"Retreat! Fall back! Regroup at the extraction point!" His words carried authority, and the Extinguishers rallied around him, their trust unwavering.

"We're outnumbered!" Foster, one of the Extinguishers, shouted, fear creeping into his voice as the Odds, the largest army in the universe, closed in.

"We knew the risks when we took this mission," Dion replied, his tone firm. "Our objective is to survive and fight another day. Stick together!"

Dion has a thin scar running from his raven hair down to his cheeks, faint line of blood dropping down.

One of the beasts, the fighting monsters of the Odds, roared and charged towards them, its mouth dripping with thick black liquid.

A few Extinguishers rushed forward, standing beside one another. Within a split second, a transparent barrier appeared before them, absorbing the full impact of the beast.

The beast struggled to push them back, but their stance on the ground was too tight for the beast.

"Watch your flanks! Don't let them surround us!" he barked, his eyes scanning the battlefield for any signs of danger.

As they neared the eastern gate, arrows rained down upon them, forcing them to take cover behind crumbling walls. "We can't stay here!" Dion shouted over the din. "We need to keep moving! Where are the quadcopters, for crying out loud?"

"There they are," Ava said, pointing at their ride flying towards them. Her pink and black hair, covered in the enemies blood. Although she was a bit unscathed.

"Let's get the wounded into the quadcopters. I believe the barrier can hold them off for the meantime," he said, turning to see the struggling Extinguishers making their stance to hold the barrier, their numbers increasing with time.

They rushed to attend to the injured lying far back, administering some first aid while they waited for the ride to arrive.

As they approached, Alfred, with one arm chopped off, asked curiously, "Am I going to be okay, mate?" His voice laced with concern, blood still dripping down his arm despite the bandages wrapped around his wounded limb.

Alfred, his black dreadlocks now drenched in blood, his or some else's.

"Yeah, you will be. You'll soon get back to base where you can get treatment. The quadcopters are... Fucking diabolical!" Dion said, but before he could complete his statement, a large airborne fireball went straight toward them, blasting the quadcopters into pieces.

Both of them watched as their only ticket out of there was taken down and shattered into pieces by an unforeseen force.

"There are still other quadcopters back at base, yeah?" Alfred asked, his voice laced with fear and trepidation.

Dion was silent, his eyes staring into space, their situation becoming almost hopeless. That was the only ride left. The rest were lost during the previous battles. Their only option now is to fight till the end.

Dion turned once again to ascertain the level of threat against them.

Before him, between him and the short barrier created by his men, was an army, too large for the ordinary eye to see beyond. Their enemies were hopeful and ready to devour anything that stood in their way.

"This is absurd!!! How did they suddenly grow strong within such a short period? There is more than meets the eye," Dion complained inwardly.

The sudden crash of the quadcopters weakened their spirits. As their morale wavered, the barrier weakened, and the staggering beast broke through, trampling upon the unfortunate Extinguishers before him.

The Odds behind rushed in, finding their way to the Extinguishers and renewing the fight once more.

Vortex, the most gruesome of the Odds, his face wearing the ever-big smile of his approached Dion. As he moved, the thin breeze swirled through his blonde long hair. His red eyes fixed on Dion.

"You took Chris, you beast!" Foster shouted at Vortex as he walked.

Vortex didn't even bother to look at Foster twice, considering him less of a threat. His eyes were fixed on Dion, who stood a few meters away.

This attitude annoyed Foster. "You... You'll—" he couldn't put his words together as he rushed straight at Vortex.

"Wait, Foster!" Dion shouted, cautioning him, but it was too late.

Foster was determined to take revenge for what had happened to Chris. A blaster appeared in his hand as he rushed towards Vortex, shooting numerous blasts.

However, his efforts were fruitless; his blasts could barely break through the thin barrier around Vortex's body, but Foster was in no place to stop.

He blasted at Vortex in a berserk mode, barely able to aim. He was determined to empty his rifle on the monster before him.

Vortex remained unscathed.

With lightning speed, he turned and forcefully grabbed the blaster from Foster, then aimed it at Foster's face. Though Foster resisted, Vortex was in a league of his own. He pressed the trigger, blasting Foster's head into pieces.

"How was the minute break? Hope you've utilized that wisely," Vortex said, his hands without weapons as he approached.

"You bet!" Dion said as he took a stance to attack.

"Alright, get on with it," Vortex said, his smile unwavering.

Dion, ever resilient, lunged towards Vortex. Weakened by the impact of the past attacks, his strikes were weaker, but he managed to graze Vortex's face, slightly annoying him.

In retaliation, Vortex swung his foot and caught Dion in the chest, sending him crashing to the ground.

Before Dion could react, his enemy jumped on his chest, his feet crushing Dion's ribcage. The pressure made it difficult for him to breathe properly.

"You have any last words, fucker?" Vortex asked with a smile.

"Yeah, fuck off!" Dion replied under his breath.

Vortex's smile widened before replying, "Alright, rot in hell!"

Dion spat on his boots before retorting, "This is hell!"