"No matter how many of you there are, you'll never win against me!" A loud voice echoed like thunder across the earth, sending chills down the spines of whoever heard it.
The demon lord chuckled, his laugh reverberating powerfully through the air.
"You really… think so…" Terry muttered, slowly rising on his feet.
His armour was shattered, his abdomen torn at the sides, with blood gushing out.
Splat!
There were also two deep gashes extending from his forehead down to his jaw.
One of them crossed over his eyes, partially blinding his vision.
A wry smile spread across his lips as he looked as the devastated world around him.
He felt a sharp pang tug at his chest, especially as the sight of the hopeless expressions on the faces behind him.
Though a few of them still burned with courage, most had already given up on the fight long ago.
Their hands kept trembling even as they held their weapons, too scared to even take a step forward.
The figure of the massive demon lord loomed over their bodies, reminding them of what they were really up against.
He was over ten feet tall, with seven horns coiling around his head like a crown.
Even though they had already been fighting him non-stop for about three days now, he was still brimming with tremendous power, without even a single wound.
His laughs echoed powerfully in the air, sending shiver down their souls.
"So you still have a dumb believe that you can still beat me? Hahaha!" The demon lord said, breaking out in another loud chuckle.
Terry gnashed his teeth, subconsciously tightening his grip around his spear.
Even though he wanted to believe there was still a chance they would emerge victorious, he knew that wasn't the case.
However, he couldn't show weakness in front of his men.
As their leader, he had to keep a strong front, or else all their courage would crumble into pieces.
Besides, that was his motto; to keep on fighting for their beliefs even when the odds were against them.
"I know what you're thinking…" The demon lord suddenly said, his voice echoing powerfully in the air.
His lips curled into a smug smirk, and he pointed a finger at Terry.
"You're merely trying to give them hope, despite knowing there's none while in my presence." He continued, scoffing.
"How pathetic, to think the great hero of the humans would be reduced to a weakling who depends on 'hope', 'faith'… I'm disappointed Terry." He said, clicking his tongue in annoyance.
Terry didn't say a word. He simply raised his golden spear.
A radiant, warm light erupted from its tip, cascading across the battlefield in waves. It wasn't harsh or blinding—it was soft, calming, like the morning sun breaking through storm clouds after a long night.
The light danced across the ruined earth, bathing every wounded soldier behind him in its glow.
Where shadows had consumed them, light returned. Where fear had taken hold, warmth and hope blossomed anew.
The weary warriors—men and women who had fought for days without rest, many of them injured, bloodied, and bruised—lifted their heads slowly, their eyes widening at the golden illumination around them.
It was as if the light was calling to something deep within them. A spark. A fire. A memory.
Terry's voice rose above the winds, firm and unwavering.
"We will never give up!" he bellowed. "We fight—until the very end! For our homes! For our families! For the future of our world!"
A brief silence.
Then—
"FOR THE FUTURE!"
"FOR HUMANITY!"
"FOR OUR LOVED ONES!"
Shouts of courage and resolve burst out around him like a chain reaction. Spears were raised. Swords drawn anew. Even those too weak to stand straight clenched their weapons with renewed purpose. It wasn't over. Not yet.
The spark of rebellion had returned.
Terry turned toward the towering figure in the distance and pointed his golden spear directly at him. His body trembled from pain, and his vision was still partially clouded, but none of that mattered anymore.
"I can feel it," he said, his voice low but steady. "We're getting close to victory."
The demon lord smirked. He clicked his tongue in mockery, the sound echoing like a gavel against stone.
"Really now?" he said with a cocked brow, slowly scanning the warriors who now stood defiantly behind their broken leader.
His crimson eyes gleamed with malice as he looked from one fighter to another, gauging them not with admiration… but contempt.
Then his hand extended slowly toward Terry.
"Then let me show you," he said coldly, his voice booming, "just how little faith your people truly have."
He clenched his fist, and darkness exploded from his body.
A vortex of oppressive black energy burst outward like a shockwave, devouring everything in its path.
The sky itself seemed to dim as the clouds were swallowed whole. The battlefield was drowned in the inky void within seconds.
That warm light Terry had just spread? Gone. Swallowed without resistance. Replaced by a suffocating abyss that felt as if it would consume not only the body—but the soul.
The warriors around Terry gasped, some falling to their knees. Their eyes were wide, darting in every direction, only to find nothing but darkness.
Terry's eyes narrowed. He could see nothing. He could feel nothing.
'What… is this power?' he thought, gritting his teeth as he struggled to stay upright.
His breath caught in his throat. The air felt heavier than molten iron. The pressure pushed against his chest and shoulders, suffocating and relentless. His heart thundered in his chest, thumping so loudly he could hear it in his ears.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
'I knew he was strong… but this… he was holding back… this whole time?'
And then, the demon lord's voice returned—dark and regal, but louder, closer, as if whispering from within their minds.
"This… is the end of the road for you all," he said. "But… I'm merciful. I will grant life to those who truly desire it. All you have to do… is kill the person beside you."
The darkness trembled, as if shivering with twisted joy.
"You heard me," the demon lord said, with a sneer in his tone. "Slaughter those next to you. Carve a path out of this despair with your own hands. Abandon your futile loyalty… and live."
Then, just as swiftly as it came, the darkness withdrew. It slithered back toward the demon lord like a living beast, coiling around his massive body as though it fed on the pain it had sown.
The battlefield was revealed once more—but it was different.
The faces of the warriors were pale, and their hands trembled. Sweat poured down their faces like rivers. Even the bravest among them looked shaken. Eyes darted nervously between comrades. Breathing turned shallow. Fingers clenched hilts tightly, almost as if involuntarily.
Even Terry was pale.
He could feel it—that insidious fear worming its way into his chest. His heart still pounded, echoing like war drums within his ribs. The spear in his hand felt heavier than ever. He gritted his teeth and shook his head.
'No… they won't… They will never—'
A scream shattered the air behind him.
Terry's eyes widened.
He turned.
A man—one of his own—stood with blood-covered hands, a jagged blade buried into the chest of the woman beside him. She coughed up blood, eyes wide in disbelief. Her sword clattered to the ground.
"S-sorry…" the man muttered, trembling. "I just… I just want to live… I can't die here…"
She fell.
Terry's legs nearly gave out. He raised his spear, intending to say something—anything—to bring them back from the brink. But before he could speak—
Another scream.
And another.
Then more.
Swords flashed. Spears thrust. Cries of pain and desperation erupted all around.
Chaos.
One man stabbed his spear through another warrior's head. Another drove his blade through a kneeling soldier's spine. Old allies turned on each other.
Those who had fought side by side for years now became animals, fighting for survival in a nightmare of manipulation.
"No—STOP!" Terry shouted, his voice hoarse. "This isn't who we are! DON'T GIVE IN!"
But they didn't stop.
The demon lord watched with amused eyes, his grin growing wider with every drop of spilled blood.
"You see, Terry," he said, loud enough to pierce the storm of violence. "This is the truth of mankind. Fragile. Desperate. Selfish."