The screeching of birds filled the air as they scattered in every direction.
'Who is he?' Code stared in awe at the masked man.
He hadn't noticed his presence at all. He just appeared, standing there as if he'd always been part of the scene.
"Arrgh," the man sighed, turning his gaze toward Code.
"You see, I should've been here sooner, but something came up, and I had to take longer," he said, his eyes practically pleading.
Grrraaahh!!
The demon growled, its massive leg twitching.
"Oh, my bad, hahaha!" the man chuckled nervously as he pushed lightly, and the demon's leg flung backward like it weighed nothing.
He turned back to Code, who stared at him with his mouth hanging wide open.
'How did...?' Code thought. 'This was the same demon that leveled trees and crushed humans, yet this strange man treated it like nothing.'
"You don't wanna keep that mouth open for long," the masked man said, his tone slightly mocking. "Germs could enter."
Instead of closing his mouth, Code's jaw dropped even more in a stunned uh?
"Oh, hahaha!" The masked man burst out laughing. "I forgot, your facial bones are probably already crushed."
"But wait… does that mean…" His eyes narrowed as he brought his hand to his chin.
'What the hell?' Code exclaimed in his head. 'How is he so calm? There's literally a demon behind us, and he's laughing?'
"…then that'd mean another thing entirely," the man continued, deep in thought.
'Is he here to joke?' Code thought bitterly. He wanted to stand up and smack the man's head, but his body wouldn't let him.
Then suddenly...
WHOOOM!!
The demon was coming, hurling a massive punch toward them.
'Oi!' Code's eyes widened. 'Behind you, bastard!' he screamed internally, but no sound escaped his throat.
The punch flew through the air, straight toward the masked man.
Strangely, the man didn't move. He remained crouched, still thinking.
"Wait… if what I'm thinking is right…"
And then, the punch landed.
BOOM!!
A burst of wind tore through the forest, shredding leaves and scattering debris.
Code's ears rang, and his vision blurred.
'The bastard's dead,' Code thought grimly.
As the dust cleared, he quickly turned his head... and froze.
The man was still there. Crouched. Thinking.
'How did…?' Code muttered inwardly.
The punch hadn't landed.
An eerie silence passed, then, without warning...
BLAMMM!!
The demon's arm exploded in a spray of blood and gore.
"Screeeech!!" it screamed, jerking backward in agony.
'What?! How did he do that? He didn't even move!' Code's mind raced. 'Does he even know he just did that?'
"Arrgh," the man sighed aloud, ruffling his white hair as he stood.
"I can't think of an explanation…" he muttered.
'What's he even thinking about?' Code wondered.
The man raised his gaze to meet Code's.
"This is tougher than it looks, y'know," he said.
'The fuck are you thinking about in the middle of a battle?!' Code wanted to scream.
"I can't seem to wrap my head around it," the man added, walking toward Code.
'Why's he coming here?! He should move away before the demon attacks again!' Code shouted in his head, his eyes filled with panic.
The demon had already regenerated its arm.
The man crouched directly in front of Code.
'Bastard!!!' Code yelled inwardly. 'He's gonna get me killed too!'
Then the man spoke, calmly.
"You see…"
"Uh?" Code's gaze shifted to him.
"I don't see things on the level of humans," the man began.
'What is he talking about now, when we're about to die?! Is he drunk?!' Code fumed.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
The demon began charging toward them, its tongue flailing, its muscles twisting grotesquely as it transformed.
"I see absolutely everything, anything… and even nothing," the man continued.
BOOM!
The demon's roar shook the earth as it sprinted closer.
'This motherfucker! He should've just let me die in peace earlier!' Code hissed. 'If I ever come back in another life, I'll make sure he's the first person I kill!'
"Arrgh," the man sighed, tilting his head up toward the blood-red moon.
The branches framed the sky like a painting.
It was almost beautiful.
'Do something, bastard!!' Code screamed internally.
The man slowly lowered his gaze to meet the charging demon.
It was already two steps away.
His eyes were distant; cold, detached, and filled with stark arrogance.
"When I look at this demon…"
The monster closed the last distance, its final step shaking the ground.
"…all I see is nothing."
In that instant, time slowed.
'Uh?' Code gulped.
And before he could even blink...
SKRABLAAAM!!
The demon's body, arms, legs, head, bones,
all exploded.
Blood and gore rained across the forest in a crimson mist.
'What the fuck?!' Code's eyes widened in disbelief. 'He didn't even move. What is he?!'
The man stood amidst the carnage, calm and unfazed.
'How did he do that?' Code marvelled.
The man turned. "You're probably thinking 'how did he do that?' right now," he said.
'Uh?!' Code blinked.
"Because…" the man said quietly, his voice echoing through the silence,
"…I'm a god."
Those were the last words Code heard before his vision blurred and his body went numb.
"A god?"
And he died, but not without meeting a god.
"Oh, crap, he's out," the man muttered, shaking his head. As he stepped forward, he froze.
"Is that…?"
His gaze shifted to Code's left arm.
Something strange was happening.
The demon's blood and flesh were being absorbed through the wound in Code's arm.
"I knew it," the man whispered, his silver mask gleaming faintly under the moonlight.
"This boy is something else…"
...
To Be Continued...