Hello everyone and welcome back to HellFall!

Last chapter wasn't what you expected, eh? Or was it? I don't know, but enjoy this one (if you can)!

I was becoming overwhelmed, even with the group of hunters behind me, the Heishi proved to be too much. There were far too many. And still, I managed to push through, putting holes in the clone's heads, stabbing through their hearts, doing everything as quickly as I possibly could. If I could act quicker than them, I could take them out easier. They were always a little slow to start.

I fought alongside Cerberus and the remainder of team VAIN. Cerberus held his own pretty well, as expected, but the rest of us were growing more and more tired by the minute.

A group of civilians huddled behind us as we fought our way to clear a path through the Heishi to a safe house. Every now and then I glanced back, grasping at even the tiniest amount of motivation I got from seeing their terrified, yet slightly hopeful, faces.

I stabbed Cratorus 2.0 through the last soldier's neck, then waited to catch my breath. Finally, we could move forward.

"Let's keep going!" Veil called, starting to walk, too tired to run. The civilians followed cautiously, making their way between the piles of bodies littering the ground.

We reached the safe house. The door rose up from the ground and everyone was loaded inside. As we did the firestorm gave way to heavy rain. I smiled, realizing that Cinder must have been taken out.

Everyone else seemed to realize it as well. Veil smiled at the sky, and I could see a surge of motivated adrenaline suddenly burst inside her. Anchor, on the other hand, just kind of stood there with Cerberus, straight-faced. Anchor at least had an excuse with the gas mask covering his mouth, though.

Suddenly there was a loud crumbling sound. Our joy faded as we focused our attention in the direction of the sound. Slowly a massive shape appeared.

An Ursa.

Its lumbering black body was slowly made clearer through the rain pouring down around us. I took a step back, realizing that the walls must have been broken down, meaning that more Grimm would be here any minute. In fact, they were probably already on their way.

No one said a word; we knew what we had to do. We knew what would happen next, why it'd happened, all that.

The safe house door lowered back into the ground once all the civilians had entered, leaving us with the Ursa. By now the Beowulves and Void Runners (horse Grimm) were starting to show themselves as well.

After a moment of hesitation we charged, the Ursa heading straight for me. For obvious reasons, I went straight for it. I wanted redemption for what'd happened years ago, even though I knew this couldn't be the same Grimm.

I leapt into the air, plunging Cratorus 2.0 into the base of the creature's neck. I transformed the spear into a rifle and fired off as many rounds as a magazine would allow into its brain. It fell to the ground, bright red rose petals blowing away from the inside of its empty cranium.

As I landed back on the ground, I looked around to see everyone else fighting off various creatures of Grimm. Anchor swung his massive anchor around on its chain, cracking the skeletal armor of every creature he faced and destroying their brains. Veil stabbed and poked, puncturing most every Grimm wherever she could.

After my brief moment of hesitation to watch everyone else, I returned to the fight, cutting down as many Grimm as I could with noticeably less effort than I needed for the Heishi. The Grimm were pretty mindless creatures, lacking in any substantial fighting ability, especially with as many experienced hunters as we had.

However, despite all our experience the sheer amount of Grimm swarming in became overwhelming. Each of us found ourselves completely surrounded, drowning in the number of creatures in the area.

Naturally, the AOD appeared, ready to fight. They cut down Grimm after Grimm, clearing a path straight through. They fought harder than we could, and with much more strategy.

No one spoke. Thank you's could wait until the battle had ended, and by the looks of it that wouldn't be any time soon.

I heard the sharp sound of scraping metal, and when I looked to the source I found two massive Ursa trying to pry the door to the safe house in the ground open. The metal curved upwards as they bent it backwards. I charged, hoping to get to them before they got the civilians. As I ran a Beowulf leapt into me, jaws gaped wide. I fell to the ground, its teeth stuck into my shoulder. I scrambled to get it off, unable to adjust my other arm well enough to stab it. It was pushing my side into the ground, so my other arm was almost impossible to move.

This won't happen again, I promised myself, winding up my leg and kicking it in the gut. It launched into the air, landing with a whimper.

I stood, focusing my aura on my shoulder as I approached the Beowulf, now lying not far from my own position. I stabbed it through the cheek, puncturing the brain and killing it.

Upon killing the creature my gaze returned to the Ursas. They'd peeled the door back even further, and I could hear the people inside screaming. In fact I could hear everything. My fox ears perked up. I heard the rain hit the ground, the subtle cries and grunts of the hunters around me, the sound of blades passing through monsters. Everything. I even heard when the King Taijito several feet away from me spotted and started towards me.

I glanced over as I heard its body slither in my direction. Then I ran, hoping it'd find a new opponent while I handled the Ursas.

It didn't seem too keen on that idea.

I reached the Ursas, knowing the massive snake to be close by now. Still, I needed to focus on the bears.

The Ursas had opened the safe house and started pulling people out. I transformed my spear into a sniper rifle and aimed as I ran, firing off a shot straight through the first Ursa's neck. It dropped the person and turned to me, not quite dead. It charged while the other kept hunting.

Cratorus 2.0 returned to its spear state as I ran forward, bringing it back behind my head and getting ready to jab.

Suddenly the King Taijitu was right behind me. Using its head, it swatted me away in another direction. I flew to the left, dropping my spear along the way.

The two Grimm faced me down as I tried to stand. The Ursa stabbed its claws into my left leg, succeeding in puncturing my leather boot-leggings. It raked its claws across my leg, ripping the boot off and revealing my robotic leg. It was unable to penetrate its metal coat.

I backed up and stood, raising my fists as I readied to defend myself from the creatures. I couldn't fight them off without my spear, and started searching while still maintaining enough focus on the Grimm. Unfortunately, I didn't find it before the King Taijitu made a move.

Somehow I was able to anticipate it and ducked, then performed an uppercut punch into its throat. It coughed, swayed, and withdrew. The Ursa charged immediately after, and yet I heard its footsteps crossing the ground between us long before it reached me.

I brought up my knee, hitting it hard in the gut with my metallic kneecap. It stumbled backwards, and in both the Grimm's absence of movement I continued searching for my weapon.

When I finally found it, close to the second Ursa, both Grimm were recovered and ready to keep fighting.

I leapt forward, transforming my landing into a roll. I stood up right before the second Ursa as it devoured a person. Its glowing red gaze fell on me. The growl rumbling in its throat echoed in my ears. Quickly I reached down, grabbing my weapon and rolling to the side.

Once I'd recovered my battle stance I was facing off against three massive Grimm.

As I readied to fight a brown-haired man appeared in the air and slammed a silver pole into the head of the first Ursa. An explosion erupted from its end, blowing a hole in the creature's skull and sending it falling flat down into the dirt.

The man landed just in front of me, gave me a look of acknowledgement, then turned around and took up a battle stance.