BXBX NOVEL Chapter 84 Pride
"Have you ever felt true pain?"
My whisper echoed throughout the darkness, shrouding me in an eerie silence.
I knew that my body was battered and broken, yet I stood my ground, gripping my Katana tightly.
My Golden eyes met the green ones that brightly shone in the abyss around me.
For a moment there was no response or movement, but the Demon kept gazing into my eyes with a wicked grin as if trying to paralyze me with fear.
"Human... you have no idea what true pain is..."
It spoke with pauses, its voice carrying a cold and calculating tone.
"But... don't worry... I'll show you..."
With a sudden movement, the Demon lunged forward, its eyes glistening with glee and malice.
Swish...
Its claws grazed my shoulder, ripping away flesh and cloth, leaving a searing wound that would have caused any normal person to scream in agony.
However, I was not a normal person.
Clank...
I dropped my Katana to the floor and thin golden threads began to emerge from my palm, creating a Dagger that glowed with a faint golden aura.
Whoosh...
Before the Demon could react, I swung my Aura Blade in a wide arc and sliced through its left arm, cleaving through flesh and bone alike.
Thud...
It was the second time I cut off the Demon's limb, but this time, I knew it wouldn't be able to regenerate it using its Dark Mana.
"..."
There was a moment of silence, as the Demon stared at its severed limb in disbelief. Although I couldn't see very well in the darkness, I could use my Mana to sense its expressions.
It was furious...
"H-um...an!"
The Demon screamed, its voice echoing and reverberating throughout the Darkness Domain.
Although it spoke quite a lot about pain, it was clear to me that it wasn't accustomed to receiving any.
"Ho-w... Wha... You... die!"
The Demon started speaking gibberish, its words becoming incoherent as it lunged forward, its remaining claw aiming straight for my heart.
Swish...
However, the Demon had lost his composure and was now making mistakes.
Clank...
My Aura Blade repelled the Demon's attack, its golden glow illuminating the darkness and revealing the Demon's twisted expression.
Whoosh... Thud...
I severed the Demon's remaining arm with a swift strike, causing it to roar in agony.
Its green eyes that were once gleaming with malice and pleasure now flickered with fear and desperation.
Whoosh...
It tried to escape, but I quickly threw my Aura Blade, which pierced through the Demon's leg, pinning it to the ground.
"You will pay! You will suffer!"
The Demon screamed, but I couldn't care about its empty threats. I bent down to pick up my Katana, slowly approaching the Demon with a calm demeanor.
Click...
A thin layer of Mana covered my blade as I plunged it into the Demon's chest, piercing through its heart and making it scream in agony.
"My family will not let you live! They will hunt you down, torture you, pest!"
The Demon wailed in pain, but I didn't listen to its words, pulling out my Blade and preparing to deliver another and this time fatal blow.
Demons are resilient creatures and even without a beating heart, they could probably survive for a day or two.
However, the same couldn't be said for a severed head.
"Demon, since your last memories will be seen by the head of your family, I want to deliver a message..."
I spoke calmly, whilst preparing to swing my blade once more. If a Demon belonging to one of the seven houses dies, the family's head will be able to see their final moments and potentially gain valuable information.
I licked my lips, knowing that this would be the end of my peaceful life.
"I will come for you, one by one..."
Swish...
My Katana sliced through the Demon's neck, severing its head from its body and silencing its final screams.
Thud...
As soon as the creature's life had been extinguished, I collapsed onto the ground, my consciousness fading into nothingness as I finally allowed myself to feel the fatigue and pain that had been gnawing at my body throughout the fight.
Crack...
I could hear the Dark Domain around me trembling, but I couldn't care less. My eyes were slowly closing against my will.
***
Crackle...
Within an old and seemingly abandoned library, a hooded figure sat hunched over an old tome, its green eyes scanning the pages with a focused intensity.
The man had an oppressive amount of Dark Mana surrounding him, but this was overshadowed by the massive bat-like wings sprouting from his back. The wings seemed to be made of pure darkness, spreading out several feet around the man.
However this was not all, the man also had massive horns protruding from his forehead. They were twisted and pointed, making him appear even more menacing.
As the figure continued to read, suddenly a trail of Dark Energy appeared before him, like a tendril, reaching toward his hand.
"..."
The Demon frowned, shifting his gaze from the book toward the energy.
"Who is interrupting my studies..."
He growled, closing the book and standing up, his wings spreading out to their fullest extent.
The Demon gently grasped the Dark Mana tendril, putting it to his lips and whispering something softly in an ancient language.
Crackle...
The tendril twisted as if in pain for a moment before releasing a thin string of Dark Mana that entered the Demon's mind.
"..."
For a second the Demon raised an eyebrow, understanding that this was a death message from one of his family subordinates.
As the memory started to slowly replay in his mind, the Demon's face twisted and his body started to radiate an aura of anger and fury.
He recognized the place where the message came from, it was from a Dungeon he visited a long time ago.
Absentmindedly he scratched a long scar that ran across his whole left cheek as he thought about that fateful day.
"..."
Suddenly, a realization came to him and everything around him started to tremble.
Creak...
Everything around the Demon seemed to wrap and bend to his will as his Dark Mana surged, fueled by his anger and rage.
"My son... died?"
His voice was low and menacing, filled with an aura of darkness that seemed to chill the very air.
However, there was also a hint of sorrow in his voice, as if he had lost something precious.
[ I will come for you, one by one... ]
The Demon recounted his son's last memories and the human responsible for his death.
As he did so, his anger grew into a consuming fire that threatened to swallow everything around him.
"Come after us? No... No... No..."
The Demon's voice trailed off into a menacing growl as his sharp claws dug into the ground, leaving deep gouges on the floor.
"We will hunt you down...and we will make you pay for what you have done..."
The environment around the Demon shook with his rage, and even the Dark Mana seemed to flicker in fear.
However, within a few seconds everything calmed down and the Demon composed himself.
"..."
He reminded himself that he could grieve his son's death after he made sure that the 'item' he trusted his son to guard was not stolen.
There was a reason he had sent his son to such a faraway place and not one of his strongest subordinates.
'It' was simply too precious and he didn't trust anyone except his son to look over it. It was simply a matter of loyalty.
Grrrr...
Sharpening his teeth, the Demon clicked his fingers, creating a dark, swirling portal in front of him.
Without hesitation, he stepped into the crack between worlds, appearing in an ancient hall filled with eerie silence and shadows.
"My, liege..."
One by one the shadows started to coalesce into the form of the Demon's most trusted advisors, bowing in respect at his arrival.
Their elder, a tall figure draped in dark robes with piercing red eyes, stepped forward.
"My lord, what brings you here?"
The rough tone of his voice conveyed both respect and curiosity. It was not often that the head of the family made an appearance in the council hall.
There was a momentary silence and before anyone could react, the Elder realized the depth of sorrow and rage in the Demon's eyes.
"My son has been killed..."
The Elder's eyes widened in shock and concern, but before he could say anything, the Demon continued.
"That 'thing' is now in the hands of a human..."
The shadows looked at each other in confusion, but the Elder seemed to understand what the Demon meant.
"..."
Momentarily lost in thought, the Elder finally bowed his head.
"What are your orders, lord?"
Dark mana erupted from the Demon's body as he spoke with a cold, determined voice.
"Find and retrieve the item..."
Dark Mana Tendrils appeared before every Shadow, allowing them to see the last memories of the lord's son.