Our friends are stunned by what's happening in front of them: most of the city is ablaze, and they see multiple demons attacking, killing anyone they find.
DANTE HERALDI: MALEKIN, what do we do? (He shakes Malekin from side to side.) We have to help.
MALEKIN: Yes, ah, sorry, I'm a bit in shock because of this. You're right, you guys run to the castle, I'll catch up with you. I'll try to stop these bastards and get them out of the city.
REX: Yes, we'll do that quickly. DANTE, we have to move forward and see what we can do. I suspect the answers are in the castle. DANTE, MOVE.
DANTE has no choice but to move forward, looking at MALEKIN with anger and sadness, feeling like he needed to be alone to think things through.
DANTE HERALDI: (Sighs) Alright, let's run, REX. I think I also know what is happening.
DANTE and REX separate from MALEKIN, leaving him behind; they only see a MALEKIN who is furious about the current situation.
MALEKIN: These bastards, I WON'T FORGIVE THEM, HAAAAAAAAA!
A black aura emanates from MALEKIN's body, and he quickly begins to strike all the evil demons attacking his citizens, sending them flying out of the city with a single blow. The poor bastards don't even realize how their lives end in that situation, since MALEKIN is so fast and powerful that within minutes, he has already managed to clear most of them out of the city.
Now we head in the direction of our protagonists, who are approaching the palace. Arriving at the gate, they run into two armored demons killing the guards; each of them had a sword and a shield. REX, without a second thought, throws a massive fireball, slamming one of them against the wall. Meanwhile, DANTE quickly cuts the other demon in half; even though the demon blocks with his shield, both the shield and the demon were sliced through. By this time, both they and MALEKIN had obtained great power.
The low-level demons were no trouble at all for them. DANTE proceeds to kick the door open and activates his tracking power, but he finds no one, except for a power coming from the palace meeting room. As they move forward, they notice that a large number of soldiers are lying dead on the floor; bewildered, they just keep advancing. The strange thing was that they didn't see any enemy bodies, leading them to the conclusion that someone had attacked from inside the palace. When they enter the room, they see a silhouette standing on the room's balcony, and when they realize who it is, they are shocked.
DANTE HERALDI: It can't be... why are you here? What the hell happened? Why is everyone dead?
REX: This is bad. What will MALEKIN say when he sees all this?
From the sky, as if being summoned, MALEKIN drops down behind DANTE and REX, who were standing at the door. They turn around with fear and worry upon seeing that MALEKIN had arrived.
MALEKIN: Guys, I managed to repel most of those bastards, but... (looks inside the room) What the hell happened here? And why are you standing there? (looking at the one on the balcony)
A horrific scene unfolds: a table in the middle with 10 seats, and in each of them, a brutally murdered demon or human—headless, in pieces, scattered everywhere.
MALEKIN: Hey, hey, HEY, answer me, damn it, what happened here? ACHAM!
On the balcony stood ACHAM, looking at them with a sinister and indifferent gaze. Everyone is nervous and shocked; they can't believe what is happening. A tense atmosphere fills the room; DANTE breaks the silence.
DANTE HERALDI: Mr. ACHAM, since when had you been preparing all of this?
ACHAM: This plan was already set before you even got here; rather, I wanted to rush it because of your arrival, disciple of BELL. My lord warned me that I should not face that demon, nor his disciples.
REX: So, you deceived MALEKIN all this time. You bastard. MALEKIN, say something to him. MALEKIN?
MALEKIN is in a state of shock, thinking about the betrayal of his supposed friend, wondering why demons are like this. He looks at his grey skin and feels disgusted by his race, which only seeks its own benefit, scratching his skin hard with a face full of confusion.
MALEKIN: (On his knees) Why does it always have to be like this? Damn demons, why does everyone betray me? (The place begins to shake from MALEKIN's power.) I'm going to kill you all.
Out of nowhere, a katana flies in from the outside through the balcony, wounding ACHAM in the shoulder. From MALEKIN's shadow steps a man wearing eye-catching samurai armor, who touches MALEKIN's shoulder.
UNKNOWN MAN: My friend, do not fall into despair; here is your family, who is always there for you.
MALEKIN: (Raises his head) It can't be... I thought I would never see you again, RENJIT.
Our friends are surprised, and ACHAM is too.
DANTE HERALDI: Excuse me, MALEKIN, who is this person?
MALEKIN: I think I didn't mention it to you, but he is my other brother, the one I thought I would never see again because he went to patrol the surroundings; his name is...
RENJIT: Allow me, MALEKIN. Well, friends of MALEKIN, let me introduce myself: I am (strikes an embarrassing pose) the great RENJIT, the absolute samurai, hahaha.
Everyone in the room feels embarrassed, even ACHAM, who was already escaping through the balcony.
RENJIT: Hahaha, before we continue with the introductions, give me a moment.
RENJIT's shadow stretches out until it reaches ACHAM, and ropes made of shadow rise from the ground, completely binding ACHAM and holding him still in his place.
RENJIT: You damn traitor, I know MALEKIN took you in when I wasn't around, but I have always been keeping an eye on this place and you always seemed very suspicious to me, that's why I returned quickly when I saw fire in the distance.
MALEKIN: Hey, RENJIT, why did you never come back? I felt so bored and sad after what happened with HERACLES.
RENJIT: I'm sorry, my friend, but I left to acquire a power I didn't possess, because in that last fight I felt useless. I couldn't do much for you guys, but now I am renewed and I think I can handle anything, hehe.
DANTE HERALDI: Hello, sorry to interrupt, but don't you think we should stop this war?
REX: I agree with DANTE.
MALEKIN: That's true, sorry about that, I'll introduce you quickly. RENJIT, they are DANTE and REX (pointing to each of them).
RENJIT: It's a pleasure, and as for you, piece of trash traitor...
ACHAM: I won't say anything; you might as well kill me.
MALEKIN: That can be arranged. ACHAM, you better say whose idea this was, because you don't have enough power to oppose me.
ACHAM: Hahaha, hahaha, you know him better than anyone, MALEKIN. The king has returned.
A soldier falls from the sky, shattering the ceiling; everyone is astonished. This being appears human; he wears black armor and wields a long sword, which immediately slices through RENJIT's shadows and thrusts in his direction, wounding him and causing him pain. This frees ACHAM. The knight quickly grabs ACHAM in his arms and with a powerful slash destroys the entire room, sending our friends flying, and then withdraws with ACHAM in his arms. Our friends quickly get to work, but they see that the man has disappeared. Without wasting any time, they go outside the palace to look for him, but they find nothing. Suddenly, a wounded Allied soldier appears to report the situation.
DEMON CAPTAIN: Sir, how wonderful to see you; I thought we wouldn't make it.
MALEKIN: What is happening, captain? What is the situation on the field?
DEMON CAPTAIN: Thank heavens you came; for some reason, the invading demons retreated and are beginning to gather very far away. There are not many survivors left—at most 80 soldiers and 50 surviving humans; most of the city is in ruins.
DANTE HERALDI: Sorry to interrupt you, MALEKIN, but I have to ask a question: how is the mansion where I live? Is the girl from that place alright?
DEMON CAPTAIN: That house, which is almost at the edge of the city, is fine; the demons did not manage to advance that far.
DANTE HERALDI: (Relieved) Thank goodness, MALEKIN. What do you think about REX and I gathering the city's survivors at the mansion, and then we'll accompany you to the battlefield? (Serious expression)
MALEKIN: Very well. RENJIT, bring all the soldiers outside. All the survivors are in your care, DANTE; ask if anyone wants to fight and return with them to the battlefield. We will need everyone we can get; this time, we will kill that damn KING. (Everyone nods and leaves).
Our friends quickly head to the mansion, and there they find ELENA at the entrance.
ELENA: (Embraces DANTE) Thank God you guys are alright. I was already preparing to leave this place; all those explosions had me nervous.
DANTE HERALDI: No, stay here; REX will protect you. I will bring more survivors to this house; I want you to accommodate them here. A fierce battle is about to begin, so please, help me with this, please.
ELENA: (A bit scared) Alright, I will be strong for you guys; go, help whomever you can; I will stay.
DANTE HERALDI: Thanks for understanding. REX, you stay in charge of this place; I will activate "wolf speed" and bring the survivors as fast as I can, alright?
REX: Very well, DANTE, hurry up, leave this girl in my paws.
DANTE looks at ELENA and smiles at her, then quickly proceeds to search for survivors. Along the way, he picks up several people very quickly with his power, brings them all to the mansion, and also faces the stragglers left behind from the enemy army. Now we head to the outskirts of the city where MALEKIN is waiting, when suddenly RENJIT appears from the shadow of a rock.
RENJIT: The captain is bringing the soldiers; they will take a couple of minutes. I didn't think that damn demon would show up again after how much it cost us to escape from him.
MALEKIN: It doesn't surprise me; that thing is very greedy. Since the last time we saw him, we are not the same, and now I have enough power to kill him without mercy.
RENJIT: You've noticed, haven't you? Just like last time, that trash is not alone. He never trains; he thinks his power is more than enough, he is arrogant.
MALEKIN: And that very arrogance will be his downfall. By the way, you can control your shadow better now. What happened?
RENJIT: Yes, you noticed, hahaha. It took some work, but I discovered that I can gain power by eating the hearts of strong demons, and to get more power I had to face one that almost killed me; his name was ASMODEO. It was quite a troublesome fight, but I got his power. He was the demon of shadows, and I was able to amplify all my powers, but I am still a novice with this; however, I am sure I can beat him with what I already have.
MALEKIN: I hope you don't turn into a demon with that power. Now, what worries me are those 3 who are with MAMMON. Thank the gods it's not the 4 from last time; this time I have a concern about them. I know I've become strong, but those things emanate a powerful aura, and I also feel those other 3 that DANTE warned me about, so they are with ACHAM. They were the ones who betrayed him, damn it, I shouldn't have lowered my guard with them, and to think they warned me about it.
RENJIT: Yes, I also feel human presences on that side, completely apart from those 3 traitors. What could be happening there? Those things worry me; we must proceed with caution.
MALEKIN's troops begin to gather at the place where they are; now we head to the enemy side where the demon MAMMON is located, who is mounted on a very strange beast. He is with his soldiers, already prepared to attack; we see MAMMON talking to a very peculiar group of people.
MAMMON: ACHAM, damn it, what happened? You were almost killed, you have to be more careful. And you three (looking at MARC, DANIEL, and DYLAN) will have your reward when all of this is over, so don't get impatient, you disgusting humans—no offense to you, my knights, hehe. I got you an amazing power because you were great warriors in your life, and now I, MAMMON, claim you as mine, because your souls were on the verge of disappearing, do you hear me? GALAHAD, SIEGFRIED, AND SIRGUILLER, the most powerful knights of their time, brought here by me, hahaha, thanks to Cronus, who also owed me a favor. That is why I tell you (looking at ACHAM and the 3 elders) that connections and favors help you in difficult times.
MARC: Yes, my lord.
DANIEL: Yes, my lord.
DYLAN: Yes, my lord.
ACHAM: Yes, my lord.
MAMMON: Good, if you understand that, everything will be fine, jajajajajaja. Prepare yourselves, my knights.
In both locations, the situation is tense: MALEKIN with RENJIT preparing their warriors, while DANTE continues safeguarding the remaining humans who are still alive; MAMMON with ACHAM on the other side getting ready to attack. Who could these mysterious knights be? Will they be capable of stopping our friends?