An ominous aura came from that figure, making him tremble at its presence. Slowly, he turned his face, trying to find out what exactly it was.
His eyes widened. He froze for a moment when he saw a demon standing behind him. The demon was about four meters tall. Lukas looked up and saw its mouth stretched wide open down to its chest, sharp teeth fully exposed. It had long black hair with two large horns curving from its head, red eyes, and blood stains that made it even more terrifying. Slowly, Lukas lowered his gaze and saw the demon's belly — a fat stomach stamped with human faces on its skin. I guess those were the faces of the humans it had consumed.
He couldn't believe what he was seeing. The demon's eyes widened as it noticed Lukas's red eye.
"Who are you? Which demon do you belong to?"
It was the same question the other demon had asked. It seemed that a person who had a contract with a demon would have a red eye like Lukas.
The demon took a step closer. Lukas quickly grabbed his sword and pointed it toward the demon. He froze when the demon's gaze locked onto his eye. It seemed like the demon was trying to see something behind it.
"Argh—"
The demon suddenly screamed in pain, covering its eyes, gasping for breath. Slowly, it removed its hand. Lukas's eyes widened when he saw blood coming from the demon's eye.
(Blood? How? I must cover my nose before anything happens.)
Lukas covered his nose, trying not to lose consciousness. But even though he could still smell the blood, he didn't seem to lose consciousness.
(Huh? Why didn't I— is it because of what happened before?)
Lukas looked confused as he remembered what had happened earlier. Suddenly, the demon swung its hand. Lukas sensed it but couldn't dodge. He felt as if his arm had almost cracked.
The demon struck Lukas's side, sending him flying. His breath was knocked out as his back hit a tree. He fell to his knees, holding his chest. His left arm hurt, and his chest ached more than anything he had ever felt before.
"I can't let you live!"
The demon shouted and rushed toward him, each step shaking the ground. Lukas quickly dodged while enduring the pain.
(Ah… shit, it hurts.)
He jumped and rolled to the right. The demon crushed the tree like a mad elephant destroying everything in its path.
(Can I beat him?)
Nervous, Lukas tried to think of a way to defeat the demon. He convinced himself that he could win. Slowly, he stood up, his legs numb, quickly looking around for his sword.
He saw it not far away, about four meters from him. The demon turned its gaze. Seeing that, Lukas ran toward the sword as fast as he could. Suddenly, the village chief, who was not far from him, grabbed him from behind, holding him tightly.
"What the hell are you doing?"
Lukas couldn't believe what the old man was doing. He tried to break free, but he couldn't. His body still felt numb, and his arm hurt from the tight grip.
"Sorry, but I have my own motive. I can't let my family die. I'm sorry…"
His eyes were glassy. Lukas didn't know what to do as the demon slowly approached them. Lukas frowned and clenched his teeth.
(Fuck… fuck…)
"Good job, old man!"
He felt his blood pumping as the demon got closer, its hand reaching toward him. His heart beat faster. A dark aura suddenly burst out from Lukas. The demon's eyes widened in disbelief. It quickly pulled its hand back, clenched its fist, and punched Lukas.
Lukas suddenly felt his body heal. He overpowered the village chief and dodged. The village chief, still in position, was struck and thrown back, hitting the cave wall and losing consciousness.
The demon couldn't believe what had happened. It quickly swung its hand to the right. Lukas ducked, dodging it easily, which only made the demon angrier. The demon clenched both hands and slammed them down toward Lukas.
But what the demon didn't know was that Lukas was already near his sword. He quickly grabbed it and parried the attack. The ground cracked beneath him. He couldn't believe the power the demon had put into that strike. Lukas trembled as he withstood it.
He couldn't hold it much longer, he quickly moved away as the demon's fists slammed into the ground. Seeing an opening, Lukas jumped toward the demon. Suddenly, the demon swung its hand again. Lukas parried it, but the force sent him flying, crashing into another tree.
(Damn it, I thought I had him.)
Lukas lay on the ground. He grabbed his sword and forced himself to stand. The demon looked furious. A dark aura rose around it.
"I don't think I can play with you anymore."
Its gaze shifted toward the unconscious villagers. It ran toward them. Lukas tried to stop it, even though he didn't know what it intended to do. He couldn't make it in time.
The demon grabbed the villagers in its palm and squeezed them. They regained consciousness and screamed in pain. Lukas couldn't do anything. Hearing their screams, he lowered his head and covered his ears.
(I'm sorry… I'm sorry… because I'm weak, I can't save you all.)
His eyes became glassy. He felt like he was just a burden and the main reason his grandfather had died.
The demon raised its hand to its mouth, drinking the blood that dripped from the villagers, then devoured them. Lukas heard bones cracking as the demon chewed.
Slowly, Lukas raised his head. The demon had already eaten them all. It turned toward him and smiled. Lukas's chest trembled, not because of the demon's aura or appearance, but because he saw the blood stains around its mouth. He felt guilty for not being able to save them.
Suddenly, blood flowed from the demon's hand and formed into an axe. Lukas's eyes widened at the sight of something he had never seen before.
The demon slowly walked toward him, preparing to swing.
Lukas remembered the poor villagers. The guilt and pressure of being weak intensified, making him hate himself. He fell deep into despair, consumed by his desire for power. He resigned himself and decided to ask the figure for help. He then closed his eyes.
(Please give me the power… please. Will you let me die? Wouldn't that dissatisfy you? Just lend me your power, and I'll give you what you want.)
The figure smiled as massive black and white wings spread behind him.
Suddenly, the voices vanished. A surge of power flooded his body. He opened his eyes. His sword was enveloped in a dark aura. The demon, Seeing this, the demon immediately swung its axe.
Clang—
Lukas parried it. This time, he stood firm. The demon's axe bounced back from the clash. The demon looked shocked. Smoke rose from Lukas's eyes as they turned crimson.
(With this power, I can—)
Holding the sword in his right hand, Lukas swung it, releasing a dark crescent slash toward the demon.
Slash—
-CONTINUE-