As Reik and his companions tried to come up with a plan to escape with the slaves, whose bodies were in deplorable condition, a loud crash echoed from the upper floor, followed by heart-wrenching screams.
"It seems something is happening upstairs... something we don't know about," Fain said, frowning.
"We need to find out," Reik replied, struggling as he made his way toward the basement stairs.
Fain stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "Reik, you need to rest. We can't rush it; we need to be patient and avoid making noise. It's not the right time yet."
"What if that noise means they've captured the others? Haven't you thought of that? "Reik replied, his face tense.
"Guys, calm down "Kiran intervened, trying to ease the argument". Both of you are right. We need to be cautious, but we can't ignore what's happening upstairs. Let's think carefully about what to do.
Just at that moment, someone shouted Reik and Fain's names several times.
"That voice... It can't be. Is it Kaiser? "asked Reik, his eyes wide open."
"Yes... It's him! I don't understand how it's possible that he's here, but it's his voice "answered Fain, surprised."
Without wasting any time, Fain approached the stairs and began to climb. Before advancing too much, he turned to the others.
"Don't move from here and stay quiet. I'll make sure of what's going on."
He opened the basement door and stepped out. As soon as he did, he spotted Kaiser in the distance, who had managed to get in with the whole group through the main gate of the wall, an entrance that was supposed to be impenetrable. The group was complete!
They were all fully armed, fighting fiercely against the lesser demons infesting the place. Without wasting a second, Fain returned to the basement to warn the others. It was the perfect opportunity to join the battle and secure victory.
"Guys, this is our best moment. The whole group has managed to get in, and Kaiser is in charge. They're fighting the demons," Fain said with determination. "Reik, do you think you can fight? I know you're not fully recovered yet, but we need everyone to make this work, and you're one of our best warriors."
Reik flashed a defiant smile and stood up with effort.
"Of course I can. After we win, I'll take the most deserved nap of my life," he replied confidently.
Fain, Reik, and Kiran prepared to head into battle. Before leaving, Fain turned to the slaves and spoke to them firmly:
"Follow our steps and stay together. If you do, we'll get out of here alive!"
The slaves, though weakened, nodded with determination. They knew this was their only chance.
"Reik, cover the left side, Kiran, the right side, and I'll go in front.
They both nodded in acknowledgment.
Kaiser and his group advanced fiercely, taking down more than half of the demons while searching for their comrades.
"Kaiser! We're here!" Fain shouted. "We've freed the slaves, these are all the survivors left!"
Hearing his voice, Kaiser turned towards them and, without hesitation, began to carve a path in their direction, eliminating any demon that stood in his way. Once they were reunited, they prepared together to finish off the last twenty enemies still standing.
"I'm glad to see us together again, even if it's at a time like this!" Kaiser exclaimed, knocking down another demon with a precise strike. "Let's finish off the ones left; there aren't enough of them to worry about!"
"Yes! Let's defeat them all!" Fain shouted, encouraging his companions.
The battle raged on fiercely. Amidst the fight, Laira managed a smile upon seeing Reik alive, but her distraction cost her dearly. A demon, one she hadn't seen coming, struck her brutally in the head, knocking her to the ground instantly.
Reik, seeing her body fall, felt a jolt in his chest. Without thinking, he broke formation and, despite the pain still lingering in his ribs, charged furiously at the demon before it could finish Laira off. With a roar of rage, he swung his sword with all his might, cleaving the enemy in two with a single blow.
Kaiser, watching the scene, was impressed by Reik's ferocity and determination.
"Laira! Laira! Respond!" Reik said desperately, kneeling beside her and holding her carefully.
Reik, seeing that Laira wasn't responding but was still alive, searched for Tharion with his gaze.
"Tharion! Please, take care of her, she's unconscious. I'll keep fighting to end this as soon as possible.
"Alright, don't worry, I'll make sure nothing happens to her "Tharion replied, ensuring that Laira was in good hands.
The group continued fighting against the demons, and after a while, the battle ended with the humans' victory. For the first time, the humans had managed to defeat the demons and reclaim a territory.
"Victory!" they all shouted, grinning from ear to ear. Later, when they tallied the wounded and the dead, they realized they had lost three comrades, including Sarep. There were five wounded, but fortunately, none of them were in serious condition.
"Sarep didn't deserve this. Instead, you two should be in his place," Kiran said, looking at Lior and Zarek.
"I'm sorry, we were scared, but in the end, we came back and fought as soon as Kaiser arrived. We truly apologize," Lior replied.
"Let it go, Kiran, I understand how you feel. He was a good friend of yours," Fain said, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Still angry, Kiran walked away and went straight toward Reik, who was sitting next to Laira's unconscious body.
"Reik, thank you for everything! You fought and gave it your all, we don't even know each other, but I know I can trust you. Don't worry, I'll take care of Laira's head. The others said I should treat her first since, while it's not serious, it's a blow to the head. Also, everyone agrees they owe you one, because without you, this wouldn't have been possible."
Reik looked at Kiran, not fully understanding why he was being thanked, and replied:
"Thank you very much, I leave her in your hands. But I haven't done anything special, really."
"You defeated that powerful demon in the basement, right? I'm sorry, I thought you weren't that strong, but when I saw you go after Laira and cut that demon in half with a single strike, I just assumed it couldn't have been anyone else."
"I really don't remember much of that, I only remember that I couldn't even touch him..." Reik said.
Kiran was surprised to hear that Reik couldn't do anything against the demon, and even more questions arose in his mind. Kaiser, who had been listening to the conversation, approached Fain.
"Fain, can you take me to where that powerful demon is?" Kaiser asked.
"Yes, of course, follow me!"
Fain and Kaiser went down to the basement and approached the demon's corpse. Kaiser, with a twisted smile, observed it closely.
"Interesting... If Reik really defeated this demon, he must be truly powerful."
"So, do you think it was Reik?" Fain asked.
"It's very possible, I doubt anyone else could have done this."
"Then why doesn't he remember anything?" Fain asked.
"No idea."
"By the way, how did you survive in the forest against that huge demon?" Fain asked.
"I didn't survive, I defeated it!"
Fain wore a surprised expression upon hearing that not only had he survived, but he had actually defeated that demon.
"Re... really? You're incredible, Kaiser."
"Don't be so modest, you're strong too!"
"Not that much, I wouldn't be capable of that."
They returned to the group, and Kaiser approached Reik with a smile.
"Hi, Kaiser, sorry for not saying anything earlier, I'm really glad you're in one piece!"
"Thanks, Reik. I really defeated the demon, but it wasn't easy. But hey, you're no slouch either, you took down that demon down there, and trust me, from what I've noticed, that one is stronger than the one I faced."
"When I saw you, I was sure that if you were here, it was because you'd won. You're not the type to run away. As for the rest, honestly, I don't remember anything. I couldn't tell you what happened in the basement, just that it appeared and told me its name was Sergoth the Torturer, and that's about it."
Kaiser paused, deep in thought, upon hearing the demon's name.
"Well, what matters is that we're fine and we've accomplished a feat, something no human has ever achieved until now, and we've saved over twenty people," Kaiser said with a smile.
"Yes, you're right. But I need to get stronger. It's clear that I'm still weak, and along the way, I'll encounter enemies much more dangerous than Sergoth," Reik said, with a sad look.
"I have the solution for that," Kaiser replied. "I know the perfect place to train you and improve your skills. You'll get stronger, and so will the others!"