In the northern canyon, far from where nightmare demons had just been impaled, Gravok and Terrak moved through stone like a couple of surfers.

Their earth magic transformed the mountain itself into a medium they controlled, allowing them to descend rapidly toward the other demons.

They emerged from a cliff face where hundreds of lesser demons had gathered.

Wind harpies perched on rocky outcroppings, their earlier confidence replaced by nervous energy.

Stone basilisks coiled in defensive formations, their usual predatory postures subdued.

Fire demons huddled together, flames flickering uncertainly. Ice demons maintained distance from their fire counterparts, but the usual territorial aggression was absent.

These weren't warriors preparing for battle. They were prey that had seen the predator and were about to run for their life.

"Listen up!" Gravok's voice boomed across the canyon, his massive form radiating authority that made every lesser demon snap to attention.

"That human down there has made fools of you all. Thirty-three of your packmates are dead, and what did you do? You ran."

Shame rippled through the assembled creatures. Several harpies looked away, unable to meet the Nightmare demon's gaze.

"But running was smart," Terrak added, his tone more measured than his companion's. "That human is dangerous. He's fast and he wields lightning. He's not normal."

"So we're supposed to just let him kill us?" one of the braver basilisks hissed. "What's the point of gathering if we can't win?"

Noctis melted out of the shadows behind the basilisk, his dark form coalescing into solid matter. The creature jumped, hissing in alarm at the sudden appearance.

"The point," Noctis said softly, "is that one human, no matter how strong, cannot fight in all directions simultaneously. He's fast, yes. Powerful, certainly. But he's still bound by mortal limitations."

Umbrix appeared beside his dark-aligned companion, nodding in agreement.

"We overwhelm him with numbers. Not waves, all at once. Surround him completely, attack from every angle, give him no room to maneuver or rest."

"Luminarch orders," Gravok continued. "That means we fight smart. Basilisks will create terrain disruption, make the ground unstable, force him to focus on footing. Fire and ice demons work together to assault him. Harpies will strike from above when he's distracted."

The assembled demons began to murmur among themselves, the strategy restoring some confidence.

Numbers were their advantage. Even an enhanced human couldn't kill eight hundred demons before being overwhelmed.

"What about his companion?" a harpy called out. "That raven has already killed several of us."

Terrak raised his massive arms, and the canyon floor began to shift.

Stone flowed like water, forming crude weapons for the lesser demons who lacked natural armaments.

Spears, clubs, blades, all carved from living rock with the ease of a sculptor working with clay.

"Arm yourselves," he commanded. "We move as one overwhelming force. No more panic, no more running. We end this human's existence through sheer numbers and coordination."

"Wait, is no one worried about being killed or am I the only one?" the same harpy called out, but it seemed everyone else just ignored the harpy.

Eight hundred demons began preparing for war.

They formed into loose groups based on elemental affinity, each one understanding their role in the coming assault.

Gravok surveyed the assembled force with satisfaction. This was how demons were meant to fight, as an army.

The human had proven himself against lesser numbers, but eight hundred coordinated attackers plus four Nightmare-class commanders would be an entirely different challenge.

"When we move," Gravok said, his voice carrying across the entire assembly, "we move fast and we move together. No hesitation, no mercy. That human dies today."

The demons roared their agreement, eight hundred voices merging into a sound that echoed off the canyon walls like thunder.

The sound died abruptly as something massive landed behind Gravok with ground-shaking force.

Three heads, each one bearing jaws that dripped with demon blood, turned to regard the assembled army with eyes that peered into their souls.

Fluffy had caught up, and he looked hungry.

"What the..." Terrak managed before the hellhound's left head snapped forward with speed so quickly it left an afterimage where his head just was.

Jaws closing around his torso.

The crunch of breaking stone echoed across the canyon as Fluffy's teeth pierced Terrak's earth hide.

The nightmare demon screamed, his body cracking like a statue under pressure. The hellhound shook him like a dog with a toy, then hurled him aside. Terrak's broken form slammed into the cliff with devastating force.

[-18,000 HP]

Gravok raised his arms to summon an earth barrier, but Fluffy's center head was already moving.

Massive jaws clamped onto Gravok's shoulder, fangs punching through his defenses. The hellhound lifted the demon off the ground and slammed him down repeatedly, each impact leaving crater-sized dents in the stone.

[-15,000 HP]

[-12,000 HP]

Noctis tried to dissolve into shadow, but Fluffy's right head breathed out a gout of blue flame that illuminated every shadow in the canyon.

The dark demon materialized, his form solidifying involuntarily.

All three heads converged on him simultaneously.

Claws raked across his flesh, jaws tore chunks from his body, and blue flame scorched what remained.

Noctis's scream was cut short as Fluffy's center head closed around his throat and squeezed.

[-20,000 HP]

Umbrix, the last of the four, had seen enough. He sprinted toward the assembled lesser demons, hoping to lose himself in the crowd.

Fluffy leaped after him with terrifying speed, each impact of his paws leaving molten footprints in the stone.

The hellhound caught Umbrix twenty meters from safety.

One massive paw pinned the demon to the ground while the three heads took turns savaging him.

By the time Fluffy finished, Umbrix was barely recognizable.

[-19,500 HP]

The lesser demons stood frozen in absolute terror.

Eight hundred warriors reduced to paralyzed prey in thirty seconds.

The hellhound had decimated four Nightmare-class commanders without breaking stride, and now it turned its burning gaze toward the assembled army.

Fluffy's three heads tilted in unison, studying the demons with interest.

Then, apparently satisfied with the message delivered, the Cerberus turned and bounded back the way it had come, leaving four critically injured nightmare demons bleeding on the canyon floor.

The silence that followed was total. No one moved. No one spoke.

But Gravok, despite his injuries, pushed himself upright. Blood poured from his wounds.

"MOVE!" he roared. "We move NOW or we die here!"

The fear of the Cerberus was overwhelming.

But the fear of staying in place, of being hunted down individually, was worse. The army surged forward, eight hundred demons charging toward Jack's position with the desperate energy of creatures who knew retreat meant death.

Meanwhile, Jack prepared to finish Permafrost.

The demon was one-armed, bleeding out, with less than 2,000 health remaining.

Then Permafrost's eyes began to glow a deep azure like the bottom or the ocean.

Blue veins erupted across the demon's crystalline form, pulsing with malevolent energy.

[WARNING: Enemy has entered Enraged State!]

Frost gathered at Permafrost's severed shoulder. The regeneration was rebuilding the entire limb. Within seconds, Permafrost's arm had completely regenerated.

"HUMAN!" Permafrost roared. "I WILL FREEZE YOUR SOUL!"

Above, Corvin continued his assault. Five more creatures fell to his attacks.

[Demonic Frenzy Count: 23/25]

The rumbling from the north grew deafening.

And then four bodies plummeted from the sky.

Gravok, Terrak, Noctis, and Umbrix hit the ground with devastating force, their broken forms creating impact craters.

All four were barely breathing.

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