We barely had time to resume our frantic run when a violent gust of dark mist slammed into us, sending us tumbling backward. Struggling to keep our footing against the sudden onslaught, we were met with an ominous sight as the mist began to clear.

Standing before us was a creature of pure monstrosity. There was no mistaking it—this was the demon Elise had warned us about.

He was tall and skeletal, with a humanoid frame encased in dark, sinister armor. His features were grotesque and inhuman: sharp horns jutted from his head, a prominent jaw full of jagged teeth gave him the look of a predator, and a long, whip-like tail curled menacingly behind him. But it was his glowing, malevolent eyes that sent a shiver down my spine.

"Welcome, pathetic humans," he growled, his deep, cavernous voice vibrating through the air. "I am Xanatos, the Demon of Darkness. I was sent here by the Demon Lord himself to oversee this dungeon."

We stared at him in stunned silence, too paralyzed by fear to speak. Only Liam, ever the reckless one, dared to act—he hurled a fireball directly at the demon.

To our horror, the attack had no effect. The flames struck Xanatos’s armor and were absorbed effortlessly, as if they had never existed.

"What a pitiful attempt," Xanatos sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. "Your feeble mage tricks are worthless against me. My body is immune to such pathetic low-level magic."

A wave of dread washed over me. How could we possibly hope to defeat something so overwhelmingly powerful?

"What do you want from us?" I demanded, forcing my voice to sound stronger than I felt. "Why have you invaded this dungeon?"

The demon’s lips curled into a wicked grin. "The Demon Lord has grand plans for the Golden River kingdom," he said, his tone mocking. "This golden river holds powerful artifacts and priceless treasures that we desire."

He paused, his glowing eyes scanning us with disdain. "As for you insignificant pests… you’re nothing more than insects in our way. But since you were foolish enough to venture into this dungeon, I’ll take great pleasure in eradicating you."

Xanatos lingered for a moment, clearly relishing the terror on our faces. "You mortals should know that we demons are not bound by the same limitations as you. We don’t need to eat, sleep, or breathe. Our bodies are pure negative energy—a gift from the Demon Lord himself."

I clenched my fists, anger bubbling up inside me. "So you’re nothing more than an abomination created by this so-called Demon Lord. You’re nothing but livestock serving his whims!"

The demon let out a deep, guttural laugh. "Insolent fool! The Demon Lord existed long before this miserable world was even conceived. He is a singularity, a being of absolute power who surpasses even the gods!"

Xanatos leaned in closer, his rancid breath nearly suffocating us. "Soon, this kingdom and everything in it will belong to us. Your pitiful little realm will soon be nothing but a distant memory."

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"Never!" Seraphina shouted, her voice trembling but resolute. "We’ll fight to the very end to protect our home!"

The demon laughed again, a cold, spine-chilling sound. "Oh, how precious. You naïve little creatures actually think you can resist us. Your world is nothing more than the prologue to something far greater—the rise of the Demon Lord’s dominion!"

I couldn’t contain my rage any longer. "You bastard!" I roared, stepping forward. "We won’t stand by and let monsters like you destroy us! I swear on my life that I’ll destroy you and your so-called Demon Lord!"

Xanatos’s laughter echoed through the chamber, dark and cruel. "Foolish mortal. Your arrogance will be your undoing. Prepare to taste the true power of darkness!"

With those words, he raised a skeletal hand, and a violent surge of black magic blasted toward us. The force struck us like a tidal wave, knocking us off our feet. The sheer weight of the attack left us struggling to stand, utterly overwhelmed by the demon’s relentless assault.

Xanatos continued his grim revelations, his twisted grin dripping with contempt as he towered over us.

"The inhabitants of this pitiful Golden River kingdom think themselves strong and brave," he sneered. "But know this—your kingdom is nothing more than the weakest of the four realms that make up this world."

We stood frozen, paralyzed by fear, unable to muster any response in the face of his overwhelming power.

"Yes, there are four kingdoms in total," he continued, his tone dripping with disdain. "But Golden River is by far the frailest, the least powerful of them all. Your so-called elite warriors and mages are nothing compared to the might of demons!"

I clenched my fists, struggling to keep my anger in check despite his provocations. "Even if we are fewer or weaker, we won’t go down without a fight!"

Xanatos let out a guttural laugh. "Foolish little insect. You still dare to defy me? Let me show you the true power of darkness!"

With those words, he raised a skeletal hand, and a sinister, black aura began to emanate from his body. The air around us grew heavy, thick with an oppressive malice.

Kenzo and Liam, ever reckless, launched offensive spells at him in a desperate attempt to turn the tide.

To our horror, their attacks were absorbed effortlessly by the dark aura surrounding him. Worse still, the same aura began to eat away at their bodies, as if a malevolent force were tearing them apart from the inside.

"This can’t be!" Kenzo gasped, his eyes wide with panic, just before he collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony.

Liam’s screams followed, his body visibly breaking down as if it were being consumed before our very eyes.

Seraphina and I stood rooted to the spot, utterly horrified by what we were witnessing.

"H-How…?" Seraphina stammered, tears streaming down her face as her voice trembled with despair.

Xanatos smirked, his expression dripping with satisfaction. "Your pathetic magic is useless against the Aura of Darkness. Your fragile mortal bodies are being devoured by the abyss of my power."

Panic clawed at my chest as I realized the full scope of his strength. Every effort we made seemed utterly meaningless against this demonic monstrosity. How could we possibly hope to stop him?

"You are nothing more than pitiful insects," Xanatos sneered, his voice dripping with venom. "You can’t even begin to grasp the true nature of power. Your world is nothing but a pale shadow of the Demon Lord’s greatness!"

Helplessly, we watched our friends succumb to his devastating power. Kenzo’s voice, weak and raspy, broke the heavy silence one last time.

"Griffith… run… save yourself…" he choked out before his body disintegrated into ash.

Liam let out one final, heart-wrenching scream before meeting the same fate, his form reduced to nothingness.

Seraphina and I stood frozen, paralyzed by fear and grief. We couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. Xanatos’s chilling laughter echoed in the air, a sinister sound that seemed to wrap around us like a suffocating shroud.

"This is the fate of all who dare to oppose the Demon Lord," he declared, his voice cold and mocking. "Your pathetic kingdom will soon be nothing more than a distant memory. Prepare to suffer the same fate as your worthless comrades!"

His words struck us like a hammer, our hope crumbling under the weight of his cruel power. There we stood, surrounded by despair, as the oppressive shadow of Xanatos bore down on us.