Chapter 2.4: The demon of pain

Edén’s eyes were wide open.

Before him stood a terrifying beast whose mere presence radiated danger.

BAM!

A devastating blow struck with ferocious force.

However, to the beast’s surprise, its attack connected with neither flesh nor bone.

Acting purely on instinct, Edén had managed to dodge with what little strength he had left.

“He’s incredibly fast,” Shun thought, watching with his arms crossed. “No ordinary human should be capable of moving like that.”

“I hope you never stop surprising me, Edén.”

“Damn it… It feels like I’ve had my ass kicked over and over again,” Edén thought, clutching his injured side.

“I guess Grandpa’s training finally proved useful.”

“Even so… I don’t think I can last much longer,” he admitted to himself, staring at the blood running down his side.

GRRRRRRR!

The beast unleashed a vicious slash at Edén.

Its claws struck with such tremendous force that they sliced through the infernal stone as though it were butter.

The attacks came one after another.

Relentless.

Unstoppable.

Yet Edén continued stepping backward, almost as though he could anticipate every strike.

“I have to finish this before the others arrive.”

“But… how?”

A new voice suddenly interrupted them, calm yet firm.

—So this is why you asked me to release them…

The speaker was a man whose eyes seemed to contain hell itself.

His disheveled hair was dark and heavy, like the night.

His name was—

Tenzak.

—Yes —Shun replied without turning around—. Although I may have set my expectations a little too high.

—Did you at least teach him how to use one of the Zenka energies?

Shun let out a quiet laugh.

—About that… I forgot.

—Are you serious?! —Tenzak stared at him as though he were standing before a madman—. Those creatures can’t be defeated by someone who doesn’t even know about the Zenka energies!

—That only makes it more interesting… Don’t you think?

—I don’t know when or why I ever decided to start working for you…

SLASH!

Without warning, a powerful attack struck Edén across the chest.

The beast’s claws tore through his skin with ease.

Blood began streaming down his torso as fear slowly took hold of his body.

Edén fell to his knees, horror invading every cell within him.

“It’s impossible…”

“I can’t do anything.”

“I thought this was the path that would allow me to save Grandpa.”

“But those two…”

“I won’t even be able to lay a finger on those bastards…”

Edén remembered that gaze.

He remembered the pity with which he had been observed.

Like a mark branded upon his weakness.

…

The earth began to tremble once again.

The monster’s offspring had finally arrived.

There were so many of them that their numbers seemed endless.

But Edén did not react.

There was no longer any fire in his eyes.

All hope had vanished.

BAM!

A devastating blow struck Edén, making his bones crack.

And yet, he remained there on his knees.

Even as his body bled and his organs were crushed, he remained there.

“That blow would have killed anyone else,” Shun thought. “What the hell is his body made of?”

Every strike he received was more brutal than the last.

His blood sprayed in every direction.

He appeared so weak that even the gigantic beast eventually lost interest in him.

From atop the mountain, Tenzak watched in horror.

His fists were clenched so tightly that they seemed ready to burst.

Frustrated, he tightened them even further.

“Am I really supposed to stand here and do nothing?”

“I know Shun wouldn’t allow him to die…”

“But can I really trust that…?”

Although those blows would have killed any ordinary human, Edén’s eyes remained open as the breath of life slowly faded from him.

“Is this reality?”

“Will I truly be able to gain enough strength to defeat those two?”

“Will I really be able to rescue Grandpa…?”

Unable to restrain himself any longer, Tenzak lunged at Shun and seized him by the collar.

—Do something, damn it!

…

For the first time, Shun’s expression changed.

His gaze darkened.

His eyes became piercing and sharp.

—Do you truly believe you have the right to defy me…? —Shun whispered with a calmness that froze the blood—. You are only alive… because I allow it.

His gaze overflowed with immeasurable contempt.

It was the way a human might look down upon an ant.

—If you ever lay a finger on me again…

—You will die.

Tenzak collapsed to the ground as though every ounce of strength had suddenly abandoned his body.

Before him stood a being whose sovereignty was powerful enough to shake the heavens themselves.

Shun raised two fingers.

At once, black chains erupted from the ground and coiled around Tenzak, completely restraining him.

…

—Perhaps you haven’t realized it yet —Shun continued—, but there is something inside that boy that neither you nor I… are capable of understanding.

—What do you mean?

—Watch carefully what is about to happen…

Then, a voice echoed through the air.

Guttural.

Dark.

Like a whisper rising from the deepest corner of the mind.

—Kill them all…

Time came to a standstill.

Edén’s eyes turned completely white.

The beasts that had once seemed so terrifying began to retreat from the danger before them.

Their instincts screamed only one command:

“Run.”

Edén’s skin began to peel away beneath Tenzak’s horrified gaze.

His thunderous screams shook the very foundations of hell.

Formless energy poured uncontrollably from his body.

It was purple in color…

And carried the stench of decay.

The pressure surrounding him became so immense that the invisible barrier shattered into pieces.

A chill ran down Tenzak’s spine.

“What is that…?”

“Why do I feel like… I’m going to die?”

Every beast fled in terror without ever looking back.

Within those creatures, once consumed by bloodlust, nothing remained but horror.

“That aura… That fear…”

“It carries a clear message.”

“I am going to die.”

Tenzak swallowed hard.

Then, upon seeing the smile on Shun’s face, a realization struck him like lightning.

“You’re worse than a monster…”

In the deepest reaches of that hell, a monster began to emerge.

A demon destined to rule.

The Demon of Pain.