By your call, we stand!

"Wolves found the army!" I say as we all sit around the fireplace in the village chief's house. I see their faces cover with a dark cloud, as I finish the sentence.

"According to the wolves, they camping south of the village. In two or three days, they may arrive at the village. I add the rest of the details the wolf gave to me.

"What should we do next, Lord Haruto? We goblins never went on a battle before. We lack everything for a war!" Genta exclaims.

I see his mind sink into the depths of fear. But I knew this before I came on this journey. Wolf King told me that goblins are pacifist when it's comes to battle. They do all hunting but attack no one even though they came and raid their village. So, getting support from other goblins is out of option. Perhaps Kiyomi and I are the only ones fighting against the army in this battle.

"Don't worry Genta. We got this. And also, the Wolf king gave his permission to summon him when needed." As I say to comfort them as little as I could.

"Is there something we could do, Lord Haruto?" the village chief finally speaks.

"In this winter there is nothing goblins could do. Let's keep going since things have come this far. Once the battle breaks out, if things go south, be ready to flee." But as I finish my sentence, I see shadows of fear covering Genta's face even more.

"But don't worry! With the help of the Wolf King and Shien, we got this!" I feel clouds of doubts

But do we really got this? There are hundreds of soldiers and, according to the wolves, they have something powerful too. Our side only has Kiyomi and the wolf king.

"Haruto, don't forget who you are... you are a Demon! Those are mere humans. Caution is good, but don't submission yourself to the fear...."

Shien is right. We came a long way. I can't stop now because of fear. I got the power, Hikariken and the last Angel, Kiyomi. There is no way we are losing.

"Alright then Lord Haruto. I will prepare things as you said. I hope we win this fight!" as Genta says, the village chief shows his approval with a nod.

Next two days went perfectly fine. Winter seems coming to its end. Snowfall is getting low, but the cold is still a bit of harsh. Kiyomi and other craftsmen finished the one hundred orders of snow coats with the help of others. Now with snow coats, goblins gather more foods and other resources. Genta wanted to help us in this battle, so he gathered a few powerful men and made some pitfall traps in the forest around the village.

As the night falls, we all went to sleep with all the tiredness from work in daytime. As I'm having a peaceful sleep, a noise starts to coming from the outside. I jump out from my sleep with my right hand is reaching to the hilt of the Hikariken. I focus my hearing to find where is the noise coming from and as the next noise occur; and realize where the sound is coming from. Someone or something scratching the door at our house!

I glance at Kiyomi and she is sleeping peacefully. I get up from my bed and stroll toward the door. As I reach the door, the scratching noise stops. I open the door a bit to see what is causing the noise. And for my surprise, a wolf is sitting in front of the door. He is one of my recon team.

"What are you doing this late at night?" I ask, fully opening the door for him.

"I'm sorry, my lord. But there is something we need to talk." His voice seems concerning. Is it about the army?

I put my head out to search if someone watching this. After confirming there is no one, I reply, "come inside". As the wolf walks inside, I close the door. But just as I turn around to talk with the wolf, I see Kiyomi sitting on the bed, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

"What's going on Haruto?" she ends her sentence with a yawn.

"Nothing Kiyomi. You can go to sleep. I will te-"

"Is that one wolf from the recon team?" Kiyomi interrupts me with her question.

"Yes Kiyomi, he is one of the recon team. He said he needs to talk about something." I explain as I reignite the fireplace.

"I'm sorry, Lady Kiyomi, disturbing your sleep at this hour. But this is important!" the wolf adds.

"Oh no, no need to apologize. We came here to help them, so this is more important than my sleep." Kiyomi says with her usual smile. But under her smile, I see she is still sleepy.

We all gather around the warm fireplace. I used my hellfire to ignite the fireplace because it only radiates small light. After we all got comfortable, I start the conversation.

"So, what's the news?"

"First, Lord Haruto, why didn't you inform us about pitfalls? We almost fell. But thanks to our threat detection, we dodged all of them," Wolf says.

He is right. I forgot to inform them about Genta's pitfalls. I didn't know he made that many!

"And second thing, Lord Haruto, be ready. Troops might reach the village at dawn. But thanks to the casualties from pitfalls, they might delay till morning."

Even though they delay or they have casualties, we still have to fight against nearly hundreds of soldiers.

"Alright, there are still a few hours till the sunrise. So we have to get ready." I turn to the wolf. "Now return to others. Once the army crosses the pitfall area, all four of you come back to me." as I say, wolf bows to me and shows his agreement.

I open the door to the wolf to leave. As he vanishes into the darkness, I glance at Kiyomi and say, "Get ready, Kiyomi. We need to meet Genta right now!"

Outside is still dark and cold. There isn't even the usual light from fireplaces in houses. Every one sleeping in their cozy beds. Entire sky is covered with dark thick clouds like a blanket over our heads. As we slowly walk toward Genta's house, Kiyomi hold my hand like she might get lost in this dark night.

After a few minutes of walking in the dark, we finally reach to Genta's house. Just like others, he is still sleeping inside. Without disturbing others, I knock on his door a few times. After sixth time I hear someone moving inside the house. In a moment, the door slowly opens and Genta put his head out of the door.

"Lord Haruto -yawns- Lady Kiyomi, what are both of you doing in this hour?" he is still half awake.

"Ahh, what am I doing? Please come inside!" Genta finally fully opens the door for us. We walk inside and Genta lights up the fireplace for us. After walking cold and dark outside, and now sitting near a bright warm fire, is feels like heaven. After we warm up from the fireplace, I tell everything to Genta what the wolf said.

"So, the army is nearby. Lord Haruto, is there something we could do before they come?" Genta asks.

"If there is a battle, it might breakout in the open area in front of the village. If we could move villagers to the back of the village, we could reduce the numbers of casualties. It also opens an easy way to escape, too." I explain.

"Alright then, let's inform others!" Genta gets up and ready to leave. We wait outside for him to come. After he came, we walk toward the bell in the middle of the village. As Genta ring the loud bell, one by one houses light up. After a few more rings, all the villagers gather in the middle of the village. Genta explains the situation to them.

"Everyone's army will be here in a few more hours, so get ready and all act on the plan!" Genta adds in the end. Everyone nods and disperses to their homes. Kiyomi volunteers to help to move goblins. And I set my course at the entrance of the village.

Sun slowly rises from the east, pushing dark clouds back to the west. As the sun's rays defeating the darkness, I see four wolves coming out of the forest line. So the army already crossed the pitfalls!

"Lord Haruto, they are angry because of the pitfalls and they increased their pacing, too. Only matter of time they reach here!" one of wolves says.

"Thank you all for your service! And can one of you do me a little favor? Can one of you call Kiyomi? She is in the back of the village." As I finish, one of wolves runs like an arrow and disappears into the houses.

I look at the horizon and its only trees, waves of winds. Even though the sun shines in the sky, the icy winds of the winter are still powerful enough to send chills into my bones. I reach my hand to my back to ensure that my blade is still with me. The ground is still covered with a layer of snow even it's been few days without snowfall.

As my mind lose in my own thoughts, I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder. I look back and Kiyomi standing behind me with the wolf who went to call her.

"Is there something bothering you, Haruto?" Kiyomi asks. Her words don't have any fear or anything.

With the curiosity I ask her, "Kiyomi how you talk so calm? An army of hundred coming at us and you seem fine."

As I say, I see a calm smile across her face. And with her soothing voice, she says, "Haruto, just like the army, there are hundreds of people behind us putting their trust in us. If I showed my fear, my doubts, what will happen to them? The trust they put upon us will be shattered! That's why I try my best to treat them with a smile and use my every bit of power to save them!"

Then she holds both of my hands and says, "Haruto, I know you might stick between two options just like me. Before we both ended up as Demon and Angel, we both lived with humans. And now battling against them.... It bothers me too." As her face turns down, I realize how much this bothers her. But now there is no turning back. They are already on our doorstep.

"Kiyomi, I can't promise a sure win, but I can promise I'll do anything to protect them and protect you." As I finish, wolves growl toward the tree line beyond the open field. I turn around and in far I see one by one soldiers enter to the field. In a few minutes, all soldiers stop in lines in front of us.

Even though the army is hundred, most of them are in back thanks to Genta and others' pitfalls. In front of them, there are two people with golden armor standing. The female one has a bow on her back and the male one wielding a gold spear in his hand. I use my Demon vision on those two to get more information. But only I could get their names. One is called Kaita and the other one is Mei.

"So the wolves are yours!" Mei speaks.

"I sensed them since we camp near this village. I knew those animals can't do something advance like spying without a guidance. So you are the one behind it, huh?" she adds in a mocking tone.

"I don't know who you are and I don't care! We simply ask you all to leave before get any troubles!" I exclaim. Suddenly, the silent army burst into laughter.

"Huh, two kids and four wolves trying to stop us. Listen, we all came into this forest to clean it from foul creatures with our god's words! You really think six of you can stop us?" Kaita speaks and ends with another laughter.

"Haruto, can you hear me?" Shien's words flood into my mind.

"Yes Shien, I can hear you." I murmur.

"Listen, those weapons wielding by those two are cursed weapons! Be careful against them! We don't know what can they do."

So that's what the wolves were saying about the dark aura. We need to be more careful.

"Alright then, we will show our army!" With a roar, I thrust the Hikariken into the ground.

"Shien, it's time! I want to summon the Wolf King!" I let my thoughts flow to Shien.

"Very well Haruto. Hold the blade, let Lumirith flow, and call the Wolf King!" Shien says. From his words, this seems a simple task. But who knows what will happen next?

As Shien said, I hold the blade with my both hands and let my Aether Lumirith flow. Then I close my eyes and call the Wolf King, "Wolf King, I, Haruto, summoning you here to help me in this battle against this army!"

"By your call, we stand!"

I slowly open my eyes as I hear this familiar voice. With my eyes open, I see the entire open field burning through the void like black fire. When I look down, I see the fire begin from where I plunge my blade into the ground. In a moment, the fire burst to heavens as an ear piercing howl flow through the field. Slowly, the black fire vanishes and a familiar image appears in the middle of the field.

It's the Wolf King! Not just him; there are more than thirty wolves standing around him. After everything settles down, the Wolf King bow to me and stands beside me.

I glance at the army. Perfect lines they stand have been shattered with fear. Most of them dropped their weapons, too. Some of them are ready to flee the moment they have.

"E... everyone do... don't be af... afraid! W... we have th... the blessings f... from our god...!" Kaita with fear.

"Follow the generals!" one soldier shouts across the army. So the battle begins!

"Priests attack!" Mei commands. As her command, all priests lift their staffs and start to cast something. In a moment, tens of red fire balls hail in our direction from the sky. Kiyomi uses her golden shield to cover not just us, the entire village too. All the fireballs hit Kiyomi's shield just like pebbles. With this army scare even more.

"Soldiers, follow me!" Kaita charge toward us.

"Wolf King, I will take care of Kaita. You hold the ground and protect Kiyomi." I say, glancing at Wolf King.

"As you wish, my lord!" Wolf King command other wolves to charge.

I grab the Hikariken and charge toward Kaita. As I getting close to him, I notice something. He doesn't have a shadow!

"Behind you!"

I turn like a wind, placing my blade on my chest. Just as I turn, something metal hit the blade. Behind me, Kaita standing and the point of his spear hit on my blade. So are there two of them now?

"Haruto, it seems he can make doppelgangers. But thanks to our luck, the doppelganger only can few actions." Shien says, and he is right. Other Kaita didn't attack me, only this one did.

"So you see through my trick, huh" Kaita says, taking a step back.

"You see, thanks to this our god's creation, I can move anywhere, leaving my image behind. And now you die with it!" He adds, pointing the spear towards me.

I raise my blade and let the lumirith flow to it. As the blade burst into flames, I strike him hard as I could. But something is not right. Just before my attack hit him, I move to aside as Kaita's spear goes under my arm. I was trying to attack to his image.

"So you don't know about fighting face to face, huh?" I exclaim.

"I always fight face to face," he says like a mockery.

I can't see Kiyomi at all. Now, between her and me, there is a waging battle between wolves and humans. Sometimes I see her golden shield rising into the sky. I can't distract myself right now but I hope she is ok.

As different thoughts flood in, I notice the snow layer in front of me crumbling on its own. It's like someone walking on it. I glance at Kaita and I realize I was right. He is not there! He is trying to ambush me from the front. I quickly raise the blazing Hikariken and slam the ground as hard as I could. As my blade meets the ground, everything, including Kaita, goes flying.

"You! You think you can beat me?! Never!" he says, standing up from where he dropped. Then he charges at me full speed. This time, he didn't leave his image behind. As he gets closer, I jump to aside, dodging his attack. That attack is not a coordinated attack, it's just an attack with pure rage.

Then it hits me. My battle against Shien! I attacked Shien with the cursed sword Reikizuna with its full potential. According to Shien, I traded half of my soul to power because of my rage. These weapons take advantage when the user is in a rage. I need to be more careful now.

But it's too late. I already attack as I was dodging him, shattering his armor in to pieces. With the force of my attack, he was thrown into distance and fell before me.

"No! God gave me this weapon, this power, in order to clean this land from you freaks. How a mere freak raises his blade against me?" he slowly stands up, screaming those words.

"I will show you the power of gods!" he exclaims, thrusting the spear into the ground. Suddenly, his body changes. Is he glitching?

Next second, he charges at me again. But this time no one, three of them charging at me same time! All three of them are glitching and as their footsteps and shadows, I can tell they are not images.

As the distance between them and me getting closer, I slam the ground again with the Hikariken. But to my surprise, nothing happens. They are still charging at me.

"Use Hellfire!" as I panic, I hear those words in my mind. It's Shien. I plunge the ground with my blade and let the ground in front of burn with hellfire. Ground cracks and blackish hellfire burst from the cracks, melting the snow. But still they charging toward me through the flames.

"What is happening? Are they now immune to all of my attacks?" I panic. Not a single thought crossed my mind.

"Haruto, I have a feeling that they are only immune to your Lumirith base attacks. Try something physical." Shien says.

I grip my blade and ready to face anything. As they getting closer, one of them increases their speed and attacks me first. I dodge it with a jump to his side. As I'm ready to do a counterattack, I block the second one's attack in the last second with the Hikariken. So the first one hit front and the second one hit side. So the last one...

I take a step back, turn around, and swing the blade at full power through the air behind me. Did I do it?

Without leaving me any thoughts, the blade hit something on the way. As the flaming blade hits Kaita glitch out from the thin air. He falls as his doppelgangers vanish into dusts. On his chest, where my blade hits a wound that burning with black flames.

"You... How?... Who are you..." his words shaking as his entire body glitches.

"I'm Haruto Raikou, the last Demon in this world after Shien. You entered my forest and killed hundreds of my people. And now it's time to pay for your sins." I raise my blade for another strike. Just as I strike something caught my eye. In far Mei charging up her arrow directly at Kiyomi!