Fain's scream echoed through the entire forest as Reik and the others remained silent, not moving a muscle.
Suddenly, Tharion struck his axe against a rock, making everyone react.
"Don't give up, we're going to win no matter what," said Tharion.
Everyone looked at Tharion, terrified, except for two people, Reik and Kaiser, who for some reason, weren't afraid.
"Shut up, Tharion, your legs are shaking," said Laira.
Demon: "Oh... what a pathetic sight! Little creatures, trembling like leaves before the storm. They whisper prayers, they hope for redemption... but all they will find are ashes and screams."
Everyone was stunned by the words of the massive demon in front of them; still, they were ready to fight, regardless of the outcome of the battle.
At that same moment, Kaiser stepped forward and gave a clear order to everyone:
"Leave, all of you! I'll take care of him personally. I want you to move forward; our mission is of crucial importance to waste time, or even lives, here and now. Go and become stronger and stronger!"
"Leave without you? You're crazy! You'll die! "Reik said".
"Calm down, Reik. We'll meet again. I assure you, this won't be the place of my death."
"Let's get out of here! "exclaimed Tharion impatiently.
At that moment, Tharion and Laira rushed toward Reik and pulled at his arms, trying to drag him along with them.
"Listen to me, everyone! From now on, until I return, I want you to follow Fain's orders. Understood?" said Kaiser with a smile.
"Yes!" they all shouted in unison.
No more words were needed. At that moment, everyone began to leave.
"Follow me, let's get out of here right now!" ordered Fain with determination.
"Do you really think you can escape, human scum?" the demon said, laughing as his voice echoed in each of their minds.
Before the demon could react, Kaiser lunged forward in a swift leap, delivering a deep slash to its neck with a quick and ferocious attack.
"Damn filthy human... You will regret this! I can assure you!" the demon snarled.
"This is between you and me. I'm going to enjoy eliminating you!" said Kaiser.
*20 minutes have passed*
Reik and his group had finally managed to escape the forest. There were still a couple of hours left before the sun appeared on the horizon.
"I hope Kaiser managed to get out alive..." Laira said, deep concern in her voice.
"For now, we stick to the plan. Fortunately, we haven't strayed too far from the route to the Shadow Valley," Fain replied, trying to keep calm.
"If only we had horses, we wouldn't have to walk for hours..." Tharion murmured, clearly exhausted.
"Well, Tharion, your steps are shorter than ours," Reik replied with a smile, trying to lighten the mood.
Reik, however, was the most worried about Kaiser. Although he couldn't stop thinking about what might have happened, he knew he couldn't let himself be consumed by uncertainty. It was crucial to keep his mind clear. The mission had to remain the priority.
MEANWHILE...
The demon screamed in pain, his body writhing on the ground in a desperate attempt to escape Kaiser. He was missing both legs and an arm; rather than eliminating him, it seemed like Kaiser had been playing with him.
What had happened?
Kaiser looked at him with a look of complete superiority, a smile on his face. His clothes were torn to pieces, but his body showed not a single scratch. How was it possible that the demon was in his final moments of life, yet Kaiser was perfectly fine?
Calmly, Kaiser began to approach him, unhurried, as if he were facing a mere nuisance that he would soon eliminate.
Demon: Stay away from me, don't come any closer! What are you? Tell me, what are you!
"Let's just say I'm something that doesn't like demons... I thought you might at least entertain me a little longer, but I see that low-level demons like you aren't much of a threat... Though, I'm really looking forward to seeing Zorath again, he's the one who will truly entertain me."
"Z... Zorath...? Did you say Zorath? How do you know one of the Four Demons of Chaos?" the Demon asked, surprised.
While the demon insisted on asking how Kaiser knew the name of Zorath, Kaiser, unfazed, lifted his foot and crushed the demon's head with a simple motion, as if it were an insignificant ant.
Kaiser had just mentioned the name of Zorath, one of the Four Demons of Chaos. How could Kaiser know such a high-level demon? And most importantly... What exactly was Kaiser?