Akira on the unroofed tower, gazing at the walls that surrounded the castle and the humans that stared at him, their gazes focused but voices clearly strained.
Guards were approaching, clad in silver armour and armed with an array of blades and weapons.
"Oh wow. I've drawn attention to myself..." Akira said unblinking. "No matter. This will end in a few seconds anyway."
He lifted his feet off the tower and descended, his fall tearing the ground and causing a slight tremor.
The knights approached and raised their weapons, their war cry their only sound of reason as they charged towards Akira.
Unfazed, Akira stood perfectly still, put on a serious expression and closed his eyes. Once the knights were 15 metres away from him, he took a deep breath and released more of his cold breath.
A mere second was too short to define the amount of time it took the engulf the knights.
Akira opened his eyes and approached his ice statues; a sinister grin reflected off them.
Then, he poked one of the completely ice-trapped knights, causing the rest of them to break apart and turn into snow.
Akira chuckled as he made his way inside the castle. "It's been a while since I've gotten a good laugh. If I were at full power, they would've been frozen from at least 50 metres before reaching me," he said as he casually strolled the halls.
"Hey! There he is!" one of the knights shouted and pointed as he saw Akira. "Get him!"
The knights charged in with their weapons, their hearts blazing and voices raging, while Akira smiled softly, almost as if he felt sorry for them.
'I stand at the pinnacle of all races, and these mortals seem to think they can hold a wax tear compared to me.
'Tch. They're not even worthy of the mud on my boots, but even that is too great for them.'
As the knights closed in on him, Akira swung his arm in a wide vertical arc, literally cutting through the air.
The knights were split evenly, their organs spilling onto the ground and blood painting the pristine floors crimson.
Akira then proceeded with his stroll, tiptoeing and cringing as he walked past the bodies.
"Imagine staining these perfect feet with the blood of the weak. Gross."
While that happened, a bulky middle-aged knight arrived at the tower scene, crouched and touched the ground, the ice shards far from melting.
Vistages of Akira blowing up the ceiling and killing the cultists formed in his mind, forcing out a sigh as he turned to his men.
"Protect the king and find Akira," he instructed as he stroked his beard.
"Yes, sir!"
"Why are you biding your time, demon of chaos...?".
***
Akira soon found himself walking towards the throne room, whistling a witty tune as he tap danced and performed a vertical slide with his arms extended.
Then, he froze and raised his head.
"Tch, who are you?" he inquired in a distasteful manner.
"My name is Joseph Houser, captain of the royal guard and the man responsible for the protection of the king and his family," Joseph, the man who searched the rubble, responded.
"Mkay... So, is this you surrendering your kingdom in your king's place or...?"
"Oh no," he chuckled. "This is me asking to strike a deal with you," replied Joseph.
"Deal?" Akira smirked.
Deals are a normal day-to-day life. But, demons particularly loved deals because they granted them power.
Akira was no different, and he revelled in knowing that a deal was coming his way.
"Yes. We will give you whatever you want as long as you spare the king and his children," Joseph pleaded.
"Are you saying that because you knew I intended to murder the royal family?"
"It doesn't take a genius to know that your hatred of humanity stems from the royal blood. Unfortunately, we need the nobles of this house to lead the country.
"With that being said, we're willing to negotiate."
Akira's fangs sharpened as his smile brightened. "And if I refuse?"
"Your siblings will end you either way."
"Mh..." Akira grabbed his cheeks and tilted his head as he pondered.
He wasn't ready to meet his traitors, not without getting settled first.
It wouldn't take long for him to meet them, though, regardless of whether they showed up now or he approached them.
But...
"Alright. I'm into that," he replied with a smile and began walking towards Joseph.
Joseph backed away for a split second before deciding to stand completely still.
His neck froze as cold sweat ran from the side of his head. Akira was inches away from his face.
With the snap of a finger, Akira summoned a pen and paper, floating aimlessly next to Joseph.
"Alright. Now, let's see what I want..." Akira pondered. "Oh! I want 90% of your gold coins, a new suit to cover my shame and complete immunity to the laws of this kingdom."
As he spoke, the pen began jotting down his requests on the paper, slightly spooking Joseph.
"In return, I will not touch anyone from the royal family," Akira added, allowing the pen to cease its movement.
Joseph grabbed the pen and struggled to swallow the lump lodged in his throat.
Then, almost hesitantly, he raised his head and glanced at Akira before grabbing the pen.
His hands trembled with the pen in his hand, but he had to protect the citizens of the country. And so, he signed the contract.
As soon as he did, it disappeared along with the pen, and Akira clapped his hands excitedly.
"Good job. The king must be a smart man for giving away most of his assets like that," said Akira as he wrapped his arms around Joseph, whose shoulders tensed up from the gesture. "Now, let's withdraw my money."
***
After about 15 minutes, Akira stood in a room and looked at himself in the mirror. He smirked proudly as he gazed at his face.
The suit he wore was all black with gold trims on the edge of his collar. Beneath the suit was a white shirt and a white tie, both with gold trims as well.
He wore standard formal shoes, black of course, and snapped his fingers, summoning a ring and chain. He wore both pieces and smirked proudly.
"This is really good. Your king has good taste," he said.
Joseph said nothing, and neither did the maid who stood beside him. She was the lady who assisted Akira in wearing the suit properly.
"Now, the money," said Akira.
Joseph nodded at the maid, and she bowed before leaving the room. "What will you do with that amount of money?"
"I don't know," he replied as he fixed his tie. "Perhaps I'll indulge myself with a few prostitutes, or perhaps I'll buy myself something to eat. Being sealed away for 101 years does something to your appetite, after all."
"R-Right..."
"Tell me, captain, why did your foolish cultists actually summon me? Was it at your king's request or did they simply act on selfish impulses?" Akira queried as his deep, golden eyes pierced Joseph's soul.
"The king requested it. The Chartreuse Kingdom and this kingdom, Jericho, would be going to war for some land."
"Jericho?" Akira tilted his head. "That's funny... I could've sworn this was Guildford..."
"The name changed in celebration... right after your sealing..."
"Wow, you mortals really do know how to have fun," smiled Akira.
Shortly after, the maid returned with 5 knights carrying bags of gold coins.
"Your compensation, Lord Akira," said Joseph.
Akira smiled gently and rubbed his hands. "Very good. Now, get me out of here," he demanded, the smile on his face disappearing.
Minutes later, Akira stood outside the gates of the Kingdom of Jericho. The bags containing his coins quickly disappeared as he snapped his fingers. He gazed at the humans before him and smiled gently.
"It's been a pleasure doing business with you lovelies, but I suppose you want me out of your kingdom as soon as possible," he said. "Thanks for everything," he added as he turned around and walked away, tucking his hands in his pockets.
"Honestly... What was Cleavus thinking when he summoned that fiend?" Joseph asked himself. "Mh?"
Suddenly, a bright light emerged from the sky. Joseph and his knights lifted their heads toward the night sky, and their eyes widened.
The skies parted and greeted a blinding bright light wrapped around a massive glacier that blew cold smoke, descending towards the citizens.
With his brows narrowed, Joseph glared at Akira and shouted, "Hey! What about the deal?! Do you want to be erased from existence?!"
"The deal said nothing about your citizens. Only that I shouldn't touch the king and his children," chuckled Akira. "Toodle-loo," he added as he disappeared into the night.
After Akira's disappearance, Joseph looked at the sky once more.
In those last few moments, he thought about his 5-year-old son, who wanted to become a knight like his father.
Now, chances are that his son wouldn't live to see the day. Even if he lives, he won't be as healthy as he was before.
'He's not ruthless and grants us mercy, only to cripple us in his curtain call...'
The massive glacier was seconds away from hitting the capital city and the surrounding homes, possibly injuring or even killing hundreds of citizens of Jericho.
Some of the residents could swear they could hear a man's sinister laughter reverberating throughout the entire kingdom as the glacier fell upon them.
The demon of chaos and the bringer of evil had painted the city in red and blue with one fell swoop, reminding the world of an evil they had long forgotten.