mouse chasing

The little kid ran away; he wasn't anywhere to be seen.

Elarion started drawing a radiant circle filled with symbols in the air.

"Our dear father, trap these evil souls under your dominion."

Elarion heard shouting from afar.

"Bastard pervert!"

He grinned like a fool as the barrier covered the whole city. He waved his hand toward the servants.

"What are you dazing at? Are you surprised that your little lord is afraid?"

The whole group of servants trembled. The elf clenched his fist, shouted, and pointed his bow at me.

"Kill this bastard!"

I sat on the ground, giggling slightly.

"One minute. I won't move. If you can make me bleed, I'll leave quietly."

The furred man held his mace and bludgeoned my head. He grinned and struck me nonstop, bringing hit after hit. His breathing hitched.

"Don't look down on us, you mere human!"

He paused, looking surprised at Elarion. Elarion smiled and wiped the dust off his face. There wasn't a single scratch on him.

"I said it before—I hate getting dirty. Where's your sense of elegance? All of you animals are the same."

The elf shot arrow after arrow at my body.

"Don't fall for his provocation! He's probably using some trick!"

The elf's arrows all tore through my body, yet not a single drop of blood fell. The skeleton army surrounded me, stabbing my body all at once. The swords pierced through me, emerging from the other side. I shook my head and smiled ever so slightly.

"Is that all? Try magic or a spell. You have half a minute left."

The furred man and the elf began chanting. A radiant circle filled with symbols formed on the ground.

"Our dear god of destruction, show this fool your true power!"

The earth shook beneath me. That's when a giant golem appeared in front of me. It was about six meters tall, with two hands, each filled with swords. Every step it took toward me made the ground tremble. I whistled, licked my palm, and smiled wider.

"Hey, only ten seconds left! You two better hurry!"

The golem stood before me, lifting its hand high only to bring it down above my head, shattering the skeletons that surrounded me. Yet, I didn't move an inch. I laughed loudly and lifted the golem's hand from my head.

"That tickles. Hey guys, your time ends here. Any last words?"

Elarion dashed toward the elf, knocking him down and whispering quietly.

"Don't move if you want to live."

The furred man struck me with his mace as I held the elf down. I grabbed the furred man's head while stomping on the elf's stomach, grinning wickedly.

"Let's see what you did to the citizens here. I have a skill that lets me read people's memories."

As I held the furred man's head, I saw how he had killed people, made them slaughter each other, tortured them with poison, forced lovers to choose who would live by making one sacrifice the other, and played hunting games—letting them run so he could chase them while relishing their fear and screams.

I smiled, cut off both his hands, and threw him toward the gate.

"You're quite creative. Let's play a chasing game like you did."

The furred man groaned in pain, his screams loud. He looked at his shoulders, his expression filled with frustration.

"…You… dirty bastard…"

The furred man started running away. I looked at the elf and whispered quietly.

"Let's make a contract. I'll let you live, but you'll have to follow all my orders as your new master."

The elf gritted his teeth and huffed angrily.

"Why would I listen to a mere human? I've already signed a contract with my master."

Elarion smiled and stomped on the elf's stomach hard, causing him to gasp. The elf tried to move, but Elarion cast a spell on him, paralyzing him.

"Don't worry about your little master. He'll die soon. You better change your mind when that happens."

The elf chuckled.

"As if a mere human could defeat the Demon Lord."

Elarion walked away, smiling over his shoulder.

"The little kid was right. You black elves are stupid. Didn't you see him running away when he heard my title?"

The elf's smile faded. He sighed and whispered.

"If you can defeat my lord, I will be your toy, slave, servant—whatever you want. But only if you can kill him."

Elarion glared at the elf with hatred, clenching his fist.

"I don't just kill—I play with my prey. I torture them. Be thankful that I need you, or else you'd be one of them."

The elf chuckled. Unable to move his body, he simply sighed.

"Well, thanks for that. I look forward to your chasing games, my new master."

Elarion sighed.

"You can act decent when you think. Keep it up, slave."

As Elarion said that, he wasted no time running into the castle. Laughter filled the hall.

"Hey, little kid, I know you're there. Don't think I can't sense people hiding in my parallel."

Hadeon appeared in the hall, facing Elarion. He bowed slightly, his body shaking.

"Can we make a deal in our duel?"

Elarion clapped his hands, smirking ever so slightly.

"I don't refuse polite offers from kids. You know my weakness is polite kids."

Hadeon lifted his head, letting out a small sigh.

"Thanks for your kindness."

Elarion walked toward Hadeon, stopping three steps away from him. This was the perfect distance for sword fighting, but he threw his sword aside and smiled widely.

"You can choose whatever conditions you want. I won't go against them… or maybe not. That depends on you."

Hadeon smirked despite his trembling body.

"You really are as people say—twisted as ever."

He shook his head.

"Whatever. First rule: no weapons allowed. Second: no killing. Third: the fight ends when one of us admits defeat."

Elarion's laughter filled the hall again. He covered his head with his hand, his grin widening before he spoke.

"Let's add more fun. Fourth: you can kill me, but I can't kill you. Fifth: if I move from my place, I'll become your servant. Sixth: when one of us admits defeat, he must die."

Hadeon's smirk grew wider. His body stopped shaking as he heard Elarion's offer.

"You really are full of courage… or is it mere foolishness?"

I started writing symbols on the ground, biting my fingertip. A slight drop of blood fell onto the symbols.

"If you agree to our terms, offer your blood here. Don't worry—I won't strike until the duel begins."

Hadeon moved toward the symbol contract, bit his fingertip, and let his blood drop onto it. Then he stepped back.

"Now, let's begin."