A hail of bullets shattered the window into a thousand pieces. Several shards flew so close to Liam's eyes that he could briefly see his own reflection in them. The Gunship directed its storm of bullets at the Hellhound, and the creature was immediately thrown back.
Liam's ears were overwhelmed by the deafening roar of the machine guns and the Hellhound's howls as the entire room was riddled with bullets. Furniture turned to splinters, and debris flew through the air.
But Liam's eyes remained fixed on the demon. After the initial surprise, the creature appeared wounded but quickly regained its footing, dodging the bullets as best it could. It leaped through the burning room, causing even more destruction.
A rocket was fired, missing the Hellhound but blasting a large hole in the floor. The shockwave threw Liam and Jax backward, and they slammed against the shattered glass. Liam felt his back being torn open by the shards, a cruel pain shooting through him.
The pain receded as he opened his eyes wide and saw Jax being hurled through the window. His friend crashed through the glass and clung desperately to the edge with one hand.
"Jax!" Liam shouted, and in the next moment, another rocket exploded behind him.
Liam rushed to his friend and pulled him up. They collapsed to the ground, exhausted, coughing from the smoke that filled their lungs. They noticed that the Gunship had ceased firing.
They looked around, searching for the demon, but couldn't see it anywhere. Yet the Gunship hovered directly outside the window, its rotors blowing a massive wind into the room.
Suddenly, the side door of the Gunship opened, and a soldier in an exoskeleton stepped out and scanned the area.
Liam's eyes met the soldier's. The soldier nodded at him and then leaped from the Gunship. The Gunship wobbled slightly from the powerful thrust of the exoskeleton suit he wore. The soldier landed with a heavy thud next to Liam and Jax, the impact echoing in the room. He wore a gas mask, and his black armor gleamed in the inferno's light.
The exoskeleton was impressive. It consisted of a massive, gleaming armor that amplified his movements, granting him superhuman strength. Hydraulic cylinders and servo motors worked in harmony, turning each of his steps from a heavy stomp into a precise movement.
On his back, he carried a large, multi-barreled plasmacannon, almost as tall as he was, and his belt was lined with grenades and other weapons. His entire presence was that of an ultimate warrior, ready for any battle.
Yet Liam knew that often, even this wasn't enough against a single demon.
"Did you set the fire?" asked a distorted voice through the gas mask, while the soldier kept his gaze fixed on the room.
His voice was calm, but the menacing depth left no doubt that he was used to giving orders and expecting obedience.
Liam nodded, his throat dry. "Yes, we did," he confirmed, then asked, his voice trembling with anticipation, "Is the Hellhound dead?"
To his disappointment, the soldier shook his head. "Not yet," he said with an eerie calm.
Then he signaled to the Gunship, and it turned around and flew away.
"What are you doing? Why are you sending it away?" Jax suddenly shouted, his voice trembling with panic and confusion.
The soldier turned to them, his eyes invisible behind the gas mask, but his posture radiated authority and calm.
"Sorry, boys," he began, his voice steady. "But the other beast out there is much more dangerous. They need all the support they can get. You were lucky we noticed you. We had already received orders to join the fight against the winged one."
He paused briefly, as if to make sure they understood his words.
"Don't worry," he added, "The Hellhound is injured. I will take it down."
Liam's heart skipped a beat as he heard the soldier's words. The soldier turned away and began to walk slowly into the room.
Liam could hardly believe what he had just heard. But the soldier was probably right. A single Hellhound could be defeated... the thing out there was much more dangerous. It would kill many more people before it could be neutralized.
He wanted to get up, but a massive pain shot through his back, where the glass shards had torn into his flesh. He gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the pain and focus. They had to trust the soldier.
The soldier continued his slow, determined march into the center of the room. Liam watched him closely, bracing himself against the wall and trying to push through the pain in his back. Jax stood beside him, eyes wide with tension.
It had become eerily quiet. The Hellhound's infernal roar had fallen silent, and only the crackling of the fire and the occasional creak of the building could be heard. Liam frowned. The Hellhound must be injured and have retreated, but something felt off.
Liam's thoughts raced. When an animal is injured, it runs away, it becomes desperate. But this was different. It was a demon. The noise of the fire and the drone of the Gunship should have driven the beast away... but it wouldn't go and hide. Instead, they heard no steps, no claws, nothing.
A sudden realization hit Liam. He had been wrong. The demon wasn't unintelligent – it was damn cunning.
"No... no, no!" he murmured in panic, trying to get up. He wanted to warn the soldier, but his voice failed him. He had to make it.
"Watch out!" he finally screamed, his voice cracking with urgency.
But it was already too late.
With a deafening crash, the ceiling above them collapsed. Debris and dust filled the air as the massive Hellhound, injured and bleeding, came crashing down. The surprised soldier had no time to react before the monstrous creature lunged at him.
The Hellhound struck the soldier, knocking him to the ground. The cannon on his back was thrown aside, and the weapon in his hand was pinned to the floor.
The demon's powerful claws dug into the soldier's armor, and his roar echoed through the room as he struggled wildly.
Liam stared in horror at the scene, his heart racing and his mind working feverishly. He had to do something. Anything. But at that moment, everything seemed to move in slow motion. The soldier fought desperately, trying to push the beast off, but the massive creature had locked its jaws onto him and wouldn't let go.
His plan had failed. The soldier would die any second, and then it would be their turn. The Gunship had flown away, and the man's recklessness would cost him his life and theirs.
Liam would never become a soldier, never join the military and fight for his beliefs—he wouldn't even become a doctor…
All this would have happened if he had just sat there and watched. Maybe he would have, if he had been alone and desperate. But he wasn't.
Jax was the first to react. He sprang up and yelled at Liam.
"Get the cannon!" Then he ran toward the soldier. Liam wanted to stop his friend at first, but then he fell silent. He couldn't. His friend was brave enough to act faster than him, trying to save the soldier's life. Jax was offering himself as a distraction so Liam could finish the job.
A thin smile found its way to Liam's face. "You really are cut out to be a palace guard..." he murmured, then he too charged forward, ignoring the burning pain in his back.
A blood-curdling scream erupted as the Hellhound bit through the soldier's armor, right where his kidneys were. The demon bit down once more before its prey fell still.
In the next moment, however, an office chair flew through the burning room and struck the Hellhound's head with a dull thud.
The sight of it was both comical and absurd.
"Catch this, you damn dog!" Jax shouted, flipping the beast a glorious middle finger. The Hellhound howled and charged at Jax... just as Liam reached the cannon.
It was heavy, far too heavy, but he braced it on a table and turned it. Sparks flew as the metal weapon scraped across the surface.
Liam aimed. He focused on the spot where the demon had been most injured by the Gunship. The Hellhound leaped, claws extended, red eyes glowing in a fire-engulfed inferno, straight at Jax.
Liam pulled the trigger.
The cannon discharged with a deafening roar. The recoil made the table beneath the cannon tremble. The plasma shot sliced through the air like a deadly comet and struck the Hellhound mid-leap.