- The-The horde?!” shouted Kin.

He touched his weapon, but it would do him no good to use it: the Longers were still quite far away, but they seemed to be approaching fast. He took a step back and wondered what to do.

After all, Salida had predicted that they would only come in two days, around this same hour!

That was literally two days difference!

Knowing Salida, she would never have made such a miscalculation. She could sometimes be wrong by a few minutes, but not by so many hours... Days, even! That was…

- What can I...do?

While he didn't know what to do, a Kemono arrived at his side.

- They are already here…” he admitted.

Kin turned to him and recognized him.

- N-Nivea ?!

- No time to talk. You have to warn as many Kemonos as possible.

He squinted as he turned to the horde of Longers heading toward the Federation and clicked his tongue in annoyance.

- I'd say they'll be outside our walls in less than six and a half minutes, so you'd better do it fast. GO!!!

He yelled at him and Kin nodded, swallowing loudly. He started to run, having to warn Nano first. Nivea's wings opened wide and he clenched his fists tightly.

- I won't let you monsters touch our Federation.

Kin ran through the halls of the Federation, which surprised some. He didn't stop or pay attention to the many looks he was getting: he just didn't have the time. He knew that his behavior might scare some people, since it was rare to see a member of the Protection Team looking so stressed, but he had no choice but to run as fast as he could to warn the other members — especially Nano! He had to find her and talk to her... and as soon as possible!

- Why the hell are the Longers here already?! he thought.

Salida wasn't the kind of Kemono who would be wrong about her predictions; especially not by that much time. Minutes, it was possible; hours, rarely; but more than that?

Something was wrong, something was just wrong!!!

He jumped over a Kemono carrying boxes and braked sharply as he came to a door he recognized: the communications door. It was off limits to anyone and was locked. However, as a member of the Protection Team, he had the keys to open it. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

He had to warn Nano, but there was no time. The Longers were going to be here any minute and he had no idea where his best friend was exactly.

Maybe she was in her room, but if that was the case, by the time he warned her and they told the Kemonos, the fighting would have already started. In short, time was his enemy here.

- What to do... I just don't have time to think! Besides, since when do I use my head?!

On his thoughts, he grabbed the big bunch of keys he always kept in the inside pocket of his clothes and opened the door. The Kemonos who were watching him could not understand his behavior, but some of them were getting worried. This was normal, since Kin seemed to be under a lot of stress.

Kin came into the room and noticed that no one was there. It was still early, so it was understandable. He had closed the door behind him with his foot, but didn't even bother to lock it. He looked at the cameras and then at the microphone that hung on the dashboard. He didn't know what all the buttons were for, but that wasn't important right now. He turned on the microphone, but before he spoke, he took a few seconds to think of what to say.

Should he be careful with his words? Speak quickly or slowly? Should he hide the stress he was feeling? Who to contact, exactly? What exactly should he say...?

He slammed his forehead against the board and opened his mouth wide. It wasn't his style to think, and yet he was thinking. While he didn't have the time, he was taking on far too much. He didn't have a script at hand, and that didn't matter, because he had to be quick.

And alert the Kemonos of the approaching death.

- Attention!!! I really need everyone's attention, stop what you're doing, stop talking, listen to me!!!

He spoke loudly into the microphone, but "yelling" would not be the right word. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath of air.

- I don't want to scare you, but I really need you to listen to me. I have absolutely no time to give you a long speech, so I'll do it quickly...!

Kin closed his eyes and regained his composure — or rather, he tried to. His mouth close to the microphone, he could feel his heart beating faster and faster in his chest.

- …

He had to tell them the truth without even hesitating for two seconds; without hiding anything from them, even the smallest detail. Trying to explain the situation by speaking in a softer way than the reality would be silly on his part. He opened up again and accepted that what he was going to have to say would scare some people.

- We're being attacked by a gigantic horde of Longers!!!

He shouted the words while moving his head fiercely.

- Anyone who is willing to give their life for the Federation, anyone who can fight or be of support must go to the northern walls!!! If you can fight, then go quickly, the Longers should be here soon!!!

He was sure that as he spoke, some of the Longers had already arrived. Some of them were faster, some of them were quicker, some of them were more unpredictable. Nivea was there, accompanied by the members of the Line Defense Team, but without help, they weren't going to do anything. They were powerful, and Kin knew how fierce Nivea was; but they would not be enough against so many Longers. They could defeat hundreds, but never win.

- We need you, I beg you... You have to fight! This is not a test, this is not a joke, this is an emergency!!!

Without them, without the Kemonos, then they would lose. The Federation walls were more than strong and it would take time and perseverance for the Longers to destroy them or get past them, but staying inside and waiting for them would be useless. There were far too many of them and fighting in the Federation itself was a bad idea.

- Get to the northern walls and help us!!!

Kin called out to all the Kemonos for help. He was part of the Protection Team, after all: fighting the Longers was not his main job. He was powerful and there was no denying it, but his life was important to their Constable, to Maslow. Risking it on such a battlefield was not the best idea. Kin took a deep breath and yelled:

- MOVE!!!

With that, he turned off the microphone and quickly exited the room. He opened the door and braked down the hallway before coming to a complete stop.

The Kemonos lived in harmony and such an emergency never happened. It was the first time in years that a call to all Kemonos had not been made. It was rare and that was a good thing. They weren't prepared for an attack of this magnitude, so Kin had yelled at them to get off their butts before it was too late. Because he trusted the Kemonos, but he knew it was going to be difficult for them.

And yet, they were all already on the move.

None of the Kemono were getting into each other. Those who couldn't fight went to their Factions or to the big halls, restaurants or lounges, while those who could fight or be supportive went to the walls.

It was a scene he never thought he would see. A scene that was beautiful, yet terrifying at the same time.

It was an emergency. A horde was coming, and if they couldn't fend it off, then it was the end.

- Maslow isn't even here... a coincidence?

The storm stopping all of a sudden, the horde of Longers heading their way, and their early arrival. All of this had never happened before and it was at the same time that Maslow, their Constable, their light, their Goddess to all, was not there. He gritted his teeth and started to run. At his side, the Kemonos were also running, some in the same direction as him, others on the opposite side. A Kemono came up beside him and Kin quickly recognized him.

- Niho!" Kin said.

- We all heard your warning. I must admit that it surprised me.

A beautiful Kemono with an impressive aura, one who could take down the weakest just by looking at them.

- Iora is already on the battlefield, the others are on the road.

Niho squinted her eyes.

- We'll win easily.

As always, her words were reassuring and full of courage. Kin let a small smile appear on his lips and nodded.

- Of course we'll win!” he said, meaning it seriously.

Niho gave him a small positive nod and started to run at full speed, passing him by far. Kin smiled and headed for the northern walls. Even if he wasn't going to fight in the desert alongside the fighters, he wanted to at least keep an eye on the walls.

The Longers charged at him, the Kemono with dragon wings. Sharp claws, jaws made for biting into flesh and bulging eyes, Longers of small levels, but all together they were a real danger. They leapt toward him, ready to devour him—

— and with a simple, effortless gesture, they were all exterminated by Nivea's right fist.

- ... There are too many of them.

He was far from tired, but right now he was the only one in the desert. He took a step back and cracked his neck.

- ... Thousands, eh.

He couldn't count them all, there were so many in this horde. Besides, he had seen that more Longers were coming. He took a solid stance and saw more Longers coming at him. He clenched his fist, but before he could attack them, a trident of some sort came through them and a Kemono landed in front of Nivea. She grabbed her weapon and spun around, using only her left foot, before slicing through dozens of them with that one move. Nivea didn't even have time to speak to her when he jumped on top of her and charged his right fist before hitting the ground in front of him. Sand flew in all directions and the Longers were sent flying.

- ... Salida.

- How did they get here so early?

Salida didn't hide her anger; neither in her voice nor in her expression. She clutched her trident tightly in her hand and looked at the Longers who were preparing to attack them again.

- There are so many of them... It looks like we're in for a long fight," she said.

Nivea didn't mind having Kemonos around to fight, but Salida was powerful enough, so he couldn't hide the fact that he appreciated her presence. He stood beside her and clenched both fists, but only his right was important. Salida waved her spear and aimed at the Longers who were coming at them.

- Let's kill them all," Nivea said.

- Of course.

Kin reached the walls as quickly as possible and stopped at the edge. He looked out over the desert and his eyes widened. In his irises were the silhouettes of Kemonos fighting, alone or not, against the thousands of Longers. More were coming and it was almost impossible to see the end of the horde because there were so many of them. Kin blinked before a hand hit his back. He almost fell off the wall and turned around in a huff.

- Hey, what the— !

- Nice message, huh.

- W-What are you doing here?

- Hmmm?

A Kemono with a crazy expression and two different colored eyes, horse ears and a long tail that made a big curve at its end. Her mere presence made Kin uncomfortable, but it wasn't because he didn't like her; it was just that she hated the Longers so much that seeing them must have made her mad with rage. And her emotions, Kin felt them strongly. The Kemono laughed and bit an iron bar before breaking it with her teeth alone.

- I want to let off steam. Yeah, let it out.

- Wait…

- I know.

She gently pushed Kin and chewed on an iron bar.

- But we need all the help we can get, right?

- …

- Kin.

Another voice rang out, and this time it was from a Kemono he loved very much. The Kemono with the horse-like attributes swallowed the iron bar and smiled when she saw Kin's best friend coming.

- Oiii, Nano!

- Hm...? Hey. Hey!

Nano frowned.

- What's Asus doing here?!” she shouted.

The Kemono shrugged and, without even giving an answer, jumped off the wall to join the fight. Nano tried to catch her, but she was too slow. She gritted her teeth, but finally sighed and looked at Kin.

- What was she doing here?” she asked.

- I... don't know? I just got here.

- ... Fuck.

Nano sighed and preferred to forget about it rather than dwell on it. She looked Kin straight in the eye.

- Don't even think about going to fight," she said coldly.

- I was just going to stay here in case any Longers managed to get up on the wall! You don't even trust me now?!

- ... Okay.

Nano stayed silent and watched the fight. Kemonos were still moving toward the desert, ready to kill Longers and risk their lives for the Federation.

A sight as beautiful as it was horrible.

- …

Nano didn't see the point in helping them: they were trained to kill Longers and despite their huge numbers, she trusted her people to beat them all to a pulp.

- You surprised me with your message," Nano said, looking out over the desert.

Kin smiled.

- I didn't have time to pick you up, hehe!

- You did the right thing. Good thing you didn't tell everyone later.

- The storm suddenly stopped and the Longers came…

Nano frowned.

- All of a sudden, you say?

- Exactly, I don't know what happened, but... I don't know, it just went like that, voooo!

His little noise at the end was supposed to imitate a storm that was disappearing, but it sounded like anything but that. Nano scratched her belly and blinked before looking at Kin.

- I see. The 5 Galaxies have been alerted to the horde, but they told me they won't act.

- …

Kin had expected this. No matter what happened, it would seem that they would never agree to move... strange Kemonos that he didn't necessarily like that much. The 5 Galaxies were supposed to protect the Federation, yet they were never seen to move. He wanted to get angry, but the raging battle distracted him.

The sounds of Kemonos killing Longers, Longers fighting Kemonos. To feel so many Kemonos fighting at once was almost nauseating. Kin looked around and couldn't even see the sand anymore because the Kemonos and Longers were everywhere. And still, more Kemonos were coming to fight.

- Damn..." he said.

He had never seen so many fights at once and in the same place. It was... impressive. Nano told him she was going to see how everything was going inside and he nodded, but just before she left, a Kemono came to find them.

- E-Excuse me, we're in trouble!!” he shouted.

The few Kemonos around Kin looked at him intently. Kin squinted and Nano stopped to listen.

- What is it?" Kin asked.

The Kemono got down on his knees and let the tears that he had kept inside him flow.

- T-There are Longers on the east side... and my wife... all alone…

Kin didn't need to hear his entire sentence to understand.

He had told them all to come to the northern walls after all. They were all there because the horde was here, but maybe he had been a complete idiot.

Kin started to run at full speed and Nano yelled at him, but he didn't listen. He ran through the Federation corridors, heading for the eastern walls as fast as he could. Kemonos followed him and a few who were a bit behind stopped in their tracks to see what they were doing. Kin shouted:

- THERE ARE LONGERS ON THE EASTERN WALLS TOO!!!

He took a turn braking with his feet and continued his run with only one thought in mind: to see if the Kemono woman was okay. He knew that his purpose was to protect Maslow and that he didn't have to risk his life for anyone else, but right now his heart was beating way too fast and with too much rage.

- WHY ARE THESE FUCKING LONGERS ATTACKING US, DAMN IT!!!

On a day when Maslow, their Constable, was not at the Federation, they were being attacked by an impossible number of Longers. When they could have been living calm days, they were now being attacked...!

He hated the Longers. He didn't understand why they were alive. He didn't see their reason for being except to want the death of humans and Kemonos.

Their natural enemies, bloodthirsty beasts with no logic at all. Disgusting monsters with disgusting auras and disgusting actions...! He hated them. He didn't want to see any Kemono die by these... shits!

He reached the eastern walls and before Nano could even catch him with her left hand, he jumped into the air. His best friend looked at him and in the sky, Arasol shone with its strongest rays.

Kin fell to the ground, but he made his weapon appear in his hands and slowed his fall by running along the wall. He rolled in the sand once he reached the bottom and ran toward the Longers he saw. He opened his eyes wide and screamed in rage as he saw them all in one place, probably attacking the Kemono.

- What the hell is she doing here though?!

He had told everyone to go to the northern walls, after all; so why disobey? THEN WHY WAS SHE HERE?!

Kin took a big swing as other Kemonos jumped off the walls. Nano stood at the top, watching her idiot companion as he charged at the Longers. She frowned.

- There are so many... As many as on the other side, almost…

So there was not just one horde, but two. The southern and western sides were not attackable from the sea, so there was little chance of Longers being there; otherwise, they would quickly be warned by the Kemonos of the Defense Lines there.

- Kin...!

He had said he wouldn't do anything stupid, that he would stay back, but here he was, first in the fight. He was going to risk his life unnecessarily when other Kemonos were there for it. Some would see his act as heroic; she, as stupid. She clenched her fists, her heart beginning to beat faster. It wasn't because she had just run; she was just feeling her anxiety.

Kin used his momentum to leap high into the air and with a howl of courage and rage, he sliced ahead. His weapon was sharp on one side, but it was quite large and killed several Longers at once. His right foot landed on the sandy ground and he gritted his teeth loudly before slashing ahead again. Dozens of Longers were cut in half and the water from their bodies formed ice spikes. These spikes moved at full speed towards the other Longers and in less than twenty seconds Kin had killed all the Longers around the body of a Kemono. He let one knee hit the sand and asked the Kemono to get up, but it was at that very moment that her heart stopped.

She was devoured from everywhere.

Her eyes were missing, her mouth had been completely torn open and her heart was sticking out of her chest. She was totally unrecognizable and even her cat tail was in pieces.

She had died in an agonizing and probably painful way. Painful in a way that no one but her could understand.

Kin had come to a standstill and time was in slow motion. His eyes stared at the bleeding corpse with an urge to vomit and his eyes were shaking. His mouth was agape, his hand had even nearly dropped his gun.

It was a sight that disgusted him.

He had not been able to come in time to save her. She was dead and there was nothing he could do for her. No one could.

The Kemonos were coming at him, but he could not hear them. Some were sending their Powers in his direction, but he didn't see it.

It was his own idiocy, his own emotions, and his own WEAKNESS that had immobilized him at such a sight. He was in the Protection Team, a Kemono chosen by Maslow herself, and yet he did not assume to see the corpse of a Kemono; especially one he probably did not know. A death and it prevented him from thinking, from seeing what was going on around him.

While the Longers were still there, he had just stopped, as the danger had gone away. He had been a fool, again. The last thing he remembered was the cry of a Kemono he loved. He weakly looked up and saw all the hands trying to rescue him.

- KIIIIIIIIN !!!!!

And a winged Longer tore a piece off his shoulder.