Yakuza dropped beside Sylvara’s body, his hands trembling as he pulled her cold, lifeless form into his arms.

He held onto her tightly, refusing to let go, as if she might still come back. His shrill cry tore through the battlefield and rose toward the heavens above, carrying with it all the overwhelming agony ripping through his soul.

It felt like something had been ripped out of his chest.

Like his heart had been hollowed out and left empty. And though the cry that left his throat was loud and piercing...

No tears came. It dawned on him that his companions had truly died. No matter what he did, her body remained cold and unmoving in his arms.

Slowly, he lifted his blood-red gaze toward the hulking, four-armed demon. His eyes looked like they were bleeding.

"I will kill you!" Yakuza screamed as he pushed himself to his feet, unsheathing his sword.

And then he charged without a care for his own life. He screamed as he rushed forward, his grief and rage pouring into every step.

But the demon only grinned, a wide, twisted grin.

The demon laughed maniacally as it swung two blades from the right side of its body toward Yakuza, the arcs fast, brutal, meant to end him in a single exchange.

Elion had already dismounted.

The moment he saw what was about to unfold, he moved faster than he had moved all day. He shot forward with everything he had, intent on intercepting before the strike could land.

Because if it did, Yakuza would die. There was no doubt about it.

The demon was a mid-ranking high mage and Yakuza, in his current state, was about to be cut to ribbons.

Clang!

The sound of metal clashing rang out as Elion used the length of his sword to block the two incoming blades.

Time seemed to slow as Elion’s blue eyes met the shocked demon’s own monochromatic red pupils.

At the same time, he pivoted his leg and drove the heel of his foot into Yakuza’s side, kicking him away from the line of attack.

"Heh!" The demon scoffed.

Crack!

Elion’s eyes widened. His sword had cracked. The strain from the impact was too much for the uncommon grade steel sword to handle.

The web of cracks began to expand along its length, but just before it could shatter completely, he pulled back, retreating in one swift motion, grabbing Yakuza by the collar of his armour and dragging him along.

He skidded to a stop a few metres away from the demon.

Yakuza thrashed violently in his grip, his face twisted into a feral snarl.

"Let me go!" he screamed.

’Has he lost it!’ Elion thought, frowning.

"Calm yourself, Yakuza," he said firmly. "That demon is very powerful. You’ll die a swift death if you charge in mindlessly like that."

"I don’t care!" Yakuza roared. "I’m going to kill him!"

He didn’t stop struggling.

Elion sighed.

Bam!

His fist came down hard, striking Yakuza squarely at the crown of his head. The impact wasn’t enough to knock him out, but it was enough.

Enough to shock him and to make him stop the thrashing around, which is the reaction Elion had been hoping for.

Behind them, Aeron, Maya, and Zenovia, who had also dismounted, all froze for a brief moment, caught off guard by the sudden strike as they stood behind the pair, ready to support, even as they gravely looked at the dead bodies with sad expressions.

Yakuza looked up and scowled at Elion. His glare was sharp enough to make it seem like Elion was the enemy.

"Do you want to die as well?" Elion asked calmly, it sounded like he was rubbing salt onto the wound, "Do you want your companions’ deaths to be in vain?"

He didn’t wait for an answer.

"If you’re so eager to follow them into the afterlife... I don’t mind helping you with that." He swung his cracked blade lightly in his hand, making it clear he wasn’t joking.

Yakuza bit his lower lip angrily, drawing blood as his gaze dropped to the battered ground. Tears finally broke free from his eyes, streaming down his cheeks in a steady flow.

"I understand how you feel," Elion said in a quieter tone, "But if that demon managed to singlehandedly defeat all six of them... then we need to stay calm and work together if we want to stand a chance of putting him down."

Yakuza didn’t respond. His body went slack, and his arms fell to his sides, hanging limply. And he began to sob.

Meanwhile...

The demon looked down at its two blades, as if it couldn’t quite believe what it had just felt from that brief exchange.

It was silent for a moment, as it looked at its blades, before gazing curiously at Elion. Then its grin slowly widened.

"...An interesting human has come..."

It took a step forward, one footstep.

Boom!

The ground trembled and caved in from that single step, cracks spreading outward beneath its feet.

"A strong human..." it rumbled, its voice like distant thunder, "I killed these ants too quickly... they were too weak."

Its gaze locked onto Elion.

"Will you give me a fun fight, human?"

It swung all four blades around, flexing its limbs, the movements fluid and controlled, almost elegant despite the sheer brutality behind them.

Elion frowned, he didn’t the demon much attention, instead glancing down at Yakuza.

’Seems like he won’t be much help,’ he thought. Then he looked back at the others.

Though they were in far better condition than Yakuza, they looked just as devastated.

Their eyes kept drifting back to the bodies, unable to look away.

Still, there was a good sign. Aeron had drawn his blade.

Elion’s gaze sharpened.

He was already formulating a plan.

He didn’t know exactly what affinities the others possessed, but he had seen Zenovia use darkness magic before.

That left Maya and Aeron. He didn’t have time to think it through completely. The demon didn’t look patient.

It was going to attack sooner or later.

Aeron noticed him looking at them and their eyes met. He gave a small nod.

’We move now.’

Elion beckoned toward Yakuza’s wyvern. Oddly enough, the creature responded.

It stepped forward, lowering its head before nudging Yakuza away with its snout, pulling him back from the front lines.

At the same time, Aeron spoke quickly to Maya and Zenovia, snapping them out of their daze and dragging their focus back to the present.

The three of them stepped forward, coming to stand behind Elion. Ready to fight. Elion glanced back at them, a silent question in his eyes, which they answered with simple nods.

Enough had been said.

Behind them, Yakuza’s mount moved again, carefully gathering the fallen bodies and carrying them away from the battlefield.

Elion watched it for a brief moment. A faint smile tugged at his lips.

’What a smart creature...’ He thought.

’Now I feel like I need a mount of my own.’

He pivoted, turning back and facing the demon and taking the vanguard.

His grip tightened slightly around his blade as he glanced down at the cracks running along its surface.

’This won’t last much longer...’ he thought.