The Slayer Ascension: Cursed and Blessed.-Chapter 43: Strange Demon (2)

Chapter 43

"To think one of the vessels of the abomination is right here."

Roy’s voice was calm, almost amused, as his grip tightened on the glowing purple chains binding the demon. They dug into her body, locking her down hard. The demon let out a thunderous screech, thrashing, trying to rise.

She could not.

Roy stepped closer. Up close, she barely looked human anymore. A twisted thing wearing flesh. He crouched until they were eye level and spoke softly, his tone quiet and cold.

"Tell me. What are you looking for?"

His eyes narrowed.

"And why would something like you possess such a weak vessel?"

The demon’s mouth opened.

Nothing came out.

Just broken, incoherent sounds. Shattered noise that failed to form words. She kept opening her mouth, again and again, but silence followed every attempt.

Roy sighed and shook his head with exaggerated disappointment.

"I see. Another unfortunate soul."

He stood and reached behind him. What looked like a small battle axe unfolded in his hand, expanding, metal shifting and locking into place. In seconds, it became a mid sized battle axe. Heavy. Deadly.

A high grade artifact.

"I will put you out of your misery."

Roy stepped forward, ready to end it.

Then something felt wrong.

A strange sensation crawled through his body. His muscles stiffened. Just for a moment. His grip on the chains loosened.

Only slightly.

That was all the demon needed.

The chains snapped loose.

She lunged.

Her claws shot forward, faster than anything Roy expected, aimed straight for his face. Roy leaned back just enough. The claws missed his skin by a breath, slicing the air where his head had been.

He kicked off the ground, spinning. The chains in his left hand lashed out, wrapping around the demon again as he brought the battle axe up to meet her.

Steel and flesh clashed.

The fight exploded.

They exchanged blows in rapid bursts. The ground cracked. Walls shattered. The alley around them was torn apart by sheer force.

Roy moved like water. His fighting style was fluid, unpredictable, deadly. Every motion flowed into the next, almost impossible to read or counter.

But the demon was worse.

Her strength was monstrous. Her speed was on another level entirely. Faster than anything Roy usually dealt with.

And her healing.

That was the worst part.

Every wound Roy carved into her body sealed itself within seconds. Damage vanished like it had never existed. Worse still, the longer the battle dragged on, the stronger she became.

Faster.

Smarter.

Her movements sharpened. Her reactions improved. Even her intelligence seemed to grow mid fight.

It was absurd.

It was wrong.

If nothing changed, only one outcome waited.

Roy spun back, chains whipping in wide spirals as he struck again and again. He exhaled slowly, muttering under his breath.

"Let’s hope the inevitable doesn’t happen."

Minutes passed.

Then it happened.

Two heavy bodies slammed into the ground with a violent boom.

Dust rose.

When it cleared, the sight was disturbing.

Roy was off his feet.

The demon had him by the neck, lifting him with one hand. His face was pale, veins bulging as he struggled for air. His battle axe lay discarded on the ground.

So did the chains.

The inevitable had arrived.

The demon had surpassed what Roy could handle.

Its strength, speed, skill, everything had evolved in an absurdly short time. So much that it would shame even a once in a million generation talent. This was far beyond the mundane.

But Roy had no time to marvel at the demon’s monstrous growth.

His life was being crushed out of him.

The demon’s hand clenched tighter and tighter around his throat. Air vanished. His vision blurred. Roy forced out a weak smile, lips barely moving as he muttered.

"Hey... you are going to let me be totally killed before you take over, right?"

No response.

His chest burned. Panic crept in.

"Hey, come on," he wheezed. "I am really going to die if you don’t take over."

Still nothing.

His face darkened. Purple. Then deeper. His body convulsed as he gasped uselessly for air. Strength left him. The demon’s grip tightened further, fingers digging in, ready to crush his neck completely.

Then a hand shot up.

It caught the demon’s wrist.

Firm. Unyielding.

The shocking part was not the strength.

It was whose hand it was.

Roy’s.

Slowly, with power he had never possessed before, he pried the demon’s hand away from his throat. The pressure vanished. A strange ripple spread through the air as Roy finally opened his eyes.

The warmth was gone.

What stared back was something deep. Endless. Cold.

Disdain carved itself across his face. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

The demon panicked.

This was what she has been running away from. What she has been dreading.

She tried to flee.

Too late.

The battle axe lying on the ground vanished.

It reappeared an instant later, flying so fast it was nearly invisible, embedding itself deep into a massive tree far behind her.

The demon froze.

For a heartbeat, nothing happened.

Then her head slid cleanly from her neck.

It hit the ground with a dull thud.

Her body followed, collapsing lifelessly as the dark veins crawling across her skin slowly faded away.

Roy looked down at the corpse, eyes empty, emotionless, watching her revert into what she once was.

Then something shifted.

The darkness and coldness filling the entire place receded.

Warmth returned.

Roy blinked in surprise as he had just woken up from a deep slumber.

He breathe in deeply, and smiled faintly.

"Well... that was rough," he thought. "I almost died."

-------

Hours later, Roy left Rasna City, heading northeast toward the next city.

He slipped into one of the least crowded areas.

Calling it less crowded was an understatement.

There was no one there.

Or so it seemed.

As Roy stepped into the area, the atmosphere changed. A figure stood ahead, dressed entirely in black, calmly smoking an ashen cigarette. His eyes were hidden beneath the dark veil of his cloak.

"You said you had an important matter to discuss," the older man said, wasting no time on pleasantries. "Tell me what troubles you enough to contact me in such a hurry at this late hour."

Roy paused, considering his words.

Then he smiled, friendly yet controlled.

"Important," he said.

Then he shook his head.

"What I want to tell you is beyond important. It is something the Legion must know."

The older man, his face hidden beneath the dark veil, raised an eyebrow.

"And what is this about?" he asked.

As casually as if he were commenting on the weather, Roy replied, "Nothing much. I found myself facing one of the vessels of the Crawler."

The man went still.

"I almost died before I managed to kill her," Roy continued. "But that is not the point. The rate at which the vessel was growing stronger was far beyond what we have on record. It surpassed any normal comprehension."

His voice remained light. Almost careless. Completely mismatched with the weight of his words.

The man listened in silence. His expression could not be seen, but the subtle clenching and unclenching of his fist said everything. He was taking this very seriously.

After a long pause, he spoke.

"The information you gave is extremely valuable. I will report it to the Mistress as soon as possible and we will discuss your reward."

At the mention of a reward, Roy’s lips curled slightly. He waved his hand dismissively.

"I do not really want the reward," he said. "But since you insist, I will gladly take it."

The man shook his head.

"Roy is as shameless as ever."

He turned to leave.

"We part here for now. If you get any more information, contact me immediately."

Roy nodded. "Of course."

The man raised two fingers to his chest and spoke a phrase.

"When the light falters."

Roy mirrored the gesture, the same amicable smile on his face.

"The shadow endures."

To be continued.