Boom! Flang! Shiuuuun! Splew!
Blood burst through the air as a demon's head crashed to the ground with a wet thud.
"Good grief… all these demons are way too weak," a voice muttered darkly.
The room was a massacre. Blood painted the cracked walls. Headless demons littered the floor, their bodies slumped in unnatural angles. The smell of smoke, blood, and burning tenzen hung in the air like a curse.
Shiuuun. Splat!
Two blood-soaked swords clattered to the floor, the crimson sliding off their edges in long drips.
"Arrgh…" Ken exhaled, his shoulders slumping as he stared blankly at the mess around him.
"How many days have I even been stuck in here?" he muttered. His voice cracked, his eyes twitching.
His clothes were torn, barely hanging onto his frame. His once-black hair was now matted with soot, blood, and grime.
Grrrrrrr…
His stomach rumbled violently.
Ken clutched his gut, blinking like his soul was about to exit his body.
"How long have I been starving…?" he whispered, gaze drifting toward one of the demon corpses nearby.
A thought crept in.
'That… might be nice too.'
He froze, then shook his head.
"Argh, no no. Haven't I already learned my lesson about that?" He groaned.
He looked up at the cracked ceiling, eyes dull and heavy, yet burning with stubbornness.
'Just a test… another hero's trial,' he told himself, a faint grin forming on his cracked lips.
'I'll survive. I have to survive.'
His eyes sharpened.
'Somewhere out there… there's a plate of meat waiting for me.'
He lowered his head.
"Kyaa!" he shouted suddenly, scaring the crap out of a few demons huddled in the corner like terrified children.
"Oi!" he yelled, pointing his sword at them. The demons stiffened like statues.
He nodded once. Grinning.
Shwang!
He flicked his sword to the side, blood spraying across the wall.
Then—his head slowly tilted back.
Shiuuuun!
It snapped forward, like a predator catching scent. His grip tightened on both swords, and his eyes gleamed—bright, sharp red—lit with madness.
His grin stretched wider, feral. Teeth bared.
In that moment, he didn't look human.
He looked like the demon.
"I'll kill—"
He spoke, but no one lived to hear the rest.
He was already gone.
The shadows swallowed him as he blurred forward into another storm of blood and steel.
Bang!
Heads fell down as soon as he disappeared.
His onslaught never stopped.
***
"Looks like you really want to die, gifted child," Khalzheroth whispered, lips curling into a wide, venomous grin. His jagged fangs glinted beneath the eerie glow, and the air around him twisted. Something had changed.
Code gulped. That aura—it wasn't the same demon from before. It was colder. Older. Hungrier.
"Hehe..." Code forced a chuckle, voice tight.
"Grin like the monster you are. It won't last. That's the last smirk you'll ever wear before I rip it off your face."
He sank into his stance, eyes sharp, breath slow.
Khalzheroth's grin widened.
"Splendid! I adore when humans spit fire with trembling lips. Go on—thrash, scream, fight like your soul depends on it. I want more. More!"
His voice rose in manic glee, arms wide like a conductor of misery.
But before he could finish—
Crack!
The ground beneath Code shattered like thin ice.
Fwoom—
He was gone.
Khalzheroth blinked.
"Hoh?"
A breeze swept his robes.
Code appeared a heartbeat later—bent low, dead center, inches from his chest, eyes flaring.
"Suuuuu…"
His teeth clenched. A pressure built.
Thick steam hissed from between his teeth.
"I'll kill you quickly."
BZZZT!
[FLOW PHASE: ENTERED]
Boom!!
Code's punch detonated against Khalzheroth's chest with a concussive shockwave that split the air like thunder. The floor cracked violently beneath them. Debris and flames burst outward in all directions.
"Aaaagh—!" Code exhaled through gritted teeth, caught in the smoke of his own impact.
Dust choked the chamber.
He stood still. Breathing heavy.
Then... a grin curled on his lips.
'No way he survived that. Not with my Flow Phase...'
But then—
"Oiiiii."
A cold, flat voice echoed beside him.
Code's heart dropped.
He turned.
Khalzheroth stood to the side. Not a single wound. Not a dent. Not even a scratch.
Still smiling.
"Careful what you punch," the demon said, dusting his robe casually.
"Domains aren't easy to rebuild."
"H-How—?" Code staggered back, eyes wide.
'No… I know I hit him. I saw it connect!'
Khalzheroth tilted his head, black eyes narrowing with glee.
"You're thinking too hard. You'll ruin the thrill."
Then his grin widened unnaturally.
"I'm the tormenter."
That word hit Code like a sledgehammer to the ribs. His knees wobbled.
'This guy… is on a different level.'
Khalzheroth began walking in slow, deliberate circles. His steps echoed through the broken hall. He didn't speak. Just paced.
Code gritted his teeth.
'What's he doing…?'
Then suddenly—he stopped. Staring at the wall.
"...Huh?" Code muttered, confused.
Khalzheroth chuckled.
"Thought you'd notice sooner."
Code blinked.
"Notice... what?"
Khalzheroth slowly turned, his grin slicing across his face like a blade.
"They were just there, weren't they?"
"Wh—" Code's voice broke.
But he didn't get to finish.
PLUUUUUURCH!!
Blood exploded from his mouth and nose, spraying across the floor.
His eyes dilated—veins red, pupils shrinking.
THUD!
He hit the ground like dead weight.
"W-What the hell…?" he whispered hoarsely.
Then he realized.
There was no heartbeat.
His body trembled. His lungs stuttered.
Everything… felt wrong.
Khalzheroth crouched down slowly.
"Looking for this?" he whispered.
He raised a hand.
In it—was Code's heart.
Still beating.
Veined. Red. Slick with fresh blood.
"How…?" Code rasped.
"How...?" he repeated.
His arms wouldn't move.
His breath slowed.
His vision dimmed, then—
Darkness.
***
TBC