Pride

Thanatos was standing over the wounded captains. His power was beyond their capacity. A demon from hell in the shape of a human.

Vince was still hurt. The healing potion he drank only covered the most serious wounds in his chest, leaving him with bleeding ears and broken ribs. Reggie was down in a corner of the room. A broken arm and missing an eye were only the most obvious wounds from the battle. Reggie's insides were destroyed. He was barely holding onto his life by a mere miracle.

"You believe in your strength and step into my home, attack my people, and claim to bring me down. How shameless! This is the price you pay for meddling in my business."

Thanatos belittled the pitiful men, but he would not show any mercy. The effect of the strength potion wore off. He could only take the hits from Vince by using magic or the blue shield. He was out of mana, but the banshee was still active. It was time to end this.

He jumped toward Vince with his claws open. The old man gripped his sword and prepared for the impact. Suddenly, Thanatos disappeared completely. It was the invisibility spell from the handkerchief.

Vince pushed his senses to the maximum and then waited for the attack. A pain in his back made him turn around.

"[Overpower]" he activated his special ability and spun in a circle, cutting everything around him.

"Blue shield!" Thanatos used the shield to block once more, but this time, cracks appeared on the side. Already broken after only two attacks, this guy is a beast. He slipped past the enormous blade and stabbed the gut.

Vince vomited blood as the claws ripped his insides beyond repair, his stomach and intestines torn into pieces of meat.

"[Overpower]" the muscles of the abdomen contracted, and Thanatos's hand got trapped inside Vince's gut.

"Still resisting! Useless!" He stabbed him with the other hand, but…

"[Overpower]!" He dropped the blade and used his hands to grab the claws aimed at his head.

Three times. Vince used his special ability three times in a row. "Magnificent." Thanatos couldn't help but feel respect for this man. Going so far in a battle, but what was the point? He couldn't fight anymore, and he would die in a few seconds after his muscles lost power.

That conflict between respect and disdain let Thanatos know the true purpose of this desperate struggle. He often mocked those prideful opponents because, in their vainglory, they let themselves open to a counterattack. Thanatos realized at that moment that he had fallen into the same trap that had given him victory so many times before: pride.

Reggie attacked from the back with the last bit of his strength. The half-dead captain was still determined to kill him. The handkerchief was too close to serve as a way out with a teleport, so he ordered the banshee to scream again to buy time and get away.

"…!" an arrow pierced the ghostly head, and the banshee dissipated into nothingness.

What? Thanatos looked to where the arrow came from. A lonely sergeant holding a bow used magic to imbue the arrow with holy power. That weak attack was enough. He came here to support his captains and hid in the shadows, waiting for a chance.

A plan born from the adversity of being weaker, the wounded ones hold each other back and work together to defeat a powerful enemy. Those things were more common than people thought. Thanatos experience it many times, but those plans could work only when the enemy gloats his victory before achieving it.

I should have finished him before attacking the old man. I should have used the banshee first. I should have noticed the sergeant hiding in the rubble. So many mistakes in such a short amount of time.

"[Golden hit]" Reggie's voice was barely audible, but he was focused on victory. His most powerful ability.

[Golden hit] bypasses any defense and reaches the weak point of an enemy. The sword plunged deep into Thanatos's chest, cutting the arm he took out of Vince's insides.

It cut cleanly through the arm and the sword slashed the heart in two…

"MASTER!" The fire of Adel's sword burned the sergeant to ashes as he ran toward Thanatos.

"MASTER! Hold on!" He had a terrified look on his face. He reached him and saw the captains fall to the side.

Reggie and Vince were dead from their respective injuries, and yet they had a triumphant smile. They fought till the end and bested the demon in human form.

"AH! Master… I don't have a potion. Hold on, I will take you somewhere safe. Is my fault for not coming sooner. If I had only reached you first, I could have prevented this."

Adel's guilt bit his heart. If only he came here a minute earlier. He put his hands on Thanatos's chest, trying to stop the flow of blood. But it was in vain as the heart had stopped beating. Thanatos's eyes turned empty as his life was ending.

What do I do? What can I do?... Adel agonized, thinking of a solution, but the despair was too great to handle. He couldn't save Thanatos.

"UF… Adel… take it…" A weak voice came from behind. Adel turned around and saw Lui, the man in charge of potion and drug production.

Lui was wounded and burned, but he was holding a potion in his hand.

"Lui… why are you still here?"

"Eric and the cat woman are fighting outside. They are securing a passage, but the Red Dragon and the army are trying to stop them… I came to take all the potions I could... I had a feeling you would need this... I only made one as an experiment. A [Heal] potion... use it on Thanatos."

Adel took the potion and fed it to Thanatos. He forced his mouth open and poured it inside. The magic covered the chest and mended the heart. After a moment, it began to beat again.

"Yes! Lui, you're amazing…" Adel looked at Lui, who was collapsed on the floor.

"Tell him thanks for building a base like this and for teaching me his secrets…" Lui died of a terrible wound on his back.

"Thank you, Lui."

Thanatos's heart was beating weakly. He still needed help for the rest of his injuries. Adel took his remaining arm and took him to the exit... A dark feeling overtook him.

SLASH… he blocked the attack from the shadow that jumped on them. It was a man wearing a mask and dark leather armor.

"Who are you?" The man didn't answer, but his movements revealed his intention.

Adel blocked the attacks and noticed the pattern and style of combat.

"You... an assassin from the Hand?"

"This man has tarnished our reputation. I came here to collect our payment."

Not only the army and the Red Dragon, but also the Hand. All of their enemies choose the same day to make their move.

"[Flame]!" Adel raised a wall of flames and destroyed a pillar supporting the ceiling.

The roof collapsed, and the assassin moved between the shadows to get away. Adel grabbed Thanatos and jumped to the other side of the room. He reached the hallway before the wood crushed him.

He ran as fast as he could. The sound of the assassin moving between the rubble was like an omen of death. A flash cut through the smoke and three arrows hit Adel in the back.

"AG…" Immediately, he felt the strength of his body disappear. A paralysis poison?

He began to wobble, and his eyes got blurry. It was potent. But he didn't have time to lose. He was going to save Thanatos at any cost.

Adel pushed through the poison and broke down the wall to take Thanatos outside. He dragged him a few steps before falling to the ground.

"Ah… Ah…" he couldn't scream, but the sight in the corner of his eye was Thanatos's salvation.

"Take him as far as you can..."

"I know!" Castess grabbed Thanatos and ran toward his carriage. He hit the reins, and the horse ran into the forest.

CRASH... The assassin cut another hole in the wall and saw the carriage take his target away. He raised a crossbow and shot three more arrows toward the back of the carriage.

"Wait... I'll fight you..." Adel tried to get his attention, but he wasn't capable of moving. He stopped being a threat, and for that, it wasn't necessary to pay him attention.

***

"Ah… Uf… how many more?" Eric gasped for air as he cleaned the blood from his fist. No matter how many people he killed, more soldiers and grunts were blocking the way.

The sound of a horse came from the side, and they saw Castess riding it.

"Protect me! I'll take Thanatos as far away as possible!" He yelled to get everyone's attention. He didn't care if the other people heard him. Escaping from this place was his top priority.

Eric understood the meaning of those words and screamed to the rest of the members of Underworld.

"Defend that carriage with your lives! For Underworld!" They fought to form a path to the forest.

The assassin came from the back, pursuing. He was on foot, but he was still quick.

"I won't let you get away." Another volley of arrows flew toward Castess, but a spectral shell blocked them.

"There are more members coming from the forest; take him to them!" Neo yelled at Castess as she deflected the arrows.

"So many rats are still alive. The army is useless." The assassin ran forward and cut down all the men that got in his way.

"[Speed]" Eric attacked, but his arm was cut before he reached the assassin. Before he got his throat sliced... A tail wrapped itself around him and moved him out of the path of the sword. Neo saved him.

***

"… C-Castess? What happened? Did I lose? Where is everyone else?" Thanatos woke up and moved his eyes, trying to find everyone else, but he was too wounded to raise his head or even move his hands.

"They are fighting for you right now… Ah… m taking you elsewhere to save your life… Ah… I'll do it till my last breath…"

"Castess, why are you sweating so much…" He noticed the blood coming out of Castess's nose. "What happened? Did you?"

"Adel, Neo, and Eric are fighting an assassin to save your life. Unfortunately, I got hit in the back by an arrow. Ahgu… It was coated in some kind of poison. I can breathe well… Uggh… please listen to me, Thanatos... These are probably going to be my last words…"

"Your last words…"

"You're strong. Of course, an organization led by you is going to become big quickly... But we became too big; it was too soon. We need more members, more contacts, more power... Don't blame yourself. I should have done a better job of investigating and building better relationships. Losses happen all the time, and we have been winning for too long... No one is going to resent you for this."

"What? Don't give that shit... You can't die... I'll protect you from the army, syndicates, or assassins. I don't care. I'll…"

"Thanatos… Lia told me something the other day. She said you two were going to make our dreams come true. It is not something big like having a syndicate, but in the Draconic empire, there is a town in the south where a type of tree can only grow there and it lasts for decades. My mom asked me to plant one in her place. Can you do that for me?"

Something hit the horse, and the carriage crashed. Thanatos and Adel end up on the ground, looking at one another, so close that Thanatos could grasp Castess's hand. He moved his weak fingers, and they held hands. Tears rolled down Thanatos's cheek.

"I give you my word. I'll plant a tree for both of you…"

"Thank you..." those were Castess' last words.

The assassin cut Thanatos's neck. Taking two lives by poison and sword.