"F—fine. You asked for it, human child. I will kill you," the demon said, moving towards me.
"Good," I told him. "But unfortunately, I'll kill you first."
The demon struck first. He swung a heavy punch, but I dodged it, then another, and another. Each blow cut through the air, missing me by inches.
"I'll give it to you, human child, you're good," replied the demon, his tone sharp and his face stern. "But now, I won't be holding back."
His expression darkened, and before I could react, the demon lunged. He was fast—too fast. I barely slipped out of the way.
I quickly reached for the sword at my side.
Shit! You've got to be kidding me, I left my sword! Fuck, I'm such a fucking idiot!
I kind of left my sword in the room, so now I have to fight without it. I'll have to fight with my bare hands.
But I have no experience in hand-to-hand combat, so I'll have to observe this demon and learn from him.
Each punch, each kick he threw, I dodged, but carefully, studying every move. The demon's style was strange, yet somehow simple, almost easy to read once I focused. Every motion, every feint, taught me something new.
After a minute, I memorised enough to fight. When he threw another punch, I blocked it, hooked my leg around his calf, and pulled, sending him to the ground.
But he stood up quickly. And threw another punch that hit me, but I dodged it, while at the same time, I dodged it, he kicked me in the stomach, and I flew, smashed against one of the houses.
"Fuck… he's strong. Really strong. And honestly… this is starting to get fun." I muttered with excitement.
I got back up and lunged at the demon. With both hands, I chopped down on his shoulders and followed with a hard kick to his stomach.
He barely flinched, only staggered a step back. I went for another kick, but this time he caught my leg mid-air and twisted.
CRACK!
"AAAHHHHHHH!" I screamed, the pain ripping through my body.
A sharp crack tore through the air. My leg twisted, bone jutting beneath the skin, the joint bending the wrong way.
A scream ripped out of me before I could stop it. I clawed at the ground, tried to crawl, nothing. My body refused to move. Only the pain moved, burning, spreading, consuming me.
"It hurts, doesn't it? I warned you, human child. It's your fault, you let your pride consume you. Now I'll kill you," the demon said, approaching me.
Pride, huh? I guess I've always been a little too prideful. It was all I had—no….. all I used to have.
I can feel my life slipping away. Will I be reincarnated again?
Or will I be stuck in that same dark place forever?
Then the demon's hand clamped around my throat, iron-hard, cutting off my breath. My feet kicked uselessly, scraping at the air as the ground slipped away beneath me.
Pressure built in my chest—burning, screaming for air. My fingers clawed at his arm, but his grip only tightened. The world blurred, colors fading at the edges.
My eyelids grew heavy. I stopped fighting. Maybe… this was it.
Tsk, tsk… how pathetic. After all that effort, you give up? Fine. I'll lend you a little strength. Now fight. Fight, Allen. Don't make me regret bringing you here… and…. forget me.
And then my eyes opened suddenly and a surge of strength coursed through me. With a single motion, I tore his hand off. Blood sprayed across the ground.
"AHHHH! HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?!" the demon screamed, staggering backward in agony.
"I… don't know," I said, a wild grin spreading across my face. "But this… feels incredible."
With my leg I kicked him to the side; he went flying into a nearby tree. I walked over and drove my foot into his stomach again and again until he was half‑dead, blood matted across half his face.
"L‑let… me… g‑go," he muttered, begging for his life.
But I didn't care. That disgusting demon had shown me no mercy, why should I spare his?
I grabbed his head with both hands and pulled. Bones cracked, sinew tore, and blood erupted like a fountain. His body went limp, eyes staring, mouth frozen mid-scream.
I dropped his head and stepped on it.
"Wow… I never knew I was this strong," I muttered. "Becoming powerful at the verge of death—just like a main character in a movie."
I paused, frowning slightly. "But… did I hear a voice before, or was I just imagining it?"
(….)
"Ahhhh… fuck." Pain shot through my body. I fell to the ground, my leg was still bent the wrong way, every nerve on fire.
I dragged myself to the house where I kept my things. Once inside, I crawled up the stairs and, with every ounce of strength left in me, pulled myself onto the bed.
Blood.
It was flowing from my leg—thick, dark, and unbroken. I could see the bone sticking out of the flesh.
I grabbed some clean water and rinsed the wound, gritting my teeth as the pain shot through me. Then I wrapped it in bandages and looked around for something to use. A long stick lay against the wall.
I tied the stick tightly along the leg, trying to keep it as straight as possible, so the bone could not shift any further.
Even through the blinding pain, my mind stayed sharp. I could still think.
"Fuck, it hurts so much," I muttered through clenched teeth. "I need to go… I need to get out of here. I'm not strong enough to stay."
But there was no way out, not unless the barrier opened. I had to find a way to break it. I had to survive. I need to get….. stronger.