The Master of Puppets

Iskarriot's hand started slowly healing back. He shortened his tail to make the healing process even faster. Quickly a small deformed hand grew from his wrist.

"Good heavens! He can heal apparently just by damaging others!" Eugenold was shocked.

"Good guess but not exactly. My Demon Lord Blessing lets me collect Mana even from thin air but because blood contains Mana, spilling blood is far more efficient than just standing still", Iskarriot explained with an evil smile.

"It's about time we stop you once and for all!" William said with confidence. He tried to act cool but was actually terrified and doubted could he even beat Iskarriot. He had to use his final strategy when it came to fighting. William was a paladin but he didn't want to promote his religion because it would draw attention away from his own heroism thus risking his chances getting The Greatest Hero's Reward. He didn't want to be remembered as a highly religious person but rather someone who was brave from his own will and not because his Goddes commanded him. But this time he had to ask power from his goddess.

"Imdea, the Goddess of birth, I ask for strength to kill this unholy ruler of Hell!" William shouted and pointed his longsword towards the hall's broken roof windows. For a moment everyone looked up in the hall trying to see if anything would come down from the Heavens but apparently nothing came. Only a few rays of light came in from the Sun that was setting.

Iskarriot started observing his surroundings and looking a good way to attack but just then a single raindrop came down from the sky. It landed on the tip of William's sword. The blade of the longsword now had a glowing effect on it. Iskarriot could feel the vibration of the Mana as the magical substance ran through the sword.

"Paladin's oath: Acceleration!" William shouted. William felt how the Mana exited his blade and came into his muscles. He felt like he could strike faster than lightning or run back to his home village in a few seconds.

"I thank you Imdea for your generosity. I haven't spread your holy word but you still grant me this gift. Thank you", William finished his prayer.

"Hey that's cheating!" Iskarriot complained. The demon lord sensed the Mana in William's body. If he would not be prepared, William could chop his head of in a blink of an eye. Iskarriot focused Mana into his brains and eyes. That way he could react faster if William moved super quickly.

"Good thing that I too have an ace up my sleeve", Iskarriot said with a sinister smile.

"Demon Lord Blessing: Acus Daemonicus!" Iskarriot chanted. Red glimmers of light that came from Iskarriot's hands and they started to materialize into an oblong figure. The object that was being formed looked sharp and was about the size of an average sword. William looked a little closer and realized that the object was an oversized needle. The needle got it's metallic color and barbs as the last rays of demonic Mana flew into it.

"Behold the might of my Demon Lord Weapon: The Needle Sword!" Iskarriot screeched. The part where you would usually put the string for making stiches served as the handle and the guard.

William speeded towards Iskarriot. He had used his super speed only twice before so his senses weren't caught up very well on his absurd inhuman speed. He didn't even realize that he had moved behind his enemy. Iskarriot's purple blood was pouring down from William's sword. The demon lord hadn't been ready to the strike and got slashed in the stomach and his arm had gotten a deep cut. William himself was actually little surprised about his own attack. He tried to focus more when he would strike next.

"Bloody speedster!" Iskarriot screamed.

"Use your own Mana and not something that was given to you!!!" He screamed in pain.

Iskarriot stopped his healing to increase his reaction speed. He was still bleeding but it was his only hope. Mana flew in his blood into the back of his brain because that is the part that controls vision. The feeling was odd for Iskarriot. It was almost like time started to slow down. One of the members of the royal guard tried to surprise Iskarriot but with his insane reaction speed he blocked the attack using his needle sword.

William used the opportunity to attack. He swiftly lunged behind Iskarriot and then thrusted his longsword towards the demon lord. But Iskarriots senses were honed to the sharpest and he was able to turn around. Iskarriot tried to guide William's sword away but despite his fast reactions, he wasn't able to move as quickly as he wanted. William's sword impaled him fully. Iskarriot felt the sword thrust even trough his back.

"It's over demon scum. The Greatest Hero's Reward is mine!" William celebrated and started pulling his sword back. He had spent almost all of his Mana for his last attack and he was very exhausted for moving so fast. This left him open for counter attacks. Iskarriot swinged his needle sword and hits William's face.

"AAArgHH! What do you have against my right eye?" William screamed. He held his right eye that was bleeding fast and pulled his sword from Iskarriot's stomach to increase the bleeding. William couldn't see very well. His eye was probably blind. Blood spilled out from William's eye socket. Even though he had used majority of the Mana his Goddess Imdea had given to him, his bloodstream still contained more Mana than usually. Iskarriot passively sucked it trough William's bleeding eye and closed his wound on his arm.

"What are you doing you dimwits!? Strike when you still have a chance!" William shouted angrily to the guards. His vision went blurry and he felt dizzy. He couldn't continue the fight anymore. Eugenold and the six last members of the royal guard were his only hope now. Secretly William hoped that he would pass out and wake up in his ceremony where he would be granted The Greatest Hero's Reward. People all around the kingdom of Verend would come to celebrate the saviour of their king. But most importantly William would make his mother proud.

William woke up from his day dreaming when Eugenold swinged his enormous axe towards Iskarriot. The demon lord blocked the swing easily with his needle sword.

"Could you all just die already?" Iskarriot yawned sounding genuinely bored. He flicked away Eugenold's axe and started walking towards the remaining guards.

"Stay away hellspawn!" One of the guards shouted. Five of the guards rised their weapons and gathered in formation but one of them tried to run away. Iskarriot whipped his regrown tail to push over the cowardly guard. The coward tried to crawl away but Iskarriot stopped him by stabbing through his heart. The needle sword sank into the guards chest and blood poured out. Iskarriot's deadly wound closed and he smiled monstrously at the remaining guards who looked like they were about to start crying. They hadn't encountered anything like this before

Eugenold felt responsible for the deaths of his men so he decided to put an end to Iskarriot's killing spree. The captain of the royal guard once again swinged his axe towards Iskarriot's neck but the demon catched the blade with his bare hand.

"Hahahahahahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!" Iskarriot laughed grotesque laugh. Eugenold took a defensive stance and was prepared to block Iskarriot's incoming attacks. But the demon lord just kept laughing.

Suddenly Eugenold felt a hit in the back of his head. The cause of the pain was a mace the guards used. Eugenold couldn't believe his eyes when he saw one of his men behind him ready to strike again. He thought he was seeing things because with closer inspection he noticed that the traitor guard was the one that had been stabbed. Blood was still pouring from the hole that Iskarriot made into his chainmail hauberk. Iskarriot used the Mana from the bleeding guard's blood and grew longer horns.

"Hahahahaa! Did you think my weapon is just a silly looking sword? I am the lord of the first layer of Hell. I am The Master of Puppets"

To be continued---->