The Last Ace

"This is a crucial mission. Can you do it, Rod? Can you and the small number you lead face thousands of monsters?" Archangel Remiel asked.

"One thing I've learned through training, in a battle against thousands of enemies, even a small stone still has its advantages. With unity, it can move in ways unseen by the enemy."

"THE REMAINING SOULS WITH ME ARE BRAVE, AND WE ACCEPT THIS MISSION!" Rod's heart swelled with determination as he accepted his orders from Archangel Remiel.

"I repeat, this is an important mission, so there's no room for mistakes," Archangel Remiel said.

But before following, Rod asked, "What does Gaap look like?"

The Archangel replied, "Gaap stands in front of the Cathedral, with a prominent nose and a hairy body, with two horns on his forehead of a slight size. He resembles a bat."

As Rod realized this, the image of Gaap, leading the army of monsters, formed in his mind like a sharp lock. On his face, determination could be seen as he created a strategy to confront their enemy.

"Once you get closer to his position, you'll see and feel his presence," added the Archangel.

Rod surveyed the surroundings and noticed a low ridge that their group could possibly pass through. However, he couldn't shake off the knowledge that accompanying this route was a danger: underneath it flowed lava, which could be dangerous for their journey.

"Comrades," Rod said.

He sketched on the ground the possible position of Gaap and the battleground.

"We'll traverse this side on the left. We'll pass through this low ridge while the monsters were busy battling. But we must do it in extreme caution because if the monsters don't slay us, falling into the flowing lava might be our demise," Rod said. His companions could be seen attentively listening to him.

"But won't our attack alert them when we reach Gaap's location? It could potentially cause Gaap to escape," one of their companions asked.

"We will base our attack on the number of monsters surrounding him when we get there. If there are more monsters surrounding him than us, we'll all attack. But if there are only a few, then only a few of us will join me in the attack. If our numbers are fewer, we won't be seen as a threat to him," Rod replied.

Afterward, Rod began to walk along the side with the low ridge. As they headed towards Gaap's location, they moved slowly and kept their heads down to avoid detection.

"Cyrus, what do you observe about the ongoing battle?" asked Archangel Remiel.

"On the right side, the enemies are gaining the upper hand. Meanwhile, the left side is holding steady, and in the middle, the monsters have a slight advantage," Cyrus replied based on his observations.

"Proceed to the middle part with your troops and fight there," commanded Archangel Remiel.

"Yes, sir," Cyrus replied. "Charge, everyone!"

And all the angels with Cyrus hurried to the middle part to reinforce.

After reaching the boundary of their path, Rod took a peek and estimated the number of monsters surrounding Gaap.

"My estimate is around one thousand monsters surrounding Gaap," said Rod.

After hearing this, concern and sudden weakening of determination were evident on the faces of his companions.

"Comrades, I know this is a moonshot. But our chance to get Archangel Remiel's help depends on it," said Rod.

"But surely this will lead to our death," one of their companions said, expressing concern.

Rod responded, "If we don't do this and Archangel Remiel can't enter, he won't be able to end Amaymon's life. And surely death will be our fate as well. But if we do this, we'll at least have some hope. What would you choose? To die doing nothing or to die trying?" Rod asked bravely.

After this, they seemed to realize that Rod was right, and it gave them courage once again.

"Let's fight this. We're already here!" one of their companions said, followed by nods of agreement from the others. "Right," said some.

"Prepare yourselves, and let's charge," Rod said.

After this, Rod and the others came out and attacked from the side.

"Hmm, what's this, just souls? "They have quite the nerve to charge at me," Gaap said, seemingly amused.

Afterward, Rod and the monsters surrounding Gaap clashed.

"What's your plan, Archangel Remiel? To finish me off?" Gaap asked, seeming to ponder. "With these few souls, I can easily wipe all of them in no time! Hmm…"

As Rod and his companions fought their enemies, signs of fatigue were evident among them, leading to casualties among their ranks.

While they had the chance to talk, Rigor called out to Rod.

"Rod!" Rigor shouted.

"You should leave us here, choose an elite warriors and take them with you to advance towards Gaap," Rigor suggested.

"No, I won't leave you all behind. We're in this together!" Rod replied.

"It will only make our mission more difficult if we stick together here, we'll all die," Rigor said.

"But..." Before Rod could speak, another one of their companions spoke up.

"Rigor's right, Rod. If you defeat Gaap, it's like our whole group did it, so don't worry about us. Besides, once you confront Gaap, we can easily escape. That's where we are good at. Hehehe," one of Rod's companions said with a smile, expressing full trust in him.

"Alright! Ian, Anna, Jason, Jacob, Jasper, Smith, Joshua…" then Rod looked to his side. "Abdul, Sakur, Mike, Shin, Bryan, Bek, Jisoo! Come with me!" Rod exclaimed. Afterward, the souls Rod called approached him, ready to join him.

"Remember, when we leave, make your escape. We'll meet again after this." Rod instructed his remaining comrades. Although it weighed heavily on him to leave them behind, it also gave him the courage to finish Gaap.

And they began to run towards Gaap's location. As Rod ran towards Gaap, his companions provided support and eliminated the monsters attacking him. This allowed Rod to run straight towards Gaap while dodging the monsters.

From afar, as Archangel Remiel saw Rod advancing, he whispered to himself, "Now is the time…"

Suddenly, Cyrus together with his group of angels broke free from the middle part of the battle field. Gaap's eyes widened in surprise at the sight.

"What... What? How?" Gaap whispered as he saw Cyrus' group, while at his side, Rod's group was also advancing towards him.

"Hmmm, as they approach you, I believe you won't have enough time to think about what strategy to use. You'll just have to choose who will kill you. Souls or angels?" whispered Archangel Remiel with a smirk.

The wings of Archangel Remiel flared even wider and seemed to suddenly ablaze with excitement to breach the barrier and join the battle, to finish off Amaymon…