The monsters' roars were loud and terrifying. Ming, Luca, and Rin pulled out their swords, put their bags down on the ground, gripped their blades tightly, and started looking around. From each side, one or two monsters were approaching them, their red eyes glowing and their long nails scraping the ground.
They took a deep breath, and then Rin said, "Hold yourself. Don't get scared."
Ming and Luca both nodded. The monsters suddenly started running toward them.
Ming couldn't help but comment, "We just came out of the shocking revolution, and now this is another problem we have to face."
Luca and Rin nodded, and then they started fighting the monsters.
There was no other sound except the monsters' roars—
"ROOOAAAAARRRR!!!"
—and the clash of swords—
"Clang!! Chink!! Shing!!"
None of them gave up, and they easily defeated a few of the monsters. Rin was fighting calmly; his movements were smooth and professional, his eyes sharp, and his breath steady with each attack. Luca fought bravely, gripping his sword tightly. His moves weren't smooth or professional, but they were strong enough, and with each strike he glared at the monsters while dodging their attacks. Ming fought both calmly and bravely, spinning and striking with such fluid movements it was as if he were wielding a light piece of wood. His hair fell across his face as he fought. The three of them didn't even sweat, because there weren't too many monsters, and with the help of the Thunder Sword, they killed them easily.
But during the fight, after defeating one of the monsters, Ming stood up straight and suddenly tripped on something, falling to the ground. His sword slipped from his hand. He looked up and saw one of the monsters rushing toward him. Ming quickly tried to reach for his sword, but the monster was already too close.
Just as the monster was about to strike, a sword cut its head off. It was Rin's sword. Rin had saved him.
Ming looked at him in surprise. Rin turned toward him, offered his hand, and said, "Don't be surprised. As your trainer and comrade, it's my duty to protect everyone. Now get up—we don't have time to be shocked."
Rin's words snapped Ming out of his thoughts. He grabbed his sword, accepted Rin's hand, and stood up.
Luca approached them. "Are you okay, Mr. Ming?" he asked.
Ming looked at him and nodded. But before they could relax, they saw even more monsters—around thirteen or fourteen—closing in from all sides.
Rin sighed and said with a smirk, "Damn. Seems like we've got some unwanted guests to handle."
Ming and Luca looked at the approaching monsters and nodded. Ming noticed Rin's smirk and couldn't help but comment with a silly smile, "So, our rude trainer does know how to smile, huh?"
It wasn't a question; it was a statement. Rin rolled his eyes. "Shut up and focus."
Ming smirked even more, and Luca chuckled at their banter. Rin glared at them, then noticed that because of their talking, they had forgotten about the monsters, who were already too close.
Luca and Ming realized it too and grew serious.
"ATTACK!!!" Rin shouted.
Then the three of them charged together, fighting as a team—always ready to protect and help each other if one of them was in trouble. But the monsters kept coming. They looked around, realizing how difficult it was going to be, because now there weren't just a few—there were many.
Their backs touched as they stood together, looking at the monsters that were approaching and roaring—
"ROOOAAAAARRRR!!!!!"
Rin said, "Damn, they're too loud."
Ming rolled his eyes at his words. Luca said, "Not now. Let's just focus on the problem in front of us."
Ming and Rin nodded at his words.
They took a breath and looked at each other. Then Luca said, "This is going to be a mess."
Ming and Rin nodded, and the three of them gripped their swords tightly. There was tension in the air… this was a test for them as a team, and a challenge they had to win. The monsters kept coming, more than they had ever faced before. Their breaths turned heavy, and for the first time, doubt crept in.
None of them knew if they would survive the night.
End of chapter 20