"Run!" Taekwoon yelled. "The rift is just over that hill!"

The group of four took off with the hellhounds quickly closing in on them. However, when Hongbin ran a few steps, he immediately doubled over, falling to the ground. He shifted back to his human form, pain in his face. He placed his palms on the ground as a searing heat scorched through his body.

Taekwoon shifted to give his friend support. "What happened?"

"I-I think the energy is too much for him," Jaehwan suggested.

Hakyeon turned his head to see that the hellhounds were getting closer, their roars filling the night air. He turned back to his juniors, Jaehwan who was trying to urge Hongbin to get up and Taekwoon who was supporting him on his feet so they could run. Jaehwan's voice had risen in pitch, panicked as he kept stealing glances at the oncoming hellhounds. 

His eyes softened. "Take Hongbin and go," he told Jaehwan and Taekwoon. "I'll buy you some time."

Jaehwan's mouth dropped. "You-you're not coming with us?"

"It's probably not a lot of time, but it'll probably just be enough for you to get Hongbin to the rift."

"B-but-"

"Go!" Hakyeon urged as the sounds of the hellhounds drew closer. "Trust me, Jaehwan-ah. Hongbin needs to make the last stand. Stay with him till then. He'll need you the most."

"No!" Jaehwan protested. "I'm not leaving you to die!"

"That was an order, Ken!"

Jaehwan looked like he wanted to argue more, but when he saw the look in Hakyeon's eye, he closed his mouth, gulping. Nodding, he grabbed Hongbin's other arm and swung it around his shoulder.

"We're just going to leave him?" Hongbin murmured through his dizziness.

Taekwoon looked at Jaehwan, his eyes asking the same question.

"Don't worry," Jaehwan assured them. "N didn't get the reputation of being the most dangerous Alpha all by himself, you know?"

Taekwoon nodded, yet his heart was heavy. He had seen the most powerful Alpha ever that he knew get slaughtered. He felt like no matter how powerful N was, he couldn't take on three hellhounds by himself.

He had a feeling that they wouldn't be seeing Hakyeon again.

Nevertheless, he supported Hongbin towards the hill with Jaehwan's help.

Hakyeon watched as they faded into the foliage and then turned around to the incoming onslaught of demonic energies.

"Well, I've been waiting for this for a while," he said, rolling up his sleeve. His lips pulled up into a smirk as his eyes glowed a dangerous silver.

"You took one family from me," he snarled, as the snarling shadows neared. "You will not take another."

Hongbin seemed to be getting worse, a feeling of nausea settling in his stomach now.

"We need to get him to your friends, otherwise that energy might consume him," Jaehwan said.

"Why?" Taekwoon asked.

"Because it's strong, powerful energy," Jaehwan explained. "Honestly, it's only because he's an Alpha that he could survive this long. A wolf like you or me? We would have burned up at once."

Hongbin then pulled himself up. "How do you feel?" Jaehwan asked.

"Terrible," Hongbin said, "but I think I can walk now."

Taekwoon looked like he was about to say something when a series of growls caught their attention.

"There are more of them," Jaehwan said, his voice filled with dread.

The three wolves looked over behind them, watching as a new group of hellhounds ran towards them.

Jaehwan took a deep breath, stepping forward. "Taekwoon, get Hongbin to the rift, if that's the last thing you do," he said, deepening his voice to sound more authoritative. "I'll see if I can buy you some time."

Taekwoon narrowed his eyes. This guy, regardless of his age and how Hakyeon viewed him, was still the runt, the Omega. He would be absolutely slaughtered by the hellhounds if he tried to make a stand all by himself.

Taekwoon left Hongbin's side for the first time, turning to him. "You can walk, right? Get to the top of the hill. Wonsik and Sanghyuk will help you from there."

Hongbin's eyes widened. "You're not really gonna-"

"N was right," Taekwoon told him. "You need to make the last stand."

Hongbin scurried to his feet, taking off for the hill although he at times fell over his feet.

Jaehwan looked at Taekwoon, the latter having come and stood at his side. Taekwoon turned his head slightly towards Jaehwan, giving him a nod.

Jaehwan straightened up, swallowing whatever was stuck in his throat, and the two wolves, both right hands to their Alphas, stood in the way of the hellhounds.

When Hongbin reached the top of the hill, a sudden sharp pain in his gut forced him to the ground.

"!" he groaned, rolling over on his back. "I need to get to that tear now."

Just as he lay on his back, a dark force pushed past him, and then a hellhound leaped on him, holding its snarling jaws centimeters away from his face. Because of all the energy he absorbed, he was almost like a glowing beacon, a light calling the hellhounds home, only for the fact that they didn't want to go home just yet.

Before it could sink its teeth into him and kill him, a gunshot was heard and a bullet whizzed through its body. It gave a huff, slightly wounded, but very annoyed, and turned its head to see what had interfered.

Standing at the very top were Sanghyuk and Wonsik, Sanghyuk with a hunting rifle pointed at the hellhound. Behind them was the dimensional rift, what looked like a literal tear in the fabric of the universe, darkness inside a swirling portal. It cast a sickly green glow behind the hunter and the druid.

The hellhound snarled at the two of them as Sanghyuk shot another bullet through it. While the bullet passed cleanly through its body, the hound took a step back, and off of Hongbin.

"GO!" Sanghyuk yelled at him. "The rift is behind us! Get to it now!"

"We'll keep them busy!" Wonsik added.

The hellhound was then joined by another snarling demonic entity, and both turned their attention to Wonsik and Sanghyuk, having noticed the silver bullets were annoying them. Would be better to get rid of them before dealing with Hongbin.

However, that was exactly what Wonsik and Sanghyuk wanted them to do.

They ran down the hill until they were opposite the tear, knowing the hellhounds would follow them. Sanghyuk kept shooting through his rifle, but only succeeded in making them madder. When he found that he'd run out of bullets in his rifle, he threw the instrument away and immediately pulled out a handheld revolver which he continued to use.

Wonsik cast a look at Hongbin making his way up to the rift, and a small smile settled on his face as he shot at the hellhounds indiscriminately.

The tear was bigger than Hongbin's entire height, and was nearly as wide as a bus.

Would it be enough to fill this?

Just then, a burning sensation spread through his body and he looked down at his hands. His arms were giving off a faint blue glow, a little bit of pale blue light escaping and making its way to the tear. it was as if it knew it belonged there and not in this world.

He held up his hands to the tear, imagining sky blue light shooting out of his palms and into the tear, and the tear getting smaller and smaller until it finally disappeared.

Almost instantly, it felt like the blood was rushing up from his legs and through his body, collecting at his hands. As the energy left his legs, they felt weak and light, like jelly. Not to mention the searing pain as the energy transferred from a mortal body back into a dimensional barrier.

He closed his eyes tightly, hoping that it would help handle the pain better.

It didn't.

As the final bit of energy from his body left to return to the barrier, it left a sensation so hot and painful it was almost numbing. 

The last bit of energy from his arms left, and he opened his mouth to roar in pain.

He then fell to his knees, his body feeling like all the circulation had been out of it by a vacuum, and he was empty, expect for the pain that was slowly getting numb.

Soon, he wouldn't feel anything else.

Just as he lay there, he felt something heavy ram into him, knocking him over. Forcing his eyes open, he saw that it was a hellhound, only this time, the dark smoke that generally covered it was gone, leaving only the dark canine and its razor sharp fangs.

It lunged at him but he held his elbow up to its neck, not allowing it close to his face. However, his energy was already so little after what he'd just done, and the more his strength faded, the closer its muzzle got and the more he could smell the rancid smell of rotting corpses on its breath.

A gunshot sound cut through the air and the hellhound jerked back, letting out a sound that could only be described as a cow choking to death. It got off him, flailing around a bit, huffing and puffing, until it then rolled over and lay still.

The edge of Sanghyuk's lips lifted in a victory smile as he put his handheld down. 

The final hound, gone.

He then noticed Hongbin falling over, hitting the ground hard, and he cast his eyes upwards as the dark clouds loomed above.

He couldn't feel anything any longer. 

His senses all blurred together, and the world around him spun into oblivion. His vision darkened, and he could barely feel his fingers anymore. 

He tried to move one finger, yet he was all out of strength.

He tried to sigh, yet he couldn't feel his throat or voice any longer. it was as if someone had stolen his larynx, robbing him of his ability to speak.

He could just barely make out the voices of his friends, but even they soon faded in with the ever darkening world.

Yet, his heart was full.

They won.

They did it.

They won!

A small smile lingering on his lips, he felt droplets falling on his skin.

He then closed his eyes as darkness finally overcame him.