Everything was in a haze and the automatic bodily response was to close his eyes and rest, however the searing pain that racked his body kept his mind on edge with a single focus to stand up as he struggled to get his hands under his body until a voice disrupted the struggle.
“No, no no no no that's not possible, no one can survive that!”
The utter filth of that fucking cult dares to tarnish those memories!
With a flash of blind rage, Swizze got to his feet and slowly staggered over to the exhausted filth that crawled on the floor trying to get away in a desperate gambit.
To any outsider who witnessed the scene it would be utter ridiculousness, it would be perhaps the slowest life-or-death chase they would ever see. A charred, corpse-like man with bloodshot eyes, who didn't even notice that his left arm was left behind, was slowly inching his way closer to a man who crawled like a newborn infant.
A piece of darkness that lingered in the chamber absorbed the fallen arm and quickly flew over and into Swizze.
You son of a bitch! why did you hide, I could have died on that cross!
And yet you did not, and with my powers intact your body will be restored. If I had taken the attack with you, your survival would have been assured but what of the battles to come? You are well aware it would take me longer to recuperate in this form. It was either to risk your life or to give up now. Knowing you, my choice to give you a fighting chance when you face him was the correct one.
Tsk.
The rage that flowed throughout his entire body dissipated along with the pain, for the reasoning was sound. Not risking his life would have jeopardized the plan, and thus wasn't the right choice—but the only choice. He would have done the same, no reason to be upset over it then.
With each step he could feel his strength return to him, his slow staggered steps soon turned into normal strides as he towered over Arbious.
He stared down at the pitiful man, half expecting him to be cowering on the floor, begging for his pathetic life like all the others. But to his surprise what he saw was defiance, as those eyes did not lose their luster as they glared back with hate.
“If you expect me to beg for my life, you would be terribly mistaken, scum like you will not get the satisfaction.”
Am I the scum? Am I the one defending a corrupted cult that would sacrifice just about everything and anything for their selfish desires?
Not another word to be wasted on the deluded. A man could lead his donkey to water, but he cannot make it drink. Even if the truth was right in front of their eyes, they would still choose not to believe it.
So in turn he shall receive despair instead.
Swizze strode past the helpless sheep and approached the last door that stood in his way. The door was enchanted with a seal like the previous one, but with a simple touch the seal gave way and the heavy doors creaked open.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
The sudden light blinded him temporarily as he raised a hand to cover his eyes. In the final chamber was a small pillar of pure marble and atop it sat a small fountain that barely held any liquid within. Upon closer inspection, it was the small drops of liquid that gave off this cold and unfeeling light. To be more precise, it was mana that leaked from the water into the atmosphere that shined.
So pure and untainted.
How ironic, how repulsive.
“What the hell are you going to do?” Arbious called out.
Swizze smiled at those words.
“You shall bear witness to the beginning of your end.”
To be powerless before the mighty, to tremble and cower in fear as everything is taken from you. When the shoe is on the other foot. The look on all their faces, he could picture it already, he would bathe in the sea of despair.
A vial of absolute darkness rested in his hand, as he reached out towards the shimmering liquid.
“Wait, wait a second, what are you gonna do with that?”
Swizze paid him no heed and tilted the vile, a single drop fell.
“NO, STOP!” Arbious shouted as the liquid made contact.
Like a cancer cell that spreads like wildfire, after tainting the first drop, the resulting black liquid actively sought out the rest and merged into a single mess of unrecognizable blackness.
All light vanished.
The brilliant shimmer that had engulfed the entire chamber faded into oblivion, only to be replaced by a dark and oppressive aura that gathered at a single point. The whole world seemed to have frozen over in bated breath as the black liquid levitated, pulsing with demonic energy, sending shockwaves that grew in intensity with each pulse.
Swizze was able to hold his ground, but Arbious was blown away by the energy and crashed into a wall.
“By god, what have you done!?” Arbious managed to utter before he passed out.
The liquid bubbles then suddenly expanded vertically to a film that was so thin that it couldn’t even be seen from the sides.
With a final pulse of even greater demonic energy, a single claw pierced the veil of darkness.
As the darkness lifted, a humanoid figure emerged, deceptively human-like from afar yet unmistakably otherworldly up close. It was approximately two meters tall, sporting a head that was hard to distinguish between an owl and a cat, even the feather-like fur that covered it looked strange. The body was covered in the same material that fashioned itself to be almost clothes-like. It gave off an air of superiority, as the thing adjusted itself to be more presentable.
Cold sweet gathered as he bathed in the aura and mana that radiated, no, leaked from that thing.
A wicked half-crescent formed on Swizze’s face. The result was a resounding success.
Its eyes widened then narrowed to a slither as its gaze fell on Swizze, as if it were analyzing him. Its head jerked to the right by about 30 degrees, seemingly confused.
Swizze drew out a bit more demonic energy which the beast seemed to acknowledge.
It turned its attention to Arbious with eyes that were overflowing with hatred. With a flick of its claw the body that once was Arbious turned into a pasty red mush.
The destruction of the only human in sight appeared to have sated the overwhelming emotions that flowed from the demon. It looked up towards the source of the next closest humans, the tens of thousands that called Eisene their home.
It raised its claw and pointed skyward, with a quick release of mana a large hole opened, and even this far below the surface, he could see the night sky peering at the end of the tunnel. It leaped into the air and all four of its limbs morphed into wings, with the hind leg wings being inverted, making the demon resemble a flying X mark. With a single flap of its wings it vanished, and the resulting wind was strong enough to leave deeply embedded cuts into the chamber.
Swizze dusted himself off: “A short recovery is in order.” He sat down and began his meditation.
Ten kilometers above the air, the demon would have been a tiny speck that almost none have noticed. It observed the dazzling crown jewel of Reinocha, the shining beacon of humanity.
A taint to a world that belonged not to them.
It waved its hand and tears appeared in the fabric of reality.
“Come brothers, our time is short, may our vengeance be swift.”
More than a hundred lesser demons flew through the air and descended upon the capital.
Suddenly an aura flared up as if taunting him with a welcome. An aura that all demons recognized instantly.
The descending demons all gathered and flew towards it.
“No, slaughter the masses and leave him be, he’s all mine. For tens of thousands of years our kind has suffered, the debt shall be repaid tenfold.”