In the southern coast of Ikdes, an uncelebrated island northwest of the Bellum Continent, two men were deterred from nabbing a breather by the endless horde of demons and monsters swarming them. It would be an understatement to declare that both of them could eliminate this crowd within mere seconds, provided that they were not as wounded akin to their current state.
Khamael Percival attempted to swing his sword down in order to cut the demon that was blocking his path. However, the creature caught the weapon in between its claws, that spanned up to almost the size of a human's arm.
The knight forcefully pulled out his sword from the enemy's grip, but as he did, the cracks on the steel finally branched out along the full length of the blade. This concluded in the steel frame crumbling down like shards of glass.
'Dirty motherfuc-!'
He thrust what remained of his sword towards the demon's supposed mug, and using his other hand, punched the cuboidal demon core located smack dab in the middle of its malformed body. The beast exploded, bits of its flesh splattering all over Khamael. The fragments of the dirt brown crystal embedded themselves on the man's fist, though he could care less about taking them out.
Demons and monsters varied in appearance, their anatomy vastly different than that of humans and animals found in this world. One cannot completely describe these subjects' features, for some could manifest a person's greatest fear or desire, or they basically look mangled and revolting. What obstructed monsters from qualifying as demons were their lack of a life core.
'F*ckin' disgusting.'
Khamael threw the remnant of his sword, eventually resorting to melee. Every time his fists made contact, the opponents were either sent flying or wrecked into pieces. Nevertheless, continuing in this manner would prove to be lethal for the knight.
A deep gash cutting diagonally through his ravishing face; several lacerations littering his body that were gushing with blood; second-degree burns covering the skin from the right foot going up the torso; the countless jagged objects, such as talons and branches, piercing his back; these were only some of the injuries that he was enduring;
The fight was a full course bloodbath.
'I can't even cast any spell because of this damn curse!'
In addition to the physical wounds, Khamael appeared to have been cursed by the enemy. The curse rendered every single one of his enhancements inoperable. It also prevented him from gathering mana, equating to the inability to use spells. The situation was slowly eating away his sanity. With all of his abilities sealed, the knight felt like he was naked in the centre of a raging forest fire.
Even though confident with his brawling capability, Khamael recognized that demons were not the type of enemies that one could kill per just brute force, especially during an encounter with a sizable herd. The sole thought that impassioned the man to strive for his life was the comapny of his older brother.
He immediately peered at the place where he last saw his sibling battling. Withal, merely hostiles were occupying the spot.
Khamael tried to search for his brother amidst the ongoing chaos. Regrettably, his eyes generally fell upon demon after demon, monster after monster.
'Don't tell me-!' He panicked, shaken by the thought that he'd lost his brother.
A Guenon-like monster swiftly pounced on Khamael's head, climbing through the sticks that were impaled on his rear. The knight winced in the excruciating pain of his organs being further harpooned, making him stumble on his feet. Still, he managed to catch the slender arms of the monster and slam it on the ground.
'No! Stop thinking sh*t. My brother is a lot stronger than me. He can beat those turds.'
"My Lord, where are you?! Answer me!"
It is already considered a miracle that he could verbalize, let alone stay awake.
Lamentably for him, the enemies were ferals who were not merciful enough to not take advantage of a vulnerable human. They refused to halt in mobbing a solitary, damaged being. And at this point, Khamael disregarded all of the considerations that he kept for himself. His vigour would solely return if he ascertained the safety of his sibling.
"My Lor- Ack!"
His balance wavered when a demon pierced a hole on his left shin, but that did not hinder him from kicking the abhorrence's core that was exposed -- A struggle of strength ensued. Khamael sought to shove the golem of a hateful slob that neared him. Contrary to his expectations, the demon didn't budge an inch. The creature simply stared at him naughtily with its transparent orbs for eyes.
'I'm going to f*ckin' gouge those balls out, wait and see.'
All of a sudden, the slit for a gob, dripping with a liquid resembling pus, turned into a grin. It lifted its head and banged it on Khamael's forehead. This caused the knight's body to smash the sandy floor.
After an arduous survival, at last, the young lad was starting to lose consciousness.
Khamael Percival revolved his world around his brother, who did the same for him. They were each other's only family. He loved and respected his brother, who never floundered no matter how difficult life tested them.
Their childhood was spent escaping the surveillance of slave traders, travelling from city to city. Unaccompanied by anyone, his older brother protected him. Despite him habitually stirring up trouble, his brother rarely complained, and unconditionally adhered to safeguard him from the hardships of living.
'Brother, where are you?'
With his mental exhaustion at its peak, Khamael couldn't discern the happenings around him anymore. He forgot that he made a promise to see this incident through as an honourable knight of the Empire. Well, his main reason for joining the Rounds was merely to reestablish the trust of his brother whose heart grew cold as they got older.
'Where are you? Are you alright?'
The glints swimming in his eyes gradually lost their lustre.
'Please, answer me. This time, I'll prote-'
He coughed up blood one last occasion prior to releasing his final string of consciousness.
"... Evlan." Khamael managed to call out the name of his brother before his breathing ceased.
Little did Khamael know, the opponents stopped attacking the second he collapsed, and a lonely figure stepped out from the woods.