Thomas ran in front of the entire army straight toward the demon tigers and their beautiful, deadly riders. A horned woman, her horns wrapping around like a ram's, shouted a command. Every tiger‑woman threw her spear into the sky. The moon disappeared behind a storm of spears. Thomas yelled "TAKE COVER!" Luke saw it too."GET DOWN!!!" The spears fell like silent rain, elegant, deadly. Limbs sliced off. Bodies pierced. Hundreds of humanity's warriors died instantly. Many had lost their shields during the rhino wave they had nothing to block with. Thomas kept running.When the last spears fell, he dove under a dead rhino's body for cover. He looked around and saw people crying, screaming, bleeding, lifeless. His anger flared brighter than ever turning into a silver‑platinum aura, glowing like a star right in front of you. One demon woman shouted "Where did he go?!" Thomas roared "I'm right here!" He punched a tiger with a mighty right hand breaking its teeth and jaw. The rider swung her sword Thomas dodged, grabbed her arm, and snapped it in one motion. She screamed in agony."You cry for mercy," Thomas said, "but you gave my people none." He punched straight through her heart, ripped it out and threw the beating heart at another tiger‑woman, knocking her off her mount. More tiger‑women charged.Thomas fought them head‑on moving with unknown speed. Tigers leapt vertically, using hunter instincts to catch him, but Thomas was faster. By now Luke had gathered his troops and sprinted toward the heart of battle.Ice followed. Sophie followed.
All leading their troops with fury they had lost six thousand souls already. The armies collided.Tigers ripped people apart. Riders stabbed and slashed. Blood soaked the ground.But humanity did not falter. They grew angrier seeing friends, lovers, parents, siblings fall beside them. Every death fueled them. A woman with a spear who had never fought before found herself face‑to‑face with a snarling tiger. Drool dripped from its massive jaws.The rider smiled.
"Are you lost, honey? I might've killed your mother." She laughed. Something inside the woman snapped fear gone, doubt gone. She rushed the tiger. She rolled under its paws, dodging death. Instinct took over, she swung her spear and struck the rider.The demon woman screamed, grabbed the spear, and dragged the human woman as the tiger ran. The woman let go, rolled, and looked up.The demon rider sat high on the tiger, looking down."Your death," she said, "I will remember." She raised her spear and Ice dropped from the sky. He sliced her arm clean off the spear still in her hand. The demon woman screamed. Ice cut her head off in one clean motion. Then Ice stabbed his blade into the tiger's neck, breaking its spine.
The beast collapsed. Ice stepped off, reached for the woman, and said "Your story doesn't end here, warrior." She grabbed his hand. Ice handed her a sword then ran off to help the next soldier. The woman stood trembling, but alive. 'We will win', she thought. 'We have to'. She charged toward the next demon tiger, screaming a passionate war cry.