Demon of Destruction

I lay down, my body sinking into the soft ground, blood raining from the sky. My body aches, the world above feels so empty as the corpse falls to the ground. The hollow messages sprinkled in my view,

'You defeated sky beast

You leveled up'

It's been a month since the release of the game. As expected I grinded and fought to maintain my spot at the top.

The world seems so empty now… the world that I fell in love with has lost its color. The monsters are now a chore. This game is now a means to an end.

I've made roughly six thousand pounds.

I don't know why, the achievement seems empty. At first my goal was to fund Ellie's education, to move out of this town. But that dream seems more and more achievable… leaving me to ask myself what next? What now?

The world is so lonely from the top.

I need to find a challenge.

Something fun…

I picked myself up walking south. Then bringing a rune stone from my pocket a horse leapt from my hand jumping onto the ground.

_________________________________________________________________________

Username: ItsAssassin

Race: Shadowrath

Class: Knife

Level: 83

Vitality: 97

Wisdom: 110

Strength: 56

Speed: 214

Title: Drakenheart's National Hero

Unique skill: Copy

Special skills: Eye of death

Inventory: Assassin's Blade, Hero's clothing of strength

_________________________________________________________________________

My knife was now gently curved and had a serrated edge, I wore heavy armor and a tunic underneath with the drakenheart crest. The tunic was a pure white cloth that extended outwards and covered my head.

As I traveled I thought of the world I live in, the people inside, my sister and Psye. My heart aching with the thought of that life. My soul felt divided between the two. I feel different here, like I used to. So free and so happy. When I close my eyes, I don't see her body, I don't see her smile as she falls. I see the smiles of my friends, and I become the person I could've been. The one I am deep down. The one she fell in love with and the one who would've jumped after her. This is who I should be… and yet I'm fake, only able to live because of a game.

I'm pathetic,

No matter what, I'll escape that world too. When I use the life you gave me to the fullest, when I'm known as the best, and I've become something other than a pathetic mess, then… I'll join you Ella.

After a few minutes of traveling, I reached the south. The green and joy fell away to reveal a burnt and charred world. The sky was black and covered in ash and a foul sight. Rivers of blood carved through the land meandering through the hills of burnt and broken villages. Instead of wooden fences the roads are lined with bones.

I stepped off my horse leaving it in the bright-green fields and then stepped into the new world. The Demon territory.

The suggested level is three hundred. I unsheathed my knife and pressed forward my feet crunching into the blackened ground.

'Announcement:

"ItsAssassin" has become the first player to enter the Demon territory.'

Then in the corner of my screen a countdown started with five minutes. The numbers are counting down. What's happening? This hasn't happened before.

"Well, well Assassin, fancy seeing you here."

Hovering behind me was Kyn, his legs were crossed, and his hands pushed down into his lap as he lowered his head to stare down at me.

"What is this counter?"

"Ooooh well I had some free time, so I designed one hundred unique demons that will spawn within five minutes of someone entering the demon territories to discourage noobs wandering and getting an OP weapon from a random chest."

"What level?"

"Around three hundred, but that varies based on your title. So bad luck friend you've got yourself a level five hundred demon… I suggest you run."

I looked forward.

'03:45'

My hand gripping around my knife, the wind from the demon territory flicking back my clothes like a flag in the wind.

'02:34'

I pushed back the hood and pulled three potions from my pocket firing the lids from all three.

'01:29'

Then after pulling back the ceramic pots and letting the colored liquid fall into my throat I looked back forward, throwing them to the ground and letting them disintegrate into blue light.

'00:55'

I smiled my blue eyes gleaming in the dark backdrop

'00:00'

'Announcement:

The demon of destruction Abbadon - has spawned'

Then it appeared, horns ripping from its skull and spiraling out of its head. The terrifying gray skinned monster staring at the sun, its body covered in glowing red veins. A huge sword hung over its shoulder covering the muscled back. Then power emanated from its body as it looked towards the earth. Its face had a huge wide smile that echoed mine, its eyes glowing red and pouring with blood.

"You are the strongest?"

"Uh huh"

"Allow me to make you a legend, someone who will be heralded as a hero for standing up to me as the true strongest. I will create a god out of you human, but before creation must come… DESTRUCTION!!!!"

He leapt forward, his sword crashing into the ground. I stepped back hesitantly narrowly avoiding the deadly blade. In a desperate effort to counter I swung my knife outwards aiming the blade at Abbadon's side. The demon caught my hand pushing the knife away and dropping his sword. Then as he pushed me to the ground his strength overwhelmed me. moving his face close to mine, its tongue dripping from its mouth. Saliva poured from the snaking muscle as it approached my face cheek. My eyes widened, the demon completely overpowering me.

This is how I finally die, how after all this time a monster kills me. Was I too brash? Was I too reckless? Should I have kept grinding? Was it dumb of me to think I could actually fight a demon?

NO! I DON'T ACCEPT THIS!

I stood up, pushing back the muscled demon before me as I stared into its eyes. It laughed harder as I stood up, I dropped the knife and caught it with my other hand, sneaking behind my back as I forced my hand around aiming the point at his head. He let go of my right hand, chopping my left wrist. The knife was flung in front of my head and into my right hand, I caught the small blade, stabbing into the demon's back. I twisted the blade staring into the crazed eyes of the demon. The glowing blood poured from its back. Jumping backwards, I kicked upwards, my toes jabbing into the demon's jaw.

'Unique skill Copy' activated - 'martial arts'

My foot swung underneath me, kicking off the ground and launching me towards the still bleeding enemy. Hurtling towards the monster I punched into Abbadon's face, my hands red with his blood. Then my punches started to glaze off his body, my fists slamming into his skin.

'-10'

'-10'

'-10'

The damage was minimal as the demon started to pick up his sword and leapt forward. The blade crashing into my arms.

'Unique skill Copy' activated - 'Wind Blade' paste subskill paste x2'

My arms ripped outwards pushing the blade backwards then I jumped backwards the wind in my palm rotating and spinning. A wind bullet formed as I shot it forward, the attack smashing into his sword. I jumped upwards and summoned four bolts of lightning, the blue light crashing into the demon's back.

'-600'

I ran across the ground, the black dirt kicking up as I ran. Then the monster jumped forward slashing into the ground with the giant sword, the ground collapsing underneath. I swung my legs out frantically kicking at the demon as it ran after me grabbing my legs and lifting me into the air. His mouth opened a black abyss waiting to devour me.

"Hahaha Scream human. For me let all your cries and wails out!!"

'Unique Skill 'Copy' activated - 'Light presence.'

A bright light poured out of me burning into the demon's eyes. It dropped me and I pushed out with my hands falling out of the way of the demon's mouth. Then I flicked my hands out of the air building with black clouds. The world started to dim, growing darker and darker as the sky flashed with a heavenly bright light. My body started to burn as I poured all of my mana into the storm.

'Unique skill 'Copy' activated - 'thunderclap' subskill paste x60'

The world burnt with a bright light, the pillar of light was the size of a city as I poured energy into it, my knees buckling underneath me. The blades of thunder falling through the air cracking through the air booming across the sky. The sparks and embers jumping out of the attack.

I screamed out in pain as the demon stabbed me with his sword, the red sword running with my blood.

"Stop this! HUMAN!!! STOP!!! I am the demon of destruction!!!! All shall fall before me!!!"

I smiled, the pain rippling through my chest. I'm going to die.

The realization is strangely freeing. Tears of blood fell from my eyes as I cast the spell, the red pool at the bottom of my feet filling and growing. The demon slashed and stabbed at me, his sword cutting and ripping through my body.

I cried out a final time as the world seemed to stop. The blinding light crashing down on the terrain. My blood is piling up under me. The demon's face filled with fear as he stared up at the giant spell. The magic spilling out of me burning and cracking the ground.

"Scream asshole!"

The thunderbolt smashed into the ground ripping the dirt and exploding everything in sight.

This game is still so fun!

'Announcement:

"ItsAssassin" killed the Demon - raid event over.'

'You killed the demon of destruction

You levelled up 57 times'

'You died - Respawn?'

I finally died… The pain was instant, and then it was all over… all black… all empty.

I respawned my body falling into the streets of Maruine. The cobbled pathways intertwining between bustling shops and taverns alive with merriment. I leveled up 57 times. That still wasn't enough… it still isn't enough. I had to sacrifice my life to kill the monster. It took everything I had, I want to be stronger. I want to eat attacks like that for breakfast and farm level five hundred monsters like they're nothing. I will be stronger, I will grow, and I will be the best.

Still tired I decided to sit down swiping up on the panels in front of me checking stats and my inventory. Suddenly a chime rang through the city catching the attention of every player. It was a collection of bells all ringing and harmonizing as they swung, resonating from the palace.

'Announcement'

'The first event will now commence. This event will last until all players have been killed except the winner, if you wish not to participate please log out. People who are still online in servers will be transported to the special map.'

'The event will commence in: 5…'

'4…'

'3…'

'2…'

'1…'