_ "Monsters! Get ready!" then roared Mr. Lordi to his allies as he returned with Emily to the circle of ancient megaliths.

At the entrance of the house, Mathias and Hella also came out, having heard the call of the Monsterman, but also the loudy noises of the helicopters which had approached, hovering over the place and starting to do descend cables for abseiling. Mathias and Hella then looked at each other and ran to join the others.

All the monsters had taken their position, seeing then humans, about fifty, slid down towards the ground thanks to the cables and immediately coming to form a security perimeter. But what left the monsters puzzled was the fact that these men weren't threatening them with their guns, just giving each other orders and spreading out in several places all around the square.

These men had weapons and military equipment and behaved as such, but their outfits were all black, even their helmets, Kevlar vests, and gas masks they wore over their faces.

One of the groups, the last one getting off a helicopter, walked towards Mr. Lordi and his allies without any hesitation. Even though they wore the same outfits as the others, these five individuals stood out from the rest. Each was armed with a different weapon, and on each shoulder was a logo of a red wolf's head. They didn't look intimidated or surprised to see the monsters at all. On the contrary, it is as if they expected to find them here.

Mr. Lordi, Emily, Hella and Mathias decided to come forward to talk to them, but the monsterman motioned for the others to be on their guard, just in case.

_"Who are you?" Mr. Lordi asked, speaking first, suspiciously.

The man with the WCX assault rifle, who was surely the leader of the group, stepped forward, removing his mask and helmet to reveal himself. He was in his forties, a tough face, short dark brown hair, firm brown eyes, and a thin beard on his chin.

_ "My name is Ian Redfield ..." he said in his hardened voice, but without showing hostility. "Leader of the Red Wolves squad, and member of the S.R.D.O. Here are the other squad members: Omega, Gamma and Sigma."

The one on the far left, Omega, was the tallest and toughest of them all, the one with heavy weapons, like a machine gun or rocket launcher behind his back. Gamma, shorter and thinner, armed with two submachine pistols, appeared to be the technician of the group judging by the high-tech glasses on his helmet and the thing on his belt that looked like a datapad. Sigma was armed with a sniper rifle and scopes on her helmet, and was the only female in the squad.

_ "The S.R.D.O? What is it?" Emily asked, raising an eyebrow.

_ "I am not allowed to say more." Redfield replied bluntly. "But if that is any reassurance to you, know that we know who you are, what you have already done for this world, and that we are not here as enemies, but as allies."

_ "Ah yes? And how can we trust you on this point?" Mathias in turn asked suspiciously.

_ "Listen, if we wanted to capture or kill you, it would already be done. The SRDO has great resources but collaborates outside the jurisdictions of armies and world governments. Our goal is the same as yours: to protect this world against threats of unknown origin. We can continue debating trust for hours on end if you like, but I doubt we have time for that."

Ian Redfield spoke without holding back, saying what he had to say. And he was right on one point: time was running out and in the face of a threat of such magnitude, all help, even the most awaited, had to be taken. Despite his mistrust, Mr. Lordi agreed to trust them and the tension eased a bit.

_ "Agent Redfield. We have found a way to destroy the threat directly at the source, but for that we will have to hold this place at all costs and resist whatever the enemy can send us, because it is certain, they'll want to stop us."

_ "On the other hand, our position is completely exposed and we do not know how many they will be and that could be a big disadvantage for us." Hella said.

_ "We have come knowing the risks that should be taken, but we are prepared to take them if it can save this world." Ian said without lying, and obviously the other members of his squad agreed with him, all holding their weapons firmly and showing that they were ready to fight.

The monsters were very impressed to see humans like them, but it reassured them too.

_ "We'll have to cover the whole place to make sure we can see all around. Agent Redfield, my allies will assist your men in the battle."

_ "I see no objection to that. It will even be an honor to fight with you." Redfield replied with a smile and respect in his eyes.

Suddenly, to everyone's surprise, a vortex materialized in the square, and different from the ones Mr. Lordi was creating. The SRDO men were about to act, preparing their weapons, but very soon Mr. Lordi motioned for them not to shoot, and with all his friends, smiled reassured. From the somewhat unstable vortex came Magnum, followed by Enary, Kalma and G-Stealer, all alive. Magnum held in his hands a sort of box, a little hastily made, which seemed to be at the origin of this rather badly made but effective vortex and which immediately erased.

_ "Pfiou, luckily it worked." Magnum hissed under his helmet.

Mr. Lordi, having succeeded in convincing Redfield to tell his men not to shoot, went over to his four friends who had finally returned, greeting them all.

_ "My friends ... you can't imagine how timely you are."

_ "Magnum explained everything to us. We couldn't miss that." Enary asserted with her strong character, as usual.

For once, Mr. Lordi chuckled, for even Enary's bad temper had missed him a bit.

The two camps having agreed on the course to follow, the defense plan was put in place. Ian Redfield put on his gas mask and helmet and immediately gave his orders to his squad.

Sigma was going to stand in the steeple of the old church, to have a high position and above all a view of the whole to shoot with his sniper. Omega, with his heavy weapons, would support the men guarding the west side of the square, with the help of Otus and Kita. Gamma would go with the men defending the east side, with Enary and Kalma to support, even if the valkyrie struggled to come to terms with having to fight with humans. The north side of the square would be defended by Ian Redfield, aka Alpha, and assisted by Ox, Mana and Amen. Just before heading north of the square, Ox and Awa hugged one last time, swearing to each other to come back alive. Ox had even plucked up his courage and placed a quick, short kiss on Awa's lips just before leaving, which surprised the countess, but made her smile and blush. On the south side, Magnum would team up with G-Stealer with the men of the SRDO, and the cyborg had equipped himself with a weapon of his creation, a sort of huge rotating machine gun with a futuristic appearance, which caught the eye of humans by his side. The helicopters, for their part, would form an air cover, their heavy armaments being able to be an asset to destroy as many enemies as possible.

Mr. Lordi, Emily, Hella and Mathias remained in the circle of megaliths in order to defend this position in case enemies managed to cross the first line of defense.

As for Awa, her presence was also required in the circle of megaliths, for a role of the most essential. Thanks to her spiritual powers, the countess would have to use the writings of the scroll and try to open, as the founders of the Children of the Trinity once did, a passage to the Darkland. For that, she should imperatively be protected by the others in order to be able to remain concentrated and to keep the passage open.

As the first step for the ritual, a pentacle, like the one drawn on the parchment, had to be traced in the snow right in the middle of the stone circle. Once done, the scroll was placed in the center of the pentacle and Awa came to kneel in front of it, in order to be able to mentally prepare.

_ "I will have to recite the incantation word by word, but opening the portal also requires ... blood, because only those who sacrifice it and cause it to flow, will then be able to access the Darkland." she explained.

But suddenly, everyone was crushed by the intervention of a voice overpowered and devoid of humanity, surely that of Ycnarr, which echoed everywhere in the air. Both monsters and humans were badly affected, holding their heads together from the horrific psychic pain the entity was sending to them by its mere voice.

_ "Futile hope for all of you. You have only delayed the inexorable, but what could be expected from beings abused by their feelings and as predictable as they are condemned? Either ... if it is the the suffering and despair that you are so seeking, so be it."

The entity's voice fell silent, but the unhealthy aura was still present, lurking around humans and monsters like an invisible and invincible predator seeking to creep into every thought of theirs. In addition, echoes of inhuman roars and howls erupted from the forest, from all directions, and they seemed to be many ... very many indeed.

From the edge of the trees, all around the village, abominations came forward, by the hundreds. Humans and animals, all having been brought back to life and undergoing transformations that had turned them into living horrors, each more unspeakable and loathsome than the next. Mathias, who was seeing them for the first time, opened wide eyes in horror, swallowing, but tried to stay calm to concentrate. The SRDO soldiers also looked really nervous under their masks, but still remained in their positions, preparing their weapons to fire.

_ "Oh shit ... Well, it's going to be very tense." Ox growled seeing the large number of enemy creatures.

_ "Awa ... Now." Mr. Lordi said without wasting a minute.

The countess nodded and spreading her arms, closed her eyes to concentrate. Her eyes turned white as she entered a trance and began the recital of the incantation, in that same indescribable language.

_"H'gar goer snalz'oar yrmyt vhorg'o... H'gar goer snalz'oar yrmyt vhorg'o... H'gar goer snalz'oar yrmyt vhorg'o..."

As soon as Awa had started the incantation, the wind grew stronger over the valley, as did the cold and darkness already very present. In the sky, just above the circle of megaliths, lightning exploded from the dark clouds, which were already starting to spin very slowly on themselves.

As if sensing the ritual begun, the hundreds of abominations encircling the village went completely berserk, making explosive roars and launched the general assault, rushing towards the village making the earth shake under their frantic and numerous running footsteps.

_ "ENEMIES APPROACHING! FROM ALL SIDES!" Redfield warned through his communicator to all his men in position.

From all directions without exception, like a veritable living tide, the hordes of abominations crossed the streets of the abandoned village, devastating everything in their path to reach the central square as quickly as possible and feast on all those tasty prey that was there. And once the enemies are in sight from the streets covered by the soldiers ...

_"FIRE AT WILL!" Redfield firmly ordered everyone, and he opened himself and started with his assault rifle.

Thus began the battle, in a veritable deafening surge, all the guns of the SRDO soldiers spewing out all their might. Barrages of lightning bullets hit the front rows of creatures head-on, decapitating and dismembering them in sprays of blood and filthy groans. From the helicopters, men had taken over the controls of heavy machine guns and were busy sweeping non-stop to the middle and back of the hordes, shredding many of these things in a cataclysmic rain of fire.

Sigma, from her high firing post, began her sniper shots, hitting a first creature in the head. Gamma grabbed a detonator and squeezed it, detonating hidden bombs he had placed before, a column of fire and smoke rising into the air and pulverizing about thirty creatures in one fell swoop. Omega fired his machine gun, slaughtering several enemies. Magnum too, with the human soldiers around him, had started the shots with his futuristic weapon letting a volley of energetic projectiles shoot out which, hitting enemy creatures, inflicted monstrous burns on them, gnawing at them like acid which spread over the whole body and reduced them to ashes. Ian Redfield threw a first grenade with all his might, the explosion of which repelled a group of abominations.

But despite the hell of gunfire and death that fell on them, the abominations, far too numerous, even the most badly damaged and even the dying, continued to advance and come closer without even trying to avoid or protect themselves from the shots.

Once the abominations were close enough, the monsters could in turn attack. To the west, Kita growled and jumped nimbly into a forward somersault, decapitating a first enemy with his katana, and then hitting all the others passing within range. Otus charged too, throwing one of his knives into a creature's eye, and sliced it in half with his physical strength mixed with the edge of his chopping knife.

In the east, Enary emitted a war cry and did not hesitate to go into the fray despite the enemy's excess number. With her sword, she cut off the arms, heads and legs of several creatures in a row. Kalma did not have a sword, but had recovered two long steel chains and spiked, and used them as a kind of sharp whips, making them clack and violently strike all the abominations within his reach, inflicting them huge cuts and tears, or even tearing their limbs off.

To the north, as Redfield continued to fire, Amen called on a power he didn't use very often, but decided this time it was time. Concentrating, he summoned the power of his curse. Like a sand cyclone in the desert, a violent tornado began to form in the midst of the ranks of abominations, sucking up dozens and reducing them all to dust scattered by the wind. Ox charged with all his might, unleashing his fury and striking and knocking back any creatures in his path. To the south, Magnum continued his bursts of fire with the SRDO men, and G-Stealer had leapt like a feline chasing at a first creature and tore off its head with its sharp fangs.

But already, the abominations were making their first victims in the ranks. Three men from the SRDO were caught by creatures who threw them into the midst of their fellows who tore them to pieces, in a horrifying orchestra of spurting blood, flesh and bones and howls of agony. Several of the abominations had ascended to the roofs of the houses and with leaps of prodigious force, four of them hit one of the helicopters, began to destroy it on all sides and slaughter the men inside. The helicopter spun and fell more and more until it crashed in an explosion towards the southwest exit of the village.

Two abominations, faster than the others, managed to pass the first line and galloped towards the circle of megaliths. Mathias and Hella teamed up to face the first, and Mr. Lordi and Emily, who had summoned his sword, confronted the second. Above all, they should not reach Awa.

Mathias, not accustomed to the use of firearms, tried to shoot the creature in the head as it leapt, but failed, only managing to tear off a piece of its right flank, which didn't affect him much. The creature was about to strike him, but Hella nimbly intervened, firing a salvo from her sawn-off shotgun into half the head of the thing which exploded to pieces, letting it fall heavily to the ground. Hella with her knife, aided by Mathias with his clawed glove, finished off the enemy by both stabbing him in the second half of the head. Mr. Lordi used his ax to block a brutal attack from the abomination in front of him, which allowed Emily to come and pierce the brain with her sword. And to make sure the thing didn't survive, Mr. Lordi ended it by chopping off its head.

In the center of this general chaos, Awa did not lose her concentration, and still in a trance, raised her hands to the sky. The vortex surrounded by lightning widens more and more, until it forms a kind of large black hole from which escaped dark energetic filaments. The portal to the Darkland!

_ "Let's go, now is the time!" Mr. Lordi pointed out to Emily.

The two of them then sacrificed some of their blood by making a cut in the palm and letting a few drops run on the scroll. Immediately the effects kicked in, and Mr. Lordi and Emily both felt themselves lifted into the air by a great unseen force, which brought them towards the portal. Not wanting to be separated, they held hands.

_ "Hold on, Emily!"

_ "I'm only doing that, don't worry!"

Their ascent grew faster and faster, to the point of stunning them, and they both disappeared into the portal.

After having to get rid of another creature, Mathias and Hella, in turn came to the scroll to also sacrifice a few drops of their blood and join Mr. Lordi and Emily to help them.

_ "Well ... our turn." Hella said.

_ "Yeah ..." Mathias answered, very nervous and his hand trembling a little.

But as he was about to do so, Mathias was suddenly punched and pushed aside by a dark-clad form that had appeared behind him. Hella gasped as she saw Mathias fall to the ground and stunned, as the shape that had struck him moved forward without paying any attention to Awa and looked up at the scarbie, who felt her heart leap in horror in her chest. It wasn't a creature... It was Ruiz, dressed like a cultist and who showed the most sadistic and contented smile.

_"You!" Hella hissed.

_ "Oh yes, my lovely little doll ... Daddy is back home." he replied in an ecstatic and mock ceremonial tone.