The looming figure of darkness held its breath as Silas trembled, almost lifeless. Its sharp claws were poised to end his existence, but something unexpected happened. Silas' body convulsed, and his fingers clawed at the dirt, fighting to survive. The creature was surprised; this human was tougher than it had thought. It relished the challenge, eagerly anticipating the taste of victory.
The creature's smile widened. The figure of Silas now standing before it was like a dessert waiting to be devoured.
Silas' head lowered, looking down at the ground, only the navy-blue hair visible with drops of blood hanging from the tips.
"I must compliment you on your tenacious resolve," it sneered, spreading its arms wide as if to embrace Silas before his imminent demise.
"Now, let us commence with the final act."
"What a fucking piece of shit you are," Silas spat.
"..."
Taken aback, the dark being was wondering if it had imagined the insult. No being had ever dared to speak to it in such a manner. But this human child was different. He had the courage to stand up against it, even with his severed arm and blood loss.
The creature's pride was wounded, and it was ready to end the game, but Silas' brazen words had ignited its anger. It was about to strike when the young man continued, "Stop staring at me, it's disgusting."
The creature was livid. How dare this tiny, weak human being speak to it in such a manner? It was an ancient being, far superior to any human. The boy would regret his words, it vowed.
How dare you, human?!" it roared. "I'm an ancient-"
"...piece of shit? Haha," Silas interrupted, mocking it.
"YOU DARE!!!"
-Slash
Knife-like claws glinted in the dim light as they lunged at Silas, determined to tear him apart. But he was quick, evading the attack with a deft lean that left only his clothes in tatters. The creature was shocked - it had never missed before. How could this mere child be so nimble?
Something had shifted in the air, a faint aura that the creature couldn't place. But it ignored it, brushing it off as nothing more than a trick of the light. This child was no match for its power, after all.
"HAHAHA," Silas' laughed mockingly. "You can't even touch me."
The figure of darkness seethed with fury. It was not Silas' words that grated on it, but his arrogance. The child refused to look up at it, cowering with his head bowed. How could he dodge attacks he didn't even see coming? It was infuriating.
With a growl, the creature lunged again, aiming for Silas' neck. But he was always one step ahead, dancing away from each slash with fluid grace. Its attacks grew faster and fiercer, but the young man never faltered, always slipping out of its reach.
"What an annoying little fly!" the creature roared in frustration.
It was done playing games. This child was not worth its time, let alone its strength. But using only a fraction of its power had never failed it before. It wouldn't allow a mere child to best it now.
The figure crouched low, its body trembling as it prepared to unleash its deadly power. With one foot in front of the other, the ground beneath it began to crack and crumble under the weight of its intense energy.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
Suddenly, something unfurled behind the creature's back, revealing a pair of massive wings. They were featherless and as black as the void, with slits that began to slowly open, revealing multiple eyeballs with three different colored pupils - black, red, and purple.
The creature's aura shifted from that of a mindless killer to an ominous harbinger of death, eager to reap the souls of mortals.
With a deafening crack, the ground beneath exploded as it launched itself toward its prey. Its speed was beyond comprehension, and everything around it slowed down to a crawl. Its eyes, all of them, focused on the young human with a hunger that couldn't be sated.
But Silas was ready.
In an instant, it materialized before him, looming over Silas with its predatory presence. Its twisted fingers poised like deadly daggers, ready to pierce Silas' eyes, which were now looking straight at it, and claim his soul.
As the winged being locked eyes with him, it witnessed something unexpected. One of Silas' eyes changed its colors to a deep red like a sea of blood and within that gaze, it sensed a familiar energy, one that stirred an ancient memory within its core. The aura of death radiated from Silas like a deadly mist, enveloping everything around him in a shroud of darkness. It stopped its attack and retreated, carefully looking at its opponent.
The creature hesitated, momentarily taken aback by the intensity of Silas' aura. It retreated slightly, studying him with newfound caution.
"You who carry death's aura," it hissed, its voice thick with malice. "Why don't you have the mark of God?"
"...?"
Confused, Silas could only stare back at the creature in bewilderment. "What are you talking about?" he asked.
"Looks like you are truly ancient," Silas sneered. "You have even gone senile."
The creature's fury boiled over at Silas's insolence, and it stepped up its attack.
"Death Shroud – Eternal Rest." It shouted.
Dark shadows enveloped its claws, transforming them into deadly weapons that looked like they could tear anything to pieces. Silas braced himself for the worst, knowing that he had just provoked a dangerous foe.
-Boom
The earth shook as the creature unleashed its devastating attack, shattering the ground with a force that overturned the very earth itself. Debris rained down like a deadly hailstorm, as a thick cloud of smoke enveloped the area, concealing the outcome of the battle within its murky embrace.
As the winds began to disperse the smoke, a humanoid figure emerged from the haze, its once-spread wings now contracted, and a frown etched onto its face. Its gaze was fixed on an empty space, where the mysterious boy had once stood, but he was nowhere to be seen. Vanished into thin air, as if he had never existed.
"It is over. The human is dead for good," the creature muttered, trying to quell the nagging doubt that gnawed at its mind. It had seen Silas' eye, a deep crimson like its own, and felt the aura of death that emanated from him, unmarked by the hand of God.
But the red-eyed being chose to forget about it, using the power of death hidden within it to destroy any trace of Silas. The power of death was known for its destructive quality, dissolving everything it touched, and Silas was no exception.
Still, one thing lingered in its mind: Silas' lips twisting upwards in a grin as he took his last breath. He even said something, his voice failed to be heard, blown away by the wind pressure before it reached its ears. Even then, his lips forming words were still fresh in its memory.
"Until next time." It enciphered.
The creature laughed, but its furrowed brows betrayed its true thoughts. "What an amusing human," it sneered. "But there won't be a next time."
It was certain, but a nagging feeling remained, a foreboding sense that this was far from over. It would have to report what it witnessed afterward.
"Now it's your turn."
Crimson eyes glinted with malice as it stared up at the trees, its gaze fixed on the lone bird that remained.
The flock of birds that had been sitting there a while ago were long gone, frightened by the tremors of the battle they had witnessed. Only one was still there, watching. It was different from the others; its eyes were not black.
With a flick of its wrist, the creature conjured tiny balls of darkness that coalesced into a deadly point on its fingertip. The feathered being sensed the danger and tried to fly away, but it was too late.
"It doesn't matter how many try," the creature hissed. "No one will ever pass through this forest – Shadow Bolt!"
With a flick of its wrist, a beam of darkness shot toward the unsuspecting bird. The bird tried to fly away, but it was too late. The dark energy tore through its body, leaving a gaping hole in its head.
The bird plummeted out of the sky, the newly created hole in its head growing, and its body slowly disintegrated into nothingness, consumed by the same energy that had killed it. There was no impact as the bird disappeared before it touched the cold and dark ground.
The forest was silent once more, save for the faint whispers of the shadows that lingered in the creature's wake.