Chapter 2: The Noble Knight

The knights who were with Julius held onto their swords and prepared themselves for an onslaught against the demons. They all heard loud shrieks of terror and saw many things climb all over the trees that were around them. The forest used to be quiet during the night, and the air was always cold and seemed to breeze all over anyone who walks in the night. Everyone stayed behind their leader to either die by his side or live long enough to tell the tale to their other comrades. Suddenly, one demon landed in front of them and pulled out its sword to fight back as the night was upon them.

Some night creatures were well-prepared to fight against any human, and the others mostly used their sharp claws as weapons. Then, Julius holds onto his greatsword and waits for the demon to come his way; he waits for him to deliver a killing blow. Typically, some demons stand and wait for their opponent to go to them and see if they can kill a human with one strike. With all of his strength, Julius uses his greatsword and slices the demon in two, and he watches as its blood splatters all over the trees. Some demons caught the sight of the blood and gore from their fallen friend, and they were all prepared to kill all the knights who walked in the forest.

Then, a few more demons charged quickly towards the humans; half of them carried swords, and the rest wanted to devour them whole. Julius stood there and was not afraid to act boldly alongside the knights, and he feared no demons. One of them ran as fast as possible towards the young swordsman and held onto his weapon to cut him down. But the devil was too slow for Julius because he was much faster at swinging a sword than any of the night creatures. He turned his sword at the demon, and half of its body flew out, and so much of its intestines fell onto the ground.

Julius's fellow knights knew the bravery of his swordsmanship and how much strength he carried with him. A few other demons started charging after him and his comrades; some of them faced the young swordsman by himself as the others went for the knights. Because the swords were dipped with salt and mostly crafted by silver, the knights could kill all the demons that stood in their way. The knights had no scars or cuts on their bodies after defeating the small group of demons. Julius swings his sword with so much anger and fury against all of his opponents because he despised the night creatures in every way.

He only wished not to let down his people and not fail any of his duties or missions so long as he lived. He and his brother lived to carry on their father's legacy and restore order to the remaining regions of the earth. And so, all the knights defeated the demons in about two minutes, and so much blood covered their swords. They were all relieved to know that they were all still alive, thanks to Julius's strength and ability against his opponents. So much blood and gore have been stained on the ground, and lots of it was dripping from the trees.

"Steady, lads. We've already made it this far. They're going to wonder why we're out here," Julius said. The knights were still loyal to the swordsman and agreed that they should remain behind him until the night was over.

Julius and his knights continued walking on the trail that led to the grimy tower, and they all stopped for nothing. It would be an act of betrayal if any of them left their comrades and leader to run back to the village; they would wonder why Julius didn't return with him along with the other knights. As they walked, it became colder and harder to walk straight from the violent wind. Then, they all heard a loud howl in the air, and a few of them started gulping and began having shivers sent down their spine. None of them knew what would happen next, and they would not dare ask Julius the question made to insult him.

Then, another howl was heard; this time, a loud noise seemed to combine a roar and a cry. They all stopped walking and noticed that the ground was shaking and some trees were falling. Before any of them could say anything to one another, they caught sight of a giant creature flying from the tower. The animal had so much smoke puffing out of his body, and it had massive wings just as one knight foretold. The creature was an ancient beast who lived to send terror to all who defied him.

Then, the demon lands onto the ground with a sizable dragon-bone sword, which could light on fire and quickly kill any who comes in contact with it. The beast itself had massive armor with a large cape, and he had red eyes, which were standard for more powerful night creatures. Then Julius held up his greatsword and pointed it at the deadly beast; the demon's appearance was proof enough that he needed so many answers from him.

"Who... are you?" He asked. Then, the demon force blows the wind in his direction and forces him to stay down and remain on his knees.

"I've heard of someone such as you. Are you truly the best that the city of Loftain could give me?" The demon asked.

"What do you want?" Julius asked.

"It was not curiosity that led you here. You came here for a higher purpose. I can accept that."

"I cannot let you leave here, alive!"

"So be it!"

Then, the demon uses his sword, charges quickly towards the vast majority of Julius's knights, and cleaves them in two. It blew the young swordsman away that such a demon could cut down so many men all at once. The devil would not back down quickly because he slaughtered ten out of twelve knights that were with Julius. There were only two knights left, and they were all fearful of what had happened to their allies.

"Go! Leave! Get out of here!" Julius shouted.

"But what about you?" One of them asked.

"Just get out of this forest. Get back to the city!" He shouted. Then, they all listened to him and dashed back to Loftain to wait for Julius after he dealt with this powerful creature.

The monster was about to hold out his hand and kill those two knights by using dark magic, but Julius went behind him and held the demon by his throat. He then holds onto the demon's wrist and starts gripping onto it; he believed if he grasped the wrist hard enough, it would snap in two. Later, Julius pulls out his dagger and starts stabbing the demon on the back, and he watches as so much blood splatters out of the demon's body. He wanted the beast to regret ever coming to him and being in his way as the night continued to be upon him. Then Julius takes that dagger and runs it from his stomach up to his chest as it fills him with so much rage.

Finally, he uses the dagger and pierces the demon's right eye, forcing the creature to watch as he drags out the knife. But before he could do anything else, the devil elbows him in the stomach and shoves him back. Then, he pulls out his greatsword and starts swinging it at Julius as he defends himself with his weapon. They both clashed openly and did not take a single step back as they were trying to defeat one another. The swordsman and the mighty creature were valiant knights because of how much strength they all seemed to carry.

Because the demon had cuts and scars all over his body, he lost balance and stamina while fighting against Julius. Then Julius uses his greatsword and stabs the demon in the chest with all of his strength and fury. He then pulls the sword back with so much blood and gore falling from the demon's body.

"Why do you stand in my way?" Julius asked.

"Are you truly the best that pathetic king can send?" The demon asked.

"You dare speak those words about my brother? I'll have your head!" He shouted.

"King Harald. Your brother? Then, the merger begins. And there's nothing you can do to change it!"

"Why must I listen to such a vile creature such as you?"

"You haven't seen it, have you? Your ambitions, your desires, and your undoing. Your fate has already been sealed, and the day will come when all shall fear you and despair. There will be nobody left to defend. You won't be able to control your power, and it will control you. Your day of reckoning will soon be here, and you will be betrayed."

"No. I don't believe you. I'll never believe you."

Julius stood before the powerful demon in many confusions and anger after being told about his fate, and he waited for the beast to say more things on the matter.