and slaughtering innocent people.''

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." Shino gave a cringed and she rubbed her forehead." But why did these hairy shits have to appear after hundreds of years?"

"I'm not really sure Ma'am."

"One of sir Eldar's trusted village officials had somehow acquired the scroll that contained these demons." Lelei explained once again." And to his mistake, He unintentionally revealed its story and secret to me, even though I didn't ask for it." She added." I'm just not sure how and why he released these demons from their prison."

"So I have to make it up for what he has done and reverse the scroll."

"I apologize for not informing you guys sooner."

Quietness befell for a few moments.

Tuka placed a hand on her friend's shoulders as a sign of comfort and support.

"It's alright, but I mean those demon werewolves should really stay inside that scroll, and not terrorize people for no apparent reason again." She gave another of her own opinions." If you asked me, it's a freaking mess."

The one thing about Urban Legends involving vengeful entities is that they terrorize innocent people for no reason. They should be killing the ones that killed or wronged them from the start. An aspect that continued to annoy the young woman throughout.

However, the elf girl had a different view of it. Growing up in a much more conservative and understanding culture, she wanted to explain that side of the story.

"Our people believe when your heart is full of vengeance, you quickly forget your own values and the principles, I guess it's the same for humans as well, as they begin to lose their own humanity." She explained," And it doesn't matter whether these people have good hearts or bad hearts, to their eyes, they are just victims."

"The best thing we can do is to help them get out from that kind of prison."

"You got a point there," Shino muttered as her mind was placed in a small conflict between believing these two good reasons.

Though she still had to keep her guard up if she had the receive the opportunity to meet them face to face.

It was the large structures of the colonial-like houses that greeted the group. The Overall atmosphere had drastically changed. The once vibrant scenery of the village had turned into a foggy ghost town.

It didn't take long enough for them to realize that they have finally reached their destination. A small sense of relief filled their minds, especially Lelei, who knew that they were not far away from their target.

The glowing red beam originating from the ruins of a certain village hall became their only guide.

The area that they stumbled upon was certainly different from what they had seen prior. Besides the somewhat newly built shophouses, were remnants of old structures from the past years.

It was gray stone and old bricks compared to the adobe material that the majority of these village houses had. In fact, the area had more ruins than actual complete useable, and liveable buildings.

It seemed as if there was an attempt to coexist with a forgotten past.

"I think, I haven't been here before, Have I?"

It was the first thought that came from the majority of them. Shino had to voice out the rest of it.

"If I'm not mistaken, these are the ruins of previous villages that settled here."

All the attention went towards the young mage again.

A small revelation that there were already people who have been living in this land for many years.

"It seemed that when Coda Village had first arrived in this land, they didn't tear down the ruins and instead built their own houses beside them."

"Out of respect, I guess?"

Truthfully, Lelei only learned of this certain part of the story recently. When she learned of this information through Luke and his friends, she tried to enter the premises herself but got caught by one of the village patrol guards.

It seemed that there was an order and warning given to most of the villagers not to enter the area due to the belief and superstition that the source of the curse originated in this part of the land. People were really afraid to venture towards the place.

All she had learned regarding this were several ghost stories from the patrol guards themselves, who keep seeing these restless spirits wandering around the place. She was amazed by these mens' bravery able to co-exist with them almost every day and night.

Her thoughts ended there as she finally felt the tension in the air grew.

As of this time, the group had entered a far more dangerous situation.

The thick fog that filled entire ruins kept the tension in the air.

A sense of dread was approaching them.

It was not long after that the red beam of energy had suddenly released a small shockwave that engulfed the entire area and as well as the rest of them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He felt a sharp pain in his head as Kurata nearly fell to his knees.

The man quickly held on to a part of ruin to prevent himself from collapsing.

"Dammit, not again." He muttered to himself, as his concern then shifted towards his friends.

This was the first time he was hit by magical energy in front of his place. According to Lelei, getting hit by a residual or at least a small portion of its essence would cause a person to suffer a series of headaches at times.

When the Otaku soldier had finally recovered and regained his senses, he unexpectedly found himself in a different area altogether.

He was no longer at the entrance of the ruins with the rest, yet inside its premises, alone and all by himself.

Kurata almost had a nervous breakdown when he came to this realization. The only fortunate advantage he possessed was that he still had his rifle and his gear. He felt as if he was placed in this kind of scenario to finally confront a part of the evil that had terrorized this land for ages.

Again, He did not consider himself as this mighty hero that will save the day and slay them. He did felt a little ashamed for reading a lot of Isekai stories.

He could feel his heartbeat getting faster as he traversed his way through the old village ruins in search of the others.

He did try to use the walkie in hopes of establishing contact with them at least, but only to receive the same static sound. It quickly reminded him that most of their communications had been cut off.

At one point, The young man considered yelling at the top of his lungs as a means to alert the rest of his team that he was still alive. Though, immediately went down as a mysterious faint voice whispered through his ears.

"No, Don't do it!"

The voice kept repeating the same phrase all over every time he would attempt to yell.

At first, Kurata had thought he was finally losing his mind. Hearing the mysterious voices ringing inside his head was not usually a good sign. Although, there was this part of him that encouraged him to listen to the voices.

So the latter took the advice and heed the warnings.

That turned out to be a small saving grace as he immediately felt an overwhelming presence that had arrived in the area he was in.

The young man felt all the hair on his body stood as he caught a glimpse of a huge shadow that quickly passed by a certain spot.

Kurata immediately raised his rifle as he prepared to engage. His hands slightly trembling for whatever the fear left in him. As he slowly continued his path. He whenever he felt something passed by through to other directions, he would always turn to those certain directions.

Unbeknownst to him, that the enemy was just playing games with his now fragile mind.

He could hear the faint laughs of it, it was just everywhere as if it meant to torture him.

Soon, the young man began to feel the faint footsteps approaching, moments later these same footsteps began to get louder as if the enemy is finally nearing him.

It became faster and faster to the point that it was now charging towards him.

Kurata immediately turned around to face it, but to his surprise, there was nothing behind him. A wave of confusion took over his mind for a brief moment, and unknown to his knowledge, the enemy was right just beside him.

He heard an evil chuckle before a wall belonging to a remnant of a village house, bursts into pieces as a gigantic hand grabbed him by the neck.

The young man wasn't able to react fast enough, his rifle being knock off to the ground, as the beast immediately raised him upwards.

"Hehe, I really like to toy with my prey."

The beast taunted, as he threw the JSDF soldier towards the ground as if he was some kind of ragdoll.

Kurata winced in pain as he grabbed his arm. He tried to force himself to recover but the beast quickly approached him.

"You humans are really weak!

The demon taunted him once again.

"I really wanted to kill you right away, but I do miss the pleasures of tormenting poor creatures like you."

The demon widely grin as he prepared his massive sharp claws, now ready as ever to ripped the human's guts out.

He wasn't going to waste any moment as he was craving for his flesh.

For the first time, Kurata felt a wave of emotion within him. On the verge of breaking down, he ultimately remembered his promise to himself and to his friends that he won't be going out like this for nothing, and that kind of mindset eventually boosted his confidence.

He still had two options left to finish this once and for all.

"Now to taste what the human fear is like all these years!"

As the beast was about to strike him down permanently, a voice suddenly rang out through both of their ears in the form of an unlikely tough young woman.

"Leave him the fuck alone!"

Once the voice was heard, a barrage of bullets suddenly greeted and hit the demon from all directions as it shockingly found itself pummelled to the ground due to the firepower it possessed.

It left him incapacitated for a good amount of time albeit with vengeance in his mind.

"Damn you!" The beast then cursed.

Kurata immediately recognized the voice as belonging to a certain Shino Kuribayashi. He began to survey his surroundings to find Mari, Higashi, and the tough girl herself, finally making their entrance.

"Hey man, are you alright?"

Higashi rushed to his friend as he quickly assisted him from the ground.

The young man winced in pain once more as he soon realized that he had somehow sprained his right shoulder. The Pain slowly spreading across his body

"We gotta get outta here Kurata, We can't really kill this thing right away." The bigger JSDF soldier explained, apparently remembering what Lelei had informed them regarding this beast's nature.

The weakened and injured Otaku soldier simply nodded, as he let his friend assist by the shoulder, as they finally proceeded to leave the area.

Meanwhile, Shino and Mari decided to leave before the demon wolf could fully recover.

"Meet us at the endpoint! Lelei and Tuka are already there!"

"They got surprised for this bastard!"

Shino yelled out towards them.

"Got it!"

Higashi was the one to reply back, as the two men were now about leaving.

However, the beast recovered faster than predicted and leaped in their way, finally blocking their passage entirely. This also notified Shino and Mari, who were forced to return to the area in order to aid their fellow recon members.

"Shit!" Higashi cursed as he quickly drew his weapon and fired another series of rounds at the beast. He was able to pull the trigger and strike the now-blood-covered monster, but the enemy was able to withstand the gunfire and shoved JSDF soldier, sending him away and crashing into a stone wall, semi-knocking him out of consciousness which left Kurata behind again.

Weak and Injured, the Otaku soldier, now alone, sought to retaliate by grabbing his backup Minebea P-9, but it was too late.

The demon quickly made his move as he used one of his claws to stabbed the young man in the shoulder.

Kurata yelled out in pain for the first time, dropping his weapon as he was brought up mid-air. His eyes looking straight towards the blood-red eyes of the beast.

"Hehe, You think, you could get away from this mortal?" He taunted again.

At this point, Shino and Mari were now nearing the area, as they reloaded their rifles once again to combat the enemy.

"Kurata!"

The young soldier could hear the loud voices of Shino and Mari worriedly calling for his name, as the two rushed their way to save their friend.

A smile crept across the man's lips he took a glance at the two young women, who had just arrived. Just in time for Shino to looked straight into his eyes, something that he had waited for a long time, and he was going to treasure this forever.

"Any last words human?" The beast said once more as it began to open its mouth to devour him.

Kurata was still able to take a deep breath and proceeded to extract something from a certain pouch of his. He then took the pin of this small but destructive green object with his other hand. following that, he offered the most disgusted face he could show towards the demon, and along with his so-called last words.

"Eat shit asshole!"

With all of his rage and anger, The young man proceeded to throw the grenade towards the beast's mouth to which it suddenly swallowed, and not long after, a big explosion occurred in that very spot.

Shino and Mari were startled as they arrived at the location and were met by a brilliant light. Their thoughts couldn't process what they had just witnessed. Only Shock and Horror filled the rest of their faces.

Tears slowly formed in both of the women's eyes.

The light that had consumed their companion and the demon as well, leaving their fates uncertain.

CHAPTER END